Tuesday, May 27, 2014

A Match In Time!

In February, I wrote about the amazing I Run 4 program. The I Run 4 website (http://www.whoirun4.com) and its companion, the I Run For Michael Facebook group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/irunformichael) exist to match runners with an honorary runner (a child or adult with special needs), who they dedicate their workouts to. Don't be put off by the word, "run" in the title. This group is open to anyone participating in any activity. I see lots of people doing any number of activities from snow-shoeing to Crossfit to simply walking, dedicating their workouts to the person they are "running" for! You can read more about that amazing program here: http://imronman.blogspot.com/2014/02/who-do-you-run-for.html !

After signing up for a "buddy" on January 15, 2014, I patiently waited and watched my number slowly drop from the low 2000's to the teens. Three months and 25 days later, on the eve of my Gulf Coast Triathlon (70.3) triathlon, I received my match! As if getting ready for a big race wasn't enough excitement, I now had a buddy to help motivate me even more and to dedicate my workouts/miles to!



My buddy, Toby, is 24 years old. Toby has Cerebral Palsy, Epilepsy, and a handful of other challenging diagnoses. Even with these challenges, Toby stays active with the Special Olympics, competing in Track & Field events and Swimming. Just last weekend, Toby competed in the Special Olympics Area Games and will be going to the State Games next weekend!


One of the things that struck me as fate when I was first being introduced to Toby, by his amazing mother, Wendy, was that they live in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho! I hadn't heard of Coeur d'Alene ever before 14 teammates from my triathlon training team, TriAttic (http://www.TriAttic.com), signed up for IRONMAN Coeur d'Alene, to be held in late June, 2014! What are the odds?! The bike course even goes right by Toby's neighborhood and they like to go out and cheer for the athletes!

So, as I dedicate my daily workouts to Toby, find strength in what he does every day, and get to know him better, I just want to share this amazing program with you. So, whether you're looking for someone to provide inspiration to, derive inspiration from, or if you know someone with special needs who might benefit from having someone run for them, please visit the I Run 4 site (http://www.whoirun4.com) and sign up?!



Toby, "Isn't it great?!"

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

TRYING to Go Halfway at Halfway.



May 1, 2014 was two weeks ago, now. That marks the halfway point in time between my signing up for IRONMAN Florida and the event itself, on November 1, 2014. They said the time would fly by, but I did not believe them. It is flying! So many great things have happened since I signed up, but it is still hard to believe that I am now officially halfway there!

I never realized, when I signed up for the Gulf Coast Triathlon (70.3), that it would fall just a week after the "official" halfway point between signup and what will be the biggest race of my life, IRONMAN Florida. I was going to be attempting to do EXACTLY one half of the distance I would need to do for IRONMAN on the EXACT same course that I would be doing IRONMAN Florida on! I was going to go halfway at halfway!!! Or so I thought... I was excited beyond words about this race. I was well-trained and ready to put down a solid race. I always love racing, but knowing that I would be staying in the same place and running the exact course where (I hope!) so many dreams will come true and where so much of my focus and attention will be this year... it was beyond exciting.

Racked by the brakes? Winds were
tossing bikes hung by the seat
around like CRAZY!
The day before the race, we did a very short brick workout to check our equipment, check our bodies, and to check the water conditions. Winds along Front Beach Road and Thomas Drive were crazy on the bike. The waves were 3 - 6' with two large sets of breakers to pass before getting to calmer seas. We practiced charging through that maelstrom three times until we felt confident! We knew the evening called for a 60% chance of storms and that race day would likely be wet. We wrapped up our bikes and checked them in to transition.


Race day came without drop of rain falling during the night. The chances of rain were still there, but diminishing. And the water even looked different. Waves were MUCH lighter, but something still wasn't right. When the rescue boats, kayaks, jetskis, etc. had difficulty getting into position and then found it nearly impossible to hold their position, we knew things did not look good for the swim. CURRENTS!!! The unseen currents made it impossible for the rescue craft to hold position or be able to get to a potential distressed swimmer in a timely manner. For the first time in its 32-year history, the Gulf Coast Triathlon cancelled the swim.



With the swim cancelled, they went to a time-trial start run from the beach to transition. This meant that each athlete in the various swim waves would begin ~3 seconds apart. This pushed the time for us to start the bike to even later than it would have been with the swim. And that, naturally, moved the time that we would be doing the run to later in the day, when the heat and humidity would be even more brutal.

The winds on the bike were incredible. This was evidenced by the fact that, at one point, for three miles, I strung together a 25.5 mph average speed with what would be a 20 mph effort for me. While that wind was great going out, it was murder coming back. That's where I got to see 15 mph averages for 20 mph effort! I felt like I adhered to my plan on effort and stayed on top of my nutrition and hydration.

Just SO happy to cross that
Finish Line!!!

And then, there was the run. The heat and humidity were more than any of us had had the opportunity to train in this year. I stuck to my plan and had a pretty solid effort going until somewhere between miles 9 and 10. There, for the first time in my life, I found out what "the wall" felt like, looked like, sounded like, and maybe even tasted like. I was walking EVERY water stop and even a couple of short intervals in between! I had always thought that I would see my heart rate spike when I just couldn't go on and was putting in so much effort to try to keep moving. Instead, I could not get my heart rate up. 



In reviewing my data after the race, it looks like I went a little too hard on the bike. Not a total blowup, but still a little harder than I should have. And, even though I thought I had stayed on top of my nutrition, we (my coach and I) are now thinking I may have ran out of steam on the run because of nutrition. Too hard on the bike + too little nutrition + heat/humidity = bonk on run!

They say that misery loves company. While I would NEVER wish a bad race on my friends and fellow athletes, it did help my pride a little bit to know that I wasn't the only one who suffered. Across the board I received confirmation that the conditions were just brutal and that everyone's energy was sapped by the humidity. Like I talked about in my last post, I'm all about finding the positives in my training and racing. There were so many positives in this one. I think I probably learned more from my bonk than I EVER would have by simply going out and hitting my numbers.

So, I tried to go halfway at halfway and was thwarted by forces out of my control. The remainder of the race that was in my control was less than stellar. I'm still very happy with my overall effort and even happier with what I learned. And I KNOW that this new-found knowledge will help me go ALL THE WAY when it matters most... IRONMAN Florida 2014, November 1, 2014!

My wife, Michelle, had a GREAT race
and my kids were AMAZING sherpas!


P.S. - Remember back in early February when I posted about the AMAZING I Run 4 organization? (Who Do YOU Run For?) Well, I'm so very excited to let you know that, the day before I ran the Gulf Coast Triathlon, I received my match! I now have an incredible buddy, Toby! We are just getting to know each other, so I sincerely hope to be able to tell you more about him and this amazing organization in a couple of weeks! STAY TUNED!!!

Thursday, May 1, 2014

How to ALWAYS win!

Four years ago and nearly 300 lbs!

I love triathlon. I love training and competing. I do not apologize for my enthusiasm for the sport of triathlon. What some might mistake for over-intensity or cockiness is really just elation. Elation over that fact that, less than four years ago, I was too lazy to get off the couch to walk around the block, but now I have boundless energy. While I have never been proud of how much I let myself go for all of those years, there is no mistaking the pride I have in the fact that I found myself, buried deep inside the lethargy, and brought myself back to a lifestyle that I could not be enjoying more!
My enthusiasm is due, in part, to something that I would say is my strongest trait. It allows me to stand before you and claim to be undefeated in the sport of triathlon. That is right. I always win and I plan to keep on winning. Here is why I say that and the secret to how you can, too! It comes down to motivation.

There are volumes written on the subject of motivation. Motivation is defined as the process that initiates, guides, and maintains goal-oriented behaviors. More important than just a pep talk about “motivation” is understanding the relative and important differences between the broad types of motivation labelled as intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.


Intrinsic motivation involves engaging in a behavior because it is personally rewarding; essentially, performing an activity for its own sake rather than the desire for some external reward. External motivation is when we engage in a behavior or perform an activity in order to earn a reward or avoid a punishment.

Intrinsic: You find it enjoyable, challenging, and exciting. (Motivation arises from within the individual. Task oriented or performance related.)

Extrinsic: You do it to obtain an award or avoid a negative outcome or punishment. (Motivation arises from outside the individual. Ego oriented or outcome related.)



Studies suggest that intrinsic motivation is best. However, in some cases, people simply have no internal desire to perform an activity. In these cases and when used appropriately, extrinsic motivators/rewards can be a useful tool. However, extrinsic rewards can be counterproductive if you already find the activity intrinsically rewarding. The best example of this is how they can make the “play” activity seem too much like “work”! How many times have we heard, “Trying to keep up with all of these workouts is too much like work!”?

"A person's interest often survives when a reward is used neither to bribe nor to control but to signal a job well done, as in a "most improved player" award. If a reward boosts your feeling of competence after doing good work, your enjoyment of the task may increase. Rewards, rightly administered, can motivate high performance and creativity. And extrinsic rewards (such as scholarships, admissions, and jobs that often follow good grades) are here to stay," explains David G. Meyers in his text, Psychology: Eighth Edition in Modules.

Being intrinsically motivated, I am much less interested in beating the other person as I am doing the best I can for my current abilities. Intrinsic motivation is so beautiful in that it allows me to only be concerned with what is within me... within my control. The fact that it rains on race day and slows down my bike split does not ruin my day. I readjust my expectations and perform to the best of my abilities for the conditions. When I do have a bad performance, I will look for the lessons of the day and make the necessary adjustments for the next time. But, no matter what, I am always going to find the positives in my performance and celebrate those!

Some quotes get “overused” because they are so fitting. One that came to mind while writing this was, “It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game!” Can there be a better quote to illustrate intrinsic and extrinsic motivation?! In that quote we see that the outcome, what is dictated after the activity is completed (extrinsic), does not matter when compared to what takes place during the activity (intrinsic). THAT is the important part!

Remember, when you are intrinsically motivated, motivation comes from within. The only competition is yourself. If you have the right motivation, you can always find something positive in your training or event. If you can do that, you can never lose! You ALWAYS win!

So, are you intrinsically or extrinsically motivated?