Ironman Louisville

Warning: This post is longer than normal.

On Thursday we drove up to Louisville, but before that, Katie surprised me and decorated the Jeep. She's the best.

We eventually got there and checked into the Galt House. The next morning, I was beyond excited to go to the expo and get checked in. This is the 5th discipline in a triathlon. Most people think it is just 3 disciplines; swim, bike and run. Well the 4th is nutrition, and the 5th is not buying everything at the expo.

Later that day, Katie's sister, Kelly, her mom, Patty, and our newest nephew, Nolan, came into town to meet us. I was really excited to meet him and I was hoping to make a good first impression by finishing an Ironman. Plus, Nolan was generous enough to donate to some of the miles. What a guy.

Race Morning: alarm clock goes off and it's time to do this. I make a cup of coffee, which was nice because I was on a 2 week caffeine fast. I made my typical PB and J sandwich, got dressed, and bounced. 

I went down to the employee freezer where the front desk said they could keep my Red Bulls frozen for me. It was locked, of course. Great.

I walked my way towards the start line and I realized I was a tad hungry. I forgot my PB and J. Perfect.

I pumped a little air in my tires, walked to the swim start and got in line. I had head phones in but decided to make small talk with the other maniacs in line. It was all the same stuff. I heard "it is supposed to be hot." I heard "it's really hilly." Then my family came to meet me before I jumped into the river. I got a few last good lucks, hugs, kisses, but mostly crazy looks. 

The line began to move forward and what happened next gave me and continues to give me goosebumps as I write about it. We walked through the crowds of cheering people to the docks where we would start out 140.6 mile journey. "For those about to rock, we salute you!" ACDC was booming over the loud speaker and everything was in slow motion. High fives from the crowds, American flags being waved, and deafening cheering. I can only imagine this is what a UFC fighter feels like before entering a ring. At this point there were no more nerves. I was ready. 

I entered the water about 7 minutes after 7am. For me, the swim went great. I felt like I passed a lot of people and the current didn't seem too strong when I was traveling upstream. I just tried to focus on my form, not go too hard, and enjoy it. I wish I would have enjoyed it more because this would be the easiest part of the race. I got out of the water and looked at my watch. 1:06! What the..  Did I qualify for Kona? Am I a super hero? I guess the current down stream was pretty heavy.

I told Katie and gang to expect me around 1:20-1:30 so I just figured I wasn't going to see them. That's the price you pay for being Michael Phelps.

I got my bike and started heading out and I saw the squad cheering me on. Shew, I thought they'd miss me. I waved and they went crazy like I was Justin Beiber or something. And off I went.

112 miles of bike riding is a lot to talk about. So forgive me if I don't cover it all. Around mile 68 I stopped on the side of the ride to see everyone. Benny was on the other side, in the shade, so I didn't get to see him, that made me a little sad. I gave some more kisses and hugs. Katie assured me that everyone was having a great time. That helped ALOT. For some reason I thought everyone would be miserable, but I guess not. After that I was just hot, bored, chaffed, and miserable. I was no longer having fun. I wanted to be off the bike more than anything. So I just kept pedaling. I sang songs in my head, said prayers in my head (eventually out loud) and counted, anything to keep my mind off of pedaling. It just kept going and going and going.

Then it was over. The thought of a marathon was actually very welcoming. Just please don't make me ride a bike anymore. So I threw on the old running shoes, and off I went.  

Every race I've ever done from my first 5k, to a half marathon, to a Tough Mudder, to my first triathlon there were essentially two finish lines. One, of course, is at the end of the race and marks the end of actual competition. The other is a point where I know for a fact that I will finish. Literally no matter what happens, I will finish. Sometimes I cross this line early, sometimes right before the real finish line, but every time I cross it, it is a huge weight off my shoulders. As I ran past my family to embark on my first marathon, I crossed that finish line.

The first 13.1 miles went by pretty nice. I dumped ice water on my head every aid station, I ate some pretzels, and I drank some coke. I saw my family at the halfway point and got a lot of you look goods! And way to go! Almost done! Yeah.. I'm doing good. I'm almost done. Katie walked with me for a minute and told me how the rest is down hill and we've done this so many times. So again off I went.

About two more miles is when everything began to fall apart. I was bonking. Bonking is when you have burned through all of your glycogen stores and you have not consumed enough calories. I was in caloric debt and my body wanted to just stop moving. Oh yeah and I had 9 miles left of running/walking to do.

At this point it was dark, and I had been exercising since 7 A.M. Now I start to negotiate with my body. Run 10 minutes, walk 30 seconds. Run 10 minutes, walk 1 minute. Run 5 minutes, walk 1 minute. I literally did this until I got to run 1 minute, walk 1 minute. Then just walk.
This is the not-so-happy part of an Ironman. I was walking, everyone around me was walking. No one was talking. All the spectators and fans that were there on the first loop, were gone. I was chaffed, bonked, dehydrated, and a little delirious.  There was nothing left. No energy. No fans. No motivation. Just pain and miles. I had stopped looking at the mile markers because it was depressing and confusing.

Then I heard, "Hey Captain Norris." At this point I think it is important to point out that I have never been stranded at sea. However, I have seen movies and shows where people are floating on a life raft and they have lost all hope, until suddenly they see seagulls. Seagulls! That must mean we are close to land! This is how I felt when I looked up and saw Todd. He was the seagull and I knew land couldn't be far. He gave me some words of encouragement, and I think I strung together a slur of words. So we started running together. Eventually he said, "You go ahead, I'll see you at the finish." So, I kept running. I knew I couldn't stop now.

I finally reached the last aid station. I could hear the music. I started picking up my pace. I felt like I was really cruising now. Looking back, I was probably only running like an 11 minute mile pace. But it felt super fast!

I turned the corner and saw the finish line. There are no words to describe an Ironman finish line. It was absolutely electric. I ran across the line, got my medal, and hugged my family. It was over.

Believe it or not, this is the short version of the story. To try and capture the journey or an Ironman in a blog post is impossible. And unfortunately I don't really like to talk about myself, so if you want the full story, you have to do your own 140.6 miles!

I would like to thank a bunch of people. First of all my wife Katie. She has put up with a lot. Every Saturday and Sunday morning for the past couple months she has woken up alone because I was already gone running or riding. Not to mention how tired and sore I've been. All my family that came to Louisville to watch me race. My mom, dad, stepdad Ed, father-in-law Todd, mother-in-law Patty, brother-in-law Danny, (soon to be!) sister-in-law Emily, sister-in-law Kelly, nephew Nolan, uncle Jimmy, cousin Megan, cousin Erin, two older brothers Dan and Scott, and last but not least, little Benny.

Taper Week in Navarre

This past week was a pretty crazy week. We went on a family vacation to Navarre Beach. But when you think about it, is it a crazy week? Since I started training I have logged workouts in Georgia, Seattle, Spokane, and Japan. Since I started my 13 week training plan I have trained in Jacksonville, Key West, Las Vegas, Navarre Beach and occasionally Warner Robins. So really it's not that unusual to train out of town.

While we were there I got a lot of awesome training in. Two hour long bike rides, one 9 mile run, a couple short runs, and a bunch of open water swims. But the best part was all the random cross training. Paddle boarding, kayaking, and of course pushing a stroller through the sand. I even ran with it on the sand for a little bit. Hardest. Thing. Ever.

One side of the street:  View of the Santa Rosa Sound

Other side of the street: View of the Gulf of Mexico

Katie was able to join me for one of my rides!

At first swimming in the Gulf of Mexico made me a little nervous, with it being Shark Week and all. Luckily, I didn't see any. Apparently, for the sharks, it was "Jeff Norris Week" so they stayed away from shore. 

My pool for the week.

The open water swimming was so awesome. It doesn't even feel like a workout. It makes me never want to hop back into a pool to do laps again. It really helped me with my sighting too. Although, every once in a while I would be swimming along and my hand would hit the sand and I would realize I was in about a foot of water. People must have thought I was crazy.

On one of my runs, I fell. I don't know how or why this happens, but it happens to me more than most people. I have fallen probably 4 or 5 times in my running career. Not on some hardcore trail, or running on ice, or slippery rocks. Nope. Just side walks and roads and stuff. It is incredibly embarrassing. But, if anyone were to stop and try and make fun of me I would just say, "Oh I am probably just tired because I'm training for a race that you would consider a decently long car drive." -Drops mic.-

Donation Update:
Well everyone.....WE DID IT!!!!  We have reached surpassed our $2,000 goal!!  Thank you so much to everyone who has donated!

A special thanks to our most recent donors:
Dan, Krista, Erin, Mike, Diane, Todd, Patty, Mom, Margaret, Nancy, Buckle, Jess, Scott, Shelley, the Radloff's, Patty, the Okel's, Larry, Debby, Scott, Derrick, & Dad for donating an amazing $1,048!!

We truly appreciate every single donation we have received.  The kids at The Methodist Children's Home are going to be so excited!  

I usually like to end with a funny quote, but I really wanted to leave a quote from Invictus (The poem, not the movie starring Morgan Freeman. Although I am a huge Morgan Freeman fan.) So I will have a serious quote and a funny quote.

"Never pick a fight with an ugly person; they've got nothing to lose." Robin Williams

"Beyond this place of wrath and tears, Looms but the horror of the shade, Yet the menace of the years, Finds, and shall find me, unafraid."  William Ernest Henley

Ladies & Gentlemen, my next act will be the Taper!

Boom. The bulk of my training is complete. That's right, I said it. I have now entered into the taper stage of my training. No more waking up at 4am to ride a bike. No more 5 hour workouts. No more sweating. Okay, maybe some sweating still, but the rest is all down hill from here. Pun intended.

This was a typical week but my weekend workouts were a 5 hour bike on Sunday, followed by a 3 hour run on Saturday. As you can imagine it was pretty difficult. But it was easy at the same time because I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. But, that light could have been a train.

5 Hour bike: The first 1.5 hours, I rode solo, like I typically do (I like to consider my self a wolf pack of one). Then, I met up with some of the folks from Team RWB Warner Robins. They were going on a 30 mile ride at 8AM, which allowed me to ride with other people for once! I told myself, "If they pull away, remember you've been riding for an hour and a half, and you have about an hour and a half left afterwards, don't cook yourself." Then we started riding and I told myself, "I do what I want." and I tried to keep up with them. Surprisingly, I felt pretty good. Plus it was awesome having other people around to talk to (instead of talking to myself..that guy is boring).

Thanks for getting the ride together, Josh!

Tangent: I think there is something to be said about riding/running by yourself for hours on end with no music, no podcasts, no nothing. Just you. I think it teaches you to deal with the discomfort and pain in a better way. At mile 70 of a bike ride, when there is no one to talk to, pain and discomfort will keep you company. They are never late, and they have plenty to talk about.

Tangent 2: ALWAYS try to ride or run with other people. The above paragraph is a direct result of how crazy I've become having to workout on my own for hours on end. Talking to your pain? I belong in the loony bin.

Anyway, we got back into town, the ride was over for them, and I continued out on my last 1.5 hour ride by myself. It is funny, my first "long" ride of this training plan was 1.5 hours. Saturday, I did that, met up with people, rode for 2 hours, then left and did 1.5 again. Crazy.

3 hour run: I did the first 1.5 hours by myself, and I felt great. I walked every mile for about 15 seconds. I did this because, when I'm racing I will walk at every aid station (about every mile). This will give me a break and allow me to eat some food. I was feeling fantastic.

Then, I met up with Katie and Benny for the last half of the run. I grabbed the stroller as I usually do (not because I'm a gentleman..because it is harder and I like the extra training). Apparently someone forgot to give a gift to the Warner Robins Wind God because he was angry. If you have never pushed a running stroller in the wind, I will explain it for you. Imagine doing the hardest thing you have ever done. Okay, now picture doing that activity wearing an open parachute. It's like that.

The last 30 minutes or so, Katie really kept me company. We talked the whole time. By we talked, I mean she would say a couple sentences, and I would mutter, "Yeah," "Nah," "Eh." I was fully engaged in the conversation, I just was to the point where even talking seemed hard. Oh, and that pain I talked about earlier was also trying to have a conversation with me.

Finally my 3 hour run was over and the crowd went crazy! And by crowd I mean, we saw a stray dog and Benny might have clapped or something. But the crowd in my head was going crazy, because I had just finished my hardest week of training.

This next week we will be prepping to go on a family vacation to Navarre, Florida. I will hopefully get some good workouts in since I am bringing my bike. Also some open water swimming will  be fun as well. Actually, there have been recent shark sightings in the area. I really do not want to have an encounter with a shark. Can you imagine that? Me and a shark, wrestling in the water, blood everywhere. Sheesh. Poor shark...

Donation Update:

49%!  So close!  Only $27 more until we're there!

Thanks to:

Alex & The McCuddy's for sponsoring a total of 8 miles!

-Jeff

"You are in pretty good shape, for the shape you are in!"

-Dr Seuss

Jeff the Killer?

What's up all you savvy Internet people? Another week of training and fundraising has gone by and it was a doozy.

Throughout the week it was pretty standard training, short bikes, short runs,  and some short swims. I did do a 3000m swim, which is about 75% of the swim at the Ironman, so that made me feel good.

Something I started doing while I was deployed was, when I'm riding indoors, every fifteen minutes I get off and do a wall sit for a minute. If you're one of those people that think time is going by too fast, do a wall sit for a minute. It slows time down dramatically.

Then on to my long workouts. 4.5 hour bike on Saturday and a 2.5 hour run on Sunday. My bike on Saturday was pretty fun, and I felt good the whole time. At one point I saw someone riding ahead of me. And since 4.5 hours is a long time to be by yourself, I was dying to catch up, even if it was just to say, "Good morning!" But he/she slowly got farther and farther away. It was like the scene on Cast Away when Tom Hanks loses Wilson. 

So, after I lost my friend who I never met, I actually ran into a group ride. It was a beginner group of people for the most part. But after I passed them, a guy caught up with me and we chatted for a bit. He was confused when I told him I wasn't a part of the group and I was by myself. After a couple of miles (going faster than I wanted) we parted ways.

So I still had a couple hours of climbing hills and cursing the sun. For some reason I had a bunch of Muhammed Ali quotes in my head, so that kept me busy for a while. "I'm so mean I make medicine sick!" "I'm so fast, last night I turned off the light switch in my hotel room and was in bed before the room was dark!" I don't know what any of that has to do with biking, but it got me through the hills.

Finished up my long ride on the trainer.  Sweat  marks on the floor = a successful ride. 

Then, the Sunday run. I started out with Katie and Benny. We ran for about an hour and it was pretty hot. I hadn't pushed the stroller on a run in a while so that was a rude awakening. When I dropped them off I felt pretty good. I went back out into the inferno for an easy hour and a half run.

No. Within 1.5 miles I was walking. The heat felt like it was melting me. It was 11:30 in Middle Georgia, but I felt like I was running on the sun in a sweat suit. As I got to my first aid station (a Shell gas station) I noticed they had slushies. Sometimes you have to get what sounds good. So I ran the next couple miles sipping on my high fructose corn syrup and ice mixture. And then it was gone and I was again completely over heating. I stopped at another gas station and got a Gatorade.

I had to stop at home to get more water. With only 30 minutes left in the run I laid down in the living room covered in sweat asking myself a bunch of questions about why I'm doing this. I don't think I answered the questions, but I did get up and finish the run. Holy hot town batman.

After some recovery Skyline Chili, and a nap we went over to The Methodist Home to go to their chapel service. It was really awesome! They started with three girls doing a choreographed dance. Then a couple more kids spoke about their recent mission trip experiences, then I was on. 

"Open with a joke," I tell myself. "Well I won't be dancing.." Two people laughed. I like those odds, so I kept going. I told them all about the race and they were actually pretty interested. "How long will it take you? Is the swim upstream? Can you shower afterwards? You do it on ONE day? What's your baby's name?"

Afterwards, a boy named Jordan came up to me and asked me some questions. Then he asked what my name is and I said Jeff. And he said, "Oooohh. Jeff the killer!" I'm almost positive that was a compliment.

Donation Update:
We are so close to reaching the half way mark for our $2,000 goal!  As of today, we are at 45%!

Thanks to:
Kelly, Casey & Kelly for sponsoring a total of 3 miles!

Also, My mother-in-law, Patty, & brother-in-law, Danny, sold a couple event tickets to a friend for $40 & donated the proceeds to sponsor 4 more miles!  Thank you!

-Jeff

Key West for work? I guess I'll go

Well, it's been a while since I've posted. That's because, any time I'm not swimming, biking, or running, all I want to do is sleep. Really, the only time I sit down is to watch Jeopardy, and I'm usually too busy heckling Alex Trebek to enjoy it. But anyway, there's about five weeks left until the race and I am really starting to feel the exhaustion setting in. Luckily, I'm not some Nancy pants, and I'm going to make sure I finish my training plan with a bang. Plus, it helps that my taper is only two weeks away (a taper is the last couple weeks before a race, when you begin to tone it down a bit, to allow your body to recover.)

But anyway, I'm having fun, and we're raising money. Life couldn't be better. This week should be awesome. I have a 4.5 hour bike on Saturday followed by a 2.5 hour run on Sunday (followed by sadness and soreness on Monday). And for the first time (since Christmas 2012), we get to go visit The Methodist Home and hang out with the kiddos! I'm hoping to convince some of them to think about doing a triathlon one day. But we'll start with baby steps.

The past couple weeks of training have been brutal, but awesome. I had a 2 hour and 45 minute run (my longest run yet), a 4 hour bike where all I did was hills, (my highest elevation gain yet), and a brick workout of a 4 hour bike immediately followed by a 1.5 hour run. Yes, that is a five and a half hour workout. And yes, I am a crazy person. But, is it really so crazy to enjoy running until you nearly collapse? Dean Karnazes would disagree. Look him up; he's insane! He has run the Bad Water Ultramarathon (135 mile running race..through Death Valley..in summer) and a multitude of other crazy distance races (some over 200 miles). He sums it up best with this quote, "Somewhere along the line we seemed to have confused comfort with happiness." I agree, Dean.

One thing that I have found the most fun and challenging of this endurance training is the logistics. If you go run for nearly 3 hours in the sun, you run out of food and water. This is fun because I get to stumble into gas stations (like a zombie) and grab whatever looks good at the time. On my long run the other day, I had three stops; 2 at gas stations and 1 at home. All in all, I consumed all of the water, a coconut water, a large Powerade, a cranberry Red Bull, a bag of pretzels, and a large pickle. There are few feelings that are better than running down highway 41, on mile 14, chomping on a zesty garlic pickle. I know that I am not an Ironman yet, but I do, in fact, have an iron stomach.

Another thing I've noticed while out on long runs and bike rides are my mood swings. I'm sure most people are familiar with, "Runner's High." It's a feeling people get while running when they feel "in the zone." If you've been there, you know what I'm talking about. Then there is a, "runner's low," where you feel like you can't get into a groove and the world is against you. Well, as the miles get longer, the highs get higher and the lows get lower. At mile 12 I can be yelling at cars that pass too close, and mile 13 I can be fighting off the urge to dance because Party Rock Anthem came on Pandora. It is like a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde thing.

Oh yeah, then we went to Key West. I was asked if I would go down to Key West on a business trip for a week. So, I stepped up and said, "Yes." Listen, I'm no hero. But when my country needs me to go to a beautiful tropical island, I grit my teeth, and I go.

Truman Annex NAS from the plane

Of course I'm kidding; I love it there. This time, (since it was the week of our 4 year anniversary) I flew Katie and Benny down too. So, it was half work trip, half vacation trip. I was also able to get some open water swims in at Zachary Taylor State Park. Between all of the working, and mahi-mahi sandwiches, I was able to get some decent workouts in. But I just mainly focused on being relaxed and having some fun time with the family.

Fort Zachary Taylor State Park

Fort Zachary Taylor Beach

Taking a break to play with Benny during my open water swim training

Relaxing family beach day 

When we got back from the work-cation, we went to a going away party for some friends, went to bed, and I was up at 5 the next morning; back to the grind. I had a 4 hour bike ride scheduled. When my alarm went off, I immediately thought of all the reasons why I shouldn't go out and ride. "It's probably raining. Am I sick? I bet I'm sick. I shouldn't ride because I flew on a plane yesterday. I'm pretty sure I read that somewhere." But, for some reason, I stumbled out of bed to make a cup of coffee. If I can just make it to the kitchen and start making coffee, I'm good to go.

I decided to do the last hour or so on the trainer because I was bored of the road and out of food. So, Katie surprised me with some graham crackers and peanut butter, and a fruit smoothie! And then, of course, goetta for breakfast.

Donation Update:

We hit a BIG milestone today! Half of the 140.6 mile race has been sponsored!  We have raised over $800 so far, which brings us to 41% of our goal!

Thanks to:

Jim, Barry, Penny, Scott, Kelly, Annie, Del, Julie, Nicole, Doug, Edmond, Jenny & Zach for sponsoring a total of 20 miles!!

We had a huge jump in donations in the last few days.  Let's keep them coming!

Well, I think that's everything. Until next time!

Jeff

"Sometimes the road less traveled, is less traveled for a reason."

-Jerry Seinfeld

Birthday & Training

It's been a busy couple of weeks. So, for the two or so people that read this blog (one being my mom) I apologize for my tardiness.

Last week was Benny's big birthday bash. So, I had a lot of dad stuff to do (cut grass, grill food). But the miles were not going to get done by themselves, so there still had to be early mornings filled with bike rides on the trainer and runs before dawn.

Friday, everyone came over for a pre-party. Knowing I had a big bike ride the next morning, I decided it was best to carbo-load on some Marco's Pizza and IPA from the Lazy Dog Growler store. It was not ideal, but it was delicious, and I do not regret it in the least.

Our friends, Brittany and Brandi, came in from Cincinnati and stayed at our house during the party weekend. One morning I came back on a bike ride to refill my water bottles and get some food, and head back out into the relentless Georgia sun. Brittany asked Katie, "Didn't he just get back?" I guess it's confusing to normal people why someone would ride a bike for several hours, come into the air conditioning, only to leave again. Yeah it doesn't make much sense to me either.

That was on Saturday morning, before Benny's birthday party. Around the time people started arriving for the party was the time I realized I had a fever and was sick..again. I can't imagine that the hilly 3.5 hour bike ride helped any. But, we kept on with the party, and it was a blast. Everyone, including the birthday boy, had a lot of fun. It was awesome seeing all of my family and friends.

The next morning I was scheduled to run 2.5 hours. There was no way. I was beyond exhausted and still pretty sick. I really wanted to run still, but Katie told me how bad of an idea it was. If it wasn't for her, I would do a lot of dumb stuff. But luckily she lets me know when I am being irrational. Then, minutes later the heavens opened up and it started storming. She was right. But still, having missed such a big workout really bummed me out! 

The following week I hit all my workouts pretty much right as planned. My brother Scott, his girlfriend Jenna and their dog Stella came to visit us this weekend. Then, I woke up sick again on Saturday! What?! I felt really nauseous and decided it was better to get some rest and do the ride on Sunday. Mondays are my rest days, so I could do my long run then! No big deal!

Sunday's long bike (4 hours) was awesomely brutal. I only averaged a little over 15mph, but I had 3000ft of elevation gain. This is super important because Louisville's bike course is filled with hills, and I plan on showing up prepared! I pretended I was some Tour de France guy climbing the Alps or something. It helped. Don't judge me. When you're alone for 4 hours you need something to pass the time.

Next week is a big week! On Saturday I'm doing a 4 hour bike and then a 1.5 hour run. For those of you not familiar with triathlon, this is called a "brick." Where you go from a bike ride, ditch the bike, change shoes, and go for a run. For example, "I had a brick workout today, now I can't walk." I was told that it got its name from your legs feeling like bricks afterwards, but who knows.

Donation Updates:
We are 31% of the way to our goal!  So awesome!

Thanks to:
Matt, the Brunsmans, & Jamie for sponsoring a total of 6 miles!

Benny also received $40 as part of his birthday gift from his Grandpa Tim to sponsor 4 miles!

Also, a big thanks to my in-laws, Patty & Gary, for collecting enough money from their guests, at their annual Music fest, to sponsor 6 miles!

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." 

The Most Normal Week Ever!

Well, we raised some more money, got in some more training, and learned a lot. So I would call that a pretty successful week! I even had someone who read something on Facebook come up to me in the parking lot of work and hand me some money for The Methodist Children's Home. (Shout out to Uncle Joe Osborne, World's greatest nav!)

Finally. A normal(ish) week. No drive to Jacksonville. No random triathlon. No staying up way too late in Las Vegas. Just back to my normal life of training and eating right. I say normalish because working in a flying squadron is never really "normal". I still had a couple 4am wake-ups. But, for the most part, it was a fairly standard week.

This week's lesson has to do with being prepared. Not in the sense that the Boy Scouts are prepared and carry knives and stuff (although that is cool too). But being prepared to train seems to be one of the most challenging parts of this journey, for me. Since I usually work out before work, I have to pack a bag of shower stuff, workout stuff, and my uniform for work. The first couple times I did this, I would always forget something. Forgetting the cover (hat) to my uniform forces me to do the walk of shame outside, or stop and buy a new cover. Forgetting my underwear, forces me to do a different, more uncomfortable walk of shame. Forgetting my socks is never okay. Walking around in boots all day with no socks is less fun than you think.

So how do I do it? Always, always pack the night before. When I wake up at 6, 5, or 4 in the morning, I have no idea what's going on. The other day I woke up and ate left over chicken wings for breakfast because it seemed like a good idea at the time (spoiler alert: it wasn't a good idea). I literally have to pack my bag, and set it by the door so I trip on it on the way out. I have to pack my lunch the day before, too. If I try to pack my lunch the morning of, I would probably get to work and find that I packed a bag full of condiments or something like that. When I wake up, all I have to do is make a cup of coffee, eat a snack, brush my teeth, and get in the car.

So with all of that being said, that was the key to this week's success. I got in some good runs, good bikes, and great swims. 

Swim training: I am finally able to swim in the outside pool on base! This is a big deal and anyone who swims knows why. Because swimming is boring. Really, really boring. So, if you can tell me I  can swim in a different pool and stare at a different black line for 45 mins to an hour, I'll take it!

Bike training: I got in a really good trainer ride this week. I try to do most of my bike riding on a trainer. It's quicker, I can do it while it is still dark out, I can listen to music, it's harder. The list goes on forever. I bike in what some triathletes would call a "Pain Cave." It is just a garage with a bike trainer and lots of sweat on the floor. But I still ride outside on the weekends. This weekend's ride was tough. 3 hilly hours. And boy was it hot. The whole ride, all I could think about was taking an ice cold shower, which I did immediately upon my return. I also thought about the kiddos. Hopefully all this training pays off, and maybe someday some of them can do an Ironman too!

Pain Cave

Past race posters for motivation

Run training: I did a couple short runs this week and I ran in my Vibram Five Fingers to change it up a bit. I don't care what people say, I love those things and they are not bad for you. That's right, I said it. I'm not a doctor and know nothing of the bio-mechanics of the foot, but I love my Vibrams. Off my soapbox. Katie and I also CRUSHED an 11.67 mile run, with 1 extra mile holding Benny. He got upset around mile 7 or so, so we took him out of the stroller and I carried him for a mile as we walked home. It was tough. But we got home, got him changed, had a snack, and set back out on our run.

So that is this week's training in a nutshell. It's Sunday night now, and I feel like I can still train tomorrow, which is good because that's exactly what I will be doing!

Donation Updates:
We are 22% of the way to our goal!  2 months & 2 days until race day!  Keep the donations coming!

Thanks to:
Ellen, Joe, Grandma, Grandpa, Holly & Dad for sponsoring a total of 12 miles!

Justin for donating a set of swim gear!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Shake

Here is a recipe that Katie and I have been enjoying for quite some time now. Katie originally got the recipe, or something close to it, from her Uncle Chris. It is super easy to make, and it tastes crazy good. Katie usually has one for breakfast a couple times a week and I will have one occasionally on the weekends after a big workout. Again, I am not a doctor or a nutritional expert, but I've read a lot of stuff online (mostly Facebook) so I'm basically the smartest person you know.

Recipe:

• 1c Unsweetened Almond Milk
• 1 Banana
• 2T Peanut Butter
• 1 pack Chocolate Breakfast Powder
• 4-5 Ice Cubes

Put everything in a blender and blend until silky smooth and delicious.

Now, I wouldn't recommend eating this RIGHT before a workout, but if you ate it in the morning when you had a big workout planned that day, it would work well. It has everything you need. Banana for some quick acting carbs and potassium to keep you fueled and not cramping. Peanut butter for some muscle sculpting protein, and slow burning fat. Almond milk for natural vitamins and antioxidants. And chocolate breakfast powder for a balanced breakfast and delish taste.

Variations: Milk- We use almond milk. A couple years ago I went on a paleo kick, and even though that phase has come and gone, almond milk has stayed in our household. You can use any kind of milk you want. Because this is America, where we have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of whatever milk we want. Banana- You can use fresh or frozen bananas. We buy a whole bushel of bananas, wait till they're ripe and then peel and freeze them all. Then, we can throw them in smoothies whenever we want. If you use a frozen banana, you don't need to add ice. Oh yeah, I tried an apple in the shake once. It was awful. You've been warned. Peanut butter- We say use two table spoons, but go crazy! 3 tablespoons, 4 tablespoons, 2 jars! The possibilities are endless! Or you could of course try other types of nut butters (almond, cashew, sunflower seed). Chocolate breakfast powder- I sometimes substitute with some protein powder after a big workout (or if i just want to feel super strong). But you could also use Nesquik, Carnation Instant Breakfast, or even Ovaltine (do they still make Ovaltine?)

So, if you want to be super strong, have an awesome workout, or just want something delicious, you should try this out.

If you come up with a milkshake like this one with some different ingredients and you think it's pretty good, let us know! We are constantly looking for new things to blend and fuel our workouts.

Cheers!

Jeff

Robins AFB Sprint Triathlon and Training While Sick

Good Evening Internet World,

I hope everyone is having a good week so far!

So, this past Saturday we drove to base to do the 2nd Annual Robins AFB Triathlon and even though it was short, it was tough. It was a 500m swim, 12.9 mile bike, and a 5k run. I had just gotten in from Las Vegas the night before, and not fully recovered from a nasty cold. This should be fun.

500m Swim: The swim was done in a 50m pool. They seperated everyone by 15 seconds. So every 15 seconds someone jumps in the pool, swims to the end, scoots over one lane, and swims back. Basically everyone was zigzagging back and forth through the pool. By the time I jumped in, it was like trying to swim in a washing machine. I also quickly found out that swimming with a cold isn't very fun. But as I finished my last 50m I stood up to check my watch to see how fast (slow) I did my swim and saw "0724." I had forgotten to start my stopwatch... Swim time: unknown.

12.9 Mile Bike: By far, the shortest and strangest distance I have ever seen in a triathlon. Anyway, the bike went pretty smoothly. I was able to catch my breath, pass a few people, let a few people pass me, and enjoy the ride for the most part. And surely I would remember to start my watch for the bike ride. Well, I didn't remember, and don't call me Shirley. Bike time: unknown.

5k Run: The run was on the 5k trail on base. A trail I have run at least 1 million times. Finally I would be at home and be able to catch some people on the run! Well, the sickness and the jet lag had a say in the matter. So, I slugged along the 3.1 miles, and  just kept reminding myself I was sick. My time? No idea. Forgot to hit the stopwatch again.

When it was all said and done, I had a good time. No matter how long/short the race is or how easy/difficult it is, it is always awesome to see your biggest fans at the finish line cheering you on.

Another plus to the race was that we met up with the Warner Robins Team RWB (Red, White and Blue) group. They are a local chapter of a national organization that enriches the lives of veterans through physical & social activities. They are a fun group of folks and I cant wait to do more events with them.

More training: Later that day, I snuck in an hour long bike on the trainer. It seemed to go pretty well. The next morning Benny woke us up super early so we decided to knock out our long run before it got too hot. Before mile 1 I knew it was going to be a difficult run. But we kept going, and going, and going. We got in an 8.5 mile run at a painfully slow pace, but hey, I had a long week, and long weekend, so I'll take it. Plus, it was a new PR for Katie - her longest run yet, so I was pretty excited about that!

So, if I could give a word to the wise it would be, "If you're sick, do not race or train." But that would be against my personality, and probably against yours. So I'll say this, "I do what I want."

Donation Update:
We have raised $300 so far, which is 15% of our final goal!

Thanks to Dad, Kelly, Dave, Nolan, Leo & Jake for sponsoring a total of 10 miles!

Click here to donate to the kids of The Methodist Children's Home!

Until next time,
Jeff

"A word to the wise ain't necessary- it's the stupid ones that need the advice." Bill Cosby 

Viva Las Vegas!

Hello again

So, for the past week I've been on a business trip to a small town in Nevada; Las Vegas. Also known as, The Land of Distraction and The Hottest Place on Earth. Clearly this has lead to my training schedule having to be a little flexible. So far, here is what I've learned:

Drink water. Like an insane amount of water, even if it's an off day. There is no moisture here, only heat and sunlight.

Yes, you read that correctly...it says 106 degrees.

Run inside. There isn't enough SPF in Nevada that would protect my Irish skin from this oven. Luckily, Nellis AFB has an incredible inside track, because I hate treadmills. 

Use the spin bikes. There are a couple different bikes in your average gym, and the one I have found to be the best is the spin bike. It's not as good as your own bike, but they can be adjusted in so many ways, you can get the geometry pretty close to your bike.

Craps. Always bet the odds when the pucks on the four or the ten because it pays out double. (Most important tip)

So, I've missed a workout here and there, but I've kept up with it the best I can. One good sign is, with the workouts I have done, I have felt really strong.

But enough about me. Drum roll please.. The donation site is up and running! That's right ladies and gentlemen, it's time to start choosing your miles, and getting some triathlon equipment for the awesome kiddos at The Methodist Home.

We're already 10% of the way to our goal of $2,000!
Special thanks to:
Katie, Benny, *Rowan, Mom, the Eds, Derrick, Patty & Gary for sponsoring a total of 16 miles!

*Baby Rowan was born premature at 24 weeks, on May 24th.  Support his family & follow his journey here.  I will be biking mile 24 in honor of Rowan.

Rachel, Maria & Chris for donating 2 sets of swim gear!

Here's the link to the page: https://www.crowdrise.com/ironman4methodistchildrenshome/fundraiser/jeffnorris

Thanks guys! Talk to you soon!
Jeff
"There's a jungle cat in the bathroom!" Alan

Homemade Energy Gel Recipe

Hello everyone!

We decided it might be a fun idea to share some of the weird recipes I use. If you have a better idea (impossible) let me know! I must say, I've been using this gel for a couple weeks now, and it has worked great. I've used it for high intensity workouts and long slow workouts. So, without further aGU here is the recipe.

(Makes about the amount of two standard energy gels.)

• 1T honey (or agave if that's your thing)
• 1T molasses (I know, it's weird, bear with me)
• 1T chia seeds
• 1-2T water 
• 1 pinch of sea salt
• 1/4c coffee

I put this all in a little running flask, let it sit for a bit so the chia seeds can soak in the liquid, then shake it up really good, and throw it in the fridge til it's time to run/bike.

Before I go further I should say I am not a doctor, nutritionist, or an expert in any field regarding sports nutrition. I did however take a biology class in college, and I'm pretty sure I even passed. But judging on my research, here is a rough take on the nutritional facts of this experiment.

70g per batch (minus the coffee)

180 calories

40 calories from fat (fat is needed for these long workouts)

4.5g total fat (7% DV)

460mg sodium

293mg potassium (8% DV)

35g carbs

28g sugar

3g protein

So, why is this better than what you can find in the store? That's a great question..

Honey is an excellent all natural energy source. Not to mention it's good for preventing allergies. Plus, it's sweet and delicious.

Molasses (which is not tasty by the way) has a TON of potassium. This will help prevent cramps and is one of the electrolytes found in sports drinks and energy gels.

Chia Seeds are all the rage right now. But for good reason. They have a ton of fiber, fat, and protein. This gel has a lot more fat and protein then the average gel out there.

Sea Salt is far better for you than table salt. The sodium in this will help prevent cramps as well.

Oh and Coffee is delicious and makes the gel taste better and gives you a little caffeine kick. Not too much though. I would think too much coffee on a race course wouldn't be good.

I should probably also say, this should be consumed while working out or maybe a little bit before. Do not make three batches and eat a big bowl of it for breakfast because you will get sick for sure. But if you consume maybe a serving per hour or so you should be good.

Cheers! Prost! Kampai!

Jeff