So I am not able to compete this year in the Nation's Triathlon but I will be doing the Seagull Century Ride with my fellow TNT members. We are trying to find a cure for cancer and I am asking for a donation of $24 that is a $1 for each chemotherapy session I will undergo while training for this event. Please give with your heart and share this on your facebook page. http://ping.fm/2rgbL

Man training for triathlon to aid Leukemia and Lymphoma Society - The Star Democrat: Life

Man training for triathlon to aid Leukemia and Lymphoma Society - The Star Democrat: Life: "- imagine opening your daily paper and find 1/3 of page A5 is about you. That was my day today and wanted to capture it here in my blog for others to read.

Tri For a Cure

Along the way to becoming an Ironman I have been training with the Maryland Chapter of Team In Training. The primary goal here is to help find a cure for Leukemia and Lymphoma so that others might be able become an Ironman. Should you want to join me on this road you can make a donation by clicking on the link that follows: Tri For a Cure

Brian Chestertown Tea Party 10 Mile Finish Line

Marine Corps Historic Half

The race was awesome and so was my relay partner/wife Marion. The day started at 4:00 AM with the alarm going off so that I could get the coffee brewing and our oatmeal ready to eat. Nothing better than steel cut oatmeal with homemade apple butter syrup to get the day started. We took our vitamins and started to get our fluids built up as we got ready to run. We were checking out of the hotel and on our way by 5:30 AM to the park and ride to catch the shuttle to the starting line. Marion went on to the starting line and made a last minute stop at the porta potty and then got lined up in the section for a 2:30 finish time, I went to catch my shuttle to the transition point. The race instructions said that our time in transition didn't count against us and yet the person monitoring the area told us that it did count against us. With no way to let Marion know this I took the video of her finishing gave her the camera and took off running.

The course was fun and since I knew that I would be doing some hills I was prepared as you can be. The local residents were out cheering everyone on and there were bands playing along the way. As I was approaching the 10 mile mark I knew that hospital hill was next. Since I was wearing my Team In Training shirt one of the coaches from the National Chapter hooked up with me and helped keep me focused on making it up the hill. To my surprise when we got to the top he wished me luck and peeled off to help someone else. This is why training with TNT is valuable not just for the athlete but for the cancer patients we raise funds to help.

As I approached the finish line it was getting crazy and the runners that already completed their run and the volunteers were going all out to give you that extra push to cross the line. We placed 81 out of 116 finishers here are our timings.

81. 2:31:01 AFD Relay Team                          (1:15:31)
==================================================
  1  1:13:29    B60 Brian Lewis                
  2  1:17:32    A60 Marion Lewis               

There were 300 teams registered so I think we did really great finishing and Marion ran great. Look at her time and this was the longest run that she has completed to date. Next year we will do the whole thing together and maybe beat our time from this year.

Finish Line photo at the Team In Training tent

4 weeks 1 day 10 hours - left

The Eagleman Half Ironman is due to start and my training is in the finial phase. The training is at its peak and since the first of May you can see that I have logged over 200 miles between the swim, bike, and run.

This weekend Marion and I are going to Fredericksburg, VA to run the Marine Corps Historic Half Marathon. This will be so much fun and since I am running the second half I will get both medals and then I get to give Marion her first running medal. The 6.55 distance that Marion will run is her longest run yet but I know she is well trained and ready. Back to my training the more I swim, bike and run the more comfortable I am getting but there is no way I am getting cocky.. Over the years I learned that anything is possible on race day.

The April update I spoke about my weight as this is something that I continue to fight as I never want to become that obese person I was just a few years ago. Since then I have lost another 3 pounds and 2.5 of those pounds were fat. This tells me that I will at least a lean, mean fighting machine come race day..

Eagleman Bike course & Practice Tri

Eagleman Bike course

Well yesterday I went to Cambridge, MD and introduced myself to the bike course. With a slow start and learning the road markings eventually I got going pretty well. My predicted time for the race is 3.5 hours and I finished yesterday in 8 minutes over my predicted time. My thoughts are that come race day I will be able to make my time and maybe even better. There is a lot of training left to do and I am thinking that some hill training will help me on that flat course.

Practice Tri

Saturday May 7, 2011 - went to Pasadena, MD and met with Gary from the ATC and 5 others to get our first open water swim. What a reminder that the pool is nothing like the open water. Where did the line go? Siting is so important so that you don't get to far off course. The water was cold but the wetsuit worked as much as a sleeveless wetsuit is suppose to work. Tried a little something different and rode my bike with bare feet in the bike shoes, then used socks in my running shoes and things went well. There will be some more practice this month and I'll get this figured out by race day. Between the bike and run I used a G1 hydration and some Cytomax from the water bottle and didn't get the fatigue that I have in the past. The transition from bike to run went better than I expected. So some more work on my swim and I look forward to some good things on June 12, 2011.

Hills of Annapolis MD

Tonight I went for a ride with some of the members from Annapolis Triathlon Club (ATC) on the hills west of Annapolis MD. With 90% of my training being on the flat roads of the Eastern Shore the hills were a challenge. While riding tonight one of the coaches pulled aside me and told me to keep my right leg more towards the bike and I would get more power. During the ride I tried it and sure enough there was more power, Thanks Ashley. So with a tweak on my bike to work on this month i am really looking forward to picking up some speed. Tomorrow I have a 2000 yard swim and 6 mile run to do, so it is time to get some sleep.

May 2011

May Day has come and gone and the training for the Eagleman Half Ironman event is entering the finial phase. The training plan has over 30 hours of training on it with many of the days training either 2 or all 3 of the parts of the events. There will be some open water swims with the first practice triathlon on Saturday in  Pasadena, MD at the Yacht Club. This will be a chance to get the wetsuit on and get my feet wet. unfortunately for me my wetsuits are sleeveless. This months training is very important as it will tell me if I am truely ready to take that first step to becoming an Ironman.

May is very important for my cause to raise over $2,600.00 and I need to raise another $800.00 to meet my goal by May 27, 2011l. What I need everyone to do is to visit my Fund Raising site and donate whatever they can to help us fight this enemy of everyone.

The swim this morning was a good one and the run this afternoon was a hot one. This will surely get me ready as it has known to be very hot on course during the run.

Please leave any words of encouragement or tips for success here and I will be sure to reply to them.

Crafting For A Cure

For the past 2 days we have been preparing for the Craft Show on Saturday April 30, 2011. The proceeds from the craft show are going to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to help find a cure. My training and has taken a back seat for these 2 days with the exception of a meeting last night at the pool with my swim coach. We are still working on my stroke to make it more efficient to help reserve energy for the rest of the event. Coach Corey is telling me what to do and now I have to put it in action. When it comes to swimming it seems that the slower and more efficient you are the faster you will go. The training will be full speed ahead in May as I make the finial push towards the starting line of the Eagleman Half Ironman.

If you are here on the Eastern Shore of Maryland stop on by at the Dixon Furniture Auction in Crumpton, MD or make a donation on my secured fund raising site.

April Update

Wow! Here it is the last week of April and time is flying by at mach speed. The Eagleman Half Ironman event is 1 month 2 weeks 2 days away and it is not leaving very much time for final preparation. Putting the physical training aside for a moment I want to look at my diet and nutrition which has been very important. During the off season I was doing some weight lifting and added some unwanted pounds and did not understand why. When I emailed Doctor Dr.Babak Moeinolmolki, MD, MA (who I see due to my obesity history) and asked him what might be going on, he put me in contact with the nutritionist. The one thing that was highlighted was the use of the sports drinks and how I was consuming them. When I looked at what I was using and when I was consuming them I made some changes right away. What was I using?

1. Pre workout: Gatorade G1
2. During the workout:  Gatorade G2
3. Post workout: Gatorade G3

The above products were providing too much sugar and I was not able to metabolize it all no matter how much exercise I was doing. Once I looked at this and did some research I made the following changes to my workout supplements. 

1. Pre workout: FRS
2. During the workout: Cytomax
3. Post workout: Gatorade G3 or eating a high protein meal

With the above changes I have lost 10.8 pounds since January and 6.9 pounds were body fat.

Now these numbers don’t compare to what you see on the Biggest Loser but to lose weight and do it safely and not lose strength is a big challenge. My cardiologist and general practitioner have also requested that I change my diet due to my cholesterol. My consumption of red meat has been reduced to about once a week. The rest of the diet has been adjusted to make sure I am getting enough protein to maintain or build my muscle and strength; to this end I have been completely successful.

From all of my training I am noticing a lot of improvements.

Swimming: my swim coach has been helping me improve to a level that I was not sure was achievable. My distance training in the pool is continuing to improve and open water swimming is going to start in May. The primary thing that my coach has me working on is to slow down my stroke and make sure that I am getting everything possible from each stroke. The coaching I’m getting is so valuable and I cannot wait to see how it works on June 12, 2011.

Cycling: this is another area that I have made tremendous advancement and there are a couple of reasons for that. This year I will be riding a new Trek road bike that has been outperforming my 1980’s Raleigh road bike. The setup is great and since getting this bike I have over 300 miles on it and it feels great. The other reason I think this year is better is I have been able to ride with the Annapolis Triathlon Club and learn from their vast experience. The other team I have been riding with is Team In Training.  The Team in Training coach has put together a schedule letting us know what we should be doing and when so that we can be successful.

Running: while this is where I started before getting involved with triathlons I have adjusted my training schedule so that I might see some improvement here as well. As a member of the Annapolis Striders this year I am planning to run all but one of the Championship Series. The 10K run scheduled for Father’s day I cannot run as I will be in Assateague doing the half mile swim as part of a relay team. The other teammates are my wife Marion and daughter Tesia with Marion doing the 14 mile bike and Tesia closing with the 5K run. This is such a cool thing to train and compete with family. 

To wrap things up I am still raising funds to find a cure for Leukemia and ask everyone to join me in this fight by making a tax deductable donation here http://pages.teamintraining.org/md/Eagle70311/blewisc59c.

My Workout Details

My Workout Details

The training is going well and I am see success on the horizon.

• Tonight is more time with my swim coach who has done wonders to get me where I am today in the pool. Open water swims will start soon thank goodness I have a wetsuit.
• Tomorrow I take my bike in for the 90 day check up and I pick it up on Thursday and get a adjustment to my fit.

Team Lewis
I still need supporters to help me find a cure for blood cancers like Leukemia. You can join Team Lewis by submitting your donation at the following secure site: http://pages.teamintraining.org/md/Eagle70311/blewisc59c

How Often Should Triathletes Race? | Active.com

Well if you look at my schedule you can see that I think the answer is at least once a month. My triathlons are my "A" races but I like to stay competitive with my runs. The Eagleman and Nation's events are top priority and the events before them are training events. The Wildwood triathlon was added to let me know where I am when I do the Nation's in September. The Seagull Century ride is a type of event and I am not sure if I'll do it for time or fun. Maybe all of my friends can tell me what they think I should do and perhaps I'll do a poll for this.

Should You Go Gluten-Free? | Active.com

Should You Go Gluten-Free? Active.com

Many athletes take their diets very seriously and I know that mine is one of the most important part of my plan. With having an obesity problem and never wanting to weigh 300+ pounds again I look at all the information available. While there is no magic bullet or pill to cure obesity you can win the war. With the advice of a good doctor and nutritionist the battles along the way can become smaller. A good diet is just as important as a good bike. The tools we use to train for triathlons, marathons, and other endurance events should include whatever it takes to keep the diet under control.

March Update

Well there are 90 days until the 2011 Subaru Ironman 70.3 EagleMan and the training is doing well. The year is getting off to a good start and I am setting some new personal records for my runs. The really cool part is that my wife and daughter are competing with me and we are all having fun.  My next run is the Cherry Pit 10 Mile at the South River High School. This is the 2^nd leg of the Championship Series sponsored by the Annapolis Striders; I am looking for a time under an hour and forty five minutes. That might not seem fast to many of you but for me after suffering from heart issues and obesity this is lighting. 

The training program that Team In Training provided has been a great boast to my own plan. There is something that you can do to make this an extraordinary milestone. Join my team by doing one or even all of the following things: provide assistance along my training route, ride or run with me, count my laps in the pool or join me for an open water swim. The most important thing you can do is to go to click on this link Tri For A Cure and donate to help find a cure for Leukemia & Lymphoma. My goal this year is raise over $5000.00 to support the facts listed below, I will add to the list for everyone that donates $2,500.00 your name will be tattooed on me and you will train with me forever.

LLS Mission Fact

“What is possible with a $25, $50, $100, $500 or $1,000 donation?”

A donation of $25 provides patients and their loved ones with FREE booklets that contain up-to-date information on their disease and help them make informed decisions about their treatment options.

A donation of $50 makes possible a Family Support group with a trained facilitator where comfort can be found and experiences can be shared among patients and family members.

A donation of $100 helps supply laboratory researchers with supplies and materials critical to carrying out their search for cures.

A donation of $500 provides patient aid to three families with a loved one living with a blood cancer.

A donation of $1,000 makes possible one- on-one conversations with health care specialists who provide patients with information about their disease, treatment options, and helps prepare them with questions for their health care team.

February update

The time is flying by so quickly that it is hard to believe that it is February 11, 2011. Tomorrow is the first race of 2011 and even though it is a 5K run to me it symbolizes the start of the year. There definitely seems to be something special about this time of the year. The Super Bowl is done, pitchers and catchers are reporting for spring training, and NASCAR is getting ready for the Daytona 500. With all of this going on here I am ready to run the first 5K of the year.


There are 120 days until the Eagleman Half Ironman and I am working hard to be competitive in that event. With the Maryland Team In Training Team along side of me this will be a great event. One of our Honored Teammates is Eva Paxton, she is training for this event and undergoing chemotherapy. When you have teammates like Eva you push a little harder to be your best. Before I reach the starting line in Cambridge, MD I will run several other events that you can find on my schedule page.

There have been some setbacks in my training schedule with having a cold to start January and February off with. Now that those are behind me the training will be going full steam ahead. My swim coach is teaching the breath stroke and I am getting more comfortable in the water. The bike is on the trainer for the winter and while I am not use to riding in doors it seems to be going well. Most of my run training is on the treadmill which I know everyone disagrees with but when you have a cold running in freezing temperatures is not fun. There will be a long run this week outdoors to prepare for the B&A Trail Marathon on March 6, 2011.

As promised I will talk a bit about nutrition and my personal fight with obesity. That is right I said obesity, something that is genetic and I could not be lucky and have it pass me by. Since having gastric bypass surgery in July 2008 and losing over 100 pounds I struggle to keep it off. This was a life changing event for me and I have been on a restricted diet since then. This off season I added weight training to my schedule and while I am stronger now it also put some more weight back on me. There are ongoing conversations with my doctors but I am looking for a nutritionist certified in sports and working with endurance athletes. To say that I am concerned about gaining weight again that would not be an understatement. My promise to you is that I will always keep an eye on this and your recommendations and ideas will be considered.

January update

Well this month is flying by and I sure wish I could get it back. Oh well that won't happen so I will move forward. My search for a swim coach has ended and already helping. Coach Corey helping me understand that with proper body position and a better kick my swim will be enhanced. Now that I know that I am practicing drills to make these things natural. Someone once told me that knowledge is power. Well I have the knowledge and the power to make a change. The training calendar is being updated to add more swim time to practice the drills to help make these changes. Next week I learn to do the breath stroke, I guess you can teach an old dog a new trick.

The running is on target and I will be ready for the B & A Trail Marathon March 6, 2011. This is not the only race on my schedule however it is the first endurance event of the year. There are six events on my schedule leading up to the Eagleman Half Ironman that I am planning to run with the Maryland Team In Training team. The mission of Team In Training is to raise funds to find cure for Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. My goal for this event is $2,900.00 and I am sure that all my friends will help me achieve this goal while I train for success. With your support and my coaches I will be ready to complete the Half Ironman event.

My next post will focus on nutrition and what I am doing to continue my personal fight with obesity.

January 10, 2011

Since I was recovering from a cold last week and spending time with my littlest angel Annaliese there were no posts last week. This time was not wasted and I evaluated my race calendar and training schedule. My main events for this year include a marathon in March, half marathon in May, Half Ironman in June, International distance triathlon in September, and a century ride in October. Along with these events I will be running several smaller events to keep my competitive edge. This year I will again be raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and you can make a secured donation by clicking here.

So today I ran 3 miles on the treadmill at the Y followed by some strength training. My training is logged using Ontri.com where training calendar is also maintained. Like last year I am still looking for some help with nutrition and creating a diet that will help me maintain the lean competitive body that I desire. Unlike last year I have someone that is going to coach me in the swim and help me become a better swimmer thus making me more competitive. Are you all seeing the theme here? This year I want to be competitive and set some new personal records.

My motto this year is the lesson that Yoda taught Skywalker Do or Do not. There is no try." Yoda teaches Luke Skywalker the force.

January 3, 2011 – Road to an Ironman

Today started on a good note my granddaughter woke up and was her cherry self. It seems that somewhere between the New Years Eve 5K and now I have developed a little congestion and the sinuses are dripping. My training for today is a 45 minute run focusing on technique, looking for my balance or chi you might say.

The diet for today will be a light one with lots of fluids.

The fund-raising effort needs to get in to full swing so that I can reach my goal of $2,900.00 by May 2011. You can donate by visiting the following link. http://pages.teamintraining.org/md/Eagle70311/blewisc59c