More or Less ...

Post 38

Weeks of training complete: 24 weeks, 2 days

Time remaining until Ironman: 7 weeks, 5 days

Miles swam: 103.551

Miles biked: 1,695.96

Miles run: 409.58

Goal: $5,000

Total raised: $2,440

I can't shake the exhaustion of the last few days. A few weeks ago, I wrote about chronic dehydration, now I have chronic exhaustion. I am so tired by 8:30, it's hard for me to keep my eyes open. And it's hard for me to get up in the morning. My left foot is killing me; my tendons in my right arm hurt - and after the Half Ironman I'm doing on Friday, I have the four most grueling weeks of training ahead of me.

I need a mountain retreat soon - to get out of this neverending heat. This is about the time that people that live in the Valley start to get angry. For most of the summer, we accept our fate. But when these obnoxious high pressure systems stall over the desert and bring multiple consecutive 100+ degree days into October - which happens every year - we just (pardon the French) start to lose our shit. I mean - enough is enough already, okay?

The air condition still beats well into the night, trying to keep us cool ... It's 8:59 p.m. and it's still 92 outside! 92! Geez ... I want to go fire a handgun in the air at nature. Make her pay.

I get the sense a lot of people wear down about this point in the Ironman training. It's very hard to keep your commitments to your family, your job - and then throw all this external chaos from the news and everything else going on - and well, it's a lot. Work, travel and training consume 13 of the 16 hours I'm awake right now. That doesn't leave time for much else.

Add the fundraising, blog requirements, party planning, play time with kids, chores ... well, you can see how the old 5 pounds into a 2 pound bag sceanrio is really at play.

But it'll be over soon ... 7 weeks, 5 days ... the end is almost near and yet, still pretty far away.

- Ed

A Quick Note ...

Post 37
Weeks of training complete: 24 weeks, 1 day
Time until Ironman: 7 weeks, 6 days

Miles swam: 103.551
Miles biked: 1,683.46
Miles run: 406.98

Goal: $5,000
Total raised: $2,440

Hello everybody. It's late. I'm tired. And I've just finished a long swim and run. Very tired, but just wanted to check in with some updated totals and to share that the bocce charity party was a great success. We've actually passed $2,440, but I don't know the exact total yet - I still have to tally receipts and payments from the party.

I promise to post more tomorrow. I'm going to rest and have cookies.

Good night,
Ed

Just Little Old Friendly Old Me

Post 36

Weeks of training complete: 23 weeks, 3 days

Time until Ironman: 8 weeks, 4 days

Miles swam: 99.061

Miles biked: 1,610.96

Miles run: 393.08

Goal: $5,000

Total raised: $1,615

"A television war between the cynics and the saints. Flip the dial and that's whose side you're on." – 'Falling Down,' Goo Goo Dolls

I'll be brief today. I watched the Bush speech. I talked much about the economy. But I am drained from yesterday's catharsis. That was a soul and mind spilling of epic proportions. It carried into my sleep last night – a broken, ugly mess highlighted by a dream involving me being captured and interned in a makeshift Chinese prison, buried in a converted warehouse.

So, tonight, I'll tell you simply about what I've been thinking about. Those lyrics up above - yes, I quoted a Goo Goo Dolls song, an old one, no doubt, but a Goo Goo Dolls lyric nonetheless – kind of struck me last night. I tried to wrap myself up in a cocoon of the past. I listed to music that I liked when I was in high school and tried to fall back into a place where my biggest worry was whether or not I got invited to some party or whether I ever, really, would have a shot with Erin.

Ultimately, though, it wasn't the carefree music that brought me the sensation of safety. The real blanket came when I thought about my friends. The people I can turn to, that love me, that listen to me, that I think about. The people that are coming to the tournament on Saturday. The many people that offered to volunteer and buy supplies and bake cupcakes and watch the kids all on top of making donations. I became aware of the big-ass cloud of love wrapped around my ass. And damn, it felt good to acknowledge it. To let it hug me for one second - and then a few minutes - before I refocused on the many tasks at hand.

I have made a vow to always be aware of that cloud, of its presence ... whatever that means. I mean, I think I know what it means: always be greatful for your friends, always being there for them, but them and your family first ... things like that.

I ended last night - before the nightmares, anyway - feeling blessed and loved. I lay in bed knowing I could rattle off the names of many people whom I know care for me, and whom I care for very deeply, as well.

It reminded me that I am richer than any financial bailout could ever make me.

- Ed

You Play, You Pay ...

Post 35

Weeks of training complete: 23 weeks, 2 days

Time remaining until Ironman: 8 weeks, 5 days

Miles swam: 96.816

Miles biked: 1,578.91

Miles run: 393.08

Goal: $5,000

Total raised: $1,615

"The time has come to save capitalism from the capitalists." – Luigi Zingales, Robert C. McCormmach Professor of Entrepreneurship and Finance, University of Chicago

I have tried to stay out of politics on this blog, but the financial and economic situation has been weighing on my mind and the minds of lots of other people. Every weekday this week, and most of the weekdays last week, I have learned of another person who has lost their job. Every day it seems, I hear some other tale from some other person, or perceived or real woes within their own business, or their companies.

For those of you who feel the need to ignore the realities, please feel free to say (with a mocking voice, of course): "What recession? People are still driving cars. I still see people buying stuff." Let me say in advance, thank you for those astute observations.

And then, let me tell you this: When the federal government's leaders are attempting in a single week to take the US financial system and turn it from something akin to the Wild West into something that reeks of the kind of nepotistic socialism favoried by the cronies of the old Soviet Union, something is wrong. Something is very, very wrong.

And for those of you who wish to stick your head in the sand - and declare (in the mocking voice, of course) that there is no recession, well, I'm sure the feds and the banking industry would like to tell you: "Thank you very much." They're quite happy to take their $2,300 from every man, woman and child in the US under the Paulson (that's Treasury Secreatry Henry Paulson) Plan and go on their way – nice, fat and profitable, these people who have put us all in grave danger.

The titans of Wall Street – let's face it, they are an evil, evil, ruthless bunch. In the past 15 years, they have found new and ever more ruthless ways to make money. Look at the carnage you can directly or indirectly tie to these people: there's Enron, Adelphia and the tech stock crashes; there was the massive run-up in the price of electricity as a result of the degregulation of the energy market (and the destruction of numerous power companies and their pensioned workers that resulted), there was the housing boom and bust, the massive run up in commodity prices and now this. Each one of these crisis – as the facts always show months or years down the road – was created, exacerbated, and manipulated for disgusting levels of profit only ultimately to result in the screwing over of millions of regular people just like you and me.

It's a disgusting abuse of power, ignored and allowed because the very people who manipulated these markets are close friends of the people who run our country. These people dine with Senators, Congressmen and Treasury Secretaries. Hell, many treasury secretaries are these people. Paulson, a Goldman Sachs alum, is a case in point.

So, why then, why, are we so ready to bail these people out?

Well, to put it quite simply – they have lobbyists up and down Capitol Hill – and they've asked Congress to do it. The banks, the financial institutions want this, because it's the easiest thing for them. Imagine you went on a $250,000 shopping spree and the bills came due. If you're choices were: a) have mom and dad pay it or b) sell the rest of what you owned and work out a debt payment plan based on garnished future earnings, which would use choose? I'd choose "a" and that's basically the way the Wall Streets are looking at.

The Paulson plan strikes me as incredibly dangerous and even though Congressional leaders are questioning it, they're questioning it for the wrong reasons. They want "middle class" relief, too. Essentially they want to spend even MORE money on this plan! Money they don't have! The American political leadership are like the worst examples of the $30,000 millionaire. This group loves to throw money at everything. They show no responsibility.

They also love scare tactics. All yesterday, Paulson ranted and raved on Capitol Hill about impending doom and recession if immediate action wasn't taken to bail (read: help his friends)these troubled financial institutions out.

We all need to step back and think about this. These scare tactics - these sweeping reforms in times of impending crisis - have been a benchmark of the Bush administration; think the Patriot Act after 9/11; the case for the Iraq War (weapons of mass destruction, anyone?), and now the Paulson bailout.

I don't buy Paulson's schtick, anymore. I knew Paulson was full of it the day I heard him proclaim that the run up in oil prices had nothing to do with market speculators. There are few people who follow the commodities market who buy that argument anymore. Paulson said that because he had friends to protect and an agenda to push - the expansion of drilling rights. The run up in oil prices was due totally to speculators; they were speculating there were problems in the stock market and they were looking for safe havens for their money. That's not a bad thing. That's speculation.

There is an interesting article here from which my opening quote is taken from. Read it if you have the time. Try to understand what is happening here.

Your life is about to change in ways you can't fathom if things continue to slip. The idea of credit the way you though of credit is about to change. The less educated are about to be marginalized. Those who made bad credit decisions are about to be pushed out of the system in a way they could never have expected 10 years ago – and maybe in a later blog I'll try to explain why. Basically, you're about to be looked at and analyzed as a risk every time you ask for money – for a car, for a student loan, for a credit card, for a mortgage, to rent an apartment. Heck, for a student loan, everything will be looked, including the major you want to go into it. The days of the $35,000 loan for the starving art student are gone, baby, gone, especially if that art student was a C student. Too much risk in that puppy.

We're not very good at accepting consequences, but we need to accept the consequences here of the lifestyle, the freewheeling debt-fueled frenzy we engaged in. The companies need to suffer, to take their losses, to go through expedited bankruptcy procedures, to flush the bad debt from the system and start over. It will be tough, but I suspect Paulson's plan could be worse.

We should not be made to pay for this mess. We'll be paying for years - and while I suspect the short-term benefits of this plan are better; the long-term effects of Paulson's plan seem much worse the way I see them. This is something we will pay for for decades. It will cost more than Social Security in 2009! Wasn't Social Security the item that was going to bankrupt the government?

I fear his plan will wreck the dollar, fueling a nasty cycle where the price of commodities explodes. The exploding price of everything – gas, food, clothes – coupled with increasing layoffs will only make things harder, fueling an ever more vicious cycle.

It is said that many of the banks in need of a bail out – particularly Lehman – have more assets than they do liabilities. Why are we bailing them out? Why are we letting this government decide our future? They've made enough mistakes as it is. Even though it will be painful, I would urge our leaders to give some careful thought to what they are about to do and for once, do what is right and kick the lobbyists and financial execs out of the hall and go do their own research, seek out independent expperts and try to craft and thoughtful comprehensive plan that will work.

Like I said, I'm afraid. I'm watching all this go down and thinking: doesn't anybody in Washington have a clue – Democratic or Republican? Where are the real leaders when we need them? Why, in a time when we're on the verge of a major crisis, are the peope in charge still driven by greed and self interests?

God save us all ...

- Ed

It All Seemed Uphill ...

Post: 34
Weeks of training complete: 23 weeks, 1 day
Time remaining until Ironman: 8 weeks, 6 days

Miles swam: 96.816
Miles biked: 1,566.74
Miles run: 391.95

Goal: $5,000
Total raised: $1,615

First off – there's less than 9 weeks left. It's actually becoming a reality, this insane race. And every now and then, the excitement builds inside me ... I get this explosion of joy: "I'm gonna' do it! I'm gonna' do it!"

And then, I actually have to go do it.

Here's a look at my training schedule for the week:

Today: Swim 2.245 miles (1 hr, 30 min); Run 6.5 (1 hour, 15 min) – Total: 2 hour, 45 min
Tuesday: Bike 12 miles (45 min); Run 3.0 (30 min) – Total: 1 hour, 15 min
Wednesday: Swim 2.245 miles (1 hour, 30 min); Bike 24 miles (1 hour, 30 min) – Total: 3 hours
Thursday: Swim 2.245 miles (1 hour, 30 min); Run 8.5 miles (1 hour, 30 min) – Total: 3 hours
Friday: Bike 77.5 miles (5 hours); Run 4 miles (45 min) – Total: 5 hours, 45 minutes
Saturday: Bike 12 miles (45 mins); Run 12.5 miles (2 hours) – Total: 2 hours, 45 minutes
Sunday: OFF

Week totals: Swim 6.735 miles (4 hours, 30 minutes), Bike 125.5 miles (8 hours), Run 34.5 miles (6 hours) – Total: 18 hours, 30 minutes

So, as you can see, it's getting pretty crazy. The blogs may get pretty short as we get in to this super intense training period.

The bocce tournament is all set for Saturday. We expect to raise at least $500 after proceeds, so that should be good. Best part: there's going to be a hot dog bar ... Yeah. Classy.

Today, everything seemed as if I was going uphill. Roads I've normally run 100 times, roads I know are flat. The just seemed to go up. My eyes played tricks on me. My legs felt sore and heavy. But I made it through another day.

It's pretty interesting that my fears about the economic markets materialized in a single day – the value of the dollar fell, oil soared $16/bbl as investors sought a safe haven. We're in a dangerous time now; a return to soaring commodity prices coupled with rising unemployment could have a very bad cyclical effect ... Let's hope the Fed's plan, as it comes to fruition, is one people can get behind ...

Sorry to bore you with that.

I'm trying to think of what else happened ... Sunday was pretty uneventful. I mowed the low; bought the wine for the party, built the tournament bracket; relaxed on the couch - which, by the way, is what I'm going to do now. It's 9:30 p.m. I need to go spend some time with the wife.

Best,
Ed

Rebirth and Beginnings

Post 33
Weeks of training complete: 22 weeks, 5 days
Time until Ironman: 9 weeks, 2 days

Miles swam: 94.571

Miles biked: 1,545.22

Miles run: 375.39

Goal: $5,000

Total raised: $1,615

All is well here. It's late. I finished another long bike ride today (about 60 miles), followed up by a 4.5 mile run, in which I held a 9:05/mile pace after the long bike ride. It's further evidence of much stronger I'm getting.

And I'm doing all this still with the tail end of a cold. I've been sick on and off this week - couldn't get my swims in.

Tonight Beck and I stayed up and watched Scooby-Doo 2. It was fun. Phelma's hot.

I need to give a big, big shout out to my boy Bang, who stepped up with a big, big donation towards the cause. We're closing in on the $2,000 mark and with the Bocce tournament next weekend, we should surpass that. Bang and I go back many a year here in Tempe and our stories of mayhem throughout the state are legendary - from our admission into Cluck-U; the mighty destruction of Truckasaurus and the many, many beers consumed. And, of course, baseball ...

In other thoughts, the financial world is getting a little scary right now. The economy is clearly a mess and what's even stranger is that the government is openly panicking right now. That's strange to watch. The government is beginning to behave in a bipartisan manner again - it makes you aware of the severity of what's happening.

I'm no economic expert, but I fancy myself as something of a hobby economist. I follow market trends, study commodities and try to understand global currencies - purely becuase I'm interested in the way financial systems work. I don't even do it to profit it off it oddly enough - as often as I correctly predict the movement of markets, I don't have the stomach to bet on them except in very long-term strategies I understand.

That said, I'm nervous about the US dollar. I'm worried about the risk the government has exposed itself, too. And I don't understand enough about the liquidity of the government - how can it spend when it's already running a massive deficit - to fully grasp the impact of these humungous bailouts.

If I'm uncertain about it - it means a lot of other people are, too. Uncertainty is bad for economies.

Just something I've been thinking about ... One thing's for sure, the 2000s have been significantly different than the 1990s.

I need to get to bed. Big run tomorrow ... and football. ASU plays Georgia. Big game. I think, I really think, we can win it.

Go Devils!

- Ed

Going to the Well

Post 32
Weeks of training complete: 22 weeks, 2 days
Time remaining until Ironman: 9 weeks, 5 days

Miles swam: 92.117
Miles biked: 1,464.97
Mikes run: 371.18

Goal: $5,000
Total raised: $1,540

I often wonder: how many times can I go to the well?

How many times can I go to that place and share with all of you my exhaustion before you simply tire of hearing of it? Like the candidate who preaches nothing but gloom and doom, who points out nothing but what has gone wrong; like the news media that warns of $5 gas and impending doom, how many times can I spell it out before you stop listening, before it loses it's impact?

I don't want to keep going to the well so to speak. The well runs dry, and then the whole community suffers. What you need, what we need, is a positive force of change ... And yet, today, after it was all said and done, that feeling of exhaustion, that feeling that I need a vacation settled in, deep and heavy on my soul.

Maybe it's the news of the day, the stresses of work, the reality of being in the middle-to-late stages of a very exhausting journey; the end getting closer, but still, ahead, much, much work to be done.

There is always so much work to be done.

Work with the children, work with the home, work with relationships, work with work. I'm beginning to suspect our 30s and 40s and 50s are a time of incredible perserverance if we are to stay ahead of the game; if we are to keep our heads above water.

These challenges come in the seemingly simplest of tasks: breaking a child of her bottle habit, teaching a young boy the meaning of taking responsibility for our decisions and actions; helping an employee find the right path to success; comforting those in need of comfort and a shoulder; helping those who are deserving of our kindness and time.

And, yes, finding time for yourself for a simple moment of relaxation.

As the calendar ticks towards the end of the year, these issues always seem to compound. The changing of the seasons, and the holidays are always a time of complex emotion and time management issues. These things are approaching again. A 20-hour workout schedule certainly adds to the weight.

Everything is moving so fast - must keep my head above water, must remember to breathe, must remember to keep those arms moving and those legs kicking.

There are many miles left to go.

- Ed

T Minus 10 Weeks and Counting

Post 31

Weeks of training complete: 22 weeks, 1 day

Time remaining until Ironman: 9 weeks, 6 days

Miles swam: 92.117

Miles biked: 1,451.82

Miles run: 368.38

Goal: $5,000

Total raised: $1,540

We're officially under the 10 week mark. Just 9 weeks and 6 days from now, if all goes according to plan, I will be crossing the finish line of the 2008 Ford Arizona Ironman some time around this time.

Here's some fun things to consider. Since the beginning of training:

• I have swam the distance from midtown Manhattan to downtown Philadelphia

• I have biked the distance from Tempe to St. Louis, Missouri

• I have run the distance from Phoenix to Los Angeles

I took Beckett to Gameworks tonight because he was so good at school. So good, in fact, that the teachers commended him for sharing with other students. That's a first ...

We played skeeball and air hockey and a Harley Davidson motorcycle game.

I've been up since 4:30 a.m. I ran a half-marathon before work, coupled with a 20 mile bike ride. I feel like a machine; a machine that just gets up and runs and swims and bikes and eats and eats and eats and eats and eats.

I eat a lot - just like that Michael Phelps thing on the Olympics everyone was talking about.

For example:

I came home from my run this morning and had the following:

3 scrambled eggs

2 oz. fire roasted salsa

2 pieces of toast

1/2 whole avocado

6 oz. smoked salmon

1 whole banana

16 oz. orange juice

16 oz. coffee

12 oz. seltzer water

Before that: 3 packets of Hammer gel (during run)

For lunch, I had the following:

1/2 whole zuchinni, raw

1/2 tomato

4 oz. raw carrots

5 oz. spaghetti

3 oz. homemade soy-based "meat marinara"

1 can Coca-Cola

1 peanut butter and banana cupcake

For second lunch:

1 tortilla

8 oz. chicken and potato homemade Mexican burrito filling

16 oz. water

For dinner:

6 spears asparagus

12 oz. chicken baked in pecan-mustard glaze

1 baked pita

1 Megan & Jeff's India Pale Ale home brew

For snack:

2 12oz. glasses natural sparkling lemonade

1/3 mint chip ice cream sandwich

And probably cookies after I finish this.

I had a pretty nice weekend, actually, too. Went out to dinner for my buddy Eric's birthday on Friday night. Had lots of sushi and some beer. Went to the ASU football game on Saturday.

I know I'm not very insightful tonight, but my eyes are heavy and I need to pack for tomorrow's workout. Tomorrow, I shouldn't be as tired, which means I might be able to think of something more to say.

Seriously, my brain is mushy mush right now. Must be all those video games.

- Ed

Non-stop

Post 30
Weeks of training complete: 21 weeks, 4 days
Time until Ironman: 10 weeks, 3 days

Miles swam: 92.117
Miles biked: 1,385.07
Miles run: 352.85

Goal: $5,000
Total raised: $1,500

Just thought I'd post a little video of the kids today. Things are good. No major complaints or insights to report. Working out a lot. Working a lot. The heat is breaking. I got a chance to play with the kids today after work - outside. It was nice.

I swam 3,500 yards today, non-stop. That's about 2 miles, or about .4 mile short of the full Ironman swim.

We have a busy weekend coming up. Dinner with friends on Friday. Heidi and Beck are going to see Walking with the Dinosaurs on Saturday. Then Heidi and I are hitting football on Saturday night. Then picking up family at the airport on Sunday and driving them out to Heidi's mom's to spend some time with the in laws.

In between that, we'll fit 8 or 9 hours of training.

Getting stronger.

Half Ironman is in two (or three) weeks from tomorrow. I can mentally conceive that distance. I feel ready for it.

I'm going to hang with Heidi now, watch a movie on the couch and eat cookies.

Until next time,
Ed

The Constant Battle

Post: 27
Weeks of training complete: 21 weeks, 2 days
Time remaining until Ironman: 10 weeks, 5 days

Miles swam: 88.121
Miles biked: 1,359.92
Miles run: 345.87

Fundraising goal: $5,000
Total raised: $1,500

My latest ongoing battle is with dehydration. Constant, neverending dehydration. With this humidity falling to normal desert levels, the heat unrelenting and me almost refusing to workout indoors anymore, I am dealing with thirst – constantly. This afternoon, after I finished my workout, I had the following: two 16 oz. glasses of water, two 12 oz. seltzer waters, one 12 oz. Coca-Cola, one 12 oz. Diet Dr. Pepper, 12 oz. of lemonade and then, with dinner, another 16 oz. glass of water. I began drinking all those fluids (that's 108 oz., if you're counting) at about 6 p.m. and finally, finally peed a small amount at 8:15 p.m.

I've decided that at this level of training, it has become necessity to eliminate almost all alcoholic beverages. My body simply cannot recover from their impacts, even the slight dehydrating effects of couple beer. So, I went out and bought a bunch of organic natural sodas - basically, they're carbonated pure fruit juice – for my recreational beverage for the next 11 weeks. With all the work and time and sacrifice I have made for this Ironman, I can't let things like the craving for beer, or a good time, get in the way. Look out Thanksgiving weekend – there's gonna' be someone with a hankerin' to tie one on coming your way, and his name is Ed.

There's so many things that have happened in the past couple weeks. Funny things - I'll share one with you. Last week on Labor Day Monday, the YMCA pool was closed, so I had to go to the city pool to swim my laps. They have one lap lane and at the time I went, that lap lane was occupied by two people trying to hook up or something. I'm still not sure what they were doing.

There was limited time, so I had to use the open pool - so I figured I'd stay closed to the lap lane and swim. No problems at all for about the first 30 days.

Around lap 35, I notice a huge dude in a bright blue one piece (it turned out it was a blue T-shirt) standing directly in the middle of my path. I stopped, stood up and turned and looked at him as if to give him the "WTF" sign. He continued to stare at me; so I swam around him. After a lap or two, he moved.

About six laps later, as I doing my turn, I noticed he had grabbed the lifeguard's megaphone and was screaming to everyone in the facility: "Put down your beers! No beers in the pool!" (This is a city pool, and no alcohol is allowed. No one had any alcohol.)

Then from about laps 41-80, he stood against the edge of the pool and leered at me. Awesome.

At lap 80, the lovers got out of the lap lane. I got in. At lap 85, ol' Blue T-Shirt was back; standing at the edge of the lane and barking at me. Like a dog.

When I got out of the pool at lap 120, he was asleep on the concrete on the edge of the pool.

Fun times. Fun times, indeed.

What else has been going on ... hmmm ... not much more beyond the usual. Busy at work, busy at home. The ASU Sun Devils are 2-0. The Diamondbacks are falling apart.

Brody is beginning to talk ... and sing. She sings Rilo Kiley songs, believe it or not, which is kind of cute to hear.

I've got to head out now and get ready for tomorrow. Ironman is approaching. I'm thinking of beginning a countdown soon of just how many more workouts I have.

My body is beginning to ache, too. Nagging little injuries here and there - a strained shoulder, sore knees ... must be careful.

Until tomorrow,
Ed

The Perfect Allegory

Post: 26

Weeks of training complete: 21 weeks, 1 day

Time remaining until Ironman: 10 weeks, 6 days

Miles swam: 88.121

Miles biked: 1,347.74

Miles run: 342.75

Goal: $5,000

Total raised: $1,500

Tonight, I lived the perfect allegory for what my life has become. I closed the gym. It was mean, alone, in the pool. Me, alone, on the treadmill. As the minute hand creeped towards closing time, I grabbed some paper towels, wiped down the equipment I used and left a silent gym for a silent parking lot on a silent Monday night.

This, is what it's all come down, too, I guess - this quest. A part-time job, it is now. I will train for close to 18 hours this week. My schedule looks like this:

Today: Swim 2.175 miles, Run 6.5 miles (2 hours, 20 minutes)

Tuesday: Bike 15 miles, Run 3.5 miles (1 hour, 15 minutes)

Wednesday: Swim 2.175 miles, Bike 25 miles (2 hours, 50 minutes)

Thursday: Swim 2.175 miles, Run 8 miles (2 hours, 35 minutes)

Friday: Bike 68 miles, Run 5 miles (4 hours, 45 minutes)

Saturday: Bike 25 miles, Run 13 miles (3 hours, 30 minutes)

It's very late and I need to go wind down, but it's been so long since I reported to y'all what's happening, I just had to weight in quickly and say hello.

My grandma stepped up with an absolutely huge contribution, bringing the total raised to $1,500 - we're actually making some nice progress on the goal now. And I cannot thank her enough. Her contribution specifically pushed me out to get my workout done tonight. I thought of her and her willingness to give (and the fact that she's coming to see me race - I'm so excited!) and I knew I had to go out there and put in the hours to make sure I succeed for all those coming out for the big day, which, by the way, is only 10 weeks and 6 days away.

I promise a more in-depth post tomorrow.

Good night,

Ed

Arizona Dreaming

Post: 25
Weeks of training complete: 20 weeks, 3 days
Time remaining until Ironman: 11 weeks, 4 days
Miles swam: 84.062
Miles biked: 1,281.54
Miles run: 322.61

Goal: $5,000
Total raised: $1,000

My mind has drifted a lot these past few weeks. I keep getting tastes of a previous life; one that did not involve the responsibility of work and children.

I remember the strangely sweet smell of Nogales in the late spring sun. It is the smell of commerce and taco stands; urine and exhaust; lime and cerveza. Tequila sunrises in the promenade at noon. Enchilada and blanco tequila for a late lunch. The sounds of bargaining for ceramic goods painted in bright hues - great Christimas gifts for the folks back home - and a sleepy ride home, pressed against the window, as saguaro and prickly pear and shrub studded mountains roll by in the setting sun.

There is the brisk night air of Sedona. Stars as far as I can see; the smell of mesquite burning; marshmallows and sweaters and campfire stained sleeping bags. Red rocks towering in the morning; Oak Creek gurgling beneath my feet. Bacon and eggs and coffee. Hiking and afternoon beer. And then another beer. Somewhere some people are smoking something, people are laughing. The sun is warm; peaceful.

There are hundreds of these old memories in my head - the sign of a good life, a well-traveled life across the desert. I can name off places that most people just see as dots on a map and each of them have a story, a gathering of people associated with them. Spring Valley, Tubac, Bisbee, Show Low, Aravaipa, Hannagan Meadow, the Chiricahuas, the Santa Catalinas, the Sierra Ancha, Flagstaff, Williams, Naco, Lyman Lake, Patagonia, Fools Hollow, Eager, Springerville, Greer, Blue, the Black River. They all involve people, tents, fire, solitude. They all include good memories - dropped all over the state.

I thought this morning, as I rushed in from a 3-1/2 hour Wednesday morning workout session (4:45 am. to 8:15 a.m.), so I could literally eat, shower and run back out the door with the kids, about how easy these trips used to be, how often I took them for granted. How we almost, almost, became bored of camping out there in the middle of nowhere. How we slowly gave all that up, as our careers advanced, for the creature comforts of a middle-income life. No more hot dogs on a stick cooked over a ponderosa fire, no, we yuppie 20somethings settled for import beer and tuna tartare. Funny, I forget most of the restaurants. I remember each one of the camping spots.

I've already decided when the kids are older that part of my fitness program will involve hiking together, fishing together, playing together - exploring the mountains and the deserts and learning to love them the way I love them, learning to feel connected to them the way I did before I became disconnected.

I had an interesting day today. I had to fill in and do an interview for a reporter who had a scheduling conflict today. I interviewed Mr. Cartoon, who is a world-famous tattoo artist. He's tatted a who's who of the entertainment world - Beyonce, Justin Timberlake, 50 Cent, the list goes on and on. He's also actively involved in the lowrider culture. Born in the Harbor District of L.A., worked his way up from the streets. He's a very real person - a real mix of diverse personality traits and beliefs. No drugs or drinking, smart business sense, strong identity as an artist, believer in God and envisioning reality, strong supporter of youth and children, proud Latino/Chicano. It forced me to learn about a culture I knew little about. It was nice to step outside my daily routine.

Heidi was sick today, too. So instead of bringing the kids home after school, I took them out to dinner. We went to Red Robin and got chicken fingers and grilled cheese and French fries and chocolate milk and baloons, can't forget the baloons. Then we went and played in all the water fountains at the outdoor Tempe Marketplace. The kids got soaked. I brought them home, put them to bed, got ready for another big workout day and came here, to type.

Finally, but by no means least importantly. I'd like to give a huge thank you to my friend Sean. For those of you who don't know, I've known Sean since I was 3. That's right, 3. Can you believe that? He stepped up in true Coca fashion, rounding out the uneven total with a donation that would bring it to a smooth $1,000. Thanks, man. Hope things are going well with the newborn. Some day in the next few years the family and I are going to make it out that way. God knows we have a lot of people we need to visit in the Carolinas. Until then, bring on another weekend in Vegas. I miss you. The donation means a lot to me. It keeps me going - knowing that you guys are willing to give like that.

Until tomorrow,
Ed

Such a long way to go ...

Post: 24

Weeks of training complete: 20 weeks, 2 days

Time remaining until Ironman: 11 weeks, 5 days

Miles swam: 82.178

Miles biked: 1260.01

Miles run: 322.61

Goal: $5,000

Total raised: $895

Sorry for the long delay in writing. I was really trying to enjoy the downtime in training last week - on Thursday and Friday, the workouts were cut back from about 2 hours and 30 minutes each day to 1 1/2 hours Thursday and 40 minutes on Friday, all in preparation for the Olympic Distance Triathlon I did on Saturday.

My Olympic Distance time was good, not great. I made some fundamental mistakes on race day - namely flying out of the swim and pushing too hard into a stiff headwind on the bike that forced me to bonk (basically run out of energy), 4.5 miles into the run.

For the record, my times were as follows:

Swim (1,500 meters/0.92 miles): 29:34

Bike (40km/24.8 miles): 1:24:05

Run (10km/6.2 miles): 1:17:05

The run was the real disappointing aspect. I should've been able to do it in about 58 minutes or so. But, it's a good learning experience. I need to remember on Ironman day the importance of proper pacing. They'll be another test race in a few weeks - the half-Ironman (1.2 mile swim/56 mile bike ride/13.1 mile run). That'll be a real test of where I'm at and how ready I am for this.

Honestly, I still feel like I have a long way to go. There's no doubt I'm in significantly better shape than when I started, but the real test of the training begins now.

There's been a lot going on on the perimeter of life these days, too. Some friends are going through some real life changes now; and I'm trying to find the time to be there for both my family and my friends, and trying to find time to cram what - from here on out - is a minimum of 16 hours a week of training. Oh, yeah, and trying to watch as much college football as possible.

For those who care about such things, the Pac-10 had a phenomenal opening weekend. The Big-10 (Michigan State loss to Cal); the ACC (Virginia loss to USC) and the SEC (Tennessee loss to UCLA) cannot say the same thing. ASU won it's game. My friend Jonathan got us a kick-ass suite to watch the game. Normally, I'm not a suite type person, but this was luxury, with an indoor and outdoor section and air-conditioning. The suite was also right 0n the 50-yard line. Very nice.

We won't have the suite this Saturday when ASU takes on Stanford. Early weather predictions place the kickoff temperature at over 110 degrees. Yep, the heat continues here well into September.

I've just given up on trying to fight it. In fact, yesterday and today, I trained smack-dab in the middle of the afternoon. Just put on my running shoes, said screw you nature, and banged it out in 100+ temps under the mid-day sun. I figure it'll only make me that much stronger in the cool November air.

And right now, I need any advantage I can get.

Until tomorrow,
Ed