McFuzz's Mentor Group-2010 Vintage CLOSED (Page 10)

I just posted my race report.. I know, I know, two weeks late.  Anyways it is finally there.  Thanks again to all the support from this group.  I never could have done it without all your help.  

Mike McDanniel - I know we have yet to meet in person, but never the less, I am proud to call you my friend and mentor.  This journey surely would have ended in failure with you.

Kevin Waldeck - Thank you for all the support along the way, see you next week.

Enrique Pasos - Your inspires make my day.  Cannot wait to race with you next year.

Laura Cobb - My greatest supporter and friend from BT.  Training right along side me, in more ways than one, the almost daily inspires made all the difference in my drive and mental fortitude.  Iron Kitty forever!

Hey Everyone,

I finished my last Tri for the season on Sunday.  I posted a report if you're interested.  It was a Fantastic result for me.  I exceeded my goal by over 5 minutes.  I am sooo pleased with how everything has unfolded. 

This year was a BIG year for me.  You don't know all of my background, but a few years ago, I sufferred from very bad pain.  I was a mess.  I had RSI in my hands (from PC use at work I thought), a bad back from a high school football injury (I thought), bad neck (from a car accident I thought), and couldn't run due to recurring plantar faciitis that I always got whenever I tried to run.  I basically thought I was pretty fragile and I treated my body like it was made of glass. Then in 2007, I found out about a condition, a disorder, called TMS.  The term was coined by Dr. John Sarno from NYU Medical Center.  It's a disorder that affects some people.  It's hard to explain easily, but basically, it's pain that is caused by stress and inner tension and not really from a physical abnormality or injury.  The pain is real, but the cause is a benign oxygen deprivation of soft tissues that the unconscious mind transacts as a way to protect the conscious mind from dealing with difficult emotions.  Its a distraction strategy.  (Sounds crazy I know).

Anyway, after learning about TMS, I got better pretty fast.  I resumed all activities that I had given up over the years - running, jumping, typing, golfing, slouching in my chair, biking, etc.  I was 38 years old and out of shape... very out of shape.  But I didn't care.  I felt like I had a new lease on life! I realized how many years I spent being imprisoned by my painful body.  How many years I gave up. I realized that my body wasn't as fragile as I had imagined... that I was capable of so much more!  I determined to make up for those lost years.  I set a goal to run a marathon.  And I did... last year.  Then I set my site on triathlons.  I ran 7 this year.  Now I set my sights toward an IM distance event next year.  (Thanks Josh & Laura for THAT inspiration!) I know I can do it.  

Thanks to you all for your friendship and encouragement over the months.  Thanks Mike for leading the group and being willing to send inspires and keep us feeling connected.  I really enjoy getting them from you and and from Josh, Laura and Wally.  I hope to get an opportunity to race at the same event with you some day and share some experiences together.

PS> You may notice my signature line... I'm pretty passionate about raising awareness of TMS.  If it changed my life, I know it can change others' as well. 

All the best!!

Enrique


Edited by ecpasos 2010-09-23 2:38 AM

No I am not crying! just got some dirt in my eye (lol).  Dude that is so inspirational.  Just the fact that you did 7 races this summer is a giant feet on it's own...  let alone the history of your physical problems.  I know you CAN do an IM.

I hope we get a chance to get together in the next year or two.

JK

Thanks Josh! I think we WILL meet up someday.

Enrique,

Thanks for posting your story!  It's easy to get caught up in the IM "mystique" but everyone comes with special challenges and their own goals.  Finishing a 5-mile training run doesn't seem significant when you're around people doing 15-mile training runs, but it can be a bigger challenge if you know how badly it's going to hurt and you still get out there. 

Very cool to meet up with Laura and Wally in Columbus, OH yesterday.  Met a new race friend that made me look like a sissy.  Carrie Vano did the 1/2 IM in 5:33 placing 3rd overall, and of course 1st in her a.g.

Of course don't let him fool you, Kevin can run like the wind.  I had well over a 2 minute lead out of the water on him, and he still beat me by over a minute by the end of the run.

Overall had a great day with my friends, and it was pretty cool, that all four of finished the race within 2 minutes of each other.  I think if girls are 6' or taller they should just be put in the age group with the guys.  They can obviously race as fast as the guys... lol.  Laura is smokin' fast.

Even though it is an individual sport,  I never realized just how much comradery there can be at a tri.  Tons of fun, great race, and I can't wait to meet up again next summer. 

Enrique- Sorry I didn't see your post sooner! You're story is amazing, I couldn't imagine living w/ that pain everyday.  Shows the strength of your spirit for sure!  You're training and racing this year was really impressive to say the least...


Columbus- It definately was a fun day! I'm so glad I decided to race and not just spectate.  Carrie is smoking fast.  We definately push each other when the rare opportunity we get to train together (she lives in Cincy).  It's funny that we weren't even friends in high school and now I talk to her almost everyday. 

I don't think that racing fast has anything to do w/ height .... But I'll trade you speed in the water for speed on foot!

Sad that tri racing is done for the year for me but looking forward to marathon training.  Want a new PR and BQ!!!!!

Ya, ya, you guys...  I'll gladly trade the swim speed for run speed.  Every triathlete knows that races are never won in the water, they are won on foot.  I didn't used to care, but now I actually want a blue ribbon.

With that being said, if I don't get the blue ribbon in the next two years, I have decided that I will go swim The English Channel in 2013 (of course those raced at Columbus know this is actually true - not a joke).

As for next year, it looks last night I was talked into the TTT.  I think it will be the ultimate test of endurance.  A sprint, two olympics, and 1/2 IM in 3 days.  I think I will feel like Royce Gracie if I can finish all four without injury.  Hope the rest of you will seriously consider meeting us there also, what a cool weekend it would be with a great group of friends.

As for now, the summer is over, and it is on to my seasonal job in South Dakota in a few weeks.  I will return home around Thanksgiving, to resume training for the TTT.  Holly Crap am I excited about that! Lucky for me the internet does not know distance, so I will still be active online even when I am out of town.

I know I say this all the time, buy you guys in this group make this sport exciting and fun for me.  I have recently met up with a few new friends locally and we are starting our own tri-club in my town.  Who would have ever guessed?  We plan to do some serious indoor speed training this winter.

Thanks again for all the memories you have helped me create this year, and I cannot wait to see you all again in the spring to make some more memories.

 

Thanks (blushing)

That TTT race sounds crazy!  I love the idea of it.

Hey Josh, btw, if you are looking to get faster on the run. I started the F.I.R.S.T. program this year and have seen excellent results.  I bought/read the book "Run Less Run Faster" and implemented the program early in the year.  I've seen my 5k time go from 27ish to 23ish.  My 10K time has gone from 54ish to 48ish.  And I ran my first Half Marathon and came in around 1:49.   I'll be testing my results on a Marathon in January.

The program consists of 3 quality runs per week and 2 (minimum) cross-training (swim, bike, etc) so it fits well with Tri training.  You could probably Google it and get the basics, but the detailed program is in the book.

Hey Guys I am Maria, Josh Kugler's wife.  I am planning to get into a mentor program for this coming tri season.  Please add me as a friend here on BT.

That's great! Your first post on BT.

Hi Maria! Great to see you on here

Now is the time to find a deal on a new (used) bike apparently.  I just purchased a 2007 52 cm Specialized Transition TT bike for Maria.  MSRP was $1740 - got it for $635 including shipping.

Wow!  That looks like a great deal!!

Cool!  So now you can spend $1005 on bling and accessories! 

We've flipped the page on the calendar, and we have one more member of our group doing an Ironman race this month! 

Go check out Skye's (csjim10)'s blog. 

And as we bring 2010 to a close, let's talk a bit about our successes for the year!  Most of the group is still around and several of us have met up in real life (and I've heard rumblings about meet-ups in 2011).  What else would you call success this year? 

Maria,

Welcome.  You must have changed privacy settings in the last week or two, because I can't get to your log.  Marmadaddy can probably help you sort that out if you can't figure it out on your own. 

Losing weight and getting off blood-pressure meds are good goals.  (Have you checked with your doctor about changing nutrition and starting an exercise program?)  There are no "tricks" just doing what you know you need to do.  If you can make small, sustainable changes, you'll be better in the long run. 

Start slowly.  When you start working out, you should finish each workout feeling like you could have done a lot more.  More importantly, you should be able to get up the next morning and think "I can do that again!"  Doesn't do much good to go try to run 3 miles today and be so sore tomorrow that you can't do anything.  Shoot for consistency, 4-6 workouts per week.  20-30 minutes to start.  From experience, you'll need to start carving out little blocks of time before you can carve out big blocks of time. 

Don't compare your workouts to your ironman husband's.  You two are in different places in your fitness/weightloss journey.  Comparing your workouts to his will undermine your successes. 

Plan for 1-2# per week weight loss.  That's a 3500-7000 calorie per week deficit.  (Keeping closer to 1# per week is probably better. )  There is a forum for weightloss here on BT and a lot of others are doing the same thing.  Get involved with like-minded people and it'll be easier to make the changes you want! 

I dont think I have to say much about the things of the past year that equal success in my mind, but just in case anything is left to question here it is:

1.  Got my fat but into shape and down to race weight. (Now planning to stay there)
2.  Completed a full IM in less than 17 hours
3.  Got my wife interested in fitness
4.  Have met new people and formed frienships that I hope will last a lifetime.

I keep in touch with most of you on FB as well as BT, but in case you all don't know I am planning the Triple T with a couple of friends locally as well as BT friends from out of town.  I hope everyone in our group will have a chance to meet up this year or next.  I am also planning the Racine 1/2 IM with my wife in 2011.  I want to do IMKY again in 2012 because I have something to prove only to myself down there still.  I would love to have anyone from the group join me... it is really cool to have someone doing the same training as you at the same time to help motivate each other.

Short layoff while I am out of town still, then back to training right after the holidays.

I would rather live on day like a lion, than a lifetime as a lamb.

Edited by discipleguideservice 2010-11-09 11:10 PM