The waiting is over!

I finally managed to land a job after 4 long months of unemployment.  Thank the Lord!  News of a definite job has allowed me to finally engage in one of my favorite activities: planning. Today I made a major commitment and signed up for the 2009 Whirlpool Ironman 70.3 Steelhead in Benton Harbor, MI!  This will be my first half ironman and I'm ecstatic!  My official training plan begins tomorrow, so begins a 20-month long journey.

Such a big monetary and time investment requires unwavering commitment so I plan on posting each week's plan on Sundays, and will do a follow-up each week on what I ACTUALLY did, as a form of personal accountability.  I'm using a free beginner program I found online at beginnertriathlete.com, but have made some adjustments to account for my personal weaknesses.  The general formula includes 3 swims, 4 bikes, 3-4 runs, 2 strength training sessions, and 1 Body Flow (mixture of yoga, Pilates and Tai Chi).  There are only a few races I intend to do leading up to the 70.3.  I'm not positive which ones I can do yet because I don't have my weekend work schedule at this point, but I'm hoping to get in 1 Sprint, 1 Olympic,  a 15-k, and an aquabike (1.2 mile swim and 56 mile bike).  It's important to have some races before the big day, but I'm more focused on the training itself.

In addition to the workouts, I'm going to have a weekly goal of either adding, subtracting, replacing, or changing one element of my diet to better fuel my body for all of this training, and hopefully to lose some of my winter poundage as well.

Week 1 Plan (138 days and counting!):

Nutrition Goal: 2 servings of veggies daily

Mon- Morning neighborhood run- 40 min. easy pace

           Afternoon swim (long day- 2,500 yds):

WU: 200s, 200k, 200p, 200s

M: 1x1500 

CD: 4x50 descending in speed

Tues- Morning Riverplex run- 30 min easy pace

   Evening bike road ride for 1 hour or 20 miles

Wed- Morning lower body workout (LBWO) 

           Followed by swim (race pace- 1,650 yds)

WU: 4x75

M: 3x400 (Goal=7:36 avg with negative splits)

CD: 150 easy

   PM Riverplex run- 5 miles tempo

Thurs- AM Riverplex run- 1 hr easy pace

             Followed by upper body workout (UBWO)

Fri- AM bike trainer- 45 min

WU: 15 min

M: 30 min

CD: 15 min

PM swim (speed-1,350 yds)

WU: 400

M: 8x100 EBEH (25 easy, 25 build, 25 easy, 25 hard)

CD: 6x25 descending in speed

Sat- 1 hr bike road ride

Sun- Afternoon 1.5 hour bike road ride

     

   

Lessons in humility and patience...

Humility

Hu*mil"i*ty\, n.; pl. Humilities. [OE. humilite, OF. humilit['e], humelit['e], F. humilit['e], fr. L. humiliatis. See Humble.]

1. The state or quality of being humble; freedom from pride and arrogance; lowliness of mind; a modest estimate of one's own worth; a sense of one's own unworthiness through imperfection and sinfulness; self-abasement; humbleness.

pa⋅tience

    [pey-shuhns] Show IPA Pronunciation 

–noun

2.

an ability or willingness to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted with delay I write this post as a means of admitting to myself and others of my recent struggles with these two things- humility and patience- with the hopes that I will slowly learn to possess both these difficult yet amazing virtues, sooner rather than later.  (See, I'm even impatient in learning patience!) Okay, so my amazing internship with the World Triathlon Corporation came to an end right before Thanksgiving.  I obviously had an unforgettable experience and have no regrets whatsoever.  (The following statement is to be read in a whiny and woe is me tone).  But now the real world has smacked me in the face and the difficult task of landing my first full-time professional position looms over me...in a slumping economy...with lots of layoffs...and lots of more qualified people now competing for jobs with me...in a day and age when a Bachelor's and a short-lived internship doesn't mean nearly what it used to. Okay, vent time over.  In steps my need for a dose of humility.  I, for some naive reason, had the impression that as long as I do the right things (get a degree, do really well in school, be active in my university and community, get an internship) that are required to getting where I want to be (working a full-time position in a career field that I enjoy and that challenges me, and not just a job that any 'ol person can do) I can pretty much accomplish anything.  Well, life ain't so peachy, as I have discovered.  As naive as that belief sounds, all my previous life experiences had affirmed that that was indeed true...I wanted to get all A's ever since narrowly missing the "Eagle's Perch" award in the 4th grade, so I worked my butt off in school, and I got all A's...from then on all the way through college.  I wanted to get my black belt in karate, so I diligently attended classes for about 7 or 8 years, and I received my black belt my sophomore year of college.  I wanted to study abroad to experience another culture, so I saved my money and applied for the program, and ended up going abroad twice and falling in love with international travel.  I wanted to run in the local 10k, having never run over 2 miles, so I trained for a solid 8 months, and ended up beating my goal time by about 4 minutes and getting 2nd in my age group.  You get my drift?  I was used to "if you set your mind to something and do what you have to do to get there, nothing can stop you." Well, while this may sound like a nice black and white/cause and effect kind of perspective, (which totally fits my personality) I realize that these turn of events began to make me a bit cocky.  Not like, "oh yeah, look at me, I'm the best," but rather, "well, this is something I REALLY want, so I'll find a way to get it.  No discussion.  The end."  This turn of events was making me unconsciously see the world as "If I do the work, I reap the benefits."  You see the problem, it's all based around me, I, myself.  It was basically self-praise, with little if any thanks to the One who makes all of this possible.   Society has somehow taught me this, but I need to not focus so much on what I ACHIEVE in life, but rather whether my life is a good representation of how Christ lived and wants us to live.  I know pride and impatience are not in that equation! So here I am with a degree and all these other accomplishments ya da ya da ya and I don't have what I want even though I followed my usual "process to goal attainment," which I would typically classify as a "failure." Not getting something that you want isn't failure, it's life...Well, I'm challenging myself to view this "downtime" as an opportunity to become more humble, and to credit God for everything he has blessed me with: health, an education, a loving and supportive family, amazing friends, shelter, food, clothing, and HIS UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.  Matthew 23:12 "For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted."  I need to express my thankfulness for what I have been blessed with, and have faith that God will take care of my needs. Then there is the ever-popular virtue of patience.  We are such instantaneous people.  Lose 30 lbs in 30 days.  Learn to speak a language in 90 days.  Boil water in 90 seconds.  When we decide we want something, we want it NOW.  I admit that I, like gum-chewing Violet, "But I want it NOW, daddy!" from Willy Wonka, struggle with waiting.  I think part of impatience stems from a lack of trust...trust that things will work out in God's time, not ours.  It's a hard pill to swallow, but it's true.  It's hard to sit here and fill out application after application, waiting for the phone to ring with a job offer, when I want to have the job now.  It's hard to watch friend after friend get proposed to, while I try to embrace singleness, (which is hard when I don't really have a relationship to compare it to), but can't wait to meet Mr. Right.  The thing I'm challenging myself to do with regards to patience, is to remember that all things happen in God's time.  He is ultimately the one in control.  "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11. I don't know why it isn't easier to trust God when that's all he's ever done for me in the past.  Hindsight shows that when things didn't always work out the way I wanted them to and when I wanted them to, I was always taken care of.  I need to remember that. So, this whole confession/vent/ is really my personal effort to be held accountable to myself and to others in becoming more humble and more patient. I challenge to keep in mind these verses to get through this stage of my life: Humility- Matthew 23:12 "For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." Patience-"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

As promised...Pictures of paradise!

Man, I love my job!

Me kayaking

Finish line build out

Macca's helmet!

Athlete gear bags

Transition area...I wonder how many thousands of dollars worth of bikes is all there...

Me at the Aloha reception

The adorable Hawaiian girls that greeted us with leis at the Aloha reception

Eye candy for the triathlete...Yes, the first unveiling since Interbike of the Cervelo P4

Natascha Badmann at the Parade of Nations, all smiles as usual

Near Outrigger Hotel where we saw sea turtles while snorkeling

Paradise!

Fresh, hand-made leis from a local farmers market.

Fresh pineapple at the farmers market

The view from Lava Java

Beautiful tree near swim start

Me (figure in the stream of sunlight) about to do the swim course.

Another view of the swim start

View from the swim start...again.

Statues at the Kona airport.

Time to play!

Sunday, October 12 and Monday, October 13, 2008

 Hint:  Read the 4 or 5 other posts below this one first to read about my Kona trip in chronological order:)  I promise I'll add pics later.  My camera is not cooperating!

After our hard work for the past 2 weeks we were rewarded with 1 ½ days to relax and enjoy the time we had left on the Big Island.  I went kayaking for the first time and had a blast!  The icing on the cake was being surrounded by a large group of probably 40 or so dolphins!  They were jumping and flipping all around us.  It was amazing!  Sorry, no pics of Flipper and the gang, my camera battery conveniently chose to die.

 

I also got the chance to paddle board, where you stand on a board larger than a surfboard and paddle with an ore.  It was pretty difficult, and I fell numerous times, but I still had fun.

 

The last fun activity I got to try was snorkeling, another first for me.  The waters of Hawaii truly are surreal.  It’s so clear and clean.   We were able to see not only colorful schools of tropical fish, but also giant sea turtles!  I kept thinking about the turtles from “Finding Nemo.”

 

I was definitely glad that we had a chance to have some fun doing non-triathlon related activities.  I still can’t believe I had the opportunity to experience the Ironman World Championship.  If you’d like to get an idea of what I experienced you can check out the edited NBC broadcast that will air on December 13, 2008 from 2:30-4pm EST.

 

Race Day!

Saturday, October 11, 2008

 

My morning started at early.  VERY early.  By 4am I was dressed and ready to go for the long, but exciting day ahead.  With the help of my friend Starbucks double shot caffeine + energy

 drink I was ready for some carpe diem action!

 

At 5:30am the VIP suite opened up to all of special people donning the coveted VIP wristband.  Breakfast was served while everyone was staking claim to a seat where they could see one of the two flat screen TVs showing the live coverage of the race.

 

About 45 minutes before the start of the race an armed forces airplane dropped two Navy Seals with parachutes into the Pacific below.  One of the parachuters was interest story David Goggins, a Navy Seal who prior to this had only done an Ultraman (an event that trumps the Ironman in terms of distance).  He and his fellow Seal swam from their dropping point back to shore, where they would later join the rest of the age groupers for the start of the race.

 

At this time we closed up shop for a little over an hour and herded the VIPs over to the pier to view the mass swim start.  The

 view was spectacular with 1,700 athletes bobbing in the ocean, their bright green swim caps making them look like buoys floating in the water.  The sound of Mike Reilly’s voice booming over the speakers wishing the athletes luck and promising to see them at the finish, and the helicopters swarming overhead for the media footage overwhelmed me with excitement.  After the singing of the national anthem, the cannon went off, and the day (less than 9 hours for the pros, but as many as 17 hours for others) began.

 

Like a raging stampede of wild horses, 1,700 bodies surged through the Pacific waters.  What a sight to behold!

About 30 minutes after the swim start we led the VIPs back to the suite where they could watch the swim action on television.  Throughout the day many people came in and out of the suite taking breaks from the relentless heat outdoors.  It was nice to get to watch the race on the television as it unfolded because of the great views, but I did miss being out on the actual course cheering the athletes on.  The majority of the day was spent catering to the guests and replenishing food and drinks.

 

Late in the afternoon we closed down the suite for the day and headed to the finish line, where the 140.6-mile journey ends.  We were down there early enough to watch last year’s male runner up “Crowie” (Craig Alexander) of Australia take 1^st for the men, and defending female champ Chrissie Wellington of Great Britain take 1^st for the women. 

 Thanks to our all access wristbands, we were able to be down by the finish line with a front row view.  As athlete after athlete stepped across the line and as the phrase “YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!” echoed down Ali’I it just kept getting better and better.  Of course, the most exciting time of the day was between 9pm and midnight, when the crowd’s energy is all that gets the last finishers home.  And we were all there, even the pros and other age group athletes who had finished long before stood with the crowd cheering on the last finishers.

 

I think that what makes the last hour of this event so incredible is the raw emotion and determination of the athletes that you witness.  We’re talking regular men and women… attorneys, doctors, teachers, soldiers, mothers, cancer-survivors, challenged athletes…all covering the same 140.6 miles is less than 17 hours.  At no other event have I so genuinely cheered complete strangers on.  This wasn’t like “Go Yankees!” or “Yeah Lakers!”  No, this was something more.  “Human” is really the best word to describe the experience.  It really is a testament to what amazing things people can accomplish with hard work, dedication and a support system.  When you see 70-something-year-olds shuffling across the line or hand cycle athletes with no legs that have literally covered 140.6 miles using ONLY THEIR ARMS, the Ironman mantra rings true, “Anything is possible.”

And that was my Kona experience.

 

Thursday, October 9, 2008

 

Today was another day in the VIP suite.  We had many more famous faces lounge and talk in the suite throughout the day.

 

The highlight of the day was by far the welcome dinner, or “Aloha.”  The backdrop of the large main stage featured 3 big screens that displayed vibrant images of torch-spinning Hawaiian men and the sound of intense, heart-pounding music accompanied by cinematic narration.  It truly was an amazing performance.  After revealing the race’s most interesting statistics (52 countries represented, youngest athlete 18, oldest 79, etc) we were treated to a special 30^th anniversary video produced by the WTC’s own Peter Henning, which showed the progression of the Hawaii Ironman over the years.  Let’s just say that my eyes weren’t exactly dry by the end. 

Star Struck

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

 

Today was the official opening of the VIP hospitality suite.  We executed everything as planned and had a smooth day.  I had several of the “Pinch me.  I can’t believe this is happening-moments” seeing all of the stars, at least in the world of triathlon anyway.  Some of the celebs included Ironman legends Paula Newby-Fraser and Dave Scott; the voice of Ironman, Mike Reilly; ’07 champs Chrissie Wellington and Macca (Chris McCormack); Kona course record holder Luc Van Leirde; the founders of Ironman John and Judy Collins; original 1978 Ironman finishers Dave Orlowski and Tom Knoll; double amputee Ironman finisher Scott Rigsby; father-son team Dick and Rick Hoyt, and many others.  Let’s just say I felt very privileged to get to see them in person.  Overall, it was a great day!