Falling In Place

Do you ever have those days when it seems like nothing can go right? Well, for me it seemed as though that day where nothing could go right had been 2 months long. I felt as though I was not staying on top of things at work and it just snow balled from there. Falling behind at work lead into not having the motivation to train. All I really wanted to do was nothing. This created a problem though because I had numbers to meet, reports to file, and not to mention a marathon to train for. I can officially say I was in a funk.

This funk was effecting everything from my sleep, to my diet, to my mood. It was not good. I knew that this week was going to be important for me to get my taper runs in before the St. Jude's Memphis Marathon on Saturday. I made myself get out after work and get the short mileage in. I made myself eat good food this week. All of this was done with the mindset of feeling good at the marathon. Little did I know that concentrating on what I was actually doing day in and day out would make everything fall into place. I feel like those 30 minutes or so running at the end of the day allowed me to just relax.

It seems as though when I really paid attention to my training things were getting better for me. It first hit me when I was at a team luncheon on Tuesday. I had been feeling down about work because of a few things that happened that were out of my control. While at the luncheon my new boss commented that I am the only account manager in the country that is above goal and actually $50K ahead of last years numbers with a specific nationwide account. It is not that I need praise or like the spotlight but it is nice to have positive reinforcement every now and then from your boss. It was that little pick me up that I needed.

Since the positive luncheon I have been feeling better about everything. I know that I have not put the time into marathon training the way that I needed to but really it is not about time. Its just about running the race. If I feel good then great, if I feel crappy then the oh well in the end I can still say I ran a marathon and felt crappy.

It kind of amazes me that one comment can change my whole outlook on things. The more I started thinking about it when I concentrated on my training and diet, everything else that I had been worrying about seemed to fall into place. I am not sure if it is all related but I find it hard to not make the connection when I tried for weeks to claw myself out of a hole and failed. Now I am filling the hole in hopes of not falling back into it.

-Be safe, wear a helmet!

P.S. be safe, wear a helmet came one day while I was running on Katy Trail. Almost every person I had passed was riding without a helmet. I would see families riding and the kids would have one on but the parents would not. What is that teaching your kids? It really gets me when I am on crowded paths with dogs on leashes, rollerbladers, joggers with music, and who knows what else and people ride bikes with NO helmets. You cannot control what other people are going to do so why not take the chance? Just my $0.02. You won't catch me on two wheels without a bucket.

Its Been Awhile

It's been awhile since I posted last. Well who am I kidding it has been 2 years. A lot has changed in those 2 years. For starters I have a new job, lost 55 lbs, completed 3 half IM's, ran dozens of races, made new friends, joined new teams (go Big Shark), got more involved in St. Louis Tri Club, shaved my head (& legs but whose looking), and the list goes on and on. Oh yeah my wife Beth, would like to throw in there that she taught me how to swim. She no longer is embarrassed to go to the pool with me. I used to think that swimming 5oo yards in an hour was good. I would get so excited to tell her when she got done coaching that I swam 500 yards during her high school swim practice never realizing why she was laughing at me and had that smile like oh geez if he only knew. I now realize that swimming 500 yards in an hour is not really that good I would venture to say terrible. I have cut that time down to around 8 minutes or so. I just can't wait for the day that I actually beat my swim instructor. I know Beth is dreading that day (it's closer than she thinks though).

With all of the changes along the way I would not have been able to do it without the support of those around. There are way too many people to mention, but I have learned that importance of support. Support from Beth, my brother, friends, teammates, and really just anyone who screams "keep it up," "this is your last hill," or "one more mile." Those are the people that keep me going and get me involved in things I never thought possible a few years ago.

After a long ride with a new friend, Mattn, I have taken the plunge and signed up for a full Ironman, Ironman Coeur d' Alene (IMCDA). Really the fat guy that swam a 60 min 500 yard is now doing an Ironman. Who woulda thought that? Truth is I enjoy it. I enjoy the time and effort put into planning out the 8 months of my life in terms of training blocks. It makes those rest days every few weeks really enjoyable and the final race a day of celebration and not anguish.

With IMCDA in June of 2012 I had to find something that would keep me busy through the fall and winter. This is where I found two things, cyclocross and a marathon. One is going to be a lot more enjoyable than the other, but I will leave it up to you to decide which one that is.

Cyclocross has taught me that my bike handling skills are horrendous. I am very good at going in a straight line without drafting. Throw dirt, off camber hills, crowds of riders, and obstacles in the mix and I have a lot of work to do. Truthfully, cross has been one of the best things I have decided to do. The relaxed but intense atmosphere at each race has been awesome. Too bad the season is so short.

Next week should bring tons of adventure with my first full marathon St. Jude's Memphis. I am looking forward to racing and spending the weekend with my brother Brad and his wife Heather. Brad and I have been going through most of the triathlon adventure via phone and text with him living in Austin. The nice part is that we choose races that we can do together. The last race I saw them at was Rev 3 Cedar Point in September. I am however upset that Beth will not be racing as she has had some recent bad luck with allergies and a lack of time with her final two semesters of grad school.

I do love the taper week before races though and this is no exception with Thanksgiving thrown in there. How can you go wrong with a lack of exercise and extreme amounts of food?

-Be safe, wear a helmet!

At it again!

So it has been a few months since my last post. I honestly forgot about it for awhile until Beth started posting on hers again. It is rather enjoyable to read. It is funny to read what she writes because I know that it is exactly what she would say to me if we were just sitting down and she wanted to relay the same story to me. Anyways reading hers got me remotivated to continue with mine. So here goes nothin.

I can tell it is the first week of the new year. Not because I am back at work or because it was 4 degrees this morning but because the gym is packed. I sure hope the registration desk people get paid commission because they would receive a late Christmas bonus from all of the new people signing up. I am sure that all of the people that are signing up by a one year membership but will only use it for the first 4-6 weeks. The rest of the year it is just to say that they have a membership. Now don't get me wrong it is great that they are making the resolution to get back in shape but at the same time all of the "usuals" are waiting for February 15th when the 6 week period is up and the gym gets back to a normal flow of people.

The resolutioners as Beth called them are great motivation. It is motivating to think that just a few short months ago I was in there shoes. I was the one on the bike that would ride 30 minutes and be tired. That was my work out. I worked through those tough days and now I am the "usual" that swims for an hour and then rides the bike for an hour. It is motivating to me when the people sit down next to me and they see 45 minutes at level 12 on my screen. Sometimes I have to stop myself from saying "oh yeah I already swam for an hour." I also like to look at them and see the 20 minute work out on level 8. I secretly laugh in side. Ohh the joys of resolutioners.

On a positive note my month and a half or so of hard work at the gym has paid off. I started around 210 lbs. As of this morning I was down to 192.5 lbs. Its amazing how much better I feel when I work out and eat healthy. Even yesterday I ran 3.3 miles at a 8:30 pace and felt like I did not get a great workout or a long enough work out. It was actually hard to go to bed because I had felt like I had hlet myself down. Keep in mind it was 16 degrees when I ran outside. I have come to the realization that I am now one of those crazy people that we all drive past and say "look at him running outside, he's crazy."

In the Beginning

I am new to the sport of triathlons. I would not yet call myself a triathlete seeing as how I have not competed in a triathlon. To date the most competitive swim/bike/run race that has been conquered by me is the Nashville 13.1 half marathon. Since this race in April of 2008 I have fallen off of the deep end with staying fit. I am 25 years old and weigh 209lbs. That is the highest number of lb's that the scale has seen when I am on it.

So the Story Begins:

I was recently at the Louisville Ironman 140.6. That is where my mental preparation began before I actually knew I was actually mentally preparing for something. It was motivating to see the pro's finish the race. However, all though I did not stay to see the average joe's finish I was motivated by them the most. I realized that although I am fat, out of shape, and drink too much beer I can finish a triathlon. My brother and I came up with the genius idea to compete in the Ironman 70.3 in Branson, MO on Sept. 19, 2010. To tell you the truth my mental preparation began on the car ride home from Louisville to St. Louis. My wife decided to fall asleep in the passenger seat. The dogs were even sleeping in the back seat. I had 4 hours to think about anything and everything. The only thing that even crossed my mind was finishing my own triathlon. I mean after all I can swim 1.2, bike 56, and run 13.1 right?

It is now Sept. 15 and my training began last week. I have one year to go from not even knowing how to swim and breathe at the same time to finishing a half marathon. Since last week my training schedule has consisted of 5 runs ranging from 2.0 miles to 3.75 miles. My blog will document all of the trials and tribulations along the way to completing my first triathlon and then onto my first Ironman 70.3.

A little bit about me:

My name is Robby and I am 25 years old. I recently married my wife Beth and we have two dogs (Captain and Morgan). All of my life I have been involved in sports. Once I graduated from college and got my first real job in sales I have decided to put my fitness and overall health behind me. I travel Monday through Thursday for work and have found that it is hard for me to get my needed exercise. This is why the Ironman is a motivation for me. I know that I have something to look forward to not only for my health and fitness but also for me. I need to prove to myself that I can complete this. My journey from being out of shape and never having competed in a triathlon to finishing an Ironman 70.3 will be documented in the days, weeks, and months to follow.