Commitment...Beginning 2012

Midnight on Monday marked the kickoff to the 2012 triathlon season. My younger brother Josh joined me for "Midnight Madness" this year to help me get the season kicked off. After 5 weeks of eating like crap and exercising at a minimum it is time to turn this sorry state of a body back into a race ready machine. My goal in the 5 weeks off was to get into terrible shape. It sounds kind of funny huh? For 57 weeks I punished myself on a regular basis to get into the best shape of my life and then I flipped the switch to off-season with a goal of getting into terrible shape. I've always believed that improvement from one year to the next lies deeply in what you do in the off-season and the most important thing to do in the off-season is to get into bad shape so you can build the body back up systematically through the tearing down and repairing process of training. In order for the tear down and repair adaptations to take place at a greater level I think it is important to start with nothing. I am there right now. The numbers don't lie. The day before Ironman Arizona I did one of those blood pressure machines and my heart rate was 50. My blood pressure was 98/58 which was the lowest I can ever remember it being. The highest I ever got my heart rate during the most intense bike intervals all summer was 158 beats/minute. Last week my resting heart rate was 81, my blood pressure was 131/66, and I did some bike intervals last Tuesday night and my heart rate hit 179. My weight for the race was 155 lbs. and today I tipped the scales at 172 lbs. I am out of shape. Mission accomplished. Now the fun of getting back in shape begins. I always love this challenge and I'm confident the race results in the summer will be better because I allowed myself the time to repair itself of all the training and racing trauma suffered last year. Today as a nice wake-up call with a 5 mile run (my first run since Ironman), a 45 minute bike ride, core work, weight lifting (1st since Ironman), a 5,000 yard swim practice with our high school team, and push-ups and more core work this evening. I am sure to be sore this week but sorness is a sign of muscles being torn down which is what I want. When you begin to get over the sorness it's a sign of the body adapting to the workload that caused it to tear down.
I decided to read a book to help get me started in 2012. It is called The New Dynamics of Winning. The author is renown sports psychologist Denis Waitley. Last year I started my year by reading one of his many other books called The Psychology of Winning. I'm about 100 pages in and one of the topics that has stuck out to me revolved around "commitment". Commitment is not just about putting in training hours. It is about how my entire life revolves around my goals. I could train like crazy but continue to eat like I have the past 5 weeks and I'm certainly going to have a terrible year. I have always felt like I'm very committed to my triathlon goals. This year I'm hoping to reach a new level of commitment. My family will always come first and my job will follow. Outside of those two things I plan to be 100% commited to being the best triathlete I can be. It's a tough road to follow. My time is mostly taken by my family, job, and training. Beyond that it is difficult for me to have much of a social life when I am training hard for my goals. I've often debated this internally...is it worth it? Is it worth not being able to go out with friends on a Friday night because I don't want to face the pressures of drinking and eating like crap? I would say most people should not give up their social life for the sport of triathlon. It would be quite normal to do a workout with your buddies and then meet up with them afterwards for food and drinks. I can't do this however. Because I'm already spending so much time away from the family training I can't justify to myself spending more time away socializing. So there is the big question...is it more important for me to be focused on triathlon in the way that I am or should I say enough is enough and go back to enjoying life outside of family, work, and training? I'm commited to at least 1 more year of finding out how good I can be in the sport. I guess that means I'll miss out on social events for one more year. I wish I had the talent to have it both ways but I simply don't. I knew guys in college that could go out 3 nights a week, eat like crap at every meal, and still perform well on Saturdays. I was not blessed with that set of genetics. If I want to be successful it means I have to be commited to the sport in other ways beyond training. When this journey is all finished maybe I'll look back and decide it wasn't worth the commitment...maybe not. I'm one of five male professional triathletes from the state of Iowa (6 after Adam Bohach gets his pro card). 3 of the 5 are married. I'm the only one with children. I'm also the only one who has a full-time job outside of triathlon (although Adam will be joining me in that feat). Being able to balance family, career, and triathon with success in all three is what Live Uncommon is about. We hope that busy moms, dads, students...etc. can all find the time to stay healthy and active. Between my family and career I don't have too much other time outside of training. I plan to be more commited than ever this year because I don't want to finish this journey with any regrets. In the book Waitley mentioned how legendary PGA golfer Lee Trevino said "commitment" to him meant not calling a day of practice until his hands were callused and blistered from taking so many swings. Commitment was staying out until dark hitting golf balls while his fellow PGA friends were in the clubhouse drinking beer. I know there aren't many things in life you get to be fully commited to...due to my situation the only way I can be fully commited to triathlon is to give up some other things I would enjoy. I made sure not to miss any of those opportunities over the last 5 weeks because I knew once the season started my commitment would be back to becoming the best triathlete I can be. I'm looking foward to climbing the ladder in 2012. Thanks for following. Make this year your healthiest ever! Challenge yourself to do something you never thought was possible. Be commited to your goals...DREAM BIG!

Offseason Update...Power of Positive Thinking

The offseason is slowly coming to a close. I have one more week before I begin training for the 2012 season. I'm pretty excited to begin. I have gotten myself in the worst shape I've been in for quite some time which is exactly what I planned. I had a long year in 2011. Adding Ironman Arizona meant my season lasted 57 weeks. I knew I was due for a long rest to let my body recover and adapt to a year of training. I'm a little afraid to face the scale next week but I'm also really excited to begin chipping away at the number I see as I prep for my best year yet. I've always been a believer in the importance of getting out of shape at the end of a year before trying to get in better shape the following year. I've done the out of shape part. I have only run 10 minutes over the past 4 weeks...1o minutes total. I have biked 4 times...just easy rides. I have swam about the same number of times with our high school kids. Following my race in Arizona I gave some thought about going back to amateur racing but I knew my heart was telling me to race professionally for one more year. I feel my best racing is yet to be reached and I really want to see if I can continue to move up in the pro race standings. Outside of my first pro race in San Juan I finished in the middle third of every pro race I entered except for Racine 70.3 when I finished just inside the top third with a 6th place finish amongst 18 pros. My schedule for 2012 will include 3 professional 1/2 Ironman races and one full Ironman. I've had more success at the 1/2 distance so that is where my focus will be. However, after missing the 9 hour mark by only 5 minutes I want to go back to Arizona with a single goal of breaking 9 hours. I loved the venue, the spectators, and the level of competition in Arizona. I do not have any big spring races so I'm not worried about beginning my training nearly 2 months later than I did a year ago. I want to be in great shape by early June and know that I have plenty of time to get there.

3 weeks ago Jen and I volunteered at the Turkey Trot 5 mile run in Davenport. The race fell with both of us on training breaks so we thought it would be a great chance for us to give back at a race. We brought both of our kids with us andour 3 year old daughter Payton asked us if there was a kids run she could do. The only option was a mile and I explained to her that a mile was twice as far as she had ever run so she could not do it. She emphatically insisted to me that she could run a mile but I thought it was a bad idea. Jen said we should let her try but I was convinced she would hate running by the time she was half way in and she would never want to run again. Jen won the argument of course and we signed Payton up for the 1 mile run. She was excited to know she would get some GU Chomps to help power her through the run...those are her favorite training snack! Payton shocked Jen and I by running the entire mile without stopping. I was reminded of the power that positive thinking has on athletic achievements. While she was running she kept saying, "I'm sure I can do this." It was quite comical listening to her say this while she was running...but the positive thoughts worked out well for her. She finished in 13:31 and mom and dad were both extremely proud that she convinced herself she could do the mile and then did it without walking. Afterwards she said, "That was easy." She keeps asking us to share her video with anyone who will watch. Unfortunately I didn't realize my ipod camera was sideways...I guess because the screen you look through adjusts automatically so I never knew I was filming her sideways. Thinking positive during a race can make a huge difference in the outcome. Next time I'm hurting at mile 20 of an Ironman I hope I can recall Payton's line..."I'm sure I can do this." I can't wait for midnight madness next Sunday night at 12:00 when the journey will resume. Have an awesome holiday season. DREAM BIG!!

Swim Clinic for Triathletes

I just got word that my swim coach Stacey Zapolski is hosting a swim clinic for any interested triathletes this Sunday from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 at the Augustana College pool. I think this will be the 2nd or 3rd clinic they have had and I heard the clinic is growing rapidly more popular as these swimmers have spread the word about how much they are improving. I really like the format of the clinic. It is nearly the identical format that helped me improve a lot over the summer under Stacey's guidance. Stacey will watch the swimmers during the 1 hour and give technique feedback. She will let you know what areas of the stroke need work and what drills you can do to work on them. She will show drills for all the swimmers to work on. The clinic is held once a month. After the clinic it is up to you to go swimming and work on the drills and technique. The next month when you return Stacey will be able to judge improvement and give you something new to work on. This helped me tremendously this summer because she gave me one or two things to work on and helped me focus on those things for a few weeks before she would watch me again. For example, one of the first things she noticed about my stroke was that my left arm was entering the water too wide. Without having her watch me and point this out I never would have known. She gave me some drills to work on and I made that left arm my emphasis for the next 3 weeks until I saw her. When I saw her again she said it was much improved and then she let me know that my left hand was turning outward when it entered the water. This is a habit that has been tough for me to break. It really helps to have someone watching who knows what they are doing. I have never been a great swimmer and I have a LONG way to go but I made good progress this summer under her guidance. All the races I did this summer that I had previously raced I had my best swim rankings in this year. I had 2 races this summer when I had the fastest swim split. One of them had 130 people. That was a huge breakthrough and accomplishment for me and one I don't believe would have happened had I not had Stacey coaching me. What's great about this format is that it isn't terribly time consuming because I'm able to get stroke feedback and then go work on things on my own schedule. The cost is $30.00 for each monthly session. If you are brand new to swimming and have no idea what kind of workouts to do I'm sure Stacey would be able to give you some great ideas as well. I'll be there on Sunday...I hope to see you there as well! Let me know if you have any questions and I can send you Stacey's e-mail or possibly answer them myself. DREAM BIG!!

Xterra Wetsuits Discount Code SA-JEFFP

So after last week's post I decided to do some of my own research to see how Xterra's return policy compares to other wetsuit companies. Xterra claims the best return policy in the industry. Why is this important? Wetsuit sizing is extremely important to getting the most out of the wetsuit. You want to get a suit that fits well. If it is too big it will fill with water and that will slow you down. If you get one that is too small it will be much more restrictive and will make you feel tired. It is difficult to know without swimming in the suit. It's tough to tell if the suit will fill with lots of water or if you will be quickly tired due to a restrictive suit. Here is what I found out. All this information was taken from the websites of the manufacturer website or in the case of the retailers listed from their websites.
Xterra Wetsuit return policy- Xterra will allow returns for full refunds or size exchanges within 30 days of the purchase. They encourage buyers to swim in the suit. They will accept it back for a full refund or exchange after it has been used in open water. They even suggest that buyers in cold weather states use it once for a short period of time in a pool if the weather is too cold to try in open water.
2XU- Will accept returns only on new, unopened merchandise within 30 days. You open it...you keep it.
TYR- Wetsuits may be returned only for exchange. They do not give refunds. Suits that have been used or gently worn will not be accepted as returns. No exceptions.
Zoot Sports- All items have a 30 day money back guarantee. All items returned must be new and unused with tags still attached.
Blueseventy- Will accept returns as long as the item is new and has only been tried on for sizing purposes. The tags must be attached to return. All wetsuits returned are subject to a 20% restocking fee which will mean you are out $60.00-$150.00 depending which suit is purchased.
Orca- Will accept returns within 14 days of purchase. The wetsuits must be new with tags still attached.
DeSoto- Allows returns on wetsuits that have been used. Returns must be made within 14 days of the day purchased.
Aquasphere- Will accept returns for 30 days on new, unopened items. You open it, you keep it.
Retailers
Swimoutlet.com- Accepts returns on new, unused merchandise with orginal tags attached within 60 days of purchase.
Trisports.com- Accepts returns after "one free swim".
Wetsuitwarehouse.com- Allows returns for 30 days after purchase on all new items with tags still attached.
Triathletesports.com- Allows returns on new merchandise for 30 days. Tags must still be attached.
All3Sports.com- Accepts returns on all new items with tags still attached for 30 days. If you send back without tags they will return to you and charge you the return shipping.
Sunrisetri.com- Accepts returns on all new items with tags attached within 30 days. A 15% restocking fee applies on returns.

As you can see from this list Xterra has the best wetsuit return policy in the market. 2nd best vote goes to DeSoto. The only downside to DeSoto is that the returns have to be received by them within 14 days of when the suit was purchased. That reduces the window of how long you have to try the suit because the 14 days does not include the time it takes to get the wetsuit to you and for you to send it back. The best retailer is Trisports.com because they at least allow 1 swim in the wetsuit. It was a little unclear to me on their website whether or not the return is only accepted for an exchange or if you are allowed to get a refund. The worst vote goes to Blueseventy because not only do they not allow you to return a suit you have swam in...they will charge a 20% restocking fee! The worst retailer is sunrisetri.com who is similar to Blueseventy except their restocking fee is slightly less at 15%. This information makes me even more proud to represent a company like Xterra Wetsuits. If you want to get the best price available...even better than their sale prices use discount code SA-JEFFP.  You may use this discount code if you are a follower of this blog, friend, or family member. Right now they are running a special and I thought it was going to end Sunday. They lower our discount code price to beat their existing specials. I tried the code today and the special was still in effect. The Vortex Full Suit (400.00 retail) can be purchased for 149.00. The Vector Pro Full Suit ($600.00 retail) can be purchased for $223.50 with the code. I've had some questions about which suit people should go with. If you are training for a sprint or Olympic distance race I would say the Vortex Full Suit is sufficient. If you are training for something longer than Olympic distance I would recommend the Vector Pro. The biggest advantage of the Vector Pro is that the arms are made of 6 different pieces of material. What that means is that the arms are going to be much more flexible than a lower priced wetsuit that is typically made using 3-4 pieces of material. This will make a difference in a longer swim because your arms will not tire as quickly if the wetsuit is more flexible. The other difference I noticed is that the Vortex 3 is made with a material that is a little slippier through the water. There is also a spot on the arm that the Vortex 3 has to help with the catch of the water. It is a rigid spot that is supposed to catch more water than the lower priced suits that do not have that catch spot. You can see that spot if you check out the photos on the Xterra website at www.xterrawetsuits.com If you find one you like and you are a friend, family member, or follower of this blog use discount code SA-JEFFP.

As for my own training I'm finished with my 2 week vacation. I did zero training, ate whatever I wanted, and gained some weight. I'm still not ready to resume regular training but for the next 3 weeks I enter a phase I call "exercise phase". I will begin eating better than during "vacation phase", and I will also be working out but not hard-core. I'm not tracking my workouts. I'm swimming with our high school kids, running with friends, getting on the trainer to ride during Iowa games...etc. I'm working out without specific weekly goals. Hopefully my weight gain will come to a halt during "exercise phase." I'm getting a schedule and goals laid out. I'll write more about my training and what my plans are next week. Thanks for reading! DREAM BIG!

Xterra Wetsuits...Christmas is coming!

I'm thrilled to continue my partnership with Xterra Wetsuits in 2012! I had the opportunity a couple years ago to partner with a different company but I opted not to because the lowest price wetsuit the company carried was nearly $300.00. It wasn't that I was looking for something less expensive but it had more to do with my own beliefs about helping the sport of triathlon grow. Triathlon is a sport that helps people who get into it to live a healthy lifestyle. While training for a triathlon people exercise regularly, set goals, lose weight, and feel like they can accomplish anything. I hate hearing from people that they don't want to give the sport a try because of the costs associated with it. This is why I love Xterra Wetsuits! They provide top-notch wetsuits at the world's best prices. Many of you are probably wondering how they can beat competitors price by so much without sacrificing quality. It is a pretty simple concept that I teach to my 8th grade social studies class in a lesson on economics. Xterra Wetsuits sells directly to the customers. You won't find their westuits in stores. By sending suits to retailers, known as the "middle man" the other companies in the wetsuit industry have a huge markup fee. If you are looking at other companies compare the material with Xterra and also the thickness of the suit. In the spirit of cyber week Xterra is currently offering 60% off retail on the Vortex Full wetsuit (regularly price at $400.00) and on the Vector Pro westuit (regularly price at $600.00). I contacted them today and was informed that if you use my discount code SA-JEFFP you save even a little bit more than their current super sale price.  That code is for fiends, family members, and followers of this blog. If you are debating a wetsuit for 2012 I encourage you to go to their website at http://www.xterrawetsuits.com/ and compare their suits to the other ones you are looking at. Both of those suits are full. Some people believe that full-suits are more restrictive and cause their shoulders to feel tired faster. There is no debate that full-suits are faster than sleeveless. It is true that your first couple times in a full-suit your shoulders will get more of a workout than you are used to without a suit on. What I have found is that by swimming in my wetsuit a few times in open water before races breaks in the shoulders and I don't notice any difference in how my shoulders are worked come race day. One more thing that separates Xterra from the rest...the return policy. Xterra has the best in the business. Most tell you once you have tried on the westuit you can no longer return it. If you have swam in it then it's a guarantee they won't return it. Not Xterra. They encourage you to swim in it to make sure the size is comfortable. If you decide you want your money back or a different size you just ship to them and they will either refund your money or send you a new size at no additional shipping charge. That's incredible. On top of that, they have a 2 year warranty on their wetsuits covering anything except damage caused by the owner. If you have any questions regarding wetsuits don't hesitate to ask me. If you find another company offering a better price on a similar quality wetsuit let me know and I'll contact Xterra to make them aware...I'm confident you won't find one. The customer service you will get from Xterra is incredible. Check them out on facebook for more information. I know swimming is not my strength but swimming in the Xterra Vendetta in 2011 was my best yet. I had 2 races where I had the fastest overall swim. In every race I did this year that I had done in the past my swim ranking was higher this year. I believe in Xterra because they allow people who are on the fence about triathlons to buy a wetsuit without breaking the bank. If you are thinking about a wetsuit for Christmas...think Xterra. Thanks for reading. DREAM BIG!

Ironman Arizona Race Report and Results

It's tough to put an Ironman into words on a blog. I think for this very reason I may only do 1 of them next year. I'll start from the beginning of the trip...

Thursday- Jen and I got to the Moline Airport where my awesome parents were waiting to take the kids from us so we could be on our way. I rolled up to the checkin counter of Allegiant Air and the 15 year old looking kid said, "I think you will have to pay extra for the bike." I explained to him that last time I few Allegiant they only charged me for checked bag since I had so carefully packed this bike into a small case. He asked his boss who told him it only should be charged as a checked bag. I thought that would be the end of the debate but then he told me he was going to look it up. I couldn't believe it...why was this kid questioning his boss?? He was trying to find it but couldn't and one of the other workers told him to let it go. SCORE!!!! $25.00 to ship a bike! Flight landed in Mesa, AZ at 10:30 and we got our rental car. The guy behind the counter laughed when I told him I was going to get my bike case into the economy sized car I had reserved. He told me for $10.00 more a day he could get me a bigger car. We took our chances and it fit no problem.
Friday- Friday we left the hotel at 9:30 and made our way to the race site. I picked up my packet and then went to the pro meeting at 12:30. As expected the meeting was packed. They told us this was the biggest pro field in any race outside the world championship this year. I was pretty excited about that since I wasn't really going into this race with a goal of placing high as much as I was with a goal of racing fast. I thought the bigger field would help me get out of the water with other riders and lead to a faster ride. At the meeting they go over the course and the rules. They are all pretty similar. One of the female pros, Lindsey Corbin, asked all of us to wear a pink bracelet in honor of Sally Meyerhoff, an elite runner turned triathlete who was killed last March while riding her bike. I had heard about Sally because she was a GU athlete and seemed like a tremendous person as well as athlete. Friday night Jen and I attended the Ironman pre-race banquet. We were fortunate enough that one of the Ironman officials gave us a wristband for Jen to get in when we approached him about why athletes have to pay $30.00 for a spouse to attend the dinner. This is one of my biggest complaints about Ironman. They are a profitable company...a HUGE one at that. They do some incredible things but charging family members $30.00 to attend a pre-race dinner or post-race awards banquet is certainly not one of them. I feel it would be fair to give athletes and 1 guest complimentary passes to these things. The races cost well over $600.00 now. Family members make great sacrifices so their loved ones can train for and make an Ironman happen...it only seems right to me those same family members should get into the banquets without paying an absurd amount. The dinner was nice and the show that Mike Reilly (voice of Ironman) put on was a good one. He kept us entertained but I still stand by the fact they should not charge an outrageous amount for a family member to attend. At the banquet we found out the oldest athlete who would be competing was a 74 year old gentleman from Cedar Rapids, Iowa so that was pretty cool (Jen and I would later watch him finish on Sunday night). They also had the youngest competitor on stage who was an 18 year old girl that was racing to honor her high school basketball coach who was recently diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease).

Saturday- Saturday was pretty uneventful. I checked in my bike and then dropped off my bike and run gear bags in transition. I also spent some time packing my special needs bags. I opted to go light on them. For my bike special needs bag I put one bottle of GU Ironman brew in the bag. That bottle has about 850 calories in it. For my run special needs bag I went only with a bottle of Red Bull. I was asleep by 8:30 anxiously awaiting the 4:00 wakeup call.

Sunday-Sunday was race day. I slept well. I was not nearly as nervous for this race as some of the other races I did this year. I was very confident in my fitness and knew I was going to shatter my IM Wisonsin time which was my big goal for the race. I got a good warm up in before the race and put on the Xterra Vendetta wetsuit for the last time this year. All the pros entered the water at 6:40 a.m. so we had 10 minutes to warm up. The water was cool at 61 degrees but that is the kind of temperature I love swimming in. It did not feel cold at all. I lined myself up in the middle of a pack of female athletes thinking my chances of finding someone to draft off would be better in the female pack than the male pack. At 6:50 the cannon fired and we were off! I wanted to swim conservatively and in hindsight I wish I had not done this. It was still pretty dark when we began the swim and it was not long before I lost contact with the main group. In fact, it wasn't long before I felt like I was swimming on my own behind nearly everyone else...males and females. The swim course was one big loop. We started at one bridg and swam down to a different bridge. I got to the bridge thinking we were turning around but the swim actually went a few hundred yards past the bridge. There was only one guy around me and when we hit the turn I was on the inside and I didn't see him again until late in the swim although I could feel him on my feet most of the way. I could see one other female pro ahead of me by about 25 yards but I could never close the gap on her. I felt like my form was getting sloppy on the way back in and with about 500 yards left the first amateurs passed me. They started 10 minutes after me and I was hoping to get in before they caught me but due to my error in starting out too slow I never swam fast enough. I wish now I would have just swam really hard and tried to stay with more of the group for longer. I feel like my swimming is pretty good right now but this swim didn't show it. I was out of the water in 1 hr. 3 minutes and we one of the last guys out. I got out in the exact same time as the guy who swam on my feet on the way back in.

I felt great as I made my way through transition. My legs and breathing were both good. I had a solid transition and passed the guy I got out of the water with and the female pro who got out ahead of me.

BIKE: The first 1/4 mile of the bike getting out of the park was a no pass zone but once we got out on the main roads I started pushing the pace hard. I had saved my Peanut Butter GU for this race and I took my first one early in the bike. Peanut Butter is my new favorite flavor of GU. It was awesome. The bike course is 3 loops with the way out going slightly uphill and the way back slightly downhill. The climb out to the turnaround is so gradual it is hardly noticable. We had a headwind going out. The toughest part of the entire bike ride was in the first 18 miles. My legs were not used to going at this effort for very long since I haven't raced in a couple months. After the first 18 miles when we made the turn to come back my legs felt great for the rest of the ride. Immediately after turning my speed went way up because now we were going down the gradual decline plus we had the wind at our backs. I was up over 30 mph for the first 5 miles or so on the way back. I saw my time at the first loop and it was about 2.5 minutes faster than I hoped to average...this was a great start. I felt really strong on the 2nd loop again going into the wind on the way out and having the wind at my back returning. I grabbed my special needs bag which had my 2nd bottle of Ironman GU brew and also a bottle of coke. Those were awesome! The problem with the coke is that it was still semi-frozen from sitting in our freezer all night. When I opened it I got a coke shower! The bottle was about to explode and when I took the cap off it did just that. I dumped as much as I could into my aero drink and the coke really helped keep me strong the next 20 miles or so. I went through lap 2 about 6 minutes under my goal pace for the bike and I was feeling better than when I started the ride. I began pushing harder on lap 3 and was going faster on the way out than I had on either of my first 2 laps. I was pretty exited about this but realized why when I hit the turn. The wind has shifted and instead of blowing out of the west it was now blowing straight out of the south. We would have a headwind on the way home. This was a huge disappointment because I had been looking forward to the "free ride" back home the final 18 miles. I had to work hard as the wind was definitely picking up as the day went on. I saw a lot of amateurs a lap behind me riding wheel to wheel as I went by them. I had passed only a few guys during the ride and a bunch of the female pros. I knew it would be a tough ride for me because I was all alone the entire time...by that I mean I never had the benefit of riding with a pack like most of the pros. I'm the only one to blame for this because I can't swim. When they would go by me riding the other way they were in groups of 4-6 riders. They were all at legal distances which is smart riding. Staggering 10 meters behind the rider in front of you is a big help mentally and physically especially if the size of the group grows. I would not have this option beause all the guys faster than me on the bike already started it ahead of me due to my slow swim. I finished the bike in a time of 4 hrs. 46 minutes. I was really excited about being able to ride that time solo. It was 4 minutes faster than my goal time and 31 minutes faster than my time at Ironman Wisconsin. It also proved to me that I can get in great training indoors. I had not done an outdoor ride in the 4 weeks leading up to the race. I had great confidence that by using my Powerbeam Pro trainer I could be in great bike shape. I did a lot of interval work at high wattage levels to prepare for this Ironman. My back was never tight during the race which was my only fear of riding indoors so much.

RUN: I had a great transition to the run. I put on my racing flats after changing socks since my bike pair got wet a couple times while going to the bathroom on the bike. I grabbed my GPS watch and headed out feeling great. The GPS took a bit of time to locate the satellites while I was running. At about 3/4 mile into the run it came on and I was running sub-6 minute mile pace! I couldn't believe it. It felt too easy. My big problem was that my stomach was about to explode and I needed to find a bathroom quickly. At the 2 mile aid station I pulled my jersey down and rushed into the portapotty to relieve my stomach. When I got out I looked at the watch and saw my average pace was 6:45 and that included the stop. I was stoked. I knew if I could average 7:00/mile I would break 9 hours which was my ultimate goal. I was running about 6:00 pace and it felt easy. I had to decide if I would back off to 7:00 pace and hope to maintain that throughout or if I should continue on at my pace hoping to build a cushion incase I exploded later. I chose to go big. I was beginning to pass some of the guys in front of me and I felt like I was gliding. When I saw Jen she was excited about how much ground I was making on guys in front of me and I said, "I can run this pace all day." That became my mental phrase for the next 10 miles. When I would pass by spectators I would say, "all day"...mentally firing myself up...forcing myself to believe I could actually hold this pace. By mile 12 reality was setting in and my pace was slowing considerably. By the 13.1 halfway point my average pace had increased to 6:25/mile. I knew that meant I could average 7:35/mile on the back half of the marathon. I was hoping to stay around 7:00 pace for awhile to continue building that cushion but things started going downhill fast. By mile 18 I was to 6:45 pace average. By mile 20 I was at 6:50 average. I remember thinking I could run 8:00 pace the last 6 miles and still break 9 hours. The last 6 miles were pure mysery. Some of the guys (and even girls) I had passed began to pass me back. I kept telling myself to dig deeper...to be willing to suffer more than I ever have. The will to break 9 hours was there but physically my body was not allowing it. The last 6 miles are a bit of a blur. I thought the 2nd place female didn't pass me until 2 miles to go but Jen said it was closer to 5 miles to go. I remember going up the only hill on the course and it took everything I had not to walk. My pace up the hill was over 10:00/mile. I would have to finish this marathon in some extreme pain. I realized with 2 miles to go there was no way I was going to break 9 hours. I gutted it out to the finish line and crossed in 9 hrs. 5 minutes. Despite not breaking 9 hours I was still thrilled. It was 1 hr. 1 minute faster than my time in Madison and it is a time I can be satisfied with if it's the last Ironman I ever do. I ended up 32 of the 55 guys who started the pro race. I think I was 39th overall counting the 3 female pros and 4 amateurs who beat me. I lost about 9 spots in the last 5 miles of suffering. The feeling of crossing the line knowing I had achieved what I set out to was awesome. I have to give thanks to Jen for allowing me the chance to get in one more race this year. I knew there were some people who thought my decision to start my 3rd Ironman of the year was a bad one. I never doubted it would be my best. I'm so glad I decided to race one more. At the finish line 2010 Ironman World champion Mirinda Carfrae was kind enough to take a picture with me. Jen and I returned Sunday night to watch finishers cross the line for the final 90 minutes of the race before the midnight cutoff. It was in this 90 minutes when I saw who the real warriors of this race distance are. These people were out on the course for 16 and 17 hours. As tough as the day gets mentally for 9 hours I can't even imagine what it is like for 16 and 17 hours. We witnessed people finishing with prosthetic legs and arms, we saw the 74 year old from Cedar Rapids finish. We saw 3 guys finish carrying a fellow competitor they befriended out on the course. We saw a woman finish with her head bandaged probably from falling on the concrete in the darkness of the run course. It was incredible seeing how many spectators hung around until it was all over. I'm glad I went back to watch the finish. It's something I won't forget. Jen and I hung out in Arizona on Monday before heading back. The bike fee was still only $25.00 on the return trip as well. Now it's time for a month break from training. It's time to get out of shape. I'm a firm believer that to get in better shape one has to first get out of shape to allow for the big adaptation from a year of training to set in. I started this past year 57 weeks ago and I was so blessed to be healthy through it all. I'm so thankful to have sponsors like Healthy Habits who always have my bike ready to race. I'm thanful to have Kaminski Pain and Performance Care and Laurel Darren to keep my body ready to race and recover. I'm blessed to have companies like Kiwami Triathlon Wear, Xterra Wetsuits, Zipp, and GU Energy who provide me with the tools I need to race successfully. I'm also so thankful to Russell Constrution for helping me make these races financially possible. Jim and Michelle Russell have also put a lot of money into the non-profit campaign called "Live Uncommon" which aims to get people healthy and active. It's been awesome watching Live Uncommon grow and inspire people to live healthy. I'm thrilled to be part of it. Check out the website to see how you can inspire people in your community to be healthy. In the next few weeks I'll decide whether I want to continue racing professionally or go back to amateur racing. I'll also set a race schedule for next year. I'm so thankful for all the nice comments on the blog and all the well-wishes I received through phone calls, texts, facebook messages, and e-mails. I was not out on the course alone. I knew people were following and I thought of that often as I was struggling. You got me through to the end with a HUGE PR. For that I cannot thank you enough. I only hope I can inspire you to DREAM BIG as much as you have inspired me to do the same. Lastly I must give thanks to my tremendously supportive wife Jen who allows me to do this. Without her love and support I don't even want to imagine how out of shape I would still be...and how much I would weigh. THANKS!! DREAM BIG!

IM Arizona

Quick post from the hotel in Arizona as we get ready to depart back to Iowa tomorrow. I was thrilled with the race. Despite being one of the last few guys out of the water and riding the entire 112 mile bike course on my own without being passed and not having the benefit of being in a group like I hoped I still had a solid ride of 4:46. I knew getting off the bike I needed to average 7:00/mile to break 9 hrs. which was kind of an ultimate goal. I went out after it averaging 6:15/mile through mile 10 including a stop at the portapotty to relieve my upset stomach. I suffered badly the last 5 miles and fell off the pace finishing in 9 hrs. 5 minutes. It was 32nd of the 55 pros that started. I'll put up a detailed report later this week when it all sinks in. I'm thrilled I made the decision to put in the work over the past 8 weeks and come to Arizona to do this race. I was overwhelmed with support through the blog, facebook messages, e-mails, and phone calls. Those got me through when the race got really tough on the 2nd half of the run. Thanks so much! DREAM BIG!!