My Grades For My 2014 Goals

My 2014 Goals Final Grade:

Join DFW Tri Club and start training for my first tri. Might be a small one for 2014 but I would be focusing on 2015 for an bigger tri race for sure. Of course apart of this goal will also involve me to learn how to swim with a bad shoulder and that one other little thing. Finding a bike. 

Grade B-: I did join the DFW Tri Club and I did do 5 sprint tri's and I am a ton better of a swimmer than I was a year ago. But I am far from doing any bigger races this year as I just do not feel comfortable enough with my shoulder to do any long open water swims which would prevent 2015 being that year when I went beyond the sprint tri.

Run at least 2 marathons this year. First of those two is in two months. So after that it would probably be the BCS one in College Station or I will find one before the year is over.

Grade C: I did Cowtown in February and then never saw another marathon.  So only half of this goal was completed and thus a C was given.

Try to get entered into the Marine Corp Marathon. Just luck of the draw for this one. It sells out quickly every year.

Grade F: Because I didn't make it to the marathon.


Get my weight down to 140 again. I gained weight for the marathon but now I need to focus on getting it back to an manageable weight.

Grade F: As I weight myself tonight and I am at 166.  So 26 over goal is not good enough.  I got a long ways to go that is for sure on this one.

Get more involved in my church for men's and single's ministry. I may not be volunteering a lot, if any at all, but I still need to be involved in other ways regardless.

Grade C: I did not get involved in men's or single's group.  I did attend one single's group and my anxiety shot through the roof and that was before they asked everyone to go around asking questions and find people with the same likes as you.  I saw an exit sign and went out it.  But I did do Equip Classes throughout the year and that saved my grade from an F to a C.


Try to learn one thing a week. Could be simple like how to cook salmon on the grill, to how to improve my knowledge in business, to something weird like math formulas. As long as it is new to me.

Grade B: I did learn a lot of triathlon stuff like swimming and biking and I did learn a few other things throughout the year but in the end not as much as I would have liked.


Train my mind to stay focused on my running goals.

Grade B-: For a person who believes he lives like he has ADD I think I did okay.  Nothing great because I did find myself losing focus now and then.  


Get a grip on my General Anxiety and Social Anxiety in my life and to be there for anyone else who might struggle with this as well.

Grade F or D-: Well let's just say that even though I was a fun run director for LGRAW overall I sucked in this category and it is the hardest thing I have to deal with in my life. I failed at getting better as I was in and out so quickly on some events that I heard was that Flash because all they saw was me in and back out quickly. Example is I went to two Christmas parties on the same day and stayed at one for about five minutes and then stayed at the other for about an hour.  Yes I am that guy.


Get closer to God.

Grade C-: Okay I will always feel I need to get closer to God and I will never be satisfied with how I am doing it as well.

And finally to find a person or two in my life that would think that these goals are beyond my reach. I have one already in my life but if I can add another person or two that would only motivate me all the more to prove them wrong.

Grade C: I really did not pay attention to the haters in my life even it came to this goal so I didn't look for people who doubted me.


2014 is all about going beyond what I have ever done before in my life. To prove to myself that I can do the impossible. And heck if I can prove others wrong along the way more the merrier for me.

Overall Grade C+: I achieve more than I thought I ever could when it came to triathlons and I still found a great church and took part in it, not as much as I would like, and overall I saw some growth in what I did.  I know I can do better but goals are meant to exceed your expectations and I believe I did that in the end.

9 Miles of Happiness

This past Saturday I forgot my cycling shoes.  Mind you I didn't forget the bike, the clothes or the rider just the shoes.  After saying a few choice words of unhappiness I decided to do the next best thing.  See just how far it is one point of the lake to the other point of the lake.  Being White Rock and being me starting from my car and ending at my car.  Just in case you were wondering it is 9 miles and pretty close to being exactly 9 at that as well.  I haven't ran that far on any one run since Cowtown Marathon and the summer of the back issues.

Well over the last month or so I have been aggressively taking cryo and using the machine that they have to have adjust the back.  It didn't work at first but then again nothing ever just starts solving a problem.  It takes time and patience to see results.  I am starting to see my mileage increase with every run and I am thinking of doing to full marathon again before the year is over.  Ask me that question in July and August and I would have said a hell no to any thought of a marathon again.  But now I am already planning on two halfs before my birthday (don't ask me when that is) and a goal of a full in December.

So as I was running I noticed that I was sore but not in the back.  I am sore due to lack of distance in my training but I went the full 9 miles without any issues with the back.  That brings me a good nice smile to my face.  I truly thought that I would be limited to be just an average runner with little to no chance of actually doing anymore long distance runs.  NO WAIT.  I did run 9 miles since Cowtown.  How could I have forgotten Too Hot to Handle.  I mean yes that was a race I would like to forget don't get me wrong but the distance still counts.  And that was a 15k so that was actually longer than my 9 mile run this past Saturday which almost makes this blog pointless.  Darn it.  But I will continue as if that race never happened in order to keep this blog having some significance.

I have the Dam Half in Lewisville in a couple of weeks and hopefully through my training I will be ready for that.  I know that this past Saturday my pace is extremely way off what I use to run.  I believe that at the 6.5 point I would have been on pace to finish a half in about 2:40 which would not only be my slowest half ever but by almost 20 to 25 minutes.  And to think that my best half time came during the BCS Marathon when I ran the 13.1 in a little under 2 hours.  Like 1:59:59 or something like that but hey it still counts as under 2.  Of course after those first 13.1 everything went downhill like a chubby kid rolling down a mountain.  It was fast and painful and when I eat brownies on the course and wish I had more of them to eat yes you know I had lost my mind at that point.  So anyway like an ADD kid I am off the subject and need to get back on subject.  It was a fun Saturday for me seeing myself run that far without any back issues.  It was great to know that I am getting back being an average runner who wishes he was as fast as Jay.  I got a few days off this week and will be running Katy Trail tomorrow for sure during the hot day.  Because nothing says running in Texas like running when it is hot outside.  But I do love running in the heat.  It helps me to lose those few extra pounds that refuse to leave my body.

Off to the State Fair and Katy Trail tomorrow.  I still owe my blog the results of my last two Denton tri's.  I just keep not wanting to review them but it is coming soon.

Click and Swim.

Tonight I finally saw everything click for me in the swim.  Granted the distance is still not there but at least for the moment I saw myself swim with control, kick with a control and actually breathed with some control.  Each 25 meters were without stopping and without taking too much air or holding my breath too long.  I even tried to imagine the depths of the water being deeper than they actually were too hopefully prepare myself for the depths that I will actually be facing this Sunday.  It was as if Coach Lyndsi was there telling me to slow down and don't wear yourself out by swimming too hard or too fast.  I will need to work on this again tomorrow along with the open water swim on Saturday.  But for today I was deeply happy with something I never thought I could do.  While it is just one day and one swim it was maybe the start of something different for me.  Maybe it was a fluke but then again maybe something finally clicked in my thoughts and attitude towards my swimming.

I can't wait for tomorrow and see if this is something I can gain on and move forward on my swimming or if it is a start but still got a ways to go before this becomes the norm rather than the exception.

Now on the other hand my running was horrible to say the least.  My lower back was not the only thing hurting me this time around.  My running pains were expected because I am still fighting tightness and right now I am just going to have to fight it because apparently it is here to stay for a while.  Like last year it just came and then just went away.  Hopefully it will be the same for this year.  It was a good June at least with very little tightness but July has been hard on me for sure.

Sunday Sunday Sunday it my next tri-event and I cannot wait.

Dude Just Tri...

Well Dude Just Tri proved one thing for me at least.  No matter what kind of an event it is, timed or un-timed, lots of people or very limit people there is one common in it all.  I choked when it comes to my swimming.  I mean I am starting to swim a whole lot better at LA Fitness and even with  my coach but put me in front of other people and have someone tell me to start and all of my learning goes out the door.  In this event I would like to once again mention that this wasn't even a timed race. So for most people the thought of pressure would not even be an issue but not for me.  Here is where I believe it all went to hell for me.  I put in my time that I have been achieving while practicing and I even though it was pretty close to being exact if not maybe even buffering it a little for extra security. But either I lied about my time, or people refused to put in their time, or I just need to double my time next time I have no clue but I was #23 for the race.  Now granted 23 is a good number for me.  My favorite player was #23 for the Cardinals but that didn't help me any for the race.  Once I got there and realized I was near the front I started to panic or choke a little.  I didn't expect to be that far ahead of other people.  I honestly thought my time would have put near in the middle of the pack.  Having so many people potentially watching me and knowing I wasn't that good of a swimmer to be that far in front of others really did a job on me mentally.  I lost my swim before I even hit the water.

SO I get in the water and the guy says go.  So I go.  But during my swimming portion I totally forgot how to breathe under water.  Instead of exhaling in the water like I do 100% of the time when I am swimming at LA Fitness I just held my breath instead.  And for all my friends who are either tri or swimmers know that holding your breath is the worst thing you could do.  I only had 150 or so yards of swimming so at least the misery wasn't long lasting.  But seriously how can you forget to exhale in water.  It really isn't that hard even for me to know.  But put me in a race situation and there you have one complete idiot under water doing everything wrong.  So it wasn't the best start for a race that should have been for pure fun and experience.

Finally manage to get out of the water and get to my bike.  Since this wasn't timed I decided that I would just walk it instead of running from transition to transition.  This race was more about the experience and getting more of it then timing myself.  I get to my bike and start riding only to see my sunglasses fall of my bike and I had to turn around and get them.  Apparently putting your glassing on your handle bars so you don't forget them isn't as easy as someone might think.  But other than that I think I had a pretty good ride.  I was strong throughout that portion of the race and it was nice to be with people in the race instead of near the back to the pack with no one around you.

Finally got to the run portion and felt pretty good for the run.  Now some of it probably had to do with the fact that I had only a 10 mile race instead of the usual 16 or so miles you ride.  I did pretty good with the start.  I felt strong and that carried me for a pretty good distance.  I didn't have any back problems like I had in my previous two sprints.  And that is probably because I switched running shoes and these seem to be so much better for me.  I think I might be done with Brooks for a while in the running shoe department.  The last two or three pairs have not worked for me and wasting money on them and having back problems is probably not something I plan on doing anytime soon again.  But the run was the best of the three events that I have done so far.  I just need to work on this part of my game.  I really do not practice this part of the transition and that is probably not wise for me to continue to be doing.

So overall the race was good.  I saw my swimming coach after the race and she said that she saw improvements in my stroke.  So if I am going to fail in swimming at least something went right.  Still need to decide if anxiety pills before a race is something I need to consider or not.  I just do not know why I cannot relax and enjoy the swimming of the triathlon.  But for my first three races of my career all of my swimming have ended in the same manner in that none of them ended they way I wanted them to go.

The bike portion I am seeing great improvements from race to race.  And from St. Pats to Dude Just Tri I am a completely different rider.  St. Pats I was scared of the wet roads and winds.  Now I am not scared of either.  And even for The Caveman I saw myself even increasing my speed on the wet roads. For Dude Just Tri something went wrong because the weather was great for the race.  Apparently the Sprint Tri gods did not realize I was racing in this event or something.

My running still needs to be better and as I said most of it is due to me not practicing the transition from bike to run.  I tried it once at White Rock and it went horrible but I still need to practice it because that is one of the reasons my runs are not as good as they should be.  Once I get off the bike my legs are worn down and preventing me from competing strongly in something that should be my strongest portion of any triathlon.  That is something I will get better at once I refocus myself into my running.  Like I am doing tomorrow with the Too Hot To Handle race.  This is my first running event since the Cowtown Marathon.  I need to get myself back into at least one race a month to continue to improve my running and endurance.

Where did the land go

Well Saturday I swam the furthest I have ever volunteeringly (yes I believe I made up another word) did.  Never before did I ever say to myself I wonder just how far could I swam away from the shore.  NEVER.  Actually up until now I can honestly say it also never crossed my mind to do such a thing.  I mean who in their right mind would leave the security of soil for open water.  Not me at least.  But on Saturday with the awesome help of my swimming Coach Lyndsi I did just that.  I had a lesson with her on Friday and felt great.  That seemed to have rolled over to Saturday morning as I decided to see just how far I could go.  While I did not reach the buoy yet I did get closer.  I was probably 60% out so I am very much getting closer to my first new goal.  Which is to make it to and from the buoy while not drowning in the process.  I am seeing that I may have rushed my 2015 goals for the Ironman.  So I might reserve 2015 to get myself mentally and physically prepared for a run at it in 2016.  Right now I need to conquer the first buoy, then the second one and finally do a tri that is what I have seem to have forgotten it official name but the tri between sprint and ironman.  That I will need to conquer first in 2015 and then use that to boost me into a great and awesome 2016 for the ironman.  I just honestly knew swimming would be my major weakness but I also kinda thought I could have overcome it quicker than this as well.  Mainly because whatever I do I can learn it quick and master it quick as well.  But not swimming so that is why I am so happy for what happened yesterday.  It was a major step forward to a lengthy overall goal plan for my life in the tri-world.

After the swim I just did the 16 mile bike ride.  My calves were killing me still from a workout that happened back on Wednesday.  Darn me.  I increase my weights on my exercises for my calves and while it will build up my strength I may have gone a little too high in the weights.  But the ride was great.  Started out way to slow and I have no clue why the leader of the pack did that.  The only thing that did was just put about 15 riders about a few inches apart from each other.  Very dangerous IMO.  But once I got to a passing point I moved ahead of most the riders and just rode with the elite group until I was proven yet again to not be an elite rider myself just yet.  But hey I hung with them for most of the ride.  I am working hard on increasing my speed and am getting up there but I also know that I am still a ways off from getting to the speed that most of the riders are at.

Today it is raining so I am not riding my bike for sure.  So I am probably heading to the pool and practice what I learned from Coach Lyndsi on Friday and the advise from Coach Lyndsi and Coach Dave from Saturday.  Coach Dave gave me so really good tips on how to improve my swimming.  So I am going to try that today along with drills from Coach Lyndsi on Friday.

Back on the run

Wow today was both good and sore.  I got myself back out on the road running after being sick last week and fighting a sore or tight back all spring.  Today I decided to take it easy and also decided it was time to bring out one of those three pairs of shoes that I have store for future use and may that future today.  I got myself out there for a good 5 mile run with no back tightness.  It could be that I am focusing on back exercises and it could be that I am focusing on my core workouts or it could be that my old shoes were worn out and it was a matter of time before the real pain was going to come until I changed my shoes.  Well whatever it was it worked at least for today.  Prayer never hurts either.  Now I am sore in my other normal areas that you would expect to be sore if you haven't ran in a while.  Today's run was not pretty.  It looked like a new runner out there but no it was only me.

Plus the new shoes are cool.  First time to wear New Balance and the colors are totally not me.  But at least these shoes will allow me to wear pretty much any shirt and it will match my shoes.  Yeah they are a little wild.

The swim is improving still.  I am not there with the endurance still but I am getting further and further with the breathing working better and better now.  I am still not close yet to feel comfortable enough to start doing open water tri's.  But I am getting comfortable enough to at least aim for heading out to the first buoy.  I have missed the last couple of open water swims due to lack of sleep one weekend and sick last weekend.  I am both so excited to get back out there and looking behind me to see what next will hit me to prevent me from going this coming weekend.

Weekend wasn't as planned

Okay so this weekend didn't go exactly as planned thanks to Mother Nature and her hatred toward me it appears.  Saturday I got my bike ride and a little swim.  Sunday I got my swim in but due to a Frisco game it was tough to get anything in else.  Monday I only got a swim in due to the wet weather.  I was hoping for three straight days of riding and that didn't happen.  But I did notice that while I was riding around Grapevine it came to mind how it was when I first rode in Grapevine.  I could barely make it to the club and that small hill killed me and I thought that 3.5 miles felt like I was riding forever.  Now to present day I am conquering those hills and no longer is a 7 mile ride the max I can do.  Now I try to get in at least 20 miles per ride and on Sunday I really try to get in at least 30 to 35 miles.  Long ways from February to today.  But a good thing of course.

On my swim this weekend it was good and bad and today I would even go as far as saying it was great.  While not pretty mind you I made it 100 meters without stopping when I was swimming.  The only stops were the small breaks between those 25 meter swims.  So that is very positive thing for me.  While I am still a long ways to go before I will feel ready for an actual swim in the open waters. But this does help me to get to that point.  I missed the last couple of open water swims due to the week just taking it completely out of me.  But I am not going to miss anymore.  I need that practice in the real water.  And hopefully with Coach Lindsey's help we will get a deeper pool for me to swim in so I can adjust to the depth problems that I have when I look down.  I did not have too much anxiety on my last swim but it was still there.  But with some training I know I can overcome that feeling and see myself getting stronger with the swim.

On to this week's schedule.  Swimming after work at least four times this week.  Back and core workouts before each swim.  And than running at the club after that.  But I am not seeing any improvements in my back right now.  Even with the additional work with my back it is not seeming to be working.  And this is what is killing me.  What use to be my strong point is now limited in what I can do as it is hard for me to make it more than a mile before the tightness comes.  And when that tightness comes it is down hill for me quickly in my run.  What use to be a sub 28 is now averaging about 34 or 35 or worst.  And in the end that is what is making my actual finish times for my tri sprints getting worst instead of better even with me improving my swim and bike times.