Funk's Triathlon Journal

Hip Impingement Surgery Gaining Popularity

2011-11-16T09:10:00.000-08:00

New article on Hip Impingement via the NY Times.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/16/health/hip-impingement-grows-popular-but-remains-unproven.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=hip%20surgery&st=cse

2010-10-22T15:30:00.000-07:00

Buffalo Springs TX, Penticton Canada, Las Vegas NV, Kona Hawaii, Maui Hawaii, and Kailua Hawaii…

By saying that I have not updated my blog in a while is a waste of time so I am not even going to go there, oh wait I guess I just did. Anyway, to say the least I have been busy. Busy racing, working, traveling, weddings, “girlfriending” if you will… I added some photos as I figured you would rather look at those than read my words!

Buffalo Springs TX:

1^st ½ IM back from surgery. It was shocking to feel the effects of racing longer distances again. In short, a lot of lessons learned and was very humbled by the sport. I was pretty down on myself after the race but with help from Aimee and Jill I was able to put things into perspective and start training for IM Canada!

***This sign got lots of praise! I almost fell off my bike laughing when I saw it***

Penticton Canada:

1^st IM back from surgery. Preparation for the race was great, I felt fit and ready to go. Having a coach this time around was the best blessing I could have asked for. Swim was a PR, on the bike I felt amazing and was holding more watts than my prior IM’s. All hell broke loose when a storm rolled in with rain and hail. The temperature dropped 25° with crazy wind and rain. My body does not do well in cold weather and went hypothermic. It never was able to recover from that and the run was a struggle. It was the slowest IM I have ever done, but one that I am actually most proud of. I’m proud because everything that could have gone wrong that day did, and I was able to fight through it and get to the finish line. It also meant that I was able to withstand the IM distance again, and that in itself made it all worth it.

***Bike Check in at IM Canada***

Las Vegas NV:

Aimee and I went out there to do an Olympic, it was her first at this distance. We had a great time, she did awesome! I could have won my first triathlon if I didn’t run the wrong way on the course. I guess many who know me will say “par for the course Funk.” Whatever, I was there for Aimee and to see her come across the line that day was better than any win would have been. If anyone thinks that is an easy course, they are WAY wrong. That course is HARD and brutal. I am really proud she pushed through the pain and made it home. We celebrated with some Vegas fun, holla!

***Ready to race in Vegas! Aimee has her new bike ready to race!***

Hawaii:

Aimee and I went out there to support Mac racing IM Kona. It was Mac’s first IM as well after having 2 knee surgeries just 4 months prior to Kona. How he rehabbed and gave it a go is beyond me. I was so stoked to see him race again in Kona as I know it is his favorite thing in the world to do. After Kona, Aimee and I shot over to Maui for a little vacation full of awesomeness. We pretty much drove the entire island, found an awesome running trail, hiked to some monster waterfalls, got chased out of the water while doing SUP by a tiger shark, and had too many Mai Thais!

***Kailua Beach on Oahu, where I grew up***

***Our view in Maui from the house***

***Cheering on Mac during IM Kona***

The focus this winter is going to be running, running and more running. I am looking forward to working with Jil l this winter and building a great winter base for next year. Having her as a coach is the best thing to have happened to me in this sport…

***Aimee and I wishing it would never end***

Thanks for reading…

Tons of changes!

2010-05-25T11:08:00.000-07:00

Aimee and I...

Aimee's dog Kaiya

Dying during the 2nd 5K at OC Duathlon

Wondering why I am doing this to myself at Superseal

I am going to try and keep this short and sweet as I haven't been updating my blog, just another thing I need to work on!! A lot has changed and progressed since my last update in February, and all of it in a positive way!

New Race Schedule:

5/22 OC Duathlon

6/27 Buffalo Springs 70.3 TX

7/11 Persona Desert 1/2 Ironman Canada

8/29 Ironman Canada

The rest TBD!!!

New Coach!

In the beginning of May I began working with Jill Savege. I have coached myself in this sport for 3 years now and I have FINALLY come to grips with the fact that I can't succeed if I continue down this path. Jill needs no introduction, but for those of you who are not familiar with her you can read about her and her accomplishments here. I sought out someone who had a short course background and who also has experience in full Ironman. Jill not only has both, but everything in between. For so long I have been doing nothing but volume and I have realized that I have been going backwards for 2 years because of it. She has been a delight to work with this past month and has me doing all Quality workouts which is exactly what I need.

Races:

I have done 2 races since I have been back training. I competed (if you call it that) in Superseal down in San Diego a couple months ago to test out the hip. Needless to say it wasn't pretty! I did get some good data which will allow Jill to see where I am and what I need to do.

Last weekend I raced the OC Duathlon to yet again test the hip. I raced it after 3 weeks of hard intensity training, and it showed! On the turn around for the first 5k I realized that it wasn't going to be pretty race. But all things considered I did win my AG although I was not impressed with my splits.

New Girlfriend:

A couple months ago I met Aimee who I have been spending a lot of time with. My goal coming into 2010 was finding balance in my life. It has been something that I have been struggling with for the past 3 years, mostly because I set a goal for myself that is yet to be reached. That goal, being qualifying for IM Hawaii, has led me to throw away my life outside of racing. Unhealthy? Yes, extremely. Aimee has not only allowed me to find that balance in my life, but has also been a huge support in everything I am trying to accomplish. She is a ringer athlete herself so I get to go watch her dominate the softball field and volleyball courts weekly!

Other exciting things...

Some other exciting things coming up for me are:

Currently looking to buy a house, brothers wedding in July, Pageant of the Masters, Kings of Leon concert, and some new responsibility at work...

Lots going on, always looking to take a step in the right direction. Two feet in this year!

2010-02-09T10:28:00.001-08:00

Tentative Race Schedule for 2010...

Newport Beach Sprint - 4/11

Bonelli Event 1 - 4/18

Hermann 70.3 Texas - 4/25

OC Duathlon - 5/22

Kansas 70.3 - 6/6

Ironman CDA - 6/27

Vineman 70.3 - 7/18

Solana Beach - 7/25

OC Triathlon - 9/26

2010-01-26T09:54:00.000-08:00

I have surfed Scripps for many many years, but have never seen it like this. What I would have given to be out there!

January 22, 2010

I'm a Free Man!

2010-01-21T13:34:00.000-08:00

Finally the day has come where I am a free man to run! For the past few weeks I have only been able to run on the treadmill for about 30 minutes or so gradually increasing my run/walk intervals. As of yesterday Kevin gave me the green light to start building my base for running. I have been waiting for this day since Oct. 14th. The funny thing about being injured and having surgery is that the hard part is not the actual surgery, but rather the waiting game you have to play afterwards. Like many of us athletes we are challenged day in and day out with training, diet, recovery, attitude, etc. I looked at my surgery not necessarily as a bad thing, but rather another challenge to see if I could mentally have the patience to heal correctly and follow the guidelines of recovery.

Now the hard part of gaining run fitness, just another challenge I have to win!

Hope everyone stayed safe and out of trouble in this nasty weather!

2010 News and Announcement...

2010-01-05T21:15:00.000-08:00

I don't think I have ever been so glad to see a year go by. As with most people, as I begin a new year I typically look back on the previous one and determine how I can improve. It is safe to say that I didn't need to explore my inner/deep thoughts or go soul searching this year! My 2009 was not the way I wrote it, but I guess you can say the same thing about life even when things are going "better than you expected." Right?

The reason I bring this up is because I believe that life is a lot like racing, yes call me a "tri-dork" or laugh that I am making this analogy, but in all honesty I think it does. In an Ironman, you never know how you are going to feel on race day. Will you be tired, malnourished, or will you just simply not have the legs that day? As in life and racing, no matter who you are and what shape (physical, mental, financial, emotional, etc) you are in, you have to be prepared to deal with the unexpected whether it is good or bad. In my case 2009 was a year that I had to simply "deal with it." As athletes, when we are told that we have an injury that requires surgery it is hard to take. Add on to that by telling us we can't have the surgery for 2 months AND it will take you 3 months to be able to train again, well that is just simply a HUGE pill to swallow. When this happened to me I officially said goodbye to 2009 and counted down the days until 2010. Life happens:) As in an Ironman, all we can do is "do the best we can because you never know what the day will throw at you." In the end, this is what makes us stronger people...

As of right now I am 90% healthy and have started to officially run. I have been riding and swimming for the past 2 months and will now focus my attention on running. Not only am I healthy but I also have a new sponsor this year, Quintana Roo. I am overly excited to be riding their new CD0.1. This year they have made two incredible changes from last year, High Modulus Carbon and a BB30 bottom bracket making this bike extremely stiff! I have added a picture of my new bike all set up and ready to be ridden! I will also be swimming in their new Superfull wetsuit which I can't wait to try out.

I have had a long road since June of 09, and I can say in all honesty that I could not have gotten here with out the help of my support crew. My surgeon Dr. Snibbe, Mike at SPI, Kevin and Dee Dee from Rausch PT, Mac Brown, Cameron from Tribuys, and especially my friends and family who given me the emotional and physical strength when I didn't have it. With all sincerity, thank you! You are special people and one day I hope to repay you for your kindness.

Michael Jordan said it best (and no, there will never be a better player than MJ)...

"I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."

The Month in Review...

2009-12-04T09:42:00.001-08:00

This past month has been very uplifting and motivating for me. Many of us have gone through surgery and there are just as many horror stories as there are successful ones. We all pay attention to the "recovery protocols" and stories of accomplishment before and after surgery, but many of us don't really pay attention to the negative ones. I am one of those people. I don't really like to listen or read about the negative things that "could" happen. Call me naive but I just don't like to think it will happen to me. I guess it is just in my nature/nurture to believe. To this day I still remember a surf video that I must have watched hundreds of times in college called Shelter. The intro to this movie has stuck with me ever since. It is not long or overstated, but simple and more importantly spoken with passion. The end of this trailer has stuck with me for over 10 years.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlt6fWP7AXc&feature=related

Since then, I have always believed that if I put my passion and belief into something, I could attain it. Going into this surgery I found a new passion for this sport, and to be honest I think it was because I almost lost it. Yes as in many of things in life, you want what you can't have. To say that going through this experience was life changing might be an overstatement, but I can say that it allowed me to find that passion and desire that I had lost. After racing IM CDA I was pretty down on myself, a nightmare if you will. My belief had gone out the door and my passion had quickly faded. It is a hard thing for an athlete to improve year after year, and then one day go backwards. After learning of my injury, this all changed.

So today, after 2 months of rehab and recovery I have made huge progress. I am able to swim as if I was 100% healthy, no pull buoy and I can flip turn (no more looking like a kook in the pool). I am riding without pain and have been able to add in some intervals. I have made the move to the elliptical from water jogging and have not experienced any pain. I continue to see Mike at SPI 3-4 times a week, and have started to do Pilates with DeeDee at Rausch PT. I feel like I am getting stronger everyday, and I owe it all to my support crew.

On the right side of my blog I have one of my favorite quotes. My nightmare came at IM CDA, but that day is past and now it is time to focus on my dreams.

"I have had dreams, and I have had nightmares. I overcame the nightmares because of my dreams." Jonas Salk

Ben Harper says it best on the trailer above, "You know how nobody wants to believe, you got to believe, you GOT to believe."

Training vs. Race Day

2009-11-18T14:30:00.000-08:00

The below paragraph is from an article I read on www.xtri.com. I thought it was a good explanation of how sometimes as athletes we expect our body to do things on race day that we have not done in training. I find this very true for the Ironman distance...

The physics of you moving your body down the road or through the water, using your hands, your bike, or your feet is simply work. Work X applied to the mass of your body yields speed Y on the course. Your fitness is then simply an expression of your body's ability to perform work. Your body is adapted to perform Work X, yielding Speed Y, but there's only one problem...it's lazy. If you ask your body to do X, it will ever only be an X body. The purpose of training is simply to apply a load greater than X, forcing your body to adapt to this greater load. Over time, your body adapts and is able to perform Work > X, yielding Speed > Y.

You can find the complete article here.

Surgery Progress Report

2009-11-10T15:07:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday it will be 4 weeks since surgery. Day by day my progress has been amazing and both Kevin from Rausch PT and Mike from SPI are very positive about my results. I have been seeing Kevin 2 times a week and seeing Mike 3-4 times a week. I was able to get into the pool this week and have been swimming for 30 minutes at a time, then doing some aqua therapy for another 30 minutes. All this combined with my nutritionist Stella has led to a quick recovery.

I started to get on my stationary road bike as well and I have to say I was like a little kid on his first bike. I spin for 30 minutes at a time and then do one 45 minute spin once a week. I am on the bike 3-4 times a week on top of my PT, SPI, and aqua therapy. I really have the positive attitude that I am going to come out of this surgery quickly and faster than average. With that being said I have not set my expectations too high to where I would be disappointed if this was not achieved.

I believe that one of the biggest reasons that I have been able to quickly recover is the fact that I made it a mission to get in the best shape of my life before I went under the knife. No, I wasn't in Ironman shape but I was still in great shape going into this. I took it seriously because when I decided to have the surgery, 4 different people told me this was the key to the recovery. Mac, Mike, Kevin, and my Surgeon all said that if I wanted to come out of this ahead of the game the works starts now. I can't agree or stress this enough to anyone who is having surgery.

Week by week I am progressing and making it a priority to get better and better. Next week I can start aqua jogging which will be the next huge step!

Thanks for reading, Go Chargers!

Meeting with Dr. Snibbe 10-22-09

2009-10-22T19:49:00.001-07:00

Today I had my follow up with Dr. Snibbe out in Beverly Hills to recap my procedure and determine what my next step would be towards recovery. He showed me pictures of the procedure and explained every picture to me and what he did. Although it looked like a foreign language to me, he was able to make it clear to me what he had performed. My Mom must have been confused because I did have Labral Tear, she thought that he said I didn't the day of the surgery. He showed me the way he repaired the Labrum and then showed me all the bone that he shaved off. It was amazing to see the spur on my femoral head and how big it was, he said that was causing most of my pain. He said that my biggest concern would actually be my right hip because my left is going to feel so good that I might notice the slightest impingement on my right if I had one. But he only operates if it really is necessary of course...

So I got my stitches out and proceeded to learn that I could now start Physical Therapy, spin on a stationary bike with no resistance, work on range of motion in the pool, and work out my Core and Upper Body. I am stoked! I can't believe that after 1 week of hip surgery I am able to do this, really makes me completely confident that I had the right doctor do this surgery. I'll be taking a pill to stop the bone from growing back because its initial reaction is obviously to grow again after it was shaved. I will be on crutches for another week followed by 1 crutch a week after. Then I am free to walk!

I can aqua jog in 2 more weeks, swim freestyle in 3 more weeks, and will be progressively working on my range of motion. The bad news is that I can't run outside on hard surface for 3 months, yes months! But that puts me at the start of the year, 100% healthy. I will have fitness from aqua jogging and I will also be able to be riding and swimming along with core work up until then. I am not worried about it, if anything it gives me motivation during the winter where it is usually a hard time to find it!

I start Physical Therapy on Monday with Kevin Rausch and I will be seeing Mike over at SPI for some upper body/core work. Between those two guys and going to the pool working on my range of motion, I will for sure stay busy!

Surgery Report

2009-10-20T19:52:00.000-07:00

Surgery is complete! Surgery was a success last Wednesday and I have come out of it way better than I thought. The surgery was 3 hours long but the damage was not as bad as it could have been. The good news is that there was no labral damage at all which will make my recovery faster than I had previously thought. I meet with Dr. Snibbe Thursday to find our more how it all went, but I honestly feel like I am going to bounce back from this quicker than I had originally thought.

It is amazing what these guys can do these days with surgery. Besides being a bit cold I woke up without any grogginess or nausea. The reason for this is because the anesthesiologist gave me a never block instead of the gas mask. He goes in my back with a needle and finds the nerve that controls my leg and blocks it, literally paralyzing it. I was asleep with the drugs but I didn't have to go completely out of it like a general anesthesia. It helps with recovery and also reduces the risk of complications during the surgery.

A funny story that came out of it was the night I came home from the operation. Obviously I had a lot of drugs in the system still but the docs were really adamant about taking pain pills when I got home and then again when I went to sleep. So my mom followed all the directions to the T. She gave me a percocet when I got home (passed out), then with dinner I had another one. The doc said to give me an Ambien an hour later right before I went to sleep so that I could get a good nights rest. Well, we followed all the directions and in the middle of the night I had to go to the bathroom. So I got up and about half way there I started sweating and got super light headed! Got to the bathroom and FAINTED!!! Long story short, way too many meds and I have not taken an Ambien since! Scary at the time, but funny now!

Until rehab I am wearing compression, icing, sleeping, and trying to eat healthy! I am already eager to go out and run, but I know I have a lot of work to do before I can even think of that. I can't wait to get this thing better and start training again.

A big thank you to not only my family but also to my best buddies Mac and Chino. Both of them came up to hang out with me while I was immobile. Thank you guys, I would have been so bored if I didn't have visitors!

Hopefully next update I will be in rehab continuing my road to being healthy! Thank you all for the support, now the work begins!

Thanks for reading...

Surgery on 10/14

2009-09-18T21:27:00.000-07:00

NowAirFit Machine

Gettin my Altitude on!

Mike making me hurt

Harder than it looks!

Kills your hamstring!

So my date with the knife is set, October 14th... I was hoping for it to be earlier but this is the first available. Dr. Jason Snibbe is going to perform my surgery in Beverly Hills and from the vibe that I got from him a couple weeks ago, he is for sure my guy. I told myself that I was going to see 3 different doctors before making the decision on surgery. Hands down without a question Dr. Snibbe has my full confidence and I know going into the 14th that I will come out fixed without complication.

Every doctor that I saw said two things to me. One, I have to have the surgery and nothing will make the bone spur go away other than shaving it off. Two, if I ever want to do anything athletic again without pain I have to have the surgery. From surfing, golfing, triathlon, or whatever the sport is, if I don't have the surgery it will hurt and I will not be able to compete at the level I want to. To me, a life lived without sports or being active is not a life worth living. I have been in sports since I was 4 years old and I am not going to change my lifestyle now.

So in the meantime I have been doing the only things that I can. Swimming until I grow gills, working out at SPI with Mike, using NowAirFit at Rausch PT, running on the treadmill or track (flat and soft surface), enjoying a social life, and of course doing some 12oz curls! I am trying to get as fit as possible and trying to maintain as much fitness as I can so that I am not that far behind when I come out of surgery.

To say that I am nervous about the surgery would be a fair statement. You never want to get cut, but at the same time I can't wait to train without pain again. The last time I trained without pain in my hip was June 2008, I have forgotten what that feels like. I will be on crutches for 2 weeks, rehab for 3 months, and back to full fitness at 6 months. My goal is to be training outside by the beginning of 2010...

A big thank you to Mike C. from SPI, Kevin Rausch from Rausch PT, Dr. Vince (ART guru), Dr. Sunshine, and of course Briana and Ashley for giving me the name of Dr. Snibbe. They all have supported and helped me throughout this process and I am very grateful!

When things like this happen in our lives we always try and "find an answer or a reason that they happen." For me, I don't like to dwell on questions that can't be answered. I am a strong believer, as one of my best friends Adam Rodriguez says, that "Life happens." The real question is, are strong enough and believe in yourself to get through it. You have to believe. I read on Mac's blog the other day something that Kate Major had sent to him when he was going into surgery. I really suggest that you all read the story, it gave me goose bumps and I am using it to fuel my recovery.

http://macbrownracing.com/blog/?p=185

I would also like to add that I am very proud of my best buddy Mac Brown who came back from more injuries than I have fingers, to qualify for Kona 2010 at IM Wisconsin last weekend. Good on you buddy, we all knew you could do it!

I have added some photos of me working out at SPI with Mike and also using NowAirFit at Rausch PT above my post... As always, thanks for reading!

Surgery and P3 for Sale!

2009-09-02T21:46:00.000-07:00

After seeing a handful of doctors and specialists I have decided to have surgery on my hip. There is no way to get rid of the impingement in my hip without surgery. I have chosen my doc, more to come when I get the final date and game plan.

In the meantime, I can't ride and won't be able to ride my TT bike during rehab so I am going to sell it and get a road bike. If you or anyone is interested here it is. I have done one Ironman on it and there are no problems with the frame.

2007 P3 (Black and White Paint)

Size 58

Easton EC 90 Aero Fork

Shoot me an email if you are interested and we can discuss price... Thank you!

gradyfunk@gmail.com

2009-08-19T21:56:00.000-07:00

For some time now I have been wanting to post on my blog, but every time I turned around something new was happening. Moving, training, coaching, work, weddings, injuries, etc... I actually don't really know where to start...

Most of my madness has been caused by moving! I moved here to Laguna Beach, about two blocks from the beach. I am 1 block from LB Pool, 2 blocks from the ocean, 1 block from downtown, 2 blocks from LBHS Track. I guess I landed in heaven!!!

As far as training goes, I have actually had the best month I have had in a couple years. I have been running faster than I ever have, my power on my bike has gone up. The bad side to this is that I might not ever know my fitness level from the training I have been doing. After IMCDA I changed my training to higher intensity and lower volume. I went over this with not only my coach Mac, but also with Mike from SPI. Unfortunately, my hip was still bugging me and at this point I had to finally find out why. For about a year I have complained about a hamstring pull and also my hip bothering me. I just thought it was because of training and continued to ignore it. So last week I went to get an MRI and it turns out I have a Hip Impingement(http://www.hipfai.com/).

FAI is the medical abbreviation, basically a build up of bone on my femoral head that causes an impingement when I rotate my hips. This is what was causing my pain in aero position and also when I was running. It also causes loss of power which explains my frustration on the bike this year. Anyway, I see a specialist tomorrow to give me my options, surgery being the most likely. Unfortunately it is not a quick recovery time, could be 4-6 months. Obviously I am a bit nervous, scared, bummed, frustrated, etc...

I am heading to Santa Barbara this weekend to watch Mac race and to get away. Looking forward to watching the race and hanging out in SB... Good luck to those of you who are racing!

IM Coeur d' Alene Photos

2009-07-09T21:14:00.001-07:00

Some days are just not meant to be... This was taken by Janet Hin and her friends who I did not know until after CDA. They were the ones who helped me when I went down on the run, I can't thank them enough for what they did. I was more than lucky that they were there to help comfort me until the Ambulance arrived. I wish there were more people like them in the world today!~

IM Coeur d' Alene Race Report

2009-07-01T10:05:00.000-07:00

I have been dreading writing this for some time now. I think the biggest problem is that I not only don't know where to start but I don't know if I can write exactly how I feel about it or what happened that day. For that reason I am going to give the short version of what happened and how I have been since. To be honest I felt really good leading up to the race and I was rested, calm, confident, and really really excited to race. On Friday before the race my family got the horrible news that there was a death in our family, it was my Grandad. I don't really like to write about personal thins like this so I am going to keep that story between myself, my family, and my close friends. To those who fall into that category, thank you for your help and words. I feel so lucky to have such an amazing family and friends that it is hard to explain.

After something like this happens it makes racing really insignificant. On Saturday I knew that they only day that would be easy for me and my family was the day I was racing. I knew that my parents would be out there cheering and it would be something to take their mind off of things. That made me try and continue to focus on the race as I knew that was the only thing I could really do to help.

On Sunday I felt okay, maybe not as focused as I usually am. The swim went exactly how I planned it and I really have gained confidence in my approach to mass IM starts. My time was slower than I wanted but looking at the pro's I was only a couple minutes behind them so I knew it was just a slow day. And if you saw pictures it was REALLY choppy out there. On the bike I felt like I was on the verge of bonking all day. I was able to eat enough and drink enough but I was right on that fine line all day. I rode by power and continued to stay discipline. Through 56 miles I was not as fast as I thought I would be but I knew I was still in the mix of other guys in my age group. I rode the second 56miles a few seconds faster than the first and came in at 5:19. Seeing my bike split kind of made me frustrated. I know I can ride better than that and I know I can ride with the other guys in my age group. I have done it before in other races and I know I was not and have not been riding to my potential for some time now. This is another story that I will get into later.

For the run, I felt good the first 13 miles. I went out and paced myself and felt strong. I actually had 2 guys on bikes who were spotting others ride next to me and tell me how strong I looked, a good confidence booster. As I got to mile 15 I began to have a horrible pain under my left upper chest area. I would try and take a breath in, but there was a sharp pain that would not let me take in any oxygen. I have never felt this before and it actually scared me for the first time in my life. I told myself to give it a mile, and by mile 16 I was on the ground. I don't really remember much from this point on, but the short of it goes like this.

Two ladies (I can't thank them enough) named Janet Hin and Marcia Clark came over to help me when I went down. After the race Janet looked up my information and sent me a breakdown of what happened that day. They covered me in jackets and blankets to keep me warm while others tried to get some help. They called 911 and about 10 minutes later IM officials come to help. I don't remember much but I do know that hypothermia had set in and I was having trouble breathing while foaming at the mouth. The ambulance came about 15 minutes later and I ended up in the Medical Tent for 3 hours with IV and wrapped like a ca coon. It was not a good day. Something was wrong with me and I don't know what it was. It was one of the few days in my life and athletic career that I was honestly scared. I have had injuries. I have bonked. I have had just bad days. This was different, this was not something I want to go through ever again.

After the race I flew directly to Virginia for the funeral. I am back now here in California and have doctor appointments just about every day this week to try and figure out what is going on. Fist matter of business is getting healthy and determining if there is anything wrong with me. Second is to analyze my training and change some things. I am not racing or performing to my ability and it is not sitting well with me. That has to change, and it will.

To the Tribuy's Team that was out there doing CDA (Nat, Annie, Tracy, Alli, and Steve), you guys deserve a huge congratulations. It was not an easy day out there, I promise Ironman is not usually like that! Job well done to you all, my hat is off to you guys.

Janet and Marcia, if you find yourself to my blog, thank you again for all you did.

Signs for Bike Lanes? Come on man...

2009-06-11T11:32:00.000-07:00

I thought this was a good read that you all would enjoy!

http://mfkekoa.wordpress.com/2009/06/11/better-bike-lanes-really/

"It's not an adventure until something goes wrong" Yvon Chouinard

2009-06-08T18:20:00.000-07:00

First and foremost before I start writing about my past month or so I have one amazing thing to say. My brother had gotten engaged! I am so happy for them and I can't wait to embrace his fiance Lindsay (and my new "sista" in law, sho nuff) into our family. She is a gem, and I can't wait to have her around for the rest of our lives!!

I guess it's pretty obvious that I am not the type who blogs day in and day out. I guess I feel that if I am going to spend time writing (and you reading, hopefully) it might as well have some substance or actually have a meaning. Don't get me wrong, I don't knock those who want to know what every person is doing every second of the day (twitter freaks), but that is just kind of extreme to me.

So with that being said I came across a quote today that really hit home as I begin my 2 week taper for Ironman Coeur d' Alene. As many of you know I have surfed my entire life and continue to follow the industry (sometimes I even surf). My favorite film makers are the Malloy brothers who are in the process of making another amazing flick called 180 degrees south. Anyway, I was watching the trailer and saw the quote below...

"It's not an adventure until something goes wrong." Yvon Chouinard

I use this specifically when training for Ironman and especially while racing them!!

Training: Often times athletes train day in and day out, some workouts being great and some being terrible. We all like to think and "believe" our great workouts are the ones we should pay attention to, it is just human nature. We also like to make excuses for the bad ones. We are quick to judge when something goes wrong and tend to justify our bad performance on some sort of "freak thing." To be honest, I look forward to that one bad day where all hell breaks loose. The day where you ask yourself, "why am I doing this, this is just simply stupid (probably a few 4 letter words in there too)!" I would never say this in the moment, but when all is said and done it is days like that where I not only look back on and laugh, but will also store in my bag of tricks for race day. We have all been there whether it was a mechanical day where you couldn't stop getting flats, or maybe it was nutrition or wind. We all have "that day."

I remember training for Placid last year and going out for a ride one day in the summer. It ended up being over a 100 degrees out that day and it just so happened I was climbing the 7 Sisters. I still remember having to fill up my water after every hill just to survive. I specifically remember stopping on one of the hills and trying to figure out why I was doing this to myself, and would 10,000 feet of climbing really help me?? Then for IM Arizona last year I remember being out on a training block in Tempe with my coach and best buddy Mac Brown and we got lost (shocker). It ended up being something like a 130 mile ride, just plain stupid! But those are the days I remember because they went wrong. At that point my journey of Ironman training became an adventure.

So what was it for CDA? Well, I guess you could say I had a few this year:) One was of course my 8 hour bike ride that was 130 miles in the mountains of SD because I got lost. Kind of a common theme here about being lost on my bike, hmmm... Well you all know that story. It also could have been the day I fell asleep after a ride on Mac's porch. I am still so greatful he didn't see me sleeping in full spandex on his porch (helmet still on) drewling on myself. There would have been pictures everywhere!

The one that really stuck for CDA was the longest run I had on my schedule. I woke up as normal and went to get a coffee and a scone (my downfall). I added a banana to the order this time as I thought to myself I could use the extra calories and the potassium. As I got a couple miles into the run my stomach would not settle. It felt awful! So I continued on hoping that I would feel better, but nothing was changing. I kept thinking to myself "Oh shit, this is your longest run and you are completely going to blow CDA." It was the banana, and I was throwing it up my entire run. Sorry, don't mean to gross anyone out! As I continued through the run, having to stop every 30 minutes or so to "take care of thing" all I could think of was how screwed I was. That night after a nap I realized that I had just gone through "that day" and it was officially the workout I will think about when I am on mile 20 of the run. That was of course when my journey to the start line became an adventure.

Racing: I think that being able to draw upon your training during a race is one of the most important and overlooked aspects of sport. Triathlon has just about every marketing gadget out there from nutrition to the latest and greatest bike part. There is nothing wrong with all that stuff, but what is wrong is when you forget about focusing your attention on your body and your training because you are too caught up on your new "gadget." How you feel, what you feel, what works nutritionally, how hard to go and when to do it. These are the things that you do in every race, but it is rare we concentrate on them while training. It is one of the things that I stress with my athletes, and something that I try to do every workout.

My point of this is to show how I relate "that bad day" to my racing, and when I use it. Yes, I use it like it is some super gel that guides me along and helps me forget about the pain. Typically I say to myself, "If I can get through it on that day, I can do it now." In this case, I will remember throwing up during a 20 mile run and being able to get through it:) When it hurts during a race, I think about "that day." I laugh. I get chills. Yes, sometimes I even get emotional because you think about how much you went through to get to where you are. But it helps and it works.

We give up a lot to do this sport, we make a lot of sacrifices with our friends and family. We put a lot of energy, time and heart into these races. All of this goes through my head just about the mile 20 mark on the run. I think about the worst days of training and how I felt because I paid attention to my body. I think about the people who support me and the time and energy they put into this adventure. We all have a story, we all have "that day." Store it away, keep it locked up, but don't forget to use it on race day. If that can't get you though the last 6 miles, I don't know what will.

Thank you to those who have supported me through this adventure. My next one starts at 7am on Sunday the 21st.

2009-05-07T15:31:00.000-07:00

The past couple of days I have been trying to get my thoughts together about my race at Wildflower. To be honest I have never had to write or talk about a “bad day of racing.” I have been pretty fortunate to have never really come across a race where I have just been flat. Sure I have had better races than others, but being completely flat and having nothing? Definitely a weird feeling…

This mental challenge is new for me, and it is something that every athlete goes through whether it is Triathlon, Golf, Surfing, or whatever. I also believe it is what separates many of the top elite athletes from those who fall just short. Being able to cope with mental and psychological challenges in competition is highly underestimated in my opinion, and is something that I have been really interested in learning about.

I thought about writing a play by play about this race, but I think it is more important to mention what I have learned and how I am going to answer this performance. Here is the race in short: About half way through the swim I had recognized the swim stroke of the guy pulling me, it was my friend Patrick Baldwin! Patrick is always at the front of any race he does so I knew I was in a good position. Thanks Patrick, I hope I didn’t bug you too much back there.J Maybe one day I can repay you the favor! I had a great transition and laughed with Patrick up the hill which made it all that less painful. I got out on the bike and had no legs. I got to the run and still had no legs not to mention they also locked up on me at mile 3 (dropped my salt tablets). The demons came out and told me to quit, but I pushed through. I have never hurt so badly in a race and have never been so bummed out. Now what?

It’s funny how life works sometimes. I am a strong believer that things happen for a reason. I think I became a huge fan of this back when I was in high school while dating my girlfriend at the time. She always insisted that things happen for a reason and to always keep that in the back of your mind. Truthfully, after Wildflower I didn’t write about my race for this specific reason. I had a feeling something would come along and make sense of this whole thing. Wednesday I went out for a ride with the crew at Tribuy’s and as they went back to the shop I added a loop by the coast. A cyclist started riding with me and after talking with her she had mentioned that she use to be a professional runner. Beth was her name, and she told me something that I will note for the rest of my career. She told, very simply, that “a race is not an indicator or your true fitness.” To the point and very true. Some days we wake up and it is our day, the body is topped off, fitness is peaking, and everything is clicking. Some days we wake up on the wrong side of the bed and we are just not “there.” I along with my coach, will tell you that I am not peaking with fitness right now, but I certainly am not as out of shape as indicated at Wildflower.

That night Chris Legh spoke at Tribuy’s and again it made me realize and cope with my race. He is obviously an incredible athlete, but what impressed me the most was his view and attitude towards the sport. He spoke about his experiences with Triathlon and didn’t waste our time with details of his training, preferences, etc… He spoke about what the sport has done for him, how it has led him on a journey and shaped his life. He talked about balance and how to achieve it, to enjoy the journey that this sport takes us on. We are all so competitive that sometimes we forget what we are doing. He spoke about his racing career and how many bad races he as had and how he has dealt with them. I think what really told the story is when someone asked him what his most memorable win was. If you know Chris Legh you know that he has more wins than we could imagine. The funny thing was is that this question made him think a bit. The laughter went away, the smiles went away. He didn’t really know what to say. How is this meaningful you ask? Because the hour leading up to this he talked freely about his experiences with his training partners, stories that they encountered, friends that he had met, all this while laughing and smiling. That is how he thinks and will remember this sport. Not his wins, not his losses. The journey along the way is all that much more important.

I have realized that good and bad races will come and go. The competitive part in me knows that I will never go to an important race unfit. Psychologically I understand that this will happen and that mentally being able to cope with it and get over it will set me apart from others. Things do happen for a reason, and what I have learned from this race is only going to benefit me in the future in both triathlon and life.

With that being said congratulations to Mike and Jennifer Chalmers who absolutely dominated the course on Saturday. Chris Hill also had an amazing day by setting a new PR for himself. Congratulations guys, the beers after the race on the lawn made that race all worth wild!

Next stop is Ironman CDA.

“Happiness is not a destination, it is a journey.”

MMMM, Chicken Bones

2009-05-05T15:35:00.000-07:00

I thought this would be funny to show as Kobe (my dog since I was 21) just got cought eating chicken bones from the trash. He was in heaven locked in the lunch room here at work with an open trash can full of chicken bones, but then Dad walked in! BUSTED!

I have had Kobe (Mr. Winks as many call him), as mentioned, since I was 21. Probably not the best time to raise a dog as I was at the bars in San Diego more than I was at home. Even when I was home, it was a condo in PB without a yard. Needless to say he destroyed the place.

His story? He was rescued by an unknown lady coming out of Church one day. She got to her truck in the parking lot and in the back was a little brown dog, now named Kobe. The lady brought the dog to the Vet and at the time the Vet Technition who helped her was watching my parents house in Fullerton who were on vacation. Confusing I know. Anyway, I came up from San Diego to check on the house and they had brought Kobe (they called him Scooby Doo) to the house. He was about 2-4 months old at the time and there was no way I was going back to San Diego without him.

So a San Diego dog he became, riding around in my beach cruiser as a puppy trying to use him as bait to attract girls. Thanks Kobe, I owe you a couple:) He destroyed the condo, put up with my crazy lifestyle in San Diego, and is now living the life loungin at work. He is the best dog and I know we all say that about our pets, but there is something about this dog that is special. He now lives with my parents in Fullerton because they have a huge yard for him. He comes to work every day and chills under my desk. There is no better feeling.

Kind of a random post, but I was laughing so hard today at work when he gave me that look I had to share!!!

One the training side, my Wildflower Race Report is coming. Not a good day so I am trying to gather my thoughts a bit before I express my race.

A Funny Story, a Good Read, and a Lesson Learned...

2009-04-08T20:48:00.000-07:00

A Funny Story...

I thought I would share a good story with you all that happened to me today. So after work, as I usually do, I headed down the street to Tribuy's to start my ride for the evening. So I popped in and said hello and checked out the "remodeling" that was going on in there, looks so KILLER (if you haven't been in there in the past week, go check it out, totally different store)! Anyway, so I put my cycling clothes on the sink and began to change. I walked out and smelt something fishy. I thought to myself that there must have been something in the sink where my clothes were resting while changing. So I continued my ride and thought nothing of it. It was really windy today in OC so at one point I had a tail wind and I smelt the fish again! What the hell?

So I was pretty bummed that I had to do my ride all afternoon smelling like fish. I kept thinking to myself, "who in the heck brings fish into the bathroom?" So a couple hours into my ride I was sitting at a signal zoning out wondering why I smell like fish when it dawned on me. "OOOOOOOOOOH," I screamed out loud. I remembered at that moment that I had done my laundry the night before and I had left a fish oil pill in my jeans! Yes, I washed my clothes in fish oil. Sometimes I am such an idiot! So I finally got back to the car and was so pumped to take off my cycling clothes and get into my running clothes that hopefully smelt better............. nope. Fish again, and the whole transition run was again, fishy. So bummed.

A Good Read...

I just finished reading "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell where he talks about how little things make a big difference. If you want to see an outline of the book or get a brief idea of what it is about visit here. I thought it was an interesting read that some of you may be interested in and makes you wonder about epidemics and how they are created/started.

A Lesson Learned...

For a couple weeks now I have been hesitant to write about this, but after an email from my coach Mac, I realized that in order for me to never do it again I have to have it documented. Sounds weird huh? Well, we agreed that in order to keep each other accountable for our actions this year in Triathlon, we needed to send each other our goals. That is what made me realize that in order for this to never happen again, I would have to write it somewhere.

About 3 weeks or so ago I went to San Diego to do some training and specifically to ride the Henshaw Loop which takes you East of San Diego through Romona, Palomar, Valley Center, etc... From Mac's door it is 112 miles, for me that day it turned into something a lot worse! The night before we mapped out the route because I was riding by myself. I wrote down all the directions on paper and was good to go. I set out that morning at 7:30am knowing it was going to be a hard day, but one that I would remember for a long time. I had no idea.

So about an hour into the ride I noticed that I had taken a wrong turn. No big deal I thought, it wasn't that far of a mistake. I called Mac and he told me specifically not to continue with the Henshaw Loop and to just do my ride on the coast. I said, "No screw that I am doing it." Yes, I had my mind set on doing it and I know that doing this ride will make me stronger. So I continued on the ride backtracking my wrong turn and eventually got back to the correct road. I got to Romona, then continued to Rincon and up Palomar. Some of you may know this route, but it is full of climbing and climbing, and more climbing. I believe there is about 9,000ft of climbing total. So I got to the top of Palomar and I knew that the rest of the ride was mostly downhill, but I also found it odd that I had already ridden 5 hours. Weird I thought to myself?? Descending down Palomar was amazing, basically holding on for dear life but so fun. As I continued to go home the time kept ticking away and I felt like I was not getting any closer. Well, I wasn't. Long story short, I must have taken another wrong turn in there because at the end of the day I had clocked 140 miles in 8 hours of ride time. I got home at 5:15pm.

Not only was it a bad mistake, it cost me training time because I reinjured my hamstring. I couldn't run for a week and I can't tell you how mad at myself I was. I didn't really tell anyone as I was so embarrassed and to be honest I felt like I had let down all the people that had helped me get better in the first place. Over the past couple of years I have been able to develop a really honest and strong relationship with Mike Catanzaro from Sport Performance Institute. I knew I could trust him and he would do nothing but help me get better. That he did. 1 Week and I was back at it, with a HUGE lesson learned. The reason I am writing about this is because it was a stupid mistake and I want to be held accountable for it. By writing this, I know that I won't make the same mistake twice. Oh, and yes, ALWAYS listen to your coach, they know more than you think!

Since then, I have been able to put in some really good training and I feel like I have finally gotten some fitness. I plan on racing Newport Beach Sprint to get the cobwebs out in preparation for Wildflower. I have to keep in mind that IM CDA is my main race and I am just doing Newport and Wildflower as preparation.

2009-03-30T00:02:00.001-07:00

All my life I have grown up with dogs, from Pua to Sad Sack, Murphy to Sam, Squirt to my dog Kobe. I am an animal lover and would be lost without dogs and cats. At one point when I was younger we had 3 dogs, 3 cats, 21 hamsters (ya, some weird things going on in that cage), a snake, and who knows how many goldfish. If there is anyone out there who is a bigger animal lover than myself, it is my mom. I can't really write it correctly to tell you the truth or emphasize how much her dogs mean to her. She spoils them to the nth degree and can't get enough of them. I think there are two Chanel dog beds in our house right now, wait..... I just realized that their beds are nicer than mine, hmmm.

On Friday I got a call from my mom and just like most of you out there when you hear something wrong in your mothers voice, you just know right away that there is something going on. A while back one of our other dogs named Sad Sack passed away. He probably had one of the best stories not even a great author could write. In short, he would escape from his owners house in the middle of the night and sneak over to our house to have a little midnight fun. Yes, he was someone else’s dog and Sad Sack would sneak out and come over and scratch on our door. Finally the other owners just said to take him because it was obvious where his love was. Sad Sack passed away about 10-12 years ago I guess and after he went my mom really missed having a small dog in the house. So after her grieving of Sad Sack she went to the pound and looked for another smaller dog to "cuddle with." One day she saw a little cocker spaniel that gave her the "look." I am not positive, but I believe she took my brother, dad and I to the pound to check him out. We said no. No idea why, but we weren't stoked on him. A couple days later my mom went back and saw the same little cocker spaniel there, this time he came to the fence and licker her on the hand. Well, that was all it took.

She brought him home and we all were a little reluctant on him as he was said to have been returned to the pound by the last family that had him. Right off the bat all this dog wanted to do was eat. Whether it was from the trash, his bowl, whatever he just wanted to eat. I believe this is where is name came from. We kept saying, "Hey you little squirt, get out of there." That is how the name "Squirt" evolved. My mom hated it, but we loved it because he was just that, a "squirt." My mom would take him to work and it was so funny because on days Squirt was there, all of the trashcans were on top of everyone’s desk. It was the funniest thing. Well many years later and many trashcans tipped over, Squrit (aka Squirto, Piggy, Piglet, Fatty, Tubby, Disgusting, and my moms name for him Squirty) he has passed on to a better life full of eating and endless dinners. He was put to sleep on Friday.

He loved his walks, he loved his mom, he loved his Chanel bed, he loved us, but more than anything he loved his food! Rest in peace Squirto, you are now in Dog Heaven where you can eat all day, knock over as many trash cans as you want, and eat Kleenex while you are between meals! Enjoy little buddy...

As far as training goes, I am heading into a big 2 week block and will then race Newport Beach on 4/19. After Wildflower I will start adding big mileage heading into IMCDA, but for now we are keeping it in control by adding speed and getting me (hopefully) fast before adding in the long mileage. Come on good weather!

2009-03-16T22:46:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend I had some really good things happen. On Saturday morning I got a call from one of my best friends who lives in Corona, Adam Rodriguez. Adam has been an athlete all his life but has been somewhat inactive since High School. To be honest, I think he is one of my few friends that still doesn't really understand why I do triathlon. I think if it were up to him he would want me going to the bars and creating crazy stories that I could tell him on Sunday morning. Needless to say he has been without stories like that since I started this sport! Anyway, back to my point. He called me one day and told me he wanted to do a Marathon. Adam? Do a marathon? Ya right!!! "Come on man, let's be honest." :)

So the following week I sent him and his wife, Jennifer, a training program that will prepare them for San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon. In all honestly, I sent it thinking that I would be able to cross out maybe 2-3 weeks of training that they would get through. I am not trying to be rude, but just being real. Adam has a beautiful wife and 2 incredible kids that anyone would literally dream of having. He has a lot of responsibility.

So a couple of weeks go by and sure enough I would get these weekly phone calls saying they ran 3 miles, then 5 miles, then 7 miles, then all of sudden they are calling me saying that they are getting a bit "fuzzy" on their 10 mile runs! What? You guys ran 10 miles? And Adam went ahead and ran 13? WTF? Well, I told them to have a gel or two with some water and it would give them some quick energy and snap them out of their fog.

So Saturday I got this phone call as I was talking about, and they completed their first 10K down in San Diego. It was funny because they were like, "ya, we just did a quick 10K and we both felt like we could do it again no problem." This is what I live for. I can't tell you how good it feels when some of your friends see what running/exercise can do to your life. He looks better, his voice is full of life, and he is so excited about running. That phone call makes me happier than any Ironman will ever make me feel. Good work Adam and Jen, you have a fan in me and I can't tell you how wonderful it is going to be when you cross the line of your first Marathon. I applaud your efforts, BUT YOU ARE NOT DONE:)

On Sunday, I watched my parents walk in the Susan G. Komen 5k run/walk in Pasadena CA. My Mom is a survivor and to see her walking was one of the best things I have seen in my life. At the time when she went through it I was living and working in San Diego so I was not able to spend as much time as I wanted to with her. I still wish I had been closer to support her. She is my inspiration, my role model, and the reason I am who I am today. They had a great time out there and if it weren't for the narrow walkway, probably would have won the thing:) I am proud of you Mom and Dad. Pictures above...

Not only did I have the pleasure of being inspired by both Adam and my parents, a huge monkey also was lifted off my back! Up until now I have not talked much about training and my situation. Part of the reason is because I have had a torn hamstring that has been troubling me since July. I tore it during IM Lake Placid and didn't let it heal correctly. Scar tissue healed over it and I was able to hobble through it during IM Arizona. Well, a couple of months ago I went to Rausch Physical Therapy and spilled my beans. Seeing him 2 times a week, seeing Mike at SPI 2 times a week, and lots of rest and ice, I am confident that I am 100%. I have not had pain in it for 1.5 weeks and can't wait to get my "real" training under way. Thank you Mike and Kevin, I owe you guys so much.

I had a talk with Mac last night about my focus and what our goals are for IM CDA. I have a clear focus of what I need to do in the next month and the months that will follow. Day light savings is finally here which means the training begins and my season officially is "on." This weekend I plan on going to San Diego and doing some much needed climbing and some tempo running. I am 75% sure I am going to do Superseal the following weekend and Newport Beach Tri in April. Following these will be Lake Forest Duathlon and Wildflower Half. I plan on using these 4 races as training days for IM CDA. The bug is back, it is time to turn on the switches!

2009-03-12T22:19:00.001-07:00

“No matter how much you know you can always learn.”

A few years (wow, I guess it was 6) ago I had a job interview in Cardiff CA with a valet parking company called Sunset Parking Service. I was interviewing for a manager position and at the time I had just finished up college at San Diego State. I had been working Sunset as a valet attendant all through college. I guess you could say the job was supporting my frequent bar outings, and surf trips. I don’t remember much of the interview (not because of a hangover), but there was one thing that stuck out in my mind and to this day I have never forgotten. The gentleman that was interviewing me was a guy named Kynn Knight who I later became good friends with and to this day respect and admire for his work ethic and discipline. I learned more from him than I did my entire college career.

What stuck out in my mind is a question he had asked me, “why do you want to become a manager?” My response to him was that I wanted to continually improve and develop as a person, and I saw becoming a manager as the next step in the learning process within the company. I said, “No matter how much you know, you can always learn.” His response to me was, “well by that quote alone, you have secured yourself a job with this company for a long time to come.” I walked out of there with a huge grin on my face because I knew that I now had to opportunity to progress and take the next step in my life.

I heard that quote in a surfing documentary called Shelter. It was spoken by an older gentleman who had the look of being homeless, but the tone in his voice was so sincere and full of wisdom that it gave the quote a whole new meaning. Its kind of hard to explain, but the way he said it and the meaning behind it was something that has been with me ever since. If you believe in this, if you believe that no matter how much you know from your past, present, and future, there is always room and opportunity to learn, then your opportunities and possibilities in life are endless. To this day, I have tried to apply it to every aspect of my life.

So what does this have to do with triathlon…? Over the past month I have had the privilege to attend a couple different clinics that have improved my knowledge in the sport of triathlon. I guess you can say it has been my way of progressing in this stage of my life. Last month I attended the USAT Level I Coaching Clinic. This month I attended the F.I.S.T clinic in Xantusia. On top of that I was able to experience a great clinic by Paul Swift of BikeFit.com on Pedal Shoe Interface. During all of these clinics I really took away a lot of good information that will help me continually improve in not only my own performance, but will also aide in progressing my athletes performances. I continue to live with the belief that no matter what you know, you can always learn. Thank you to the many great lectures and information from Bob Seebohar, Bobby McGee, Dan Empfield, Jordan Rapp, Paul Swift and Russell Stevenson.

If you have not been FIT or you have never had your Pedal Stroke analyzed I strongly advise you to do so (if you are in So Cal call TribuysJ and one of our 3 FITTERS can help you). I was lucky enough to have Dan Empfield FIT me in front of our class and it was truly amazing how more comfortable and powerful I felt. On Wednesday, Paul Swift came and I was luck enough again to have him and Russell take a look at my pedal stroke. Wow, it was ugly! It was truly amazing what they found and how much we overlook this aspect of the FIT process. I was completely dumbfounded at the difference. My feet felt level with even power throughout my pedal stroke for the first time in my career. This will result in better power transfer and also injury prevention. Finally my toe line and knee are inline with each other. Thank you Paul, you made a huge impression on our team. If you are not familiar with this process, check out their site, www.bikefit.com, (again call Tribuys if you are interested in getting this looked at).

“A closed mind is like a closed book; just a block of wood.”

Welcome to my Blog!

2009-02-25T23:19:00.000-08:00

Hello and welcome to my blog! Thanks for visiting and I hope I can provide some good reads throughout my journey in the world of Triathlon and Coaching.

For those of you who don’t know much about me, I will try and keep this relatively short and simple. Since I got into this sport, I have always been really interested in learning the background of triathletes. Where they came from, what their athletic history is/was, and why they got into the sport. Most of us did not grow up doing triathlon especially here in the States, as it is not your typical mainstream sport. So here is my story on how I got into this sport, and why I continue to train day in and day out.

I was born and raised in Honolulu Hawaii in a town called Kailua (pictured above). No triathletes, not Kailua Kona, this Kailua is on the East side of Oahu. My Dad worked in television after graduating from University of Hawaii where he played basketball, and my Mom (from Pasadena) chased another guy to the islands before she met my Dad. Needless to say, I am happy she chased him, but even happier she found my Dad and dumped the other guy! They are my biggest supporters, alive and cheering at every race. My brother and I call them the Griswold's, I just can't explain it. You have to see them to understand!

As mentioned above, I have one brother named Mike who is 19 months older than me. Although he hated it, and I can’t express “hated” enough, he was my idol growing up. I wanted nothing more than to be like him in every aspect of life. We moved to the mainland in 1984/85 where I attended Sunny Hills High School in Fullerton CA. My Dad got a job working in the tradeshow industry for a company called Skyline Orange County. He has since taken over ownership and moved the company from a 2K square foot office in Anaheim, to a 32K square foot building in Lake Forest where we all work today. Needless to say, he has taken the business to another level, and my level of respect and gratitude is endless.

As a kid I played the typical sports (baseball, basketball, soccer), and eventually took up Football, Basketball, and Track in High School. Football was my passion and happened to be what I was best at. Long story short I decided to try football at the next level and walk on at San Diego State rather than staying in Fullerton and playing for the local JC. It turned out that this just was not the right path for me, and I decided at the time I would be happier without football in my life. I graduated with a Sociology degree in 2003.

So lots of beers and a tons of surf trips later, I turned 25 (2005) and set a New Years goal of running a marathon. I was 190 pounds and hadn’t done anything athletic or competitive in about 7 years. So I started running and got in pretty good shape. I can’t tell you how excited I was about running a marathon and the accomplishment that I was about to embark on. Just when I thought things were looking up and nothing could go wrong, I encountered some health issues that sent me right back to square one.

First was my Appendix. I felt horrible one day at work and decided to go home, turns out my appendix was on the verge of bursting. Thank God my roommate Paul (thanks buddy, I owe you my life) came home just at the right time and rushed me to the hospital! I had it taken out that night and thought everything was good to go. Thanks again Paul, you saved my life.

After recovering from the surgery I started running again, but this time I was having horrible back pain. I ignored the pains of course (typical athlete), but later could not deal with it. I ended up having 2 Kidney Stones; one was 8mm and the other 6mm. That is all I am going to say about that. You don’t want to know the rest! Here is a tip though, drink fluids when you train:)

So why, you ask, do I talk about my past health? Well that is how I got into Triathlon. At the time, a guy by the name of Mac Brown kindly let me borrow his road bike thinking it was less stress on my body than running. We were co-workers at the time, and have since grown to become best friends. He is also my coach who I owe a lot of my success to. Needless to say, I learned a bit about Triathlon from Mac, and he convinced me to do my first race. I was hooked ever since. Thanks Mac, for showing me the most expensive and time consuming sport there is. It is your entire fault! :) Oh and yes, I have learned to drink fluids when I train now, could have used that info a couple surgeries ago! As my brother would say, "shocker!"

My first year doing this sport competitively was 2007 and I had the privilege to race in the 70.3 World Champs in Clearwater Florida. I have gone to Kona (Ironman Hawaii) twice, no not to race, but to watch Mac. I have never wanted to do something so bad in my life, and I guess that is where I stand today. For those of you who are not familiar with Ironman Hawaii, it is the most sought after race in our sport, and only obtainable by qualification. I can still remember the exact place and time where this dream was evolved. That is a moment that I will never forget. I guess that is what keeps me going, the desire to do better than before, race after race. That and I want to live out my dream one day, just like anyone in this world. If not for dreams, why are we here?

In 2008 I completed Ironman Lake Placid and Ironman Arizona. The journey to my third Ironman started on Monday and will end in Coeur d’ Alene on June 21st. My blog will cover this journey and those beyond both as an athlete and as a coach. The mental, physical, emotional, and psychological factors that hit the highs and lows will come and go. I hope you can join me along the way!!

If your attention span is greater than mine, you have managed to reach this part of my post, so thank you for hanging in there. I honestly don’t think I could have done it! You can subscribe to my blog if it should strike you by using the Subscribe link to the right. Again, thanks for reading, time to go to bed!