Update

Florida Ironman 2009 didn't happen due to my step-dad dying and a number of other personal issues.

I don't know what I'll do next, but I definately have some big plans in the pipeline so stay-tuned.

In the meantime, I am helping out this awesome Chattanooga Wedding Photographer and Chattanooga Family Photographer. Usually, I call her my wife, the boss, or Brittany Moncrief.

So if your in the market for a Chattanooga Wedding Photographer - shoot her an email.

Cheers,

Jimmy

Training and Twittering

I'm obviously falling WAY behind in blogging. The summer's just keep getting busier and busier. Training has been going ok, I'm excited to be gearing up for my next race though - which will be the Atomic Man Half Ironman. A true test for how ready I will be come Ironman Time in November.

I have started twittering more, so if you want some more updates, please follow me here:

http://twitter.com/jimmymoncrief

My wife's photography business just launched a new site, check it out here

Chattanooga makes TreeHugger.com

There is an article on TreeHugger.com about Chattanooga's Community Kitchen donating bicycles to the homeless.

Link to article can be found here

Awesome

Just got back from an amazing trail run. So amazing I did it twice! I wasn't exactly looking to do 12 or 13 miles but I thought something happened to one of my friends. Turns out he wanted a real adventure and wanted to see where another trail went. Anyway, during the run we started talking about Lance Armstrong. I personally don't (didn't) get it. Why would you come back? There is no upside. If you win - your Lance - that is what you do. If you lose, your another athlete who couldn't give it up. I don't think I need to name names here.

I put "didn't" above. Because I hadn't seen this commercial yet:

The Key to Life is Running and Reading

This is old school, but I love Will Smith, and this is a great message.

Call for Pictures and Video

I'm currently working on a special project that I'm REALLY excited about. Right now it's TOP SECRET, but everyone will hear about it very soon!

As many of you would suspect by now, part of the project requires some crazy awesome pictures and video. SO, if you have some awesome picture of yourself, hainging off of a cliff, finishing an ironman, sweating through an ultra-marathon, or whatever, email me, leave a comment, whatever and I'll include it in this sweet new project I'm working on.

I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!

Ironman Training

This weekend I FINALLY got a good semi-long day in.  Definitely, not a full Ironman training day, but definitely long enough to know that it is prime time for Ironman Training.  I was fortunate enough to be with my buddy Kevin.  We had a warm-up pace heading to the water, we pulled each other while we were doing intervals.  

My friend Kevin swam in college, so it is pointless to actually swim with him.  But we did get in the same amount of time, about 30 minutes.  I always joke that I actually swim as fast as him, I just don't swim in a straight line.  Note, when we race in a lap-pool I have to get a little more creative with my excuses.

We had a nice bike ride back doing some more intervals.  Kev, had to cut it short, and I "had Georgia on my mind" so I headed out to the valley.  

WARNING!  This is about to get deep, so if you want to just follow me and my triathlon training, stop here!  

As I was riding all by lonesome, I couldn't help but just think about the completely awesome creator we have.  The sunrise, the morning dew, the deer, the complete silence and the sounds of nature.  If you are having a hard time empathizing - then you need to get outside more!  

"He bought me out into a spacious place; He rescued me because he delighted in me." Psalms 18:19 

Scenic City Trail Marathon Reviewed

I was planning on running the half-marathon at the Scenic City Trail Marathon, but since I have been having some knee problems I just decided to take pictures and support my friends.

One of my friends directed the race...

One of my friends terrorized everyone...

And another one of my friends won the race!

Contrats to all who finished!

Updates

May was extremely hectic for me, so I made a personal goal to blog everyday in June.  So now, as of June 3, I have already failed at this.  Owell...

Monday, June 1 Ironman training was my official start for training.  I'm sure this is a major shock to most of you.  However, I've been keeping in-shape - long rides here and there, trail runs, etc..., but now, it's official triathlon training time.  

For now, no more just keeping in-shape, it's time to get in triathlon shape, which is a world of difference than just being in-shape.  On Monday, after work I grabbed a quick open water swim.  Unfortunately, I had to cut it short, but it was great being back in the water.  I never thought after training for the Louisville Ironman that I would miss it, but I have. 

Last night I got in another swim and today I got some good running in.  Saturday, is my first big day and I'm stoked becuase my training partner will be with it and we are both good at challenging each other in different legs.  

In May, I did participate in some really cool events, in-which I will blog about over the next couple of days.  So be sure to keep coming back - or better yet - SUBSCRIBE TO THE RSS FEED!

Ride of Silence

Hey everyone in the blogosphere.  I was wanting to promote the Ride of Silence on Wednesday.  This is a slow ride (max 12 mph) in hone of those who have been injured or killed while cycling on public roadways.  Go to: http://rideofsilence.org/main.php

For a ride near your city.

If you live in Chattanooga, here you go:

Date:	Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Time:	7:00pm - 9:00pm
Location:	Finley Stadium
Street:	1826 Carter Street
City/Town:	Chattanooga, TN

Starting Swim Training in Style

I'm kicking off my swim training for the Florida Ironman like everyone should...in the ocean.  Sure beats chasing the dreaded black line in a cold pool.

I'm going to try top post some pictures when I'm there, but just in-case I knew everyone would enjoy these.  I also plan on getting some good sailing time in.  

Hopefully the weather gets better in Chattanooga, TN.  

Country Music Marathon...Taste of Victory

I love this picture for a lot of reasons. It definitly describes us all three as individuals.

Brent: Chicago Bears Hat, Softball T-shirt, next time just wear a sign that says "I'm not a runner, but my best friend annoyed me so much I signed up"

Dusty: All the marathon, road running gear he needs. If it wasn't so hot, I'm sure he had another 26.2 in him.

Jimmy (me): Trail racing t-shirt, Ironman Triathlon hat. This obviously isn't my kind of race, but I still had a blast with all of my friends! Which is what life is all about! Well sort-of...
By far my favorite picture! They busted out crying, my wife and I started crying. It was all-out waterworks. We were all in need of some gel-therapy (inside Ironman joke). Only a spouse understands all of the hard-work and dedication it takes in training to complete a marathon. You did it Dusty! Congrats! You are a marathon runner for life.

After I finished I crashed under some shade with some water, and then got back out there and ran to about mile 23 or 24 to brink Dusty home. On the way, it looked like a freaking death march. Unfortunately, I was passed by more ambulances than I can count on one hand, and even saw a guy have a seizure. I thing after this one, Dusty will want to put the Badwater Ultramarathon off for a couple of years.
Back story. I have an amazing wife that ran the last two miles in my Ironman Triahtlon in flip-flops with our 6-month old strapped to her front. Becca, my wife's best friend and the sister I never had is right up there in support as she is 5 months pregnant and she got out there to run a little with her hubs.

In the end, I had a horrible race as my right knee blew out on me at mile 11. It didn't matter though, because my legs were shot after the first five miles of hills .Like I said in the beginning, I had a blast with my friends and I would do it all over again just to see my daughter try to eat my finisher medal.

p.s. All of the pictures are from my awesome Wife - thanks for keeping life documented!

What Kind of Life Are You Living?

WOW! For me, this puts my Ironman Triathlon in perspective. On one level it is definately not safe, and it is out of the box. However, I want to live a much deeper life, one of meaning, purpose and experience. I hope you all enjoy!

Mob Boss Book Review

I’ll Make You An Offer You Can’t Refuse is a straight talking book business book if there every was one.  Michael Frazese balances  business advice with real life examples, albeit most of the examples are illegal. 

The biggest asset the book has is the simplicity.  The book flows well and is very easy to read.  Additionally, it has an outline of bullet points at the end of each chapter titled: “Get the Message”

Another big plus for the book is that it is part of Nelsonfree, which means if you buy the book, you get the audio book and the ebook free. 

The only major thing I can complain about is that it felt cheesy at times, as Franzese’s constantly compares himself to “Tony Soprano” which seems odd, considering Franzese was an actual mob-boss.  However, the real examples the book describes are like nothing I have ever read.  Mainly because they are illegal.  I can’t believe this guy is alive, much less telling the true stories of the inner-workings of the mob.

I think the business section of the book store is better off with this book.  We need more real life examples in business practices and less theoretical management garbage.  If you want an easy to read, straight-talking book, and you are interested in the inner-workings of the mob, this is the book for you!

2009 Country Music Marathon

This weeked I'm running my first road race.  The 2009 Country Music Marathon.  The race is extremely special to me as it was my first marathon.  I think I did everything wrong, but I finished and that is what counts.

This year will be just as special as my best friend is running his first half marathon and one of my good training buddies is running his first marathon.

Hopefully I won't be looking like this:

Which is exactly what I looked like the last time I ran the Country Music Marathon.  Hopefully, the lack of an extra 13.1 miles will help.

Good luck to all.

Good Ol' Days

I think perspective is extremely important in all parts of life.  Sometimes I get frustrated with where I am in my training versus where I want to be.  I used to have a lot more time to train, and as such, was a lot faster.  But I just came across some archives of my first couple of posts and an overwhelming smile came across my face.  

Let's treat life as a process and not a goal, and enjoy the ride!  

Why run ultras?

“Why run a hundred miles? Because basketball and baseball only require one ball.”
- Kim Gaylord

Who I Am

It's obvious.

That it is important to know who you are.

But unfortunately (or fortunately) I'm not going to even attempt to summarize who I am in a blog post. Here is a summary anyway:

I am a passionate person. I value experiences in the the highest order. I believe life should be looked at not as a goal, but as a journey. YES, I have to remind myself of that regularly. I love GOD, I love my family and friends. I love the outdoors and all of the opportunities and encounters I have with mother nature.

My ultimate goal in life: to consume more Ice Cream than any other person on the face of this earth (hence, I need to keep doing Ironman triathlons, to stay in reasonable shape for this task)

Pictures of River Gorge Trail Run

Pictures of the River Gorge Trail Run are up.

Black & White images should be uploaded later in the week.

10% of all sales go to the Cumberland Trail Conference.

Congrats to all of the finishers who made it through the mud!

Freakishly Awesome Article on Running

I love science.  Even though I'm bad at it and struggled through college, I have a huge amount of respect for science.  This is mainly due to my grandfather who was a chemist.

Anyhow, Seed Magazine just put out a freakishly awesome article on running.  

Chattanooga Outdoor Expo Update

I just got word that the Outdoor Expo that I blogged about yesterday, has been rescheduled for Sunday, March 29, from 12-4.  Everyone come on out and check out Outdoor Chattanooga's new digs!    

Chattanooga Outdoors

Unfortuantely I won't be running the River Gorge 10 miler this weekend, as I am still fighting a sinus infection.  However, I will be there photographing everyone and motivating friends.

On another note, the Outdoor Expo is this weekend and I will be there helping my friend Jon out with iMultisport.  

Outdoor Chattanooga Outdoor Expo 
Gear Swap
and
Grand Opening Celebration

Saturday, March 28, 2009
10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Coolidge Park
(Rain Date: March 29, Noon - 4 p.m.)

Live Strong Manifesto

I haven't kept up with my goals of posting more on the blog due to a seriously wicked bug.  I haven't ran in 4 weeks.  It has been well over a decade the last time I went four weeks without running.  Anyway, aside from being kept up sick and dealing with a bunch of other stuff I recently found some motivation in this manifesto and wanted to pass it along.  Go LIVE!

THE MANIFESTO OF THE LANCE ARMSTRONG FOUNDATION We believe in life. Your life. We believe in living every minute of it with every ounce of your being. And that you must not let cancer take control of it. We believe in energy: channeled and fierce. We believe in focus: getting smart and living strong. Unity is strength. Knowledge is power. Attitude is everything. This is the Lance Armstrong Foundation. We kick in the moment you’re diagnosed. We help you accept the tears. Acknowledge the rage. We believe in your right to live without pain. We believe in information. Not pity. And in straight, open talk about cancer. With husbands, wives and partners. With kids, friends and neighbors. And the people you live with, work with, cry and laugh with. This is no time to pull punches. You’re in the fight of your life. We’re about the hard stuff. Like finding the nerve to ask for a second opinion. And a third, or a fourth, if that’s what it takes. We’re about getting smart about clinical trials. And if it comes to it, being in control of how your life ends. It’s your life. You will have it your way. We’re about the practical stuff. Planning for surviving. Banking your sperm. Preserving your fertility. Organizing your finances. Dealing with hospitals, specialists, insurance companies and employers. It’s knowing your rights. It’s your life. Take no prisoners. We’re about the fight. We’re your champion on Capitol Hill. Your advocate with the healthcare system. Your sponsor in the research labs. And we know the fight never ends. Cancer may leave your body, but it never leaves your life. This is the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Founded and inspired by one of the toughest cancer survivors on the planet. LIVESTRONG™

In honor of my friend David

On the way to work this Friday I noticed an "accident" on the right side of the road.  However, as I approached a cold shiver went up my spine that is still there.  I saw a lone bike on the ground with a huge truck in front parked.  Cop cars were everywhere.  Later I found out this was actually a good friend of mine, David Meek, a fellow commuter that I had shared many rides with on Tuesday nights, many breakfasts with at Bike to Work, and many other great memories with.  Mere words cannot even begin to explain the admiration I have for David Meek.  A true cyclist who builds his own bikes.  He passed away after arriving at the hospital.

Many of you know I'm extremely sensitive about this topic as I was full-time bike commuter for over 3 years.  I have edited this post many times to not sound so militant, but I do want to remind everyone that in Tennessee automobiles are required by law to give cyclist 3 feet of room:  Tennessee's 3-foot law.  

Southern 6 Recap

No wonder I didn't win - look how far back I am from the front!

My first race of the year went relatively well.  Saturday my friend Dusty and I did the course so I would be familiar with it.  The course is behind Southern Adventist University and has some excellent trails, that are real heart-breakers!  The race was a 6K course and the first 2.5K were straight-up!  Needless to say we didn't have to worry about pack-running.  

It was perfect running weather as it was wicked cold at the start with strong winds.  Once we got into the woods everything was fine though.  The race played-out exactly like I thought it would.  Everyone charged up the first section of the almost 3K hill and once people started to see there was no end-in-sight people started to walk and shuffle to the side.  I'm happy to report that I didn't stop the entire time.  My only dissapointment came mid-way through when I was wanting to keep-up with a very fast group and they passed me.  I was actually exicted when we were about 80% done and Chattanooga running legend Randy Whorton passed me!  However, reality set-in when they gave him an award and he announced he ran a 50-K the day before!  Owell, it was a fun day and my friend Dusty pulled a Dean K - and ran to the race!  True dedication!!!

I'm truelly addicted to trails now.  I don't care if I am significantly slower - I feel better and more refreshed after running on trails.  

  

not all who wonder are lost

My friends systematically express disdain towards working out with me.  There are several reasons for this.  The main one being, I do have a slight tendency to A) wonder (get lost) and B)workout for longer than some people would like.

Somehow there is this rumor that a friend that used to workout with me was going to go cycling with me on a nice Saturday morning.  My friend only has "a couple of hours" and just wants to knock out "30 miles or so" well somehow, according to the rumor, we ended up covering over 60 miles two time zones, three counties, two mountains, and my friend didn't get his porch painted this day.  However, I need to remind everyone this is just a rumor.

The wondering part of my answer is fairly sophisticated.  First and foremost, I love Chattanooga and it's surrounding areas.  Not having the distinct pleasure of growing up here I am constantly finding new areas to explore.  It is gorgeous here and I love the mountains.  I can't tell you how many times I have been going down a mountain at 40+ mph not knowing what state I was going to end up in, much less what county or city.  Even though I have now lived here for 9 years, I haven't even scratched the surface as to all of the awesome outdoor venues here.

OK, so I'll quit rambling.  Two weekends ago when I was cycling up Signal my friend and I got to the top and we were just zipping along the brow.  My friend knew the way back and wanted to turn, but I wanted to keep going, not knowing where it went (he didn't either).  Only later to find out it is one of the best overlooks Signal Mountain has to offer.  I digress.  

Last weekend, my wondering didn't pay the expected dividends.  Another friend and myself were running on the trails on Racoon Mountain and I thought if you cut-out early, I would be cutting my run short.  It turns out this section was where I was supposed to get off.  Much to my chagrin, the trail immediately started going downhill and away and I added another two miles - and it was a painfull two miles!  Owell, it was a pretty day.

It looks like it is going to be another great weekend with friends and family coming in-town, great weather, my daughter's birthday, and a couple of trail runs already planned... 

Signal & Signal

I had a great Birthday weekend!  On Saturday morning me and a friend rode up Signal Mountain (W Road route).  I couldn't help but make my usual remark of "Man its gorgeous here!  You have no idea how awesome it is to live in Chattanooga!"  Note, he is from Chattanooga.  I know it was my goal to make more personal pictures on the blog, and I got about 1/4th of the way there, since I did bring my point and click, but I got so wrapped up in how pretty it was up there, I forgot to take it out.  

I'll try my best to describe it here.  When we got to the top, we got off our bikes and I felt like I could see forever.  Mountains were in the background, but immediately below was the valley.  The morning fog was still visible below us in certain spots, and the good ol' river was briskly winding through the city.  It was awesome!  

We then rode around on the brow for awhile, before going hypothermic down the mountain.  For those of you who have not had the pleasurable experience of being soking weat with sweat in 30 degree weather, and then going 40 mph down a mountain on a bike, it's simmilar to freeze out in a car, but just with your whole body outside and being wet.  

The next day on my birthday, I met another friend at the bottom of the mountain to run up the front side.  Much to my chagrin, my alarm didn't go off.  He was nice enough to wait for me.  I guess the wait was worth it for him, since we talked the entire way up the mountain as we ran, and we still ran faster than his time before.  Everytime I tell myself I'm going to hitch-hike down, becuase of my knees, but it never works out.  So staying true to my roots, I did something VERY different - I RAN DOWN THE MOUNTAIN BACKWARDS!  I definitly got some strange looks, but it was worth it.  My knees didn't feel like I had dropped bricks on them all day, like before.  I think the bonus, was that my hamstrings got a nice extra workout.  

After the workout, I had one of the breakfast's I've had in a long time, and definitly one of the best in my entire life.  Not so much for the food, even though that was amazing, but by the friends and family I ate with.  

Hindsight 20/20, I'm glad everything happened the way it did last year, to trully force me to believe that what matters most in this crazy world we live in is the relationships we have with others.

birthday boy

Hi! It is Brittany, Jimmy's Wife. I hacked into his blog to tell all of his friends over here that today is his Birthday. Make sure you wish him a happy one and if you just so happen to want to see how special he is to his family be sure to jump over here.

Thanks for saying hello! Have an incredible day!

Oh and a post is always better with a picture so here is the b'day boy sporting a couple of his birthday presents (click to enlarge).
Happy Birthday to my Ironman! Love you a and f. -brittany-

Gossip, Gossip, Gossip

Guy's perennially make fun of girls for there endless talk of celebrity's. In reality, however I think us guys are just as bad. Instead of it being actors/actresses it's just sports figures.

I'm not going to use this blog to spread gossip but I do have two bits of information hot off the gossip wheel that people might find interesting.

1) I have heard from 3 different unrelated groups that Floyd Landis is moving here - to Chattanooga, TN

2) Lance is planning on doing an Ironman after the Tour de France! This one, I actually have an internet source for.

Long Run Sundays...

On Sunday, I found yet another awesome reason why I love living in Chattanooga. I have now been here 9 years and I haven't even scratched the surface on all of the outdoor activities available. On Sunday, my friend Dusty had to do a long-run in training for his upcoming marathon. Having participated in many of these long-run sessions I know they can be extremely boring and it wasn't like running 10 miles was going to hurt me and my nice winter-hibernation flab.

So early Sunday after a late night I got out of a nice warm bed to go brave the cold for a long run (can anyone tell that I had a lot of excuses not to go?). We were running at Chicamauga Battlefield. I had never ran there before, but Dusty had ran a half-marathon and guarunteed I wouldn't be dissapointed. Note, I prefer trails and we would have ran trails, but all of the ones we knew about were flooded. The experience was awesome to say the least.

First, we talked pretty much the whole time so it definately wasn't boring and second we saw no less than 30 dear. It was great being out there with the early morning fog and mist seeing the deer eating in the fields. At one point, we got within about 5 feet of two deer that were completely unfazed that we were running almost at them (they were by the road we were running on).

The actual run wasn't bad at all, as there were only a couple of moderate hills and we pretty much talked the entire time while watching the deer so the mileage flew by.

Anyway, we had to cut the run short due to a bowel syndrome I had which is caused by eating expired granola and then going and running 8 miles, I'll let everyone guess as to what was going on...

Changes

Last year was great of-course because I became an "Ironman" the obvious goal since I had that great conversation on a road trip with my friend Kevin. Now I'm "stuck" with a blog titled "My Path To The Ironman" What to do?

Well, for one, if you have been consistently reading this blog you know that there is more to my life than just 140.6 miles and that there are more "things" both tangible and intangible (but mostly intangible) that I consider an Ironman.

Yet, there will be changes. My goal for the blog this year is to have more frequent posts, more of a following, and more personal pictures. So keep me accountable. These are the goals for the blog this year, who know where it will lead...

If there is anything you would like to see or hear about please leave a comment, email, or call. If there is anything you dislike or like comment, email or call.

No Mo Memphis Ride

On New Years Day I got invited to do the "No Mo Memphis Ride" All ex-Memphians now living in the greatest city on earth - Chattanooga, TN. The person who invited me said "we are all going to be hung over, so we will just take it nice and slow" Which was fine with me since, I'm not really even doing base training right now, rather just trying to keep the weight off until spring when I will hit training hard. Also I haven't done a serious ride since Ironman.

We all met at Mojo in Red Bank, Lance was predictably not there on-time, but strangely enough his bike was there (he was changing out a tire on someone else's bike. The other two (a couple) I had not met before, but judjing by the bike and the gear, I knew we weren't going slow on this ride. She had a custom bike, and he had a SEVEN, for those of you none-cyclist out there, these things aren't cheap. Corey showed up and the others and we were off. So let me paint the picture, everyone is there with all of their sharp bikes and winter riding gear, and I've got my mountain bike helmet, my hoodie sweatshirt I have had since middle-school, one black sock and one white sock, and quite possibly the cheapest pair of cycling shoes on the face of this earth. I think everyone else's sunglasses cost more than my entire outfit. Owell, I'm just here to have fun and make everyone else look good.



The ride to Signal was fun, we talked about last night's drinking and the new year and all of the races we were looking forward to. I have never climbed the W route up signal, but it is much talked about. I was predictably slow, but it was a fun route, there was a little ice up top, but nothing too scary. I thought I would overheat in my 3 layers of clothing but I didn't, and that should tell you how cold it was. The rollers on top of Signal are great training. You just have to grind them out no matter how good of cyclist you are. There is no fast way to do them. The ride down the backside was fun, as always. Corey was, as usual, the fastest hitting 42 mph, it would have been faster, but we were all COLD.



At the bottom, I pulled out a PBJ sandwich. Everyone was laughing, but at this point who am I kidding really? They all had their perpeteum. I'm not naming names, but these people are so serious they drink Recoverite after they mow the lawn.

About Perpeteum:



About Recoverite:



The ride through the Sequatchie Valley was the most disappointing. Usually it's a nice ride with no traffic and you can talk the whole time, while maintaing a nice training pace. This time we were greeting with 15+ mph headwinds. My stomach was really acting up. Evidently champagne & rum isn't what I should have been carbo-loading the day before. I was in good company though a fellow cyclist had a similar concoction of beer, whiskey, champagne, and then beer (in that order) from the night before so he was right there with me. I made it up Suck Creek mountain with one hand on my handle bars and one hand on my stomach. On the way down I my entire body was shaking so bad I was scared I was going to fall of the bike. It was pretty though seeing the ice on the side of the mountain.



So I'm sure while reading this you are glad you didn't participate in this ride, as it was one of the worst rides I've been on. However, hindsight 20/20 would I do it again - YOU BETCHA! Even though I had miserable stomach cramps, was freezing, and was completely out of shape and shouldn't be tackling two mountains and 60 miles, it was a lot better than staying inside and watching tv all day.