70.3

I received a lot of questions as to why I didn't post anything about the actual long course event when I wrote about practice weekend. I guess even I am getting sick of posting about this stuff. But some folks asked and I do have pics, so here we go.

I met the caravan at noon on that Friday for lunch at Baja Fresh. Sitting to my right is Trista. I know she is my friend because she enjoys mocking me and calling me names.
The morning of the event was spectacular, high 50's, sunny and no wind. The water was so nice, not cold at all.
For those of you scoring at home, I did the 1.2 miles in 42 minutes.

This is me in the second transition after finishing the 56 mile bike segment. No headwinds and beautiful scenery, it was a fantastic ride. The infamous "Nasty Grade" which is a hill at mile 42 or so, wasn't as advertised. It was hard but we have done much harder. The downhill after was incredible. I hit 46MPH! (don't tell my mom...) Bike time was 3:48
Nothing could have prepared me for that run. I have ran after riding before but this was really fricken hard. Not to mention the fact that there are about 30 hills on this damn "run". I ended up walking half of the 13.1 miles in an otherwise embarrassing 2:35.
And this is what I looked like after completing the half Ironman distance on the most difficult course in the country on a 90 degree day. I didn't cramp up or feel bad which meant my nutrition worked and I drank plenty. Dazed, confused, and pretty damn happy I must admit. As a team we stuck around till the last member got in and we were ripe for celebrating, hence the first practice weekend post.

Next week we go back and do it for real, and I can't fricken wait!!!

14

Today is the 14th anniversary of the day I decided to quit drinking, but I don't count it as the actual Anniversary, that's tomorrow when it will have been 14 years since I spent my first sober day. Even though I don't normally celebrate it like a birthday I do feel pretty good about making it this far. Some people don't like to hear me speak on this in terms as if it's a potentially temporary situation, but to feel as if I am cured is the first step towards falling so it's really a much better way of thinking of it.

With each passing year you would think it would be harder to remember what life was like back then but it really isn't. I can still remember that apartment in Campbell with the La-z-boy chair and that horrible carpet. The place always smelled like stale beer and cigarettes. That must have been a tough place to be if you didn't drink or smoke, which really wasn't a problem given the company I kept back then. A steady diet of day old pizza that my roommate would bring home (he delivered for Domino's) and canned food is probably as much to blame for my drinking's demise as the alcohol itself. Top it off with a pack of cigarettes and a can of Copenhagen a day and it's absolutely mind blowing that I actually lasted like that till I was 26. I lived on the second floor and some days my legs would burn walking up those 16 steps. I was in such horrible shape physically that my skin was yellow, my eyes were pink, and I weighed about 150lbs. That was my life 14 years ago. Not many friends, suspended drivers license from my second DUI, I spent most of my time inside that apartment in and out of consciousness. Looking back on it now, I guess it shouldn't have come as a surprise when the Dr. at the emergency room at Valley Med (no insurance back then) told me that if I didn't stop I would be back within a month... In a bag.

The first couple years living sober were tough but at the same time so much easier than the previous 10. I still find I have good and bad days, it's part of the deal and I learned how to handle it a long time ago. There are subtle differences that I must be aware of at all times. If I feel myself getting depressed or saddened I have to deal with it and not dwell in it. That's were exercize comes in. It really is the cheapest shrink in the world. Whenever I get frustrated or depressed, I know I can go for a run or lift weights and things are just easier to deal with when I am done. The temptation to drink never comes from being in a bar or at a ballgame. For me it always was about masking pain and worry, and it still does to this day. Funerals, uncertainty with job security, getting my heart broken, letting my temper take over... These normal life events and things like them are my triggers. But I can see them coming a mile away, I am never surprised by them which is key to dealing with them. But the one aspect of my life that I will always credit to my lasting sobriety are my friends. I cannot adequately express the importance of surrounding myself with great people, I simply cannot afford not to. If I were to hit a rough patch and become vulnerable while being with the wrong person, that could be the day I fall. And the search for friends never ends. As I get older, I find friends come in and out of my life like bus boys in a restaurant. However I also find as I experience new things and step outside my comfort zone, new people come into my life and become unwitting saviors.

So if you are reading this right now, chances are you are one of the many reasons why I have stayed sober and alive for the last 14 years. Most people want to give me all the credit, but this thing is way bigger than I am. There is no way I could have done this alone. You all have allowed me to live my life and achieve great things, experience so many beautiful happenings in life, and without you I would have missed so much. For that I am forever grateful.

Thank you all very, very much.

Practice Weekend

Halfway to Ironman is our practice weekend at Lake San Antonio, home to where the Wildflower Triathlon is held. I won't bore you with the details of the practice Tri itself, although we all did well on hot day and a tough course, the real story here is what happened after the event. This weekend is typically when the Ironteam bonds and friendships become very strong. But for our team this had already taken place, and the fact that we had an opportunity to do this made our team that much stronger.

Coach Mike gave a speech after dinner that started out about how well he thought we did, but then he went into how proud he was of us that we all seemed to really care for each other and were all so supportive of each other. Each Coach took their turn to echo the same sentiments and before you knew it, other participants we standing up to do the same. The coaches then busted out gifts for the team, among them were white dri-fit hats with IRONTEAM 08 on them. From that point forward the love-in turned into a rager that rivaled my days in Chico. The tunes started blaring, the booze and wine was flowing, drunk white people were dancing, and the poor tri team across the way(who kept us up the night before) was in for a long night themselves.