The ‘dream’ how important is a goal vs. the personal meaning.

I not sure how to describe fuzzy line between important and meaningful.  My athletic goals aren’t important to anyone else in the world and are insignificant in comparison to the events presently taking place on our planet.  There is tragedy, disaster, suffering and war all around the globe.  My family country and job are important and I would not neglect any of them in pursuit of my dreams.

I have failed miserably to convey how much qualifying for Kona means to me.  I think it shows in my commitment to training, but there is so much more.  I think if I share a dream I had recently it might give you some idea.

So there I was (in my dream).  It’s a typical morning in Hawaii, partly cloudy, about 70 degrees and fairly humid.  The breeze is light but noticeable.  There is a comforting calm as athletes all around me are making final preparations.   I’m in my swim gear sitting on the ground next to my bike.  All of my gear for the day is prepped, organized and ready for the day ahead.  There is nothing left but to take in the moment.  The entire dream was just about that one moment, probably less than a minute.

I laid back and looked up at the palms swaying in the wind and realized that I had done it; I’m here with the best athletes in the world at the Ironman World Championships.  I cried.  I woke up tears of happiness were still gushing from my eyes as if it really happened.

LA Marathon disappointment, what does it really mean and what did I learn from it.

Although it was very disappointing, missing the LA Marathon means almost nothing.  I was not intending to go for a Boston qualifying time; this was basically just another long run in my training.  I missed two or three workouts since I was tapering for the race and that is it.  Not having to recover from the marathon saves me a week in itself.  In the future I won’t fully taper for races in which I don’t expect to qualify for a future event.

It’s been a while since writing, not training - LA Marathon March 20 2011

I just finished a nearly flawless 18 week long training program for the LA Marathon.  I juggled, but met all of my commitments to friends and family, ran many times at 3am and rode during my lunch breaks.  I ate well and made sure to get the sleep my body needed.  I made sure to record the mileage on my shoes and kept them fresh; I’m talking DETAILS!  I did everything in my control to execute a personal best marathon.

I took the day off on Friday before the marathon to go to the expo and pick up my race number so that I could spend Saturday with my family (after the final run of my taper period).  We spent the middle part of the day at a Tae Kwon Do tournament, which is an important part of my family and social life.  I started feeling a little nauseous around lunch time, figured I was hungry.  Couldn’t find anything I wanted to eat at the tournament so I decided to wait until the planned pasta feast planned for dinner.

We checked into our hotel room at the Bonaventure downtown LA and walked a couple of blocks to Maria’s kitchen for dinner.  It was about this time that I began to fear that my marathon wasn’t going to happen.  I broke into a cold sweat when the food arrived at our table and ran to the bathroom fearing that I would barf right there in the restaurant.  I didn’t barf but it was close.  Just to shorten the story this continued all night long, I got almost no sleep and hadn’t eaten for 20 hours.  When I couldn’t even think about eating my favorite oatmeal and peanut butter breakfast I knew my marathon wasn’t going to happen.  I can’t explain how it felt to cross over the marathon course as we headed home.

Subject: Honda LA Marathon Alert

Dan Wilson at FINISH in 04:59:52 hrs (NET). Pace: 11:26 min/mi.

Runner Tracking brought to you by Time Warner Cable, the Official
Technology Partner of the Honda LA Marathon presented by K-Swiss.

Subject: Honda LA Marathon Alert

Dan Wilson at 30K in 03:47:26 hrs (NET). Pace: 12:12 min/mi.
Predicted: 04:05:37 hrs.

Runner Tracking brought to you by Time Warner Cable, the Official
Technology Partner of the Honda LA Marathon presented by K-Swiss.

Subject: Honda LA Marathon Alert

Dan Wilson at 10K in 01:13:22 hrs (NET). Pace: 11:48 min/mi.
Predicted: 05:16:56 hrs.

Runner Tracking brought to you by Time Warner Cable, the Official
Technology Partner of the Honda LA Marathon presented by K-Swiss.

Los Angeles MarathonAlert

Xact Event Alerts: <alerts@xacte.com>
Reply-To: alerts@xacte.com
X-Mailer: Xact Msg/ 5.3.2-1ubuntu4.7

This email has been signed up to receive alerts on race day during Los Angeles Marathon. You will be tracking
==========================Dan Wilson==========================
Runner Tracking brought to you by Time Warner Cable, the Official Technology Partner of the Honda LA Marathon presented by K-Swiss.

Los Angeles MarathonAlert

Xact Event Alerts: <alerts@xacte.com>
Reply-To: alerts@xacte.com
X-Mailer: Xact Msg/ 5.3.2-1ubuntu4.7

This email has been signed up to receive alerts on race day during Los Angeles Marathon. You will be tracking
==========================Dan Wilson==========================
Runner Tracking brought to you by Time Warner Cable, the Official Technology Partner of the Honda LA Marathon presented by K-Swiss.

Update 1-7-2011

I haven't posted lately, but I HAVE been training.  My loss for words is definitely not a loss of motivation.  Training is going smoothly for this year's LA Marathon (knock on wood).  Unlike last year when I had a pulled hip flexer at this time.

I got a road bike, but haven't had any time to ride is, well not much anyway.  I'm just running right now, looking to get well under the 4 hour mark this year at the LA Marathon.

The Finish - In the Dirt Triathlon 11-6-2010

 

Dan Wilson

Follow my quest for Ironman 2013

http://roadtoironman2013-danwilson.blogspot.com/

What do you brign to a Triathlon?

Well about 30 things:

 

Swim:

Wetsuit

Goggles

Shorts (bike and run too)

Gu (energy gel a couple of minutes befor the start)

Glide

Flip Flops

Water

Cap

 

Bike:

Bike

Shoes

Helmet

Gloves

Camelback

Skull Cap

Socks

Shirt

Sunglasses

 

Run:

Shoes

Water Bottle

 

Misc:

Beach Towel

Trash Bag (for wetsuit)

tools

breakfast

Gu

Pump

Sunscreen

Toilet Paper

Jacket

Phone

Backpack

 

Dan Wilson

Follow my quest for Ironman 2013

http://roadtoironman2013-danwilson.blogspot.com/

Happy Birthday Tina!

Happy Birthday to my beautiful wife Tina.  I would marry you again "a thousand times!"

 

 

Today I am a Triathlete - My first triathlon

Today was an important day in my training. I learned so many things.
1. I have the best support group on the planet. I had my own cheering section. Thanks Tina, Katie, Max and Danielle (my wife and kids). Thanks Mary Anne (my good friend and Danielle's mom). Thanks Tresa and Bella (our close friends). You guys mad me feel great during and after the race.
2. I am making good progress toward my goal and have a long way to go.
3. My bike fitness is good. I made it as high as 4rth overall from about 50th before having mechanical problems.
4. Never take a new bike to an important race.
5. Always give help to a fellow competitor. It makes u feel good.
6. Settle in on the swim asap. I swam over 500 yards before I settled down and trusted what I has learned in training.
7. I need to do more open water swimming and maybe some more smaller triathlons.
8. A 4 mile run can feel like a marathon if the terrain is brutal.
9. My current age group is tough! The overall winner was 45 and 6 of the top 15 were between 45 and 49.
It was a great experience. I finished 17th in a field of over 137 and 6th in my age group. I didn't take home a medal but I still felt victory.
Mahn Sae!
Try harder and Never give up!
Sent from my iPhone

Happy Aniversary Honeyah!

Training for Ironman is, well, difficult.  For the athlete there is the long hours of training and suffering that is quickly rewarded with results.

The family of an Ironman on the other hand, sees only sacrafice.  Sacrafice that the Ironman selfishly takes day in and day out, seemingly withour reguard - Not this one!

Without you, I cannot become the Ironman that I so selfishly want to become - THANKYOU, I love you and Happy 10th Aniversary Honeyah!

Oct 12 2010

As I run for hours on end I think about odd things. Last Tuesday I contemplated how lucky I was to be an introvert and how beneficial that was to my training. I look forward to the hours of solitude that running provides me and the mental cleansing that gets me prepared for my workday.

Then Thursday as I dodged a car driver hurrying to work I contemplated mortality and the many friends and family I had lost the past two years. I somehow likened those losses to endurance training and how each of those would prepare me for the inevitable more difficult losses I may have to endure in the future.

On a brighter note I thought today a I read Karno's 50/50 book how cool it would be to run marathon some day with my, now 5 yr. old, daughter Katie; one more for the Bucket List

NGU!

Sent from my iPhone

October Update

My first tri is rapidly approaching. I am almost ready; I need to drop 5 more lbs.

I've been very busy at work the past month, but have managed to maintain a good training routine.

I've been doing more running lately due to some motivation I gained from reading Dean Karnazi's first book.

So...while on a business trip last month my coworker complained of a sore hip and proclaims that her body has let her down. Being my usual sensitive self I responded that she was incorrect, that in fact it was her that let her body down.

Ngu!!!

Sent from my iPhone

September 5 2010

I entered my first ever mountain bike race a couple of weeks ago. I entered as a cat 3 racer which probably wasn't really fair, but it was my first race. I bettered the fastest rider by over 2 minutes. It was a blast.

I have been running barefoot once a week, which leaves me with extremely sore calf muscles. There is some serious muscle building happening and I will continue with this experiment for a while longer.

Swimming is starting to become enjoyable. I actually look forward to my time in the pool now. I upgraded my underwater headphones too.

Shopping continues for a road bike but no real hurry; I can ride!

I am going to drop my weight to 165 for the in-the-dirt tri this November so I am watching my nutrition closely now. Got to get enough fuel to build endurance and drop 10 pounds in two months.

NGU!

Sent from my iPhone

Aug 24th, 2010

What's New?
I've started running barefoot.  Not that I am ever going to compete barefoot, but I am convinced that it is a great training technique.  Read  "Barefoot Running" on sportsci.com or the book "Born to Run" by Christopher McDougal to learn more.

I will be competing in my first bicycle race this weekend.  The Rim Nordic Cross Country Series Final.  I hope to walk away with a trophy, but thinking like that I'll probably get spanked!  There is a link on the right if you want to learn more.

My training for a few more weeks is:
Bike: Monday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday ~ 50 miles
Run: Tuesday and Thursday ~ 16 miles
Swim: Mon thru Friday  ~ 5 miles

NGU!

Dan

47th

I turned 47 this week, which also means that I have been on this road to ironman for a year now. I have come a long way and still have a long way to go. I can rum a marathon in 4 hours swim a mile in 30 minutes and bike all day. I'll be ready when the road ends in Kona.

Early Saturday

he boyz are getting up early for a ride this morning.  Early for them anyway, I would already be on the trail if this were a weekday. 

Last week was typical week of base building.  Swimming every day for lunch, and either a bike or a run in the morning.  A mile swim, although not fun, is getting pretty easy, I am going to start doing more, since on good days the mile only keeps me in the pool for 30 minutes.  I probably should run at least twice a week, I have been only running once a week, just because I enjoy Mountain biking so much more than trail running.  I don't want to loose the base I built for the LA Marathon. 

I'll be running the LA Marathon again this year; registration is already open if you want to run it with me.  I'll be looking to make a 3:45 this year, 20 minutes off of last year's time.