Iron Pol

One of the greatest assets in triathlon is the sense of community that exists between triathletes and triathlon clubs around the world.  This weekend, the Fox Cities Triathlon Club had the opportunity to learn about one of the world's great triathlon clubs.  Luis Alvarez from Team IronMex visited our monthly meeting and shared some of his experiences.

While some may be unfamiliar with the name Luis Alvarez, anyone in attendance at the 2007 Ironman Wisconsin is likely very familiar with the team of Mexican Ironmen.  With more than 350 participants, IronMex was probably the best represented team at the race.  They were certainly the most visible and the loudest.  The team's energy, visibility, and sportsmanship made them a favorite of everyone at the race.

Luis Alvarez is also known for his steadfast devotion to Ironman.  With 50 races under his belt, Luis is the only person to have competed in every Ironman event in the world.  One key to his presentation is the belief that anyone who WANTS to complete an Ironman can do just that.  Like many of us, Luis was an out of shape "lazy burrito" (couch potato) when he first started his journey.  In fact, he showed the document that motivated him to start.  It detailed the results of a 5K walk from a physical fitness class.  His path to Ironman began when he was unable to complete the 3.1 mile walk.  He stopped at 1.5 miles after 33 minutes.

Like so many others, his view is "If I can, anyone can."  Does that sound familiar?  That's the view of many an Ironman.

For me, one important lesson in his stories is that community is bigger than many of us imagine.  Team IronMex always tries to pick one race for everyone to run.  The energy from having the entire team on the course is staggering.  It was the philosophy we used for our youth tri club, last year.  Moving forward, it will become the rule.  I watched the impact of having 350+ members of one team at Ironman Wisconsin.  Though I have a ways to go before I'm at a race with 350 members of a youth tri team, it is an achievable goal.

What is your goal for your community?  And what are you doing to make that dream a reality?  Ordinary people doing extraordinary things.  Make sure that statement isn't limited to the racecourse.  The collective power of thousands of endurance athletes striving for change can be monumental.

Have you ever noticed how short 500 words is?  It seems impossibly long in school, and suddenly it's far too short.  So rather than history, let's consider the future.

My participation in endurance events is the direct result of challenges.  Medical challenges in 2000 forced me to start running.  I then challenged myself to run more.  Challenges from classmates and co-workers led me to become a marathoner.  And the challenge of a group of 8th grade boys from the Boys' and Girls' Brigade motivated me to learn to swim and become a triathlete.

After that, self-motivation has been mixed with encouragement from the Tri Blog Community as I continue the journey.  Along the way, I have tried to share my newfound passion for the swim, bike, run lifestyle with anyone possible.  Family, friends, co-workers, youth, anyone.

Co-workers know if they sign up for a half or full marathon, I will complete long training runs and the race with them.  The same applies for any local triathlon.  Last year, I worked with three young men in a pilot program aimed at launching a youth triathlon club for area youth.  This year, we hope to have more than 20 young men and women involved.  To ensure everyone has the opportunity to participate, we secured private funding and the help of a local race organizer.  The only thing the kids have to provide is motivation and a bike.  Eventually, the goal is to open the program to the entire community and promote a love of endurance sports in youth.

I'm very proud of my accomplishments in the past half-decade.  Few things compare to crossing the finish line of an Ironman triathlon.  One thing that will always gives me more pride than my own achievements are the achievements of those I've helped along the way.  The co-worker who completed his first marathon.  The youth who completed their first sprint distance triathlon.  The friends who will compete in their first triathlon in June.

I'm a middle of the pack marathoner and a middle of the pack triathlete.  I can't bring speed, experience, or trophies to the Evotri team.  What I do offer is a love of sharing endurance sports with others.  The passion I have for triathlon is born of the change it has brought to my life.  That is what I hope to show to the youth and others I meet.  Having the kind of people, support, and energy I know the members and sponsors of Evotri generate and share would be an incredible resource for that task.

Thank you for checking in.  Your vote will be greatly appreciated.  If you aren't listed on my Tri Blog Community page, please let me know and I will add your link.  At the end of the day, community is what it's all about.

One of the great things about triathlon is that it's an individual sport.  Sure, we race against hundreds, perhaps even thousands of others.  But at the end of the day, it's all about the individual.  How did we live up to our expectations?  If we achieve a goal or meet some target, it was a successful race.  Podium or not, we win.

There is no dependency upon others to achieve that success.  Nobody will drop a pass, run the wrong route, blow a key block, or miss the game winning shot.  Of course, that does leave the other side of the coin.

Just as success is in our control, we have only ourselves to blame for any shortcomings.  If we short change our run training, we may fall short of a marathon goal.  Too few hours on the trainer (or road, for those in warmer climes)?  Expect a slower than hoped for bike leg.  Skip the drills and long swims in the pool?  Than get used to swimming farther back in the pack.  And say "Hi" to me while you're there.

Of course, it is vital to keep things in perspective.  Only the very best days produce the best times.  And only the very worst days should be allowed to produce the worst times.  I ran up against that, this morning.  And for just a moment, I almost let some gremlins drag me down.

I did a time trial in the pool, this morning.  After 1000 yards, my t-pace came out to just under 2:02 per 100 yards.  That was a bit distressing as the last time trial pace came out to just under 2:00.  I fretted over that as I swam my cool down laps.

Then I got my head on straight.  First, if there is any frustration over the slower pace, I have only myself to blame.  I've been focused on running and putting in fewer yards in the pool.  When spring breaks and I get the bike out on the road, I should probably expect similar results, as time on the trainer is way down, too.

I also have to consider that "personal best" time trial.  That was after a long period of drilling and speed work.  I did it after a good rest while completely healthy.  Today's was after a long day, yesterday, while fighting a cold.  I've been less than 100% for several weeks.  So, I have to balance gremlins with excuses.  Then, both can be taken and turned into motivation.

Perhaps I won't always swim 1:59 in time trials.  But I can make sure 2:02 doesn't become 2:05.  I can accept that the run is my strength and put more effort into weaker areas.  And I can work on recovery issues such as sleep and nutrition to aid with fighting illness.

We hold the keys to our success.  The individual nature of triathlon is a double-edged sword.  While our achievements cannot be derailed by others, we can only look at ourselves when we fall short of our goals.  And we are the only ones with the ability to make the course corrections necessary for improvement.

Most importantly, we must always remember that we are already winners.  Keep the gremlins at bay when they find a chink in your armor.  Less than desirable results are not failure, they are simply the springboard to a better "next time."

On Sunday, the cycling and triathlon worlds were again hit with tragedy when Kristy Gough and Matt Peterson were killed after being struck by a car.  Kristy was the 2004 winner of the 25-29 age group at the Ironman World Championships.  She had recently made a transition to elite cycling and had her eyes on the Olympics.

Sadly, the initial reports are that the vehicle that hit them had crossed a double yellow line into the path of the cyclists.  Gough and Peterson were killed and a third cyclist was seriously injured.

Please pray for the families of these victims as they deal with the loss of loved ones.  And watch yourselves as you hit the roads for the training and race season.  We all know the number of drivers who are oblivious to anything on two wheels, and we don't have the loud pipes of a motorcycle to help protect us.

Most people who grow up and live in Wisconsin like to consider themselves fairly hearty and impervious to cold.  Anything warmer than 50F is summer.  It's time to get a jacket when the temps dip to freezing.  And there is no such thing as "too cold" to train outside.

A local running group proved this, once again, this past Saturday.  At 7 a.m. a group of about 50 runners gathered for the scheduled 14 mile training run.  The temperature, hovering just on the negative side of 0F.  For the first time I wondered if my tights would be enough.

At the final moments before the run started, I made two decisions that turned out to be very fortunate.  First, I threw my sweats on over the tights.  Second, I switched my regular fleece running gloves for my Columbia ski gloves.  Before getting out of the car I had already added a fourth layer on top, consisting of a light technical t-shirt, my long sleeve cycling jersey, a medium weight long sleeve top and my top layer technical top.

The only thing I could have done to improve things was use vaseline on my exposed face.  It was cold enough to warrant it, but not too bad without it.  Luckily, we had minimal winds.  Though cold, it was a great day for running.

Great with the limited exception of hydration.  Though I wore my Amphipod under two layers of shirts, the tops froze shut and the water froze enough that there was still ice in the bottles after the 45 minute ride home.  Luckily, this is a supported training run, and the coordinators used warm water for both drinking and making the Gatorade.  Last week, all the drinks froze and they had to scoop Gatorade slush out with pitchers.  This week, it stayed liquid, though it was a bit warm at the beginning.

Despite the chill, it was good to run outside.  Most of the runners who participated Saturday agreed that running outside in sub-zero temps is better than running indoors.  Of course, it can hardly be called race conditions as I've yet to complete a single endurance event with temperatures on the wrong side of zero.

Still, the marathon is less than 10 weeks away, so we have to get the long runs in regardless of the temperatures.  Next week, it's 16 miles, and we're all hoping the temps will be a bit warmer.  We might be from Wisconsin, but we're not COMPLETELY crazy.

Last May, I ran the Green Bay Marathon for my second time.  The race wasn't on my original schedule, and I participated because a co-worker was running his first full marathon.  He took advantage of a standing offer I have for anyone running their first half or full marathon.  If they give me a little advance knowledge, I'll run it with them.

In this case, I was literally the waterboy, carrying my Amphipod system so he would have fewer worries about hydration and fuel.

At that same race, two other co-workers completed their first half marathons.  One of them has signed up for the full race, this year.  The other had a baby in November, so we've granted her a waiver.  So, starting tomorrow, I'm back to Saturday training runs in support of my co-worker.  In May, I'll once again be at the starting line and run (or walk) stride for stride until we reach the finish.

I have two hopes for endurance sports and work.  First is that more people see there is support for any efforts they undertake.  Second is that more people who have completed running races or triathlons join in and offer to support others.  It's okay being "the crazy guy who does marathons and Ironman triathlons."  It would be better if I was part of "that group of crazy people."

If all goes well, this year, we will have at least one new marathoner and four new triathletes at work.  If things go REALLY well, our president will be able to complete a half marathon and join the "crazy" crew.

Who do you know that might be interested in the challenges and self-improvement endurance events offer?  How can you help or motivate them to see their potential?  How many newbies have you introduced to running or triathlons, this year?  Let's face it, growth in these sport really requires a grass roots effort.  One person taking another under their wings and starting the journey with them.  Spread your wings and see who responds.

This is just a quick note to let everyone know I have not, in fact, fallen off the face of the planet.  It's just been a busy and hectic week.  Between work, kids, and planning for the second season of the Brigade-Junior Fox triathlon club, I've been buried.

I'm really excited about working with the youth this summer.  It really looks like our fledgling program might take off.  Last year, we had three guys.  This year, we have twice as many girls constantly asking about the program, along with a new bunch of guys.  I would love nothing more than having so many kids that we have to figure out a way to fund everything.  Putting some of the new features of the club into place has taken up a lot of time on the Internet.

Along that line, if anyone out there has fussed around with Google sites enough to be proficient, please let me know if you can offer some assistance.  I'm trying to set up a club site so the kids can look at calendars, notes, etc.  The basics were fairly easy, and the calendar is kicking my butt.  And with all the single leg press workouts I've been doing, my butt doesn't need any extra kicking.

Last year, the youth tri club had to compete with my Ironman training for attention.  This year, a large portion of the energy devoted to Ironman last year will go toward growing this program from a few Brigade youth to a viable community program.

We all know the impact triathlon and other endurance sports can have in our lives.  Imagine having that impact in the lives of kids.  Some of them will learn the tools to overcome a lifetime of weight challenges.  Others might get out from in front of the television and video games they haven't left for years.  And some might learn that there is an entire community out there that cares about them.

One small success might break a cycle of perceived failures.  That reason alone warrants all the excitement and energy I can muster.

One simple idea and three young kids.  That's where it started.  Now, it's time to see where it goes with a little nurturing.