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.