3:50 in the morning is, indeed, quite early

Post #: 4
Weeks of training complete: 10 weeks, 2 days
Time until Ironman: 21 weeks, 5 days
Miles swam: 35.8
Miles biked: 434.45
Miles run: 139.51

Goal: $5,000
Total money raised: $270

I started my day a little before 4 a.m. with my run. It was hot. Then I swam. It wasn't so bad in the pool. In fact, I'm starting to really enjoy my swims. There's something very peaceful about being in the water, just gliding along.

It was great to be done so early, but come 4 p.m., my mind just sort of shut down. I plan to get to bed pretty early again tonight, just to be up early for another day of training - on the bike and on the ground - tomorrow.

Eric, my friend who is also doing the Arizona Ironman, and whose blog can be located here, and I have been laughing a lot about the many characters we run across at the gym. A couple years ago on the Slow Twitch tri forum, somebody started a running post about the strange denizens of the pool. (You can read it here) But I've noticed they extend far beyond the pool, into the locker room and the actual gym floor itself. As a side note, the post actually made me realize I was the guy with the blown own bathing suit - the back was so stretched you could see my backside ... I had never looked until I read it. Who knows how long people were staring at that unfortunate sight.

Anyway, at the gym, there a few "strange denizens" that instantly come to mind: "Guy who wants to talk to me while we're both naked and changing," for example. He just sort of opens up the conversation without you even looking at him. It goes something like this:

Me (in the corner, changing): (silence)
Naked guy: So, how about that presidential election, eh? It's like Goldwater in '64 all over again, huh?
Me: What?
Naked guy: I knew Goldwater, you know.
Me: Really?
Naked guy: Yeah, I used to work out with him back on this old gym on Broadway and McClintock, back when it was a dirt road and the gym was actually an elementary school that served as city hall and spare parts depot when the kids were gone.
Me: Wow.

At this point, "The laugher" - he's the guy that is usually just sitting in the locker room for what seems like hours, usually pipes in:

The Laugher: Hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo!
Me: (silence)
Naked guy: You remember that?
The Laugher: Hoo, hoo, hoo. I do! Do you remember old Smitty's pub?
Naked guy: Yeah, I used to work out with Smitty back at this old gym ...

It's about then I leave ...

There's other characters - like "Wild Arms Power Walker," "The Human Fan" and "Mack Truck" - but you'll have to wait for another day to hear about those.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy my son's efforts to achieve rock stardom.

Signing off,
Ed

Mom, I have blood on my face OR 9 consecutive days of 110-degree weather and counting

Post #:3
Weeks of training complete: 10 weeks
Time until Ironman: 21 weeks, 6 days
Miles swam: 34.1
Miles biked: 434.45
Miles run: 133.76

Goal: $5,000
Total money raised: $270

First off, I know some of you have asked about how to make donations. My live on-line donation center is not set up yet, so for those who plan to donate by credit card, hang tight. I'm waiting for Janus to finalize my ability to take plastic on behalf of the charity. For those planning to donate by cash or check, please contact me at ed@ecollegetimes.com, and I can give you all the details. Also, another donation came in today. Thanks for the latest contribution from one of my best friends and his wife. I'm not sure they seek public recognition, so I'll respect their privacy.

First, to explain the picture. Today, I come home and sit down on the computer to check a few things. From the master bath, I hear water running - and running and running. Finally, I say, "Beck ... whatcha' doin'?" To which he replies with silence. So I go in there and find him slicking his hair back with water, his face covered in lipstick. Stifling a laugh, I say, "Go show your mom what you did."

From the kitchen I hear: "Mom, look, I got blood on my face ..."

Thus, an interesting lesson, I suppose: One should never jump to conclusions about what exactly their kids think it is they are doing ...

In other news, it has been hot - really hot - here. Today was the ninth consecutive day with temperatures over 110 degrees. On an average year, the Phoenix metro has 10 such days total. Tomorrow will be # 10.

Living in this heat has its impacts, not so much on work days, when you sit in air conditioning, but certainly on the weekends. After 10 or 11 a.m., it's difficult to do much of anything. Even the inside of your house, with the air conditioning blasting seems warms. You have to keep it at 80 or so to avoid astronomical electric bills - and it many parts of the house, it's hotter than that.

And, yet, this really is good training weather. High temperature training challenges the body much the way high altitude training challenges the body. And lucky for me, I get to do both.

Two of the last three weekends, I've been at 6,000-7,000 feet - swimming, running and biking. Doing lots of intense hills at that elevation, too. In fact, on Sunday, I did a pretty solid jog straight up a 1,000 foot mountain face in Mogollon Rim country. Talk about a nice way to start the day.

To avoid the heat, though, mostly I just train early. Tomorrow, I'll probably get up at 4 a.m. to run (projected temperature: 81) and then hit the pool at about 5:30 a.m. (projected temperature: 79). The early start also helps me help Heidi get the kids ready.

An early morning awaits - 1.7 mile swim, 6.5 or so mile run tomorrow. Talk to y'all soon.

- Ed

Stop the Presses ... Correction!!!

Post #: 2.2
Weeks of training complete: 9 weeks, 4 days
Time until Ironman: 22 weeks, 3 days
Miles swam: 34.1
Miles biked: 399.95
Miles run: 129.8

Goal: $5,000
Total money raised: $250

After I made my most recent post, I went and checked my comments. I've received my first donation - from Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman!!!

Awesome! So, I just want to give a big thanks to the mayor!!! I'm so excited!

And more inspired now ... See, that's why I love Tempe ... How cool is that?

- Ed

Let there be music

Post #:2
Weeks of training complete: 9 weeks, 4 days
Time until Ironman: 22 weeks, 3 days
Miles swam: 34.1
Miles biked: 399.95
Miles run: 129.8

Goal: $5,000
Total money raised: $0

I'll start you off today with a video of my kids dancing. They love music.

Tonight, I took Beckett to his first rock concert - Death Cab for Cutie at the Mesa Amphitheater. He did well - kind of.

It started out with us having to park about 1/4 mile from the venue, so I walked him on my shoulders to the gate. We had a couple extra tickets, so my friends Scott and Brad were waiting for us. We were going to give the tickets to them to give to some friends.

First off, Beck was totally stoked to see his buddy "Shock." In fact, I'm not sure what was more of a highlight for him - the music or Shock. He talked about them both the same.

After hellos, we moved into the security line. Beck got his first experience at being frisked. Hilarious, really, seeing a big beefy security guard pat down a 3' 1" three-year-old kid. After Beck was patted down, he made a beeline for the front gate. Leaving me behind. So I had to run past the security guard and go grab Beck, then go back to the security line to be patted down.

We got inside and found a perfect seat on the lawn, dead center about half way up the venue from the stage. I couldn't figure out why nobody was sitting there. Until I looked down and saw I was covered with fire ants. I sat on an ant hill. I got bit seven times. I'm lucky I didn't go into allergic shock. So we moved.

We found a new spot and Beck really focused for the first time on the stage. This was about 7:45 p.m., so it was still light out. His eyes just lit up. "Daddy," he said, gasping for air, "there's guitars! And drums! And another guitar. Wow!!! They're playin' music?" Then he danced. It was awesome - seeing him experience that for the first time.

This all started yesterday when before bed, we saw the Foo Fighters playing on MTV in a live clip. I mentioned to him that I had gone to a Foo Fighters concert. He told me he wanted to go. Wouldn't you know, the next day, my work hands me four free tickets to the show. It was like fate.

After the opening act got off the stage, we met up with a bunch of other friends and coworkers that were at the show - Ryan, Mark, Stephanie and some of their friends. Beck shook everybody's hand (I think he saw me doing it) and said hello. Shock came back over and hung out. Then, because so much attention was on him, he started going a little nuts - kicking water bottles, rolling around on the hill ... and then, well, then, the little bugger's hormones kicked in or something.

He spotted five, 19-23 or 24ish cuties sitting behind him. Let the flirting begin. Every second I turned around he was crawling towards them, talking to them, dancing for them. I asked him to stop, he pulled harder to get back. Talk about a friggen' flirt. Then last time I turned around, he was in this cute blond girl's lap with his arms around her ...

... so we moved.

We found some good seats near the entrance and I bought him an Italian Ice, something to occupy him. Night fell. The crowd grew restless.

And then Death Cab for Cutie took the stage.

The crowd roared. Beck instantly stood at attention. The instruments came to life. The spotlights went up into the crowd.

And the boy had the biggest smile on his face.

He ate Italian Ice, he danced, he jumped, he danced some more. He told me about the guitars and drums and lights. And then, about 8:45 p.m., he came and sat on my lap, played the "drums" on my legs and said he was almost ready to go home. "Just one more song," he said.

So we heard one more song.

And then we went home, where he tried to use the toilet.

Then he pooped in a diaper.

In the beginning

Post #:1
Weeks of training completed: 9
Miles swam: 30.6
Miles biked: 384.25
Miles run: 124

Goal: $5,000
Total money raised: $0

In mid-April ever year, one of the most difficult professional athletic events in the world - the Arizona Ironman - sets up shop in Tempe. The race involves a 2.4 mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2 mile run.

About 3,000 people compete every year. A few more than 2,000 finish. The quickest do it in a little over 8-1/2 hours, the last recognized finishers do it in just a hair under 18 hours.

A few days before the actual event, the organizers of Arizona Ironman - North America Sports - host a charity event, the Mayor's Charity Challenge, at which Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman challenges members of the local media to beat him in a 1/100th Ironman. That would be a 42 yard swim, a 1.12 mile bike ride and a .26 mile run, and each year I do it. The winner wins $1,000 donated to the charity of their choice.

I've never won. Never come close.

But somebody I work with - Eric (who has completed an Ironman) has - and this year, three people from College Times were entered. So the company's owners issued a challenge to us: finish 1, 2 and 3 and they'd double the $1,000 donation.

We did it. But it was almost me that cost us the money.

On the day of that race, I was pushing 210 pounds, my gut was bouncing over the side of my shorts and it took a full out power sprint on the bike and on foot to avoid a big letdown. After completing five marathons - three in 13 months from June 2006 to June 2007 - I had let myself go. I knew right then and there that it was time to do something.

But I was sick of doing marathons - and hardly motivated by something less challenging than that. So I said, "f it, I'm just going to do the damn Ironman." Later that day, as the check was being presented to the charity we chose - Tempe Community Action Agency - I announced publicly I was going to run the November Arizona Ironman and raise money for the same charity, TCAA.

They help children, the elderly, families and the homeless through food, medical and emergency assistance programs here in Tempe. Basically when people need help, when parents lose jobs, when emergencies strike, they're the agency that reaches out to help people get through tough times - and their main goal is to lead everybody back to self-sufficiency. The scope of the work they do, with limited staff, is impressive. Each year, they serve 92,000 meals to senior citizens in the Tempe area alone. Many of them are delivered to their homes - people who are immobile. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

I've already completed 9 weeks of my 32 week training program, and so far, so good. Finding the time to do everything I need to do can be difficult, though. Thus the reason it's taken so long to start this blog.

But now I've started, and I plan to update it pretty regularly. My goal is to raise $5,000 for TCAA, and very soon, I'll have a system set up where people can donate by credit card online if they prefer.

For those who live in Arizona - and I'll explain this more later - there are better ways to donate. TCAA is a special state-recognized charity for which the state of Arizona provides a full tax-credit (not tax write-off, but tax credit) of up to $400 per individual, meaning if you meet several qualifications, the state will refund you everything you donate to TCAA in your 2008 tax return.

But enough about that. Mostly, I'm just glad to have a way to talk to all of you again.

Until next time. Cheers - Ed