Are these my clothes?

There are four things that stand out for me in training for the Ironman

1. The amount of weight I am losing.
2. The huge training volume that is involved
3. How supportive my wife is
4. It is great to have mentors or advisers when going through this journey

I was looking at my last blog post on how my weight was dropping. I thought 172 was low, but it wasn't so bad.  My average weight now is about 165, I have hit 159 multiple times after my long rides/run.  I quit lifting weights altogether in April as you can see from my April Totals.  I have lost a lot of muscle and fat.  All my clothes fit BIG on me and sometimes I wonder, "Are these my clothes"?  I feel as if I am a little boy trying on his Dad's clothes since everything fits big!  When I am wearing my cell phone on my belt and keys in my pocket they actually start to pull my pants down!  Speaking of Dad....I am SO excited that my Dad and Step-mom Barbara will be coming out to watch me do IM!!!   Way cool!! :-)

Random pic I downloaded from Internet on how I am starting to feel with my clothes.  :-)

Training volume has been HUGE.  I have NEVER worked this hard and this LONG in my life.  The run sessions range from 1-2 hours, the swims range from 1-1.5 hours and the rides....well....they are the longest...they can last up to 6.5 hours.  As of today I have officially done 6 centuries (rides 100 miles or more) in the last 2-3 months.  They were some great rides.  For me it is always funner to ride with people...even if I am getting dropped!  Some notes from my bike logs:


4/30    100 miles -First century of the year!! WahooOOOOOOO!!!  Rode the coeur d'alene loop twice with Matt, Tim and Eve.Good luck to Tim who will be doing CDA.
5/7      100 miles -Century ride on Centennial Trail with Lee.  Lee is also doing CDA this year and will certainly PR!  My seat needed adjustment and I noticed I had a flat when I got home.  Maybe it was a slow leak?
5/15    102.1 miles -Lilac Century
5/21    100 miles -Century ride with Jim B, his first of the year.
5/28      91.55 miles -Rode CDA loop with Craig and Erica, killer tempo workout!  Good luck to Craig and Erica, they will also be racing CDA this year!
6/4     108.67 miles -Rode the CDA loop twice with James and Haley. Paul did the first loop with us. I was hangin on for my life!
6/5     108.26 miles -Lilac route in reverse, Jim B rode about 18 miles with me.  I missed a turn which added the extra 8 miles.  I was pretty exhausted after riding back-to-back centuries.

2011 Lilac Century: I am wearing yellow & black on the right.

Matt Fuller's Pit Stop on Rimerock Rd (CDA loop). On the second loop James, Haley and I stopped here and loaded up on some cold water!  Thanks Matt!!

 I certainly couldn't have registered and trained without the support of my wife, Rosi, and my girls.  A big THANK YOU for supporting me on this long, time consuming, triathlon accessory buying adventure!!  I feel some of my runs and rides are spiritual.  It is time when I am by myself with my own thoughts. Sometimes on these training sessions my eyes fill with tears because I am so grateful and thankful (aren't those the same?) for my health and being able to run or bike and the sacrifices that my family is making on my behalf so I can achieve this enormous goal.  Thank you Rosi!!

Rosi rockin the free style!  Rosi & I went to Witter Pool (pool length = 50 yards) for some swimming over Memorial Day weekend.

It is great to have mentors/adviser on this journey!  A big thanks to Matt, James, Josh and Bobby!!  Matt Cusack (IMCA finisher) is like a Triathlon Encyclopedia!  James Richman (IMCA finisher/Kona Qualifier), who is also doing CDA (he's going to kill it out there!), has tons of experience in bike racing and running.  Josh Kaptor (IMLP finisher) and Bobby (is going to rock IMLP this year) of BT were very knowledgeable.  Between these four guys I got TONS of advice on things like wheels, tires, tubes, training, tempos, tapers, biking form,  running more frequently as opposed to just running long, bike cassette selection, discounts on equipment, how to avoid injury, nutrition, support, tri articles, encouragement, inspiration and more. 
I was lucky to train with Matt and James as they live in Spokane and are hardcore triathletes.  THANKS GUYS!! 

The four wise men of triathlon

Here are my totals for the last two months...


Mays Totals
Bike:          33h 56m  - 564.03 M
Run:           22h 09m 59s  - 163.9 Mi
Swim:          14h 02m 40s  - 38000 Yd

April Totals
Bike: 20h 16m 25s  - 345.04 Mi
Run: 12h 56m 26s  - 93.01 Mi
Swim: 1h 35m  - 4250 Yd (this was when I was sick, I couldn't swim etc.)
Strength: 30m

....and finally...I am SO excited my race wheels FINALLY arrived tonight!!  It took me while to get those tires/tubes on, but they are ready.  I now have to move my cassette over and take em for a spin!  Thanks Rosi for the early Father's Day gift!!!!  Nineteen days!! ....getting excited and nervous!!