The realization started while I was on a couch at our in-laws in San Luis Obispo on August 16th.  I had just finished a 79 mile bike ride with 4700 feet of climbing and was looking at a 13 mile run for the next morning.  I was finishing up my training schedule for Ironman Arizona on November 24th and it hit me.  From August 4th through November 11th (16 weeks) I will have run a half marathon or better every weekend.

Like…..when did that happen?  I am still in disbelief that I can do these things.  I keep thinking that my window is short on this whole Ironman thing, but it seems there is some sort of actual improvement happening.  I would add that 16 weeks of this didn’t freak me out either.  It seems to be something that I can finally wrap my head around and….just do.

And, “just do” I did the next morning before we left.  13 miles around San Luis Obispo and through Cal Poly.

The most interesting part of this run was when I ran past a gate into the “Cal Poly Experimental Farm.”

As I approached a few barns where I would turn around, I noticed some excessively large hogs that had got out and were literally cantering around the place.  Since I was not aware of what “experiments” were going on here, I turned and ran to say the least.  I wanted no part of these beasts who were so large they reminded me of a baby rhino.  I apologize for not taking photos of the overgrown swine, but it was kind of a Jurrasic Park moment and I wanted to survive to the end of the script.

Training on the road has been the norm in preparation for Ironman Arizona.  I am full with clients at this moment which is keeping me in Orange County during the week servicing all three of them.  Luckily, I have a friend who is letting me stay in the extra room in Newport Beach.  It has made me a big planner yet flexible as I could be anywhere geographically depending on the day.  Over the past month I have visited 24 Hour Fitness locations in Carlsbad, Irvine, Long Beach, Costa Mesa, Lakewood, Temecula, San Juan Capistrano, Vista, San Marcos, and Dallas to get my workouts in.

Like the 3500 yard swim I did in Long Beach at this one leaving at 10:00pm.

Or, a 5:30am spin class followed by a 6 mile run in Carlsbad.

Or, getting up at 4:30am to walk a mile to the 24 Hour Fitness in Dallas for a spin class that had no one at it when I arrived followed by a mile walk back to my hotel to go on a hot and humid 6 mile run on a trail underneath powerlines.  All before returning to the conference on time and making sure I got the included breakfast before they wrapped up and put it away.

Flexibility on where I run beyond the 24 Hour Fitness spin class days is also something that has provided unique routes as I try to fit it all in.  Here, I found 9 miles along the back bay of Newport Beach at 6:00am one morning.  Pretty crowded out there actually with runners and cyclists.  Great trail.

My other primary route while in Orange County is along the path in Huntington Beach.  I used to have an apartment there so I know where to park for free, love the flat trail, and love the energy from the beach and the ocean.

However, the majority of my long runs over the past few weeks have been along the Las Pulgas trail from Camp Pendelton through San Onofre State Park and back.  My wife rides her bike next to me and plays Rock My Run mixes on a bluetooth speaker while I sweat it out.  We started this routine at 13 miles a few weeks ago and are up to 17 miles as of this morning.

One of the best things about this route is that it is full of triathletes and cyclists riding on Sunday morning.  They are not shy about shouting out “Go Wattie” or other encouraging messages.  We even run into a few of the same people each week who slow down to chat with us and see how the training is going!

Training all over the place kind of makes it a little hard for me to keep it all in my head and understand if I am making ground or what.  The test usually comes on my once a week big training brick.  Two weeks ago I felt for the first time it was coming together.  I had a good swim and for the first time since I climbed Bryce Canyon in July, I rode 80 miles.  As I got off the bike and started running, it felt great.  I was planning on running six miles, but kind of ran out of gas so I cut it short to just 3 miles instead.  The good news was that it was mostly because I didn’t eat enough before I started running.  It wasn’t physical.

This past Friday, I was determined that the gas tank would be full this time.  However, I wanted to put some coins in the confidence bank and decided to ride a full 90 miles before I set out on the run.

First, I hit the pool at the Carlsbad Super Sport 24 Hour Fitness for 4,000+ yards.

Next, I headed south on my bike on PCH from Carlsbad into Leucadia and turned around to head towards my usual route beginning with the flat, continual push out and back on the San Luis Rey River Trail.

I continued up to San Clemente through Camp Pendleton, San Onofre State Park and back to the Subaru.  I wasn’t racing, just putting in a solid effort with stops for grub and relief.  It ended with 7 hours in the saddle and feeling full of gas ready for the run.

The day was spectacular and my pace was steady.  In fact, the farther I went the faster I got.  I could have kept going and going but I stopped with a big win for the day.

I didn’t understand it, but I wasn’t arguing with it.  I just enjoyed the moment!  Enjoyed that with 8 weeks to go I was in a great place well in advance.  It was one of those moments where I felt if the race was today, I would have been in a place where I would have been confidently able to finish.  Something I definitely never felt for my first Ironman race in Santa Rosa.  Thus, it was something I never felt before.

After 98 miles on Friday, I had just one question.  Again….when did this happen?

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Please join me in my efforts to support the Challenged Athletes Foundation as I take on my own challenge to complete my second Ironman race.

At my own cost, I will attempt to swim 2.4 miles, cycle 112 miles, and run 26.2 miles on November, 24th, 2019 in Tempe, Arizona to bring awareness and funding support to the Challenged Athletes Foundation and the needs of their clients. This challenge race is intended to raise at least $5,000 in funds to make those dreams come true for challenged athletes everywhere. Please click on the donate button and give what you can to help CAF athletes overcome physical disabilities and be able to afford the cost of equipment such as sports wheelchairs, handcycles, mono-skis and sports prosthetics, and resources for training and competition expenses.

The Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) raises money to help people with physical challenges pursue an active lifestyle through physical fitness and athletics. CAF’s mission is clear: give those with the desire to live active, competitive lifestyles every opportunity to compete in the sports they love.

Thank you for any donation you can make to this cause at the following link http://bit.ly/2lIDEI4 or just click on the CAF button below.