Thanksgiving & Santa Barbara Trip

Nothin' like a Thanksgiving blog post in late December, but as they say better late than never. We had a great Thanksgiving in large part because my good friend Heng Teoh spent the week with us. Liya loves Heng and we had a good time hanging out in Long Beach and then heading up to Carpinteria to spend Thanksgiving with Kyra's family.

Due to traffic we took the scenic route north out of LA via PCH (which also happens to be considerably longer). Once we arrived we were treated to a feast of wonderful food.

Since we drove all the way up to Carpinteria we figured we might as well stick around and spend the night in Santa Barbara since Kyra and I had never been there together and Heng hadn't either. After a good night's sleep in our hotel (even Liya slept through the night) we spent Friday taking in the Spanish Colonial architecture and strolling the many boutiques that line State Street.

After our fill of shopping we picked up some sandwiches and headed to Chase Palm Park (located right across the street from the beach) for a picnic lunch.Afterwards, we hit the playground and slide that Liya just loved to go up and down, up and down, up and down... It was a great trip that made for a fun family Thanksgiving getaway.

Update, Thoughts on Fatherhood, and Belated Halloween Photos

Long time since any blog action. I never thought I'd say this, but this crazy social networking website called Facebook,that I never thought would be worthwhile is actually pretty slick for sharing updates, photos, etc so it might make this blog thing obsolete in the coming months...we'll just have to see :)

Liya continues to be an absolutely amazing child who has brought such joy to Kyra and I. Her personality shines through more and more every single day. She can be feisty when she doesn't her way or something doesn't work the way it did the day before (like when we finally installed child safety locks on the kitchen cabinets and she couldn't figure out how to open them), she has a tender heart (as evidenced by her big hugs and cute open mouth kisses), and she loves to tease (like when she pretends to want to go to Grandpa Watari only to pull back at the last minute as she let's out those adorable little giggles).

I never thought fatherhood could be such a rewarding experience. Of course I'll probably be singing a different tune when she's 13 or 16, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there!

What's a post without some pics, so besides the one above, below are some ones from Halloween. The neat part is Liya is actually starting to "get it"!

Family Photos at the Beach

This past Sunday evening Kyra's cousin Darrell took some family photos of the three of us in Seal Beach, just down PCH from where we live. He's only shared a few of them with us, but they all look awesome.


Darrell is a professional photographer and you can view his website by going to www.darrellmiho.com. He's a great guy and has even offered to come to Kona to photograph the Ironman World Championships if, or rather when, I qualify!

Don't Let Your Dreams Be Dreams - My Ironman Race Report

Jack Johnson sings a song I've always liked called "Don't Let Your Dreams Be Dreams". Inspirational words that explain why I wanted to swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, and then run a 26.2 mile marathon. Why just dream about doing something? Why not actually go do it?!

And so I signed up for the Full Vineman, put a plan in place, surrounded myself with a supportive team (my wife and daughter, good competitive training buddies, and some qualified coaches from Endurance Nation), and trained my butt off for 6+ months. What follows is my take on how rewarding "not letting your dreams be dreams" can be.

Overall Results: 10:54:24, 3rd AG, 14th OA
Going into my first ironman distance race, this past weekend my only goal was to finish though I hoped that with a good day I could go sub-12 hours. To my surprise I somehow put all the pieces together, managed to pace myself on the bike, nailed my nutrition, and had a great day on a tough course in very hot conditions.

The Swim: 60:05, 9th AG, 37th OA
Things didn’t start so well. On my way to the swim start, I dropped my goggles on the beach somewhere, but didn’t notice them missing until I was about to cross the timing mat and enter the water. Fortunately, a fellow athlete found them and was waving at me when I turned around with a blank stare on my face as I was trying to figure out how in the hell I was going to swim 2.4 miles without goggles! Disaster #1 averted. Goggles secured, I hopped into the beautiful Russian River which winds through Sonoma wine country and joined my wave just as they started promptly at 6:45AM. After working my way through the chaos that always ensues at the start I settled into a nice comfortable pace. At just over half-way I took a peek at my watch and saw 32 minutes and change which was where I had hoped to be. The 2nd lap seemed to go faster and as I exited the swim I saw 59:XX on the clock. My actual time was a good six minutes faster than my previous best at this distance and most importantly I felt fresh and ready to getirdun!


T1: 5:37
My T1 was slow. I wasn’t prepared for the wetsuit strippers on exit, so this was a bit confusing as they instructed me to “stand still” as they pulled my sleeves off, then “sit down” as they pulled the suit off my legs. I could probably have done it faster myself, but whatever my suit was off and I was heading to find my bike. The transition area was a combination of stone and dirt so my feet were loaded with sand and dirt when I arrived at my bike. As such, it took me a couple of minutes to wipe them off and put on my cycling shoes. I then drank some Gatorade, threw down a couple of Cliff Shot Blocks, and donned my helmet and arm coolers. I then stuffed all my extra gear into my backpack and ran over to hand it to my wife who was waiting about 20 yards away with Liya our 10 month old daughter. After having my wetsuit stolen out of transition at Wildflower, I figured doing this was a small time sacrifice in the scheme of things. After a quick kiss and hug, I headed out of transition ready for the 112 mile ride…or so I thought.

The Bike: 5:49:01, 10th AG, 42nd OA

As I hopped on my bike and began peddling I quickly noticed my rear wheel was rubbing on something. I checked the rear brake…nada. Then I saw that the rear wheel was rubbing the frame. I’d heard of this happening before on P2Cs, but it’s never happened to me and it wasn’t this way when I did my final mechanical check prior to heading out for the swim?! I thought I could just move the skewer back in the dropouts and it would hold, but after several attempts at this I wasn’t having any luck. Remembering that a bike tech support station was located at the top of the hill about 30 yards away, I ran my bike up to one of the techs who quickly pulled the skewer back, jammed it shut and told me to get on my way. Praying that his fix would work, I told him I owed him a cold one and finally headed out on the bike. Disaster #2 averted.

My last bike race rehearsal didn’t go as well as I had planned, so I was hoping that “game day” would be different. Per my Endurance Nation training plan and coaching advice, my plan was to ride easy for the first 90 minutes and then settle into a steady pace I could hold for the rest of the ride. The first 90 minutes seemed like eternity as I was frequently passed by other athletes pushing bigger gears, climbing out of the saddle, and basically just working hard than they probably should have been this early in the race. I knew my time would come if I just stuck to the plan. I focused on my nutrition and religiously took in a Gu, 16 ounces of Gatorade Endurance, and 2 Salt Stick caplets every 45 minutes or as needed. I’d occasionally pick-up a bottle of water to change it up and also to douse myself with as I noticed that it was getting much hotter than the 86 degree high that was forecasted. At mile 66 I came across my friend Keith Dodson who was having a good day on the bike. We rode together and chatted for a few miles before I decided to press on. At mile 85 I started to see some of those eager beavers that passed me early on, but this time I was comfortably passing them. It looked like my bike pacing strategy was paying off.

I don’t remember much about the last 25 or so miles. I was so tired of being on that bike I was actually looking forward to running for a change. Coming into T2 I checked my watch and saw that I had done the 112 miles in less than 6 hours. Even though I exceeded my target heart rate slightly I felt good, but was still concerned that I might have committed the cardinal Endurance Nation sin of going out too fast on the bike only to blow-up on the run.

T2: 3:22
So after almost 7 hours, I put on my running shoes, sorted out my run nutrition, and headed out to run only my second marathon ever.

The Run: 3:56:17, 4th AG, 15th OA
The path exiting the transition area out of Windsor was lined with spectators and everyone was cheering loudly, “Go LA Tri” (I was wearing my club jersey) which was a big motivator and something I’d look forward to each time on the three loop run course. I didn’t have a chance to scope out the run course in advance, but had heard that it was hilly…and it was. Living and training near the beach I run almost exclusively on pancake flat so this was going to be a challenge. And the heat continued to soar with a reported heat index over 100 degrees and an actual high of 96. Fortunately, the locals along the run course were out in force blaring music and hosing us down which made a huge difference. The aid station volunteers were also simply amazing…not only were they encouraging us along, they were always ready with a smorgasbord of hydration and food options, even ice (which I continuously put down the front and back of my jersey to keep cool).

I ran the first 8.7 mile loop at about a 9 minute pace to make sure my stomach was feeling okay and to get a sense for how much my legs might have left down the stretch. After the first few miles I started taking in water and Gu every three miles or so along with 2 Salt Stick caplets. The second loop I did my best to pick up the pace to about an 8:30, but after a few miles in the intense heat with little shade, my right calf began to tighten up. I did a quick stretch on the side of the road and while the pain didn’t go away, it didn’t get worse and I just hoped it would hold out for the remainder of the run. Sometime during the second loop I went to grab my bottle of salt tabs from my jersey pocket and they were gone. Somehow they had spilled in my pocket and melted away. On such a hot day these were critical to continuing the solid pace I had established and I wasn’t sure that I could continue without them. To my relief the next aid station had a big bottle of salt tabs out for the taking. I grabbed a handful and went on my way. Disaster #3 averted.



I think one of the keys to my being able to run through the heat was seeking out other athletes who were running a similar pace or even slightly faster and running with them, chatting them up, and working off their energy. At the beginning of my third and final lap I came upon a woman who was running a very determined pace (and I later found out was the women’s overall winner). I introduced myself and we chatted for awhile. With about 4.5 miles to go I started thinking about my time for really the first time all day and realized that I had a good shot at going sub-11 hours if I could finish the race off strong. My running partner confirmed that my watch wasn’t lying to me so on I summoned all the energy I could on the next downhill and pushed it with all I had left.

Coming around the turn into the finish chute I saw the clock and knew that I was going to finish my first IM in less than 11 hours! I found my family and gave them a big hug before crossing the tape. I was an Ironman!

Final Assessment
The best thing about this entire race, even beyond finishing far better than I ever dreamed possible, was that I honestly enjoyed it from start to finish. I enjoyed it because I was prepared from a fitness perspective, but also because even though this was my first time at the distance, EN prepared me to execute on game day. I had a few things happen that could have derailed my day, but I did my best to just focus on the job at hand. Clearly my transitions need work and I’ve got lots of room to improve on the run and the bike, but for my first IM…I’ll take it!

Ironman!!!

In tough conditions at the 2008 Full Vineman consisting of 100+ degree heat index and 20+ mph winds, I had an awesome Ironman debut finishing in 10 hours 54 minutes which was good enough for 14th overall (out of 453 athletes) and 3rd in the Mens 30 - 34 age group. My goal for the race was just to finish and I thought if I really put it together I could go sub-12 hours. What a shock to find myself 4.5 miles from the finish looking at going sub-11! I really dialed in my pacing strategy, particularly on the bike, and nailed my nutrition which kept me in the hunt down the stretch.

A huge thanks goes out to my beautiful wife and daughter for putting up with 6-months of early mornings and lots of long training days. I couldn't have done it without their support. I also want to send a shout out to the guys at Endurance Nation who's guidance I used to prepare for this race and all my "virtual friends" at Slowtwitch for all their sound advice over the past 4 years.

More to come, but first some rest!

Ironman Training...4 Weeks 'Til Race Day!

On August 2nd I'll be attempting my first Ironman triathlon. The 19th Annual Full Vineman, located in Sonoma County, California (wine country!) is one of the longest running iron-distance races in the country. I've been training exclusively for this race since early May (after completing the Wildflower Half Ironman). To date my training has been going fairly well thanks to the guidance of Endurance Nation, my online coaching service that provides my training plan. Last week I was on vacation in Michigan visiting my parents and had some quality time to hit the training hard. It was my biggest training week yet with 9 workouts totaling 17 hours and 46 minutes of total training time:

• Swim 1:31 (5310.87 m)
• Bike 12:57 (230.4 miles)
• Run 3:10 (21.8 miles)

I've been fortunate to remain injury free and have a wife that supports my crazy addiction to this amazing sport that allows average Joes like myself to see how far they can go. So in less than 4 weeks the rubber will meet the road and we'll see what happens.

Stay tuned!

Grandma H's 87th Birthday

After a long day of travel from LA we finally arrived at Coldwater Lake, MI early Saturday morning for a week long visit with my parents. The first item on the agenda was Grandma H's 87th birthday party which my mom was hosting.

It was great to see grandma, aunts and uncles, cousins, second cousins and so on (this family just keeps growing and its been awhile since we've seen them). Everyone was thrilled to finally see Liya and I enjoyed jet skiing and playing in the water with the kids. Below are some photos from the big day.

Escape From Alcatraz Race Report

Wow! Alcatraz is simply an incredible race in one of the most beautiful and scenic urban venues anywhere. While San Francisco is known for it's cold summers and foggy mornings, the weather for the 2008 Accenture Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon couldn't have been better--mid-70's, lots of sunshine, and clear blue skies!


Kyra, Liya, and I all stayed with Kyra's sister and brother in-law Mike in their beautiful condo in Pacific Heights. Between all my tri-gear and the baby stuff we totally took over their place (thanks guys)!

I awoke early on race day and rode the short 1.5 miles to the transition area to setup my gear. After getting everything situated, I boarded one of the many buses and we headed to the Embarcadero where all 1500+ athletes boarded the San Francisco Belle for the ride out to Alcatraz. After some maneuvering to ensure the boat was in the proper position, the pros started and then all of the age groupers followed like lemmings jumping off a cliff! With the strong 3.5 mph current, by the time you jumped in the water you were instantly 10 feet or so from the side of the boat.

The swim was amazing and very fast with the current pulling us along through the choppy water. I pushed it on the bike (HR was over 85% a lot) and was worried about overdoing it, but probably could have gone out harder had I known the course better. The bike course was beautiful as it went past the Golden Gate bridge, past Baker Beach, and into Golden Gate Park.
I had a stomach cramp during the first couple miles of the run and even walked for a bit to try and work it out. It finally went away as I approached the first climb...not sure if it was the Cytomax which I wasn't used to or what as I haven't had a stitch like that in a long time. The infamous sand ladder was a long steep climb up a sand dune lined with telephone poles linked together with rope. There is a wire railing along both sides of the ladder that you can use to pull yourself up as you go. It was fairly crowded when I approached so I just walked up it along with most of the other athletes. The rest of the run had incredibly scenic views and some fast downhills where I really got rolling. I felt good at the end and finished strong amidst a cheering crowd of spectators.I finished in 2:41:42 which was good enough for 34th place (top 20%) out of 203 athletes in the Men's 30 - 34 age group. I'd highly recommend this race to anyone and hope to do it again in the future!

Liya's Crawling!!!

Little Liya started crawling this weekend! Now she's starting to crawl all over...time to child-proof the house!

Avia Wildflower Long Course 2008

What an awesome weekend! I participated in my first Wildflower triathlon this past weekend and had an absolute blast...I only wish I had more time to just hang out and take it all in. Wildflower is a legendary triathlon event that features over 7,500 athletes and combines three races (a half-iron , Olympic , and mountain bike sprint ) with camping, music, and a festival-like atmosphere.
I headed up to the event with my friends Seth and Anne. We got up there early afternoon on Friday, registered, checked out the expo, and went for a quick swim in Lake San Antonio. Friday night was chill just hanging out and chatting with other campers. The campground was crowded by Friday evening, but not as noisy as I expected.
As for my race, I was happy with my results. I was hoping for a sub 5:30 performance and went 5:21. I had a decent swim just staying in the middle of my wave. The bike was very tough right from the start. At mile 2 there is a long steep climb to get out of the park and my hr was still sky high from the swim. My bike computer wasn't working, so I just settled into a comfortable hr and went with it. I passed quite a few people, but also had a few minor mechanical issues (dropped a chain and my front hub kept squealing) that I had to stop for which probably cost me a few minutes. I finished the bike in 2:54. Of course the run was hilly as well and running on trails was something I didn't do much of in training. I almost rolled my left ankle on an early descent so was very careful with each step afterwards. There were parts of the run that I walked up because they were so steep and I'd only lose a few feet to the guy ahead of me that tried to jog it. I was pleased with my run of 1:50 given the course.
It's very scenic course that passes Central California vineyards, lakes, and lots of hills. All the climbing make it very tough at times, but they also provide a great opportunity to really push the downhills which I enjoy doing.

I'm planning on taking it easy this week as I recover before I get back on the horse in prep for Vineman...my first full Ironman in early August!

Grandma Meets Liya

After much waiting and anticipation the weekend of our big trip to Phoenix to visit Grandma Gilbert arrived. After bailing from work on Thursday afternoon, we loaded up the car and headed out of the city in an attempt to miss most of the evening traffic. Our plan went fairly well, but the 91-West was horrible (as usual) and we lost about 40-minutes sitting in stop and go traffic because we were too cheap to take the toll road (and didn't think traffic would be so bad so early in the day). Lesson learned.

We stopped once to refuel and once for dinner at McDonalds (a very rare occasion for this health-conscious family). The 383-mile drive took us right at 7-hours including both stops. Liya was a roadtrip champ, sleeping and playing most of the trip. Upon our arrival we were greeted by Grandma who was ecstatic to see her first and only grandchild. Liya seemed equally excited to be out of the car and see Grandma for the first time.We also got together with Uncle Matt and Aunt Beth for dinner several nights. Fortunately, Liya was in a great mood the entire visit. Everyone who saw her had to squeeze her chubby legs and ask all about her. Liya almost always greeted these inquisitive faces with smiles and her excited kicking.

We had a wonderful time visiting Grandma, Matt, and Beth and can't wait to see them again soon. Though after another 7-hour drive home...we'll look into flying next time!

First Race of '08...Ironman California 70.3

Ironman California 70.3 was my first triathlon of 2008. A huge thank you to my friends and family for supporting my fund raising efforts for CAF's Operation Rebound. With their contribution I was able to meet my goal and raise over $1,500 to help troops permanently injured in Iraq and Afghanistan. In total 61 Ironman California 70.3 participants raised over $168k for Operation Rebound!

The Friday before the race I had the opportunity to go to the Operation Rebound pre-race luncheon and not only meet many of the wounded soldiers who would compete with me on race day, but hear their emotional stories of injury, fear, and ultimately recovery through the help of CA. It was very a very inspiring experience that would continue on race day as several of the injured troops blew by me on the bike and run! Here's a story from the OC Register about Evan Morgan, one of the guy's I met that has benefited from Operation Rebound.

As for my race, despite the forecast it turned out to be a beautiful sunny day in Oceanside. I started in the third wave and had a good swim in the rolling waves of Oceanside Harbor. After a quick transition I headed out on the bike. The first 30 miles were mostly rolling hills, but the last 26 had a couple of major climbs. In addition to the climbs, the wind picked up during the second half of the bike and we faced a headwind back into transition.


Onto the run...the two loop course is very flat and right along the beach. It was a beautiful scene and I had one of my better runs averaging just under 8 minute miles for the half marathon. When it was all said and done, I cut 18 minutes off last year's time to finish in 5hrs 15mins. I had hoped to go closer to 5hrs, but need to work on my bike if that's going to happen anytime soon!