Monster Dash was fun!

It was a chilly morning with quite a stiff breeze out of the
northwest. I would be running with a group of friends during the
race. My goal was 2:10-2:15 for the 1/2 Marathon.
We met up with at our friends apartment and we walked about 1/2 mile
to the race start. Burr!! That wind was right in our face! As we
were walking we came up to a port o potty that had no line. I mean how
can we not captialize on that opportunity on race morning? It was
good we did. There were 5000 people starting the races when we arrived
near the start.

The race start was crowded. About 2600 people were doing the half so
the first several miles were slow and crowded. A lot of people were
in costume and I kind of wished I would have worn something fun.
Maybe next year.

The first few miles i did were at a pace of 10:20. We were laughing
and having a good time with our friends. Around mile 2-3 we all
started to find our pace and seperate into seperate pace teams. I was
feeling good. My legs were doing what they should and the weather
looked like it was going to be a nice day. But that wind was still
something else!

Around mile 5 or 6 I started to feel really good so I decided to pick
up the pace. So I trotted off to find my groove. Around mile 7 I
realized that I was running with several pace teams that had their
pace times on their backs. I realized that most said 2:00 hours. I
thought that this was crazy since I had no intention of setting that
kind of pace. However since I found myself in this position I decided
to keep up my pace and see what would happen.

I slowed and walked through two water stops to grab some hydration.
This race had plenty of water stops and they also had some hammer gel
to hand out. I don't like hammer too much so I passed on it. My legs
were still feeling good at miles 9,10, and 11.  Mile 11.5 is where I started to feel a bit tired. I believe it to be
mostly due to my body temp. I was wearing three layers. One short
sleeve dry wick. One longsleeve dry wick. And one jacket. The jacket
does not breath well and trapped in alot of heat and sweat. I
unzipped it almost all the way and ran for a while which helped but
was a bit annoying.

The final 2 miles where a blur. I was tired, warm, and ready to be
done but I had to make sure I kept my pace up. I crossed the finish
line and recieved my "gnarly" belt buckle and needed some water ASAP.
I headed toward the food tent and got some goodies to munch on. As I
headed there I almost forgot to stop my watch. When I did it said
2:00:25.  I was thinking my watch stopped or something because I must have taken
longer that 2:00 hours to finish... Nope it did not stop. My offical
time was 1:59:07

I am pretty proud of that time. It was one of my better runs and it
helps keep me motivated to pick up some speed this off season.

Until next time,
Alex

To Whoever Gets My Dog – A Story of a Hero and his Dog « Dogs Rule and Cats Drool

http://dogsrulecatsdrool.wordpress.com/2009/08/14/to-whoever-gets-my-dog-a-story-of-a-hero-and-his-dog/

When once you have tasted flight, you will always walk the earth with
your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you will
always be. -- Leonardo DiVinci

It is possible to fly without motors, but not without knowledge and
skill. — Wilbur Wright

Many believe that professionalism is inherited as soon as they get the
job they want. In reality, the job they want is acquired as a result
of professionalism --unknown

Pain is Weakness Leaving the Body - unknown

Creating a race schedule while employed at an airline...

A work in progress...

I am determined to plan a race schedule for 2010 early in February of 2010.  I would like to do several of the races I did last year as well as I am planning on doing 1 or 2 HIM ( Half Ironman) distance races during summer 2010.  I will also do several Sprint and Olympic distance races as prep and for fun.  Hopefully when all is said and done I will have completed 8-10 races.  Sounds like a great challenge... But I feel that i will be able to achieve this.

I have had several recommendation from some friends.  I also have a few that I found through searching the internet that look like they could be a fun challenge.  

This is a tentative list so far and I am sure there will be changes:

• Buffalo, MN - June 6th
  http://www.tribuff.com/
• Winona, MN - June 13th
  http://www.trinona.com/index.htm
• Lifetime Fitness Olympic - July 10th
  http://www.ltftriathlon.com/
• Chisago lakes 1/2 Iron Distance - July 25th
  http://www.midwestsportsevents.com/chisagotri.html
• Turtleman - August 14th
  www.turtleman.org
• Pigman Tri 1/2 Iron Distance - usually in August
  http://www.pigmantri.com/
• St. Croix  - September 5th
  www.finalstretch.com
• Cedar point 1/2 Rev - September 12th
  http://www.rev3tri.com/

I think than an important one would be the Lifetime Fitness Triathlon Minneapolis.  This should occur around the middle of July 2010.  This was the first triathlon I ever competed in.  It was so much fun that this is how I find myself addicted to the sport of Triathlon.  There are several possibilities for the 1/2 iron distances. The Revolution3 series look cool from a spectator spot.  I would love to do the Cedar Point race... closer to home and easy to get to.  

I am sure there will be a running race or two in there as well.  These are at the top of that list:

• Twin Cities Marathon.
• Monster Dash Half Marathon

One race that looks very fun is the Light the night aquatennial 5K. It goes through Downtown Minneapolis about 3 blocks from our Apartment.  Another is the St Patrick's 8K.

This list will be updated and corrected as the winter passes and as I train more.  Keep looking for changes!

Alex

This is why I Train and Race:

To be fit
To improve my swim performance
To improve my bike performance
To be able to eat what I want to
To be able to drink what I want to
To keep my heart healthy
To train and spend time with my wife
To keep my abdominals ripped
To keep my pectorials in shape
To keep my blood pressure low
To keep my motivation for doing stuff
To be outdoors more
To be a great husband
To be social
To think clearer
To meet friends
To push myself
To push others to do well
To push myself to do well
To travel
To prove to myself that it is worth it
To prove to my family they can be proud
To sweat
To feel that rush as I cross the finish line
To go fast
To keep my muscles strong
To keep my mind active
To help those less fortunate
To keep my motivation for moving
To insipre others
To help me have a goal every few weeks, days, months
To push my mind
To improve my outlook on life
To improve othrs outlook on life
To party hard afterwards
To keep my wife healthy
To keep my stamina up
To wake up and see the sunrise durning a workout or race
To go to bed knowing I did my best
To expierence those spritual moments while racing
To be beat my PR from the last race

Congratulations Ironman Madison Finishers!

Sunday the 13th of September was Ironman Madison and I happen to be spending the night here. I was unable to see the race first hand but I kept updating my iPhone using the Ironman webcast. What a beautiful day for the race. Sunny, very little wind, and not too hot.


On Monday morning I had the privilege to give 7 Ironman Finishers a ride home from Madison to Milwaukee. How inspiring! There were several 1st timers and at least one veteran. I am always impressed at the drive and determination of these individuals. It motivates me to get out there and push myself to complete this race some day. I have a good feeling I might.
I intend to sign up for a handful of triathlons next season. My wife and I plan on making several of those 1/2 Ironman Distance events. We have yet to decide on an "official" schedule but when we do I'll be sure to post it here.

Training:
I ran 4.5 miles yesterday in Madison. This is only 17% of the distance that the Ironman athletes completed. It was a good run. Temperature was in the high 70's and very little wind. The run path I took was near and on the American Family insurance headquarters property. I am pretty impressed at the fact that their campus has several miles of paved trails and they pride themselves on their "sustainable" property management. They have left a majority of it in a "natural" state. Lots of grasses and local plants, flowers, and trees. I do enjoy this run and try to take advantage of it when I can.

Speaking of Running... I am going to race in the Team Ortho Monster Dash 1/2 Marathon on October 31st. I am looking forward to it and I intend to give it my best go. I'll keep you posted on the training.

Take care,
Alex

Hello.

I am currently in Salinas, CA. My Mother had a partial knee replacement. I am here to help her through her first week of recovery/rehabilitation. She is doing great, the weather is great, and the family is great. I intend to use this blog in tandem with my site as a way to keep track of my training and race experiences with triathlon.

I have recently become introduced to triathlon. It started in January when i joined the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training. If you have ever been at a Marathon, Triathlon, or any other similar event you may have seen the purple jersey's out there. That would be Team in Training(TNT). I have so much to say about TNT that i will save it for another post.

Last summer after doing a handful of running races, a couple of half marathons and full marathons and fun runs, I found that I enjoy running and and find it a great way to stay fit. After weeks of run training I found myself running that I could only handle so much in a week. My knees and back were always a little sore after 10-15 miles. The day in and day of running was physically and mentally challenging. I needed to find a way to break it up. I find that I always get a good runners high after a great workout and like many others I am always looking to push myself in a new way...

Here is where I found Triathlons attractive. Swim, Bike, Run. A great way to break up the monotony of running all the time and get to be outside even more.

My wife, Bonnie and I have done 3 Triathlons this summer and we intend to many next season.. including a 1/2 Ironman Distance. That is 1.2 miles Swim, 56 Miles Bike, and 13.1 Miles run. It is a lofty goal... but we can do it.