Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day to all of you. I hope you've had a chance to reflect on the service and sacrifices others have made so that we can enjoy our everyday comforts. Thanks to all of those who've served.

Just wanted to give you a little update on what's been going on lately. With summer arriving, the miles have been piling up pretty quickly. No race in May has meant a steady dose of training, increases in distance and time spent on the road and in the pool. It sometimes takes it's toll, but daily improvements along with the support and encouragement of those around me have continued to fuel the fire. My confidence is growing as well. To the point that the thought of spending a day traveling 140.6 miles on my own power seems doable...insane for sure, but doable. Reachable. That's a good feeling.

As of today, our fundraising total is up to $1600. Thank you. Although it seems to have tapered off a little after the Galveston race, I'm hopeful that with races in the coming three months it'll pick up again. I'm looking forward to doing a little traveling this summer. To Lubbock for the Buffalo Springs Lake half ironman next month and then off to the hill country with an olympic distance race in beautiful Boerne in July. Finally back to Clear Lake in August for the last competition before Florida. I hope that some of you will use these races as opportunities to contribute to the cause. Don't forget, our goal is to raise as much as we can for the kids at Wears Valley Ranch. I've been humbled by your support thus far, but I'd love to keep that number climbing right up until November 6th. Big or small, all donations are needed and greatly appreciated. Just click that "firstgiving" link over on the right hand side of this page and remember to spread the word.

Have a great week!

When will you start?

This past weekend we went over the 1000 mile mark in training miles. 1000 miles of swimming, biking, and running since January. I hadn't really been paying much attention, but when I saw that, it took a minute to sink in. That number of miles on a plane could've gotten me to Chicago, or Miami, or Cabo for that matter. That's crazy! Just about the time I started feeling pretty cool, I read a twitter link about the man pictured. His name is Lyle Langlois and he turns 80 this month. I don't know him but his story will certainly make you think. He decided he wanted to run a marathon the year he turned 50. He started from scratch, two miles a day of combined running and walking, slowly built up his distance and eventually achieved his goal. That's impressive. What's more impressive, he estimates his lifetime miles at 38,000 for running and 25,000 for biking to date. That includes a marathon in all 50 states and a 15 hour Ironman. All since age 50.

Who knows what clicked with Lyle that day he decided he was going to run a marathon, but I vividly remember the day I decided to "do something." It was about 6 years ago. I was in the ballpark of 240 lbs and about to start my second blood pressure medicine. Activity was non-existent in my life and my eating habits were a wreck. I woke up as usual that morning but when I looked in the mirror, for some reason, I really didn't like what I saw. The same guy I was the day before, but I couldn't do it anymore. I slowly began to change a few habits at a time and after several months got back to the gym. Then I started mixing in an occasional jog some weeks. After a couple of years, my first 5K, my first half-marathon was in 2008, and last year I discovered triathlon. This year, God willing, we'll add another first in Florida. If you'd have mention Ironman to that guy looking into the mirror 6 years ago he would have laughed.

I don't tell you this to toot my horn but to hopefully encourage you. I don't know what your "something" is. That thing you've been wanting to do but can't find the time or don't think it's possible or just feel that it's unrealistic to even try. I do know one thing for sure though. For me and Lyle and anybody else who ever reached an "impossible" goal, that "something" started with just one thing. A decision. A decision to make a change sprinkled with some good support and lots of perseverance. I think you'd be surprised to see what happens if you'll just take those first few steps.

http://www.coloradotriathlete.com/articles/10/2010_lyle_langlois_1.html

Race Report-Ironman 70.3 Texas

It was a great weekend. Tri4Him'ers represented well volunteering their time and racing all weekend. We manned an aid station on the run course both days. Many who were tired from racing on Saturday were there to help out Sunday and many who raced in the 70.3 on Sunday spent their "rest day" helping out fellow competitors in the sprint and olympic distances races on Saturday. I'm so proud to be a part of this group because we don't just show up to support and encourage one another. We look to encourage and "be the light" to everyone. Athletes, spectators, volunteers, and anyone else we might run across while out there. When you're out there busting it, a smiling face and an encouraging word goes a long way and the Tri4Him crew rocked.

After a little bad weather Saturday morning, Galveston cleared up for some great race-day conditions on Sunday. The longest stretch of the swim course was a little challenging due to winds and a slight current, but it felt good. My objectives for the swim-leg are 1) don't drown and 2) come out of the water feeling warmed up and ready to ride. The conditions slowed my time by about 5 minutes, but I felt strong and entered the first transition in great shape. The bike course in Galveston is flat as you might expect, but the crosswinds are no joke when you get out on the coast. We left Moody Gardens and headed south along the seawall. The turnaround point was 6 miles past the San Luis Pass, then we headed back in. The scenery was great and the road was familiar which was a much needed comfort on a 3 hour bike ride! There was a little help from the wind coming back but most of the ride was spent fighting a crosswind. It's hard to eat on a bike with a 15 M.P.H. crosswind. Luckily I was able to hold the pace I wanted and made it into the second transition in just over 4 hours. Now my dream time for this race was under 6 hours. I knew when I left T2 that I was going to be close, but that would mean a sub-2 hour half-marathon. I can manage that on my weekend workouts and in run only events, but to do it after the swim and bike was going to be tough. Boy did I try though. I felt better than expected at that point and was able to hold my run splits where they needed to be for about 10.5 miles. Too bad it's a 13.1 mile run! The day caught up with me and I started to fade at that point. Wound up with a 2:03, but I was pleased that I got that close.

The official time was 6:08:05. For those keeping score, my goal was 6:15 so I was very pleased with the race. Thanks to all of you for your support, words of encouragement, and the contributions you've made to this point to help out Wears Valley Ranch. 2010 is off to a good start. As always, if you are able, please click the "firstgiving" link on the right and consider contributing to what we're doing here. Every bit counts. Also, I would appreciate you passing this along to others who might be interested. You never know who or what we might inspire.

Training this week will be pretty light but I'll keep you posted as we get back into the swing of things.

Next up Buffalo Springs Lake.

Race Week-Ironman 70.3 Texas

Finally! After 850 miles of training since January, triathlon season is finally here. Next weekend will be special for a number of reasons. It's the first race of the year, it's close to home, and it's the site of my first ever race. That was just over a year ago. When I dipped into Galveston Bay that morning I had no idea how much life was about to change. Both within this sport and in my "real life" everything seemed to turn upside down soon thereafter. Ups, downs, downs, ups, you name it. What a ride it's been. There were some difficult days in the beginning, but I wouldn't trade any of them for my experiences over the past year and I'm thankful and incredibly blessed to be where I am today. Proverbs 16:9-"In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." Good thing I'm not in charge!

Amazingly, we've managed to raise just over $1000 for Wears Valley Ranch thus far. Thank you! I'm hopeful that as the season goes on your generous contributions will continue. If you're looking for an excuse to give, pick a race and pledge. Big or small, it all helps. If you'd rather me work for it, how about a little challenge? My time for my first half ironman (Longhorn 70.3) last October was 7:01. Slow. I'm shooting for 6:15 in Galveston on Sunday. Post a comment or send me an email with your challenge in whatever dollar amount you'd like. If I'm 6:15 or better you pay. If I'm not you don't.

Thanks again for your support and words of encouragement. I'm excited to be back at it and looking forward to racing again. For those of you in the area, come on out next Sunday. These races are fun to witness. And if you're not able to make it, I hope you'll keep me and my fellow competitors in your thoughts and prayers.

Have a great week.

Success at Gateway

What a great weekend! The first area triathlon festival was down in Kemah this past weekend. "Gateway to the Bay" took place Saturday and Sunday. I did the swim-leg on a relay team Sunday, but the real stories happened Saturday. First was Chad (my older brother) finishing his first race and looking strong. Some of you know his story already. After watching me race and following along last year, he decided to make some big life changes. He began training last August, and in the process, found something he enjoys doing and lost over 40 pounds...FOUR-ZERO. That's him pictured on the left after crossing the finish line. It's not easy to make that sort of decision, even harder to follow through. He's looking better, feeling better, and has really embraced a new lifestyle. Awesome. I'm proud of what he's accomplished and have enjoyed mentoring him along the way.

You may recognize the face on the right from previous posts. That's our old friend Joe. He's been feeling better after our road trip and after a brief layoff he got back to training. He also finished the sprint triathlon on Saturday, officially back from months out of the sport due to his injuries.

Two great stories to start 2010. Motivating for sure. My next race is down in Galveston, 4/25/2010. That's two weeks away. For those of you who've generously contributed to my cause for this year, thank you. And for those who haven't yet...now's you chance. I hope you'll consider chipping in. Just click the first giving link to your right.

Tri4Him

So you're telling me a bunch of amateur triathletes can use this sport to change lives and make a difference?

Actually, yes. A big difference. In addition to being a community of believers who share in their love of this sport and encourage one another in their training, racing, and lives, the folks from Tri4Him (www.tri4Him.com) are doing something more. When I joined the Houston chapter last year, there were 6 of us. And now with nearly 30 active members, things are starting to take shape.

Of course we'll be present at most of the area races, volunteering and offering support and prayer for competitors and their families. We're also collecting used shoe's to contribute to a Dallas-based non-profit, The Shoe Bank (www.theshoebank.com), which delivers them to folks in need both in the U.S. and abroad. To date, over 200 pairs have been donated many of which were shipped to our friends in Haiti after the recent earthquake. Most recently, through some generous contributions by members, we've invested in a few triathlon bikes (shown above) to use as loaners. We've come across several people who are interested and flirting with the idea of trying the sport, but may not have the means to invest in a bike to get them started. No longer a problem. We loan them a bike.

Pretty awesome to witness this sort of progress in just a year. I hope you'll check us out.

Ouch!

That's my foot. A few weeks ago, while out on an evening run, I hurt it stepping on a tree root. No, I didn't go see a doctor...not a big fan of going to the doctor. In fact, I made it worse trying to do my usual weekend run a few days later. So I decided to give in and rest it for a week or so and compensated with some extra swimming. You guessed it, then my shoulder started acting up. The next couple of weeks were spent mostly moping around, whining, and generally feeling sorry for myself since I couldn't get my usual training in. Whaaa.

Amidst my little mini-crisis, I got a clear message from The Big Ironman in the Sky. Simply put, "Tobey, it's not about you." Ouch. I realized that it had become just that in the weeks leading up to the tree root incident. It had become about performance, getting faster, stronger, me, me, me. An easy trap to fall into in this individual, sometimes self-serving sport and that's not what got me to where I am today. That's not why I come home from a long work day and head right out the door for a long run and that's not why I'm up with the AARP polar bear club the next morning for a 5AM swim. Not at all. My hope is to glorify God, serve, and hopefully inspire a few others with my racing and with my "real life." That's what this is about. That's what started this little adventure we're on.

So this week, I was blessed with a renewed focus. We had good weather, all of my parts were working again, and all of my workouts were great. Not because I set personal records or logged huge mileage, but because it was for Him again. It's scary how quickly we can get back into that, "what's in it for me?" rut. Even scarier, sometimes, how long it can take and what might be required for us to realize it.

They say the truth hurts and apparently so do renegade tree roots. But I'm sure thankful to have stumbled on it that night. It was just the friendly reminder I needed to get me back on track.

A bit of advice, do what you love, do it well, and find a way to use it to make a difference for someone else.