Race Report: Success and Significance

I write this much overdue race report on the night before Easter.  My thoughts this week have been focused on Jesus and the price He paid for us all.  It's easy to look at those who persecuted Him as the bad guys, but the fact remains his disciples with Him the night before He was crucified deserted Him and fled.  (Mark 15:50).  The disciples couldn't have been in a more eternally secure place than with Jesus, but they fled.  Where do I fit in - as a persecutor, a fleeing disciple, or somewhere in between?  It really doesn't matter, I'm with everyone else, I'm on the side that needs grace, mercy, and forgiveness.  

What am I worth?  What are you worth?  As human, it is so easy to walk around mired in this sinful world, feeling guilty about being part of humanity that crucified Jesus.  Thankfully, God doesn't look at any of us that way.  Here is what we are worth in His eyes:  "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish

 but have eternal life."   That is what we are worth to Him.  Jesus paid it all.  He overcame death, sin, and Satan for you and me.  He bore the weight of all sin for all time and suffered to a degree we will ever know when he spoke, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"  (Mark 15:34).  Praise to our Father in Heaven.  

The war is over now.  The battle is won.  I can't help but think of John 16:4, "I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me."  

Race Report

Significance

I hope I dropped a small pebble in the pool of God's kingdom.  I saw many ripple effects and I hope they extend out farther than I can see.  I sought God in all aspects of the triathlon and He blessed me in many ways:  

-Over $12,000 raised for Daniel and Magen Davis for missionary work in France.  

-The chance to declare on TV, newspaper, and church that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior.  

-Being part of an event where I felt like I was along for the ride.  The support by so many that came to watch is incredible.  Everybody left that night with smiles on their face.  

-An email from a college student informing me that my story had inspired him to seek an advanced degree and to approach it in a way to glorify God.  

-A strengthening of friendships.   

Success

Swim:  1:06.47  

Transition 1:  About 45 minutes (Spent time doing a tv interview before biking)

Bike:  About 8 hours

Transition 2:  About 30 minutes (Talked a little too much!)

Run:  5:15

Total:  15:45  

Swim Details:  

The swim went just as I expected.  I tried to treat it as a warmup and not expend much energy.  Mission accomplished.  

Bike:  

The temperature was 32 when I started.  I dressed appropriately and was never cold.  Unfortunately, the bike did not go at all as I had hoped.  I wanted to ride comfortably and "smell the roses" along the way, but from mile 15 through 85 I was miserable.  I believe I was under spiritual attack and before you think I've lost my marbles, remember that I am one who chooses to believe everything in the Bible and I do believe that Satan tries to destroy just before blessings or good things occur.  I had the most negative thoughts you can imagine and I was only three hours or so into the triathlon.  I've never had a feeling like this, but I prayed and prayed.  At about mile 85, my spirits lifted and the last 20 miles or so of the bike were the best I had all day.  

Run:  

Thanks to all my friends (Matt, Tyler, Chief, Ken, Randy, Chad, James, and others) who ran parts of the marathon with me.  It felt good to start the run.  My first goal was to put in a solid hour somewhere around a 10 minute per mile pace.  Mission accomplished.  I tried to do the same for a second hour.  Mission accomplished.  I tried for a third solid hour.  Mission accomplished.  By this point I was getting pretty tired.  I was running seven or eight minutes and walking one minute.  During the fourth and fifth hours, I just focused on running to the next walk break.  I was able to do this and finished really strong.  

Final Thoughts:  

I thank God for the body, mind, and dedication to be able to complete a really tough test of endurance.  I tried to do it in a God honoring way for His glory.  Thanks to all of you who encouraged me, cheered me on, or complemented me afterwards.  All the glory is for God.  

I am going to try and get a short video posted soon that encapsulates the whole day in pictures.  

Peace to you,

Chris

Mission Accomplished

Quick note to let everyone know I finished in about 15 hrs, 45 minutes.  Thanks for all the prayers, support, and encouragement.  A full race report with pictures will be posted this week.  

Thanks 

Chris

Bring It On!

Today's picture was taken by my family from a bridge at the start of Ironman Arizona 2008 and is the perfect lead in to my last pre race post. It is quite a contrast between starting in a human powered washing machine and having a lane at the rec center all to myself.

My event photographer asked me today to compare how I felt the day prior to Ironman AZ versus how I feel one day prior to Swim, Bike, and Run to the Cross 140.6. Here goes . . . .

The biggest difference for me is that physically I have a better sense of what is ahead of me. A freind told me completing an ironman is like wrestling a gorilla. The catch is that the gorilla tells you when to stop, not the other way around.

There is a different kind of hoopla surrounding this event. I have made far more personal connections this time, but there won't be fellow competitors on the race course. I will have someone swimminng with me and numerous people are going to run a few miles which will be nice.

I have maintained a sense of peace and calmness regarding this event. Prior to Ironman AZ, one of my prayers was to accept any outcome and as I said then and I say now, I was at peace when I didn't finish. There were no regrets.

In the spring and now, I enter the race with a feeling of gratefulness. All that I have and all that I am was given to me by God. In Arizona, I tried to remember how grateful I was to be able to race on the same course with incredible athletes in an event where the outcome was unsure. I hope to carry the same attitude tomorrow.

If you've made it this far in the blog post, I ask that you pray for missionaries Daniel and Magen Davis and all the people in France. I ask that you pray for safety, patience, and strength for me on race day, and finally, that God can honored in all aspects of this triathlon.

If any praise or complements come my way, I redirect them to God as He deserves all the praise, glory, and recognition.

A race report will follow Saturday or Sunday.

Blessings to you all,

Chris

Breaking It Down: Part 3, The Run

Today's picture was taken near the end of a 3 mile run in a sprint distance triathlon. There is some suffering in sprint triathlons, but the pain is acute and short lived, relatively speaking. And that leads us to the third leg of an iron distance triathlon, a 26.2 mile battle.

The bike leg will end at the picnic shelter at Veteran's Park on Valleydale Road, just behind Spain Park High School. My running gear will be provided by my mobile support team and after a quick change in the restroom, I'll head out on the trails.

Course Description: The running trail is not paved, but it has been packed with a small gravel or stone. It is an awesome running surface. There is a measured 8k loop (4.99 miles) that I will run five times and then I will begin a sixth loop for the remaining 1.25 miles. I have configured the run so that the finish line will be at the monument in front of the picnic shelter.

Strategy: It's not a complicated one. I will start running 10 to 11 minute miles and I'll keep it up as long as I can. I will take walk breaks every 5 to 10 minutes. I find this helps reset the leg muscles and delays the onset of heavy fatigue. At the snail's pace I am going, it really only adds about 10 - 20 seconds per mile.

Fueling and Hydration: The course I am running is more or less a figure 8. I will be passing by the picnic shelter every 15 - 20 minutes so I will have easy access to my supplies. I will stick with Hammer Gel (raspberry, apple cinammon, and espresso), some Perpetuem, and plenty of water.

The End: Barring catastrophe, I hope to finish in the neighborhood of 7 - 8 o'clock.

Hope to see you there. I'll make one last post tomorrow before the big event.

Blessings to all,

Chris

Breaking It Down: The Bike and Transition 2

We pick up where we left off in the last post with a description of the bike leg and the second transition.

Today's picture comes from Tempe, AZ prior to Ironman Arizona. My dad, brother, and kids round out this picture. Where did I get my height?

For those interested, I have a custom made Zinn cycle made by none other than 6'5" Lennard Zinn who specializes in bikes for tall people. One of the challenges of being many standard deviations from the mean height of men is that bike companies aren't too interested in building and selling bikes to 6'6" guys. There just aren't many of us. After too many trips to bike shops where I was told, I think we might have something we can make work, I bit the bullet and went with a custom bike. My bike is considered a road bike and it isn't made out of carbon, titanium or anything exotic, but it fits and that is most important.

Leaving Transition 1

Upon getting changed into my warm and toasty biking clothes, I will head out for the 112 mile bike ride. Relative to others, the bike is my weakest leg of the triathlon. My first attempt at biking for triathlons began in 2006. I've got a few years of training under my belt, but to excel in biking requires strength and lots of time on the pedals, two things I don't have an abundant supply of.

Here is my game plan for the bike.

Nutrition: Consume approx. 300 calories of Hammer Perpetuem every hour. I mix the Perpetuem powder with water in small plastic flasks. The mix has the consistency of a thick pancake batter and it has a sweet taste. I will have eight flasks with me and I will consume the contents of one flask per hour.

Hydration: I won't want to drink much in 30 degree temps, but that isn't a good idea. I'll try to drink 16 oz or so per hour. I will take a few electrolyte pills as well each hour, too.

Biking: My urban bike course in North Shelby County, AL requires me to share the road with cars, trucks, and the like. I'll also need to pay close attention to stop signs and traffic lights. In regular races, most of the time the course is closed to traffic and police man the intersections. This means the cyclist can keep up his speed and avoid starts and stops.

My pace will for the ride will be something akin to a Sunday drive. I've done enough long rides in the area to know that I will average 15 mph or so given the amount of hills, stop signs, and traffic lights I will need to negotiate. This will translate into 7 hours and 30 minutes of riding time. I will be stopping multiple times for restroom breaks, water refills, and perhaps a couple of shots of espresso at Starbucks. I'm saving the espresso as a treat when I cross the 100 mile mark. My total estimate time on the bike is around 8 hours.

A couple of interesting things happen every time I do a long ride. I tend to have periods where I don't feel good at all on the bike and want to be done with it. This happens at about 40 miles, 75 miles, and 100 miles. The rough patch lasts for twenty minutes or so and by the time I realize I'm not miserable any more, another 45 minutes has passed. A second phenomenon occurs when I am within the last 10 miles of a given long ride. I always get a second wind when I realize that I am actually going to finish the ride. It happens whether my long ride is three, five, or seven hours.

Transition 2: Bike to Run (or something resembling a run)

It will feel really good to get off the bike and get in the upright position. My transition area will be the pavilion at Veterans Park on Valleydale Rd. I will jettison the bike clothes and put on the running gear. High temps are expected in the low to mid 40's - perfect for running. I might or might not start out in shorts. I'll be wearing a long sleeve shirt under a wind shirt. I'll have a hat, running pants, and more layers available as the weather cools down. After grabbing some water and a gel or two, I'll be on my way. Estimated transition time: 10 minutes.

Tomorrow: The Last Leg

Blessings to you all,

Chris

Breaking It Down: The Swim and Transition 1

I thought it might be of interest to those that do not know much about the sport of triathlon to break down the three disciplines and my strategy on Friday. Today I will review the Swim and the first transition, swim to bike.

Today's picture is circa 1977 at Nags Head, NC. I burned off lots of energy on those annual vacations playing in the ocean. Thanks Mom and Dad for teaching me to swim and paying all those dues to the swim team. Over 30 years may have passed, but the swim training is still serving me well.

What can you say about the swim in a triathlon?

It's wet and it is the shortest leg in both time and distance. The iron distance swim is 2.4 miles or 4,224 yards. Since I will be swimming in a pool, I will need swim 169 laps. The swim will always be my strongest leg. Success in the swim is highly correlated with technique. I'm not the strongest guy at all, but I was fortunate to learn decent technique when I was a kid.

Here is how I hope everything will shake out on Friday morning:

5 am: Arrive at Hoover Rec all fueled and hydrated.

5:05 Get the day started with a plunge into the pool. The temperature is kept at a constant 82 degrees so there won't be much of a shock to the system. The shock will come on the bike.

5:10 Begin my mantra of long and smooth strokes. The mantra is needed because I find the first 1000 yards or so of a long swim are the most difficult mentally. I feel confident I will finish the swim without any issues as I have swum the full distance without stopping twice in the last month. My pace will be like that of a Sunday drive. I view the swim as a long warm up for the bike.

5:40 I should be about halfway done with the swim. I will have lap counters and every time I complete 1000 yards, they will submerge a kickboard before I turn. There is something psychological about getting past the halfway point. I will probably stop at the deep end and take a gel. I want to get in as many calories as I can early in the day. Don't worry, I'll be treading water.

6:00 I should have about 15 minutes to go. The last 1000 yards are always the most enjoyable. My mind starts wishing the swim was a little longer and the whole 2.4 miles has been fun.

6:15 The swim should be over in about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Upon exiting the pool, it's time to get ready for the swim.

6:16 Into the locker room. First order of business: consume a couple hundred calories and drink 8 to 10 oz of water. Second order of business: Begin changing into bike clothes. If this was a competitive event held in the summer, the top tri dudes and gals would bike in the same attire that they swam in. With 30 degree temps and my desire to be as comfortable as possible, I am getting out of anything wet and into warm biking clothes. I'll give you the run down from toes to head.

Foot wear: Wool socks, "toasty toes" foot warmers on top of socks, bike shoes, bike shoe covers. The feet are one of the toughest things to keep warm on a bike. The toes don't move much and since I are not bearing any significant weight on my feet, they tend to get cold quickly.

Legs: Biking shorts and long biking pants over the top. This works well into the mid-20's. I don't think the temp will be below 25, but if it is, I may have to bring out the heavy artillery.

Chest and arms: Coolmax t-shirt, heavier zip shirt with wicking properties, long sleeve bike jersey, wind breaker. Layers are good, especially if it gets warm later in the day. This arrangement is ideal for 30-40 degree temps. Above 40, I have to start unzipping some things to cool off.

Fingers: Thermal bike gloves with "hot hands" hand warmers. Fingers get cold easily, too.

Head: Ski mask that covers head, ears, face and neck. Helmet. Sunglasses.

Ancillary Supplies: I will have about 8 hours of nutrition crammed into my jersey along with a cell phone, credit card, and a couple of dollars. I'll have electrolyte tablets for the ride and water for the first two hours or so.

I've got to believe it's going to take a good 10 - 15 minutes to get all this garb on and get down to the front of the building where I start the bike.

Tomorrow: My weakest leg, the bike.

Blessings to you all,

Chris

Things I Can't Do

Only five more days to go until the big event!! Today's picture comes from my 2008 summer family vacation on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  My sister, cousin, and I would do an open water swim to a nearby pier and back. It's great open water training and we were able to swim in everything from calm to rough conditions.  

Word has spread about the 140.6 Swim, Bike, and Run to the Cross One Man Triathlon and I have received much encouragement.  Thanks to all you who have supported me and plan to drop by at some point during the run.  It means more than you know.  

Over the last week, many people have asked me if I can really make the 140.6 mile distance or they wonder how I am going to complete such a crazy challenge.  I've got to say that after my "drop out" in Arizona in April, I too, have doubts.  It raises the question, is a 140.6 mile triathlon something I can't do?  I don't know and won't know until I try.  And in a weird way, that's why I like tough challenges.  The outcome is in doubt.  

No one, including myself, is going to be able to answer the question of whether I will finish or not until sometime on the evening of January 30.  All of you will know the answer the same time as me!  No amount of self talk, whether positive or negative, will guarantee an outcome.  

So here I type, wondering whether this is something I can or can't do. What am I going to do? First, I am going to take to heart the verse, Matthew 6:34, "Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own."  These are great words to remember for everything.

Second, I am going to focus on things I can do:  

• I can be grateful for having a body and mind able to try this challenge
• I can be grateful for being able to spend all day (and then some) outside in nature among the elements.  
• When swimming, I can focus on putting one arm in front of the other.  
• When biking, I can concentrate on making smooth circles with the pedals.
• When running, I can keep putting one foot in front of the other.  

Third, I can keep praying for Daniel and Magen Davis and their quest to be missionaries in France.  

As you can see, I've got a long list of things I can do before I ever need to grapple with the unaswerable question of "What Can't I do."  

Take care and I'll post again soon.

Chris