New Review coming soon!

Last week I bought a new pair of fairly minimal trail running shoes. The New Balance Trail Minimus! I've put about 25 miles on these bad boys since I bought them and will be doing a review here soon. I'd like to get a nice long run in before I put anything on paper.

I also bought a new hand held water bottle to run with for the 50 miler I did in Arkansas. By this point, almost everyone knows the problems I had with the Amphipod bottle, so I'm excited to also be reviewing the Nathan bottle I have. Hopefully next week I'll have both reviews up!

_Jacob_

To each his ultra own....

In the few years I've been exercising I've met and got to know a lot of different people. I've been running with a friend about once every two weeks, and it's exciting to see him going through something I've already experienced. On our runs our conversation is often all over the place, but it's been a nice change of pace to have someone to talk to while ticking off some miles.

Ok... so where I'm heading is that while he's at his first Ironman, it's no different than what my first double was, or what my first 100 will be. I remember about 6-7 years ago actually registering for the 8 mile Dallas Turkey Trot and not going because I didn't know if I could actually finish it. Over the years I have slowly pushed my boundries and personal limits beyond what I ever thought possible.

What I'm saying is no matter what your goal is right now, it's very likely that will grow into something you never expected. My course of endurance development went like this.

Sprint Triathlon -> 8K Road Run -> Olympic Triathlon -> Half Iron Triathlon -> Half Marathon -> Half Iron Triathlon -> Marathon -> 3 Ironmans -> 50K Trail Run -> 100K Trail Run -> 5 50 Mile Trail Runs -> Double Iron -> Right now....

Obviously I'm skipping a lot of races, but that was how I ended up where I am. It's kinda scary to wonder where that's going to go in a few years, but I'm just holding on for the ride. I feel a lot of people hit a certain point and become comfortable there. They have no desire to go past wherever it is they may be. For some that's no more than a 5K, and for some that's no more than a half or full Iron. I think those that IM isnt' enough for end up ultra running.

So, whether your life goal is a half marathon, marathon, or deca Iron, enjoy what it is you do, and be thankful you can do it! Think about how you got to where you are, because it's often a great story and one I love to hear.

Sorry for being so "sentimental" tonight... I can't help but get excited for all my friends that are about to do Ironman Texas as their first full IM. It's a fun, exciting experience that I can't wait to hear about!

Oh yea! I forgot to mention I got into the New York City Marathon!! Thanks to Scott for talking me into that one. I honestly didn't think there was any chance I'd get in, but here we are.

I promise on the next post to do some actual updating. I have an interesting race schedule this year that I'll post next time!

Here's a quick picture of my 50 miler in Arkansas a few weeks ago. I finished in around 10:15 in 16th place OA.

_Jacob_

Ultra training without training for ultras...

I would love to say that man, SO much has been going on lately!! But that just wouldn't be the truth. Life has been good. While it's definitely been somewhat busy, it's nothing like it was a few weeks/months ago. Courtney and I are finally getting in our groove and just loving the married life :)

Speaking of the married life, we did some actual furniture shopping the other weekend and came home with a new dining room table! (Pictured below) It was way easier than we imagined. Once we found the table, we knew that was the one we wanted. There really wasn't much of a debate. It's great because it normally seats 6, but expands to 8 no problem.

The weekend after that I got the chance to head out to the Ironhead Mean Green Sprint Triathlon to volunteer! I had a total blast as usual volunteering and got to see lots of tri friends. Racing never crossed my mind once! I started out by handing out timing chips, then ended up in transition for the race, and ended with helping tear down transition. It was a good day for racing and Jack put on a great first time race. Below is a pic of an empty T1...

After the race was over I still wanted to get a workout in, so I headed over the the Greenbelt trail which was on the way home. Couldn't pass it up! I've been wanting to ride from highway 380 up the greenbelt to the IDB trails for quite awhile now. The greenbelt is 10 miles each way totalling around 20 miles + a bit. Once to the far end of the greenbelt I rode some "bandit" horse trails into the state park and rode a bit of the IDB trails. I've only run this place so it was nice to get the mtn bike on 'em :)

I was still craving some more good mountain biking after that, so the next Monday I headed over to the Northshore at Lake Grapevine and got some solid riding in there! I rode the East loop first then hit up the West O&B. About a mile from the finish I took a nasty fall. I got a little comfortable and tried to jump this lip I saw and it just went downhill as soon as my wheels were off the ground. Handlebars were all bent, but luckily the bike was rideable and I made it back to the car after laying on the trail for a few minutes.

A few days later I was riding at a local trail (that I'd rather not name), ;) and took a small fall in a gravely (word?) corner. The front wheel washed out and I just laid it down. Well I got up to ride it off and the wheel was ALL MESSED up. It was wibble wobblin everywhere. I actually rode it back home but it took an extra 30 minutes. Once home I took it by my boys at Sun and Ski sports in Frisco and as always they took care of me. I have a new wheel on the way! Can't wait to get back to riding this week. 

I've been running the entire week, which is definitely a nice change of pace, but I still miss riding. Speaking of running I need to get a big run in here soon, cause I'm planning on heading up to Arkansas in two weeks for the Ouichita 50 miler. I can't WAIT to do this one! I've been eyeing this race for a year or two and am happy it's finally going to work out. 

Last but not least, I finally, and I mean FINALLY got around to painting the fixie frame! As we type it is drying. I'm still finalizing all the parts, but hopefully this bad boy is going to be ready to roll in about 3-4 weeks! Just in time for some possible velo racing?!? ;) The pics below are from left to right. (Bike pre paint sanded down, Primed, and finally painted)

 

I struggled with color schemes for awhile, but last year settled on a lime green frame with a black fork. I think once the components are on it, it will really come together. 

Well, I've gotta get back to what I was doing. I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the spring weather here in Texas! Looks like it's gonna be in the 80s all week!! :)

I also wanted to post a link to a "How to study the bible" podcast our pastor did last year in June. I finally got around to listening to it this week and it's literally changed the way I spend my time in The Word. Check it out and let me know what you think.

CLICK HERE for the podcast.... ok, scratch that. I couldn't find a link to that exact podcast. I'll try to find a way to get it up. In the meantime I found this YouTube video of Matt talking about us "de-churching"...

_Jacob_

Double Iron to what???

First off let me start this post by saying how much I miss my old road bike. If you haven't read my previous post go ahead and do that, then come back to this one.

That bike has huge sentimental value to me, not to mention thousands of hours logged on it.  I was just flipping through my facebook photos uploaded before the race and found a few from training while on my roadie. It was an incredible bike that I'll miss much more than I ever thought I would. I would have much rather gotten rid of it on my own terms... but I guess that just wasn't in the cards. RIP roadie... wherever you may be.

This one was taken when I first painted it flat black... Probably around 2007? 2006?

 

This one was taken a week or two before it was stolen... While out on a training ride.

And this one was taken the day before. Race ready... for a race it would never see. :(

On another note, and more relevant to my post title, I'm having trouble trying to figure out what do after a double. I mean seriously. My second race of the year was a double Iron... What in the world do I do now?!

I still want to finish at least 12 marathons/Ultras by the end of the year, but other than that I don't have too many other plans.

I did register for an off-road duathlon in April! I've entered this race with the intention of going for the win if not the course record! It's only in it's second year I believe so it's still fairly small, but I'd love to get a fun fast race in. The distances are something like 4K run-20K mtn bike-4K run. I'm trying to get a little bit of "speed work" (whatever that means!) in before the race in hopes of being able to run somewhat faster again.

I have been getting some mountain biking in almost everyday so it's nice to be back on the trails instead of congested Plano roads training. If anyone would like to go trail run or mtn bike anytime let me know! I'm always looking for someone else to ride with.

I've also started the process of getting my fixie put back together! Since I don't have a road bike right now I figure the fixie is as close I'm going to get, plus I used to do A LOT of my training on the fixie anyways. I finished sanding it down last week so now it's all ready for a nice fresh coat of paint! I'm not giving any details on color/components cause I want to wait till I post the final photo.

 

Alrighty, I've gotta get back to it, but I hope everyone is doing well! It's great to be back in the 80's again, so get out there and have some fun! :)

_Jacob_

Florida Double Iron Race Report

When I started exercising around the end of 2004 I didn't know how far a marathon was. I didn't know the distances in an Ironman, and I sure as heck didn't know people did races longer than marathons.

Last weekend, as I was cycling circles in a small little park outside Tampa, Florida I coudldn't help but think about all the things people were doing around me. There were people out there learning to ride bicycles, there were people out there rollerblading, and there were people out there bird watching.

Little did most of these people know a double Iron distance triathlon was going on around them.

Let me put this in perspective for you.

On Friday afternoon as I was cycling around mile 50 or 60, I passed a group of cyclists training in the park we were racing in. They asked me what I was doing, and I just told them we were having a race.

The next morning around mile 48 on the run, the same group of cyclists were out there starting another training ride. One of the cyclists came up next to me and asked, "Hey, weren't you out here yesterday cycling?"

I could do nothing but smile... This man had gone home, had dinner, slept, had breakfast, and was now back out here training again...

At around 9:46AM on Saturday March 4th, I finished my first double Iron triathlon. A 4.8 mile swim, a 224 mile bike, and a 52.4 mile run in 26 hours, 16 minutes, and 38 seconds.

SO many things happened during this race. SO many things happened BEFORE the race even started!! On the way home I started my race report and am now at the midway point. I've written a MUCH shorter version which was posted on the NEWTON RUNNING BLOG if you're interested in reading that.

Experiencing something like a double iron is something I don't think I'll ever really be able to put into words. Breaking through barriers that I didn't even know ever existed is a feeling that is indescribable. To come from a 220lb high school kid that refused to run, to what I am now is empowering to say the least. I can only hope that everyone at some point in there life can feel what it's like to blow past barriers whether they be mental or physical. Don't settle for just enough. Reach for more, and use your potential. God has given us incredible bodies capable of SO much more than you think.

There are a few people I've got to thank first and foremost. Above all, I thank God for the life he's given me and the ability to do what I do. Without Him I am not, so I cannot take credit for my earthly accomplishments. My wonderful wife Courtney has been incredible with her unwavering support and immense amount of love. Aaron Patel was my only crew member and absolutely blew it away. Without him I would not have finished this race, no doubt in my mind. Big thanks to Rose for driving two hours EACH WAY just to pace me in the middle of the night. Huge thanks to Jay at Sun & Ski sports in Frisco, Texas for always making sure my bike is ready to go. Also thanks to Ironhead Race Productions for always being supportive of even my craziest goals.

Also, a huge thanks to Steve Kirby and his whole crew from USA Ultra Tri. What an incredible organization. Steve really did an excellent job and really made an effort to know everyone at the race on a first name basis, if not a nickname basis :) 

What's next you ask? I honestly have no idea. I'm planning on trying to run 12 ultra marathons this year and finally knock off the big 100 mile run hopefully sometime in October. Also, now that I've had time to think about it I'd like to attempt the triple Iron at some point. Maybe 2013. But that's all I'll say about that...

I'm gonna get back to finishing up the long version of my race report and I'll get that posted as soon as I do. For now, here are a few photos from the race.

Thanks to everyone for the incredible support.

_Jacob_

 Here's me coming in for the finish...

Here are most of the athletes from the race. This is the post race awards banquet on Sunday....

Steve put everyones name and nationality on their tables...

Mile 87 of the bike...

 

Me after the race...

 

and finally my finishers shirt and medal....