CHRISTIAN, HUSBAND, FATHER, ACCOUNTANT, AND TRIATHELTE'S JOURNEY TO FINISH THE RACE: 2016 SEASON COMES TO AN END

Motivation for your next Race!

This was the first time I took 12 weeks out of the year to train for just a run race since college (6 years ago). Normally, its for Triathlons. However, with the handsome little baby boy coming into this world on 7/30 I knew having a balanced life would become that more important. So, I wanted to see if training for one sport was possible. It very much so was possible :)

Lets get right into it.

6 weeks from the Half marathon that I was training for, I did a 10k prep race with my training partner Brian. I had a very bad race and avg. 6.20 per mile. I wanted 6.15 per mile in 6 weeks and double the distance. Safe to say, I lost some confidence. However, I had a training plan and I had God on my side, so I prayed and trusted the plan.

2 weeks out I got a tooth ache and found out my wisdom tooth was infected which I had removed. After 3 days off that week, I decided to run a 5k to hopefully boost my confidence again. It did. I avg. 5.51 which is not fast by no means but it helped me gain momentum for the end goal - Half Marathon - 6.15 pace.

Well, the Race just happened this past weekend. My time is below. The back half is very tough and it was surprisingly windy due to a cold front coming in. To averaged 6.18 per mile made me on top of the world. I just ran faster for the half marathon than i did for the 10k 6 weeks ago. On top of that, my wife brought the 3 amigos to greet me at the finish line with 40 degree temps and 5000 runners out there. Pretty sure my morning was easier than hers ;)

What I take from this is the following:
1) With a balanced life you can achieve goals. Balanced is key. That word includes Wife, children, work, duties around the house.
2) Do NOT get discouraged during your training plan. Trust the process. Bad days happen. Toe that line with confidence, dont make excuses, and race your heart out!
3) I can definitely become a faster runner if I ran like this year round, but it is not me. I love to swim, bike, and run. I love that challenge.
4) Having a family that supports your early morning training runs or lunch runs or 9pm bed times is very helpful :) In between though, I know I have my part as a Father and husband to be the best I can be
5) Nutrition is key. I ate 2 bonk breaker bars a day. One before and after each run. I ate fruit and veggies daily, and consumed water/OJ/Milk daily. One beer or coke on a Sunday if the Miami Dolphins win :)))
6) Training partners are crucial. I am blessed to have great training friends. Brian,Glenn,Billy,Chris, and Dan make it that much more fun.

70.3 Half Ironman training begins in December. Throwing this out there, I think I can average 6.30 per mile in a Half Ironman race next year. I say this to hold me accountable.