In 2012 I was just a husband/dad, who loved to eat (fries, pizza, etc.), work a lot, watch TV and exercise on convenience. I decided in the fall of 2012 to stretch myself, get healthy and do something ambitious...become an Ironman.
I reached out to a personal and ministry friend of mine, Scott Bennefield, a USAT Level 1 Coach (
www.ironmanpastor.com) with Grasky Endurance (
www.graskyendurance.com), who helped me reach my goal. I remember riding the bike trainer indoors for 30 minutes and thought I was going to die and well, my butt was killing me. (Now, my normal indoor rides are a minimum of 80 minutes.) I was then introduced to a company with great fuels, recovery, and supplements - Hammer Nutrition (
www.hammernutrition.com). Their products are great, the costumer service is outstanding and who would have imagined I would be chosen as one of their sponsored athletes for 2014!
Training 6 days a week was by far from easy to get to where I am now, but well worth it. I love being a triathlete and living a new healthy lifestyle. I have more energy and I feel better about myself. However, this is only the beginning, I want to continue to improve in this sport and would love to one day qualify for the big daddy - KONA Ironman World Championship in Hawaii.
As I look back at 2013 it's hard for me to realize that these are my statistics! These might not be significant to you, but they are to me because I know where I started
(I was a 35 minute average 5k runner, I could only swim 1-1/2 laps in the pool, and well, I had to go buy a bike because the last time I rode one I was 12 years old).
2013 Quick Review:
- Ran a 5k in less than 23 Minutes
- Ran 7 miles in less than 60 Minutes
- Completed my 2nd sprint triathlon w/ first open water swim in April '13
- Completed my first Half Ironman (Florida) in May '13
- Swam 2 miles in less than 1 hour (pool swim)
- Completed my first Full Ironman (Arizona) in November '13
- Swam, Biked, Ran more miles in one year than I would have ever dreamed...
- Swam 240,407 yards (137 miles)
- Biked 3,516 miles
- Ran 741 miles
It's a new year and time to set new goals and achieve them in 2014. To leave you with some advice as the new year begins:
1. Make a training plan (I use training peaks online to keep a calendar and nutrition diary). This really helps me stick with my goals and see where I'm going and where I've been. I'm one that likes to "check things off" when I complete them, so this is perfect for me. Get with a coach or someone who can help you and keep you accountable to your goals.
2. Go ahead and register for your big race of 2014. Don't wait to register, sign up now! I have a countdown app on my phone that keeps up with all my races and shows me how many days left until the big day (it's a motivator for me).
3. Saving the best for last (I've been asked this the most) -- How do you train and have time for family and work? I decided when I started my Ironman journey that I would not sacrifice family time to train. I wake up around 3:30am to begin my training and I am finished around 6:30am in time to help my wife wake up the boys and get them ready for school, then head to work. My long rides are normally Friday mornings when the boys are in school; I work half days on Friday so I go in the second half of the day; and my rest day is Saturday (which is our family day). Having all this time in the mornings gave me plenty of time to meditate, reflect and pray while training, yes even while swimming.
I am just a husband, dad, full-time worship pastor, office-stare-at-a-computer all day long, loves to eat (more salads now) kind of guy who happens to be an Ironman. Don't let your current circumstances or situations get in the way of your goals. Sometimes, we just need to prioritize, move things around and focus. Signup for that first 5k, marathon, or Ironman this year. If I can do it, you can too! Don't let your best in 2013 be your best in 2014...do better, strive more!
My verse for 2013 was Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." I give God ALL the glory!
I then decided to go ahead and start at 8:30 with the first wave group. The gun went off (actually it was just a lady on a megaphone yelling 'go') and I lead the pack for about 1 mile into the race. (I ran the first mile in 6:49.) I could hear a few guys coming up behind me who had a quicker pace and passed me slowly. I kept up with my pace even with a few slight hills and off-the-pavement (gravel trails) on some of the course and kept the front runners in sight. The course was extremely wet and windy! At 1.5 miles into the race I noticed my shoe was untied completely. My shoe was very loose and I considered ditching the shoe and running with only one shoe. I decided to just curl my toes and keep the shoe on. This slowed me down a little but I still managed to average 7:23/mile, take 1st place in my age division and 8th overall. I not only was proud to come in first, but proud to wear my Hammer Nutrition shirt and hat for the first time as one of their sponsored athletes! 
