Burnin' burnin' burnin'...

According my trusty Garmin watch that tells me everything that I've ever wanted to know about my workouts, I burned a little over 7,000 calories in the past two days just with my workouts. If I could only figure out how to teach my little Garmin how to cook my meals for me...I'd be all set.

A loonnngggg weekend...

This weekend just about ran me into the ground but luckily I'm still here ready to tackle another week full of training. On Saturday, as part of the GNAC picnic, we rode from Edwin Warner Park straight out to Puckett's, Fly, the Trace, and all the way back for a total of 85 miles. It was windy on the way out which made for a tough ride but we stopped a couple times which broke up the misery a bit. We stopped at Puckett's In Leipers Fork which is always a favorite pit stop...

Then we headed to my favorite little town of Fly, TN. We didn't stop long in Fly but after riding a couple miles on the Trace we stopped again in Fly where we met some of the locals...

...we admired some of the treasures buried in the back room of the general store...

...and we took a potty break in the "bring a friend with you" bathroom...

Never a dull moment in Fly! I think the men in the back were pretty amused by us...probably not as much as we were amused by them but oh well. The ride back was fantastic. We stopped at Puckett's again and they had the BBQ fired up and people were out eating ice cream and a lunch buffet inside. After eating energy bars, Hammer Gel, and Gatorade for 5 hours I would have donated a kidney for just a bite of what those people were eating. We left pretty quick because I couldn't stand it. Luckily we had an awesome tailwind on the way back and we pushed 20+ miles per hour the entire time. When we got back for the picnic Bert, Rolf, and Nick had waited for us (thanks guys!) and we knocked out a quick 20 minute run. We then got to pick over the leftovers from the picnic that had ended hours before...congealed pizza from hours before tasted amazingly good!

Saturday was long but I had never ridden my bike that far before so that was a big milestone. I also got up to 39 MPH on the Trace which was pretty awesome...and a little frightening. Over all we had a great ride and everyone made it back safe and sound.

On Sunday I woke up and felt like I had been run over by a steamroller. No time for complaining though because I had to run 8 miles and bike for an hour and a half...ugh. Rolf, Lisa, Julie, and I ran from Percy Warner Park towards Radnor Lake. We turned at 4 miles and headed back to the cars. The run was pretty tough in the beginning but I settled in at the end and averaged about a 9:30 mile which is pretty good considering what I had done the day before. I followed the run up with a very easy ride around Belle Meade Blvd and the neighborhoods. I took "easy" to whole other level and only averaged about 12 MPH.

Sunday night we met at Rolf's house for an awesome dinner and a planning session for the logistics of getting to Lake Placid. All the plans are coming together and it will be here sooner than I can imagine....I think this weekend moved me closer to feeling that I'll be ready though...bring it on!

Recoverite...

It's like crack for triathletes...

Just a little afternoon inspiration....

Close your eyes.

The water laps your toes and envelops your skin. Close your eyes. The masses become silent and your heartbeat thunders. You have planned for today, talked about today, trained for today, imagined today, dreamed today, and yet you still don’t know what to expect.
A cannon blows and you remember, as you dread the uncertainty and the harsh duration to come, to savor every second because in your memory it will be over in the minutes it takes to recount or reread from your journal.
Move, breathe, drink, eat. Move, breathe, drink, eat. Move and move. One hundred forty and six tenths miles. Know tenderly, intimately every fiber of your being that propels you forward only because your brain says, ‘Don’t stop.’ And don’t stop. Move, breathe, drink, eat.
Manage your day. Stick to your plan. Be flexible. Just finish. Float when your mind and body detach and watch your body move without you—pushed by the crowd, the volunteers, who lust for your finish as if it were their own.
But it hurts. And you don’t’ know for sure why you’re doing this and what it will mean when you do. And then you see it. A banner, a clock, a frenzy of applause. And you know you made it happen through whatever means and power source you draw strength from.
Ironman will trivialize past hardship and prepare you to minimize those to come. It makes dreams come true. You have what it takes to bridge aspirations into accomplishments. Crossing that line embraces self: confidence, sacrifice, reliance, invention, worth. Finishing makes you your own hero. You are an Ironman.


"What keeps me going? The thought that each stroke, each spin, each stride takes me a little bit closer to my goal. The knowledge that every breath –inhale, exhale—is a part of something bigger. Being a triathlete is my way of living in the moment."


"You reach the finish line one step at a time, one day at a time, and with the understanding that it will take many steps and many days to ensure you get there first. You achieve your goal one step at a time, focused and diligent, always moving forward." (Mohammed Ali, boxer)

No food is safe...

You learn a lot about your body in training for an Ironman. There are some things that would constitute as "too much information" for this little blog but it mostly encompasses chaffing in places that have never chaffed before. The awful thing is rarely do you realize what is going on until you get into the shower and it feels like someone is taking a hot fireplace poker to your nether-region. That folks will wake your ass up! (literally) The other thing that is surprising is the amount of food that I consume now on a daily basis. Burning 5000+ calories in one weekend will make you ravenous the week after. No food is safe....and don't you touch my food...I might gnaw your hand off in the process!

This weekend...15 weeks to go...

This weekend we went back to The Natchez Trace but this time it was for a 75 mile ride followed by a 2.5 mile run. I've never ridden my bike 75 miles! Julie, Kathleen, and I suckered a few more of our fellow IMLP teammates into coming with us so we had a big group with a bunch of people doing different distances. Julie, Kathleen, Lisa, Rolf, Stephne, Bert, Rob, Dana, Gerry, Marti, and I. It was cold and being up in higher elevation with that darn headwind made it even worse. Flashbacks of Powerman Alabama were hovering in our minds. (insert photo...cold toes!!)

The ride was pretty uneventful on the way out except for a very graceful fall by Kathleen in front of a pack of about 10 male cyclists. It couldn't have been timed better and luckily she wasn't hurt too badly...except maybe a little dent in her pride and a bruised elbow. This time we decided just to stop at the rest stops on the Trace instead of venturing into my favorite little town of Fly, TN. Kathleen and I made the dreaded mistake on the way out of saying "man this is so much easier than last weekend." And that's when the Natchez Trace Gods said "hell no!" When we turned around to come back the headwinds showed up and made the ride back pretty grueling....not to mention a few people having to deal with dropped and broken chains. We stopped at a rest area and refueled and then hauled it back to our cars. My nutrition needs some tweaking before we visit the Trace this weekend...I was completely empty at mile 60. That's not good considering at the Ironman I'll have another 52 to go, oh yeah...and a marathon.

Sunday we ran the 11.2 in Percy Warner Park. It was a gorgeous day and the run was awesome. Stephne, Bert, Julie, Lisa, Kathleen, and I knocked out a good run and Kathleen and I were quite proud when we hauled it up 9 mile hill without walking. Coach Kathleen is training us well...all of this swimming, biking, and running seems to be working!

I'll Fly away...

Last weekend Julie, Kathleen, and I rode and out and back loop on the Natchez Trace for a total of 65 miles and then we ran 2.5 miles right after that. I think that run was the epitome of a brick workout. My whole body felt like a brick. The Trace is humbling. Not only is it hilly but it is windy, lonely, and that day was cold. We did have a nice stop in Fly, TN...which, if you've never been, is a surreal kind of place. The general store in Fly is so eloquently named "Fly's" and I think they sell shot guns, cigarettes, fabric softener from 1950, and Gatorade all in the same place. And if you're in the need I think they will stuff your kill from the day as well. We had our photo taken in front of this lovely landmark by a local woman who proclaimed to us "I found me a good man in Fly that let me have six dogs." Well if that isn't a reason to move there then I don't know what is. Maybe on our next stop back at Fly I will be as lucky as her. There are numerous community postings on the bulletin board at Fly's about a "youth coon hunt" and various events that require your five year old to run around with a shot gun. I'm not sure about that but I'm sure they have a lot to say about us traipsing into the store in our spandex. The people couldn't be nicer and they are very welcoming when we stop in; even allowing us to use their bathroom in the back....which I might add has two toilets sitting right next to each other but no barrier. I don't know who is that comfortable with someone that they want communal restroom behavior but it is Fly and nothing is surprising really...