Back in March while attending the IHRSA Trade Show in San Francisco I met one of the creators behind a new running shoe from Altra Running. IHRSA is the largest health and fitness trade show in the U.S. and my company exhibits there every year. The Altra Running company was started by three young gentleman that have been researching running style and the art of "natural" running. I wont get much into the science but feel free to check out the website at http://www.altrarunning.com/ to read about it, especially if you are into running. Anyway, I decided to order a pair of there "Instinct" shoe and give it a try. Without getting into detail, the shoe is a minimalistic shoe similar to the bare-foot style shoes you see on the market but it had more cushion for longer distance. I have been researching running shoes the past few weeks so I figured I would give them a try. So far I have had them for two weeks and they are great! My calves are a little sore as I totally ignored the directions of easing your way into them, oops? This past weekend Vanessa, Elle, Carol (mother-in-law) and I drove up to Frisco to take part in the Head for the Cure 5K run/walk. Vanessa and I both had friends from college that had brain tumors and were taking part so we decided to join there teams and participate. This was my first chance to test out my new Altra "Instinct" Shoes at a shorter distance. They felt great during the run and I ran my fastest 5K yet with a final mile split of 5:40/mile. The funny thing was Vanessa and I got our race bib numbers mixed up and I actually wore hers in the race. I ended up winning her age group and it was quite embarrassing for Vanessa considering she is 7-moths pregnant. They called her name and everyone just stared. We all laughed it off as it a great event for a great cause.
Yesterday I set out for my first extended bike ride (+2hrs) since the MS 150. I drove to downtown Fort Worth and rode the Trinity Trail. This is a bike path that runs along the Trinity River through downtown and all the way through Fort Worth. I went a total of 35 miles down and back. Overall the ride went well. I took it pretty easy since I am feeling pretty sore from my training this week. My calves have really taken a beating from all the running and I need to be careful not to overdue it. I can really feel my biking starting to improve but I know I have a long way to go. This was the first time that I really felt like I enjoyed myself on the bike though. It was not a pain or hassle in my mind so maybe that is a sign I am starting to come around on this biking thing? I can really feel my body starting to feel the wrath of all this training. Again, I cannot reiterate how much I have learned about the importance of nutrition both while I train and during my off times. I need to really keep focusing on not pushing myself too hard in the beginning because I know I have a long way to go.
Finally, this opportunity to compete the Ironman has been a life changing event for me. These type of life changing events do not come along too often so I thought that it would be a good chance for me to make a difference for others as well during this incredible journey. I have decided to start a fundraising campaign to help fight and raise awareness for Alzheimer's during my training. I have teamed up with the Alzheimer's Association of America and created my own personal fundraising web page. Please click on the link
Tommy's Alzheimer's Awareness Page and you can take a look nd read a little about Alzheimer's and its horrible effect it has on many. I plan to raise as much money as possible over the next five months to hopefully make a difference. If oyu feel like making a small donation that would be awesome!
Ironman Motivational Video
Click Photo Above for Video
Monday, May 16, 2011
Monday, May 2, 2011
MS 150 Bike Ride- What a Day!
A good buddy of mine Will Lovis called me last week to see if I wanted to join him and his company in the annual MS 150 Bike Ride from Frisco to Ft. Worth. It is a two day fundrasing event with the first day completing a ride of 86 miles and the second day a ride of 64 miles. All the money raised for the event goes to research for the fight against MS, a disease that my Aunt Cynthia suffers from as she it a big advocate for the fight. I figured this would be a great opportunity for me to race for Cynthia as well as see where I am at with my overall cyling fitness as I get ready to prepare for Kona. Before I get into the ride I will tell you that Day-2 of the race was cancelled due to bad storms and weather.
As I drove the 35-miles to Frisco for the start of the race I was pretty nervous. Not ever riding 86 miles on my bike before made me a little uneasy about the days outcome. Fortunately this was not a true "race" and just a rally to race awareness for a good cause. I told myself that I would follow a nice pace and treat it as a study to see where I am at with this whole "cycling" thing. My heart rate monitor battery had gone out the day before so I was just going to hav to rely on my speed on the bike to judge my pace. The first 15 or so miles I rode with my buddy Will. He is an avid cyclist who can really move on that bike. I felt good and we chatted as we flew by hundreds of cyclist on the road. After aout 30 minutes riding with Will I told him that I was going to hang back and that he could move forward at his faster pace. Will is training for the Ironman in Idaho this coming July. For the next 10-miles or so I enjoyed riding in large pack of riders, chatting about current events or anything else that was on our mind. We were truly in the back roads of Texas as we rode past numerouse multi-million dollar raches with cattle and wheat fields for miles. It was a very relaxing ride. I met a great group of ladies (never got there names) that talked with me about Kona for a while and how excited they were for me to get a chance to race the Ironman. they were both preparing for the Itonman Texas in three weeks down in Houston. I struggled to stay with them even though I would not show it, ha ha. The first rest area came about 27 miles into the ride. Here you could park your bike, stretch, eat some food and take in fluids. These rest areas were scheduled about every 15-20 miles on the ride so that made it nice. It gave yo ua chance to relax and catch your breath. After a few cookies, some gatorade and a refill on my water bottles, I was back on my bike headed on my way. I was feeling pretty good as you see in my quick video below.
Shortly after the video I got onto a long stretch of road pretty much by myself. It is amazing what your mind goes through while you are all alone. I am starting to realize it is almost more stressful on your mind than your body. Constant thinking o how fast, should I drink, should I eat, should I slow down? As I rode over the dam over Lake Ray Roberts I started to feel the fatigue in my legs. There was a pretty strong cross wind blowing (15-20mph) that kept me on my toes. Fortunately the next rest area where they served lunch was only about 10-15 miles away. I made it to the rest stop but was pretty fatigued. I had never felt cramps before in my legs like that. I guess the only comparison I can make is when I was a little kid and I would wake up in the middle of the night with leg pains. My parents called them "growing pains". It was a very similar feeling. I figured if I re-hydrated and took in some lunch I could get rid of them. After a quick lunch, refill on fluids and a stretch, I was on my way. 47-miles in and just 39 to go! It was around 10:30am so the winds started to pick up and that so-called "overcast sky" turned clear and sunny with the temps getting into the mid- 80's. Not 15 minutes into my ride my cramps came right back. They got pretty bad. So bad that I saw a group of guys resting on the side of the road and I pulled over to take a rest. One guy happened to be a Bike Marshall. These were designated people who volunteer to ride the course and make sure everyone is doing okay as well as assist with any mechanical or medical issues. Ray was his name from South Africa. He was kind enough to give me some eletrolyte tabs and also encouraged me to eat a few of my GU Gels to see if that would get my cramps to thin out. He asked if I wanted to have the SAG van come get me and bring me to the next rest station? These SAG vans ran up and down the course for people that needed assistance as they would bring you to the to the next rest station so you could rest or work on any mechanical issues with your bike. As much as I wanted to give up I was not going to. Ray said he would ride with me to the next station and make sure I was doing okay. Unfortunately we had about 20 miles to go and we were in the hardest part of the course. As we got back on the bike my legs were still burning. I could feel that the gels and electrolyte tabs were helping a little though. I also think having someone there to talk with and guide me through was a huge help. Finally, I reached the rest station just outside of Sanger, Texas. As I looked around there were many people sprawled out on the grass as if it was nap time. It was damn hot and you could see the role the weather and wind was having on the riders. I spent a good 20 minutes at this station rehydrating, stretching and chatting with others about the days event. The good news was there was only about 25 miles to go to the finish. The next rest station was in Ponder and only 12 miles away.
as i made my way back onto the course I realized that this ride had gone from exciting and enjoyable, to a real struggle, as I was really hurting. About 7-miles into the next segment my legs started cramping again. I was really doubtful about continuing as I pulled of the side of the rode with some others to rest. These guys resting had called the SAG van and were going to get hauled in to the the finish line and skip the final rest area. They were exhauseted and had me convinced that the 60+ miles I had gone was good enough. As I waited for the van I decided to pull out my phone and check in on Facebook. Earlier that morning I had posted that I was riding in the MS 150. Numerous people resonded wishing me luck but just one resonse really caught my eye. It was my autn Cynthia would struggles with MS. She said, "Tommy, thanks so much for riding. It means so much! No matter how you feel I know you can finish. My legs feel that way every single day. Keep going, you can do it!" You want to talk about motivation? I cnanot explain the feeling that came over me as I read that post. I quickly clipped back into my pedals and began to hop back on my bike. The three guys I was waiting with looked at me in confusion. There was no way in hell that I was quitting now. There a lot to be said about the strength of words and this proved it today. I pushed along the highway should and my legs hurt more than they had all day. I looked my watch and I had been at it for a good 4.5 hours now on the bike. My legs were in complete exhaustion but I kept pushing. Finally I reached the final rest area just 15 miles from the finish. There I met some of Will's co-workers and we decided to from Alvarez and Marsal. We talked and decided to ride in together the final leg of the race. The last 15 miles were suprisingly better. About halfway to the finish I did start cramping again but fortunately at the aid station prior I had put about every type of sodium/pottasium rehydrating food/drink in my body. I even ate fresh pickle juice! This really helped my legs recover and get me to the end. As we approached Justin, Texas you could see the massive Texas Motor Speedway in the distance. This is where the finish line was and that is all I needed. One thing I always like to do is finish strong and that is what my plan was. I dropped my bike into low gear and took off. The next 3-miles I pushed myself pretty hard. As I apprached the finish I was flying on my bike and it felt good to almost be home. It is so funny how I become more involved i nthese endurance races. No matter how bad it sucks or how bad it hurts, getting to that finish line always keeps me coming back. Here is a quick clip of the finish.
I learned so much from the bike ride this weekend. I learned that motivating words can go a really long way. My aunt Cynthia got me through the race and I owe it to her. As far as the training, I learned again that nutrition is the key factor to this entire "Ironman" thing. . Each day as I train I am gaining more an more knowledge of what it is going to take to finish at Kona. In the next few weeks I will be starting my heavy training and will keep you posted on what is going on.
Again, sorry for the typos. I had to squeeze this in very quickly this morning.
I appreciate you taking the time to read my blog. TP
As I drove the 35-miles to Frisco for the start of the race I was pretty nervous. Not ever riding 86 miles on my bike before made me a little uneasy about the days outcome. Fortunately this was not a true "race" and just a rally to race awareness for a good cause. I told myself that I would follow a nice pace and treat it as a study to see where I am at with this whole "cycling" thing. My heart rate monitor battery had gone out the day before so I was just going to hav to rely on my speed on the bike to judge my pace. The first 15 or so miles I rode with my buddy Will. He is an avid cyclist who can really move on that bike. I felt good and we chatted as we flew by hundreds of cyclist on the road. After aout 30 minutes riding with Will I told him that I was going to hang back and that he could move forward at his faster pace. Will is training for the Ironman in Idaho this coming July. For the next 10-miles or so I enjoyed riding in large pack of riders, chatting about current events or anything else that was on our mind. We were truly in the back roads of Texas as we rode past numerouse multi-million dollar raches with cattle and wheat fields for miles. It was a very relaxing ride. I met a great group of ladies (never got there names) that talked with me about Kona for a while and how excited they were for me to get a chance to race the Ironman. they were both preparing for the Itonman Texas in three weeks down in Houston. I struggled to stay with them even though I would not show it, ha ha. The first rest area came about 27 miles into the ride. Here you could park your bike, stretch, eat some food and take in fluids. These rest areas were scheduled about every 15-20 miles on the ride so that made it nice. It gave yo ua chance to relax and catch your breath. After a few cookies, some gatorade and a refill on my water bottles, I was back on my bike headed on my way. I was feeling pretty good as you see in my quick video below.
Shortly after the video I got onto a long stretch of road pretty much by myself. It is amazing what your mind goes through while you are all alone. I am starting to realize it is almost more stressful on your mind than your body. Constant thinking o how fast, should I drink, should I eat, should I slow down? As I rode over the dam over Lake Ray Roberts I started to feel the fatigue in my legs. There was a pretty strong cross wind blowing (15-20mph) that kept me on my toes. Fortunately the next rest area where they served lunch was only about 10-15 miles away. I made it to the rest stop but was pretty fatigued. I had never felt cramps before in my legs like that. I guess the only comparison I can make is when I was a little kid and I would wake up in the middle of the night with leg pains. My parents called them "growing pains". It was a very similar feeling. I figured if I re-hydrated and took in some lunch I could get rid of them. After a quick lunch, refill on fluids and a stretch, I was on my way. 47-miles in and just 39 to go! It was around 10:30am so the winds started to pick up and that so-called "overcast sky" turned clear and sunny with the temps getting into the mid- 80's. Not 15 minutes into my ride my cramps came right back. They got pretty bad. So bad that I saw a group of guys resting on the side of the road and I pulled over to take a rest. One guy happened to be a Bike Marshall. These were designated people who volunteer to ride the course and make sure everyone is doing okay as well as assist with any mechanical or medical issues. Ray was his name from South Africa. He was kind enough to give me some eletrolyte tabs and also encouraged me to eat a few of my GU Gels to see if that would get my cramps to thin out. He asked if I wanted to have the SAG van come get me and bring me to the next rest station? These SAG vans ran up and down the course for people that needed assistance as they would bring you to the to the next rest station so you could rest or work on any mechanical issues with your bike. As much as I wanted to give up I was not going to. Ray said he would ride with me to the next station and make sure I was doing okay. Unfortunately we had about 20 miles to go and we were in the hardest part of the course. As we got back on the bike my legs were still burning. I could feel that the gels and electrolyte tabs were helping a little though. I also think having someone there to talk with and guide me through was a huge help. Finally, I reached the rest station just outside of Sanger, Texas. As I looked around there were many people sprawled out on the grass as if it was nap time. It was damn hot and you could see the role the weather and wind was having on the riders. I spent a good 20 minutes at this station rehydrating, stretching and chatting with others about the days event. The good news was there was only about 25 miles to go to the finish. The next rest station was in Ponder and only 12 miles away.
as i made my way back onto the course I realized that this ride had gone from exciting and enjoyable, to a real struggle, as I was really hurting. About 7-miles into the next segment my legs started cramping again. I was really doubtful about continuing as I pulled of the side of the rode with some others to rest. These guys resting had called the SAG van and were going to get hauled in to the the finish line and skip the final rest area. They were exhauseted and had me convinced that the 60+ miles I had gone was good enough. As I waited for the van I decided to pull out my phone and check in on Facebook. Earlier that morning I had posted that I was riding in the MS 150. Numerous people resonded wishing me luck but just one resonse really caught my eye. It was my autn Cynthia would struggles with MS. She said, "Tommy, thanks so much for riding. It means so much! No matter how you feel I know you can finish. My legs feel that way every single day. Keep going, you can do it!" You want to talk about motivation? I cnanot explain the feeling that came over me as I read that post. I quickly clipped back into my pedals and began to hop back on my bike. The three guys I was waiting with looked at me in confusion. There was no way in hell that I was quitting now. There a lot to be said about the strength of words and this proved it today. I pushed along the highway should and my legs hurt more than they had all day. I looked my watch and I had been at it for a good 4.5 hours now on the bike. My legs were in complete exhaustion but I kept pushing. Finally I reached the final rest area just 15 miles from the finish. There I met some of Will's co-workers and we decided to from Alvarez and Marsal. We talked and decided to ride in together the final leg of the race. The last 15 miles were suprisingly better. About halfway to the finish I did start cramping again but fortunately at the aid station prior I had put about every type of sodium/pottasium rehydrating food/drink in my body. I even ate fresh pickle juice! This really helped my legs recover and get me to the end. As we approached Justin, Texas you could see the massive Texas Motor Speedway in the distance. This is where the finish line was and that is all I needed. One thing I always like to do is finish strong and that is what my plan was. I dropped my bike into low gear and took off. The next 3-miles I pushed myself pretty hard. As I apprached the finish I was flying on my bike and it felt good to almost be home. It is so funny how I become more involved i nthese endurance races. No matter how bad it sucks or how bad it hurts, getting to that finish line always keeps me coming back. Here is a quick clip of the finish.
I learned so much from the bike ride this weekend. I learned that motivating words can go a really long way. My aunt Cynthia got me through the race and I owe it to her. As far as the training, I learned again that nutrition is the key factor to this entire "Ironman" thing. . Each day as I train I am gaining more an more knowledge of what it is going to take to finish at Kona. In the next few weeks I will be starting my heavy training and will keep you posted on what is going on.
Again, sorry for the typos. I had to squeeze this in very quickly this morning.
I appreciate you taking the time to read my blog. TP
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