I am an Ironman

I'll have a detailed post later, with pictures, video clips, and details of everything that happened. But in-short, it was the experience of a lifetime.

I give all the glory to God, because I could not have done it without Him. Speaking of which, a guy behind me at the start of the swim said: I hope you are a Christian, because if not, you will find Jesus on this course. I wanted to quit the entire time: My swim time was horrible, I could not stomach any solids on the bike and could not get in my aero bars because my stomach was in knots, and I hallucinated during the run from dehydration and exhaustion. But I finished and that was my goal.

It was an amazing day that I got to share with my wife (who ran with me for more than 2 miles with our 6 month old strapped to her) and our travel buddies Brent and Becca who served as an awesome support crew.

I would be remiss if I did not mention Kevin, my Irish training partner who got me into this bloody sport. I first got into triathlons to just keep in-shape after I got out of the military, I never knew it would evolve into a lifestyle of buying energy gels by the case, my wife cooking me homemade energy bars and getting up before 6:00 most Saturdays to train.

Thank you all for your prayers and support.

We are here

Right now we have limited internet, but I wanted to fire off a quick post to let you all know that according to the race director there will be real time updates on the web, so you can track where I am and even watch me finish.  Thank you all for your support!

Wordless Wednesday

Kite Surfer attempting to surf in the Tropical Storm

Prayer

It's definitely time for prayer. My knee is in excruciating pain.

I'm trying to get caught up on some reading and writing. There is an amazing article here on bike commuting and there is another amazing op-ed piece here on bike commuting and alternative energy.

I think every day I will be forced into entrepreneurship more out of necessity than wanting to, however I have always wanted to own my own business so I'll keep praying!

8/8/8 not such a lucky day after all

If pride comes before the fall, then greatness comes after the fall, right???????

I was cross-training today, climbing a 5.12 route up the face of Lookout with my buddy Corey. I was reaching for our next pitch, and then he slipped, I shoved my hand into a crack and was holding both of us in thin air, then the friction slipped, and my knee found a friend name a very hard rock, and this is what happened.

Actually, none of that happened. But it would be a better story than the real one. Here is the real story:

I was pumped about today's workout. Number one reason: I was going with my buddy Corey, who is a serious mountain biker, but just getting into the triathlon scene. However, he can hold his own in any conditions on any course.

I rode out of my house at 5:45, and we cycled to the dam. No big deal. The wind had the waves kicked-up a notch, which made it a lot funner. After that we tackled some hills and was then back on the river walk for some cycling.

We then ditched the bikes and headed out for a nice run. We were both talking away, keeping the conversation going when I ate the pavement. It seems it is perfectly acceptable in Chattanooga for a sewer circle to stick out of the ground by half a foot in the middle of a sidewalk.

Here is the result:


So tapering it is...

Long Training Day

It was a bit boring having a long training day to myself, but I got it done. 1 mile swim at the dam. This time I actually swam out to the damn, rather than just staying in the swimming area. Really, what fun is that? The only mishap was that I was swimming a long and all of a sudden I was so in-rhythm I forgot to look-up and I was touching bottom. No worries though. I had to get back to the house to get my iPod.

The original plan was to spend the day in solitude. But it was more like spending the day with 1 million vehicles. I cannot stand the sound of a car when I'm cycling. I've been spoiled by early mornings in North Georgia.

So when I got home, I ditched the bike, and donned the running shoes. I had been dreading this day for a long time but it was now or never - it was time for a long run. At this point it was 9:30 so it was not too hot. I got into a rhythm and it was great, first 2 miles I was in a rhythm, then I hit a nasty climb, still great, then I started running by the river and the heat sunk in. I threw back some Jelly Beans, drank some water, but my body was feeling it. I was running without socks, testing it out. I think the extra couple of seconds it takes me to put them on in the transition area will be worth it. I stopped by a local coffee shop threw some ice in my hat and kept going. This is awesome, and for those of you that haven't found this trick I HIGHLY recommend it. I definitely would have overheated if I had not done this. From this point on it was extremely short goals that ended up, turning into 20 miles. I did it. Home at last.

Tomorrow I may get out on the bike and due some time-trial stuff.

New Adventures

Friday was my first day without a job. It really hasn't hit me yet. I did have my long training day on Friday instead of Saturday which provided me with a whole lot more safety on the road, since there was a lot less traffic out there. I did a short swim, climbed Mowbray Mountain, and then ran up a nasty hill near my neighborhood.

So while my career in finance has just ended my wife's career in photography has just started. On Friday, she launched Moncrief Photography. She has already had several sessions with her friends with great reviews.

She truly does great work, and if you are interested, send her an email.

Cheers!