2 Days...whatever!

 Those of you who have read my most recent Facebook post are already aware of my circumstances.  Donna and I arrived in New Jersey, safe and sound...even a little ahead of schedule!  However, there is bad news too...

Those of you who travel know that getting your baggage can sometimes prove to be problematic. How often have you arrived at your assigned carousel, waited for your luggage, only to find that it had come out on another carousel?  Well, I am happy to say that was not the case for us!

Not only did our luggage come out where it was supposed to, it came out pretty quickly...even my bike case came through the "bulky luggage" area just fine...and it was located right next to our baggage carousel!  
Things were going nice and smooth...possibly too smooth.  Next step...rental car.

Let me start by saying that I have had some real bad experiences with rental car agencies in the past.  I should also tell you that we were requiring a specific type of vehicle due to the volume and size of our luggage.  As many of you well know, reserving a specific vehicle is really a crap-shoot, and almost no agency will 'guarantee' you that they will have it on their lot once you arrive. Donna had made arrangements ahead of time, and was even offered an upgrade at no cost...a way of saying thank you to me for being a firefighter. Thank you Dollar Rental Car!  

When we arrived at the rental car desk...oh wait, I haven't even told you about our experience getting all of our bags onto and off of the shuttle.  So, let's back up a bit and talk about that...

Again, if you have traveled, you have no doubt had to take some sort of a shuttle to get to the rental car area.  Isn't it amazing just how many escalators or elevators are involved in this little journey to get to the shuttle or tram?  It seems to me like every one of these requires an 'up and over' of sorts. Well, let me say that we made it through this little challenge with flying colors!

So, back to the rental car desk...

You would think that if you had talked to the director of operations of Dollar Rental Cars in New Jersey, and had been offered some sort of deal, that it would have been noted on your reservation, right?  I don't know, maybe I simply expect too much. Anyway, of course there was no notation made on our reservation, but my wife (being the great organizer that she is) printed out a copy of the email communiqué...a smart move!  So just like that we were given the deal that we were offered...again, too smooth.

We ended up with a very nice vehicle that easily accommodated all of our luggage, and didn't smell like cigarettes!  Off we headed for our hotel, The Appalachian Resort in Vernon, New Jersey.  

Shortly after we began our drive, my team mate Paul (who we traveled with) called me with some bad news.  He had checked his email, and found out that all mountain bike Events had been cancelled...shortly after we touched down In Newark.  Apparently, the amount of rain that Irene dropped on the area, had caused significant erosion to the ground that supports the gondola at the Mountain Creek Ski Resort.  What does that have to do with mountain biking you ask?  The Mountain Creek Ski Resort was scheduled to host the mountain bike events for the 2011 World Police and Fire Games.  The gondola is required to get both racers and spectators to their respective locations on the mountain.  So...if the gondola can't be used, the races can't be run...it's just that simple.

So, with no race to win...I mean compete in...we are planning on going to the athletes' village so that we can get the bag of goodies we paid for within our registration fees (which by the way, I am not expecting to get refunded...not without a little 'push and shove' anyway.

So that's the story.  It's not how I had dreamed it would turn out...my dreams involved an all out effort to come from behind, passing the first place rider just prior to the finish line...then hoisting the Gold Medal above my head with tears streaming down my cheeks.  Hey, it's my dream...I'll cry if I want to!

5 days...

Hey...the countdown continues...or resumes...whatever.  Things are looking pretty promising for us to head to New Jersey.  As you are all probably aware, Irene didn't amount to as much as expected, even though it did take lives and destroy property.  My heart goes out to those families who have lost loved ones as a result of this storm.

Irene hit the New York area as a Tropical Storm rather than a Hurricane, therefore the damage was less than expected in that area.  The good news is that many of the cancelled sporting events have been rescheduled...and thus far, cross country mountain bike racing is on schedule!  

We found out earlier today, that our hotel suffered a water main break, thus causing a total loss of water to the property.  Additionally, the roads leading to the property were closed due to flooding.  This evening however, we were informed that the water main had been repaired!  The roads however, are still impassable, so how we are going to get there remains to be seen...oh well, its an adventure right?

I'll post from New Jersey in the next day or so.  Stay tuned for the adventure!

6 Days...

Well...the news is not getting any better as Hurricane Irene approaches the New York and New Jersey coastlines.  Over the past two days the WPFG Organizing Committee has been forced to suspend, and or cancel, a number of sporting events...or is it all events?  Hmmm....

That is the problem...everything that comes out is just a little more vague than the information that was released previously.  This morning they even stated that events on Saturday the 28th and Sunday the 29th have been cancelled.  What?  Is that different than the previous announcement that was made, stating that events occurring on Saturday and Sunday were cancelled?  Or the other one that stated that ALL events had been suspended?  And what does ALL really mean anyway?  Are we talking ALL as in a complete cancellation of the Games?  Or are we just talking about ALL events occurring on Saturday and Sunday...which by the way are the 27th  and 28th...respectively.

As you can see, things are really somewhat chaotic...and I can understand (to some degree) why there is so much confusion on the WPFG's part.  However, this is an event for people who, like me, are in professions that require us to perform at our very best during times of utter chaos...so you can see why I am a little frustrated with the lack of this organization's ability to adapt and overcome in the face of adversity and chaos...better known as Irene.

I'll keep you all posted as learn more throughout the day.  Keep smiling...I am!

A Wake-up Call

Just when you begin to think that your own life is chaotic, God gives you a little wake-up call. Today I just found out that a friend of mine, whom I have not had the opporutnity to see for quite some time, has created a blog, to chronicle the heart wrenching story of his newborn baby girl Ryan.  My friend, Jared Clifford, is a firefighter for the city of Goodyear, Arizona.  I was fortunate enough to have met Jared when he worked with the Sun City Fire Department, and have considered him a friend ever since.

Jared and his wife Michelle learned that their baby girl was to be born with spina-bifida and a congenital heart defect, when they received an ultrasound to reveal the sex of the baby.  Since then, it has been a whirlwind of emotions for the Cliffords, but they have held strong to their faith in Christ throughout this challenge.

I have added their blog to my favorites list, and I ask that you take a few moments to read their story.  I guarantee it will touch your heart...deeply.  Please keep my friend and his family in your prayers!

7 Days...Well, maybe.

Ok everyone, as of today, I am officially one week away from race day.  I am in great riding shape, I have shed roughly 15 pounds of fat from my body...there is no question that I am ready to race.  The question that remains however, is will there even be a race now?

As I am sure you are all aware, there's this little storm off the east coast...I think they're calling it a hurricane..Irene, I believe.  Well, that little storm is projected to pack quite punch!  So much so, that New York Mayor Bloomberg cancelled all events for Sunday the 28th...which obviously includes a number of World Police and Fire Games events.

A direct path into the New York, New Jersey area!

 I really have nothing at all to complain about...I am truly blessed!

Two of my team mates who were scheduled to compete in the triathlon, found there flights to be cancelled early yesterday morning.  As the day went on, they also learned that the triathlon had been cancelled, effectively ending their plans to compete in the Games.

One of my other team mates, who I have been training for the past seven months, is scheduled to compete in an event known as The Toughest Competitor Alive competition.  He actually made it out yesterday, albeit, nearly eight hours later than scheduled!  My concern is that he is now in New York, when everyone is being asked to leave...hmmm.

I will be very disappointed if my race gets cancelled...I was really looking forward to testing myself against an international field of competitors.  I will not however, be angry.  Whether I race or not, I cannot deny that I have benefited from this journey thus far.  I am in the best shape I have been in for years, I have learned that

I can push my body beyond what I thought I was capable of, and I ended up with a beautiful new bike! 

If I do race, this is most likely what it will be like!

What I (and everyone else) should be concerned about is the safety and welfare of those 65 million Americans who are being threatened by Irene.  Let's pray for their safety...and maybe throw in a little prayer that I might get to race after all!

9 Days...

Man oh man...time seemed like it was standing still for so long...but now it is just flying by! It feels odd to me that I am now at the end of my journey...a journey that has lasted roughly seven months.  I have learned a great deal during this time, some of which will, and already has made me a better coach.  I now have a greater understanding of what it takes to dedicate one's self to accomplishing a goal.  As a coach, it is easy for me to lose sight of what is really involved...the sacrifices, the pain, the sweat, and sometimes the tears.  This little journey of mine has certainly increased my awareness of what my athletes go through to get to where they aspire to be.  I am now much more empathetic...as I have experienced many of those same things...especially pain.

I began this journey with transparency, and as I wind down and approach race day, it is time once again to let each of you into my world, through the crystal clear, transparency that lies in pictures.  I did not post pictures of myself at the beginning of this journey for any reason other than accountability.  You see, by posting those pictures, I was laying it all out there for the world to see.  By now, each of you should know me well enough to understand that there was no way I was going to come up short of my goals (or at least not give it my all)...and fail in front of each of you.  So...the question remains, did I achieve my goal(s)?

The down and dirty, quick answer is NO...not completely!  I came up short on my body-fat percentage.  My goal was 10%...but I was only able to achieve (and sustain) 11.6%.  Can I live with this?  Yes...but I will still try to achieve that goal when I get back from my race.  I still believe it is possible, I just need more time.  Below I have listed my final numbers, as well as my numbers from way back when this whole thing started.  The final numbers appear in blue, while my beginning stats appear in red.

Total Body Weight:   186 lbs           194 lbs

Bodyfat Percentage: 11.6%            18.8%

       Fat Weight:          21.57 lbs        36.47 lbs 

     Lean Weight:         164.43 lbs      157.26 lbs

Total Fat Weight Loss:  14.9 lbs

Total Lean Mass Gain: 7.17 lbs

Circumference Measurements (in inches)

Chest:         41 3/4     44

Shoulders: 48           51

    Neck:     12 1/2     12 3/4

Waist:        33 1/4    35

Thigh:       22 1/2    21

Calf:         14           14

Bicep:      14 1/2     14

As you read through the numbers above, you may think that my math is off.  Looking at the total Body weight values, it appears that I lost a total of 8 pounds.  Yet when you look at the Total Fat Weight Loss, it shows that I lost almost 15 pounds.  How is that possible?  The answer lies in the total amount of lean mass I gained over my little journey...7.17 pounds.  This lean mass gain must be figured into the calculations to understand how these numbers could be derived.  When figured correctly, it shows that I lost nearly 15-pounds since the start of my training program, even though my body weight only went down by 8 pounds.  

Now for the real transparency...pictures!

THEN...January 30, 2011

YESTERDAY...August 23, 2011