I was out on a group run the other day, and a friend suggested I look into Athlinks. It is a site that lets you claim and compile all your race results and link up with other athletes - kind of a specific social network for endurance athletes. If you are at all a numbers geek or stats hound (guilty), the site has all kinds of quantitative goodness, like telling you how each race stacks up against your PR and how you performed against your age group, gender, and overall, and more. I have claimed all my available races. Check it out, and if you join, look me up!
http://athlinks.com/
Cheers,
Ironman Florida 2013 Finish Line
The Iron Year, the "Celebration"
Triathlon Trilogy II 2013
My Support Crew! Triathlon Trilogy II 2013
Father's Day Triathlon (Trilogy Part I), 2012
Father's Day Triathlon, June 2012
First Marathon with the boys
My loyal support crew at my first marathon in Jan. 2011!
Thursday, December 27, 2012
The Iron Year at 310 days to go - basic road map for the year
My "official" training for the Ironman itself will begin 26 weeks out, on May 20, 2013. Before that, I am using two big races as pre-training events to focus on. First up is the ING Miami Marathon on January 27, 2013. This will be my third Miami Marathon and fourth overall marathon (I also ran Marine Corps in 2011). That will create a base of long-distance running endurance that I can carry forward into the remainder of the year.
After that, I am focusing on base-building and strength training, with the competitive focus being provided by a backdrop of preparing for Ironman 70.3 Florida (a half iron race) in Haines City, FL (just south of Orlando) on May 19, 2013. My results in that race should give me an idea of what I can realistically expect of myself in November. I raced it in 6:35 last year, and hope to achieve a significant improvement this year. It is a very convenient coincidence for me that I plan to use a 26-week training plan for the Ironman and that plan begins May 20, the day after the race in Haines City.
In addition to the marathon and half iron, I plan to race two Olympic triathlons in April and September - Nautica South Beach and Escape to Miami. These are my favorite local triathlons and I will work each one into the schedule as appropriate. I may also work in one half marathon (standalone) early in the year and one sprint. But given that big mountain looming in November, there will not be a lot of small races this year, 6-7 tops.
Overall, as a racer I can improve a lot in several areas - more consistent focus on cross-training and strength training, including stretching and flexibility, more discipline during the week, and more attention to rest, recovery and nutrition. I have a schedule of core exercises, stretching exercises and posture exercises that I am using to supplement the actual swim bike and run workouts. Given the limited time constraints most of us face, it is easy to neglect type of training in favor of actual swim bike and run workouts that form the main core of tri training. However, for that very reason, I feel a great deal of improvement is to be found in this area.
Now, off to run tempo miles for the marathon! Talk to you soon.
Friday, December 7, 2012
Pure Food & Fitness - Cristina Bilenki
Coming off a serious injury that basically prevented her from training, my friend Cristina broke 12:00:00 in her first Ironman this year. Major respect! I just added a link to her blog over in Daddy Running's Official Blogroll, and I definitely will be interested to see what she has next in store and want to know what the "pure food" is that lets her break 12 without training! Spill!
Cristina Bilenki's blog!
Amazing finish for an amazing Ironman (lady type)! Muy inspirational!
Cristina Bilenki's blog!
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Daddy Running, The Iron Year, Part I
The Iron Year, Part I - Background.
Ironman Florida Calling ...Volunteer Service and Volunteer Registration
World Triathlon Corporation's "M-Dot" Ironman Logo.
2013 is going to be a big year for me - it is the Iron Year. What does that mean? Literally, it means I will complete the last standard distance of triathlon that I have not yet completed - the Ironman triathlon - a grueling all-day race involving 140.6 miles of swimming, biking and running. But it is a lot more than that. A little over three years ago, on November 29, 2009, I strapped on a pair of running shoes and set out on a quest to finish my first half marathon -which I did. That quest has continued through one goal after another. It will hit a big milestone on November 2, 2013, when, if all goes as planned, I will cross the finish line of Ironman Florida in Panama City Beach FL and become an Ironman. There will be other goal races to finish, other performance targets to match and beat, but this will be the last big "first;" i.e., first half marathon, first marathon, first triathlon, first Olympic, first Half Iron, etc., and those firsts are very special. Even more than that, it is a symbol of everything I have been chasing for three years - to reach down deep inside, past my own perceived limits and accomplish something truly extraordinary. Having accomplished this, I feel there will be nothing I can't do!
Step One - Get registered - Ironman Florida is a popular race and very hard to get into. One way to assure entry is to volunteer, as you get second priority only behind current racers. Thus, knowing I I wanted that assured entry, and also wanting to see the race first-hand, I volunteered at the finish line of Ironman Florida 2012 in Panama City Beach, Florida, this year. I drove up to Panama City Beach the evening before the race (a long drive of about 10 hours from South Florida to the mid-panhandle of the state) and checked into my hotel, the Holiday Inn about a mile from the race start line.
Panama City Beach from my hotel room.
On race day, I watched my friends and teammates from my triathlon club race all day and cheered for them. At 6 pm I reported for my volunteer shift at the finish line, where I handed out finisher t-shirts and caps to exhausted athletes crossing the finish line for three hours. Seeing these athletes accomplish their dream of becoming an Ironman finisher was incredibly inspiring and motivating. I was truly moved, and so proud of my Team Hammerhead (South Florida Triathletes) teammates for doing so well.
Ready to start my volunteer shift.
The next morning, I woke up before dawn, went to volunteer registration and signed up for my Iron Year. A year to find out what I'm made of - to discover new places in my mind and body in the process of overcoming a monumental challenge.
Waiting in line to sign up for Ironman FL 2013 wearing my volunteer T-shirt to prove I was eligible for volunteer registration.
This is a big deal. In the Iron Year, I will turn 45. I am a husband, dad, working professional, with a great deal of experience in all these areas. I've met many challenges in life. I've traveled, I've been in trials, I've jumped out of planes in the Army, walked down the aisle to get married, been present in the delivery room for the birth of two sons.
While all of those things are much more important, this race is important as symbol. This is a new mountain to climb, as it were; a new milestone. Why have I chosen to endure this challenge for so many hours (up to seventeen, but hopefully much less). It is a chance to learn something, to become something perhaps, an IRONMAN...and take that knowledge forward in all areas of my life as someone who can do anything he sets his mind to. As the IM slogan says "Anything is Possible."
Motivation - I have to earn these stickers I bought!
Running and Triathlon - a Brief Background...
I am often asked how long various races are, how they are split up, how long it takes to do them, etc. That is the purpose of this section - to provide background to any reader of this blog who lacks this information. Feel free to skip this section if you know all this already!
In both running and triathlon, there are four standard distances, so, as a runner and triathlete, there are basically eight mountains (i.e., standard distance races) to climb.
Run: In the run, the four standard road race distances are 5K (3.1 mi), 10K (6.2 mi), Half Marathon (13.1 mi), and Marathon (26.2mi). Note: the distances go out past that into "ultra territory," 50 miles, 100 miles, and more. But those are your basic four most common races. I've run them all, and improved my time significantly in all. Rather than move on to ultras, I feel the marathon is a big undertaking and I see mastering it as a quest that will take many years. Nevertheless, my proudest achievement as a marathoner will probably always be crossing that marathon finish line for the first time on January 30, 2011 at the ING Miami Marathon. To having climbed that last (running) mountain. Similarly, Ironman is the last Triathlon mountain left for me.
Triathlon: Triathlon derives from Greek and means "three sports." A typical triathlon begins with a swim leg in open water, followed by a bike leg, then a run leg, with two transitions - swim to bike, or T1 and bike to run, or T2. The process of changing from one sport to another is done in a transition area (where your bike is racked during the swim and run legs) and is very streamlined and fast - you wear the suit the whole time (at least in sub-Iron races) and just change shoes, put on and take off the bike helmet, etc. usually in well under 5 minutes. The athlete finishes the race at the end of the run leg. As a triathlete, there are also four basic distances: Sprint, Olympic, Half Iron and Iron. As each one contains a run leg, the four distances correspond (in the run leg) to the four standard runs.
The "Sprint" distance varies but in every variant I have seen, the run is always a 5K. The bike and run leg distances vary, but usually it is about half of an Olympic distance (see below), or a .75K swim, 20K bike and 5K Run, or 25.75 kilometers (16 miles) total.
The standard Olympic distance is 1500m swim, 40K bike and 10K run, for a total of 51.5K or 32 miles. There are "international" races that vary the swim and/or bike legs- but they all have a 10K run at the end. Half Iron and Iron are standardized.
The Half Iron distance is half of the standard Ironman distance (see below) of 140.6 miles, or 70.3 miles broken down as follows: 1.2 mi swim, 56 mi bike and half marathon 13.1 mile run.
The Iron Distance is 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride, and a marathon run 26.2 miles, for a total of 140.6 miles.
Triathlon and Ironman History (in brief): Triathlon in its current form was invented by active and fomer military guys who were all dedicated fitness enthusiasts, in the San Diego, CA area in the mid-1970's. The first triathlon as we know it was raced in 1974, the Mission Bay Triathlon.
The Ironman triathlon was also invented the same type of extremely fit active and former military guys immersed in that endurance sports scene (open water swimming, road cycling, and running) in California and Hawaii. Basically they were arguing over a few beers about which of those three sports was hardest and specifically, which was hardest among the three hardest swim, bike and run races in Hawaii - respectively, an open water swim race called the Waikiki Rough Water Swim (2.4 miles), the Oahu Bike Race a 112 mile road race, and the Honolulu Marathon, a 26.2 mile running road race.
They settled the bet in a typical hardcore military manner by stating they'd race all three events in one day starting at 7 am, and if a competitor finished before midnight, they could be called "an Ironman." The first Ironman in 1978 had 15 competitors, but it soon became a world famous event and started to evolve from a test of stamina (can I finish?) to an actual race, where the pros routinely finish under 9 hours and sometimes even under 8 hours.
Time for Triathlons: Roughly speaking, it would typically take an amateur in good condition about 1:20 or so to do a sprint, 2:45- 3:30 or so to do an Olympic, 5:30 - 7:00 to do a half and 12-15 hours to do a full Iron. An Iron race starts at 7 am and you have 17 hours to finish - until midnight. While the pros do it in about 8-9 hours these days, an amateur age grouper could be out there literally all day and well into the night.
My History: First 10K and First Half Marathon: the 2010 Miami Half Marathon
In late November 2009, after many years in which I "wanted" to run the ING Miami Half Marathon, but didn't, I decided that the way to make sure I would train would be to sign up for it. So I signed up for it, more or less from a cold start.
I would not advise taking on a half marathon within two months of starting training, but I do have a tendency to take things to extremes, and this was evident in my approach to endurance racing right from the beginning. I downloaded a training program from Active.com, and started to follow it.
While training I ran my first 10K as a "tune-up" race on December 12, 2009, the Palmetto Bay Holiday 10K. With only two weeks of training under my belt, those 6.2 miles were very tough.
Pictured: Every journey starts somewhere: crossing my first finish line of my first road race - Palmetto Bay Holiday 10K, December 12, 2009.
My knees acted up and it was all I could do to grind through that distance in 1:21:57. Nevertheless, even though I had a hard time, I reveled in the festive atmosphere of the race: the nervous energy and anticipation before the starting gun, and the camaraderie afterward, shared over bagels and bananas and posted race times. I already wanted more of that race day excitement. In sum I caught the racing bug right away.
I had to recover from that 10K, then it was back to half marathon training. I ran up to 12 miles on my long run, with short runs during the week. Then I tapered and race week arrived. The Miami Marathon and Half Marathon is a huge event, as many as 18,000 runners doing the half and full marathons (the vast majority doing the half). The festivities, crowd support, and excitement were off the charts....
I ran the half marathon on January 31, 2010. Despite having a tough time with calf cramps and knee pain, I crossed the finish line running in 2 hours, 43 minutes and 12 seconds (2:43:12). That feeling of pride upon crossing the finish line from completing a difficult goal that I had trained hard to accomplish was one I will never forget, and from that moment on, I have basically kept on training and racing ever since for the next three years.
Crossing that finish line (note: the time on the clock is the "gun time" showing when the race actually started, and it is not any racer's offical or chip time. My chip time started when I crossed the start line, and my official time was 2:43:12. Sometimes you have to wait for the official times to be posted online before you know it for sure, though your watch should be pretty close.
After the first half marathon, I went on to achieve one more "first" after another.
Firsts:
- First 10K: Palmetto Bay Holiday 10K - December 12, 2009
- First 1/2 Marathon - ING Miami Half Marathon January 31, 2010
- First 5K - SoBeFit 5K - February 21, 2010
- First Marathon - ING Miami Marathon, January 30, 2011
- First Sprint Triathlon - Mack Cycle Triathlon Trilogy, Part I, June 19, 2011
- First Olympic Triathlon Mack Cycle Triathlon Trilogy Part III August 14, 2011*
- First Half Iron Triathlon Miami Man Half Iron Triathlon November 13, 2011.
* That Trilogy race was a shorter "International" distance tri totaling 43.K (26.7 mi), commonly called Olympic by many triathletes. My first actual full-distance (51.5K/32 mi) Olympic Triathlon was the Publix Escape to Miami Triathlon on September 25, 2011.
First Marathon:
With my support crew after finishing on 1-30-11.
First Triathlon - June 19, 2011:
On the bike leg of my first tri.
Just crossed the finish line of my first triathlon, my father's day present.
First (International) Olympic - Triathlon Trilogy Pt. III 8-14-2011- crossing the line
First (standard dist.) Olympic: Publix Escape to Miami Olympic - 9/25/2011-with finisher medal
First Half Iron Triathlon - November 13, 2011:
Finishing Miami Man, my first Half Iron Triathlon, on 11-13-2011
Other Racing Highlights:
Set a personal record in the 5K of 24:58 on July 4, 2011 at the Weston 4th of July 5K
Set a personal record in the 10K of 52:37 at the Miami Turkey Trot on November 24, 2011.
Ran the 2011 Marine Corps Marathon, a goal (bucket list) race on October 30, 2011, setting what was then a personal record of 4:37:58.
Posing with finisher medal in front of Marine Corps Memorial.
Completed my third marathon (and second Miami Marathon) on January 9, 2012, setting my current marathon PR of 4:34:58.
with my support crew, Gennifer, Robert and Christopher after finishing.
Raced my second Half Iron Triathlon and first WTC Sponsored ("Ironman") event at Ironman 70.3 Florida in Haines City FL, and set a PR by 15 minutes in the heat and hills of Central Florida (6:35:13). Cool factor - Lance Armstrong raced (and won) the event, his second to last before being banned. I got to see him speak at the pro panel and start and finish the swim with the pro wave before my wave started.
Steadily knocking out the run leg - four hot, hilly laps around Lake Eva in Haines City, FL.
Finishing IM 70.3 FL
Glad to be finished - with teammates Lisa Leal (middle) and David Boyd (right).
Set my current half marathon PR of 1:59:07 at the Inaugural Key Biscayne Half Marathon on April 29, 2012. As an aside, as chance would have it, my 10 half marathons have included three inaugural events - the first Wine and Dine Disney Half Marathon on October 31, 2010, the first Latin Music (Rock n' Roll) Miami Beach Half Marathon on December 11, 2011, and the Key Biscayne Half Marathon mentioned above. Also, as chance would have it, I achieved a PR at each of those inaugural events.
My boys met me at the finish line of the 2012 Triathlon Trilogy, Part I with a very cool sign:
Set an Olympic distance PR of 3:11:58 at the 2012 Publix Escape to Miami Olympic Triathlon on September 23, 2012.
Set my current Half Iron PR at Ironman 70.3 Miami on October 28, 2012 of 6:34:27.
Finishing IM 70.3 FL on 10-28-12.
Went on to race another Half Iron (#4) two weeks later at Miami Man Half Iron 2012 on November 11, 2012 (I did two halves in two weeks to practice racing tired as a training exercise for doing two halves in one day (a full) next year) and managed with supreme effort at the end barely to break seven hours (6:59:27) due to very tired legs on the run.
Running out of T1 to start the bike leg of Miami Man 2012.
No Man is an Island: My Team - I usually race every triathlon and now most running races in a Team Hammerheads uniform. Aside from my ever-present support crew of Gennifer and my sons, Robert and Christopher, I rely on my team, South Florida Triathletes or Team Hammerheads for moral support, advice, cheering, training and fun. For a mere $35 a year, a member gets 12 annual meetings, at least two weekly training sessions, discounts on every sporting store in town as well as on race fees, barbecues after the summer trilogy series, and a holiday party. Moreover, you see the uniform out racing the course, and you wave and cheer them on, and they return it, and there are nearly always volunteers from the club manning a water stop or otherwise cheering on their teammates. Best bargain in town!
Team Hammerheads enjoying a post race BBQ after one of the summer Trilogy races. I am in the second row just right of center.
Conclusion:
As you can tell by now, I got the racing bug right away, and I have been racing and training more or less nonstop for three years now. I have raced 19 5K's, 6 10K's, 10 Half Marathons, and 3 Marathons - a total of 38 running races - as well as 3 Sprint Triathlons, 8 International & Olympic Triathlons, and 4 Half Irons - a total of 15 Triathlons. 53 races total. Now I am ready to climb that last mountain.... the Ironman. For now, I will be gearing up for my third Miami Marathon in January 2013 and then another go at the Ironman 70.3 FL in Haines City in May. Coming out of that race, Ironman training will begin in earnest. Stay tuned!
Ironman Florida Calling ...Volunteer Service and Volunteer Registration
World Triathlon Corporation's "M-Dot" Ironman Logo.
2013 is going to be a big year for me - it is the Iron Year. What does that mean? Literally, it means I will complete the last standard distance of triathlon that I have not yet completed - the Ironman triathlon - a grueling all-day race involving 140.6 miles of swimming, biking and running. But it is a lot more than that. A little over three years ago, on November 29, 2009, I strapped on a pair of running shoes and set out on a quest to finish my first half marathon -which I did. That quest has continued through one goal after another. It will hit a big milestone on November 2, 2013, when, if all goes as planned, I will cross the finish line of Ironman Florida in Panama City Beach FL and become an Ironman. There will be other goal races to finish, other performance targets to match and beat, but this will be the last big "first;" i.e., first half marathon, first marathon, first triathlon, first Olympic, first Half Iron, etc., and those firsts are very special. Even more than that, it is a symbol of everything I have been chasing for three years - to reach down deep inside, past my own perceived limits and accomplish something truly extraordinary. Having accomplished this, I feel there will be nothing I can't do!
Step One - Get registered - Ironman Florida is a popular race and very hard to get into. One way to assure entry is to volunteer, as you get second priority only behind current racers. Thus, knowing I I wanted that assured entry, and also wanting to see the race first-hand, I volunteered at the finish line of Ironman Florida 2012 in Panama City Beach, Florida, this year. I drove up to Panama City Beach the evening before the race (a long drive of about 10 hours from South Florida to the mid-panhandle of the state) and checked into my hotel, the Holiday Inn about a mile from the race start line.
On race day, I watched my friends and teammates from my triathlon club race all day and cheered for them. At 6 pm I reported for my volunteer shift at the finish line, where I handed out finisher t-shirts and caps to exhausted athletes crossing the finish line for three hours. Seeing these athletes accomplish their dream of becoming an Ironman finisher was incredibly inspiring and motivating. I was truly moved, and so proud of my Team Hammerhead (South Florida Triathletes) teammates for doing so well.
The next morning, I woke up before dawn, went to volunteer registration and signed up for my Iron Year. A year to find out what I'm made of - to discover new places in my mind and body in the process of overcoming a monumental challenge.
Waiting in line to sign up for Ironman FL 2013 wearing my volunteer T-shirt to prove I was eligible for volunteer registration.
This is a big deal. In the Iron Year, I will turn 45. I am a husband, dad, working professional, with a great deal of experience in all these areas. I've met many challenges in life. I've traveled, I've been in trials, I've jumped out of planes in the Army, walked down the aisle to get married, been present in the delivery room for the birth of two sons.
While all of those things are much more important, this race is important as symbol. This is a new mountain to climb, as it were; a new milestone. Why have I chosen to endure this challenge for so many hours (up to seventeen, but hopefully much less). It is a chance to learn something, to become something perhaps, an IRONMAN...and take that knowledge forward in all areas of my life as someone who can do anything he sets his mind to. As the IM slogan says "Anything is Possible."
Motivation - I have to earn these stickers I bought!
Running and Triathlon - a Brief Background...
I am often asked how long various races are, how they are split up, how long it takes to do them, etc. That is the purpose of this section - to provide background to any reader of this blog who lacks this information. Feel free to skip this section if you know all this already!
In both running and triathlon, there are four standard distances, so, as a runner and triathlete, there are basically eight mountains (i.e., standard distance races) to climb.
Run: In the run, the four standard road race distances are 5K (3.1 mi), 10K (6.2 mi), Half Marathon (13.1 mi), and Marathon (26.2mi). Note: the distances go out past that into "ultra territory," 50 miles, 100 miles, and more. But those are your basic four most common races. I've run them all, and improved my time significantly in all. Rather than move on to ultras, I feel the marathon is a big undertaking and I see mastering it as a quest that will take many years. Nevertheless, my proudest achievement as a marathoner will probably always be crossing that marathon finish line for the first time on January 30, 2011 at the ING Miami Marathon. To having climbed that last (running) mountain. Similarly, Ironman is the last Triathlon mountain left for me.
Triathlon: Triathlon derives from Greek and means "three sports." A typical triathlon begins with a swim leg in open water, followed by a bike leg, then a run leg, with two transitions - swim to bike, or T1 and bike to run, or T2. The process of changing from one sport to another is done in a transition area (where your bike is racked during the swim and run legs) and is very streamlined and fast - you wear the suit the whole time (at least in sub-Iron races) and just change shoes, put on and take off the bike helmet, etc. usually in well under 5 minutes. The athlete finishes the race at the end of the run leg. As a triathlete, there are also four basic distances: Sprint, Olympic, Half Iron and Iron. As each one contains a run leg, the four distances correspond (in the run leg) to the four standard runs.
The "Sprint" distance varies but in every variant I have seen, the run is always a 5K. The bike and run leg distances vary, but usually it is about half of an Olympic distance (see below), or a .75K swim, 20K bike and 5K Run, or 25.75 kilometers (16 miles) total.
The standard Olympic distance is 1500m swim, 40K bike and 10K run, for a total of 51.5K or 32 miles. There are "international" races that vary the swim and/or bike legs- but they all have a 10K run at the end. Half Iron and Iron are standardized.
The Half Iron distance is half of the standard Ironman distance (see below) of 140.6 miles, or 70.3 miles broken down as follows: 1.2 mi swim, 56 mi bike and half marathon 13.1 mile run.
The Iron Distance is 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride, and a marathon run 26.2 miles, for a total of 140.6 miles.
Triathlon and Ironman History (in brief): Triathlon in its current form was invented by active and fomer military guys who were all dedicated fitness enthusiasts, in the San Diego, CA area in the mid-1970's. The first triathlon as we know it was raced in 1974, the Mission Bay Triathlon.
The Ironman triathlon was also invented the same type of extremely fit active and former military guys immersed in that endurance sports scene (open water swimming, road cycling, and running) in California and Hawaii. Basically they were arguing over a few beers about which of those three sports was hardest and specifically, which was hardest among the three hardest swim, bike and run races in Hawaii - respectively, an open water swim race called the Waikiki Rough Water Swim (2.4 miles), the Oahu Bike Race a 112 mile road race, and the Honolulu Marathon, a 26.2 mile running road race.
They settled the bet in a typical hardcore military manner by stating they'd race all three events in one day starting at 7 am, and if a competitor finished before midnight, they could be called "an Ironman." The first Ironman in 1978 had 15 competitors, but it soon became a world famous event and started to evolve from a test of stamina (can I finish?) to an actual race, where the pros routinely finish under 9 hours and sometimes even under 8 hours.
Time for Triathlons: Roughly speaking, it would typically take an amateur in good condition about 1:20 or so to do a sprint, 2:45- 3:30 or so to do an Olympic, 5:30 - 7:00 to do a half and 12-15 hours to do a full Iron. An Iron race starts at 7 am and you have 17 hours to finish - until midnight. While the pros do it in about 8-9 hours these days, an amateur age grouper could be out there literally all day and well into the night.
My History: First 10K and First Half Marathon: the 2010 Miami Half Marathon
In late November 2009, after many years in which I "wanted" to run the ING Miami Half Marathon, but didn't, I decided that the way to make sure I would train would be to sign up for it. So I signed up for it, more or less from a cold start.
I would not advise taking on a half marathon within two months of starting training, but I do have a tendency to take things to extremes, and this was evident in my approach to endurance racing right from the beginning. I downloaded a training program from Active.com, and started to follow it.
While training I ran my first 10K as a "tune-up" race on December 12, 2009, the Palmetto Bay Holiday 10K. With only two weeks of training under my belt, those 6.2 miles were very tough.
Pictured: Every journey starts somewhere: crossing my first finish line of my first road race - Palmetto Bay Holiday 10K, December 12, 2009.
My knees acted up and it was all I could do to grind through that distance in 1:21:57. Nevertheless, even though I had a hard time, I reveled in the festive atmosphere of the race: the nervous energy and anticipation before the starting gun, and the camaraderie afterward, shared over bagels and bananas and posted race times. I already wanted more of that race day excitement. In sum I caught the racing bug right away.
I had to recover from that 10K, then it was back to half marathon training. I ran up to 12 miles on my long run, with short runs during the week. Then I tapered and race week arrived. The Miami Marathon and Half Marathon is a huge event, as many as 18,000 runners doing the half and full marathons (the vast majority doing the half). The festivities, crowd support, and excitement were off the charts....
I ran the half marathon on January 31, 2010. Despite having a tough time with calf cramps and knee pain, I crossed the finish line running in 2 hours, 43 minutes and 12 seconds (2:43:12). That feeling of pride upon crossing the finish line from completing a difficult goal that I had trained hard to accomplish was one I will never forget, and from that moment on, I have basically kept on training and racing ever since for the next three years.
Crossing that finish line (note: the time on the clock is the "gun time" showing when the race actually started, and it is not any racer's offical or chip time. My chip time started when I crossed the start line, and my official time was 2:43:12. Sometimes you have to wait for the official times to be posted online before you know it for sure, though your watch should be pretty close.
After the first half marathon, I went on to achieve one more "first" after another.
Firsts:
- First 10K: Palmetto Bay Holiday 10K - December 12, 2009
- First 1/2 Marathon - ING Miami Half Marathon January 31, 2010
- First 5K - SoBeFit 5K - February 21, 2010
- First Marathon - ING Miami Marathon, January 30, 2011
- First Sprint Triathlon - Mack Cycle Triathlon Trilogy, Part I, June 19, 2011
- First Olympic Triathlon Mack Cycle Triathlon Trilogy Part III August 14, 2011*
- First Half Iron Triathlon Miami Man Half Iron Triathlon November 13, 2011.
* That Trilogy race was a shorter "International" distance tri totaling 43.K (26.7 mi), commonly called Olympic by many triathletes. My first actual full-distance (51.5K/32 mi) Olympic Triathlon was the Publix Escape to Miami Triathlon on September 25, 2011.
First Marathon:
First Marathon Finish!!
First Triathlon - June 19, 2011:
Just crossed the finish line of my first triathlon, my father's day present.
First (International) Olympic - Triathlon Trilogy Pt. III 8-14-2011- crossing the line
First (standard dist.) Olympic: Publix Escape to Miami Olympic - 9/25/2011-with finisher medal
First Half Iron Triathlon - November 13, 2011:
Other Racing Highlights:
Set a personal record in the 5K of 24:58 on July 4, 2011 at the Weston 4th of July 5K
Set a personal record in the 10K of 52:37 at the Miami Turkey Trot on November 24, 2011.
Ran the 2011 Marine Corps Marathon, a goal (bucket list) race on October 30, 2011, setting what was then a personal record of 4:37:58.
Completed my third marathon (and second Miami Marathon) on January 9, 2012, setting my current marathon PR of 4:34:58.
Crossing the finish line of Marathon #3
with my 10th Anniversary finisher medal.
with my support crew, Gennifer, Robert and Christopher after finishing.
Raced my second Half Iron Triathlon and first WTC Sponsored ("Ironman") event at Ironman 70.3 Florida in Haines City FL, and set a PR by 15 minutes in the heat and hills of Central Florida (6:35:13). Cool factor - Lance Armstrong raced (and won) the event, his second to last before being banned. I got to see him speak at the pro panel and start and finish the swim with the pro wave before my wave started.
Finishing IM 70.3 FL
Glad to be finished - with teammates Lisa Leal (middle) and David Boyd (right).
Set my current half marathon PR of 1:59:07 at the Inaugural Key Biscayne Half Marathon on April 29, 2012. As an aside, as chance would have it, my 10 half marathons have included three inaugural events - the first Wine and Dine Disney Half Marathon on October 31, 2010, the first Latin Music (Rock n' Roll) Miami Beach Half Marathon on December 11, 2011, and the Key Biscayne Half Marathon mentioned above. Also, as chance would have it, I achieved a PR at each of those inaugural events.
My boys met me at the finish line of the 2012 Triathlon Trilogy, Part I with a very cool sign:
Set an Olympic distance PR of 3:11:58 at the 2012 Publix Escape to Miami Olympic Triathlon on September 23, 2012.
Set my current Half Iron PR at Ironman 70.3 Miami on October 28, 2012 of 6:34:27.
Finishing IM 70.3 FL on 10-28-12.
Went on to race another Half Iron (#4) two weeks later at Miami Man Half Iron 2012 on November 11, 2012 (I did two halves in two weeks to practice racing tired as a training exercise for doing two halves in one day (a full) next year) and managed with supreme effort at the end barely to break seven hours (6:59:27) due to very tired legs on the run.
No Man is an Island: My Team - I usually race every triathlon and now most running races in a Team Hammerheads uniform. Aside from my ever-present support crew of Gennifer and my sons, Robert and Christopher, I rely on my team, South Florida Triathletes or Team Hammerheads for moral support, advice, cheering, training and fun. For a mere $35 a year, a member gets 12 annual meetings, at least two weekly training sessions, discounts on every sporting store in town as well as on race fees, barbecues after the summer trilogy series, and a holiday party. Moreover, you see the uniform out racing the course, and you wave and cheer them on, and they return it, and there are nearly always volunteers from the club manning a water stop or otherwise cheering on their teammates. Best bargain in town!
Conclusion:
As you can tell by now, I got the racing bug right away, and I have been racing and training more or less nonstop for three years now. I have raced 19 5K's, 6 10K's, 10 Half Marathons, and 3 Marathons - a total of 38 running races - as well as 3 Sprint Triathlons, 8 International & Olympic Triathlons, and 4 Half Irons - a total of 15 Triathlons. 53 races total. Now I am ready to climb that last mountain.... the Ironman. For now, I will be gearing up for my third Miami Marathon in January 2013 and then another go at the Ironman 70.3 FL in Haines City in May. Coming out of that race, Ironman training will begin in earnest. Stay tuned!
Friday, November 30, 2012
Welcome to my Running/Triathlon Blog!
Three years ago yesterday, November 29, 2009 I strapped on a new pair of running shoes and started running to train for the 2010 ING Miami Half Marathon. Since then, I have never stopped running and training and I have even added triathlon to the mix along the way. Running and triathlon (endurance racing I guess would be the collective noun) have become my fun time, my outlet, my therapy, my health plan, my me time, my meditation, and along with all that it has become a never ending quest to find out what this mind and body working together are capable of - and then surpassing it. I have been chronicling this quest on Facebook and I figured it was time to start a new online place where I could go into more detail than you can or even should on a general platform like Facebook.
So here is where I can discuss racing, goals, PR's, shoes, training, stretching, triathlons, cross training, yoga, nutrition, and all that fun stuff, for myself and anyone else who may be interested.
The title comes from what my two sons said when they saw me finishing my first half marathon, the 2010 ING Miami Half Marathon -- "Daddy running!" They are still big fans and I love to set this example for them.
After conquering the half marathon in January 2010, I kept running road races at the 5K, 10K and half marathon distances, and went on to do my first marathon (the same race as my first Half Marathon, the ING Miami Marathon) in January 2011. I've now done three full marathons, ten half marathons, six 10Ks and nineteen 5Ks for a total of thirty-eight running races.
In the spring of 2011, just after my birthday, I bought a road bike and started training for triathlons. In 2011 I raced six triathlons, beginning with my first sprint triathlon in June 2011, my first International (Olympic) triathlon in August 2011, and my first Half Iron (70.3 miles) in November. In 2012, I did nine more - six Olympics and three Half Ironman triathlons.
This month, I signed up for my first full Ironman Triathlon - Ironman Florida on November 2, 2013. Thus beginning my "Iron Year" and the next major challenge I've set for myself in this quest of self discovery by means of pushing the limits of my endurance. I will publish a separate post about this Iron Year. That year is now well underway - it is now 336 days until the big day. Between now and then I will train up for and race the ING Miami Marathon for the third time in January 2013, and then take on the heat and hills of Ironman 70.3 Florida again in May. Then, come summer, it's Ironman training through November.
Running and triathlon have gotten me in the best shape of my life, helped me handle and manage my stressful job, has introduced me to some great friends who share a positive and healthy pastime with me, and most importantly, it has taught me how much toughness I have inside and how I can accomplish anything I set out to do if I commit to a goal, carefully plan how to accomplish it, and put in the work.
After conquering the half marathon in January 2010, I kept running road races at the 5K, 10K and half marathon distances, and went on to do my first marathon (the same race as my first Half Marathon, the ING Miami Marathon) in January 2011. I've now done three full marathons, ten half marathons, six 10Ks and nineteen 5Ks for a total of thirty-eight running races.
In the spring of 2011, just after my birthday, I bought a road bike and started training for triathlons. In 2011 I raced six triathlons, beginning with my first sprint triathlon in June 2011, my first International (Olympic) triathlon in August 2011, and my first Half Iron (70.3 miles) in November. In 2012, I did nine more - six Olympics and three Half Ironman triathlons.
This month, I signed up for my first full Ironman Triathlon - Ironman Florida on November 2, 2013. Thus beginning my "Iron Year" and the next major challenge I've set for myself in this quest of self discovery by means of pushing the limits of my endurance. I will publish a separate post about this Iron Year. That year is now well underway - it is now 336 days until the big day. Between now and then I will train up for and race the ING Miami Marathon for the third time in January 2013, and then take on the heat and hills of Ironman 70.3 Florida again in May. Then, come summer, it's Ironman training through November.
Running and triathlon have gotten me in the best shape of my life, helped me handle and manage my stressful job, has introduced me to some great friends who share a positive and healthy pastime with me, and most importantly, it has taught me how much toughness I have inside and how I can accomplish anything I set out to do if I commit to a goal, carefully plan how to accomplish it, and put in the work.
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