We seem to be traveling more and more for business in our household.  That is the nature of the beast for Stephanie and I, and we’re okay with it.  Since dad’s passing we have developed a pretty good system between her company and mine when it comes to when we can travel and when we can’t.  Kyle does very well when one of us is absent and looks forward to travel surprises, but both of us would prefer to be there to see all the new things he comes up with on a day-to-day basis.  Plus no matter how many Hilton points we acquire in a week, there is nothing like our own bed!

This week it was my turn to be gone part of the week on a rather quick in state business trip.  I was pleasantly surprised that the hotel was located within a quiet professional center that had miles and miles of sidewalks for me to run on.  I always look forward to running in new places as it seems to me that the miles pass faster as I see new things with each step.  It also reminds me on just how easy it is to be a runner.  All you have to pack is a set of running clothes and shoes – super easy!  I tell myself that after Ironman I will just be a runner since it’s so much easy to do.  We'll see.

I had the pleasure of finally meeting in person Ken Johnson from New York, who is a guy like me – father, husband, business man, and triathlete.  Ken and I are part of a Facebook group of people entered in Ironman Florida 2013.  Through the myriad of messages and postings over the past few months, Ken and I discovered that he was going to be in town on vacation this week and that he and I would be able to get in a training ride on my turf.  Ken and I enjoyed a good 41 miles on the Van Fleet Trail here in Central Florida this week and I appreciate Ken not laughing too hard at this Florida Native.  See, we are experiencing a rather odd climate pattern this “Spring” in that it was 80 degrees here last week and now it’s in the 40’s and 50’s again.  During our ride through the shady Preservation and Reserve, it never got out of the 50’s which means to a Floridian like me, things like “Tundra”, “Frigid Waste Land”, “Frostbit Toes”, etc.  So while Ken was able to hammer on with ease, my frozen and frost bit fingers and toes caused me great discomfort.  All in all, it was nice to have met Ken and I look forward to seeing him again at Ironman Florida 70.3 and Ironman Florida 140.6!  As you may recall, I also had the pleasure of meeting John Turner from Tennessee at Disney last month.  John is also a part of the Facebook group and is just another example of the great people you meet on this journey!

Speaking of journeys, while it’s a brisk 45 degrees here in Florida today, our Spring Break starts today at 5:00pm!  With the house sitter in place, we are headed to Miami with the family to board a ship and set sail to the Caribbean for a week.  My plan is to eat better on this cruise than on past voyages and get in a run or trainer ride every day.  Wish me luck …..

I am fairly certain that our foyer will look like this very soon

It seems like with every diet and meal plan that I read about, someone is always talking about their "cheat day".  Whether it's Weight Watchers saving up points to use before they expire, or a modified South Beacher being diligent all week to have a slice of cake, someone is giving into the temptations of sweets and snacks, and sadly, I fell into this category last weekend.  My thought process was that I had just ran a Marathon, had a great swim workout this week, and my long bike ride was great.  I need to remember that I can only cash in on those burned calories once ..... not all week.

The pleasure was short lived as I joined Stephanie and Kyle at Ghirardelli's at Downtown Disney for ice cream after a nice meal with good friends.  Even though I only had the kid's S'mores Sundae, I felt remorse and guilt just as soon as I finished licking the bowl.  After looking over at Stephanie and exclaiming to the table "I should not have done that", she replied "Will that get you to your finishline", and the obvious answer is "No".

With Stephanie away part of the week on business, Kyle and I did a good job eating and training.  We did a hill workout together, me on foot and him on his bike.  I am so glad that he enjoys this stuff - can't wait for the day he does his first Triathlon.  I'll be gone most of next week on business so I will have to remain focused and refrain from cheating!

If you listen closely, you can hear the Angels singing ..........

Friday evening we arrived in a very chilly Albany, GA.  After a quick check in at the local Hilton, we attened the rather quaint (nice word for pitiful) Expo and packet pickup.  That lasted and entire 3 minutes, so off to dinner in the hotel restaurant.  As we ate, we watched the race crew set up the start line out in front of the hotel.  I have to admit that it was nice stay in the host hotel for this race.

I woke up Saturday morning and tip toed into the bathroom to get ready for the race.  Its never easy to get ready and be silent about it so that Stephanie and Kyle can keep sleeping.  This Florida native got ready the best that he could for the forecast that awaited him.  I dressed in layers, pulled on my leg sleeves, and fastened the electronics to my body.  After whispering good bye in the direction of the bed, I went downstaris to find hundreds of people in the hotel lobby.  I poured a cup of coffee and grimaced each time the main doors slid open letting in a blast of artic air into the hotel.  As I stood there gazing out in the sea of runners, it struck me that there was not one single person who was out of shape (except for me in this company).  Usually races of all distances have a plethora of people that I silently say to myself "Oh, I can take him or her or them", but not this one.  Then I spotted them .... the pack of Kenyans who were there to qualify for Boston.  They looked like a stable full of Impalas or Gazelles had been brought to Albany, GA for one thing - to win.  While scoping out the competition, it dawned on me that my leg sleeves were not staying attched to my thighs like they normally do and I was unconsciously pulling them up over and over again.  Also, my Motorazor that I use for music and pacing was not coming on and synching with my bluetooth headset.  After countless attempts to salvage the music, I was forced to sprint up to the room and quickly shed the leg sleeves and all electronic devices.  First lesson learned:  Carry back up means of entertainment and practice with leg warmers before the morning of the race.

The race started promptly at 7:00am.  It was 28 degrees and snow was in the forecast.  I was freezing to death with just the sounds in my head to keep me company.  Stephanie would later tell me that I need to train more without electronics since Ironman does not allow any type of music or earphones to be used, that's obviously the second lesson of the day - train without music.

I started out with the 4 hour pace group that felt like they were running a 3 hour pace and they were all too serious and quiet.  I slowly slipped back to the 4:10 group that was a very friendly group of people that I was able to carry on a nice conversation with.  I stayed with these good people until mile number 10 where I began to experience a slight cramp that required me to slow down a bit.  Between miles 11 and 13, I ran and chatted with a man that was an 8 time Ironman that gave me some great advice based on lessons he has learned over the years.  Somewhere around the half way point, I caught up with a lady from the 4:10 group that was limping.  I called her husband for her and gave him the address of where she would be waiting for him and wished her luck, leaving her in the hands of some spectators who were cheering on the runners.  Between miles 15 and 19 I became much more colder than I had been.  The residential streets of Albany were canopy roads with no sunlight at all.  I was having a hard time staying warm and even passed up the water at the aid stations because it was so cold.  At the 20 milemarker, I was passed by the 4:30 pace group and that bothered me a bit.  I was freezing cold and quite frankly, lonely out there.  I sent Stephanie a text leting her know where I was and my current pace.

Somewhere between the 21 and 22 milemarkers, my feet were killing me.  The night before I had switched out my traditional laces with race laces that did not require any tying.  Needless to say, my feet had swolled which is normal in running, but the race laces did their job and did not budge.  Yes, another lesson to learn.  At this point I was walking 2/10 of a mile at each mile marker.  My pace had slowed and now the 4:45 group was passing me.  Whatever!  As I approached the 26th mile and made the final turn toward the finish line, I could hear the 5:00 pace group cheering for themselves behind me.  Oh heck no, I had come to terms with myself that I was not going to make it in the originally planned 4 hours, but was going to be "sub 5".  Now with these turtles approaching, I had to dig down and give it all I had to make the new cut off time.  Halleluah the race was over!

Stephanie and Kyle continue to be the best Race Sherpas and cheer squad I could ever ask for.  There they were at the finish line, freezing to death, waiting for me.  Kyle kissed me and said "My teeth are chattering, look".  I hobbled back to the hotel and took a much needed hot shower. 

After recovering for a couple of days, I took Kyle and his bike to a local bike trail.  He had been wanting to take his bike out since Santa brought it and I needed a recovery run.  My thought was that he would go slow enough to allow me to take it easy.  Well, once on the trail he took off like a rocket and rode for over 3 miles at what felt like time trial pace.  As much as I begged Coach Kyle to slow down a bit, he kept going and I stayed in tow.  He'll make a good coach.  He and I agreed that we'll come back to the bike trail and train like this every Wednesday .... tradition was born!

I told you I was cold!

Coach Kyle on his very own Trek

So yesterday I went to pick up our son from school and I was having a conversation with his principal who is also a runner.  The conversation went something like this:

Me:  We are going to pick Kyle up Friday by noon.  I am running the Albany Marathon Saturday and we need to get up there before the Expo closes. 

Sandy:  Wow, it's going to be cold.

Me:  I'll be alright.  Nothing more than part of that last winter blast we are getting this weekend here in Florida.

Sandy:  I think they are expecting snow.

Me:  Albany, Georgia ...... not New York ...... Alrighty then, wish me luck.

Snow?  That's funny, everyone hears Albany and thinks New York.  Nobody ever thinks about Georgia and a little known Boston Qualifier called the "Albany Marathon".  As I drove home listening to Kyle carry on about all the day's events, Sandy's comment about snow stuck in the back of my mind.  She is a smart lady, obviously knows the difference between Georgia and New York, and by the look on her face as she gave me the snow prediction, knows what she is talking about.  So upon arrival at the house and Kyle in the background carrying on about a snack and juice box, I quickly plugged Albany, GA in the weather app on my iphone, and low and behold there were little snow flakes on Saturday where the large sunshine icon is supposed to be!!!!!  Oh boy, this is going to be a long race.

Besides the initial shock that has set in following this revalation, it has been a good week in our camp.  Stephanie and Kyle have recovered from their respective Disney races and I was able to meet all of my February training goals.  The only thing that is still lacking is the diet and nutrition, as I am having a hard time getting that guy in the mirror to stick to the clean eating plan.  I know I have to do it, I know that I need to do it, and I know that its part of this journey.  Just having a hard time getting my head and mouth around it.

Well with the house sitter in place, we are off to Alabany, GA so that I can compete in my only Boston Qualifier for this year and possibly freeze to death.  While it will be too cold for this Florida native to wear his The Tri Shop.com traithlon team kit Saturday, I will be sporting the visor and shirt at the Expo and after I ice skate across the finish line!

This is how I envision Saturday's race

It has been a busy and fun week in our camp. I appreciate all the emails and FB messages from my followers asking where I was and why this week's blog entry was late. I promise to stay on schedule in the future!

This week started out with a business trip to my hometown of Miami. My agency's director and I had meetings with a couple of the sports marketing partners we do business with where our "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" message, logos, and commercials run. While I know it was business, I have to tell you I was a little giddy inside when I got to stand in the Miami Dolphins' locker room. While I know they have not had a good season in what seems like decades, being a Miami native and a child during the perfect season and glory days, I was beaming inside as I stood in front of the Dolphin that adorns the center of the floor. Legend has it that only the players are allowed to touch it and only on game day. I will plead the fifth if ever question as to whether or not I broke the code and touched it.

A return home mid week allowed me to get back into the swing of eating right and training. I upped the swim miles, got in a couple good rides, and maintained my miles in the run department.

Friday after work, Stephanie, Kyle, and I along with Steph's sister Kim and her kids Taylor and Logan arrived at Walt Disney World's Fort Wilderness where we stayed in a log cabin in the woods for the 5th annual Princess Half Marathon weekend. Each Disney race we try and stay at a different Disney hotel and this was my first time here in 36 years! The last time I was here, I was 5 years old and I camped with my parents, brothers and sister. More about that trip down memory lane a little later.

Saturday morning all three of the kids competed in the Disney Kid's Races of varying lengths. We boarded a Disney bus to Epcot (thank The Lord for the buses, it's the highlight to Kyle's trip every time) where we enjoyed mass chaos watching the kids run. Taylor and Logan ran the Mickey mile and did great. Taylor was even interviewed by Run Disney TV. Kyle and I ran the 400 meter dash, which is a whole quarter mile to you non-Canadians! When the starting gun fired, Kyle took off with me in tow and he never slowed down. The look of glee in his eyes as he ran and yelled "I'm doing my best daddy" about made me cry. The running scholarship hunt has begun folks!

Saturday afternoon with Aunt Kim and the kids at the pool and Stephanie and Kyle taking a nap, I snuck out to get a training run in myself. As I maneuvered the paved and unpaved paths through Ft Wilderness and the Wilderness Lodge along Bay Lake, I began to reminisce about the last time I was here. In 1977 we camped on Cottontail Curl, a loop of camp sites in the original section of the park, you know, back when Mickey first settled Disney. Don't ask me how I can remember the location of where we were, just some things stick in your head. My dad back then was around my age, and I remember the entire weekend like it was yesterday. Today I ran and I realized that I am here now with my family, making memories, and hopefully Kyle, Taylor, and Logan will take something good from these trips and remember them forever like I do. As I made my way on my training run, my eyes watered up as I approached the sign for Cottontail Curl. The last time I saw that sign, dad was with me.

Sunday morning came very early as Stephanie and I headed out long before the sun ever dreamed of waking up for our trip to the starting line of her race. The kids were still snoring, tired from the fun of cooking out the night before and roasting marsh mellows. This was Stephanie's day, a day and a race she has planned for and worked hard to get to. I saw her off at the start at Epcot, then I made my way to the Magic Kingdom to see her along the route. I doubled back to the finish line to see her become a Princess, although she is a Queen in my book already. A little sore and weary, but she totally did it and I could not be more proud of my running family. God has blessed me with Stephanie and Kyle who embraced my hobby and, no pun intended, ran with it.

Bliss ......

Last week you may remember that my blog entry was a personal note to my late mother-in-law.  Needless to say it was full of love and emotions and I appreciate all the kind words I received from family and friends who read it.  Friday was also the day, totally by coincidence, that Stephanie and I met with a funeral director at a local cemetary to lay my father's ashes to rest in a Columbarium memorial.  I purposely put this task off time and time again since everytime I started to look at my calendar to schedule this meeting, something was there blocking my psychy from doing it.  Dad's birthday followed by Thanksgiving then Christmas and New Year, that preceeded Kyle's birthday.  Too many family times and memory makers in the way and frankly, I just did not want to deal with it yet.  So finally, we picked a niche in the Columbarium that looks out across a very nice landscaped garden, and ironically faces Kyle's school, so Dad will be able to keep an eye on Kyle!  Needless to say we were an emotional wreck Friday!

This past Sunday I ran the 2nd annual Rock & Roll St Petersburg Half Marathon.  The weather was perfect and the course is one of my favorites.  I dialed in with the goal of going sub-2 hours and set out with that in mind.  I felt good, was hydrated, legs were fresh and my breathing was in synch.  However, there were all sorts of pace groups that were out of order running around me, the clock on the mile marker and the clock on my GPS watch were off, and the tracker that is built into my RunKeeper was calling out all sorts of paces throughout the day.  So I was totally lost as to what the true time was.  I was very happy to cross the finish line at 1:59:06 achieveing my sub-2 goal!  Just another reminder to simply get out there and run your own race and don't worry about whats going on around you.

Our emotions continued to ride high this week as Kyle participated in his second Kid's Run Club work out.  Its gets to me just how fast he is growing up when I see him out there with about 50 other kids stretching and running the workouts.  He even grabs a Powerade and chugs it like I do, complaining about his shoes or socks or whatever the topic seems to be.  Sounds just like us grown ups!  Our little guy is growing up ...... bittersweet.

A Note from the Webmaster - The Tri-dad wrote today's blog entry while on a long training ride.  Today, February 8, 2013, marks the fifth anniversary of the passing of his mother-in-law, Sharon.  Please enjoy today's entry.

Dear Sharon,

Its been five years since we lost you way too early.  I wanted to take a moment and write you a letter, or to be more technical, a blog entry!  You were always the technical and computer literate one in the family, so I know you will appreciate such a high-tech means of communication.

Kyle is five now.  Not a day goes by that we don't think about the divine intervention that took place in getting Kyle here to meet you for the first time, five years and one day ago!  He is growing up so fast, getting to be very smart, and tells us from time to time that he sees you when you check in on him.  The first time he said this, we were blown away when he said "I saw her again today", "Saw who" we replied, "Her" pointing at a picture of you.  He was so calm and non-chalant when he said "She checks in on me", and we have no doubt that you do!  I never got the chance to tell you thanks for hanging on so you could meet him, so "Thank you"!

Kim, Taylor, and Logan are all well.  The kids are getting so big!  I know you have probably been checking in on them as well so you know how much they have grown and how stinking smart they are becoming.  They are real little people!  You'd be so tickled to see how Taylor, Logan, and Kyle get along - it can be quite the site.  Kyle loves his Aunt Kimmie, and Kimmie has her very own Doodle now!

We lost dad this past Fall as you probably know.  You were one of his most favorite people in the world.  We also lost Maggie and her brother Hugo too.  Somewhere I like to think you and dad are drinking coffee, feeding both the Rottweilers popcorn, and complaining about how bad they shed.  Sorry that followed you to heaven!

As for Stephanie, wow, you'd be so proud of the wife and mom that she is to Kyle and I.  Heck, I don't deserve her.  Thank you for allowing me to marry her and like I promised you, I continue to take the best care of her possible.

I took up running again and got bit by the triathlon bug.  Thats kind of why this letter is embedded in a sports blog!  When I get out there in a race and start to get worn down, I think of you and your battle with cancer.  You never gave up, you never complained, and you were always smiling.  That helps carry me onto the finish line.  You were a whole lot stronger than I could be, so I pick myself up and always whisper, "Lets do this Sharon"!  Stephanie took up running as well and runs the Ovarian Cancer 5K every year in your honor.  Taylor, Logan, and Kyle all belong to a kid's run club and will participate in the Disney Kid's Races this year, and your old friend and colleague Bonnie Paternoster has taken up the sport too, running on behalf of Breast Cancer patients and survivors - see how contagious this has become!

We all love and miss you!

Pea

PS - Just for the record, that was a warning I wrote you that time and not a ticket!  Your driving record is still perfect!

Stephanie and her mom Sharon in the Boston Commons Park

Well, January 2013 is in the books!  At the start of the new year, I sat down with a 2013 calendar and entered on each month the volume of training that I wanted to achieve for that particular month.  Obvioulsy things started low and increased with distance and intensity as the year goes on, taking me to the sacred day in November when I will, God willing, compete and finish the Ironman.  While I can day dream about that all the time, I have to get to work.  This blog keeps me accountable.

January Goals:

SWIM: 2 miles

BIKE: 75 miles

RUN: 45 miles

WEIGHT: 195lbs

Did I hit the target and reach the goals?  In a word, no.  I was able to swim the 2 miles in the workouts and I exceeded the run mileage on  the trail, I missed the bike mileage by a few miles and the weight was off by 3 lbs.  Not the end of the world, but still a slap in the face that I have more work to do!  February's numbers are increased with less days in the month - Oy Vey!!

Kyle turned 5 officially on Monday January 28 which means he was able to join the Lakeland Runner's Club and did his very first run workout this week.  I was out of town for business and missed this event, but Stephanie kept me up to date on his level of participation.  I am a proud dad when I say that he got out there with the big kids and gave it his all.  Kyle hit his target!

Stephanie continues to train for her Princess Half Marathon that is coming up at Walt Disney World.  She reminds me daily that she does not need to get sick or feel ill while she watches the countdown clock to the sacred day that she becomes a Princess.  Little does she know, she is already the queen of the palace here in our little world.  Stephanie will no doubt finish her race and hit her target.

As a State Trooper for many years, I often  tell war stories that usually include a mile marker as a point of referrence.  It's not uncommon for me to gauge a distance for training or races by visualizing the amount of space in my head by recollecting mile markers on one of the many interstates I patrolled.  I think about a marathon and say to myself "Thats the same as going east on I-4 from the junction to just inside Polk County".  It's simply how this Trooper turned triathlete processes distances.

It's important to stop and look at mile markers in our lives and see if we are meeting the expectations or not.  Goals are sort of like mile markers, as they are hash marks on a piece of paper or simply dates circled on a calendar.  We all have these things going on, it's just rather or not we are making the mark like we planned. 

This week we had a lot going on in our house related to mile markers and goals.  The counter on the home page of this website indicated that my Ironman journey will be done in 40 weeks - a long time away, but really it isn't when you think about it.  Stephanie registered for the Irongirl Half Marathon in April here in sunny Florida.  I guess that this is the year of the Iron in our household.  I added two more triathlons to my 2013 schedule this week, the Patriot 911 series that recognizes REAL heros, our military and law enforcement personnel during the 4th of July and September 11 weekends.  Stephanie and I registered to be a team in the Disney Expedition Everest Challenge, and our son Kyle turned 5 this week!  That is a lot of milestones, mile markers, and goals for one family.

This week's training included some good runs, a very cold and wet bike ride, and a mile long swim in the cold early morning hours.  My diet slipped with the birthday cake in the house, but I'll be back on track next week while I travel for work and stay disciplined and focused.  At least I think I will anyhow.....

As I have said in the past, I am currently in a maintenance phase of training.  That is, this is the period where I get warmed up and dial the nutrition in, so that when the written plan goes in effect, I am ready!  But maintenance comes in many shapes and sizes, as well as facets.

This week I was able to get in a bike ride, however, before I made it into second gear, I had a flat tire, a rear one no less!  There I was on the trail head in the cool dark air under a single light trying to remember the procedure for changing a tire and messing with all the gears in the back.  My dad, as some of you know, unexpectedly passed away this past September, and he was my mechanic and go to guy for all things mechanical.  I briefly thought about packing the bike up and headed home to put it on the work bench so dad could fix it, but that was no longer a possibility, besides I needed to do this myself.  After 26 minutes of fidgeting, fooling around, and getting mad at the tire, I was back on the trail and a little wiser in the process.  I am sure dad would be proud!

Physical maintenance is another avenue that has to be addressed.  Sunday and Monday I was away on business and was able to get in a very long and early morning run through the resort I was staying at.  It was nice to run the trails, not knowing where they were taking me, and enjoying the new terrain and views.  However upon my return to the hotel room, my hair, face, shirt, and shorts were covered in a light yellow dust.  POLLEN!!!!  So for 2 hours I inhaled high levels of pollen, and within one hour, I was stuffy, itchy eyes, scratchy throat, and a yucky head cold/allergy flare up had set in.  So for the rest of the week, including the bike ride day, I have been doctoring myself and trying to get over this mess.  We'll see, the temperature here in Florida has gone from 80 to 40 in just a couple of days, so if we all escape pnemonia this go around we'll be lucky!

Lastly there is Monster Maintenance.  We all have them, either they are under the bed, in the closet, or in my case, on the bike and run trail.  My monsters pose in the foggy dark mornings as spooky noises or shadows that make me second guess why I am here in the first place.  The cop in me knows better than to go seek out dangerous places, but the triathlete in me knows that skipping work outs and mismanaging my diet is just as dangerous.  So I suck it up, ignore the creatures lurking in the night, and keep moving in the right direction.  There was a time as a young State Trooper that I would actually hunt these monsters down - geesh!  Ya gotta maintain your monsters!

Next week has a long ride and run in the plan so hopefully I will be over this cold.  Have a good weekend everyone!

Watch out for Monsters lurking in the fog!