Some Days Are Harder Than Others

When I started blogging last year it was to help inspire people, and to detail out a regular guys journey in trying to keep healthy. This last few months have not been the best. When I look at the grand scheme of things nothing major has happened I just have kept feeling worse no matter what I have done.

Last year I wrote about going to my Cardiologist, Dr. Borno, for heart pains and crazy heart beats (my technical phrasing). Even though I went through all kind of testing nothing has ever really been figured out, and no matter how much I have changed my lifestyle my cholesterol is still high (overall 246). So I started the journey of trying to find something that would lower it along with me training my butt off.

Sorry, I am getting ahead of myself. First, I need to go over my last race - HITS 70.3 Marble Falls. I promise that this will be the shortest race report you will ever get from me. If you want more gory details you will have to contact Tim since he made me write my race report to him first.

Overall: 71st out of 223
Age Group: 11th out of 33

Swim: 33:03 - Lost 5 lbs before the race sweating in my wetsuit, but swim ok other than that.

T1: 1:31 Uphill and long!!!!

Bike: 3:07:28 I don't believe there was a flat section on this entire bike. Heat and humidity started really cranking up near the end. One of the toughest bike courses I have done. Considering the course I was happy with my bike, but I could tell my legs were done. I made a huge mistake on the bike by trying to take in too many calories, but didn't realize how I was going to pay for it until the run.

T2: 1:59 Flat but still long!

Run: 2:26:45 I ran until I hit halfway through the first hill (about a mile), then the walk/run started. I either felt a huge gas bubble in my stomach, or when I could run my legs just wouldn't move. At the turn around I finally was able to start running a little more consistently, but not for more than a mile or so without walking.

My legs have never ached like they did on this run. Once I could see how hot and humid it was going to be I knew my race plan was out the window. A few good things that were different from this race than Boerne:
- Since I was walking I got to meet some knew cool folks
- Several guys from Lubbock were there, and it is always great to race with some of the great Lubbock guys
- Instead of racing I survived, but I didn't quit.

I won't lie I was very down and pissed off to have another race go south for me. Not to mention the month before Boerne was a weather issue that I battled through, but I am not sure I felt this bad even during my first 70.3 in 2009.

Luckily, I didn't have long to dwell on things. We packed my stuff up and met the Burwell Clan for a burger and beer. It was great to see them and their kids, and to see all the kids get to play in the rain in the parking lot. Also, we were blessed that our friends Jason and Diana let us stay in their home in Horseshoe Bay. So for the first time in a long time we were able to relax and unwind a little after the race. We can't thank them enough for the great house stay!

The Long Transition Run!

My Nice Pink Stool

No this is not after the swim! This is how much I was sweating!

Yes this is me walking out of transition. Not a good sign.

The girls entertaining themselves with local art!

Everyone is tired after a long day of cheering!

Pool Time!

Such a great place to relax after a tough race.

The reason all of the pain is worth it!

Now back to my latest meeting with Dr. Borno. It went something like this.

Me: I feel like crap and every time we try another med I feel crap covered in crap!!! Then I list all of my ailments. Blah Blah Blah!!!

Dr. Borno: That's it. No more meds. You can't tolerate them, and the good isn't worth you feeling bad. You are doing everything you can do, and you don't have any evidence of heart disease yet. So I will see you in a year, and we are just going to live with you having high cholesterol.

Me: What about the other issues? Chest pain and irregular heart rate.

Dr. Borno: You might have what is called a heart bridge, because of the tests that we have done and your training it is not something that we need to worry about unless the condition changes. With everything that we have been trying it will take a little bit for you to recover your endurance, but it will come back.

So it has now been a couple of weeks, and I am finally starting to feel like I am coming out of a hole. I have had to miss a few workouts because of work, but I am not going to stress about it. I am still feeling the fatigue I was feeling, but I am finally feeling like I am starting to recover.

A big thanks for that needs to also go to Tami Outlaw Massage for the torture of separating my ribs :)

The one thing that I have realized is that it only takes a little shift in someones health to feeling bad to make it where it is impossible to lose focus on all that is around you. Then all we focus on is feeling bad. Luckily, I knew what feeling good should feel like, and with the changes over the last few years I wasn't going to give up until I could feel that way again.

No matter how bad things feel sometimes never give up the hope that things can be better. It is hard to keep putting one foot in front of the other. If you can then you not only give yourself hope, but I promise you are giving others hope.

Here is a conversation with Anna that has stayed with me since the race:

Anna: Daddy was the that race tough?

Me: Yes Anna. It was very tough, but I didn't quit no matter how bad I wanted to all day. I just pushed myself to keep going.

Anna:  Daddy every time I push myself I feel like I lose.

Me: If you are trying you won't ever lose. You might not win, but I promise you won't lose.

Anna: Ok Dad. I won't quit.

Next up Buffalo Springs 70.3!

Keep fighting!

Keebler

Father's Day

Today is a bitter sweet day for those of us Dad's that have also lost our Dad's. When I ran across this quote this morning  from Mark Twain I knew it would have made my Dad laugh.

 "When I was 14, my Father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years."

-Mark Twain

He always tried to teach me those things that he knew I needed to know, and of course I wasn't listening half of the time. Over the last fours years I have started to realize the depth of his wisdom and humor. Not a day goes by that I haven't missed him, but I try to honor him every day by being the best husband and Dad that I can. Thanks for being my Dad, and I will always try to make you proud "Pops!"

Keebler

The Heart of the Matter

I actually started this post in December to talk about my heart issues that I was still experiencing from earlier in the year. Either timing or for reasons that I really don't understand I never got around to posting it. Here is a little recap for some of you that are just joining us. I decided to start blogging about this last year when I starting experiencing chest pains and palpations about a month or so before Buffalo Springs 70.3. I went through a few tests that found that I was in good shape, and the only problem that was found was that my genetically awesome ability to produce cholesterol was doing well at a total of 243 (should be below 200).

I have kept having the same heart issues for the last year. I have been able to pin point some triggers, but there are still times where I just have issues. Even the last race I started experiencing chest pain around the 5th hour, but I have now trained with this for so long that I know what is my normal issue.

The doc even had me do a holter test for 24hrs to see if anything was detectible, but it happens so random that everything came back clear.


So he has added a med that I should take if I experience an issue, but as I was feeling the scrip the pharmacist told me that considering the condition I am in (lowish HR) I might experience times where I pass out. If I take this it will have to be bad!!! If you see me acting like the video below of the great Redd Foxx don't worry it's normal.

Now to add to this nonsense of not really finding out if anything is wrong with my heart. I badly strained a ligament on the back of my knee right after the Tall Texan race. So I have been having to take it easier and swim a lot. I did have to pull out of the Willie McCool race, but it was great getting to volunteer and ride around with one of the very passionate race directors Nick Cordes (Great race by the way). Surprisingly, I am staying calm about all of this, and Tim will let me know when the time comes that we might have to talk about pulling out of the HITS race in Marble Falls. Below is the video that Tim sent me to explain his philosophy on how to handle this injury.

As usual when I am not training at my normal levels before races I start feeling out of whack. Part of it is that I like how my body feels when it is being pushed, and then part of it is my time I get to spend with my faith or talk to my Dad. It is a time I need that keeps me balanced, and even though I have a day off today to help with healing. Things don't don't feel right. I know that even if it wasn't this it would be something else, and I am not doing this for the next race or even this season. I am doing this to fight for my health for the next 20-30 years, and hopefully inspire others.

I know If I wasn't doing what I am doing I would reach a point where I might not have the ability to fight. These years we have aren't free. So tomorrow will be a new day, and I will be ready to fight.


See you on the flip side,
Keebler

"The Epic" Tall Texan Triathlon Race Report

When I was thinking about this years races I kept wavering back and forth on doing the Tall Texan this year. It is a great small but tough race that is good to kick the season off. My wavering had more to do with us running out of "free" time, and I wasn't sure if we wanted another weekend away in our budget. So a few weeks ago Jerred and I decided to just go down without families and race and then come right back.

As the time started getting closer I was really doubting if I was in the shape I wanted to be in for a 70.3 distance race. The answer is that I knew I have been in better shape to race competitively, but I also knew I was in good enough condition for a long day of training.

I think that my higher than normal stress in the rest of my life made me not anywhere near my normal pre race freak out mode. Susan even committed that I was nearly blowing off the fact that I was just going down to race a 70.3, and as usual she was right (don't tell her I said that). This transition I have made over these last few years has made me forget the struggles and pain from when I shifted from "working out" to "training." The pain has both been mental and physical, but it has melted away the part of me that says "I can't" to more of " Hell! why not."

Before I knew it Saturday morning was here, and I was rushing to get all of my crap out in the front of the house since Jerred was going to come pick me up. Then I finally looked at my phone a saw that he had texted that he had something come up and couldn't go. After calling him and finding out he wasn't screwing with me I had to make my decision if I was going. Susan and the girls couldn't go, and in case I got hurt Susan didn't want me to go by myself. I knew there was only one person I could call who would be up for a last minute adventure, my Mom! So I called her, and she told me that she had just gotten back from Kerrville the night before , but she was good to go. Thanks again Mom!

After a great ride down to San Antonio we  picked up my packet, and I found out that only 85 people were signed up for the race. Mainly these people were like me and were ignoring the weather forecast of very freaking cold and windy( Ron Roberts would love that technical weather term). Then I got in a bike ride and a great dinner while waiting for the front to hit.

My first indicater the next morning was the sound of the wind, but considering our standards in Lubbock it didn't really sound that bad. As we got closer to the race sight I could feel the car shaking a little from the wind, and was thinking well maybe the swim will be cancelled and we will do a duathlon. I even told Mom to just stay in the car since it was so cold (around the 40's, windchill maybe high 30's) I probably wouldn't be swimming. Then they announced that we were going to have the swim it was just going to be a little short, because one of the buoys had blown way off course (WTH!). The one good thing about the swim was that it was warmer in the water than it was outside. The start of the swim I felt like I started off well but that only lasted about five feet then the white caps started hitting me. I had a good clear line to swim, but really felt like I wasn't making any headway. If I breathed on one side I got choked by the waves, and on the other side I was blinded by the sun. As I was sighting the front pack coming in I thought that I was way at the back, but with the waves we had all gotten so spread out I was actually 19th with a 28:02 swim. Being cold and wet did not make for a quick transition, but I did have the sense to put on socks and gloves before leaving.

This bike is a tough very hilly course without bad weather, but I had no idea how bad it was going to be today.  The temps were still low, and the winds were staying in the 20's with gusts in the 30's. One of the first down hills that I should have been going 20-25 on was going 12-14 because of the wind.The cold was so bad that at the first water stop I pulled over so that I could get someone to tear open my gel, because I couldn't feel my hands well enough to hold it. The whole day felt like I was in some of the worst cold head winds I have been in. I would love to say I stayed strong mentally and just powered through it, but the truth is I was hoping for a flat so I could quit. One of the only things that kept me going is that I thought if I quit I would have to wait a couple of hours to get my stuff out of transition (The truth was so many people were dropping out they were letting them get there stuff out early. Glad I didn't know that). One of the last things that really demoralized me was the last 20 miles I was completely by myself. The only way I would know I was still on course is that I would see some white arrows on the road. I will say that I once I finally have a tailwind near the end for a few miles, and I was instantly going close to 30. Only one racer (not me!) had a bike under 3 hours and he was a pro. I ended up losing a few spots back to 24th with a 3:31:47 bike.

Before my run my transition was another horribly slow one, but this time it was because I couldn't feel anything and was cramping. When I finally got going I ran up a hill and was running on the dirt dam when I thought I had a rock in both shoes, but it turned out to be only my frozen feet! To give you the full effect of the cold I didn't get full felling back to my feet until around mile 6-7. Even with all of this I felt very good and strong on the first of a two loop course. I really think that the main reason for this was that it was finally getting into the 50's, and for the first time all day I was sweating. To this point my nutrition was spot on (Thanks Gu!) and I was good and hydrated. I had really been in my lowest point racing on the bike that I have been in a long time, and now on the run I was finally feeling back to normal.

One of the things that helps motivate me is yelling for others, but the weird thing about this race is that on the first loop I was way behind the group in front and ahead of the group behind. This meant that for several miles I only saw the people at the water stops, and they were great in yelling us on.

I really felt strong through the second loop until I hit a stretch of road that was into the headwind, and had to dig deep into a well that I was sure was empty. My run ended with a 1:56:01, and I finished 21st overall with a 6:00:39. Also, I would like to add that only 57 of the 85 folks signed up finished this race.

To sum it up I told the race director that this was my second slowest time in a 70.3 distance race, and I was as proud of this finish as I was my best time. He just said with a smile, "It was epic, wasn't it!"

To finish with I crossed the finish line at 2:00pm and was on the phone with a plumber, because Susan had been dealing with some bad plumbing issues since I left. Mom and I were on the road by 2:30 heading back to Lubbock.

This was a great way to start the season off, and it is crazy what a week will do for your thinking. After that kind of torture I was ready to call off all racing, but then after a few workouts I am ready to go again. Unfortunately it looks like the Willie McCool 13.1 will be out for me this year (more on why later), but the Keebler clan will be out there to volunteer and cheer on all of our racing brothers and sisters.

Keep fighting,
Keebler

Happy Late Easter!

Happy St. Patty's Day!

This is going to be a little shorter than usual, and after seeing what I have scheduled it might help explain my lack of posting. I have finally set my race schedule through the end of June. By far this is the most racing I have done this early in the season. It will be interesting to see how I hold up. I might not be faster, but I am definitely going to be tougher. So many things are still going on that are pulling me away from training, but that is also what life is all about. I was reminded recently, by a good friend, that regardless of how much I race I still have to keep active. It is that training time that I have to myself that I can get in touch with the spiritual side of my life. Thinking all of that through (and being talked into an early race) I decided to push myself here at the start to see what happens. We will see how good I am at scheduling over the next few months :)

Drum roll............

Tall Texan Half Ironman - 3/24/13

Willie McCool 13.1 - 4/6/13

Marble Falls HITS Half Ironman - 4/27/13

Buffman and Squeaky Olympic Distance Triathlon - 5/5/13

Buffalo Springs 70.3 Triathlon - 6/30/13

Starting next weekend Jerred and I will be getting up early to drive down to Boerne on Saturday then race Sunday only to hop in the truck and drive back right after. Should be fun!

Below are some pics to prove that a family with two active racing adults can have some fun outside of races.

Some fine hotel dining

The Buried Cadillacs

They love spray painting stuff!

 Pretty good Juvenile Delinquents!

 

Drama on the trails

 
 

It was a lot harder getting down!

Lizzy handled it better than the rest of us.

Hot!

Relief getting back to the car.

Fun Day

Finally celebrating St. Patty's Day with a Guiness soaked Pork Loin

There is a first time for everything

This last week I did something that I haven't done in over seven years. I called Tim (my coach) to tell him that the other parts of my life were going crazy and I needed to step back from my workouts for a few days. Since I did my first 70.3 race in Oceanside in 2009 I have gotten very good at scheduling all the things in my life to meet all  needs. Life has a way of looking at your schedule and laughing while it throws it into the blender. This last week I finally had to say "uncle!"

Normally my workouts are what keeps the rest of my world sane, but lately they have just been adding to the stress of a way over scheduled life. Now this doesn't mean I am just sitting around. I am still trying to fit in some kind of activity, but it just doesn't have a specific purpose for my upcoming races.

Saturday I had to force myself to go on a scheduled trail run that was supposed to be somewhere between 40 - 90 minutes. I did what all of us do, and worked through every reason why I shouldn't be going. Finally, I knew I needed it and decided that if I just got in 30 minutes it would be good. I started from one end of the my normal trail and just went. The first 30-40 minutes my mind was racing with all of the stuff that I have going on in my life. Then I realized that I had set myself up to be running the toughest sections of the trails last. It was one of those moments where you should complain, but you know it won't make any difference. You still have to travel the path your on to get back no matter how hard it will be to make it. The funny thing is that the harder it got the less I could hear the other junk in my head. My focus had to be going forward. An hour and a half later and never running on the same trail finally put me in the right frame of mind.

That evening I was reading some other blogs that made me start thinking we all have our issues, and to each of us those things can be enormous. Sometimes instead of thinking of all the things that are crazy in our lives we just have to focus on going forward. Life isn't just a sprint from one point to another, but instead it is more of of a long training session that you slowly develop yourself to get across that final finish line. Sometimes it is our bodies that need to be healed and made better, sometimes it is our minds that need that help, and other times it is your faith (whatever that might be for you). When one of these is out of whack then they are all out of whack.

This next week I am going to really try on getting my balance back in order, and if not I will just keep going forward each day the best I can. Most of the things going in my world I really have no control over the outcome, and am just stressing out over it. I know that there is so much more serious stuff then just trying to handle our daily lives, and I will just keep reminded myself of those blessings that I see everyday in my family.

Remember your blessings and keep fighting!

Keebler

2 Timothy 4:7 (New International Version)

⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

Keebler & Gu

As you get into longer and longer distance races and training one really important factor you have to consider is your nutrition. It is not only about when you are racing or training, a key component is trying to recover faster to keep up the workouts.

When I started 7 years ago I rarely if ever thought about nutrition. In reality my nutrition if I worked out was to reward myself with beer, pizza, cheese fries, or wings. I think you get the point. Anyway with shorter distances you really can make it on very little calories, and a lot of us take in more than we need so I really didn't feel I needed to worry about it.

When I started training longer distances I started to try some of the products my friends were using, and nothing seemed to work just right for me. Then I went to the 70.3 World Championships in Florida, and was prepared to have the race of my life. Not only was I racing the biggest race to date for me, but I was using it to raise money for Covenant Hospital to name the Cath Lab waiting room in honor of my Dad. So to say the least I had a lot of expectations for myself and from outside. The short story is that I had a great race going until my stomach started giving me problems on the run. Instantly my race goes from good to nothing short of torture. It was so bad at the end for me that I really wondered if I could race this distance.

A few months later I was in Dallas running a 13.1 race, and at the expo I get to talking to the Gu booth rep and explained to him what happened. Right off he tells me the sugars in the products I was using was probably what caused my problems. He asked me to try some of their products to see the difference. Even being skeptical of another sales pitch I was willing to try anything. So I started with Gu gels and electrolyte mix and everything felt good stomach wise and my energy stayed good. This last season I started using the Gu Roctane and the Gu Recovery mix, and really could see a difference in how I felt during and after workouts and racing. If you feel better you will race better.

So at the end of this last season I was ordering some more stuff from GU and noticed they had a sponsorship application that was due that week. So I decided why not? The worst they can say is no! In a few weeks I get the email that says that they can't offer me a full sponsorship, but because of my passion they want me to be part of their 2013 Pro Program.

I never expected to get any sponsorship, but to get a chance to be part of their Pro Program is a great honor for me. Those of us regular people that do this sport rarely if ever get any help, and nutrition is one of the things that is the first to go when things get tight. Then the fact that I can still remember the guy that was 50-60 lbs overweight, who smoked, and could barely run a block now has a company that wants to help me be better. The reality is even if this wouldn't have happened I would still be using and ordering everything Gu. To have this help I can't express my appreciation to Gu, and especially to you Debbie for giving me a chance.  You won't regret it!



Sincerely,
Keebler

Gu Energy