Ironman Texas Fundraising

Most of you may have already seen this in the email that was just sent out, but I wanted to post it on the blog as well...

After 2 years, 13 events, and countless hours of training...

...The Ironman Texas is just a month away.  I can't belive it.  I have come a long way from an overweight smoker who could barely run 140.6 yards without losing my breath.  Now I will be doing 140.6 miles. It has been a very long and hard journey for my family, and to know that it is so close just floors me.  I am very excited but nervous at the same time.  I want to thank the handful of supporters that have helped up raise nearly $2,200 of the $25,000 needed to start the research at Shawn's Anomaly either through myself or the other athletes: Amy Mullen and Garrett Oakley.  Your support means a lot.  As you can tell however, we still have a very long way from reaching our goal. 

Modern medicine does not have a definitive answer to this issue and many children and families are sufferning.  This sobering fact should call all of us to action to prevent another family from ever going these heart wrenching moments again. I know that times are tough, but even if all of the people receiving this email just donated $15 and told two other friends that donated $15, we could reach our goal in one day.  Please don't think that someone else is donating to this and your donation is not important.  I can tell you by experience that the research fund has only received donations from about 15 people total between all three athletes.  Please donate today.
Rachel and I started our crusade to do whatever we could to prevent another family from going through what we did with Shawn without education, hope and help.  We joined with Texas Children’s Hospital to start raising money for a medical research fund to continue the studies that Dr. Cisek started with Shawn.  In June of 2011, the Shawn’s Anomaly Foundation (www.shawnsanomaly.org) was formed, in honor of Shawn's recovery, to help families dealing with congenital anomalies.    

After witnessing my son's determinination to live through his three surgeries, he inspired me to try and overcome something I considered impossible: Becoming An Ironman Triathlete


I decided to use my journey to raise money for the medical research at Texas Children's Hospital and Shawn's Anomaly.  The Ironman Foundation joined with me to set a fundraising page up for the Ironman Texas where I plan to complete the 140.6 miles.  It has taken two years of training, but I am confident that I will overcome the impossible, and go from couch potato to Ironman . This reasearch is the only one of it kind in the world, and it will dramatically aid in other families from ever having to go through what we did. Here is how you can help:

1. Please give a donation to the medical research (every dollar counts) 
2. Spread the word about what we are doing to your friends and family (The more people know the more we can help those families affected)
3. Come support me at the Ironman Texas in The Woodlands on May 19th.  The Shawn's Anomaly Tent will be at the race.
4. Tune in for how you can vote to get me to the Ironman World Championships in Kona, HI on the Shawn's Ironman Blog

Alone at Home...

Rachel and Shawn took off this morning to go visit her family in Louisiana.  I knew this would be a great time for me to get some good training in before the Ironman Texas.  I still can't believe that it is less than a month away.  Soon I will be getting into my taper, and all of this hard training will be done and the only thing that will be left to do is depend on heart to get me through the event.

140.6 miles still seems crazy to me.  When I did the marathon, I knew at that time that was the hardest thing that I had ever done just because of the sheer pounding that it does to your knees, but now that I am adding a 112 bike ride and a 2.4 mile swim to it, I can't imagine how much harder it will be.  It will be epic for sure.  

Here are my goals:

Swim (2.4 miles)  1:35:00

T1 (Transition)  10:00  (I will change)

Bike (112 miles) 6:45:00

T2 (Transition)  10:00 (I want to take my time)

Run (26.2 miles) 5:20:00

Total:  14:00:00

I feel that I would not kill myself at that pace, and I will be done by 9:00pm or so.  It will all depend on my nutrition, my hydration, the next few weeks of training, and the climate of the day.  All in all it should be fun.

I have finally got the go ahead from Champion System that our race suits will be here.  They were trying very hard to get one out for Garret who will be competing next weekend in the Kemah Triathlon.

I am very proud of him and Amy Mullen for all they have done.  They may not realize it, but they are one of the main reasons that I keep going.  You too can support them.  Garrett in currently in third place for money raised for the Kemah Triathlon.  Let's push him up the podium.  Click on their pictures to donate to their campaigns.

$800.00 Raised

$300.00 Raised

Their efforts combined with the amount that you have given to me in the past year, we have raised $2,200 of the $25,000 needed to start the medical research at Texas Children's Hospital.

I have tried this several time, and it does not seem to work, but I am going to try again. If you are reading this blog right now and you have not already donated, I want to pull on your heart one more time.  The percentages of raising money after an event is completed reduces nearly 75%, so I am hoping that you decide to donate today.  There is no other medical of this kind in the world, so your money matters.  Can you consider this?  

Give $2.4 or $24 for the 2.4 mile swim 

Give $11.20 or $112 for 112 miles of the bike

Give $26.20 for the 26.2 miles of the run

Give $140.60 for the total race.
Commit to give $1 for every hour it takes for me to finish the Ironman Texas  (Please email or comment with your commitment.  It will be motivation for me)

Every dollar matters no matter how large or small.  Please donate today.

The Team SA Badge

This is currently the total number of miles finished in competition by Team Shawn's Anomaly!  Way to go Team.  See you at the Kemah Triathlon!

2012 Ironman World Championship Lottery Winners

Well it is official.  The winners of the Ironman World Championship Lottery have been announced by WTC.  Unfortunately, my name is not that list.  It was a long shot, and I will continue to try every year till I reach Kona.  It is why I started this crazy journey, and it will be where I finish. God may just have other plans on what he want to do with Shawn's Anomaly before I am allowed to finish in Kona.

Congratulations to all of the official winners of the lottery. You are going to live my final chapter.  If you need a Reason 2 Race, I ask that you consider www.shawnsanomaly.org.  Maybe you can be Shawn's Ironman before I can be.

Please see the list below:

First Name     Last Name      Age     Country          State

Rick                 Choy               48        CAN               ON

Tim                  Hudson           53        USA                FL

Scott                Shields                        45        USA                CO

Glen                McGowean     46        USA                IL

Steve               Carrington       45        USA                NJ

Marshall          Burchard         52        USA                NY

Gary                Holmes            57        USA                TN

David              Christian          43        USA                NY

Mike                Kraus               62        USA                CA

Scott                Shaffer                        46        USA                FL

Bradly             Loescher          48        USA                PA

C.C.                 Wilkins            49        USA                NC

Todd               crandell           45        USA                OH

SIMON           WEBBER       39        AUS                NSW

Jimi                  Young             43        USA                MI

Jerome            Isakov             38        USA                NY

Colleen            Campbell         50        USA                NJ

Christian          Kohler             43        USA                NE

Kevin              Powell             44        USA                NJ

David              Giannetto        49        USA                CA

Fabian             Bali                  37        AUS                NSW

Earl                  Weeks             43        USA                TX

Edmund          O'Donnell        58        USA                NY

John                 Hill                  46        USA                CA

Kevin              Mallery            54        USA                CT

Alexander       Piquer              42        BRA                RJ

Kim                 Essendrup       43        USA                AZ

Dale                 Wheeler           49        USA                CA

Tim                  Almond           52        USA                TX

Kathy              laska                39        USA                MA

Bertrand          thinus              43        FRA               

Barney             Butler              61        USA                MI

Pat                   gray                 58        USA                LA

John                 Wilson             45        USA                CA

Jonathan          Carr                 47        USA                CT

Michael           Wells               46        USA                PA

Corey              Essar                42        CAN               AB

Thore               levetzow          41        DEU   

Howard           Davis               50        GBR   

Kevin              meskin             43        USA                CA

David              Robinson         47        USA                IN

Robert             Gibbons           52        USA                NC

Sean                Gorman           36        USA                IL

Stephen           Smith               48        USA                TX

Adam              Watkins           32        USA                D.C.

Verne              Santos             58        USA                HI

Jay                   Cushman         39        USA                MD

Marc                Warner                        45        USA                TX

Wayne             Yurtin              47        USA                CA

Nancy              Lowery            54        USA                ID

Craig               Jones               38        USA                CA

Jennifer           Dretzka           49        USA                CO

Richard           Ralph               40        AUS                TAM

Steven             Newman          36        AUS                NSW

Don                 McIntosh         70        CAN               BC

Andreas           Goros              44        SGP                

Bryan              Canterbury      41        USA                MA

Teresa              byrnes              45        USA                MD

Dennis             Budd               60        USA                UT

Seiichi             Noda               48        USA                MO

Jennifer           DiCarlo           33        USA                TX

Blake               Uptain             34        USA                TX

Karen              brown              44        USA                CO

Aquilino          Alamo             45        USA                ME

Kevin              Brown             33        USA                TN

Colin               Anderson        29        USA                UT

Laura               Stevenson        45        USA                FL

Mark                O'Keeffe         55        USA                NH

Andrew           Stiles               44        USA                FL

Andrew           Boyle               39        USA                VA

Terry                Smith               55        USA                NC

Dariusz            Kordonski       28        AUS                NSW

Niel                 Bosman           32        AUS                QLD

Jean-Pierre       Filippini           48        BEL   

Myron             Tetreault          45        CAN               AB

Kevin              Donegan          38        CAN               AB

Pablo               Aguirre            39        ESP    

Daniel              McFee             39        HKG  

Jorge                Dibildox          34        MEX

Peter                Zumsteg          47        TWN  
Houston          Barnes             30        USA                NC

Peter                politis              40        USA                SC

Alan                Wiltgen           68        USA                WI

Ginger             Wuebker          43        USA                OH

Joanna             cote                 51        USA                CA

Susan               Kashani           32        USA                NV

Kristen                        David              45        USA                IL

Robert             Putz                 47        USA                KY

Alberto            Navarro           31        USA                FL

Dana                Clark               42        USA                CA

Arturo             Saavedra         39        USA                MA

Jonathan          mugel              55        USA                NY

Diego              Rossi               38        ITA                

Scott                Starr                37        USA                SC

David              Stanuszek        39        USA                IL

Joseph             Stephanak       31        USA                NJ

Kevin              drury               54        USA                FL

Sean                Franco             46        USA                FL

Peter                Purrington       46        USA                TN

Jeffrey             Pangaro           33        USA                CT

Originally from: http://ironman.com/events/ironman/worldchampionship/lottery/2012-lottery-winners#ixzz1s8do1Gt4

Ironman World Championship Lottery Anticipation

We are less than 24 hours from hearing who is going to be able to follow their dreams, and who will have to wait another year.

I hope that I am one of those that gets to chance to follow the crazy dream that I have had since I was a child.  I remember the day like it was yesterday.  I was 13 years old, watching the 1988 Ironman World Championship, and thinking, "That looks impossible!"  I do remember, however, feeling that someday I would have the chance to do it.  Now if it was up to me, I would do it tomorrow, but alas, it is not up to me.  It is up to chance.

According to a statement for the World Triathlon Corporation:

Beginning in 2012 the Ironman Lottery will select 100 general Age Group athletes, 100 Legacy athletes plus five Physically Challenged athletes, to compete in the 2012 Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawai’i. Winners will be announced on April 15, 2012 at 12 p.m. ET on Ironman.com. One entry per athlete, duplicate entries will not be valid

Here are the qualification for the Legacy Athletes:

To enroll athletes must meet all four of the following requirements*:

1.       Athlete must have completed a minimum of twelve (12) full-distance Ironman-branded** races (includes existing and past events) by December 31, 2011

2.       Athlete has never participated in the Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawai’i

3.       Athlete must have completed at least one Ironman event in 2010and 2011

4.       Athlete must be registered for an Ironman event in 2012

*Legacy athletes will be required to submit their information during online registration.
**2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, 26.2-mile run

Since there are approximately 70,000 lottery registrations, and I am not a legacy athlete, my chances are slim; but there is still a chance.  Although, I don't think it would be impossible for someone like me to qualify for the Ironman World Championship, it would take several sacrifices that I am not willing to make.  Training for the Ironman Texas has really been hard for not only me, but my family.  My wife has been amazing the whole time.  I know my limits with her though.  If I dedicated the time & money that it would take to achieve a qualification spot, I would risk losing her.  I would also risk that if I worked on becoming a Legacy Ironman.  I would never let that happen, so I am left with only one option since purchasing a foundation slot from Ebay takes an average $50,000.00 winning bid.  That option is the lottery.

Finishing the Ironman Texas on May 19th will do a lot for Shawn's Anomaly.  I know that it will bring the awareness locally that it desperately needs, but it would not hold a candle to what finishing the Ironman World Championship would do.  Shawn's Anomaly is a world issue, a world problem, that affects children all around the world.  It is obvious that the best place to raise awareness would be on the stage of the Ironman World Championship.  We will just have to wait and see if that stage will be available for my family this year at 12:00pm EST tomorrow.

I have a feeling that I will be somewhere in the small hills of Montgomery County tomorrow on a bike doing my century ride when the winners are announced.  Since I get emails on my phone, and WTC will be emailing the winners, I just hope I don't crash if I receive good news.  If I do, and you are around, please pick me up, dust me off, and pinch me.  I know I will have to be convinced that I am not dreaming.

Interview on RunRunLive Podcast with Chris Russell

About a month ago I did an interview with Chris Russell of the RunRunLive Podcast.  Chris is an experienced runner, podcaster, and writer of the two e-books, The Mid-Packer's Lament and The Mid-Packers Guide to the Galaxy.I have really learned a lot from his podcast.  He always has some great interviews and tips that have helped me along this journey.

To hear the whole podcast got to (The Interview Starts at 10:14):

http://www.runrunlive.com/episode-217-shawns-anomaly

To find out more about Chris and the  RunRunLive Podcast, go to www.runrunlive.com

Thanks Chris, I really enjoyed our interview.  Keep up the good work. 

Ironman Texas 70.3 Results & Photos (Lonestar)

With SA Supporter: Heather Carlson

When setting up the Shawn's Anomaly tent for the Ironman 70.3 Texas in Galveston, I kept thinking, "I can't believe this is the last race before the Ironman Texas."  Of course I was remembering that this was the same distance that did last year that I was so worried about, but this was different.  This was also the first race of the season for me, and what was considered, "A Training Race" for Ironman Texas.  All I wanted to worry about was staying in my heart rate zones, not getting injured, having fun, and most of all being a great ambassador for Shawn's Anomaly. 

We were fortunate enough to have the Team Shawn's Anomaly tent out and several local triathletes that helped us spread the word about the mission by wearing the some temporary tattoos with the SA Logo on them.  That was very humbling for me to know that I am not alone on this mission.  Thank you for Sabrina, Shannon, & Heather for your support on the course for Shawn's Anomaly.  I also want to congratulate professional triathlete (and honorary Team Shawn's Anomaly member) Kelly Williamson on her second 70.3 victory this year.

The Swim (42:41)

I was so busy setting up the Shawns' Anomaly tent and my transition spot, I never really went over to look at the swim course at all, so when it was time to head over for the swim, I was a little overwhelmed on how long the swim was.  I guess when you are training you never really consider how long the distance is till you see the buoys all .  This was however a much different swim than the previous 1/2 Ironman that I did in Florida.  The water temperature was 72 degrees, and it was in salt water, which meant both of those factors would help me stay afloat.  The water clarity, however, was horrible, so you can't see the bottom or even your hand in front your face in the water.   All of this contributes to my anxiety at the swim.  I don't know why, but I get very anxious for the swim part of the race.  I am a great swimmer on my own, and I have figured out that it is not the open water, and maybe not even the clarity, when I am swimming alone.  It is only when I am around people that it makes me nervous. I can never find a rhythm until the field starts to break up.  I really need to work on that considering that the Ironman start is all the racers at the same time.  That scares me a little.

Finishing Bike

The Bike (3:06:33)

The Ironman Texas 70.3 is an out and back that follows the beach line of Galveston.  Except for a very small rise from the seawall and a slight incline on the San Luis Pass bridge, the course is VERY flat and sometimes windy.  It was however not as windy and I thought it would be this weekend.  This however is still not a lot of reprieve from how hard this course can be because you have never stop pedaling and constantly in the aero position for a long time; in my case, 3 hours.  It was however still a great average for me, and I felt that I held my own.  Ultimately, I felt very strong and ready for the run.

The Run (2:40:56)

On the Run

When I got off the bike, I stumbled a little, but I did not make anything of it until I started my run.  I started off my run and realized that my legs were not ready to go yet.  It was very hard for me.  My core temperature was really high and my heart rate was really high.  It did not take long for me to get a little encouragement from all of those at the Team Shawn's Anomaly tent as I ran by.  (***disclaimer for those of you that may follow this blog and have never been to an event, it is the greatest support you can show for an athlete.)

 I saw my wife, my mother, a business friend with his family (Paul Swan), Veronica (Shawn's Anomaly Associate Director), and Veronica's friend Todd all by the tent cheering and it immediately gave me a boost to find my running legs along with a little encouragement from a fellow competitor Jared Kirkpatrick on the course.  We both found ourselves encouraging each other to get going.  Eventually my legs did come back and I found a friend for life in Jared, well that is if I can find him on Facebook or he contacts me through here.  He has an amazing story to tell and definitely proving that anything is possible if you put your mind to it.  Lap 2 was much better and as I started the final lap, my heart rate monitor stopped working.  Since I was so focused on staying in my range, I felt completely venerable without it.  I would find myself running hard and having to walk a little to catch breath.  Soon, the final run chute was in sight and I was feeling great.  As a matter of fact, I decided turn a cartwheel at the finish line.

When I started to compare my last 1/2 Ironman, I realized that the results were very similar.  I had a better swim and a very similar bike & run.  You would think I would have been disappointed by not seeing an improvement, but on the contrary, I did see a huge improvement.  Where you may ask?  Today!  Today, I was able to get up and not feel sore at all.  As a matter of fact, I feel great.  Because of the lack of soreness, I have realized that my fitness has improved.  Another bite of the elephant has been swallowed, and it never tasted so good. 

The whole weekend was a lot of fun because I was able to see a lot of great friends, both new and old, I learned a lot about myself; and ultimately, I witnessed the Shawn's Anomaly Mission continue to gain momentum.

Ironman 70.3 Texas ....

It is go time...

Matthew with Heather Carlson (Rachel's Co-Woker)

Team Shawn's Anomaly Tent at Ironman 70.3 Texas

Matthew and His #1 Fan & Supporter