Thinking Back To Two Years Ago...

The morning was nice and cool, and I was very nervous.  After all, this was the first time that I had ever seen anything like this before.  A voice comes across the loud speaker announcing that the race would start in 5 minutes.  I kiss Rachel and Shawn and I head to the coral.  Next thing I hear is "Runners take your mark," the gun goes off, and I was running in my first ever endurance event.  That was exactly two years ago.  The race: the MD Anderson S.C.O.P.E. 5K.

I remember that day like it was yesterday.    My wife, who works for MD Anderson Cancer Hospital, challenged me only a few months before to run in the event since she was one of the race volunteers.  Crossing that finish line really did a lot to me and my family. It was the start of a journey that I am still on today.  I remember walking so proud after the race was over.  I was sweaty and definitely stinky, but I did not want to take that race t-shirt off.  I don't know if it was the adrenaline talking, the inspiration of watching the movie Running the Sahara afterwards while napping after the race, or the fact that I knew that something that I always considered impossible was now included in my "Completed" life list.  Somewhere, somehow, I blurted out, I want to be an IRONMAN.

Rachel laughed at first, but soon realized that I was serious.  Neither one of us knew what I was getting into that day, but I don't think, if given the chance, we would change that decision that was made.  We have seen a lot, and now that I am joined by other athletes who are trying to accomplish the impossible to benefit other children that are affected by congenital anomalies it is definately worth it. 

I decided to sign up for the S.C.O.P.E 5K event this year, not to be competitive, but to pay tribute to the event and cause that was the first step to becoming an Ironman.  This time I had a little extra baggage, I decided to strap Shawn into the jogging stroller.  The gun sounded, and we took off.  Shawn was having a great time on the course.  He would wave at everyone on the course as we went by and clapped nearly the whole final mile of the 5K.  Finally as we came around the final corner, he saw Mommy, and perked up in the stroller.  I grabbed Rachel's hand so we could cross the finish line as a family.  It was an amazing experience that I will not forget for a very long time.

The day was not over for me though.  Instead of going home and taking a nap on the couch, I prepared the bike for a century ride (100 miles) to Galveston via Surfside Beach.  This has now become a typical Saturday for me as I gear up for the Ironman 70.3 Texas in Galveston next week (April 1st) and finally for the Ironman Texas on May 19th.

If you are near the Houston/Galveston area on April 1st, 2012, I highly recommend that you come out to the Ironman 70.3 Texas in Galveston to see what it is all about.  We will have the team tent out at the event so spectators and teammates can stay out of the sun while watching the event along, we will have Shawn's Anomaly temporary tattoos available to show your support, and who knows, you may be able to get a chance to see Lance Armstrong competing in the event as well.   I know it will be a great day for so many of us. I hope so see everyone there next weekend.

This Just In...

Rachel McNeill of KPRC Channel 2 will be doing a story on us and Shawn's Anomaly at the S.C.O.P.E 5K this weekend. 

It was just two short years ago, at this very race, when I decided to attempt the impossible of becoming an Ironman Triathlete.  Never could I have imagined what would have happened since that finish.  I felt that it was only fitting to pay tribute to this race by strollering Shawn across the finish line.  You can honor this occasion with me by donating to the Shawn's Anomaly Medical Research Fund, coming out to support us at the finish line, or run right beside us during the event.  You can registure now online or onsite at the day of the race.  

For more information or to register for the race and run with Shawn and me, go to http://www.mdanderson.org/how-you-can-help/other-ways-to-help/scope-run/index.html
Hope to see you there!

P.S. For all my fellow Ironman trainees, I am also planning a century ride to Galveston via Surfside Beach afterwards, so you can join me for that and you will not miss your Saturday ride.

Driven To Distraction

This week I had to go out to Las Vegas for some corporate training.  Now most people would probably scream "Vegas Baby" when offered the chance to get a company paid trip to Las Vegas, but at this point in my life, I am not most people.  Being an "Ironman in Training," I immediately became afraid that this week away from home would affect the weekly training schedule that I am doing.  I tried several way to counteract the instinct to be distracted from what Vegas had to offer.

The first thing that I did was send a message out to some of my local friends who are also training for the Ironman.  I asked if they had any recommendations on where to stay while I was in Vegas.  I did get some great tips, but most of them all had to do with not staying on the famous Las Vegas Strip.  Unfortunately, the training center was very close to the strip, and I did not want to drive from Henderson (Home of the 2011 Ironman 70.3 Championship) every day. 

Plan B was to contact some of the public relations departments of the hotel/casinos to get their opinions.  I was not looking for anything complimentary.  I was just looking for information about the hotels amenities that I could use for my swim, bike, and running exercises.  Plan B ended up not working out either because none of them showed any interest in sharing any information with me about their amenities.  In reality, I assumed they did not want to share this information because they knew the workout facilities would distract me from spending my money on the casino floor. 

Las Vegas is completely based on distraction.  If you have been into a casino, you may notice there no clocks, no windows, there a plenty of flashing lights, constant bells and sounds, and cocktail waitresses wearing skimpy outfits and serving you free drinks.  The one thing that I also noticed is that the hotel registration is on the opposite side of the hotel elevators which forces you to walk through the casino floor to get to your room. 

I knew some of this already, but being that I have only been to Vegas one other time 10 years ago, I still felt like I was a Vegas rookie. I once stayed at Bally's for only a few hours to get some sleep so I could finish my travel across the country.  I took that experience to help with Plan C that Rachel.  I felt with what we came up with was flawless and I would take advantage of the new scenary.  I decided not to bring my bike to Vegas, so I knew I would have to seek out places where I could find spin cycles, decent pools to do laps, and I would run the strip in the mornings when it was less crowded.  So how did my plan work out?  FAIL!

What I did not consider was the climate change compared to Houston.  I ended up fighting off sinus infection and dehydration the whole time because of the dry air and dust storms.  I could not drink enough water to stay hydrated.  Of course the very few alcoholic beverages that I did drink was not helping the issue as well.  I finally gave up on my training for the week.  I ended up stay up later than normal, going to dinners, going to shows (Cirque du Soleil), catching some live band performances, and only actually doing one run the whole week down the strip.  I also spend most of the time fighting off the urge to smoke considering that every hotel I stayed in (including the non-smoking rooms) smelled like an ashtray.

If you are forced to go (like I was) just accept the fact that you are not going to get your training in the way that you thought you were. There are just not enough hours in the day to see everything Vegas has to offer and train. With that all being said, I had a great time in enjoying what "The Strip" had to offer, and I can't wait to go back and enjoy it with Rachel sometime after the Ironman is over. There are a lot of sinless and romantic things that you can do in what they call "Sin City".

Taking breaks away from training is not a bad idea in theory, but we will just have to see how much this sets me back for my Ironman quest.  So if you are looking for a great place to get away where you can continue your training without being distracted, I highly recommend that you never go to Vegas.  As I was drove my rental car past the Famous "Welcome To Las Vegas" sign, I was reminded by the the lyrics sung by Sheryl Crow:

I'm standing in the middle of the desert

Waiting for my ship to come in

But now no joker, no jack, no king

Can take this loser hand

And make it win

I'm leaving Las Vegas

Leaving for good...

I passed the Vegas sign knowing that I would never come back.  Well, at least until the Ironman is over. 

VIVA HOME FOR CONSISTENT IRONMAN TRAINING!