The first Tri is in the books...

So I did what I had said I would not do. Why do I lie to myself? I have done everything that I say I would never do, why would I think a Tri would be impossible. Well it wasn't. Yesterday I swam biked and ran my way through Stanley's Sprint Triathlon! To my amazement I actually did really well posting a time of 1:08:58. Not to shabby considering my swimming style of choice is the don't drown and flop your arms and legs as fast as you can style.


Had to change the graphics on the ol' Surge the night before. Fresh graphics for a new chapter in its racing life.



What's next?.......

My thoughts on Crossfit...

So I decided to try out crossfit for the first time last Friday. Quickest review: I would rather mow the lawn than do crossfit again. In all seriousness I do not get the point of working at full intensity for 16 minutes and then go home. That's the biggest and easiest marketing scheme ever to get people locked on to this "new" way of working out. To any newbie this seems like a great workout... You get out there and it makes you hurt, you sweat like hell, it's very difficult and your heart beats out of your chest. Awesome right. For anyone that is coming right off the couch that seems like the way it gets done to get fit. Yes I'm not denying that it will help. Of course anyone that has been sitting in the couch downing Doritos like nobody's business will benefit from this. Heck they would benefit from trying to reach to tie their shoes. But the thing is with this kind of high intensity training with no thought on body fitness level and recovery does more bad than good. One of the main things you have to worry about in crossfit is the likelihood of getting hurt. You are NOT supposed to go hard everyday. This Rocky mentality will destroy your body sooner or later. For full gains and health you need to change intensity and have days where you just keep it cool and work out the lactic acid buildup. Intervals are important in training but I believe for what I'm trying to do as an endurance athlete it would completely destroy any hopes of getting better. So it's tuesday today and I am still sore from my 16 min workout on Friday morning. Yay. No not for me. I guess others could argue that it depends on your priorities in fitness. They would rather be able to flip a tire with ease and throw high fives. I'd rather be able to out run or out bike anyone out there. They can keep flipping tires while I'm out there having a great time.


Ohh and I started doing spinning in the afternoons to double up my workouts. So far so good. Spinning is a great leg and heart workout. It will get me stronger on the bike and is also letting me work on my cadence so I can get rid of all those dead spots I developed from running so much. I also sweat like hell.... I blame it on my training, my body is so used to cooling itself down that as soon as I start pedaling it thinks I'm going 100 mph and my body reacts by turning on my own internal cold shower.

Austin Marathon...

The road to the marathon led me here. February 19, 2012... The Livestrong Austin Marathon.

I don't like to run...

Funny how times change. From the guy that would dread the lap after practice in middle school football. I hated every moment of it. The feeling. The shortness of breath. The heart pumping through your throat. I remember the highlight of my running career. It was at our 3rd grade track and field day. Everyone had to participate, and being the chubby kid I was they decided to put me in the 50 yard dash. The shortest possible race they have. I ended up 4th place. Crossing that line I felt that I had left those other 5 chubby kids in the dust, I was accomplished. That was the end off my elite running career.

As time passed I began to hate it more and more. Always being the slowest. The last one to come in after practice. I was tough on the field but my short little stride was not built for speed. I think that is the psychological reason for always putting it aside.

The road to the marathon is not and easy one.

You know you are training for a marathon when you run your shoes to the ground. I have NEVER ran shoes out. Well these are first pair of real running shoes I have ever purchased and I don't feel bad for them running out so quick. I know they did their job. Yesterday I ran the furthest I have ever done. I did 20 miles. Yes 20..... I ran for around 4 hours straight at a good pace. That's a long time. But I knew that it had to be done. I have got three weeks till the Austin marathon. I know I will be ready. To make sure of it I just have to keep doing what I am doing. Run, diet and run some more.

Hog Dash 2...

We went to scope out the new location for this years Hog Dash and it is just what we wanted. This is gonna be sweet. We have plenty of acres to create havoc. As soon as we are done with the terra run we will put 100% effort in getting HD2 the way we envision.


We want bigger, wetter, crazier. The obstacles are created in our minds, now to make it happen. It's gonna be an exciting next half year.

It's 2012, so now what?...

I have said it again and again...It's not the actual goal you set, it is all that you do to get there... The getting there is what has made my ride worthwile.  You can set all your goals but if you do not like what you are doing you are bound to fail.  Today I posted a picture of myself on our facebook account for Mid Valley Events.  I mashed up two pictures, one was from November of 09 when my brother and I had gone to the beach to eat at our favorite fish place, Dirty Al's and the other was a picture from this past November when I did a 5K in Donna.  Two years... yes TWO years and what have I done to myself...I have lost more than 120 pounds....I have completely gotten rid of my diabetes....I never get backaches....My blood pressure is normal....I have so much energy that I'm never sleepy....  I have made a better life... Worth every minute...

So now what?  This is a new year but my goal is still the same.  I want to bring as many people with me on my journey.  I don't know if that sounds bad in any way but it feels good to get people motivated and inspired to get out there every morning and do something about it...Is that wrong?  What was all that time wasted seeing TV and eating for... That was not fun....THIS is fun! 

Why don't people take that leap?....

Well being at that point you learn a lot about yourself... Why did it take me so long?... Looking back at that picture, I don't remember myself looking in the mirror and seeing anything bad. Your mind plays tricks on you making you satisfied with who you are...and I was...  That is what led me to get that way...and the habit of eating good and well not caring or knowing....  When I finaly realized that I had a problem it was too late. It was once I started getting sick, my sugar was out of wack and I would not be able to walk for a couple of days because of severe back problems.  My brother always said that I needed to lose the weight at that point.  What does he know, he is just a doctor right?... I had a fear of getting worse..a fear of being hurt....a fear of not being able to go to all the places I once was able to....

"When you have conquered fear, the only thing that is left is living"- wise hawaiian we met on a trip

I got over that fear and said that I had to change. Anyone can do it. Honestly as cheesy as it sounds, there is no secret diet, there is no magic pill... Just eat better and do more.  And the doing more is what was scaring me at that weight. Slowly, as I have written in the past, I chose different venues of getting my workout in as the weight came off... Results build motivation and then the snowball grows.

And so now that leads to today.  I may not be there yet, but I'm closer than I was yesterday. What do I got to say... Well I am at a good point, my best friends and I started Mid Valley Events, I am doing what I came to love and hopefully I am helping people get motivated to actually fulfill their new years resolutions. Yes there is lots of work that we put into doing our events, we spend countless hours working and planning.  It's all good... We have tons of work to do these couple of months.  I will continue working out, I will finish my FIRST marathon and I know that people will see what I do.  Just heard my cousin from Houston signed up for the Austin Half Marathon in Feb...he used to be 280lbs....I'm doing something right!

 My goals are set, it's what I do to get to them that will define me.

Pico de Gallo 100 we meet again...

How time flies....wasn't it just yesterday that we were riding out from sun up to sun down from a cold morning to a hot afternoon.  Well it's that time again. This year it seems like it is gonna be a wet, slippery, cold, ugly day....perfect weather to ride with 50+ other cyclist in a group.....  We will see how it is tomorrow... I hope for a smooth, accident free ride.  Been "trying" to diet all week "trying" to reduce my calorie intake, not a good way to carb up for a tough 100 mile ride.  Legs don't fail me....better yet, body don't fail me!  

MID VALLEY EVENTS

 Times have been rough the past couple of months but I guess everything happens for a reason.  Next year is going to so much better, we have huge plans and by the looks of it we should be good.   I have noticed so many more people getting motivated to get out there and start changing their lives.  Everyone that I talk too feels that if Eric can do it they can do it... I'm so glad that I can have an impact on others lives just by doing what I have came to love.  Starting back in 09 to getting to where I am today have become some of the best times and memories in my life.  So many thing have happened, met so many people and now we continue to create new exciting things.  The best years are coming.

  

www.mvevents.com

So the continued effort to keep healthy has lead us in a new direction.... Feel so good right now that we have started something big.  We have been working so hard to get our new organization up and running by getting it the right amount of exposure and buzz about our awesome events. Last month we did our first duathlon as MVE and it was a great success, it met all our expectations and everything went well and smooth just the way we had hoped it would go. People loved it! All our work and planning finally came together for one of the best races made in the valley.  We want to make different things, we want to bring fun back to exercise.... Now we start the planning for the next event "The Terra Run"........It's amazing what happens when we get together!  

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Back by popular demand. I will continue this blog. I completely left this blog alone. Hello.

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Another chapter must be written.