tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20115493060820910902024-03-12T21:34:59.923-07:00Fat Man to Ironman!My story with weightloss, food, life and training for Ironman Wisconsin 2012.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2011549306082091090.post-76035353719580990772012-04-16T17:07:00.001-07:002012-04-16T17:10:14.261-07:00Where you fall might be where you are suppose to be.I know it's been a while since my last post. It's been super crazy busy and it's not going to be letting up any time soon. Cadence and I are watching a movie so I thought I would get a blog in. A lot has happened since my last blog and it should make for some interesting reading.<br />
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This past weekend I had my longest training day ever. 80 miles on the bike and a one hour run. It was almost exactly 6 hours long and I didn't really bonk until about half way through the run. I didn't think I would make it but I did and only "kinda" wanted to hurl. The workout was followed by an epic meal that was fantastic. I had a burger, fries and shake, as well as a cup of cookies from Caseys. It was legit. I pretty much slept the rest of the day so that my wife could mess with me while I was sleeping. Pictures on Facebook, picking my nose and just your typical tom foolery. But it was a good day and I actually enjoyed the bike quite a bit. Austin and Tyler Vander Linden rode along for the entire ride. Pretty surprised they did that, they only planned on riding half. They both did good and were excellent company. I hope to talk them into more long rides in the future. Tyler even rode the last few miles on a flat without knowing. I think he thought he was just worn out but he was actually working twice as hard. Flat tires are NOT aero.<br />
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I considered this long workout a breakthrough. I have been doubting myself a lot lately. Even on my long runs,currently around 13 to 15 miles, I have been doubting whether or not I could endure. Even though running is my favorite and I have done it a hundred times, I still feel like maybe I can't do it. But then I do it and I feel like I accomplished something every time I get it done.<br />
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I am realizing the mental part of training for an Ironman. It's not something you only deal with while training, it's pretty much something that is dealt with every waking moment. It's a serious balancing act trying to make sure I can be everything to everyone without snapping. Working opposite schedules with Nicole makes things so difficult. It pretty much means that neither her nor I have any free time during the week. She leaves the house when I do so that she can get to the gym and when I get home I am making dinner, doing dishes, trying to be Dad and all those things. We don't get to work as a team much but when we do life is so much smoother. Work has been very stressful as well. There are a lot of changes going on and I'm trying to adapt and I'm trying to be a good coworker and employee. 5 years at my current job is 4 years longer than any before. But work is work no matter where you do it. There are not many jobs that people can enjoy, and those people that have those jobs I envy. I would love to have a rewarding job and someday I will.<br />
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The week before last my Aunt went in to have her gall bladder removed. I had this surgery last November and was at the gym two days later. Literally, two days later. I wasn't able to do a whole lot but I was sweating and working out. Anyways, her surgery quickly ran into severe complications. I might have some of the details incorrect but you will get the point. When the surgeon went to inflate her abdomen, so they can see what's going on inside, she pretty much died. They ended up having to perform CPR on her for several minutes, broke every rib in her body and she was without oxygen for 4 to 5 minutes. Before they could start CPR they had to move the gas in her abdomen into her upper torso, or something like that. So pretty much, the worst case scenario for any surgery happened to her. According the chaplain this had only happened 1 other time in Methodist's history. So it's pretty rare.<br />
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My mom called me at work and asked that I come pick up Cadence because Kelly had had an aneurysm while in surgery, or something. So I picked up Cadence and later went to the hospital to see what was going on. When I got there she was in ICU and they had placed her on ice to keep her brain from swelling. She was posturing, he eyes were fixed and dilated and she was unresponsive. All signs of a severe brain injury. We, or at least I, was preparing for the worst. It really wasn't good and seemed hopeless. Her husband and 3 kids were all very strong through it all and did very well giving eachother strength. The hospital had decided to paralyze her, put her in a coma and lay her on ice for 24 hours. At the end of that time they would warm her up and reassess the situation. I can't speak for anyone else but I didn't think anything good would happen at the end of that time. When I saw her in the ICU I had never seen someone hooked up to so many machines. They were breathing for her and pretty much keeping her alive.<br />
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24 hours later they started to warm her and to everyone's surprise she opened her eyes, the night before Easter. I was not there but according to my mom, it was pretty intense. The hospital staff were crying and everyone was going crazy because they were witnessing a miracle. This still didn't really determine what kind of state her mind would be in though and it was still a concern. But over the next couple days they determined her brain was not damaged and she started talking, walking and then went home. Essentially, she was home a week after dying. I can't freaking believe that story, it's too good to be true. A worst case scenario turned best case scenario. Hallmark couldn't come up with that if they tried.<br />
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Nicole and I were talking about the situation after finding out Kelly was going to be alright. And I mentioned that what happened to their family is a gift. I don't know if they would see it that way or if anyone agrees but I think of it that way. Not very many people get to see life the way they will now. To actually suffer that loss and then get back what was lost, really would make you see life differently. To have that second chance would change everything. We all like to say that we are taking advantage of life or at least think it. But really all we are doing is just kind of getting by. Living for our weekends and vacations, everything in between is just work. Working to earn some "me" time. I have a feeling they are going to start seeing this differently. We all know that we could die at any time. But we do things that shorten our time so we obviously don't realize it.<br />
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I guess I'm saying try to realize that we only live once. No one really knows what happens when we die, so live like this is your one shot. That doesn't mean you have to live like a crazy person but you should live happy. Set goals and reach for them, even if you fall short. Where you fall might be where you are suppose to be.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2011549306082091090.post-85254389713535035912012-03-09T19:25:00.000-08:002012-03-09T19:25:48.008-08:00Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ho4Uov2HVRE/T1rGEOwaGKI/AAAAAAAAAD4/4ebsTXym91Y/s1600/424525_372150406141884_348097275213864_1255431_1519353670_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ho4Uov2HVRE/T1rGEOwaGKI/AAAAAAAAAD4/4ebsTXym91Y/s320/424525_372150406141884_348097275213864_1255431_1519353670_n.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><br />
Well, it's been quite some time since my last post. But I haven't been slacking, just been very busy. I am actually suppose to be cleaning the house up but I'm just not feeling that right now.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WHtuChXnz2k/T1rFwkcajzI/AAAAAAAAADw/Y-ZpcuZnsBk/s1600/430691_372152919474966_348097275213864_1255472_2055288544_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WHtuChXnz2k/T1rFwkcajzI/AAAAAAAAADw/Y-ZpcuZnsBk/s320/430691_372152919474966_348097275213864_1255472_2055288544_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Storbeck Family and their friends. Princess Camryn on the bike. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>The Ironglut Spinathon and Century Challenge has come and gone. I can't say how glad I am that it's over and how surprised I was by how well it went. The families that came to talk about their experience with Children's Cancer Connection were very inspiring. It was also very nice to get to see the kids that benefit from what we are doing. What we are doing was just made so much more important by seeing the actual people we are helping.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VaiXXgcaBGE/T1rGicGb8qI/AAAAAAAAAEA/PjVnH7pQTDM/s1600/429494_372148659475392_348097275213864_1255397_1206414490_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VaiXXgcaBGE/T1rGicGb8qI/AAAAAAAAAEA/PjVnH7pQTDM/s320/429494_372148659475392_348097275213864_1255397_1206414490_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The back row of bikes before the ride began. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>I was really worried about whether or not we could keep a group of people in a small room entertained and riding bikes for 6 hours. Well, the answer is yes we could. Our sponsors all came through with prizes and things that made it fun for the riders. They also were able to donate items that we auctioned off and made a really good chunk of money for our charity. Next year will be an even bigger success! Hy-Vee on Euclid made some awesome sandwiches and cookies. I may have had more than my fair share of the cookies. When the event was over we were able to donate quite a bit of food and beverages to the shelter downtown. So our event covered a lot of ground on March 4. Pretty proud that we pulled it off and that it did that much good. We are still waiting on some final numbers but the amount raised is somewhere right around $4000.<br />
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My newest project is a video I made for a contest. The contest is called <a href="http://bit.ly/zoVCqv">Kona Inspired</a>. They are asking that people with stories of inspiration and stories that fall into the "Anything is Possible" mantra be uploaded and then voted on. So I'm sharing my story in the hopes of an entry into the Kona Ironman World Championship. Kona is a race that, for the most part, you have to qualify for. Which means you have to be pretty damn fast to get qualified. The chances of me qualifying anytime soon are pretty slim. So to be part of this race would really be a dream come true. Not to mention that if I were to finish the race, my story might be used in the broadcast. That would possibly help us spread the IM4RM fundraiser to a really large audience. And at the very least, maybe inspire a few people. The Kona broadcast is the single thing that pushed me into triathlon. I had no intentions or even thoughts of doing triathlon until I watched the Ironman World Championship. To be one of those stories, like the ones that motivated me, would be a great success story.<br />
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My training has been going really good. I have had a few hiccups here and there with small pains but for the most part I'm just being cautious and everything is fine. I had a massage last week and I am still gauging the effect it had on me. It was only the second time I have had it done and this guy didn't hold back (keep your dirty thoughts to yourself). I think he was able to get some muscles loosened up and aligned but I'm still kind of recovering from it. It felt like I was run over by a truck the following couple days. I'm currently in my test week and I am getting more great results from the <a href="http://www.triathlondominator.com/">Triathlon Dominator</a> plan. Everything is improving and I love the workouts. I really can't say enough good about this plan.<br />
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I normally have something to say that is heartfelt or inspirational in my blogs. I don't want to reach so I'm just keeping it simple. But I would like to add a quick something. Take advantage of every minute. Don't waste any time waiting for something to happen, go get it and make it happen. If you want it, you have to get it. And hug your family and friends. Spend time with them and appreciate them while you have them. Any time they could be gone. I have been doing more of this lately, especially with my family. I look at my wife, daughter and parents and can't imagine life without them. Time is limited so use it while you have it. Our schedule is crazy busy and it seems like we are always on the go, but when we are able to spend that time together, that's all that matters.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2011549306082091090.post-26858028578462855372012-02-03T16:27:00.001-08:002012-02-03T16:27:52.835-08:00A bit of this and that...<div> I had somewhere I wanted to take this blog but once I started typing it out, it just didn't seem to be too heartfelt. So I will keep it simple and then give you an update on what's been going on. I wanted to write about what defines a person. How you are not defined by the standards that society has put in place, but instead by the standards we put in place for ourselves. Don't let society make you think that you are less than because you don't fit the mold. Don't let someone think you are poor because you have less than. Don't let someone think you are ugly, fat, skinny, because of their standards. You know you, and if someone else makes you doubt that then don't waste your time with them. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Let what you do define you. I'm not talking about what your job is or what kind of education you have, nothing like that. I'm talking about what you choose to do in your own free time, that's what defines you. </div><div><br />
</div><div>But anyways, I'm kind of stuck after that so I won't drone on about this. I just want to get that out there. </div><div><br />
</div><div>My training the past couple weeks has been pretty great. I have had absolutely zero, knock on wood, pain anywhere. At least nothing out of the norm. We all have small aches and pains, that's part of endurance. Just nothing to make note of. After my massage a few weeks ago the calf issues I was having are completely gone. I have been following a pretty strict regimen of stretching and rolling the calf, as well as stretching everything else from the belly down. I think that Yoga has been very beneficial as well. I always feel like I'm not getting anything done on Yoga days but it's a day to repair the body, as well as the mind. I am mostly repairing the body during the yoga, but later in the day I repair the mind with a cheat meal. I literally live for this meal! Favorite thing of the week, eating whatever I want for one meal. I just gotta say that when all you eat is chicken and vegetables and some bred throughout the week, that one meal is pretty damn important. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Pretty much the past few weeks have been structured like this: Monday and Tuesday are bike skill workouts building speed and power. Each of those workouts is immediately followed by a 1 hour strength workout. The strength workouts are awesome and I really enjoy them. These are my favorite two days of the week, that don't involve food. Wednesday is a swim workout focusing on form followed by a run. The run has been mostly hills on the treadmill and lasts about an hour. It actually goes pretty quick when you are doing sets instead of miles on the treadmill. Thursday is a hill repeat workout, which is just horrible. This week I did a 10 minute warmup at about 7mph, treadmill is in speed rather than pace. Then 10x60-90 second hills at an 18% grade at 6.5mph followed by a walk at -3% at 2.8mph. Each of these totals 3 minutes. Let me tell you how hard this is... Real hard. For me the last 10 seconds of each hill is a struggle. My legs will feel like they are on fire, my lungs feel like they are tearing apart, it feels terrible. But when that last hill is done, I get a really good feeling of accomplishment. Tomorrow I have a 3x900m swim followed by a 10 mile run. It's suppose to be snowing and 30 when I need to run tomorrow so I'm thinking outside would be fun. Sunday will be and has been a 2.5 hour bike. </div><div><br />
</div><div>I have really been enjoying this training. I haven't dreaded anything yet, even the hill workouts. I wouldn't say I like them but I don't have a hard time motivating myself to get it done. I have been feeling like there is not enough time in the day though. It just seems that there needs to be about another 5 hours on each day so I can get everything done and then relax a bit. Monday and Wednesday I'm up at 3am to ride and then a the gym at 5am to lift and home by about 6:30am. It's just always go go go. And now with us trying to get our house on the market our weekends are completely shot. Throw in trying to organize fundraising events and the IM4RM campaign and things just fill to the brim. I definitely couldn't do it without the help of my wife Nicole and my friends, mainly Justin and Carl. They have all helped a ton with IM4RM. </div><div><br />
</div><div>We have racked up quite a few donations for IM4RM and Ironglut. I think both will turn out great! I really hope so because not only do I want to raise a lot of money for the charity, but I want the people coming to the event to enjoy themselves. I don't want anyone to be disappointed. We will also be having our race kits made for IM4RM. So if you are interested in sponsoring us now is the time to get involved so we can get your artwork on our jerseys. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Well, that's all I got today. I gotta do some dishes and clean some house. Have a good weekend and don't forget to register for Ironglut at www.im4rm.com. </div><div><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2011549306082091090.post-82488596646148722662012-01-12T17:21:00.000-08:002012-01-13T02:20:47.096-08:00The secret to losing weight!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This picture is the day I failed my fitness test. And I know how dumb the pose is, I didn't chose that. I was 270lbs on this day which was much lower than shortly before. You will also notice the Flaming Lips wrist band I'm still wearing. </td></tr>
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</a></div>Before I started my weight loss journey, about 3 years ago, I was literally the complete opposite of the person I am now. If you would have told me then that I would ever have ran a Marathon or finished a Triathlon (of any distance) or even considered training for an IRONMAN, I would have probably just puked at the thought. I remember saying, somewhat jokingly, that I based my life after The Dude. The Dude being The Big Lebowski. I wanted to be lazy and just sit. I was addicted to playing World of Warcraft like it was crack. Back then I would get off of work, go home, grab my smokes and ashtray, computer and then sit on the couch from 5:30 to about midnight playing WoW (World of Warcraft). I would hold off going to the bathroom until it hurt too much to hold. I would order out almost every night, usually pizza. And it was always a large potato alfredo pizza with an order of Italian fries. Wow, it's good stuff. If I didn't have the cash to order out, I would cook. This is sad to admit but I would cook up some Hamburger Helper. I would tell myself that half was for dinner and half was for leftovers, only it never came in halves. That's an entire box of the Hamburger Helper stuff and 1lb of beef, I ate that all in one sitting. And to top it off, it didn't even fill me up. I never ate anything by the serving, only by the package. I was on a fast road to heart disease and severe health problems.<br />
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</div><div>So how does someone with this lifestyle of massively overeating, smoking and complete inactivity get to be a marathon finisher, a triathlete and an Ironman in training? By figuring out what it is that it takes to be healthy. I have talked about the Aha moment before and how it can snap you out of some bad habits. Well that's true, but you also have to keep that Aha and hold on to it for dear life. </div><div><br />
</div><div>When people want to talk about weight loss I feel that 100% of the time they are genuine. They really do want to lose weight. I remember how it feels to look around and realize you are the fattest person in the room, at the party, in the building or that you know... It's not fun and in all of those days of gluttonous glory I wanted it to be different. Several times I would tell people I had started to workout and eat right. Looking back on that, I had absolutely no idea what those two things were. We used to eat a box of mac and cheese with fish sticks and we honestly thought it was healthy. Or we would bake diced potatoes in a a vat of butter and consider it healthy because it was vegetables. I don't think we were alone in this train of thought either. I would say that most of our country is under the same impression. But let me tell you, eating healthy and working out is not something you can consider a diet. It's not something you can do until you hit that goal weight and then go back to the way things were. It's going to be a life long commitment.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the day I passed my fitness test and weighed 248lbs. Body fat was 35%, today around 15%. The week of Ironman, I will post pictures in these poses to compare. I need to redeem this but I want you to see what I was.</td></tr>
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</div><div>Let me back track just a bit. When I used to ask someone who had lost weight how they did it, I wanted to hear them say, "take this pill" or "it's easy". Guess what, no one ever said that. I remember someone in high school that was overweight getting in shape. I asked him what he did and he told me he ran. I thought to myself, "DAMNIT!" That seemed to be a going trend though. Anyone who had lost weight had done some actual work for it. I was just never ready to hear that.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Finally, a short time after our daughter was born I caught a glimpse of a man that worked in the restaurant next to my work. His name was Kevin and he was skinny as hell. I remember him being fairly big, not like me but definitely in poor shape. But this day he looked all sorts of svelt. So I asked him or someone I worked with what he had done. They responded with Farrell's Xtreme Bodyshaping. I thought about it for a while and asked for a membership for Christmas, it can be a bit pricey, especially to a new dad still holding on to expensive habits.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Without being an infomercial on Farrell's (Altoona location) I will just say that the place is amazing. The people are great, everything about it was exactly what a fat dirt bag like myself needed. We made friends and learned a lot about healthy living and also who we were. The confidence we gained through this program sling shotted both Nicole and I into our future. We continued with FXB for a year, and I even tried my hand at a tad bit of instructing. But the true test was when I felt I was able to let go of FXB. It was my comfort zone and my home away from home. But I wanted to see what I had in me so I continued on to where I am today.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Now let me just plain out tell you the secret to weight loss. To lose weight you first have to realize that you are not going on a diet. Diet sounds temporary and what you are going to do is FOREVER. You have to be ready to sacrifice a lot of what you know to get what you don't know. And let me tell you, it is soooo worth it. Now that doesn't mean you can never enjoy a donut or cookie, trust me, I tear that shit up. But I only do it once in a while. If you are ready for this just try giving yourself one day a week where you can eat whatever you want. Every other day count your calories and your nutrient levels. Use something like www.livestrong.com. Every time I have kept track of what I eat I lose weight like nobodies business. And after you can let it go, turn that free day into a cheat meal. If you track your calories all week, including on a free day, you will see that your calorie deficit takes a huge hit on free day. So you can keep that to a minimum by turning day into meal.<br />
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Second, you have to keep moving. Go walk every day, run, swim, ride a bike go to a fitness class. Just keep moving because it burns calories and gets your metabolism moving. If you are like me and lack motivation for this get into a class like Farrell's or most gyms have free classes with membership. When I was told I needed a doctors note to workout at Farrells, I bought a kettlebell and video. I worked out at home and lost 25lbs in just 10 weeks. It is possible to do it on your own, just a bit more challenging and a little less fun. You can also google something like Tabata workout or Crossfit workout. Do something like that, they are short and hardcore.<br />
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And lastly, don't beat yourself up for not being perfect. If you are anything like me in your weight loss journey you will seriously consider going to the toilet to expel the candy bar you just ate that was not on a free day. Or beating yourself up because you only finished 8 of 10 hill climbs, like today. You have to be able to understand that you will not always do it perfect but that tomorrow you will go to better.<br />
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Since I don't proof anything I ever write, I hope that all makes sense. And if you reached this part of my blog then you have surely benefited greatly from my wisdom. In that case you owe me a donation, please go to www.im4rm.com to make a donation. Or better yet, if you are wanting to get started in fitness, sign up for Ironglut! It will be a good ass kicking that will show you what a workout is and break the ice for you. Once you realize that everyone at the gym looks as silly as you, it makes it easier to go. I avoided it for a long time for that reason. Anyways, thanks for reading and you really don't have to donate but it would be nice.</div><div><br />
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</div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2011549306082091090.post-3130877816396523282012-01-06T19:19:00.000-08:002012-01-06T19:19:46.444-08:00IT'S FINALLY DONE! Well, kinda...The project we have been working on is finally up and running as of today. Our events that we have been planning and stressing about are finally ready for participants. It's all coming together finally and the stress level is starting to lower, finally. It's going to be worth it though considering we can only do good. Even if only $2 is raised, which we have already passed, we will have succeeded. So there is no failing now! To what degree we succeed is another thought though.<br />
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When we were meeting with Nick Inglett at Fitness World West discussing our Ironglut event. I was explaining why I felt so strongly about supporting Children's Cancer Connection. Until actually talking about it I don't think I really even knew what it was about what they do that made me want to help them so much.<br />
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I explained to Nick that when I was attending DMACC, and by attending I mean honing my ping pong skills, that we had a hypnotist entertain us one day. The hypnotist told us a story about the power of the mind to help us understand how hypnotism works. He told us that he himself had at one time had a tumor inside his brain. He went on to say that he declined modern medicine because he knew the power of his mind. Then he said that he was able to fight cancer by using the power of positive thoughts and energy to turn his death sentence into a new life.<br />
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We have all had the coach or parent that will tell us to, "Walk it off". I think that this idea is more powerful than getting over a stubbed toe or a banged knee. I don't necessarily think that a person can walk off illness or disease. But I do think that the mind plays a huge roll in your recovery and also determines the amount of fight that your body has in it. The way you react to a situation inside your head will determine how your body reacts.<br />
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Back to my meeting with Nick... So after we wrap up our discussion he says, "Let's go save some kids." Until he had said that I didn't consider what we were doing as saving kids. I thought of it as bringing happiness to kids and families in a super tough time. But when I started to think of what I told him about my experience and then put that with what he said, it really made since. We are making kids smile that are going through the most difficult they will ever face. Not just as a kid, but forever. Cancer is something that will effect the rest of their lives no matter the outcome. But yes, we are helping them feel better. At the same time what if one of the services that Children's Cancer Connection provides is the one thing that sets that child's mind in a positive direction. That direction helps that child fight through chemo treatments or through any of the several side effects of the disease and it's different treatments?<br />
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Well, I made it through the holidays with minimal weight gain if any really. I didn't think I did very well but everything is good. I am officially now in the Ironman training plan and I can't tell you enough how much I love this plan. The off season plan was great and so far the Triathlon Dominator is legit. The strength workouts are extremely tough and challenging. I'm having a blast riding my bike by myself in my living room at 4am and then going to the gym at 5 to lift. This stuff is awesome and I don't see myself burning out on it. Recovery days are kind of a drag because they are not challenging enough. The yoga is good though and I can tell it's helping me.<br />
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Please check out our site at www.im4rm.com and donate a bit if you can. Or sign up for the Ironglut if you have or want a rock hard ass. If you would rather find your challenge at the bottom of a glass, sign up for the Flip Cup tournament. It's all going to be fun and it's all for a great cause.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2011549306082091090.post-44359144150041210192011-12-13T17:19:00.000-08:002011-12-13T17:19:23.297-08:00What am I not taking advantage of?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VVf5g2N83Og/Tuf5L7CmS4I/AAAAAAAAADY/7_y5MVgM__Y/s1600/tumblr_l7awrhVM7t1qa9armo1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VVf5g2N83Og/Tuf5L7CmS4I/AAAAAAAAADY/7_y5MVgM__Y/s320/tumblr_l7awrhVM7t1qa9armo1_500.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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When I was a little kid I can recall being told that "This is the best time of your life". I guess I would say it was only when I was a little kid because I have been told that throughout my life, it just has to come from someone older.<br />
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I was reminded of this the other day while driving with Cadence in the car on our way home from daycare. We were listening to Christmas music and I got a feeling that I had when I was a kid. It was the kind of feeling that reminded me how at one point I believed in magic, Santa Claus, and didn't have bills to pay. I get the same kind of feeling when I smell a mixture of eraser and crayons.<br />
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If you are like me and you get these feelings of, I guess deja vu, then when it happens you focus completely on that one thing that is giving you that feeling or memory to try and keep it around for just a few seconds longer. The feeling usually goes as quickly as it comes though.<br />
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Well, the last occasion of this feeling the other day got me to thinking. "I will literally never get to be a kid again, or really have those feelings again." Magic no longer exists and Santa Claus is dead. But I was also thinking about how I should have taken advantage of life when I was a kid. I don't know how you can tell a kid to be more of a kid and do more kid stuff because they won't get it. But when I was younger I just wanted to get to be older and bigger so I could be cool.<br />
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Now I'm starting to think that maybe I'm missing something now. I'm about to turn 30 and is there something that I should be doing to take advantage of my young adult life? Maybe I'm already doing it or maybe I already did it. When I'm 80 will I look back on what I'm doing now and ask myself, "what the hell were you doing?" I spend a lot of time focusing on training, and working out. What's not spent there I spend on work. What's not spent at work is spent on my family. And then the remainder gets put toward friends. And there is even more in the list of what I need to get done in a day but that's the bulk of it. So am I using my time wisely? Is fitness actually a priority in the big picture? How about work? I highly doubt I will look back on my life and wonder why I didn't work more.<br />
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I guess this post is mostly a question. What are the things that you wish you could do more of? What do you wish you would have taken advantage of that you no longer have the opportunity to? I just hope I'm not doing something that 120 year old me will regret.<br />
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Training the past couple weeks has actually been great. I doubled up on my training the past week and a half by mistake. Made for some long days at work but the workouts were actually fun. It was challenging to try and fit so much work into a day already filled with stuff to do. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't relieved when I found out I could cut back today.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/rVqAdIMQZlk?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I heard this song while running the other day and it just hit the spot. Enjoy!</div><br />
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Monday I was running and feeling great all the way to the finish. My calf started to knot up again so I skipped the sprints I had scheduled. I went to the doctor yesterday about my foot and he recommended that I get my old shoe size back on and give it a try. He thinks that the narrower shoe is squeezing my foot forcing me to land on a smaller area which is causing my pain. So my freakish foot size (8.5 4E) is on order and should be here by early next week.<br />
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Back to the calf issue. I have an appointment on Monday to see the physical therapist. I imagine they will do some ultrasound and massage. Maybe put a heal lift in my shoe again since I'm lopsided. I also just purchased a Foam Roller that arrived today. It's pretty nice I rolled a little bit over my lunch and will do some more before bed. It feels alot better than a tennis ball and I can get more pressure than I can from the stick. I would feel better after a doctor tells me that I don't have a torn muscle or something serious. Pretty sure the muscle is just tight and balled up.<br />
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Looks like my Ironman schedule is going to change a bit too. I was planning on going to Texas for the Buffalo Springs Lake 70.3. But I found one that is just 2 weeks later in Indiana. So it will be a much shorter drive and the reviews I found on this race sound pretty good. It also means that I will probably be able to do Copper Creek Triathlon still. I was really hoping to do this race because I want to kill it! I would really like to see some hard work pay off in just one race next year with a podium finish. Even if it's a small race and I'm the only one in my age group. So if it ends up fitting into the schedule I plan on going as hard as I can for it.<br />
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Our "Spin-a-thon" is coming together. Sounds like we have some gym's interested in hosting us. Our site will be going live at the end of this month and we will officially be seeking donations. We are still looking for sponsors so if you or anyone you know would be interested please contact me. Our charity, Children's Cancer Connection, is very worthy and I would be happy to share more information about them if you would like. We do have a couple sponsors and possible a couple more in the works. So thank you to our current sponsors, Traviss Audio Video, Legacy Stone of Eastern Iowa and Xtreme Hit. Your help is going to make a big difference in a lot of peoples lives.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2011549306082091090.post-61343735015099352812011-11-29T18:05:00.000-08:002011-11-29T18:07:01.169-08:00The Skinny or Fat Debate and the Aha Moment!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-flcdXe4XN64/TtWPYvnT6wI/AAAAAAAAADQ/1IhpqJTxQx4/s1600/311383_326331440716299_100000183364954_1519887_1502935531_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-flcdXe4XN64/TtWPYvnT6wI/AAAAAAAAADQ/1IhpqJTxQx4/s320/311383_326331440716299_100000183364954_1519887_1502935531_n.jpg" width="244" /></a></div><br />
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Recently my wife posted an image that from Pinterest that shows an illusration of a larger woman with the caption "Skinny Girls are for Wimps". It seemed to have gotten more than a couple people fairly fired up. The reason she posted it stems from what her and I have been discussing lately. Something that we have seen quite a bit of on Pinterest, and no it's not delicious looking cookies. The consensus of the debate is that no one should make another person feel ugly because of their shape...<br />
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</div><div>I agree that making someone feeling bad about themselves is not a very good approach to helping them see the light or to convert their sinful ways. I do know that when a co-worker has told me that my kid would go to hell since I was not a Christian I didn't rush to the nearest church for my baptism. In fact it did the very opposite... So why would telling an obese person that what they are doing to their body will eventually kill them? Why does showing a tar filled lung of a smoker do nothing to help them quit? In my experience I was finding my happiness in things that were unhealthy for me; food, smoking, etc... </div><div><br />
</div><div>Let's get back to the image on Pinterest before I start rambling, then the next thing you know is I'm sharing recipes or something. So Nicole and I have been talking about how so many people on Pinterest will post an image of a model, or fitness model and comment on how their ribs show and they should eat a burger. Or their muscles are ugly and that being fat is better than having that muscle. But at the same time if a person were to post an image of an overweight person and say they should cut out the donuts or maybe run a few blocks, everyone would be throwing a fit. When did it become ok to celebrate the lazy and chastise the hard working people? Well, it's not ok and not only do I know it but the people making the comments know it. The people making the comments are trying to convince everyone else that they are happy with how they look. That they are choosing to not have that body because it disgusts them. I know this because I was there, I have done it. Anyone skinnier than me needed to eat more and anyone bigger than me was fat. I did it to help myself feel better, right or wrong, it's what I did. So I understand why they do this, but how do you make the person that tries to build themself up by destroying another's image?</div><div><br />
</div><div>And secondly on this subject. Why are we telling ourselves and others that fat is beautiful? When I was big I knew this wasn't true, I hated my body. My problem was that I lacked the spark and motivation to do anything about it. I just dealt with it by medicating myself in different ways. I remember looking in the mirror and saying I would try to lose weight once I was over 250 or when my belly started to hang over my jeans. Well, neither of these two things did the trick for me. Being overweight isn't even about what is or isn't attractive. It's about what's healthy and living your life. I was having fun with the activities I was doing then, going to concerts and hanging out with friends all the time. But at the same time, life was hard to enjoy when I would literally run out of breath bending over to tie my shoes. That is one feeling I will never forget. I swim, bike, run, lift weights and do all of these active things when at one point I could barely tie my shoes without getting winded. Granted it was mostly due to my ginormous gut getting in the way. </div><div><br />
</div><div>When you really consider the state of our nations health when it comes to weight, why is it so hard for people to see the problem? You DO NOT have to give up everything you love to eat and do to be healthy. You will have to cut back, probably by a lot, but you still get those things. I could not do this if I just couldn't have the junk food that I love. I limit it to once a week and I am able to manage just fine. If I slip up and have a little more than what I should, I get over it and move on. I don't beat myself up if I overeat I'm not going to instantly fat again. I had to change my lifestyle to become fit but I didn't have to give up everything to do it. When more people realize that you don't have to do a fad diet the rest of your life and that you can just cut back, maybe our country will get a bit more fit.<br />
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And finally the "AHA" moment. For me it was my daughter and my wife. I could see the path we were going down and I didn't see much of a future for any of us. We were doing things that would probably make our daughter embarrassed of us at some point. I want nothing more than to be a hero to just one person, and that wasn't going to happen being fat Caleb. And I also know that I was dragging Nicole down, and she is full of potential that I was keeping her from. So to be exact, my aha moment was my family. Another aha moment was watching the 2008 Ironman World Championship on Hulu. I highly recommend you look it up and watch it. It was one of the first times in my life when I said to myself, "If they can do it, so can I". And guess what, I'm doing it!<br />
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Now to keep you up to date on my training and surgery recovery. The past couple weeks were full of breakthrough workouts. Probably mostly because I was constantly pushing myself beyond what I thought I should because I want to be back to normal. I did several double spin classes last week after 3 days of walking. The walking really screwed up my hip and foot so I couldn't have continued with that. Not sure what was going on but I was hurting from walking. Today I did an interval workout on the elliptical and followed it by a quick jog in the gym to test out the legs and see how the belly felt. Well, everything is good except for a little soreness where my 4 incisions are. So I will keep at the bike and elliptical this week and next week I think I should be right back on schedule. Lifting, running, swimming, biking, yoga, the elliptical and all of my good friends at the gym. So I'm pretty happy with how everything has worked out.<br />
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I have also been testing my digestion and it seems to be fairly close to normal. I ate some pretty horrible foods this Thanksgiving, as in bad for you, and also went out to eat and drinking this last weekend. Everything went good so I can still enjoy all the things I used to without any problems. So I'm pretty excited about that! I did try a banana again the other night with disastrous results. I had problems in the past with them but figured they were gallbladder issues. So I tried it again the other night and ended up sick all night. So bad that I skipped the gym the next morning, which never happens. No bananas or pineapple for me ever again, and maybe even sweet potatoes. But there are other things to eat that I like. Tonight I am trying Ryan Irwin and Nicole's recipe for Casein Protein and Peanut Butter Pudding. I will let you know how that goes.<br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2011549306082091090.post-3469828338203889422011-11-20T11:52:00.000-08:002011-11-20T11:52:16.676-08:00November 11, 2011 (Surgery Recovery)This past week was fairly stressful leading up to my surgery. Looking online for other peoples stories about having gallbladder problems and surgery is enough to scare anyone. I'd be lying if I was ever convinced leading up to the surgery that it was the right decision. At this point, I'm still not completely convinced but I don't see myself as every having a decision in the matter. I could have skipped the surgery and waited to see if it came to he point of emergency surgery or to the point of unbearable pain. My decision was based on the fact that I am in my off season training and I have time to recover. Had I waited, it's possible that my racing season next year could be blown.<br />
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I was able to continue all of my scheduled workouts last week leading up to my surgery, which was Friday. The morning of, I had Yoga scheduled. I had a hard time focusing and was only able to complete about 30 minutes worth before stopping. I just couldn't get my head into it, and I was doing a new workout that I was unprepared for so it wasn't feeling the fulfilling.<br />
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I also met with our charity last week and we have decided on a date for our indoor cycling event as well as some of the details. I'm hoping we have some major decisions made on that in the next week or two so we can really get to work on it. I really want this to be a success for them, and for my grandpa. I have been sending out a few emails regarding our fundraising and so far it's fairly discouraging who isn't responding. Some places I really counted on getting their support are not even acknowledging me. Makes it hard to want to continue being a customer of these companies, but I will give them more time and hopefully they will come around. But really, you could at least tell me know and not just ignore me. Ignoring me will not get me to go away, I promise. On the other hand I am getting responses from unexpected people that are expressing their support, which really inspires me to keep pushing on and things will work out.<br />
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Today I was able to get back to the gym. Just being at the gym made me feel like I'm getting something done. I was able to walk for about an hour which was around 3 miles or more. It wasn't what I'm used to but it felt really good. I plan on being at the gym every day now and will keep pushing it so that I don't get set too far back. I really don't expect to fall too far behind. My pain level has been fairly low, I haven't really taken any of my pain meds out of necessity. Maybe a little out of boredom though... It's surprising what drugs the doc will give you for something like this. Honestly, I could make do with Tylenol if needed. But they gave me about 50 Hydrocodone with a refill within 6 months. I can't believe that, no wonder pill addiction is such a problem. I don't plan on finishing this bottle let alone a refill. And why would they give a refill in 6 months when I should be fully recovered in a matter of weeks? Sometimes it seems like doctors are trying to keep us sick or something. I don't trust prescription drugs at all.<br />
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My nutrition has not been that great since the surgery though. Which I kind of expected so I am not beating myself up about it. I feel that today I will be getting that back on track so I am throwing out whatever junk food is left today, maybe... I have been digging on the grilled cheese sandwiches quite a bit, forgot how much I love those. Thinking about making some stir fry tonight for dinner, maybe with egg and no chicken though.<br />
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Right now I am probably ok to return to work but I will probably hold off until Tuesday. I can't lie, I'm not in a huge rush to get back. I left things pretty caught up so I don't think they will miss me one more day. I am super ready for Thanksgiving though. I've been daydreaming about some apple pie all week. In fact yesterday, I made Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal and then put vanilla ice cream on it. It was legit!<br />
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Anyways, sorry for the boring update but that's life. If you don't hear from me until after Thanksgiving, have a good holiday and eat as much as you can. As long as you plan on working it off!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2011549306082091090.post-85002720379625908822011-11-07T17:09:00.000-08:002011-11-07T17:09:49.197-08:00November 7, 2012 (How far CAN you go?)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There have been countless times in my short life as a parent that I have said to myself, "If anyone ever hurts my daughter or family I will..." I know for a fact that every parent out there has said this. That's our job as parents, to protect our kids and families to the very last breath if needed. I know that if Cadence were sick and I were given the option to take all of her sickness into my own body I wouldn't think twice about it if it meant her life would continue. I would literally do ANYTHING for her.<br />
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While all of us parents have these feelings, why is it that it takes such a drastic situation for us to realize our potential as parents? Right now we have the opportunity to be the hero or heroin to our kids. Although our kids will see us as their idols, hopefully, have we really done anything to deserve that? What reason do they have to see us as not just Mom and Dad but as who the aspire to be. I often feel like my life is in a rut, like I'm maxed out with what I have in material things. I don't like my house, my job, my car and so on. In no way am I saying I live without or that I base my success on these things, because I don't. But I realize that I deal with these things because these are the things that allow me to provide and protect my family. I also realize, actually just moments ago, what it means that I never give up improving myself and moving forward. I can never say that I am satisfied with where I am at in life or with what I am doing. I need to always be improving myself so that I can be the idol to my daughter. I realize that I need to keep going to school, even if it takes the rest of my life, so that maybe I can have a better job. I need to keep applying myself in every aspect so that Cadence will see what I do for her and Nicole.<br />
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This thinking just started a few days ago while watching Rick and Dick Hoyt. Rick has Cerebral Palsy and his dad, Dick, is an endurance athlete. Since Rick can not swim, bike or run, his Dad does it all for him. They have competed in numerous different races including 6 Ironman races! Just to complete an Ironman is quite the accomplishment. But to complete it while pulling, pedaling and pushing another person is on a whole new level. Their story truly shows what the love of a parent is meant to look like. It started when Rick told his dad that he wanted to participate in a 5 mile race that was raising money for a young man that had become paralyzed. Dick agreed and he pushed his son to the finish line. Later that night Rick told his father, "When I'm running, it feels like I am not handicapped." That was in 1977, now Dick is now 70 years old and still pushing and pulling his son so that he can feel like he is no longer handicapped.<br />
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So what would it take for you to go the distance for your kids? For me, I don't know... I'm going to keep pushing myself and maybe that will be enough. But I am waiting for the day that she asks me to do something that tests my dedication to her. I am waiting for the moment I can be a hero. Until then I will just do what I feel is right. And hopefully, if my plan works, she will ask me to run a marathon with her or better yet, and Ironman.<br />
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Now to keep you up to date on what has been going on in my world the past week. Last week I had a recovery week that was pretty great. Probably not quite as much recovery as I'm suppose to have but more than I've ever had. I was letting my calf get better so I just biked about 5 or 6 times last week, 1 elliptical interval workout and 2 Yoga sessions. I really like the Yoga and plan on keeping it around for the remainder of my training. Friday we lost another co-worker to another job and so a few people brought in some junk food. I new this was going to happen so I did an extra workout the night before to help deal with the guilt of caving. Let's just say that guilt didn't hold me back from digging into the food. What can I say, I LOVE FOOD!<br />
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Saturday Nicole and I had our official free meal. We went to Jethro's BBQ with our friend Nicole Essink and had maybe the best free meal in history. We ordered, and shared with the three of us; Fried Cheese, BBQ Sliders. Nicole and I shared the Jethro which was the hugest fried tenderloin I have ever seen topped with pulled pork, smoked ham and bacon. It was actually delicious and definitely something that needs to be split. We then ordered desserts... I had an Apple Turnover Sunday, Nicole P. had a brownie sunday and Nicole E. had a Smore sunday. They were all really good and none of us could finish them. What's funny is that mine was freezer burned, which to me means that no one ever makes it to dessert here. But you don't come between a group of ex fatties and dessert at a free meal. You are likely to walk away with a few less digits.<br />
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Today I was scheduled for a run but was having an odd pain and decided to swim instead at the last minute. Just as I was about to head to the pool from the locker room I realized I forgot my goggles. This is the kind of situation that, if no one were around, I would throw a tantrum like a little baby. But instead I asked the life guard for a loaner pair. He had a couple pairs and they were made for little girls. The pair I used was bright pink and orange striped and way too small for my face. The piece that goes over my nose was cutting into my face and it was pretty painful. The goggles wouldn't get a good seal on my face so I frequently had to stop to readjust them. Needless to say, the swim was horrible and I had to cut it short but about 500m. But I plan on considering today a recovery day and taking my Yoga day this week to make up for it, so it's not too big of a deal.<br />
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And finally, my fund raising project is about to take off but I am in need of advice and help. We are going to be looking for sponsors to help us spread the word and fund an event or two the following year. Sponsorship will not be expensive and you can guarantee that your money will be put to good use. If you or someone you know may own or be part of a company that wants their community to recognize that they care about their neighbors then get in touch with me and I can share the details. And either way, more information is on the way soon! I promise that this is going to be a successful and awesome project that will touch a lot of lives. So don't be afraid to join and help out!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2011549306082091090.post-39663895937275025682011-10-28T14:50:00.000-07:002011-10-28T14:50:08.624-07:00October 27, 2011 (Holy Gallbladder Batman!)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The doc seems to have finally found what has been causing me to feel ill so often. First they tested my blood and had an ultra-sound test done. They both came back normal, except they did mention my liver being enlarged. Which I then Googled and was convinced that I was going to die if I didn't get a liver transplant. That's a story for another day though. I met with my doctor to go over those results and he sent me in to have a HIDA scan done of my gallbladder. It shows an expulsion rate in my gallbladder of 9%, 30% being normal. So he said I have a abnormal or non-working gallbladder, something like that. So I now have to meet with a surgeon in a couple weeks to get that sucker pulled out.<br />
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The news of getting a surgery done led me to the internet to see how long I will be unable to swim, bike and run. I was not too happy with what I found. A lot of people saying that having their gallbladder removed was the worst thing they ever did. They say they suffer from all sorts of digestive problems and pains worse then when they did have the gallbladder. Not only that but the best time frame I could find about getting back to the gym was a few weeks out from surgery. So I'm stressing about all of this pretty bad. Hopefully the surgery will happen in the off season so I don't miss any of my training, but that is yet to be determined. Worst case scenario for me at this point is having chronic digestive problems and racing in Ironman Wisconsin. That could prove to be a disastrous day...<br />
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I have a bit of an anxiety problem, if you know me at all then you already know this. I try to stay ahead of the game when it comes to being sick or getting hurt. Any little pain I get I want someone, with an education, to tell me I'm ok. Even though I probably know my body better than anyone else does, something I'm starting to realize. But first the "enlarged liver" news, and now the gallbladder news. With the liver deal, the first thing I though of was Cadence with a new dad if I were no longer here. Wow, that's no fun to think about, at all. Luckily that news was false and I was able to move on. Second, the gallbladder news and the first thing that I thought about then was Ironman. I know that best case scenario I will be out for a few weeks and I am having a hard time wrapping my head around that. I really do need the time off to let my body heal and to give my head a rest from the training. So it's not that I'm worried about having to "catch up". The problem I am having has to do with whether I will be the same person after all of this. So many times in my life I have changed what I find interesting or entertaining. I have also changed friends, goals, principles, everything! My biggest fear of this surgery is not anything more than my intense fear of failing. There is no way for me or anyone to say that after this is all done that I will be back at it or if I will enjoy sitting around doing nothing too much to return. I honestly don't see that happening but I also can't tell the future and no one else can either. Will I let myself get too comfortable or will I be so anxious to get back to it that when I start I'm disappointed with my results and feel defeated? There are so many questions I have that only time can answer and with the anxiety I have about it, the situation is hard for me. Funny thing though is that I heard a quote last night on Parks 'n' Rec. I know it's not a likely place to hear an inspirational quote but it was said at the right time for it to ring true to me. "Failure isn't the going down, it's the staying down."<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OhgWsCoUpGg/TqsiXGkLr-I/AAAAAAAAACw/xDtRWBF89GQ/s1600/2160blackred.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OhgWsCoUpGg/TqsiXGkLr-I/AAAAAAAAACw/xDtRWBF89GQ/s320/2160blackred.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The New shoes, Asics 2160. The shoes I had to take back were Mizuno. Asics Are grrrreat!</td></tr>
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My training last week was pretty good, for the most part. I thought I would try a new brand of shoe which proved to be a huge mistake. While running on Monday at a very easy pace my left calf just gave up on me. I have been limping all week because of it! I was only 4 minutes into my run and a pain just shot up my leg and I was done. I have been able to continue with my other workouts like lifting and biking so I have other things I can do, but running is so important. I really don't want to not be running for too long. Luckily next week is a recovery week so I will get some time to let it get better. Today's Yoga session seemed to have helped a lot since today is the first day I am able to walk correctly. Next week will be a light cardio with Yoga alternating each day for the entire week. I'm thinking I will just ride my bike with my HR in zone 3 for the cardio and that should be good.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These are what they looked like, but this is not my picture. <a href="http://quickfeetgoodeats.com/">http://quickfeetgoodeats.com</a> </td></tr>
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<br />Last night I made Funfetti Cake Balls to take to work. Not gonna lie, I ate some, ok alot, of them last night too. They were really good and they are all gone now. The potluck at work was pretty fun. It seems like the moral has been much better since some time last week, weird.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2011549306082091090.post-26387397849484360832011-10-23T17:45:00.000-07:002011-10-23T17:53:19.426-07:00October 23, 2011 (I want to be an Ironman!)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The past week had quite a few ups and downs. The downs were dealing with whatever stomach issue that still seems to be hanging around. I have been to the doc a few times, had some tests done and they still are unsure of what is going on. Tomorrow I am having some sort of scan where they inject dye into my arm and then watch what happens when it moves through my organs. Really I just want to get it figured out so I can get it taken care of and move on. It's not very fun to know that any time during the day, you're going to feel like crap for a few hours.<br />
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The ups the past week were pretty great though! Started the off-season plan on Monday and I really like it so far. Like I said before, it seems like it will keep it changed up enough to keep if from getting boring and that's pretty important. Also on Monday I was able to meet with a few charities about fund raising for them during our Ironman training. I have decided to raise money for charity during my training, along with my friend Carl Nofstger, in honor of my Grandpa RM Traviss. RM passed away earlier this year after a short battle with cancer.<br />
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First I met with Mark Slocum, Executive Director of Children's Cancer Connection, at Smokey Row for coffee. We shared our stories and information about our goals and possibilities of what we are doing. Mark gave me some materials to go over about the services that his organization provides. This charity is pretty amazing. To sum it up in their words, "<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><strong>We enhance the quality of life for children and families affected by childhood cancer by providing programs for education, recreation and support." </strong></span>That barely scratches the surface of what they do so I encourage you to check out their website at <a href="http://www.childrenscancerconnection.org/">www.childrenscancerconnection.org</a>.<br />
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Second I met with Chaney Yeast with the Regional Child Protection Center at Blank Children's Hospital. Again, I was blown away by what these people do for our children and community. And how much they are able to do with limited resources. This organization helps kids that have been harmed or are living in unsafe conditions. Chaney was very, very nice and had a ton of information for me. This was about the time that I started to realize that this wasn't going to be an easy decision. I also suggest that you check out their information, <a href="http://www.blankchildrens.org/child-protection.aspx">http://www.blankchildrens.org/child-protection.aspx</a>. At least check out what services are provided to the kid's in our community that need help the most.<br />
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And lastly, I met with Alissa McKinney who is the Director of Development for Blank Children's Hospital. She told me about all of the different services and departments within the hospital. I really had no idea how much Blank does. Honestly, I kind of thought Blank was just a kid friendly hospital or ER. I guess I never really thought about how much a hospital does, but Blank goes above and beyond for kids. I was very impressed with some success stories she shared and how selfless the staff sounds. Again, I am super proud Blank Hospital calls Des Moines home. If something were to ever happen to Cadence, I am glad that somewhere like this is only a short drive away.<br />
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After talking all of the information over with Carl and Nicole, we decided that Children's Cancer Connection was our best fit. We could not decide on who was most deserving, because they all were. We decided by who was most compatible and excited about what we were doing. Not to mention that I have a personal hate for cancer and would like to have something to do with people dealing with it. I could really tell that Mark was excited about what we were doing and very willing to help us too. So we are very excited to start working with them and we will have a lot more information on this soon. Be prepared to share what we are doing with anyone and every one you know. We want it to be big and it's going to take all the help we can get. You could start helping by following this blog and getting others to read and follow. We will have a site soon but for now, information will be shared on here every now and then.<br />
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So the other day while I was swimming I was trying to think about what I should write about this week. And I started to think about what made me decide to do all of this. Why do I do triathlons? Why do I spend money on things that other people would think are crazy? Why do I think of a bikes like others might think of a nice car or motorcycle? It all started after I met a goal that I set out months in advance and then worked for. I was king of starting and not finishing, and in some aspects I still am. But after I ran my first half marathon, slow as it may have been, I accomplished something that I had to work hard for. I remember saying after that race that I was going to just run no more than 5 miles at a time from now on. That didn't last too long. That was in an October and the following December I happened to watch the Ironman World Championship in Kona on TV. I was glued to the TV during the entire broadcast. I had seen this before but for the first time I was thinking, "that could be me". Seeing Chrissie Wellington overcome obstacles that would have possibly sidelined the average age grouper. But she took that diversity and used it as fuel to continue and dominate. I also watched as 80 year olds, people paralyzed from the waist down, and just ordinary folks race in this epic feat. I sat there and watched and by the end of the broadcast I had decided that I wanted to be an Ironman. So I set the goal to complete a triathlon the following summer and the rest is history. Next summer I WILL hear the words, "Caleb Pike, from Des Moines, Iowa, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!" And my family will be there to see it. Cadence will then have an Ironman dad. How many dads are Ironman? I know that some day she will still be embarassed by me but I also know that she will be proud that I am her dad. And that is why I do this. Well, that, the medal, and cookies you get when you finish.<br />
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The photo above is from the Des Moines Marathon. Starting from the left: Kathryn, Janet, Nicole E., Nicole P., and me.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2011549306082091090.post-68311438614883575962011-10-16T17:11:00.000-07:002011-10-17T07:34:45.013-07:00October 16, 2011 (Des Moines Half Marathon Recap)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last night we didn't get the pre-race meal we had planned on due to some stomach troubles I have been dealing with. We had planned on getting take out from Latin King and then checking out the Oakley Night Cap Cyclocross race. We ended up settling on Chinese take out (I had chicken fried rice) and then headed down to the race. We were not able to watch a lot of the race but it was still fun to see. The cycling world has the best crowd in my opinion. So after the race we came home to watch a movie and go to bed. Fell to sleep during the movie and slept pretty good through out the night. I have been turning the alarm off instead of on lately so the last hour of sleep was pretty bad. I woke up a little early because I moved my lip or something and it split from being dry. So between the lip and not being able to tell if I had already slept too long, the last hour wasn't that great. </div>
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Once I was officially awake at 6am I felt, actually, pretty rested. Probably due to being able to sleep in the past couple of days, recovery days. I quickly started a pot of coffee and ate two pieces of toast with cinnamon and sugar. Both settled well so I hit the shower and headed to the race with Nicole. We found a close spot in a parking ramp and walked to the large umbrella at Nollen Plaza to meet Janet and Nicole E. We took a shortcut through some building, we don't remember what it's called. There were lots of runners in there keeping warm, stretching and discussing the race ahead. After a few last minute preparations we headed for the start to prepare to run. By this time it was about 7:55 so I split from the girls to try to get in my pace group. It was already pretty packed so I was only able to get to about the 9:30 pace groups, I was trying to get with the 8 minute group. After pushing my way through as far as I could I just had to give up because there were so many people.<br />
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Supposedly a canon or gun went off but I didn't hear anything. Shortly after the start everyone around me started to jog but was quickly stopped by the wall of people still in front of them. I just walked to the start line where I began my run. Everything felt pretty good from the start, I was passing a lot of people trying to get closer to the people running my pace. Running through downtown was a lot of fun, there was a big crowd for the first mile or two while downtown. That makes it much more fun. I was taking the outside of the road and running right along the crowd.<br />
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Once we are outside of downtown we head into waterworks park for a long, fairly boring loop. Surprisingly, there were a lot of spectators for this portion. I don't remember it being that way the last time I ran this race. This is also where we were able to see the elite runners racing the half coming back toward us, water works is an out and back. At the back of Water Works there is a large loop and once I completed that I saw Nicole and Nicole E. running. I was hoping to catch a glimpse of them, so that I could see how they were feeling and also so they would know I wasn't dead. There was a little worry I think after yesterday and the previous week. But I was feeling pretty strong at this point, unfortunately it wouldn't last long. A few minutes behind them I saw Rebecca and Daniel from Biggest Loser. Being a person who has lost a lot of weight and kept it off, I find it discouraging to see people like that. They have had every opportunity handed to them to stay healthy and fit but have obviously chosen to piss on that and do whatever they want. With so many people looking at you for inspiration and motivation you would think they would put the effort in and make a difference. Instead someone trying to lose weight will just think, "If they failed, I will surely fail too." They truly disappoint me and it's sad because I really respected them at one point.<br />
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ANYWAYS, this is about the time that my left calf knotted up pretty bad. It was pretty painful but eventually I just got used to it and was able to continue. It never slowed me down but it did hurt pretty bad. This is about when I started hitting roughly every other water station. I would stop and drink my glass of water or gatorade and then continue. They were only filling the cups with a sip so it didn't take long to drink. There was another running right around this point that was cracking me up too. He was wearing a yellow dry fit shirt and also a yellow lay (spelling?). Someone was handing them out in Water Works. The first time I was aware of him I heard him behind me talking to a runner wearing a Hy Vee Triathlon shirt. The shirt says "2 Hours is the average time to finish a triathlon, but it stays with you forever" or something like that. They were handing them out at the race for free, probably because the saying makes no sense. The average race lasts well over 2 hours. But I heard the yellow shirt guy ask the other runner if he had done the triathlon, "No, I got this shirt for free" he responded. And then they both said they would really like to do one but would need to learn to swim. I laughed to myself about their conversation. Then the yellow shirt guy passed me and away he went, catching up to someone else to chat with. Then at the next few water stations for the next few miles I would pass the yellow shirt guy while he stopped to drink. Then he would catch back up and stop at the next station where I would pass him again. Finally we both noticed the back and forth and we started to talk. We talked about hydration and how we only drink water while at work so they need to hold more races during the week so that we may be properly hydrated. Finally, off he went and I never caught back up to him.<br />
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Once I was just before the bridge in Grey's Lake I landed on a rock and rolled my right ankle completely flat on it's side. I skipped a few times and someone behind me saw what had happened. He asked if I was alright and I replied, "I don't know, I hope so." I really thought I was done but after skipping and hopping a bit I was able to land on it again and everything was fine. The runner that asked if I was alright shared a story of almost eating it at the finish line when he turned to acknowledge a family member on the sideline yelling at him.<br />
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The rest of the race was pretty uneventful. I think this was the point that most people were just pushing hard to finish and get some of that post race free stuff waiting for us at the finish line.<br />
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Once I crossed the finish line I was hurting pretty badly. My calf and quad were hurting to the point of not being able to really use my left leg. I tried stretching a bit but it didn't really help. But there was food to be had so I wasn't too concerned. I knew I had a while before any of my racing buddies would be catching up so I helped myself to: Pizza, Cupcakes, BBQ, Chocolate Milk, Fruit and probably some other stuff too.<br />
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Once the girls finished I went through the food again and then Nicole and I headed out to pick up Cadence from my parent's house.<br />
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All in all, it was a really good race and with all of my setbacks this week and today I was still able to PR. Not the specific time I was hoping for but I still bettered my time so I'm happy with that. My official time ended up being 1:44:59. Nicole's time ended up being 2:20:06 and she was happy with that as well. So it was a good day for us.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2011549306082091090.post-91896388014575649132011-10-14T19:29:00.000-07:002011-10-16T16:13:04.389-07:00October 14, 2011 (Will always feel like the fat guy)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The final week of m half marathon training has finally arrived, and I am glad! Just running all the time starts to get boring. I'm pretty excited about getting back into the triathlon training to change it up. The plan I will be following keeps it mixed up really well too and I think it's going to be a lot of fun, I'm really excited for it!<br />
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But this week wasn't all that great with the taper though. Early last week I had gotten sick and thought that maybe it was from sweet potatoes. In the past I have developed intollerances to foods, that I eat normally, out of the blue. So I figured this was just another food that I really love that I will no longer be able to eat. Well, it happened again Sunday and everyday since. Sunday was really shitty though because we were on a bike ride and the weather was great. Cadence was in the Burley and everything was good until I started to feel ill. We were about 8 miles out or so when we turned around and when we did we were met with about a 15-20mph head wind. So not only did I feel horrible but I also had a nasty headwind to fight while pulling the Burley. What got me through that ride was thinking about having a milk shake when we were done. That shake was awesome too and it did make me feel better.<br />
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Anyways, I haven't been feeling well and the doctor had a few ideas of what it could be. First he thought maybe it was caffeine, then dairy and next will be gluten. I don't think it is any of those things though and I am hoping to get in to a specialist early next week. I would like to get on top of whatever it is before the Ironman training starts.<br />
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My runs this week have felt off as well. Nicole and I set out to run the Des Moines Half course last Sunday. We were scheduled to only run 12, set out to run 13 and ran 11. We both were having an off day. I think Nicole might have been running harder than normal to keep me from feeling like she was holding me back. But when we finished I just didn't feel that great about it. It wasn't the pace, it wasn't that I felt beat up, I just didn't feel that great like I normally do after a long run. And the rest of the week was the same way. I didn't run anything over 4 miles after that, one tempo run of 3 miles. Every run just felt awful. Nothing felt right. And to make it even worse, I have had a pain in my left quad ever since Sunday. It only hurts at certain times and not when running so it's nothing too bad. And I know it will heal, it's the other issues that concern me.<br />
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My nutrition seems to be a little off this week too. Maybe I have been too strict lately on what to eat and I'm craving foods or maybe I really do need to eat more. I wish I knew how to read my body and mind better because I can never tell one from the other. Almost every night this week I have had to eat an extra carb, like toast or oatmeal or something to make me feel full. I never eat until I am stuffed but I don't really ever eat until I am full. Toast has got to be about my favorite thing to eat these days. It's the highlight of my day, toast in the morning and usually with dinner. I did have some of Cadence's popcorn tonight while we watched a movie, but not a lot. Nicole bought me some Honey Crisp apples that I have been eating at night and they are delicious. Certain foods I have to eat a certain way to enjoy them to the fullest. Apples have to be eaten so that the juice is swallowed before the actual apple. I love apples...<br />
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Whenever I eat that extra carb or sneak a piece of candy at work I feel like a huge fat ass. When I was really big I never really felt like the fat kid that I was. And now that I am over 100lbs lighter I feel fat. I feel like when people see me they don't see a triathlete or a runner, they see a fat guy with an addiction to food. I feel like it is worn on my sleeve and I can't shake it. I don't starve myself and I do eat a good amount of food, whether it's enough I can't tell. But sometimes I think maybe I have some kind of eating disorder, or more of a food disorder. I exercise because I love to exercise and run and do all of these things. But I eat the way I eat because I don't want to be fat. I fear being that way again almost constantly. I have a feeling it's a common thing with people who have lost a lot of weight. All it is going to take is for one thing to sideline me for a few weeks and I will gain all that weight back. That is what my head is thinking even though I know I am a changed person. How can I get rid of the Ex Fat Boy Syndrome? Maybe it's best to keep it around to keep my food addictions in check.<br />
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Nicole is starting a new workout and nutrition program next week and I'm super excited for her. She has never really enjoyed the endurance sport type of exercise. I can't blame her, it gets really boring at times. Unless you can have awesome inner dialogue for hours. I think she will do good at the new program and I think she will be happy with the results she gets.<br />
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Since we are both at the end of a training period we have deemed this weekend a "free" weekend. So we are going to eat some things we wouldn't typically eat to try to settle our heads before getting back on track. Again, this will make me feel like a huge fat ass and then next week I will be ready to tear it up at the gym. But right now the plan is to have Latin King (the best Italian food in Des Moines) for dinner tomorrow night. After that we are heading to a cyclocross race at Mullets where we will probably have a couple Fat Tires and then call it a night so that we may be ready for the race Sunday morning. A few friends are in town from Missouri and we are planning to try out Zombie Burger Sunday afternoon. I'm sure we will also stop a few times for Casey's cups of cookies. They are the best cookies ever! This weekend is a TREAT YO' SELF weekend! If you watched Parks and Rec this week, you get the reference.<br />
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Monday I am meeting with 3 different charities about our fundraising project. I'm really excited to get this started and to hopefully do some good for some local kids. It would really put a heart into the Ironman training and I can't wait to do it. I also hope that we will get a chance to actually meet some of the kids and families we intend on helping. It means alot more when you can put a face with the deed. While fundraising for Team in Training last year it just didn't feel like it was coming from the heart. I know we did good but I just can't say that my heart was in it. This is going to be different, I can tell already.<br />
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But I will keep you up to date on what's happening with the ol' gut and the charity situation. Should have both figured out by the middle of next week. And once the charity has been figured out we can start putting our project into motion. I can't wait to tell everyone about it because it means a lot to me.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2011549306082091090.post-45066175288124832742011-10-07T18:42:00.000-07:002011-10-07T18:48:48.906-07:00October 7, 2011<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So this week started with a great weekend! Last Saturday began with a 5 mile tempo run and then the typical Pike household breakfast (2 scrambled eggs with peppers and Turkey sausage. and 2 pieces of toast). Breakfast is easily my favorite and most satisfying meal, and it's the same thing every day but I still look forward to it. After our daily errands Nicole made a chocolate chip cookie recipe that produced the best cookies ever! If you know anything about me, you know that I love cookies. Actually I love all food but I can go to town on a batch of cookies when I don't allow sweets but once a week.<br />
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Sunday is our day for our long runs. This particular Sunday was the longest run in the Hal Higdon Intermediate Half Marathon Schedule at 11 miles. It was an easy pace in cool weather with a few friends and Nicole. We started somewhere new and ran some roads just outside of town. At the end of the run we found a trail that was about half a mile long that winded through a field of what we guessed is wheat. It was a really nice end to the run. We went with our friends, Nicole, Jeff, Ben and Kaity to a pumpkin patch. Cadence loves Ben and Kaity and when she knows we are going to see them that is all we hear about until she gets her fix. Right before we left for the pumpkin patch I made the rest of the cookies. I think I baked about 5 dozen while Cadence napped... I sampled at least one cookie from each batch that came out of the oven. I was not doing so well in a house filled with cookies. They had to be eaten, given away and/or DESTROYED!<br />
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The weekdays are just the days we go through the motions. Nothing that great ever happens during the week except the moment I walk out of the door from work. Monday was a upper body strength day, also the day my iPod quit working. Tuesday was the day for speed work and this day was a 10 x 400 workout with a 1.5 mile warm up and cool down. I think it was about 7 miles total and I was feeling pretty good when it was over. Wednesday was my recovery run of 5 miles easy. Thursday was lower body strength and for the first time I had some company on this workout. Carl joined me for a lower body thrashing. Since we finished the workout we have been texting back and forth describing what new pain our lower half is feeling at that moment. And at this moment it's a throbbing throughout the backs of my legs, top to bottom. Friday, today, was an easy 3 mile jog.<br />
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So after this week everything seems to be working well and no new pains and nothing has gotten any worse. I have been having a bit of tension in my left knee but have been stretching and paying attention to it. It seems to be fine and I think it's mostly nerves that make it hurt. My anxiety of missing a workout, race, anything really, can really play tricks on my mind and body. I have actually made my doctor give me X Rays to look for kidney stones in my past because I was worried about missing a music festival. Another time for that story though... My left shoulder did have a bit of pain after my upper body workout on Monday but it seems better as well. I'm hoping that the strength conditioning in my IM training will do a better job of injury prevention and keep these pains to a minnimum so that my brain will slow down.<br />
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So the day I went to get my iPod replacement at the Apple Store just happened to be the same day that Steve Jobs passed away. I think he was a pretty amazing person that really did make a ding in the Universe. And his ding was a lot more than being able to carry 5000 songs in your pocket. I always thought he was just a good money maker and the iPod guy. After hearing all of the stories about him now I feel that I should have paid closer attention to him. He was a very smart guy with a great outlook on the world. I feel that he and I share a lot of views, only he is much better at following them. Without looking up the exact quote I'm going to just paraphrase. He said something about not living in someone else's dreams, chase your own dreams. I have always felt this way but never followed it or acted on it. I have always felt that I have the ideas but I just need someone else to either do it for me or to force me to do it. Well, I'm not doing this any more... In my first blog I mentioned that I am setting goals and following them. And I am, I have a plan and I'm going to stick to it until I reach my destination.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2011549306082091090.post-9309741341135620022011-09-30T15:53:00.000-07:002011-09-30T15:53:48.179-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As you may know, I am a huge Flaming Lips fan. I often share their view of the world and that is probably why I am such a fan. I really feel that they have a logical view of the world and that's the best way to look at things, with logic. One of their songs asks the question, "Do you realize, we are floating in space?" And this morning that question seemed to really hit home with me. It was just short run and I didn't start thinking about this until about half way through my run, but it seemed like it lasted a while. I was running through the park near my home and I looked up through the trees and saw hundreds of twinkling stars. Right then the lyrics to that song started playing in my head. And for the first time in the million times hearing the song, the lyrics seemed to actually take hold. "Do you realize we are floating in space?" <div>
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Looking up at all the stars, galaxies, and whatever else is floating in space I realized that the chances of me ever existing are very, very small. There are literally millions or billions or whatever unimaginably high number of other galaxies out there. Within each of those galaxies is an even larger number of stars. And around each of those stars there are possibly planets orbiting it, like us orbiting our sun. So what are the odds that out of all of those galaxies, stars and planets that we would end up with the perfect storm of everything needed to create life? Our planet needs to be the perfect distance from the sun so we don't freeze or burn up. We need an ozone to contain our air to breathe. We need sunlight to grow food for fuel. Think about what it takes to sustain life and how unlikely it is that we have it, right here.</div>
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Now, as I am thinking all of this and running I start to think about what it is I'm going to do with my time living. Because when you think about the unlikeliness of ever existing, it's even far more unlikely that we are alive RIGHT NOW. How many people spend their lives just going to work and getting by until they die. Don't get me wrong, most people create a family and have love and get to their own taste of the human experience. But is that really all you want to do with your limited time here? Well, today wasn't my first time coming to the realization that this is my one shot at something. Tomorrow could be the end and if it was, I wouldn't have been satisfied with what I had done to now. Sure I have love with my wife and family, I have the best little girl ever created. But am I happy with myself? Just about anybody can create a family, there's just more out there. I want to be part of the bigger picture and I want to go out and do and experience because the end is truly the end. </div>
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So, what am I doing to change my path? Well, I am taking classes to move toward a better, more rewarding career. I have not set my sights on any one thing because I have found narrowing it down to one thing really puts a limit on you. Instead, I'm only limiting it down to something that helps people. Whether it be in nursing, fire fighting, helping people regain confidence and losing weight.... Just something that helps someone! At the same time I am going to do an IRONMAN!</div>
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That's right, on September 9th, 2012 I will try my hand at Ironman in Madison, Wisconsin.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0