Race Schedule for 2014-2015

Turkey is looking to be very promising for some amazing and epic events and races! With Ironman events, planning is crucial. The race fees alone are rather mind blowing to someone who has no understanding of the sport. Planning, planning, planning! Certain Ironman races sell out very quickly, with some of them selling out within moments of opening. As a matter of fact, some of the races require volunteering one year to have priority registration for the following year.

This place is full of epic events. I am building my race calendar and it is shaping up nicely.

October 2014

We will be traveling to Antalya, Turkey and racing with the Turkish Triathlon Federation (TTF) in what we hope to be a 70.3 triathlon. We will swim 1.2 miles, bike 56 miles, and run 13.1 miles with no break in between. I say hope to be because the TTF is not very forthcoming with information. As of matter of fact, we literally know nothing about the event except for the fact that it is supposed to be a half Ironman distance race, the dates, and the city. Apparently this is common for racing in Turkey. Usually an athlete knows the routes, water temp, approximate number of athletes, etc months in advance. We are just hanging on for the ride on this one! As a matter of fact, we have not yet booked a hotel at this point.

July 2015
Ironman Frankfurt, Germany 140.6
This is definitely my "A" race. Athletes typically have different types of races identified by letters and determining priority. An "A" race is the big one with the most priority, the one that counts the most, and the one we train the hardest for. A "B," "C," or "D" race might be a training race, a fun run, or a race to pace others. Frankfurt is set to me a memorable time for Jason and I. We have all arrangements in place and the planning is well ahead of schedule.

August 2015
Ironman 70.3 Wiesbaden Germany
This will not be a race for me, but instead for my bride Dustina. She is training hard for this race and will be a total rockstar. This race is different because like Frankfurt, it is the European National Championships for the 70.3 distance. I am excited to see my sweetheart cross the finish line! I will be the sherpa for her ensuring she has everything she needs to be successful. I am so proud of her for all she has accomplished!

August 2015
Hellespont Swim
Few people will ever get the opportunity to swim between two continents. Because of this, it is on my list. I will swim from Europe to Asia. The swim is approximately 3 miles in length with a cutoff of 1.5 hours. The good news is, the swim is with the current so the distance is equivalent to roughly 2 miles. There is so much history with this particular swim dating back to 1810. More information can be found here: http://www.swimhellespont.com/

October 2015
Ironman Barcelona 140.6
This one may or may not happen. If not 2015, it is definitely on the 2016 list. Who would not want to complete an Ironman in Barcelona?

November 2015
Athens Greece Marathon 26.2 Miles
http://www.athensmarathon.com/marathon/history.php
The Athens Marathon is the original marathon. I want to run THE marathon in Athens, Greece. I am excited to do this one. Dusty has yet to run a full marathon, this may very well be her first. What an epic race!

This is the beginning of the race schedule. I am sure there will be some other smaller races along the way! Looking forward to having an amazing tour in Turkey!

What is an Ironman Triathlon?

Some of you might ask, just what is an Ironman triathlon? I am glad you asked. In 1977, there was quite a debate over who was more fit; runners or swimmers. Someone piped up that a Belgian cyclist recorded the most "oxygen uptake" than any other man so maybe cyclists were the most fit. So it happened; the first Ironman was formed in Hawaii. There were 15 competitors on that first day and the winner won in 11:46 minutes. They would go on to call the winner the "Ironman." Who would have known that thousands of people dream of making it to Kona to participate in what is now the Ironman World Championships?

So what is this Ironman we speak of? Its a race that consists of a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride, and a 26.2 mile run all completed without stopping with a time limit of 17 hours usually. However, the particular Ironman that I have chosen has a cutoff of 15 hours. There is more to the puzzle though. Each particular leg offers a cutoff as well. The swim has a strict cutoff of 2:20, the bike 8:10 minutes, and the marathon run has a cutoff of 6:30 which normally leads participants to a strict midnight cutoff.

There is something about an Ironman finish line that is just magical. People sacrifice and train for months on end in hopes of becoming an Ironman. Many hopes and dreams are made....and crushed, all at the same time. There have been many athletes who miss the cutoff by mere minutes only to have their day end, falling short of the goal. Many people who attempt an Ironman will not finish.

Everyone expects the pro athletes to have an amazing day and finish with results that the normal person can only dream of. The magic happens after dark when the people come in who have kids, jobs, spouses, and plenty of responsibilities. People gather at midnight to watch the last few people come in. After a 17 hour mental battle, those who cross just before midnight are left in this magical world where nobody can take away being an "Ironman."

People take great pride in finishing such a task. Tattoos are very common with Ironman finishers. They call it the MDOT. It looks something like this:

I am still trying to wrap my head around the training for this crazy thing. I have been blessed with an amazing training partner here in Turkey. His name is Jason. We were on the way to Turkey when I overhead this bald guy talking about wanting to do an Ironman. As luck would have it, we were traveling to the same place. Little did we know that God had placed us in the perfect place for such a time as this. He is like my twin except I am better looking and his heart rate is a little lower. We push each other every day to become a better versions of us than yesterday. Good training partners are amazing and hard to come by. I am very blessed to be in the situation that I am to focus on training. 

Take today to find someone that needs encouragement, and be a positive influence. 

Take today and be thankful for what you have. There is always someone who is not as fortunate as you. 

Take today and love on those who are important to you. We are never promised tomorrow. Make the most of today. We have all heard the saying "Carpe Diem." It means "seize the day." 

I will leave you with this for today. What do you want in life? What are your goals? Do you dream of getting off the couch and completing your first 5K? Take that first step today!! A goal that is visible, is a constant reminder to DO SOMETHING! Write your goals somewhere visible so that you are constantly reminded to get moving and be awesome! 

My First Attempt At A Blog

Hello ALL!

I am Adam. I am currently training for my first Ironman triathlon so I thought it would be cool to blog my training in the next year so I can look back and see exactly where this year has taken me. I will be completing Ironman Frankfurt in July 2015 which just happens to be the European National Championships. This picture is the finish line:

I am super excited to share my journey and hopefully motivate a few of you to join the fitness lifestyle and live a longer, more fulfilling life. 

A little about me, I am 32 years old with a wonderful wife and two beautiful children. They are 8 and 14 (going on 21). We try to make being healthy a way of life. I don't believe in dieting, I believe in lifestyle changes. My wife Dusty and I made a decision at the end of 2012 to get healthy and be the example for others to follow. We are learning more and more everyday! We currently live in Turkey. Its hot and humid here and we are so excited about the fall season approaching. We have two dogs, Bama and Mickey. Bama is an Old English Bulldog and Mickey is a chihuahua. They are both spoiled! 

I look forward to all of you hanging with me for the next year till I become an Ironman! I will leave with you this for today: 

Never Give Up!