tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81883125407211326962024-02-07T22:43:54.689-07:00Jason's Triathlon PageThe triathlete side of my life.Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07111556403834649067noreply@blogger.comBlogger299125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188312540721132696.post-57947858142714816552015-12-23T12:25:00.002-07:002015-12-23T12:25:48.888-07:00No strollers allowed? No problem!<div style="text-align: justify;">
Recently, the wife and I convinced (through HEAVY bribery) our 7 year old daughter to run an official 5k. How was this possible? We signed her up for a race that gives you a bowl full of chocolate and sugary fixins to dip in it!</div>
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The Hot Chocolate series provides you with hot chocolate, melted chocolate, and a whole assortment of dipping items after the race. We showed our daughter pictures of the bowl, and told her how delicious it was, and she was sold! So, we signed her up!</div>
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When it came time to train, we elected to put our 3 year old son in a jogging stroller for each training run. In 2014, we saw people running with kids in strollers, so we figured we would just do that, even though the rules say that no strollers are allowed. Our plan was to just show up with the stroller and go to the back of the group.</div>
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As a backup plan, we decided to bring and ERGO baby carrier. It's this strap/backpack type thing that is amazing for younger/infant kids. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No, this is not us. We are WAY more photogenic than these boring people!</td></tr>
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We figured we would head over to the start line and once we saw some other strollers, I would go back to the car and get ours. Well, we never saw any strollers before the race started. That meant that I would be carrying our 3 year old for the entire 5k. This could be interesting!</div>
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Fortunately for me, we ran at my daughters pace, and took some walk breaks. By the end of the race, though, I was glad we were done! It was a lot of fun, but carrying a small human in front of you for a 5k, without training that way, could have been a recipe for disaster! But we finished! (I know, I know, women carry humans in the belly for 9 months, and plenty of pregnant women do 5k's. Have you ever tried to run with heavy backpack on? It bounces around like crazy! Well, that's essentially what my son was doing, except on the front. I basically had to bear hug him while we ran, and then let him breathe while we walked...ha!)</div>
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We crossed the line at 57:01, which is not our actual time since we started in the 4th corral (I think), but whatever. Regardless, we ran a 5k as a family and had a great time! And, of course, we enjoyed eating the chocolate afterword...</div>
Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07111556403834649067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188312540721132696.post-1125006732141187912015-12-17T16:16:00.000-07:002015-12-17T16:16:51.768-07:00I finally get to #RockTheW<div style="text-align: justify;">
Well, well, well! I finally got invited to play with the cool kids! No, I didn't go to my high school reunion and sit with the cool kids (do people still have high school reunions with The Facebook?). What did happen is that I was selected to be an ambassador for the coolest triathlon apparel brand on the planet!</div>
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<a href="http://wattieink.com/"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7dIjic4Sc8lFk073L2joYl7vVDHg7Wj6RiJ4pG8MDDe6WMOoy3I45P6vtyhW3wIWwAntxG8MNetzwuNxjSLg8WvMW7ciuLppclorab_r2abYA3EKwLKQdd_m9Bf1XcwBBeP991Shzlbk/s1600/wattie+ink.jpg" height="98" width="320" /></a></div>
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I've been applying to be part of the <a href="http://wattieink.com/">Wattie Ink</a> crew for the last few years, and, obviously, had not been selected. This year is different! I'm like that kid in the car who keeps saying, "Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?", only it was total application bombing. They must have realized that I was not going to go away, so they took pity on me and let me in!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's no misprint! It sure as heck says "Jason Wright". BOOM!</td></tr>
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I can't even begin to tell you how pumped I am to be part of this group. The clothing that they produce is not only amazing looking, but is <a href="http://www.wattieink.com/news/2015/11/homemade">made right here in the good ol' U.S. of A.</a>! Here's a little taste of some of their stuff...</div>
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So, this season, when all of you thousands of people come to see me race, you'll easily be able to pick me out because I'll be one of the coolest looking guys out there! In all seriousness though, you should go check out the <a href="http://wattieink.com/">Wattie Ink website</a> because there are a ton more triathlon kits, as well as sweatshirts, beanies, hats, arm warmers, etc. And it all is awesome! Also, be sure to check out Wattie Ink on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Wattie-Ink-197561270279134/?fref=ts">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/wattieink">Twitter</a>, and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/wattieink/">Instagram</a>!</div>
Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07111556403834649067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188312540721132696.post-3172441186128344192015-12-07T20:13:00.001-07:002015-12-07T20:13:27.391-07:002014 Javelina Jundred RecapYes, you read that title correctly. This is a recap of a race I did more than a year ago! It actually took place on 11/1/14. It's a pretty long write up, so let's get to it!<div><br></div><div><div>My training for this race was decent. I never really hit my weekly total mileage like I wanted to, but I felt I did pretty well. I did a few 50k’s and one nighttime 75k (Javelina Jangover). I did, however, do the majority of my running on a treadmill. I would try to run to work (about 15 miles) once a week or once every couple weeks, but it really didn’t happen as many times as I would have liked. Two weeks before the race, we took a weeklong family trip to Disney World. During this trip, I did 0 miles of running, however we probably walked around 10 miles per day. Oh, and the night before we left, I threw up at work (Alli and been sick a day or two before). After the trip, I ran a couple times on the treadmill and had some pretty intense right knee/IT band pain. Bad enough that I could hardly bend my leg while running. I spent the rest of the week really trying to massage my IT band, and by mid-week it seemed to be fine. By the weekend, I was again sick with a fever and diarrhea. The fever went away in about 24 hours, but the runs continued, even on race morning.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWBMWHHyG-XP3GqQE9kWGMDKWKD3K2H881yCF-qCtVcJ7_Tko9-SuT6l54c-q7xhZvnoX-f2JLozXWIP3UvQfRT49MwVWMN_QGJNqZVIMkekeyLF1mZVpleqogBuaEi0gvkATHh86T7Mk/s640/blogger-image-1003937860.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWBMWHHyG-XP3GqQE9kWGMDKWKD3K2H881yCF-qCtVcJ7_Tko9-SuT6l54c-q7xhZvnoX-f2JLozXWIP3UvQfRT49MwVWMN_QGJNqZVIMkekeyLF1mZVpleqogBuaEi0gvkATHh86T7Mk/s640/blogger-image-1003937860.jpg"></a></div>This photo is after the Javelina Jangover, a nighttime 75k.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>The night before the race was Halloween, so I stayed home to hand out candy while the kids trick or treated. I left the house at about 8:45pm to drive out to the race and camp. My buddy, Cade, had set up a tent so all I needed to do was show up and try to get some sleep. Tents were everywhere, and surprisingly, people were up all night! I got a horrible nights sleep, but that was to be expected. I woke up at 4:00am, had my bagel, banana, applesauce/protein, and coffee. There really wasn’t a lot to do, so we just sort of hung out in the tent and visited the bathroom a few times. At about 5:50am, we headed over to the start line and I dropped of my drop bag and filled up my water bottles. A few short minutes later, the race started!</div><div><br></div><div>The first few miles were in the dark, but I didn’t bring a headlamp. There were so many other people with lights that I really had no problem seeing. It also was a bit slower of a pace to start, simply because there were 500 people all running together. But it really didn’t take long to thin out. Our basic plan was to run the flats and downhills, and walk most, if not all, uphills. Our time goal was to finish the first two laps (each lap was just over 15 miles) in under 3:30 each. The first lap was pretty uneventful, and we actually were well ahead of our pace and finished in 3:05:18. My family was at Javelina Jeadquarters and greeted us with cheers and smiles. It was great to see them! I spent a few minutes taking pictures with the family. We refilled our nutrition and made our way out for loop 2. At the first aid station (1.5 miles into loop 2), we stopped to use the bathroom. I pee’d, then stepped out of the bathroom and felt the need to release some gas. Suddenly, I realized that this gas could not be trusted and I jumped back into the bathroom (luckily there was nobody else waiting to use the bathroom) only to have sever diarrhea. Not a good way to start lap 2! Luckily, other than the bathroom episode, lap 2 was also quite uneventful. Although, I did start to notice that my right IT band/knee were making me aware of their existence, which made me nervous. From training runs we had done on the course, we knew that the even numbered laps would be tougher, so we expected our time to slow a little. We came in at 6:45:56 a.m., or right about 3:40 for lap 2, which meant we were still just ahead of our goal pace!</div><div><br></div><div>Lap 3 would be a difficult one because it was now going to be the hottest part of the day and we would also be matching both of our distance PR’s of 75k/46.5 miles. We were able to maintain a relatively steady pace, and were actually very lucky with the weather in that the weekend was much cooler than the rest of the week had been (forecasted high of upper 70’s), and we actually ended up with a mostly overcast afternoon! This lap could have been a lot hotter, and a lot harder, but we were lucky with the weather. Near the end of the lap, about 4 miles or so, it was getting a little hot, and out of nowhere appeared a man and son (I assume) with a cooler full of popsicles and otter pops! At that moment, it sounded sooooo delicious, so I opted for a blue otter pop, and Cade took one as well. That thing was so dang good, but it did give me a little side stitch. Oh well…totally worth it. As we finished up loop 3, I had made the plan to charge my phone during the 4th loop, as well as carry the smaller portable charge with me to charge my Garmin on the move during the 4th loop. We finished up loop 3, took slightly longer getting ready for the 4th loop than I would have liked, but we had a lot to do! We had to put on warmer clothes (it would turn dark during our next loop), refill nutrition, grab headlamps, call/text family, I had to get chargers all set, I re-lubed my feet and changed socks, and probably a few other things that I don’t remember. Anyway, we finally made it out of Jeadquarters still 5 minutes ahead of my goal pace (we finished the lap in under 4 hours, which was the goal, but changing time took quite a while, which ate up our spare time). Regardless, being that close to my goal pace at this point was awesome! However, this is when things got rough for Cade.</div><div><br></div><div>We headed out on loop 4 (which was again the more difficult direction) and everything was going great. We both were in new, uncharted territory and with every step were were setting a distance PR. Prior to the race, I put the goal pace for each lap on my phone’s lock screen so I could quickly access it between loops to see what our next required pace would be. Unfortunately, I left my phone in the tent to charge and failed to look at what our required pace for lap 4 was. I knew our goal time for the lap was 5 hours, but couldn’t do the math on the fly to figure out what the pace was (which should have been simple…roughly 15 divided by 5 = 3 or 20:00/mile. To make up for the .4 of the loop, 19:00 would have been a nice round number). Since I didn’t have my phone, I had to guess our needed pace to finish the lap under 5 hours, and guessed 17:30 as our goal pace. Also, I was charging my Garmin, which meant I could not look down and see our pace, so I just had to go based on feel, which after 46.5 miles was not so great. Needless to say, I may have been pushing a little harder than necessary. I’m not sure when exactly it happened, but Cade started to fade back a bit. He wasn’t right on my heels like he had been all day, and he apparently stopped taking in any real nutrition. At Jackass Junction, I took out my Garmin, only to find that there had been some weird malfunction, and it had turned off. Worse yet, when I turned it on, it froze. So, I repeated this turn off/turn on scenario about 5 times, thinking something different would happen, when finally, something different did happen! It started working again, but had erased all of our previous data. Not a big deal, I just didn’t know what our overall pace was for the whole race. Anyway, I could now see what our average pace was for the second half of lap 4. I did some quick math to figure out how much time we had left to finish the lap in 5 hours, and realized we had been going too fast and could slow down quite a bit. In fact, I remember telling Cade that would could do 22:00 miles for the rest of the lap and still be right on target. Cade continued to go downhill and was now noticing that he was going downhill. His family was now waiting for us at Jeadquarters, and I convinced him to at least finish up the lap and then we could evaluate things. As we came in to finish the lap, his wife saw him and knew that he was not in good shape. I told her to get the chairs set up at the tent and we would meet them over there. When we got to the tent, his whole family was very supportive and helpful, but Cade was not doing well. He had gone too long without nutrition and wasn’t really in any shape to continue. I stayed with him for about 10-15 minutes, trying to convince him not to quit yet, but instead to take a nap and then maybe try again. He actually had a friend that was there to pace him for the 5th lap. I felt Cade should take a nap, get some nutrition, and then see if he could continue. Finally, it came time for me to say adios and move on, otherwise my race would be in jeopardy as well. Unfortunately, Cade decided to call it a day and was done at 100k. Still an amazing feat and PR!</div><div><br></div><div>I grabbed my drop bag and went to get all set up to do the next 40 miles by myself. I went to grab my phone, only to find that for some reason it did not charge, and was instead down to 32%! This meant I would have to try the other charger and hope it had enough juice left to charge my phone, otherwise I might have trouble getting in touch with my dad who was coming to do the last 9 miles with me. I plugged it in and hoped for the best! I also grabbed my iPod, which was a lifesaver. I also changed shoes, then headed on out. I was now about 20 minutes behind my planned schedule, which was alright. I knew I had an hour buffer built into my predicted finishing time (before the cutoff). I had a burst of energy as I started lap 5 and felt like I took off flying, even though I probably wasn’t going any faster. This was again the easier direction to travel, so I was excited about that. I ended up meeting a few people along the way. I don’t recall any names, but it was nice to pass some time chatting with other people who were hurting just like me. From what I recall, lap 5 was great, just slow. When I crossed the line to finish lap 5, my total time was 21:03:33, which meant I was 3:33 behind from when I wanted to START lap 6. So, every second I took at Jeadquarters would add to my time deficit. Fortunately, at this point, I didn’t care a whole lot. I knew that I had just under 9 hours to finish, and as long as I could keep up the pace I had been doing, I would finish. I checked my phone and was happy to see that it was fully charged. I called my dad to let him know that I had actually made it through 5 laps and would be looking to start the 6th lap in about 4 1/2 - 5 hours. I knew I wouldn’t want to make him wait around for forever, so this gave me more motivation to hit my lap 6 goal.</div><div><br></div><div>Lap 6 was a little crazy. I had now been awake since 4am the day before, so 23 hours or so. I had also done 76.5 miles, which blew my mind. At some point, I became very tired and was a total zombie walking around out there. I could tell my eyelids were super heavy and all I wanted to do was sleep. In fact, I kept seeing little tents all along the course, with runners taking little power naps. Great idea! Except for when I got closer, there was no runner, and no tents. Total hallucination!s. One thing that kept me off of the ground were the massive ants that were pretty much everywhere out there! Ha! I knew that I was so close, and if I wasn’t going to finish, then I should have just stopped after 4 laps. I knew future Jason would be pissed if I stopped now. So onward I went, just focusing on getting to the next mile, and the next aid station, or whatever else came to my head at the moment. I started sitting down for a couple minutes at each aid station. Just long enough to give my blistered feet a break, have someone refill my water, and gather my thoughts, then it was off to the next landmark. About 2.5 miles away from finishing the loop, I got a call from my dad saying he was at Jeadquarters and was waiting. I told him I would be about 45 minutes, which gave me a short-term goal to focus on. I reached the final aid station of the loop, sat down for 5 minutes, and got back up again. When I finally finished lap 6, my total race time was 26:13:03. This meant I was 13 behind my goal, but that I also had 3 hours and 47 minutes to do 9 miles. Things were looking good! I told my dad that I wanted to sit down until the race clock said “26:30:00”. So I sat there, resting my legs, talking with some people around us, when I finally realized, there’s no reason in prolonging this suffering. I needed to get this thing over with!</div><div><br></div><div>We headed out for the last lap. My dad did an awesome job, and I really did a poor job at preparing him. I really just told him it was 2 easy miles, followed by 2 miles of climbing, then the rest was a gradual downhill back to the finish. I forgot to mention that the first two miles contained a few sections of beach sand (or what sure seemed like quick sand to me!), the climbing miles contain large, jagged rocks that made getting any solid footing just about impossible, and the final miles I had never actually done before. But, he paced me without complaining and kept me moving at a great pace! In fact, we hadn’t seen anyone for almost the entire final 9 miles, until we saw a handful of people and passed 3 people with about 3 miles to go! Eat my dust suckers! Other than this lap being painful and slow, there were no major surprises during the lap. In other races I've done, it's common to run across the finish line to get a great looking photo. My dad asked if this was my plan, and I said "Heck no! I am DONE running today." However, when we finally made it back to Jeadquarters, the camera man, of course, had to get right in my face and film me. So, I had to put on a show and “run” while my dad walked next to me. It probably looked really dumb, but oh well. My dad was nice enough to "jog" with me, though, so it wasn't obvious how slow we were moving. Then, as we made the final turn, my dad yelled out, “Look who’s here!” and there was Keith and Teri with my kids! My eyes immediately swelled up and I ran over and gave Alli and big hug and a kiss (Luke appeared to be sleeping). Cade and his wife had also come back and were there too! Then, when I turned to actually cross the finish line, there was the guy who talked me into this whole crazy thing, Rick Cheever (who finished about an hour before me)! It was so cool to have all of those people at the finish line when I really didn’t expect anyone to be there (in fact, I actually told everyone not to come out due to the uncertainty of me finishing, the location, and everyone’s schedules). </div><div><br></div><div>Once I finished, all I wanted to do was sit down. My dad grabbed me a Coke, and it was probably the best tasting Coke I have ever had, or will ever have. We chatted for a while until I decided it was time to clean up and get the heck out of there. I did forget to get an actual finishers photo though, which I’m pretty bummed about. But oh well. After over 29 hours of being on my feet, I had officially run a 100-mile ultra marathon!</div><div><br></div><div>As for my nutrition, it was very simple. Cade actually told me about a company called “Tailwind Nutrition”. I read the reviews online and they sounded to be God’s gift to endurance athletes, claiming that this one drink can replace the drink/gel combo that most athletes do. They had a “Tailwind Challenge”, which meant you bought 4 bags to train and race with, and if you were unsatisfied, you could get a refund for your race entry. I figured what the heck. So I signed up. Well, during my 100 miles, I didn’t so much as touch another form of nutrition. I pre-measured 2.5 scoops of Tailwind into ziplock bags and just grabbed them after each loop. My plan was to drink a full bottle of water + 2.5 scoops every hour. Then starting on lap 5, I would incorporate the flavor with caffein. I stuck to my plan almost flawlessly, and made it through the whole race without feeling sick (not including my explosion at mile 17…I credit that to my entire week of diarrhea) and without feeling hungry. The only time I felt noticeably off was when I was super tired and sleepy. Maybe I could have used more of the caffeine version, or added some Coke. Who knows. Regardless, it seems to have worked.</div><div><br></div><div>The aftermath really wasn’t all that bad either. I had about 6 blisters between my two feet, and then a few hotspots. The rest of my body was tired, but not too bad at all. I took a 3 hour nap after the race and was pretty stiff when I woke up. Then I got about 10 hours of sleep at night and really felt quite well in the morning, other than my feet still hurting. All in all, I believe it was a very successful event!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm3edAblhtVKjUPGM24xrUCqFgRJmNY-woU7QrOlT0hfO1kUYfgS7PBzOnlLtCsNTd2lp41kKrd6uZwy_Sop56m_C8yHL_rTLtjhmzIcLsH6YCQkTUuCKdRlvbz1Sj1kboHwB_3nuvioE/s640/blogger-image-1229605332.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm3edAblhtVKjUPGM24xrUCqFgRJmNY-woU7QrOlT0hfO1kUYfgS7PBzOnlLtCsNTd2lp41kKrd6uZwy_Sop56m_C8yHL_rTLtjhmzIcLsH6YCQkTUuCKdRlvbz1Sj1kboHwB_3nuvioE/s640/blogger-image-1229605332.jpg"></a></div>That's Cade in the background. He kept me company for 100k, but called it a day after that.</div></div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLSjoXKov5lXv-KxUFUHfIJZ50r2oui7NuEMOep1qa00SKizr2_XHGQZDMHmlse50vF6UjNwhBIXvd9GcU9LGI51kYIBbLRtECQnkXOcr9sEUaWFxTDBvR6hHUMiZ5BzlUgB2DtoRxre0/s640/blogger-image--1465913235.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLSjoXKov5lXv-KxUFUHfIJZ50r2oui7NuEMOep1qa00SKizr2_XHGQZDMHmlse50vF6UjNwhBIXvd9GcU9LGI51kYIBbLRtECQnkXOcr9sEUaWFxTDBvR6hHUMiZ5BzlUgB2DtoRxre0/s640/blogger-image--1465913235.jpg"></a></div>Crossing the finish!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibr8ynUZMqGYzw0uwCA-u0dPvnJtCg-BVHaLwLBdn9sOolRRrxpcHakbPv9EXaRq9qE_qq4cjGTL7GEgHssilqmwPFv337AVgj5SGOwcAGyJ0T9FswUzNKnS8lvkleY8QO3PgoKfTgmgg/s640/blogger-image-1829020984.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibr8ynUZMqGYzw0uwCA-u0dPvnJtCg-BVHaLwLBdn9sOolRRrxpcHakbPv9EXaRq9qE_qq4cjGTL7GEgHssilqmwPFv337AVgj5SGOwcAGyJ0T9FswUzNKnS8lvkleY8QO3PgoKfTgmgg/s640/blogger-image-1829020984.jpg"></a></div>Apparently this belt buckle is reward enough for completing a 100-mile run. Who knew?!</div><div><br></div><div>So, the big question is, will I ever do this sort of thing again? Drum roll please.....I have no idea. I NEVER planned on doing it this time, so I can honestly say, I don't know. </div><div><br></div><div>And with that, you have now wasted a good 15-20 minutes reading about my race. Go do something productive!</div>Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07111556403834649067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188312540721132696.post-54752908149719543752015-12-06T14:54:00.001-07:002015-12-06T15:37:35.974-07:00Time to start things back up!Holy crap! Apparently I blacked out for about 20 months, because the last time I wrote a post was back in March of 2014! So thank you to all of my faithful readers who contacted me to make sure I was ok after not posting for so long. Oh, wait, that didn't happen. Sniffle. Sniffle. Moving on! I was kicking around the idea of running an ultra marathon and had a few other plans on the horizon. Now, I hope you are sitting down, because A LOT has happened since I wrote about that possibility back in March of 2014, and it's now December of 2015! Yikes! So, mom, since you're the only one who reads this, I'll give a quick recap of what has happened, and what is going to be happening in my little athletic world next year!<div><br></div><div>Going back to my last (sooooooo long ago) post. First off, thank you so, so much to anyone who donated to help build that water well in Uganda! We may never actually meet the people whose lives we have changed, but providing water for one person, let alone a village is so hard to grasp! Awesome job you guys!</div><div><br></div><div>Throughout last year, I sort of changed gears. I took a break from triathlons and focused just on running. My goal was not to get faster, though. It was to go farther than I had ever gone before. I started off with a 50k (31 miles), then continued my way on up, planning on doing that big run through Death Valley with my buddy. Unfortunately, things did not work out, and that run was cancelled. However, I did sign up for the Javelina Jundred (2014). I will post my race recap later (I actually wrote one, ha!), but the surprise ending is that I finished! The sad thing is that I think I got really burned out and decided to take a break for a year.</div><div><br></div><div>And just like that, my break is over! Ok, I didn't totally take a break. I ran a half marathon with my kick butt wife, did a couple mud/obstacle runs with a buddy of mine, and worked on the 4th triathlon discipline...eating. Needless to say, it has been a relaxing year. I think my wife really misses me training and racing though, because she keeps saying, "Don't you need to go train or something?" She asks me like 3 or 4 times a day...she's so supportive!</div><div><br></div><div>For this coming year, I will be looking to set a new PR! I'm going to try and break my record of 6 (I think) lifetime Ironman finishes, and make it 7! You see what I did there? I tricked myself into thinking that no matter what my time is, race day will be a PR! Just a little psychology trick for you to put in your back pocket for later use. No big deal. Aaaaanyway, I'll be racing Ironman Arizona once again, and am already looking forward to my rematch with Eric Byrnes! Unless he was too scared to sign up! You'll have to stay tuned to find out!</div><div><br></div><div>Aside from IMAZ, I'll have a few other races throughout the year, and most importantly, a new team to be a part of! But, that announcement will come as soon as I find a team that will take pity on someone who has been sitting on the couch for the better part of a year (insert sad face emoji here).</div><div><br></div><div>Until then, please check this website and your email religiously, because you never know when I'll put up another post!</div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_5F_PNbQljOi4gMnB-HiyEyOF1Ek-Zcm4LYXZc6768gAUFV4lr2XYtcE-EKNOoMik4vYbQWzIY5D0WqmXfAZBHx2s-KNDVgWPce_tyqlOJYtTdx0VlLbbn6srt6QnZK0mRJ14op8OadQ/s640/blogger-image--635645954.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_5F_PNbQljOi4gMnB-HiyEyOF1Ek-Zcm4LYXZc6768gAUFV4lr2XYtcE-EKNOoMik4vYbQWzIY5D0WqmXfAZBHx2s-KNDVgWPce_tyqlOJYtTdx0VlLbbn6srt6QnZK0mRJ14op8OadQ/s640/blogger-image--635645954.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">(Since it's the Christmas season, here's our Elf on the Shelf. He got stuck in the Octonauts Octopod the other day, so they got revenge!)</div>Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07111556403834649067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188312540721132696.post-206084431505800812014-03-18T08:27:00.004-07:002014-03-18T08:27:50.895-07:00Uh, where did I go?<div style="text-align: justify;">
I remember it like it was yesterday. I was sitting down in the comfort of my home to compose the most epic blog post of all time, sure to receive some type of award (but definitely not for proper use of grammar or spelling...ha!). I reached over to take a sip of my new favorite sports drink, <a href="http://powercoco.com/">PowerCoCo</a>, and then BAM! The Ironman is over, the Phoenix Marathon is over, in 2 and a half weeks <a href="http://www.aravaiparunning.com/crown-king-scramble/">I'm running a 50k</a> (why!?), and then in July I'll be helping a buddy of mine <a href="http://teamqw.com/">run over 700 miles through Death Valley</a>. What in the world has happened between November and now?</div>
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To be honest, I'm not really sure. It's kind of been a tornado of family, holidays, triathlon, running, vacations, working, eating, sleeping, eating some more, less sleeping, eating some more, working a lot more, etc. All I know is that I have committed to help my buddy <a href="https://www.facebook.com/energeticrick?fref=ts">Rick Cheever</a> attempt an amazing feat. During the month of July, he will be running over 700 miles through Death Valley. He has actually put together a small little support team of other athletes, and our goal as a whole is to <a href="http://www.ministrysync.com/event/website/?m=1676244">raise money to build water wells in Uganda</a>. What's the name of this epic adventure you may ask? Well I'll tell you! Rick has come up with the catchy and creative name of <a href="http://teamqw.com/">Quintessentially Well</a>. The name has a few different meanings, but in short it relates to the 5 wells that we want to build in Uganda, the 5 crossings of Death Valley that Rick will be doing, and we have 5 team members! Oh, and because Rick is 5 times crazier than the rest of us (ha!).</div>
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So that's what I have been up to. I'll try to post more regularly, but I make no guarantees. And for my Ironman Arizona recap...it might show up one of these days. But again, no promises. Oh, and my Boston Qualifying attempt! I didn't really make an attempt. I know, two negatives, both right together. So let's end on a positive...</div>
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This epic journey in July all comes down to one major concept...there are places in Uganda (and many other parts of the world too!) that don't have clean drinking water. Their children are forced to walk for miles to get water from dirty rivers and lakes (the same rivers and lakes that they bathe in). This a huge cause of disease. We are trying to build 5 water wells (which will cost a little over $50,000) in hopes to provide many villages and future generations with the benefits of clean drinking water. <a href="http://www.ministrysync.com/event/website/?m=1676244">Please consider donating to our cause</a> (none of the money goes to us...it all goes to the well-building efforts!). Every $1 helps!!!!</div>
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<a href="http://www.w4ki.org/">Water 4 Kids, International</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.ministrysync.com/event/website/?m=1676244">Donation page</a></div>
Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07111556403834649067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188312540721132696.post-34773784598645369782013-11-26T11:40:00.001-07:002013-11-26T14:35:56.717-07:00I'm back!<div style="text-align: justify;">
Wow. Life has been crazy busy! I'm not even really sure where I left off, and what my last post was about. Oh, wait. It was about Eric Byrnes. That's right. To summarize, I was contacted about an article being written about Eric Byrnes on Active.com. Well, I don't believe that article came out yet (or if it ever will!). But what I do know, is that Mr. Byrnes is one sneaky individual! Let me explain...</div>
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I would say that it's fairly well known across the galaxy that there is quite a rivalry between myself and the one they call Byrnsie. It all started a few years ago when he challenged me, or maybe I challenged him, or maybe I imagined it all - oh whatever - to a head-to-head race during Ironman Arizona. It pains me to say that he won fair and square, though I am still looking into <a href="http://www.slowtwitch.com/Opinion/Helmet_rule_upheaval__4013.html">the helmet that he wore</a> on that fateful day. Anywho, he has moved on to race in a few other Ironman races, such as the brutal Ironman Lake Tahoe. And honestly, I have to give him some major credit for that one. Apparently there was ice on some of the bike saddles in the morning! Yikes!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo from <a href="http://triathlon.competitor.com/2013/09/photos/photos-2013-ironman-lake-tahoe_85023">Competitor.com</a></td></tr>
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Fast forward to my Ironman Arizona 2013 race. My swim went as planned (I didn't drown!) and my bike went slightly faster than planned (a new bike PR!). As I was out on the new Ironman Arizona run course, I was frequently looking at the other athletes heading back the other way (as they were ahead of me at that point). I was racing with a lot of family and friends, so I was trying to keep an eye out to see if I recognized anyone. Around mile 5 or 6, I just happened to look over and who do I see? None other that the blasted Eric Byrnes. What!</div>
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I spent the next few miles trying to figure out what his angle was here. Had he secretly registered under a different name in order to catch me by surprise? I came to the conclusion that he had heard through the grapevine that I was trying to put in some serious training and he was obviously intimidated. Therefor, he probably became ill at the thought of telling me that he was going to test his luck against me for a second time.</div>
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As I ran by him the first time, I yelled, "Eric Byrnes!" He looked over in total shock, and immediately picked up his pace. I stopped to try and offer him a very sportsman-like high five, but he just turned and continued on. This really set me off! I couldn't think of anything else except for what I was going to say to him if we crossed paths again. And in about 13 miles, I got my chance.</div>
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We were crossing under the Mill Ave. bridge, meaning he had about 2-3 miles left, and I had around 7. As he was just about to pass me, I yelled out "Byrnsie! I'm coming for you!" It may have sounded a lot like "Yeah Byrnsie!" to him. But I promise you, I was most definitely NOT encouraging him. I was instilling the fear of God in him!</div>
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During those 13 miles, I had made up some ground, but not enough. Probably only about a mile, if that. I did the math, and knew that there was no way I could catch him...this time. So I carried on with my little truffle-shuffle run and focused on finishing this thing out with a new PR. </div>
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When I came across that finish line, my first thought was, "Where is Eric Byrnes to rub in his victory and pour salt on the wound?" Luckily, he was nowhere to be found. He probably took his moral victory and got the heck outta Dodge!</div>
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Aside from this little surprise battle during IMAZ, the rest of the race went pretty well. I will be writing up a full report in a bit, as well as a season report since I got busy (or lazy) and didn't really write much this whole season. </div>
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But bigger things are on the horizon! In just a few short months, I'll be making another attempt at qualifying for the Boston Marathon, since I choked by twenty-three seconds last year. Until then, enjoy this little video of some awesome ear candy:</div>
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Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07111556403834649067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188312540721132696.post-52321564331011567022013-06-07T20:17:00.001-07:002013-06-09T14:36:37.262-07:00My rivalry with Eric "Byrnes" on...Get it? Burns on! Ok, that was pretty weak. Moving on...<div><br></div><div>A couple of days ago, I opened up my email to find this little gem:</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8vOYrDbBeQPwm5S_0RGQVruxwAhvQozXXro_H41OWRHnAJvPQlcK3uypLeKlYGtAahTV-Rh7PT1mZnv7amyT5Tj6L2D7if9gp3tZoOc4FHDjBznfjVH1Yt_b1kIb73wR32Uo3Z5PHIXw/s640/blogger-image--1040149713.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8vOYrDbBeQPwm5S_0RGQVruxwAhvQozXXro_H41OWRHnAJvPQlcK3uypLeKlYGtAahTV-Rh7PT1mZnv7amyT5Tj6L2D7if9gp3tZoOc4FHDjBznfjVH1Yt_b1kIb73wR32Uo3Z5PHIXw/s640/blogger-image--1040149713.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>Now, he didn't come right out and say it, but I'm pretty sure Mr. Byrnes is behind this. He is obviously paying the folks at Active to right an article in his favor. Why would he do this? Simple. He is still devastated from how close I came to finishing within 45 minutes of him. To put things more clearly, this is how Ryan at Active describes it:</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLY5Vd1lA8w0bjmmuQ0hyphenhyphenWtpxjtp40ullpRc_gD13aEwsxdrjBPzEzxB3dNLXxIFIux6NdEjLwnT4nulwrl3RFLpgEEWYhubAJFIOal644Z9qe6xIMGU1HHRvk60Y9Z7dwSQcXGZ65_Sw/s640/blogger-image--1031920697.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLY5Vd1lA8w0bjmmuQ0hyphenhyphenWtpxjtp40ullpRc_gD13aEwsxdrjBPzEzxB3dNLXxIFIux6NdEjLwnT4nulwrl3RFLpgEEWYhubAJFIOal644Z9qe6xIMGU1HHRvk60Y9Z7dwSQcXGZ65_Sw/s640/blogger-image--1031920697.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>Ryan, I couldn't have said it better myself! Ha! </div><div><br></div><div>So be on the lookout for an article about Eric Byrnes doing Ironman Arizona back in 2011. I'm fully expecting that there will be a personal challenge of my manhood in the article. And it will probably be hidden so well that only I can decipher it! Well played Byrnsie, well played.</div>Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07111556403834649067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188312540721132696.post-52066946417453811732013-06-07T19:50:00.001-07:002013-06-07T19:50:49.387-07:00My water-proof goods from X-1!<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The couple of weeks ago, Sherry accepted to be a part of Team X-1. And as I said, this company makes waterproof cases for smartphones and MP3 players. Well, I received my first order of goods to start using!</span><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; "><div class="separator" style="clear: both; "><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiHisVcu-TgE4a3KtTK6CZpRFE5yQfoSvU5n47zbehhjc54Ve-MQ9OdC6LBDguR8ykpWE-a8rFWXYStQLpODjPCOqlpjsUV61BvavasMlccodUiFYMKg8YDBNC93a8U1kyXvSfsPaWsV0/s640/blogger-image--2056338645.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiHisVcu-TgE4a3KtTK6CZpRFE5yQfoSvU5n47zbehhjc54Ve-MQ9OdC6LBDguR8ykpWE-a8rFWXYStQLpODjPCOqlpjsUV61BvavasMlccodUiFYMKg8YDBNC93a8U1kyXvSfsPaWsV0/s640/blogger-image--2056338645.jpg"></a></div><br></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; "><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; "><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In the picture is a waterproof case for my iPhone and a waterproof case for an iPod shuffle. I'm very excited to start using these products as swimming something I usually dread because it is usually very boring!</span></div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Thanks again to X-1 for allowing me to be on this team, and I can't wait to use these products and provide some feedback!</span></div>Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07111556403834649067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188312540721132696.post-75030002292410763192013-06-05T19:24:00.001-07:002013-06-05T19:24:37.547-07:00Let the training begin!This is actually a few days late, as I have been pretty busy. But IMAZ training has begun! And when though I am posting this a little late, my training actually started on Monday...with a rest day! Booyah!<div><br></div><div>I have decided that I am not going to post my weekly training plan this time around. I decided this for a few reasons. First, I am predicting that I won't have the spare time each week to right a blog about my weekly plan. Secondly, and probably most importantly, I'm pretty sure most of you don't care to read what I am doing each and every week. If you do, then buy a copy of this book:</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcJNuVCJQ31EoQwvNELCCTnVOaJTD2wgxbHXZlHtYGeVX5SsoLBSZ79Tr1oPaxc1mUV2rn3Kif1Cp0fEmUYCy3pwQxiFdNEqJ04btjM9KlglZ9YAyTeqylk2_XLF56w0qY5CKeGuPsMKQ/s640/blogger-image--1580172428.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcJNuVCJQ31EoQwvNELCCTnVOaJTD2wgxbHXZlHtYGeVX5SsoLBSZ79Tr1oPaxc1mUV2rn3Kif1Cp0fEmUYCy3pwQxiFdNEqJ04btjM9KlglZ9YAyTeqylk2_XLF56w0qY5CKeGuPsMKQ/s640/blogger-image--1580172428.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>And with the start of my training, it only means one thing...IMAZ is only 24 weeks away! Yikes!</div>Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07111556403834649067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188312540721132696.post-28076103793295108412013-05-31T14:02:00.001-07:002013-05-31T14:02:19.055-07:00Team Aquaphor welcome kit!For the last week, I was out of town on a little family vacation. The trip was amazing! Prior to our leaving, I received word that my Team Aquaphor welcome kit was supposed to be arriving while I was away. This wasn't a problem, except that I kept seeing posts from other team members with their box full of goodies! Fortunately for me, my box was waiting for me when I got home!<div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhcsUVpGE1tG22n2FrWoY8XAswe522Tm6aNLMJHbdYUOs6HApcZ6Q2cA9-hfXwHEvw6hzIIcihnvrTgkQjGRWiFCojnVCo6E6ZHCwq6fPeMCuXZIhaxeCciuOqIbSumsTBMNURqGUtxUI/s640/blogger-image--1918906850.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhcsUVpGE1tG22n2FrWoY8XAswe522Tm6aNLMJHbdYUOs6HApcZ6Q2cA9-hfXwHEvw6hzIIcihnvrTgkQjGRWiFCojnVCo6E6ZHCwq6fPeMCuXZIhaxeCciuOqIbSumsTBMNURqGUtxUI/s640/blogger-image--1918906850.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>As you can see, there were some clothing items to get me started, as well as some full-sized samples for me to use. There also was about a billion of the little samples for me to hand out at races. So you know what that means...track me down at any of my races (race schedule coming soon!) to get your free sample of Aquaphor!</div>Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07111556403834649067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188312540721132696.post-10768931341430343672013-05-12T14:28:00.001-07:002013-05-12T14:28:39.017-07:00Another team!Last week, I was talking with some of the Team Aquaphor members, And they told me about another team called X-1. I wasn't exactly sure who this team was, so I had to do some research. What I found was that this team is powered by H2O Audio.<div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6_UjWLLBiaMYzibtkoTbvWhqZlQVBASUxVdaOaJmh6zcEEicduQMTsWrv8o1cGzcbIT4i_Ne9zYK_To_6Op-VAfIGZRhZSYGnEu955GWP6LcxvjCMJYs19J7o-Z0KQ3ib2zgonypVv6I/s640/blogger-image-1470334917.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6_UjWLLBiaMYzibtkoTbvWhqZlQVBASUxVdaOaJmh6zcEEicduQMTsWrv8o1cGzcbIT4i_Ne9zYK_To_6Op-VAfIGZRhZSYGnEu955GWP6LcxvjCMJYs19J7o-Z0KQ3ib2zgonypVv6I/s640/blogger-image-1470334917.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This company makes waterproof cases for various electronic devices, mainly smart phones and MP3 players.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">So I'm very excited to be a part of this team. I will be doing a few product reviews on their products, and can't wait to start using them while I am swimming!</div><br></div>Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07111556403834649067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188312540721132696.post-79978212183099561572013-05-01T23:30:00.000-07:002013-05-01T23:30:02.808-07:00Setting a goal for IMAZ<div style="text-align: justify;">
Is deciding on a goal finishing time for an Ironman race taboo? Maybe. Is deciding on a goal finishing time for your first Ironman race taboo? Probably. There's just so many variables involved with a full day of racing, it's hard to predict. You could absolutely base your goals off of how you have been performing during training, and maybe you have done a half iron-distance to use as a gauge. But it's still a tough thing to do. Just about everyone I spoke to before my first Ironman said to not worry about the clock, and just enjoy the day.</div>
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Now that I have done 5 Ironman events, I at least have a few bench marks to go from. My last Ironman race I was able to achieve an 11:26:22. This was at Coeur d'Alene too, so I'm hoping that on a flatter course, I will be able to have an improved bike and run time. The swim is a sensitive subject for me, because I just pretty much suck at it.</div>
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After taking some online calculus courses, and concocting a highly accurate equation, I have been able to come up with my goal time. Now keep in mind that this time is assuming that everyone goes as to planned, and that the weather is wonderful, and I have a jet pack strapped to the back of my bike. Ok, maybe no jet pack. My goal time is going to be 9 hours and 45 minutes. Let me break down my time goals so that this makes sense.</div>
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For the swim, I am always slow. I didn't look at my exact times, but I think I've always been between 1:15 and 1:25. So, I'm hoping for the shorter end of that spectrum and am shooting for 1:15. On the bike, I am really going to try and put in some serious work and get a little faster. I believe I finished the bike portion in my last IMAZ race in about 5:45is, so if I get serious about my training, I am hoping for about 5:30 on the bike. Then comes the run. I just set a PR in a stand-alone marathon earlier this year, with a time of 3:05:23. I don't expect that to translate straight over to the Ironman, but I am hoping for somewhere around 3:45. Add to all of that about 15 minutes for transition and other variables and you get my goal time of 9 hours and 45 minutes. Oh, wait. Did I say 9 hours and 45 minutes? Crap. I had my shoes on when I was trying to count. I guess that actually comes out to 11 hours. Sorry for the confusion!</div>
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So yes, my goal time for this year's Ironman Arizona is going to be 11 hours. Do I think it's possible? I would absolutely love to finish in 11 hours, so I hope so! But it really all depends on my training, so if I don't do it, I can only blame myself.</div>
Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07111556403834649067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188312540721132696.post-1058830144243887162013-04-30T23:30:00.000-07:002013-04-30T23:30:03.176-07:00Planning my season<div style="text-align: justify;">
Having the wonderful opportunity to be a part of the wonderful teams that I am a part of comes with some great benefits. But the cost of those benefits is usually a commitment on the athletes part. And in my case, my commitment is to do a certain number of races during this race season, and represent these companies at my races. And because the 2 marathons that I already ran this year took place before I was offered a position on any of these teams, I am in need of adding races to my calendar.</div>
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My goal race for the year is Ironman Arizona, taking place in November. And since this is my goal race, I am going to be putting the majority of my focus on improving my Ironman performance. Meaning my training will all be geared toward Ironman fitness, and ideally, so would any other races I do. However, racing an Ironman comes with a pretty steep price tag. And since I'm not a professional athlete, and I thinks it's a good idea to at least let me family eat twice a week, I probably shouldn't be spending an absurd amount of money on other races.</div>
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Another factor that comes into planning my race schedule is timing. Since I don't work a Monday through Friday job, I don't have every weekend off. In fact, because most races take place early in the morning, I can really only do races if they take place on my second day off. So that limits my options quite drastically.</div>
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Fortunately for me, the teams that I am on are not very strict on the types of races I do. They can be triathlons, 5k's, swimming events, cycling events, etc. As long as they are considered "endurance" events, then it counts. So at this point in time, I have a decently long list of races that both fit my schedule, and don't break bank. The next step is to run it all by The Wife to make sure that there's no other scheduling conflicts.</div>
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To find my possible races, all I did was a simple Google search. Maybe I missed something? Let me know what races you have scheduled and maybe I'll add it to my list! Once my schedule is finalized, I'll be posting it here, so you can find out where I'll be and you can track me down for some free samples!</div>
Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07111556403834649067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188312540721132696.post-88089438428556643932013-04-29T23:30:00.000-07:002013-04-29T23:30:05.402-07:00My first 2 hour ride of the season<div style="text-align: justify;">
On Saturday morning, I decided it would be a great day to go for my longest bike ride in quite some time. How long? Well, the title says it all. It ended up being about 2 hours and 10 minutes. Not too bad. However, I am feeling pretty sore right now!</div>
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Normally I don't feel too sore after a bike ride, but this time was a little different. Not only did I do an hour and a half bike ride on Friday morning, but then I went ahead and did a pretty solid leg workout. Unfortunately, I forgot about this little bit of advice:</div>
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I always seem to forget that I get pretty sore after doing after leg day, and doing a long bike ride the day after leg day is probably not a great idea. And of course, I do understand that plenty of people would say that bike riding is "active recovery". Well, that's only if you treat your ride like a recovery ride. And I'm not really a huge fan of doing a 2 hour recovery ride! Ha!</div>
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So Saturday morning came along, and I met up with The Captain. He was riding his trusty steed in the form of a tri bike, and I was riding my old Trek 1000, with saddle bags on the back (I use this bike as my commuter bike). Luckily, traffic was nice and the weather actually wasn't too hot yet, so the ride went fairly well. I could tell I was getting a little tired toward the end, but I also didn't eat any breakfast and only had some Gatorade for nutrition. Not my smartest bike ride!</div>
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Which brings me to today, feeling pretty sore, as I sit here writing this. But the good news is that pain is weakness leaving the body (it cracks me up when people say that!). Really, the good news is that I'll only be sore for today and should be back to my regular self tomorrow. I guess I'll have to do another workout then...</div>
Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07111556403834649067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188312540721132696.post-45648046422592506802013-04-28T23:30:00.000-07:002013-04-28T23:30:00.344-07:00My first taste of the Vega One bar!A few weeks back, I posted a picture of a little care package that Vega sent me, which was one of the amazing benefits of being a part of Team Vega. Inside that package were some items I have tried, as well as some brand new items that I had never tried. One of those items was the new Vega One bar.<br />
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There's a few different flavors, including chocolate cherry, chocolate almond, and double chocolate. Now, to be clear, I am part of Team Vega, but they are not compensating me for writing a review (other than sending me some samples). So this review is my honest opinion based on my personal preferences. <br />
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Of these flavored, my favorite was the double chocolate, and my least favorite was the chocolate almond. The chocolate cherry was also very good, but not my favorite. I felt that each bar had a very good initial taste, with a bit of a "health bar" after taste. Not something that I would say was bad, but just something that I noted was there. I compared these bars to other health bars that I've had in the past (for example, Cliff), and I honestly place them near the top, if not the very top. The reason why they would actually be at the top of my list is because of what is actually inside of them.<br />
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In each of the Vega One bars, there is 15 grams of plant based protein, 6 grams of fiber, 1.5 grams of Omega-3, antioxidants, probiotics, and greens! The greens blend is a mix of alfalfa grass, spinach leaf, broccoli florets, and kale. And the antioxidants are from grape seed extract, maqui berry, goji fruit, açai berry, pomegranate seed, and mangosteen fruit! And there's also chia seeds! Even better, you get all of that for only 250 calories. It's actually pretty amazing.<br />
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The only thing that I could see as holding back anyone from buying these bars is the price. And I'll be honest, I have always thought that. But when I started to look into exactly what was in these bars, and thought of the cost of all of those high quality ingredients, it is actually not that bad. It's not something that I would eat multiple times a day, but it would be a tremendous on-the-go snack!<br />
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Overall, I would say that I was thoroughly impressed with the taste and quality of the new Vega One bars, and have found that it will become a regularly stocked item in my household. I highly recommend that you give them a try! <br />
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Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07111556403834649067noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188312540721132696.post-58087784701550497112013-04-27T15:13:00.001-07:002013-04-27T15:13:47.622-07:00Team Aquaphor 2013!Well, it looks like I have another team to add to my list for this season! And it's another one that I'm pretty excited about. It is Team Aquaphor! <br />
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Team Aquaphor is a team through ActiveAmbassadors, much like my Team Marathon Bar was for the last few years.<br />
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If you don't know about Aquaphor, take a moment to go to their website at www.aquaphorhealing.com. It's a great product, and I may have a few samples to hand out at my races this year...<br />
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Woo hoo! <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAkn-MBwwA5ujczjqFnpsCuyS_CvxhPErHLTILpdiieeFh8wtQkGJ-DU_4SIzzle-Q-ImqrZ2ejKXo86mS69U7Ry60EebYqjo4dQoA3TKUppxZ3GRQBFZUCUnsu8-Z88asrHdnrjp0x30/s640/blogger-image--2007165065.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAkn-MBwwA5ujczjqFnpsCuyS_CvxhPErHLTILpdiieeFh8wtQkGJ-DU_4SIzzle-Q-ImqrZ2ejKXo86mS69U7Ry60EebYqjo4dQoA3TKUppxZ3GRQBFZUCUnsu8-Z88asrHdnrjp0x30/s640/blogger-image--2007165065.jpg" /></a></div>Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07111556403834649067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188312540721132696.post-57546238638250801612013-04-04T21:31:00.001-07:002013-04-04T21:31:09.641-07:00My goodie box from VegaToday I came home to a wonderful surprise. My box of swag from Vega arrived! I was sooooo excited to see that box sitting by my front door, because I can't wait to taste some of the flavored that I haven't tasted yet. And, as an added bonus, they also sent me some samples of the new Vega One Bar! Booyah!<br />
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I will be writing up some reviews on these delicious packets of health once I've fully comprehended just how delicious they are... <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqmd2Fgf5uJAlCs8_fcvdpK9yWaqFyiNCeNkR5YimFuEJji4R7U_acpEO0UyASaUUwodQTrRwc1b1kngpuTTZavFcxFgDyOokvfE8FI_zi7SinpYi7Wn24vmBtU6gd7NMILWIFdnTpy6o/s640/blogger-image--1496369721.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqmd2Fgf5uJAlCs8_fcvdpK9yWaqFyiNCeNkR5YimFuEJji4R7U_acpEO0UyASaUUwodQTrRwc1b1kngpuTTZavFcxFgDyOokvfE8FI_zi7SinpYi7Wn24vmBtU6gd7NMILWIFdnTpy6o/s640/blogger-image--1496369721.jpg" /></a></div>Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07111556403834649067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188312540721132696.post-69245383953926725322013-03-20T20:49:00.001-07:002013-03-20T20:51:36.133-07:00Getting back on the saddleThursday will mark the second time that I have ridden my bike since November. Granted, I'm only riding about 18 miles, But I'm still pretty excited to be back out there on the roads. Of course, The Wife went ahead and made sure that my life insurance policy was up to date. Suspicious? Maybe...<br />
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I will say that I have been testing out my new CycleOps PoweCal and it is working great! If you don't know what it is, it's basically a heart rate monitor that estimates your power output based on your heart rate. I'll be writing up a review based on my personal experience in the weeks to come.<br />
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In other news, it sounds like I might have another marathon in my near future (like late April). I will keep you posted!<br />
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That's all for today. Thanks for reading!Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07111556403834649067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188312540721132696.post-39279021830918122752013-03-12T23:30:00.000-07:002013-03-12T23:30:01.861-07:00Less than 36 weeks<div style="text-align: justify;">
I decided to bust out the old calendar and take a peak at what the rest of this year is looking like for me, training-wise. Well, as it turns out, this last Monday was 36 weeks until Ironman Arizona. That means I need to get my little butt in gear and start building some base before my plan kicks in in another 12 weeks.</div>
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Over the last few months, I have been focusing strictly on running, so I haven't done any cycling or swimming since October/November. Yikes! I'm in the process of going through my training plan and mapping out exactly what I am going to be doing for the rest of the year. As it stands right now, I don't have any other races that I'll be doing as I build up for IMAZ. I may or may not add in a race or two (depending upon any sponsor/ambassador requirements...), but at this point, the teams that I am on (<a href="http://myvega.com/">Team Vega</a> and <a href="http://cycleops.com/">the CycleOps Grassroots Athlete program</a>), I don't have a need to add any more races. </div>
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(On a side note, for anyone who watches The Biggest Loser, did you happen to notice the CycleOps trainer in the makeover episode? It was there! Of course, the name/logo was taped over with black tape so they didn't have to pay CycleOps...)</div>
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As I did with IMCdA, I will try and post my training each week. What I have also done is I have set up a Google document with each week broken down. I'm not sure that I'll post that on here, but it should make it easier for me to post my schedule at least. So for the rest of the IronClan...you better start training! Thirty-six weeks will go by a lot faster than you think!!!!!</div>
Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07111556403834649067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188312540721132696.post-57622909776895434022013-03-11T16:11:00.003-07:002013-03-11T16:11:30.553-07:00Is this in my future?<div style="text-align: justify;">
I've been reading a few different sport-related books lately, one of which is called "Finding Ultra", by Rich Roll.</div>
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<a href="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRcX94tyO8qK5U1d57GF5oTGrImvV3TmX-gYPoTqmQ_A4Ra83js" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRcX94tyO8qK5U1d57GF5oTGrImvV3TmX-gYPoTqmQ_A4Ra83js" /></a></div>
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He has a pretty interesting life story, which he explains in the book. He goes through a few ups and downs in his life and eventually landed on the decision that he needed to make a change in his life. He starts with his diet, switching to a plant-based diet. Then he decides on doing an Ironman. Unfortunately, didn't realize that Ironman races sell out a year in advance and he did not want to wait that long. He ended up stumbling across <a href="http://ultramanlive.com/">Ultraman</a>. I don't want to ruin the story, in case you decided to read it, but he ends up surprising himself and many others.</div>
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I happened to learn about the Ultraman a year or so ago, when I actually came across some stories of Rich Roll online. Basically, it's a 320 mile stage race, done over 3 days. It kicks off with a 6.2 mile swim and a 90 mile bike ride on day one. Day two brings a 171.4 mile bike ride. And day three closes the race with a double marathon, 52.4 miles. The times from each day are all added up, and the athlete with the least amount of time is declared the winner, however anyone who completes the race is still a winner in my eyes.</div>
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Fast forward to yesterday, and I was looking around on the ever-popular <a href="http://slowtwitch.com/">Slowtwitch.com</a>. I navigated my way over to the forums and there was one in particular that caught my eye. It read "New Ultraman announced". I clicked on it, and found a link that sent me <a href="http://ultramanflorida.com/">here</a>:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix55E2u6N1RBemdo_jqta6dP7DniWc7gE7wReNFA0J0qsmUhcY-bh_AAozJZV5lIlQ9ZEsA94StMezU-dI3o9U_MuoYSEDOaDhqwq8GfEnEQjZkpuOw-FNVktOXpyTZx8-sYHHE4iQ1Ds/s1600/ultraman+florida.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix55E2u6N1RBemdo_jqta6dP7DniWc7gE7wReNFA0J0qsmUhcY-bh_AAozJZV5lIlQ9ZEsA94StMezU-dI3o9U_MuoYSEDOaDhqwq8GfEnEQjZkpuOw-FNVktOXpyTZx8-sYHHE4iQ1Ds/s320/ultraman+florida.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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So, I looked around a bit and pondered my future. I took a look at what the price-tag on something like this would be, and it turns out, it's a mere $1800! Add on to that the fact that you have to travel out to Florida and provide your own support crew/supplies, and this race starts to get a little pricey. Needless to say, I ran it by The Wife and I will not be registered for the inaugural running on Ultraman Florida.</div>
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But, with such a great location, my family could go to Disney World while I torture myself! It sounds like a win-win for the whole family!</div>
Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07111556403834649067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188312540721132696.post-37828853215986403642013-03-06T22:32:00.000-07:002013-03-06T22:32:00.080-07:00Applications open for Ironman Foundation Team<div style="text-align: justify;">
If you competed in an Ironman, then surely you've heard of the Ironman Foundation. Through the years, this program has been called a few different things, and has been presented in a few different ways. This year, the Ironman is offering another unique opportunity to be a part of a team, supported by the Ironman Foundation. This team is called the <a href="http://www.ironman.com/triathlon-news/articles/2013/02/ironman-foundation-newton-running-ambassador-triathlon-team.aspx#axzz2MaRxogaB">Ironman Foundation-Newton Running Ambassador Triathlon Team.</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.ironman.com/~/media/800bbded67d342fa8b43367a5a0872ae/tri%20team%20with%20imf%20logo.jpg?w=740&h=370&c=1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="http://www.ironman.com/~/media/800bbded67d342fa8b43367a5a0872ae/tri%20team%20with%20imf%20logo.jpg?w=740&h=370&c=1" width="320" /></a></div>
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I can't say that I read every detail word for word, but I can tell you the quick and easy version. From what I gather, there will be 40 athletes on the team. Each athlete will receive a cycling kit and a tri kit, along with a couple other clothing items. As part of the team, you will need to race in BOTH and Ironman and Ironman 70.3 event, as well as raise $1000 to support the Ironman Foundation cause. Also, you will be involved in a few charity events to represent the brand. Another perk will be that you will receive a low bib number at your races, and a reserved seat in the VIP area during the athlete dinner.</div>
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It actually sounds like it would be a really fun team to be on, and would make your Ironman experience even that much better! Good luck to everyone that applies! Oh, and you better hurry, because the application period closes on March 12th!</div>
Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07111556403834649067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188312540721132696.post-7023956977902194532013-03-05T22:00:00.001-07:002013-03-05T22:00:26.600-07:00CycleOps Grassroots!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://cycleops.com/"><img border="0" height="188" src="http://www.tbsracing.net/images/sponsor-cycleops-i.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Back in early February, I received an amazing email from <a href="http://cycleops.com/">CycleOps</a>. The purpose of this email was to inform me that my application to be part of the <a href="http://cycleops.com/">CycleOps</a> Grassroots Athlete program has been accepted, and that I had been chosen to be on the team! I'm not going to lie...I'm pretty excited about this one!</div>
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CycleOps is pretty much a household name when it comes to cycling and triathlons. They are known for their <a href="http://www.cycleops.com/en/products.html">trainers and power meters</a>, but also have a few other amazing products such as real-time, online training videos that sync with your power meter. Very cool stuff. I have been using my Fluid 2 indoor trainer for a few years now and have definitely gotten my money's worth from it. Recently, I purchased a new device from their lineup, called the <a href="http://www.cycleops.com/en/products/power-meters/powercal.html">PowerCal</a>. What this little guys does is estimates your power output based on your heart rate. I haven't used a power meter before, but have found the PowerCal to be a great introduction to training with power.</div>
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I'm very excited to have this opportunity, and thankful to the CycleOps group for picking me. Here's to a wonderful 2013 season!</div>
Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07111556403834649067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188312540721132696.post-58260314268842734272013-03-04T12:37:00.001-07:002013-03-04T12:37:14.371-07:00Race Recap - The Phoenix Marathon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://phoenix.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Phoenix-Marathon1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="108" src="http://phoenix.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Phoenix-Marathon1.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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This year, the Phoenix Marathon was originally going to be my goal race of my early season. My plan was to train like crazy, attempt to qualify for Boston with a finish time of under 3:05:00, and then take a short break before getting into my IMAZ training. Well, then The Captain talked me into signing up for The Arizona Marathon, which would take place 13 days before the Phoenix Marathon. I though, "Eh, I can always use the Arizona Marathon as a training run and drop out if need be." Well, that didn't happen.</div>
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In case you didn't see <a href="http://jasontris.blogspot.com/2013/02/race-recap-ims-arizona-marathon.html">the post</a>, I ended up finishing the Arizona Marathon in 3:05:23. Unfortunately, I was 23 seconds shy of qualifying for Boston. But no worries, I had just shy of two weeks to fully recover enough to try again!</div>
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We (my mother-in-law and I) arrived to the finish line at 4:45 am, and waiting in line about 5 minutes before boarding the school bus that would be taking us to the starting line. After what seemed like a very, very long drive, we arrived at the starting line. We both had the same idea of heading straight to the bathroom lines. Once that was taken care of, there were a number of those tall patio heaters that were set up to keep the runners warm. It was only about 50*F, but the extra little bit of warmth was nice for a few minutes. At about 5:45, I decided to go get in line for the bathrooms one last time. I finally got out of that line at about 6:15, which cut into my warm-up a little bit. A short jog later and I was at the starting line, stretching and waiting to start.</div>
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Just before the gun went off, a group of runners slid right in front of me, and I overheard one of them saying that he was shooting for a 3:00:00 pace, which was what I had in mind. I decided I would stalk them for the race and let them do the pacing. This was a great idea in theory, until I realized that they were moving much faster than their planned pace. Here's a look at the first 5 miles, just to give you a taste of their 3:00:00 pace:</div>
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Mile 1: 6:31</div>
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Mile 2: 6:28</div>
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Mile 3: 6:35</div>
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Mile 4: 6:30</div>
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Mile 5: 6:52</div>
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Granted, the first few miles were downhill, but still. I probably should have been smarter than to keep this pace with them. Unfortunately, I was not. In fact, I stuck with them and their pace for 13 miles. My goal average was 6:52/mile, and it wasn't until mile 16 that I slowed to that pace (not including miles 5 and 6, which were actually a pretty rough uphill climb). At mile 16, I began to slow to right around 7-7:15/mile, which I felt was alright since I was so far ahead of my goal pace. But, when I got to mile 21, I started to fall apart. Again (just like at the Arizona Marathon), I decided to walk for 30 seconds at the aid station. Then I picked it up again and made it to mile 22 and walked again for 30 seconds, only this time, when I tried to get back up to speed, my left knee did not want to cooperate. At that point, I decided to walk a bit more. I walked for maybe a minute or two when the 3:05 pacer went blowing by me. I tried for about 10 steps to go with him, but it wasn't going to happen. And once that happened, I had given up and was just going to get through the last few miles however I could.</div>
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I was able to get myself back up to a very slow jog and shuffle from aid station to aid station until I finally rounded the last corner and made my way to the last straight away. I spotted The Wife and my kids and took a little detour over to go thank them for supporting me before I limped my way over the finish line. I ended up with a 3:14:48, which isn't a bad time, but still upsetting for me. Going into this race, I was actually feeling really good. However, since I just did a 3:05:23 effort 13 days prior, I wasn't sure if I would be able to do the same effort again.</div>
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Aside from having just raced, I think I also messed up my pacing early on by coming out way too fast, and I think I also messed up my nutrition plan. In the Arizona Marathon, I ingested way fewer calories than I had planned, so for the Phoenix Marathon, I tried to ingest more calories, less often. It seems that maybe that plan did not work out too well.</div>
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And, to top everything off, this was only the second race in which I didn't set a new PR. And the last time that happened? It was January of 2009. So it's been a while since that has happened.</div>
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Aside from me being a little disappointed with my finish time, my mother-in-law did amazing! It was her first marathon EVER, and she killed it! And about 2 hours after I finished, I got to do a 1k fun run with my kids! Luckily, my daughter isn't too fast yet, so I was able to shuffle along and keep up with her while pushing my son in the stroller. And the finish line area was amazing! There was a ton of free entertainment and food for both the runners and spectators! My daughter had so much fun playing in the bounce houses and whatnot that I am considering this race again, because I know that she won't go crazy waiting for her dad to finish running!</div>
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So, unfortunately, no Boston Qualifying for me this year. It turns out that I was 23 seconds short this year, so next year I'll just have to train a little bit harder and race a lot-a-bit smarter! Stay tuned for tomorrow, when I'm going to unveil another new team that I am apart of!</div>
Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07111556403834649067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188312540721132696.post-52564059055815674502013-02-27T21:15:00.002-07:002013-02-27T21:15:20.427-07:00My new team!<div style="text-align: justify;">
With the sad ending of Team Marathon Bar, I have turned my hopes to other locations. I am still hoping for a little something from ActiveAmbassadors.com, but there's no telling whether or not that will happen. So, when I received an inviting email about a month or so ago, I immediately responded with a "heck yes!". And this is what I received as a reply to my reply...<br />
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<a href="http://www.myvega.com/"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHaYXLQUVNIoYamcJ9pqFoXU4cLhmBsUqYJSA6E_ZCeZXhpvDU7RVB_fHJdqbmCSKJKPSzSvN2xxpy-G0NSKCf2WXvEJxoq3zkERX3_Aecn8DbhFdFOu7okrMabR6yJIQ2JK2t0B9zCQo/s320/Team+Vega+Welcome.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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If you don't know anything about Vega, take a minute to head on over to <a href="http://myvega.com/">their website</a> and look around. In a nutshell, Vega was created by a professional Ironman triathlete (Brendan Brazier) as a means to supplement his plant-based diet while on the road. Vega has grown to a world-wide brand, and continues to grow. And even more than that, Brendan and Vega are doing everything they can to support people who want to work toward adopting a plant-based diet through the <a href="http://thriveforward.com/">Thrive Forward</a> series. This is a free, online series with videos and spreadsheets to help explain the benefits of eating cleaner.<br />
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I first came across Vega a few years ago when a guy I work with had a tub of this funny plant-based protein. I gave it a try, and to my surprise, it was delicious! I didn't really think too much of it at the time though. Fast forward to about a year and a half ago. My wife and I decided to adopt a mostly plant based diet. Not knowing a lot about what we were doing, I searched the internet for how to go about being an athlete that was mostly plant based. I almost immediately came across Vega. I recalled my previous experience with Vega and knew I had found the promised land. <br />
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But why take supplements if I'm supposedly eating so healthy? Because life is life, and in all reality, it's pretty stinkin' tough to have a varied enough diet to be able to get EVERYTHING that your body needs. I do my best, but there's bound to be areas that I fall short with such a busy schedule. But, thanks to Vega, I know that I am getting the nutrients that I miss, and still getting them from plant-based sources.<br />
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I'm not too sure what all Team Vega is going to entail, because I'm still waiting for my welcome package to show up. But as soon as I know, I'll let you know! In the mean time, why don't you go check out that <a href="http://myvega.com/">Vega</a> website!</div>
Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07111556403834649067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188312540721132696.post-56433076003446976082013-02-26T23:30:00.000-07:002013-02-26T23:30:00.985-07:00Race Recap - IMS Arizona Marathon<div style="text-align: justify;">
About a week and a half ago, I participated in my first race of the year. I had set my sights on this race a while back, mainly because of the price. Since it is a smaller race (I think the marathon had about 400 competitors), it was dirt cheap! Also, I had heard that it is a great race to qualify for the Boston Marathon, which is one of my goals.</div>
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A few years back, the Boston Athletic Association (BAA) changed/updated the qualifying times for the Boston Marathon. And with these new qualifying times, the application process was also changed. The long and short of it is that, in each age group and gender, preference is given to the faster runners. For example, if you beat your qualifying standard by 20 minutes, you get to register in the first wave. If you beat your qualifying standard by 10 seconds, you will get to submit an application, but may not actually get registered based on how many people ran faster than you. Which is exactly what happened to me when I qualified for the 2011 running of the Boston Marathon. At the time, there was a 59 second buffer added to the qualifying standard (so my official standard was 3:10:59). I finished in 3:10:26, which was fast enough to qualify, but not fast enough to actually get into the race.</div>
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When the qualifying standard was changed, my age group was given the new standard of 3:05:00. However, based on the numbers I have been seeing around the interwebs, I feel that a marathon finish time of 3:03:00 would be a fairly safe time that would actually allow someone in my age group to get into the Boston Marathon. So, that has been my goal.</div>
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As I have in the past, I have been following the FIRST Run Less Run Faster program. Unfortunately, mainly due to convenience, I did almost all of my training on a treadmill. I have done this is the past and it turned out to be alright, but I wasn't too sure about this one. The other problem with my training was that while I did get most of my runs in, they weren't always as prescribed. For instance, my long runs were rarely done as one long run (due to work obligations), but done as a couple of shorter runs on the same day. Not ideal, but I still got the mileage in. So, off to the race!</div>
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I got to the starting line at about 6:30ish a.m. My wife was kind enough to drop me off, instead of me having to leave extra early, go to the finish line, and catch a bus to the start line. When she dropped me off, I immediately started my pre-race routine. Bathroom, check in dry clothes bag, warm up jog, bathroom, stretch, warm up jog, and some light stretching until the gun went off. With it being such a small race, I was only behind the race clock by about 2-3 seconds.</div>
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The first few miles were a nice and easy downhill warm up. I actually felt pretty good and was really just trying to hold back and not run too fast. I settled into my pace and held a pretty solid 6:47/mile for the first 14 miles. At mile 15, I started to feel a little mentally tired, but saw this pair of guys up ahead that I set my sights on. I caught them at about mile 16, at which point I just tucked in behind them to draft for a bit and rest. I began talking with them and found out that they were brothers, and the one in front had already qualified for Boston, so he was here to let the other brother draft off him in hopes to lead him to a BQ. Unfortunately for me, their goal time was about 3:08, meaning they were probably running a bit slower than I needed. I hung behind them for 2 miles, at which point I offered to take the lead for a bit, and planned on pushing the pace a little closer to my needed tempo.</div>
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When I jumped up front, we quickly dropped the brother that was still hoping to qualify. I offered to slow down to let him catch back up, and the other brother said to just keep going. And so we did! I stayed in the lead until mile 20, at which point I needed another break. I asked Mike to take the lead for a mile or so, and he moved to the front. After about a mile, he just looked back and said, "Sorry man. I'm done." Well crap! I was really looking forward to keeping this teamwork going for the last few miles, as it was allowing us to take turns resting. But, there was nothing else to do but keep going.</div>
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I finished up mile 21 and felt ok, until I got to about mile 21.5, at which point I snapped mentally. I decided to walk for one minute. After my minute was up, I decided to revert to my Ironman marathon strategy, and walk for 30 seconds during the aid stations. Well, because I walked twice during mile 22, that mile killed my average as it took me 8:09 to complete that mile. I was able to get somewhat back on pace for the last 4 miles, even with walking, but I couldn't recover time-wise from that long mile.</div>
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I reached mile 26 and looked at my watch, noticing that I was at about 3:03:30. I knew that I wouldn't get a good enough time to get into Boston at this point, but I decided to sprint my little butt off to try and still come in under 3:05:00. I rounded the final corner and was giving it all I had left in the tank, until I saw the race clock at the finish line say "3:05:10". At that point, I eased up. Which was actually nice timing because it was right when I ran by my super amazing support crew family (and a special support bonus in The Captain, his wife, and their son). My official finish time ended up being 3:05:23.</div>
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So no, I did not complete my goal of qualifying for the Boston Marathon. However, I still had a great race! I set a new marathon PR by over 5 minutes! And, my time was good enough for 9th place overall (8th male), and 2nd in my AG! There's not really a whole lot that I can complain about.</div>
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The good news? I have another shot this weekend! The major question is whether or not I have been able to recover enough in 13 days to put forth another all-out effort for 26.2 miles. Only time will tell!</div>
Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07111556403834649067noreply@blogger.com0