Justin's Journey

My journey to health and fitness

[bruiser52training]

I wait........

I sit here at my kitchen table at a time of the day where I would normally be sound asleep.  I am staring at the words screaming across the screen of my computer as my thoughts and feelings pour out from a place where expectation doesn’t exist.  It is rather humorous how love notes have evolved over time.  It has transitioned from the sound of the pen as it glides across the page of thick piece of stationary to the tapping away on the keyboard and watch as the words appear from left to right on the screen.  Regardless of the mode in which emotion is shared, the source is exactly the same.  It comes from the very depths of one’s heart where true vulnerability resides.  That place in the heart where if someone was allowed to touch would cause tears the roll down the cheeks.  That part of the heart where love without expectation comes from but is rarely accessible much less given.    

You are the only one that has been allowed to look through the window to this place in my heart. You have gained entry into the deepest chambers of the heart where all the walls erected over time are tumbling down with every look you give.  You are the only one where a simple text message during a run will actually quicken my feet. Every simple touch from the tips of your fingers sends electricity through my body.  With all of this, I ask myself “is this what I have always wanted?”   And the answer every time is “No.  This isn’t what I have always wanted because it is so much more.  It is everything I have ever wanted and even things I never really knew I wanted but now find I don’t want to live without.”  When you give and receive love without any expectation, then you simply know God has answered a prayer spoken over and over again.  A prayer of “Please Lord, send me a person I can love like you love me.  Allow this person to love me like you love me.  Love in a way where you simply need a larger container because the one you have is overflowing”.  

You cannot explain to anyone what is happening in a heart scarred over from years of pain buried deep in the soul.  Through years of rejection, bad decisions, poor choices of words, a constant desire to be understood rather than to understand, hearing but not listening yet none of these things have resulted in in a single regret.  There is nothing you would do differently because all of these things form the man he is today and were necessary.  Yet these things don’t define the man, they simply shape him into a man he desperately wants to be.  

This love is different. Falling in love with a person before your eyes connect is liberating because the soul tells you this love is different from all the rest.  It doesn’t come from a place where you question its sustainability.  You fall in love with the person’s essence.  You fall in love with their heart and everything else takes a backseat.  You know this is the story worth writing.  It is the story worth protecting from a world where others don’t understand.  It is also a story worth protecting from oneself because you don’t understand it either. You can’t explain the connection yet it is there and too strong to ignore.  The story cannot be tainted because the costs are just too high.  

That person where you start talking and all of a sudden the sun is rising through the windows of the room that has held you captive and erased all desire to go home because they wouldn’t be there.  Asking question after question just so you gain a little more insight into what makes this person so special and with every answer, your love goes just a little deeper.  The complete comfortability felt without a single word spoken because you are staring into the eyes of a person you feel you have known forever.  They can look right though you with such ease and grace. No judgement as you talk about a past you would love to forget yet grateful for because it brought you to this place at this particular point in time.  You can feel the love being returned without the phrase “I love you” being said.

You are the person who understands what everyone else doesn’t.  You just get it.  You are the person worthy of reprioritization.  Things that were the most important now seem a little less so. It is a complete surrender of control. A willingness to simply lay down one’s desires for the path because deep down, you know where the path goes so it doesn’t matter how long it takes to get there or how many detours are necessary. We believe in someone who is not bound by time and space.  Therefore, we don’t set the time table or the route.  But the destination is known.  So until the time comes, I wait…….

[bruiser52training]

IronRelationship: Proper Form is Built from a Solid Foundation and Ensures Sustainability

The topic of this blog was put on my heart a few days ago but I have struggled with how to go about writing it.  I had the idea and I even had the starting paragraph drafted but the idea was only partially developed.  I was missing some pieces to this puzzle and they were very important pieces.  This morning, I got up like I normally do on a Sunday to prepare for my long run of the week.  I sat down with a cup of tea and found a sermon online I thought would be interesting.  It turns out this message was the missing piece I needed.  God really does work in mysterious ways and sometimes His blessings are intertwined within randomness.  So here it goes.  

I never would have thought God would use the concept of proper run form to teach me about the sustainability of a relationship?  When it comes to triathlon, it is so important to learn how to run under fatigue. That is why many triathletes do their long rides on Saturday and then do their long runs on Sunday.  This is to train the body to run on tired legs. Since we train ourselves to run under fatigue, it is so important to develop proper run form to ensure the success and sustainability of your run training.  

As you set out for your run, you go through a mental checklist.  Ensuring your core is engaged, arms swing at your hips, hands are not clinched, shoulders relaxed, and drive your knees is a lot to think about regardless of whether you are out just for a quick 30-40 min run or if you are out for a long run spanning 1-2 hours in duration.  As duration and volume increases, it becomes challenging to hold form as fatigue sets in and you start to get sloppy and you start the “marathon shuffle”.  The shorter the run is, the more likely you are to discount the run by saying “I’m only out for a quick run so let’s just get this over with” and you start the run sloppy and fail you get into proper run form.  

Now let’s apply this thought process to relationships.  In order for relationships to be healthy, they have to have a solid foundation.  To me, this foundation starts with a relationship with Christ.  A relationship where Christ is the cornerstone is one where a solid foundation can be formed. You build the foundation around the cornerstone.  You don’t fit the cornerstone into the foundation.  Focusing on this foundation is like a runner focusing on developing proper run form.  It builds a heathy and strong runner who can endure increasing run volumes and intensity.  

As you start to increase the intensity of your runs, you have to have a solid run foundation in order to endure the demands you are putting on your body.  Likewise, a relationship without a solid foundation will not be able to sustain an increase in intensity.  This is something I am trying to learn and something I have always gotten wrong, which is why every relationship I have ever been in has experienced the same result.  You cannot expect change when you continue to do the same things over and over.  It is like a runner who only does zone 2 runs (low intensity and comfortable).  They will be stuck at zone 2 and the body will not know how to run at other levels. You will not experience growth unless you start to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.  This is a valuable lesson I am currently learning in both my training and spiritual life.  

So now let’s assume you have a solid run foundation and you are entering into the build phase of your training plan.  Up until this point, you have been in the base phase of training where the goal was to build a foundation with low intensity and moderate volume.  Now in the build phase of your training plan, you start to increase volume and intensity in order to build fitness.  One effective way to build fitness is to do functional weight training.  You do this by running hills as it builds muscle and muscular endurance.  I have a love/hate relationship with hill training. I know it is good for me, but running hills is frustrating.  Just up and down and as soon as you finish one hill, there is another one on the horizon. Or you find those routes with long slow climbs which just beat you down mentally.  I have found you have to have your run form locked down before you start the ascent or decent.  Trying to run a hill at the same time as trying to get proper run form makes the climb so much more difficult and increases your chance of injury.  

I hope you see the correlation I am trying to make.  The “hills” on the run course are the ups and downs we experience in our relationships. The “run form” is our relationship with God and with the other person.  The relationship with God takes precedence because if that relationship isn’t there and functioning, then other relationships will be difficult to manage (at least that is what I am learning and what I have experienced in the past).  Without a solid foundation with the other person, how can you expect to be able to get through these “hills” in a healthy way? Trying to build this foundation and navigate the hills makes everything more difficult.  Rehabbing an injury is mentally exhausting.  I spent months rehabbing injuries I ignored.  Rehabbing the heart from injury takes time and leaves scars.  It is our choice on how we rehab these injuries.  You can choose to ignore the pain and “lock it down” which only covers up the problem and will constantly resurface.  You can choose to allow anger and blame seep into your heart and create these hard patches in your heart.  Who wants to live that way?  Angry over what someone said or did and carry that boulder wherever you go.  This anger and resentment will seep into other areas of your life and now future relationships are forced to go through that pain.  Or you can choose to let it go.  Give it to God to deal with.  This option will help you build relationship fitness and keep the past out of the future.

So here is my prayer:

Dear Lord, continue to do your work in me.  I want to thank you for helping me rehab my past relationship injuries so that I can enjoy future relationships.  Help me to leave the past where it is and not carry it with me into the future.  Help me to deepen my relationship with you so that I will be able to manage all of my other relationships in a healthy way. Without my relationship with you, I am of no use to anyone else.  Help me to manage the hills in my life.  Keep my heart soft and free from hate and frustration.  Help me to be patient and not run ahead of what you have for me.  Be the cornerstone of my foundation.  

[bruiser52training]

IronRelationship: It all starts and ends with Patience

One thing I am finding is my run workouts (especially the weekly long runs) are a time where I become really introspective.  I don’t know what makes them different from my bike workouts, but I tend to have more internal conversations during my runs.  Today’s workout held true to that trend.  The only difference was today’s workout was a bike/run brick session (this is where I will get on the bike for part of the workout and then quickly transition to a run workout).  The purpose of this type of workout is to train the body to make the adjustment from riding a bike (mostly for long periods of time) and try to get your legs under you in order to run (also for mostly long periods of time).  As a triathlete, this transition is crucial to the success or failure of the last leg of a triathlon, the dreaded run. Sometimes, it is easy to go out too hard after this transition is made and you end up running a pace you cannot sustain throughout the entire run.  This is something I have been trying to work on and understand.  I realized the benefits of an approach where I purposefully run at a slower pace during the first mile of the run in my Olympic triathlon earlier this season (see my blog on “Redemption at the Lake: 2018 White Lake Olympic Triathlon).  After that first mile, my legs are under me and I lock in my run form so I can start to increase pace (or at least attempt to increase pace).  This strategy requires one thing: patience.  

The concept of patience in athletics is something I never even considered but it plays a vital role in triathlon.  You can’t simply go out and ride the bike like you have nothing to do after the bike leg of a race.  You have to be patient throughout the entire bike leg of a race in order to have the legs necessary to execute the run.  You also can’t go with the mindset of finishing the bike strong.  If you go with that approach, you will start the run in a weakened state.  Consistency is what is important and is a necessary condition for patience.  Patience also plays a role in my non-athletic life as well and I am horrible at it in both areas of my life.  Really there is one area of my life where I struggle with patience the most and that is with matters of the heart.  I don’t know why that is but it has been an issue for me throughout my life.  Now I am at a time and place in my life where I am tired of making all of the same mistakes and walking down the same path, which has led me places I don’t want to be ever again.  I have to keep reminding myself of Romans 8: 24-25:

“For in this hope we were saved.  But hope that is seen is no hope at all.  Who hopes for what they already have?  But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.”

Over the past several months, I have been operating on the belief God will restore my marriage.  I have felt very strongly about this and have really stepped out in faith on things that made absolutely no sense at all (to me or anyone else for that matter).  I even went so far as to start wearing my wedding ring as a step of faith He was going to intercede in the situation.  I can’t tell you the pain I would feel looking down at that ring and seeing my failure on a daily basis.  Many have told me I am crazy to want her back and why am I continuing to hold onto a relationship that is obviously broken, damaged, and unhealthy from the start.  They would say I should move on because there is someone better out there.  It was difficult to hear my friends tell me I should give up.  I think this is a problem in our society today.  The idea this is too hard, it should be easier, and there is someone better out there is what hinders our patience in relationships.  Once you start to lose patience in the relationship, resentment starts to seep in.  You no longer do things for the other person because you love them.  You do things to earn “points” to be cashed in at a later date.  You are no longer willing to give grace gracefully and forgiveness for mistakes made or things said out of emotion.  Since when did relationships turn into a checkbook registry with deposits and withdraws? Maybe this is why in 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8 it starts with “Love is patient”.  I don’t hold it against any of my friends for their suggestion to move on because I know they did it out of concern and love for me.  But at the end of the day, I had to be able to look in the mirror and be comfortable with the man looking back at me.  I just wasn’t there yet.  I wasn’t ready to say “I have done all I can do and there is nothing left to do or try”.  In times of frustration, I would take off my ring just to turn around and put it back on because the conviction I felt by taking it off was worse than the pain of looking at the ring and seeing my failure and frustration with the situation.

Over the past few weeks, I have done a lot of thinking and praying (those long runs are prime time for activities such as that).  Am I the same person I was just a few short months ago?  Absolutely not, so the man she used to know no longer exists.  We haven’t spoken since mid-April (her choice) so there has been no attempt on her part to even think about reconciling.  I believe all of us are designed for a purpose. It is ultimately up to you on who you listen to when it comes to figuring out what your purpose is and why you were designed the way you were.  When it comes to relationships, our design plays a vital part in the success (or failure) of the relationship just like how patience plays a role in the success or failure of the run portion of a triathlon.  I started to think maybe she wasn’t designed to give what I needed in order for our marriage to be successful.  It would have been nice to know that ahead of time.  But then again, maybe I did know but failed to listen and let my impatience take over and rush me into a situation that wasn’t right (for me or for her).

Now I find my heart being pulled in a different direction.  I constantly ask myself “God, why did I feel so strongly you would reconcile my marriage yet here I am trying to figure out these new thoughts and feelings? How can I be certain I am right now when I was wrong before?”  Maybe the answer to that question isn’t why God didn’t reconcile it (or didn’t do it in the timeframe I would have liked), or maybe it wasn’t the case I was wrong or misunderstood what I felt God was putting on my heart.  Maybe the answer is He wanted to reconcile the marriage, but He doesn’t make us do something we don’t want to do.  He can put things in our heart as guidance just like a parent guides a child, but ultimately it is up to us to listen and obey.  We have that choice.  That is why it is so important to keep your heart soft and open in order to be in tune with what He is trying to do in your life.  Letting anger seep into your heart will harden it and a hard heart is not an open one.  

Just like a parent, we aren’t going to guide our children down a path that will harm them.  Yes, they will experience pain and frustration with being guided.  Anyone with a teenager knows they know everything already and telling a teenager “no” is just our way of keeping them from having fun.  Children still want what they want and in the time they want it (there is that concept of patience again).  I call this the Netflix generation because we can’t even wait for commercials to be over for the show to resume.  I am just as guilty of this and we are no different from our children.  We still want God to act in a specific way and in a specific time frame.  Our problems arise when we become impatient with Him and do what we want because we feel He is taking too long and we don’t see progress towards what we want.  This means impatience robs us of our faith because Hebrews 11:1 (NIV) says:

“Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.”

You should not be under the assumption just because you do what you feel God is telling you to do, you will not experience pain.  You should also not be operating under the assumption being a Christian somehow makes your life easier and everything works out according to how you want them to work out.  In fact, life is more complicated and difficult because you don’t live a life that others see as “normal and rational”.  Therefore, some of the decisions and choices you make doesn’t make sense to others.  I have definitely learned that lesson over the past several months.  Pain is a valuable learning tool.  God uses that pain to draw us closer to Him and without pain we start to think we don’t really need Him at all.  

I believe I have been patient in this situation regarding my marriage.  It has been brutal but necessary.  Maybe He used this relationship (and its failure) as a wakeup call for me.  Without this pain, I would have never looked outside of myself and I believe He used it to draw me in so He can transform me into the man I need to be.  Unless I allow Him to transform me, I will continue to make the same mistakes I have always made.  This transformation will require work and as many of you know, I have never been afraid of hard work.  I may complain that it is “hard” but I still always seem to find a way to do what has to be done.  But you have to put in the work in order to reap the reward.  It’s not like I can line up at the starting line at Ironman Louisville in October and expect to finish without putting in the months and months of hard work to get me ready.  If I want God’s reward and blessing, I have to be willing to put in the work.  I believe I have some insight into what He has planned for me and trust me; the blessing is worth every minute of effort.

Within the last few weeks, I felt God release me from my failed marriage.  Regardless of what He wants (or me for that matter), she has the right to choose her path and that choice is between her and God.  I have done everything I could do and I have been obedient to what I feel God has asked me to do during this time.  Not only did the guilt and frustration from seeing that ring on my finger leave, I actually started to feel conviction for still wearing it.  She has made her choice clear and I find myself ok with her choice.  I know God has something better for me.  Now I find myself in a situation where I still need to be patient with God.  I need to learn how to put my desires, thoughts, and feelings on the side burner and rely on Him because He is guiding me down a path and I know my father would not lead me down a path that will hurt me.  

[bruiser52training]

Redemption at the Lake: 2018 White Lake Olympic Triathlon

It has taken me a while to post this race report.  I have a lot going on at the moment, but it is important to me to get my thoughts and feelings about races I do on paper.  I use these posts as a way to document learning experiences I come across along my journey.  Things that worked, what didn’t work, and how I felt before/during/after the race. This is the second consecutive year I have done this race and chances are good I will return next year as well.

Last year at this time, I was basically coming off a plantar fasciitis injury and I was trying to rebuild myself.  By the time this race arrived, I had yet to run a 10K without utilizing a run/walk strategy.  Needless to say, I was very nervous about this race last year and went into the race with extremely low confidence and serious questions regarding my physical conditioning.  Last year this was a hot race with temperatures in the lower 90’s.  This year it was perfect with temperatures in the 50-60’s.  Last year I finished the race in 3:15, which was a bit disappointing but I have to keep in mind where I was fitness-wise.  This year, I wanted redemption in my own head and give me some validation in what I have been doing over the winter since IM Chattanooga.  I knew I had to throw aside the issues I am going through in my personal life in order to focus on the task at hand and that was to execute my race.  

There is one thing I did differently this year compared to last.  I have never raced with my wedding ring.  With my current situation, I felt lead to wear it.  I have been wearing it as a step of faith God will restore my marriage.  I know that may seem silly to most, but it is something I have felt led to do.  I can’t explain it but I felt it in my heart it is something I need to do.  Until God tells me I can take it off, I will leave it on as a sign of my faith in Him. I don’t wear it in the water (even in the pool during swim workouts) mainly because it slips up and down on my finger.  So I stuck my ring in my bento box on my bike so it would be safe.  As I left transition after the swim, the first thing I did after I got settled on the bike was to reach into my bento box and pull out my ring.  I wore it the rest of the race.  

Swim: 0:33:24

This year they changed the swim course from a 1 loop swim to a 2 loop swim.  I believe this had some impact on my time as the swim course was a bit more congested.  It was wetsuit-legal just like it was last year and this was the first time I have put on my wetsuit since last year.  I started to “panic” a bit when the swim started because I could feel myself working harder than I really wanted or expected to.  It just took me a little time to get settled in and adjust my swim stroke to the wetsuit.  My swim time this year was about 3 min slower than last year but I got the swim done without too much concern.  This year I actually ran from the swim finish into transition which I didn’t do last year. Last year I walked the distance because I wanted to be careful with my feet since my plantar fascia was still a little sensitive.  

Bike: 1:19

I was very pleased with the bike this year.  I am much stronger on the bike this year compared to last year.  This year, I also borrowed some race wheels and it really paid dividends.  My power output and speed was significantly higher this year.  My average and normalized power was 190W and 198W, respectively and this is about a 9% increase in power over last year.  I averaged nearly 21 mph on the bike and I really tried to bike it smart and disciplined.  In the past, I usually jump on the bike and drop the hammer.  Now, I am trying to stay patient because I have learned the hard way the race isn’t won on the bike but it sure can be lost on it. There was very little wind compared to last year and I feel the bike went well.  The race wheels made a huge difference in how the bike feels and the efficiency of the pedal stroke.  I definitely was able to generate more power with less energy.  I was able to drop 8 minutes off the bike compared to last year.

One the bike, I took one bottle of GQ-6 along with one Cliff Bar Energy Shot Gel and consumed all of it. I felt I wasn’t going to be on the bike long enough where I needed just plain water and I knew it wasn’t going to be hot.  I had a bottle of plain water in transition I use to wash debris off my feet before I put on my bike shoes so if I needed it when I got off the bike it would be there for me.  No need to carry extra weight on the bike if it wasn’t necessary.  

Run:  1:00

This is the portion of the race where things tend to go downhill quickly for me.  My plan was to run the entire 10K with my first mile being a “warm up” pace.  I really wanted to be smart about the run and not let negative thoughts creep into my head and not over-analyze how my body felt.  The run course is mainly flat and the majority of the run is in the sun with limited shade.  I got off the bike feeling good and was in and out of transition quickly.  My first mile was run at a 10:26 pace, which is right around the pace I was hoping to hit.  After the first mile, I felt good and started to execute my plan and pick up my pace.  The next 2 miles were run at an average pace of 9:53 which I was pleased with because I really wanted to keep my pace sub-10:00.  My stretch goal for the run was to negative split the run and I know I had to be disciplined in order to be able to pull that off.  My average pace during the first 3 miles was 10:04 and my average pace during the last 3 miles was 9:47.  I was extremely happy with the fact I was able to negative split the run and run the entire 10K.  I was able to drop 7 minutes off the run compared to last year.  I took water at every aid station and had one Cliff Bar Energy Shot Gel during the run.  

Overall time: 3:02 (based on my watch and not official results which actually had me 3:00:49)

I am so happy with the results of this race.  I executed my plan well and I was lucky enough to have a good result.  I finished 9th out of 12 in my age group, which is right around where I would normally be because my age group is a very tough age group to compete in.  I shaved off a total of 14 minutes compared to last year so this was a course PR for me.

First of all, I want to thank God for the progress He has given me this year.  I am finally healthy and He has blessed me more than I could have hoped for.  Second, I want to thank Mason and Braeden for putting up with my training schedule. These boys are the most giving and understanding kids I could have ever asked for.  They are my reason for everything.  Next, I want to thank my coach Kevin Burcham.  His guidance has been a blessing and I could not ask for a better coach.  Actually, he and a few of my Team K-Squared Racing teammates were at this race with me. On the way back to the place we were staying, I was talking to Kevin about how I felt the race went and he told me he was very proud of me today.  That really meant a lot to me.  It feels really good to hear your coach is proud of you.  Lastly, I want to thank GQ-6 for their support of the team and their product is what keeps me training and racing.  The volunteers and race sponsors were awesome and without these people, we would not have a race to compete in.  See you next year White Lake!!  Next up, REV3 Williamsburg 70.3 Relay in early July.

[bruiser52training]

2018 One City Marathon Relay: The Only Time I Will Take 1st Place in a Marathon....

On March 4 2018, I ran my first relay race with some amazing athletes.  We had a four-person team splitting up 26.2 miles down in Newport News, VA.  What made it even more special was my oldest son (Mason) was a member of the team and we structured the order so that he was going to be handing the baton off to me for the last leg of the race.  

For several days leading up to race day, a nor’easter storm blew through our area and the winds were insane.  Typically, as race day approaches, most (probably all) athletes are glued to the weather report to try and get some idea of what conditions will be like when it comes to toeing the line on race day.  If those few days leading up to the race were any indication of what race day was going to be like, then it wasn’t going to be pretty.  Luckily, the storm has essentially blown out of the area and we were left with decent weather.  There was some wind on the course but fortunately my leg of the race didn’t really have to battle it.  In fact, I got a little bit of a push from some tailwinds.  

Since the race wasn’t that far away from where I live (1.5 hours), Mason and I drove down the morning of the race, which meant I had to get a teenager (17 yrs. old) up way before he would typically want to be awake.  I was up at 3:00 AM and grabbed a shower and made some tea.  We needed to leave around 3:45 AM in order to make it there in time for the various shuttle buses to take us to our designated handoff locations.  I was nice enough to let him sleep until 3:30.  Needless to say, he was still in his bed at 3:44 AM as I strongly encouraged him to get up because I was leaving in 1 minute.  I just kept telling myself “yes I do love my kids”.  After all was said and done, we ended up leaving the house 15 min later than planned, which necessitated some aggressive driving in some places but we got there on time.  Come to find out, we had plenty of time and there were numerous buses leaving at various times to take us to our respective locations.  Live and learn.  

So here was our lineup:

Kevin Burcham: 7.9 miles (time = 51:23, 6:30 mile pace)

Kristen Kelley: 6.1 miles (time = 44:18, 7:19 mile pace)

Mason White: 7.4 miles (time = 45:36, 6:10 mile pace)

Justin White: 4.8 miles (time = 45:04, 9:23 mile pace)

 Since I was the last leg of the race, I had the longest time to just wait around and let me mind race. I did several rounds of stretching and little shake out runs.  I had a lot of time to kill.  I was so excited to have Mason be the one to hand off the baton to me to finish the race. My heart jumped when I saw him round the corner and hold out the baton for me to grab.  This was by far the highlight of my day regardless of what my race time ended up being.  

The plan was to run my leg of the race at a pace of 9:00 per mile.  I knew this was an ambitious plan mainly because this was faster than my current 5K pace.  I ran the first mile right on target with a pace of 8:56.  I knew right away I wasn't going to be able to hold that pace.  By the end of the day, my average pace was consistent with my 5K pace (9:15 per mile based on my actual run mileage and time). So I ran this 8K at a 5K pace, which I am extremely happy with that performance.  It took a while to come to grips with the fact I missed my target pace. Mainly because I am a goal-oriented person and when I don’t meet a goal I tend to beat myself up and question everything I did (and didn’t) do.  After some time of letting it roll around in my head, I told myself this was a really ambitious target this early in the season so I should be proud of being able to push myself like that given the fact this wasn’t a race I had planned on doing. We finished with a race time of 3:06:27 and took 1st place in the 4-person mixed relay teams.  We placed 7th out of all relay teams. Overall it was a great day and sharing it with friends and more importantly sharing it with Mason made everything even more special.  It was a good day.  I would like to thank GQ-6 for such an amazing product.  Without this product, there is no way I would be able to perform the way I do.  It is perfect for me with less sugar and a clean after-taste unlike many other electrolyte-replenishment drinks).  

[bruiser52training]

2018 Sweetheart 8K: No Sweetheart Needed But Accepting Applications

Today was the second consecutive day of racing for me.  Today was the Sweetheart 8K and it couldn’t have been more different than yesterday’s 5K. I wore my compression sleeves all day to help my legs recover and prepare for today.  Last night, I had some muscle cramps in my calves so I drank a bottle of GQ-6 last night to help with the muscle cramps and boost my hydration. I knew it was going to be much warmer this morning compared to yesterday (forecast was for rain and mid-60’s compared to rain and mid-40’s yesterday).  I rolled out my legs last night right before bed and tried to get a decent night sleep.  I prepared another bottle of GQ-6 to sip on during the drive to the venue and finish off after the race.  

Today, I got the race venue about an hour before the race started.  I needed to pick up my race packet and do my warm up.  When I got the race site, I realized I forgot to pack a race belt to attach my race bib.  I really hate pinning the race bib to my shirt.  My warm up today wasn’t as thorough as my warm up was yesterday.  I am still trying to get into the habit of doing the same thing for warm up for each race.  Eventually it will become habit.  I got in a light jog and some dynamic stretches and then made my way down the starting line.  I knew I had two friends, Denise Lester and Anne Edge, also running today so I quickly found them in the line and snapped a group photo.  It was so nice to see them lined up and ready to rock.  

Today, my coach said he wanted a negative split.  If you are not familiar with that phrase it is when the second half of the race is done at a faster pace than the first half.  It takes disciple and good fitness to negative split a race course.  You really have to pace out the first half of the course, which is difficult since most people will start the race at a faster pace than they can sustain as they are caught up in the crowd, adrenaline, and excitement is pumping through the body.  Like yesterday, I walked into this race with a particular pace in mind for each half of the course.  The problem with that is I was going into the race blind.  I didn’t know anything about the course so I set a pace that just sounded good to me.  I was an idiot.  During the first mile, I felt awesome (like everyone else) and I was hitting my pace. Then came the second mile as we entered into the neighborhood where it was nothing but rolling hills.  It was so deflating and frustrating.  My legs were heating up and I could not put out the fire. I could tell my heart rate was really elevated but my breathing wasn’t all that labored.  I have been working on trying to run in different cardiac zones. It is like my heart only knows one zone to run in and that is Zone 3+.  My average pace during the first half of the race was 9:58 per mile, which is about 15 seconds slower than I wanted.  The second half of the run didn’t get any better.  Still more rolling hills and my legs were starting to really get tired.  The last 0.9 miles of the run is a slow climb back and I really just wanted to cave in and walk some of it.  But I kept pushing and would not give up and made it to the top.  I finished the second half of the race with an average pace of 10:28, which is about a minute slower than I had planned.  I finished with an overall time of 51:06.  It was really humid out this morning and I was definitely not trained to race in mid-60’s with high humidity in early February. Needless to say I didn’t execute the plan well enough to negative split the course.  I would have needed a significantly slower pace during the first half in order to have the legs to accomplish that.  That is a hard pill to swallow for me.  I now know my coach’s plan was “ambitious” for me.  But I trust him explicitly and I know he wouldn’t give me something he knew I could not do.  

I really want to thank the volunteers for being out there today.  Without these people, these types of events would not take place.  I also want to thank the Richmond Road Runners Association Advanced 10K Training Team for the race registration.  This race is promoted as a “couples” race as Valentine’s Day is right around the corner.  I also want to thank GQ-6 for a product that keeps me moving forward.  I know for a fact without the necessary nutrition, my body would not have been ready to race today after racing yesterday.  

It would have been really nice to share this type of event with someone special.  I know there is someone out there who is supportive and wants to share in these types of events with me.  I did today’s race for me because it makes me happy.  Up next, is the One City Marathon Relay on March 4th.  

[bruiser52training]

2018 Loch Lothian 5K

Well that was definitely an interesting race today.  I got there early for packet pickup and warm up.  I probably got there a little too early but I remember what happened a few weeks ago at the Frostbite 15K where the line to use the restroom was insanely long and took forever.  I didn’t want to risk that situation again.  Plus I always like to get the race venue early because it helps keep me calm and focused.  I started my warm up with a few laps around the track and then some dynamic stretches. It felt good to get in a decent warm up. I have always been really bad about doing that.  My coach has been working with me to develop a regular routine before runs and races to ensure my muscles are loose and ready to go.  About 30 minutes before race kick off, it started to rain and it was more than just a sprinkle.  I knew then it was going to be an interesting run but I wasn’t too worried too much about it. I just sipped on my GQ6 and listened to music while I waited for the race to start.  My weight is actually started to drop and I am feeling leaner and lighter.  I don’t know what my actual weight is and that is probably a good thing.  I am trying to put more focus on how I feel rather than actual hard data.  Numbers are numbers, but I want to put more emphasis on how I feel.  I have really been focusing on what I eat.  I know my weight doesn’t make my race season “successful” but being leaner and lighter makes me feel more confident and reduces my changes of injury.  Plus wearing spandex is not flattering and is difficult for anyone to wear regardless of body type.  I still have a long way to go to get down the weight I really want to be at by October, but I will continue to be patient and keep my eyes forward.  

My coach said to just go out and give it a good effort but nothing hard.  My desire was to go out fairly easy during the first mile and then progressively build pace throughout.  I seeded myself in the back to limit the pressure on me to go out with too much pace.  That seemed to work fairly well.  I still got caught up in the crowd because the first part of the race was on a sidewalk along a major road.  So there really wasn’t much room to get around slower runners which was frustrating. Couple the congestion with my legs feeling fresh and the cool temperatures, I think that drove me to push my pace a little more than I had planned.  Rather than build pace throughout, my pacing actually declined.  It was really slippery out there and some of the route was on crushed rock trails which was really muddy with all the rain.  Then there were a few patches where it is just all mud, no crushed rocks.  Just leaves and mud.  That is where my pace really suffered as I was fighting for footing.  But I finished strong and I wasn’t worn out when I crossed the finish line.  That is how I know I executed my coach’s plan.  The issue was my internal desire wasn’t consistent with my coach’s plan and I always need to go with his plan.  I finished the race in 31:25 (average pace of 9:57 per mile and mile 3 is what really screwed up my overall average pace with muddy and slippery trails).

I was disappointed I didn’t execute my pacing “desire” (I call it a desire because it is what I wanted and wasn’t really a plan), but given the conditions, I am slowing becoming ok with that.  I think this is why sometimes we shouldn’t enter a race with a pacing plan.  Mainly because there are so many factors that can influence the execution of that plan.  I did however, execute my effort plan.  I felt good throughout the run and didn’t feel I was putting more into the run than I should have.  So I am calling this race a success.   The proceeds from today’s race go to the Intrepid Fallen Hero’s Fund (@FallenPatriots) and is a wonderful cause where the provide college scholarships and educational counseling to military children who have lost a parent in the line of duty.  I want to thank all of the amazing volunteers for being out there in the less than favorable conditions.  I want to thank my coach Kevin Burcham (@KSquared_Racing) for keeping me on track and focused on the “bigger picture”.  I want to thank my kids Mason and Braeden for coming out this morning (and most races for that matter) and dealing with the rain on a Saturday morning. They are my reason for anything and everything I do.  Thank you to Kim Buehler Burcham at Great Harvest Bread Company in Midlothian, VA (@RVABread) for being one of the sponsors to the race and for blessing me with a race registration.  Her bakery’s grand opening is Feb 23rd and promises to be one of the best places in town for fresh bread and sandwiches.  Thank you to GQ-6 (www.gq-6.com) for making such a great hydration product. Yes you do sweat in the rain and cold and because of this product, I will be ready to race again tomorrow.  

[bruiser52training]

It’s Only Week 2

It was an overall good week. It was a busy week because the boys were with me this week so I had more responsibility on my shoulders compared to last week.  Honestly though, this week was really no different compared to other weeks where I have had the boys with me and had to juggle parenting, a job, and training.  Since last October, my weekly average training time has been 9:42 but this week increased a little and was a total of 11:17. This was manageable with a little forethought and time management.  I assume it is only going to get harder as I get deeper into the training plan.  The silver lining is when the real load starts, summer will be here and that mean a little less responsibility on my part in terms of packing lunches and making sure homework is done.  The kids aren’t the only ones that get a “break” during summer.

I have been trying to find ways to save/create time in order to make my life a little easier to manage. My first step is to pack the kids and my lunch in the evening rather than doing it in the morning.  Morning workouts are in the near future so I might as well get the routine ironed out.  Making the lunches in the evening seemed to work well for me and it decreased my morning stress.  I felt more prepared and organized.

Typically, Mondays and Wednesdays have both a run and a swim on the plan.  These are the two days that take some thought and planning.  The reason it takes some special forethought is because of my youngest son, Braeden.  A few months ago, my typical routine would be to pick up Braeden (8 years old) from his afterschool program (Dynamic Taekwondo) and we drive right down the street to the YMCA where I would knock out a workout while he played in the kid watch area.  I started to notice he was struggling a little with his behavior.  It occurred to me he was run down.  The weekends were packed with grocery shopping, driving to cross country/track meets for his brother, and just other random stuff that has to take place during the weekend to make the week possible.  It also meant we would get home late and then there was dinner, homework, showers, and bedtime.  When I figured out what this was doing to him, I felt like pond scum. I was being selfish and putting my needs above his welfare.  So I promised myself I would alter this routine and get rid of evening workouts at the gym when the boys are with me.  Braeden still asked me every night “are we going to the gym?” and I would tell me “not tonight buddy” and he seemed disappointed we were no longer going to the gym in the evening.  Braeden thrives on routine because he is on the autism spectrum so changes to the routine can be tough on him, which this also rings true for me as well because I don’t like disruptions to my routine.  However, I noticed once we started going straight home rather than going to the gym, he started to perk up and his behavior got better.  That is what is important to me.  So this means there is an opportunity cost associated with this routine. So my Monday started out with an early morning swim, which means the alarm goes off at 4:15 AM in order to be at the door of the YMCA when it opens at 5:00 AM so I can swim and get home to get the boys ready for school.  I don’t like 4:15 AM.  

Thursday was an interesting day.  Typically, I look forward to Tuesdays and Thursdays (when it is warm out) because that means I get to hammer out a ride on the Capital Trail at lunch.  Nothing puts a smile on my face like hopping on the bike when it is nice weather and enjoy being outside.  However, Thursday’s plan was for threshold intervals on the trainer.  It would not have been so painful if it had not been 70 degrees in the afternoon.  So I got home and made dinner for the boys and told them I would be out on the balcony on the bike for 1.5 hours.  It started off nice with a little 30 minute zone 2 ride.  You can characterize zone 2 as a purposeful ride so you should be breathing a little heavy but you can still talk to someone if they were beside you. Next up was one minute threshold with a 30 second recovery.  I just had to do it 20 times, which had me nervous.  Before I had made it through half of the intervals, both boys were standing beside me on the balcony watching me push myself to the limit. Braeden quickly lost interest since I wasn’t on a screen and he wasn’t controlling me with a game controller.  Mason stood there for a while with this bewildered look on his face as I grunted through a few more intervals.  I survived, in one piece, and I probably should apologize to my neighbors.  As I was putting Braeden to bed, he put down his tablet and asked “dad, are you still in pain”?  He had a genuine look of concern on his face.  I put his mind at ease and told him I would be ok.  I used that as a barometer for success for the workout.  I told Kevin about Braeden’s question and he said “perfect”.  

I was so excited to get a message from Kevin inviting me to come over on Saturday and ride with him and another friend, Brad.  For years, I have always trained alone.  I actually enjoy it to a certain extent.  It is my “me time”.  However, when it comes to long trainer workouts it is much better to be a part of a group and it makes it so much more enjoyable.  Those 2 hours were awesome and I learned a lot.  Of course there was some trash talking going on but what happens in the trainer circle, stays in the trainer circle.  We did talk at length about workout and race nutrition. This is something I was experimenting with last year.  I still don’t have it figured out and this conversation was valuable.  Both of these guys are ironmen and they have “been there, done that” so their advice is much appreciated.  My takeaways from the conversation are:

I need to start training with the nutrition they will have on the course

 I need to figure out how to balance my nutrition.  Make sure I getting enough calories without loading up on too many carbs and still get in all of the other nutrients I need for sustainable performance during workouts and races.  

Whatever can go wrong on race day, will go wrong so plan accordingly and have backup plans for your backup plans.

This was more than just a two hour trainer workout.  This was Ironman School.  I earned the burger from Applebee’s as we celebrated my dad’s birthday.  

Until next week.  

[bruiser52training]

Self Evaluation

I felt it was necessary to post something that was not workout focused.  People don’t want to constantly read about how my training is going week after week.  I am more than a training plan.  I want this blog to be well-rounded and provide insight into the “real me”.  

This past Sunday, I heard something that struck me so profoundly I had to write it down.  The statement was “you are not a body that has a soul; you are a soul that has a body”.  It got me thinking.  How do I define myself?  What makes me the man I am (or at least the man I think I am)?  Is the way I evaluate myself healthy or even accurate?

In the society we live in today, men tend to be defined based on the job they have, which in turn means they are defined by how successful they are or how successful they appear to be to others.  Men tend to be very materialistic when it comes to evaluating the kind of man they are. The accumulation of “stuff” is an instrument of success and upward mobility.  Does not owning a home make me less of a man?  When I write that sentence and read it, it sounds ridiculous. But part of me thinks that way.  

Women seem to use their physical attributes as a way of comparing themselves to other woman.  Now that is a gross generalization and I could be completely wrong, but based on my observations, it tends to be the case.  Maybe men and women do a little bit of both, materialistic and physical comparisons, in order to define themselves.  I know I tend to use both as a way to evaluate myself.

Why do I feel the need to evaluate myself anyway?  Why don’t I focus on my strengths rather than my deficiencies as a way to evaluate myself? I am a triathlete and I spend a large proportion of my time training.  When I look in the mirror in the mornings, I am not saying “Wow, I really have accomplished a lot over the span of a few years.  There was a time where I could not walk 2 blocks or go up the stairs without getting winded or needing to take a break to rest my back. Now I can jump on the bike and ride for 2.5 hours without issue, go out and run for an hour at lunch rather than sit at my desk and stare at the computer screen, or swim lap after lap”. That is what I should be saying to myself.  However, I tend to look in the mirror and say “Man I really wish I had the typical triathlete body.  A nice tight core where I could at least see a few abs (I joking refer to my core as a pony keg instead of having a six-pack – I used to have a full size keg, so that’s progress), lean and strong legs, and nice swimmer’s arms.  I don’t want to jiggle when I run.  Why can’t I have the body some of my friends have? ”.  The comparison trap is a difficult mindset to break and one where I need to do more work to overcome.  

So I return back to my initial question.  How should I evaluate the man I am or the man I think I am?  I need to remind myself I am blessed.  I have to great kids who look up to me and need me to show and teach them how to be a good man.  I have a good job I like and is challenging, which allows me to provide for them.  I am healthy (relatively), which allows me the opportunity to do what I love.  I have friends who care for me and encourage me in my pursuits whatever they may be.  I have a roof over my head (it a small roof but a roof nonetheless and one day I hope to own that roof) with food in my refrigerator and cabinets.  Do I wish I was thinner?  Yes. Do I wish I had all the cool new “stuff” (such as a super-fast triathlon bike)?  Yes.  But my body and my wallet do not define the man I am or the man I want to be.  I just need to keep reminding myself of that fact. 

[bruiser52training]

Week 1: A Learning Week

Last week, Kevin gave me my training plan for the next four weeks.  I now have structure and I feel like I have purpose again.  I am no longer second-guessing myself.  All I have to do is just follow Kevin’s plan and execute.  There are a few “new” things on the training plan I have never done before.  A few new swim drills, an FTP test on the bike, and my gait analysis by Dr. Green at Active Chiropractic so needless to say this was an interesting week.  

There is one thing I have learned by following a well-thought out training plan.  When a coach puts together the plan, he (or she) is putting it together with it being the maximum amount they want you to do during the time period.  It’s like they are daring you to do everything set forth in the plan.  Kevin posted this on his Facebook site when he messaged me and said “training plan has been sent”.  Needless to say, I was concerned.

Dr. Green said “Training plans are done in pencil.  If you find yourself needing some extra recovery time or if you just aren’t feeling it, don’t be afraid to move things around”.  However, I am the kind of person if it is on the plan, then come hell or high water; I’m going to get it done.

The first week of training went well.  It didn’t really start off that great because there was a swim and a run scheduled for Monday and he said “no swim on Monday”.  I have been experiencing a little pain in my left elbow.  Dr. Green said “you need to have a better understanding between soreness and an ‘issue’”.  It’s okay to have pain and soreness as long as it goes away in the span of a few days.  If it lingers, then you need to take a step back and re-evaluate how things are going. I thought the soreness in my elbow was just that, soreness.  But it hasn’t been going away and actually has been getting worse.  So I did some research and it is basically “swimmers elbow” and it is just a little inflammation from over-use.  It is just like how tennis players get tendonitis in their elbow.  So I decided to wait until Wednesday before I hit the pool again and re-evaluate and Kevin confirmed my decision.  Wednesday’s swim was much better and the elbow felt better.  It still wasn’t 100% but better than it was.  I will have to keep a close eye on it.  

On Thursday, Kevin had me do an FTP test on the bike.  I was nervous all week about this workout.  FPT, which stands for Functional Threshold and Power, represents your ability to sustain the highest possible power output/heart rate over 45 to 60 minutes.  I don’t have a power meter yet, so this test was used to determine my threshold heart rate. I have heard horror stories of this test.  The last interval is a 20 minute all-out effort and by the end of that effort, you should practically fall off the bike.  This is the first time I have done a test like this and I really didn’t know what it would be like and I was afraid I would not go as hard as I could for fear of not being able to endure the entire test.  It didn’t take much for my legs to heat up.  My rear tire is bald so I have to put a few “clicks” on the bike trainer so the tire does not slip.  I keep telling myself that is why my trainer workouts are harder than my outdoor rides. I feel like I did the best I could. Needless to say, I didn’t die and didn’t fall off the bike after the last interval.  My average heart rate during the 20-min interval was 157, which is 85% of my max heart rate.  I’m interested to see how my performance on this test changes over time and how it goes once I get a power meter.  Here was the output from my heart rate monitor during the FTP test.  

As part of my rehab, Dr. Green wanted to do a gait analysis to determine if I have any biomechanical issues with my running.  There are some places that do gait analysis and all they are concerned about is how your foot strikes the ground.  That is only part of the story.  It is more than just what is the proper pair of shoes I need to wear.  How your foot strikes the group could be the result of an imbalance in your hips in which case strength training your weaker hip can alleviate the issue and put you into a neutral gait.  It turns out my right hips is weaker than the left.  So when my right foot strikes the ground, my left hip drops lower than my right hip and this causes me to pronate slightly with my right foot.  When my left foot strikes the ground, my hips are in alignment and I have a solid foot strike.  So I just need to work on making my right hip a little stronger.  

He also observed I need to bring my heel up in the back end of the run stride and drive the knees forward. I have what is commonly referred to as the “marathon shuffle”, even though I have never run a marathon (lol). Some distance runners shorten their stride and basically shuffle their feet in an attempt to “conserve energy”. By bringing up my heel and driving the knee forward, this will engage the hamstrings more.  I always wondered my hamstrings get so tight towards the tail end of a race or long run.  This poor run form is the reason I have had hamstring issues.  So I need to make a conscious effort to improve my run form in order to become more efficient.  So Saturday run was a challenge because I was trying to incorporate his observations. Over time, I hope it gets easier as I try and get use to this new run gait.  

So this week has been a “learning” week.  I have a lot of work to do.

[bruiser52training]

Something New......

Well I have set upon my path for the next 40 weeks.  Everything I have done over the past few years has been done with the purpose of getting ready for this journey.  I remember the moment when I decided I wanted to be an Ironman.  I had done only a few races at that point.  We were in the car driving back from a family 4th of July picnic in Surry, VA.  I was reading about Ironman on the internet on my phone.  I read about the distances in the disciplines as well as all the different levels of races you can do (Sprints, Olympics, Half, and Full).  I was 35 yrs. old and I was still trying to get used to this “new” body and new lease on life I had as a result of my gastric bypass.  I was still in the process of losing weight and I was feeling good.  I told myself “when I turn 40, I am going to do a full ironman”.  

Now here I am, 40 days away from turning 40 yrs. old and I actually have to go through with this and I am scared as crap.  Last year left a bad taste in my mouth.  I was so afraid everything I had done, planned, and dreamed of in terms of becoming an ironman felt like it was slipping away and totally unobtainable. I remember in the last 1.5 miles of the half marathon portion of OBX 70.3 in September 2016, tears streaming down my cheeks as I half walk/limp my way to the finish line, I said out loud “there is no way I am going to be able to do a full ironman.  This hurts so much and I cannot wrap my head around the fact I would only be half way through if what I was doing today was a full rather than a half.  I’m done”. I was so disappointed because that was supposed to be my redemption race after a bad performance at REV3 Williamsburg 70.3 just a few months earlier in July.  I told myself I was done and maybe I wasn’t supposed to keep pushing to the next level.  I tried to be happy with the fact I had raced 3 half ironman races in the span of 5 months. As the days past after the race, I tried to put things in perspective.  I knew I was supposed to keep going.  I just needed to re-evaluate things and my approach to training and racing. I finally realized I cannot do this on my own.  I need someone to help me.  I have friends who are my “voice of reason” and I am so grateful for them because I know they do it out of love and concern for me.  But I needed more than that.  I needed someone to take over the “coach” role from me so I could just be the “athlete” (which I have never and still don’t consider myself an athlete).

I met Kevin last year at a coached swim session with CVE/YMCA Triathlon Training Team.  I had known of him and seen him around a few of the CVE events over the past few years.  I knew I was going to need a coach to get me through a full ironman so I approached him after practice to ask him if he coaches individuals and how he would feel about coaching someone through a full ironman.  He didn’t really say much and it took a long time to get him to say “yes”.  We would chit chat throughout 2016 and with my epic blow up at Rev3 Williamsburg, I asked him to get me through the rest of the summer and through OBX 70.3.  I kept asking him how much he charges for coaching services but he would never give me a number.  He ended up coaching me for free for 8 weeks to get me through the OBX race.  I am so thankful for Kevin and his desire to help people like me.  

The one thing that has been difficult is to maintain a certain distance.  I would like to hope, under different circumstances, Kevin and I would be friends.  However, I need to remind myself something that one of my previous coaches told me (notice I did not call him one of my “old coaches”).  He said “I’m here to give you what you need, not what you want”. That has stuck with me over the years. There will come a time when Kevin needs to tell me what I need to hear and I need to be in a position to accept what he says.  It may be something difficult to hear but necessary.  So I need to maintain the coach/athlete relationship, which is difficult because I don’t have many “close” friends.  

Over the past few months, I have felt like I have had no purpose in my workouts and I have really struggled with this.  Constantly second-guessing what I’m doing and what I should be doing in order to get better. I have still been busting my butt mainly trying to get this extra weight off.  Ever since last July, I have been carrying around some extra weight and I cannot seem to get it off.  So I have been trying to burn off as many calories as possible while not doing too much to cause me to regress in the rehab.  Needless to say, the weight is still there and not sure what is going on. So I have been keeping a food log. That log in conjunction with my training log should give me some insight.  I am planning on seeing a nutritionist to help me get my nutrition under control in order to know how to fuel myself for the training I am about to do. Not being able to drop this weight is scary to me.  I get memory flashes of the “old” Justin.  I don’t want to be that guy ever again but there is always a part of him that lingers.

Since September, I have been rehabbing my plantar fasciitis and trying to get to a place where I can run again without pain.  Well, I am finally here.  I have been relatively pain free for a while and I have been building my runs with my doctor’s guidance.  Dr. Green at Active Chiropractic was awesome!  I could not have asked for a better doctor.  Even though he is a very busy man, you never felt rushed and he was gracious with his time and knowledge.  You can tell he is passionate about the sport of triathlon and when your doctor has raced Kona in under 10 hours, you listen to what he has to say.  I still get sore and a little inflammation in the muscles from time to time, but it is normal.  When I stop getting sore, then I’m not doing it correctly.  I’m not pushing myself to get better and stronger.  That is when I need to re-evaluate my goals.  I have to start over with toughening up the muscles in my feet.  When I have a flare up, I just put on my compression socks and rest the feet a little. I am definitely more in tune now to what my body is telling me than I was in the past.  

[bruiser52training]

“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on Earth” (Muhammad Ali)

For a while now, I have been looking for opportunities to volunteer at a race. My only hurdle is I tend to compete in races that are close to me. This weekend, I finally had the chance to give back to the triathlon community. This time, I was not allowed to race (it was a woman’s only race and I do not have a womb). I could not do much because this weekend because I was supposed to teach 5 high intensity cycle classes (2 on Saturday and 3 on Sunday). My good friend Ruthie Burke runs Girls on the Run of Greater Richmond and she sent out a message looking for volunteers for the race. Honestly, I had not given much thought to the Pink Power Triathlon (mainly because I was not participating). However, that message from Ruthie caused the dim light bulb in my head to switch on. I said to myself “Duh you idiot, here is what you have been looking for”. I was already committed to teaching a cycle class at 8:45 AM and then another one 10:00 AM on Saturday. But I did not have anything planned after class. So I signed up to help with packet pickup. That did not sound too hard. I have picked up many packets and it all seemed simple. All you have to do is look up the number, find it in the stack, hand it over and wish the competitor luck the following day. Becky, my wife, was working Saturday, I “donated” Mason (my oldest) to go to the river for the weekend with his cousin, and I was taking Braeden with me. This is where it could get interesting. I figured Braeden would have a good time handing out race numbers to the girls or he would want to go home after about 10 minutes. It was a coin toss as to which Braeden I get that day. I ended up getting a nice mix. We got to packet pickup at 12:00 PM (I was actually on time and for those of you who know me know that can be a rarity). I was ready to roll and I had been working on getting Braeden excited all morning. We walked into 3Sports and checked in with the volunteer coordinator. I was told I would be useful at the shirt table passing out the race shirts to the competitors. I thought to myself “Cool, how hard can that be?” Well, apparently it can be tough for me. You see, men have one “style” of shirt and they come in standard sizes (S, M, L, XL, etc.). Then you have shirts for women. You have a cut that is more fitting, which I don’t know what it is called but was referred to as “junior”. Then you have the “ladies” shirt which is not form-fitting. Not that hard yet (but the risk of error just increased because I have a Y-chromosome and my shirts just have one or two letters on the tag). Rather than call the shirts “Youth” and “Ladies”, they called them “junior” and “misses”. REALLY!?! I did my best to try and remember which table had the “junior” shirts and which one had the “misses” shirts. By the end of the day, we were running out of the small and medium shirts (in both styles). This is where things got interesting. Try telling a woman (who obviously wears a small) that I have to give you a large because it is the smallest size I have and not be unnerved by the look on her face that can only be interpreted as “what are you ‘telling’ me by giving me this large tee shirt”. It should not be interpreted as me telling you that you are fat (in any way, shape, or form). So please don’t look at me like that because it makes me nervous and I don’t want my 5 year old to see his dad torn to pieces in the far corner of the store (where it would easily go unnoticed). As politely as I could, I would tell them if the shirt does not fit to please bring the shirt with them in the morning and there will be a shirt swap where you can trade it in for the correct size. There were three of us (all males) operating this table while the women passed out race numbers. Not really sure if that was the most efficient allocation of resources (see that economics degree is coming in handy). I would fold the shirt (as if I had retail experience, which I don’t and have a tough time folding my own shirts when I do laundry) and then every so often hand the shirt to Braeden and he would give it to the lady (after folding it one more time into a nice square). That worked most of the time. There were times where I wish he had never learned to speak. Before we got to the store, he asked if I was racing. I told him “No Braeden, this is a race for girls only”. He then proceeded to ask most people if they were girls. Even the ladies with short hair, which can be an awkward situation because as a man (and husband), I know the woman is asking herself “why did that kid ask if I was a girl? Isn’t it obvious? What does he ‘really’ mean?” AWKWARD!! I told him they are all girls in the race. Then, wouldn’t you know it a teenage boy with long hair walks up with his mom and Braeden asked him “are you a girl?” There were also times where a “larger” woman would walk up and he would ask her if she needed a large shirt. By that time, I really just wanted to climb under the table and not come out. Better yet, I wanted to stick him under the table and not let him out. Sunday morning rolls around and the alarm goes off at 4:30 AM. I told the volunteer coordinator I was available to help out in the morning but I had to be gone by 7:30 because I had to be back at Woodlake to teach my 8:15 cycle class. I get there at 5:30 (again on time) where I was expecting to help out with body marking. My wife had already given me a hard time about “drawing on the pretty ladies”. I gladly accepted the request to help out with handing out the timing chips instead. Sad to say I could not stay and help out more because I was having a great time at the event. I left and headed back to Woodlake for class. I then proceeded to teach two more classes after that one (one at the American Family Fitness in Chester and then another at the Swift Creek location). Overall, I had a great weekend. Not as restful as I would like it since I have a week packed with more training to get ready for OBX. Today, I can ignore my sore and aching legs because of the warm feeling in my heart that I was able to give back to a community that has done so much for me (both physically and mentally) in just three short years. Thank you Ruthie Burke for turning on the light bulb in my brain.

[bruiser52training]

Conquering the Pepper....

This past weekend, the Health Diagnostic Laboratory (HDL) Triathlon Team raced in the Culpeper Sprint and International Triathlons in Culpeper, VA.  What an awesome and challenging race!  The course was loaded with hills (on both the bike and run course – which is just mean if you ask me) and it was my first lake swim (complete with imaginary sea creatures looking to eat me at any given moment). 

This race was not on my calendar at the start of the year, but my company is gracious enough to contribute to the team’s race registrations every quarter as long as we have six people willing and able to take on the challenge.  We found a race where we had six people willing and able to race, which is no easy task.  Aligning everyone’s schedules is like herding cats.  A huge thank you goes out to the generosity of HDL for their willingness to support their employees in the pursuit of a healthy lifestyle.

At the beginning of the year, I sat down and planned on doing two Olympic-distance races this year (Chattanooga and Outer Banks).  This year I wanted to focus more attention on these longer races rather than sprints because I have a goal of completing a half Ironman race next year.  When we started talking about the Culpeper race, I was thrilled at the chance to add another Olympic race to the list.  I was even more thrilled when the registration did not have to come out of my already strapped budget.  My motto: if they fund it, then I will race it.  

My race weekend started with me teaching a high intensity cycle class at 10 AM on Saturday.  Not really the way you want to prime the legs for a race, but I had a great time in the class and look forward to it every week.  My bags were packed the night before and I was ready to hit the road.  However, I had to check off my first pre-race ritual.  I had to get my haircut.  I just had one not too long ago, but for some reason, I have to have one right before a race.  I can’t explain it so I won’t even try.  I was carpooling with one of my teammates so he came by and picked me up and we were off.  We were meeting one of our other teammates up there because he raced in the sprint that morning.  We were just three guys hanging out in the bustling metropolis known as Culpeper (which is never described as “bustling” or a “metropolis”).  We checked into the hotel (which shares a parking lot with several other hotels – talk about comparative shopping) and eagerly awaited packet pick-up. 

I had researched restaurants before arriving in town (because it is what gastric bypass patients do) in order to check off my second pre-race ritual.  Found an Italian restaurant to get my pasta dinner.  Corey (my teammate that raced the Sprint earlier in the day) has been dreaming about having chicken parmesan since I sent out the menu a week earlier.  I ordered your basic spaghetti and meat sauce (I thought I was pretty safe ordering that and you really have to try and mess up spaghetti and meat sauce) and Corey and Angelo ordered the chicken parmesan.  They brought out their dinner and I just started at it.  It was a little ball of spaghetti noodles, four breaded chicken tenders (that’s right chicken tenders) with melted mozzarella cheese.  It looked like something I would cook when I was in college. 

We headed back to the hotel all carb’d up and ready to get some sleep.  Got back to the hotel and packed the gear back (several times just to make sure everything was there).  I called the front desk for a wake-up call for 4:30 AM.  The lady on the phone said “4:30 AM?”  I chuckled and told her she was correct.

Race morning had finally arrived and I hate race morning.  I am too anxious to really enjoy it.  I found my spot in transition and unpacked my bag and set up my little piece of real estate.  If you were to sit on the outside and watch people set up their transition area, you would think that only severely OCD people participate in these races.  Everything is set up very meticulously and in a specific order.  It’s really funny to think about it.  Everything has its place and more thought has gone into that placement than what seems logical or rational.

After transition was all set up, I walked over to the lake (layered in fog) and stared out at the buoys thinking to myself “good grief those things are far away”.  I have yet to be able to swim an entire swim course without having to result to the breaststroke either out of physical or mental necessity.  My last race, I was able to swim a part of the course using the freestyle stroke and I was proud of myself for doing that much.  This time, I wanted to really swim more of the course.  I was standing there by the lake with my other teammates and tried to keep my nerves in check before I had to head into the dark outdoor pool for a nice 1,500 meter swim.

They sounded the horn and I was off.  I quickly got into rhythm and surprising felt at ease.  My goggles were holding up (not leaking thanks to my teammate Lynn for her advice) and it did not feel like some massive washing machine as we all fight for position.  Before I knew it, I had reached the first buoy.  I made the turn and started out to cross the length of the lake.  I actually held the line pretty well.  Most people were to my far right and I could not figure out why.  I kept looking up to make sure I was on track and the sight buoy was always straight ahead.  It was if I had invisible walls around me and no one was fighting for my spot in the water.  I had the most comfortable open water swim of my life.  I finished the swim in 36:35 and swam the entire course without resulting to the breaststroke.  I got out of the water so proud of myself.  I hope this courage transfers to the Outer Banks next month.  I was 6 minutes slower than Chattanooga, but this was a lake swim, which means no current to help speed up the swim.  Regardless of time, I had a huge accomplishment by swimming the entire course (trying to overcome a big fear of open water).

I had a nice smooth transition out of the water and on to the bike.  Everything worked like it was supposed to.  I had scouted the bike and run course a few weeks earlier with Angelo so I knew the course.  I had a different strategy with this course.  Normally, I stick with the big gears and get down on myself when I have to drop to a lower gear.  This time, I was going to use the gears to my advantage.  This was a very technical course.  The reason is this course very hilly and some of these hills are right after you make hard turns so you have to have the correct gearing on so you don’t struggle getting up the hill with less momentum.  They were different types of hills compared to Chattanooga.  Those hills were long and drawn out.  So I could muscle up those hills without having to drop too much gear.  These hills were steep and persistent (one right after the other).  So dropping the gear when necessary and maintaining a steady cadence was important to me.  I did not want to burn out my legs like I did in Chattanooga (everything after mile 4 in the run was more difficult than it should have been in that race).  I charged up these hills and held my cadence.  Sometimes passing other racers on their carbon triathlon bikes, which always feel good since I am out there on a straight bar hybrid bike (which has to catch some people by surprise).  I finished the bike course in 1:19:46.  I had an average speed of 18.1 mph, which is awesome for me given the difficulty of the course and the type of bike I have.    

This is the point in the race where you have to do whatever it takes to finish.  I have to constantly tell myself that I will not have my normal 10K time.  You are not just running a 10K.  You are running a 10K with whatever is left in the tank.  I felt good going into this run.  The legs were fine and it did not take long to get my legs under me and get that “rubber” feeling out of them.  The only problem is I had a very steep hill climb at the start of the run (again I think this is just mean).  I think one reason I felt good going into the run was because of my nutrition plan.  I had stuck 3 clif bar bloks to my bike and periodically stuck one in my mouth during the ride.  I saved the last blok for the start of the run.  I just kept it in my mouth and let it dissolve throughout the run portion.  I was never lacking for energy and never really got thirsty, which is a good thing because I really had to use the bathroom during the run.  I would grab a shot of water every now and then during the run just to get the sugary taste out of my mouth and wet the lips.  I had a great run (especially since the course was hilly).  I finished the run in 1:01:34.  This is 3 minutes faster than Chattanooga (which was basically a flat run course) and 1 minute faster than last year’s Outer Banks Olympic.  A huge thank you goes out to Robert Flanigan and Ruthie Burke for helping me with my run posture.  I know I still have a problem with keeping my arms down, but I have been making a conscious effort to work on that over the past few weeks and it is getting better.  I am staying more relaxed during my run and I think that is why I was faster in this race. 

I finished this race with a total race time of 3:02:05.  I was 2 minutes shy of meeting my annual goal of finishing an Olympic distance triathlon within 3 hours.  I was so close to making it happen.  This was my fastest race time yet at this distance.  Up next and my last big triathlon of the year is Outer Banks Olympic on September 13th. 

Angelo Montoya heading out for the run.  Enjoyed the high fives as we crossed paths on the run.

Relay Team (left to right): Maggie Barton, Jack Hester, and Lynn Morris.

They took first place in the mixed relay division.  EXCELLENT JOB!  I may need to borrow Jack's abs to wash my tri suit. Maggie had no problem passing me on the bike even though I had a significant head start.  Lynn is the female version of Michael Phelps. 

Wish I had pictures of Corey Reed racing the Sprint.  I should have taken a picture of him with his chicken parmesan.

Here I go for a nice little 10K run.

[bruiser52training]

Rollin’ Cross Country with my Biggest Competitor….. My 13-yr Old Son

This morning started like any other morning.  The alarm went off at 5:00 AM (which resulted in snoozing until 5:30 AM).  The scheduled workout (see my earlier blog “Learning to Juggle”) was a run workout.  Two days ago, I did a nice 6.6 mile steady state run along Grove Ave so this morning I had plans for a nice hill run.  Typically this hill run is an 8-miler along Riverside Drive, which should be aptly named Hillside Drive because it is loaded with rolling hills and no view of the river).  However, last night my son asked if I would run the middle school cross country course with him because he wanted to get in some hill work in preparation for his cross country season.  Being a loving and supportive father, I agreed to run the course with him.  I warned him we would be getting up early to run and he agreed. 

Now I dislike trail running because I am a huge klutz.  I am a road runner and like having the sure footing that running on asphalt provides.  However, any chance I get to run with him is a chance I will take because he has a motor on him and I am quickly realizing I will never catch him.  You run with people who are better than you which force you to step up your game and thus results in improved performance.  We get to his school and the sun is rising and it is a beautiful cool morning.  I asked that he “dial it back” because I didn’t know the course and did not want to end up wandering aimlessly through the woods.  This is not the scenario you want.  Some guy wandering through the woods behind a middle school yelling a kid’s name.  You are just asking for someone to call the cops and this is not how I wanted to start my day. 

I thought to myself, “How hard can this course be?  They have middle school kids running it.”  I quickly found out just how hard it is.  I have a newfound respect for my son and his abilities.  The first lap (2 miles) was okay.  He kept his pace in check and I stayed with him.  However, the second lap was a different story.  His motor was primed and I quickly found myself alone in the woods asking myself “do I turn here?”  I only had to call out to him twice where I politely reminded him to back off on the pace.  The hills on this course were monsters.  There is one hill (nicknamed “Gaffney Hill) at the end of the loop where you almost feel you need to put your hands down on the ground to help you get up the hill.  We did 3 laps for a total of 6.2 miles and I was not only proud to see how strong he is but I was proud that I survived.  I asked him on the drive back home “just how much did you hold back”?  He said “about medium”.  I’ll take that.  That course is no joke and I will definitely be returning to that course for more. 

[bruiser52training]

Tackling the Chattanooga Choo Choo

Well the first Olympic triathlon of the season has been completed.  Last Sunday, I raced the Chattanooga Waterfront Triathlon.  I have never raced this event before and I trained all winter long for it.  I spent a lot of time on the bike getting ready for this event.  After I finished last year’s Richmond Half Marathon, I asked Bob Flanigan what I should focus on during the off-season.  He suggested I focus on getting stronger on the bike.  He told me the benefits from being stronger on the bike would out-weigh the benefits from a stronger run or swim.  I welcomed this advice and set out to get stronger. 

There were three main reasons I selected this particular race.  There were other races going on at the same time that were a lot closer to me than this particular race.  First, I wanted to do more Olympic distance races this year.  I needed more experience in these longer races if I wanted to move up to a half ironman next year.  Second, I knew the bike course was hilly and I needed to get my legs into shape in order to survive the run.  So this would give me the motivation I needed to focus more on the bike during the off-season.  Third, I chose to do this race because my mom and my sister have never seen me complete a triathlon before.  They live in the Chattanooga area so I decided to give this race a try and also get the chance to spend some quality time with them.

We arrived in Chattanooga five days before race day.  I wanted to get into the area early to spend some quality time with my family at the same time giving me a chance to scout the run and bike course and figure out all of the logistics prior to race day.  I thought I was going to be able to ride the bike course prior to race day until my brother-in-law told me the bike course was on US Route 27, where the speed limit is 65 mph.  This means bikes are not allowed on the highway.  So I had to settle for driving the course.  I needed this first-hand experience in order to settle my nerves.  That same morning, I scouted the run course during my morning run workout.   

One of the cool things about this race is they had bike check the night before race day.  We were allowed to drop off our bikes and leave them in transition overnight, which made race morning a lot less hectic.  After my transition area was all organized and ready for the race, I boarded a bus that took me to the swim launch.  The swim course was point-to-point in the Tennessee River rather than a loop, also something I have never done before.  A point-to-point course really allows you to see just how far 1,500 meters really is.  It is freaking far.  The swim was also a single-person start rather than a wave start.  This means we lined up and worked our way to the water.  One person starts and there is a 3-second delay until the next person starts.  This was awesome!  A lot less chaotic and allowed you to settle into the swim rather than fight for position.  This made the swim so much more comfortable, which is a good thing because I am scared of open water.  I was proud of my performance in the swim.  I kept my calm and actually freestyle swam (rather than use the breast stroke) a significant portion of the course (also something I have never done in an open water swim).  Last year, I swam the 1,500 meters in OBX in 34 minutes.  I swam this course in 30 minutes. 

The transition from the swim to the bike was tough.  We had to run a significant distance from the swim exit through transition to get back to the bike.  It took me 3:53 to get out of the water and onto the bike.  All of the advice I have received from Bob Flanigan in how to organize my transition area and the little time-saving tricks was a huge help.  The fact I practiced my transition a few weeks before made me more comfortable and I was able to work out all the little kinks in the process. 

The bike course was challenging with a lot of long and drawn out hill climbs.  I was out there on my little hybrid bike passing cyclists on beautiful tri and road bikes.  It felt awesome!  I muscled up the hills and held my cadence.  Had to drop gear a few times but I reasoned it was more important to drop the gear and get up the hills to save my legs for the run.  I did not want to burn out my legs on the ride so it was a better decision to use easier gearing combinations to get through the hill climbs.  I will say I did not have to get into the small chain ring so I am happy with that.  I finished the bike course in 1:25 (average speed of 18.4 mph, which was faster than my OBX bike speed of 18.1 mph).  I am happy with this performance because the OBX bike course is flat.

Lastly there was the run portion of the race.  I had already run this course once before so there were no surprises.  I knew the course and felt comfortable.  I just had to get my legs to cooperate and carry me the 6.2 miles.  My run was two minutes slower than OBX but I finished the run in 1:04.  My total race time was 3:06:16 (19 seconds faster than OBX).  The fact that I could essentially match my OBX race time is awesome (to me at least) because this race course was significantly harder than the OBX race course. 

I have taken a few days off of training to allow my body to recover and get some much needed sleep.  Helping your mother move the day after a race is tough and does not count as recovery.  Training starts this week for the next race.  I will be racing in the Culpeper Olympic Triathlon with the Health Diagnostic Laboratory (HDL) Tri Team on August 3rd.  Let the good times begin.  

[bruiser52training]

10 posts!

[bruiser52training]

Taper Week Has Arrived….

Well the time has come.  I am seven days away from my first major race of the season, Chattanooga Waterfront International.  I have been training for this race all winter.  I have spent what feels like a thousand hours on the bike (both indoors and outdoors) trying to get stronger for this race and I know I am ready.  However, the perfectionist in me says I need more training and I should continue pushing hard during the coming week.  Now I know better than that.  All that does is sabotage everything I have worked so hard for.

Before working with Bob Flanigan and Ruthie Burke, I would have continued training hard right up to the day before the race.  I remember last year when I did the Jefferson Sprint Triathlon (race was on a Saturday), I actually did an intense indoor cycle workout with the queen of RPM (Denise Lester).  She said go easy, but I did not listen.  Now I am learning what it means to enjoy taper week.  Now I will not pack up the running shoes and swim goggles or stow the bike and take the week off.  But I will dial back on the workouts.  Do just enough to keep the muscles engaged and maintain muscle memory. 

There is more to taper week than just easing up on the training.  Nutrition is vital during taper week.  It is very important to continue feeding the body the right stuff.  Start with extra carbohydrates to fully replenish glycogen stores in preparation for the race.  Whole wheat pasta or brown rice with some lean protein is a good place to start.  However, I cannot leave out the occasional bowl of ice cream because I am on vacation.  I am actually below my race weight (my goal was to weight 207 and I am currently hitting the scales at 203).  The race is next Sunday so all bets are off starting lunchtime on Sunday.

Bob Flanigan told us the number one performance-enhancing drug on the market is not something you get at your neighborhood drug store or at GNC.  It is sleep and it is “free”.  The past two weeks have been intense.  I really dialed up the intensity of the training and I have not gotten as much sleep as I could use.  My goal this week is to enjoy my time with my family, get some extra sleep, and just get out and enjoy my morning workouts. 

HERES TO TAPER WEEK!!!!