2012 Season in the bag

Wow...what an amazing year!  I accomplished long term goals, traveled, met a ton of people, made some great relationships, and set some tremendous PR's.

I really had no idea that 2012 would turn out like it did.  My main, and only goal at the time, was to complete a full Ironman.  I set my sights on St. George and took on what was said to be one of the toughest races in the toughest conditions, and made it.  St. George was in May, which is pretty close to the beginning of the tri season, and I had no idea or plan of what I was going to do for the rest of the year.  It just kind of unfolded.

A few weeks before St. George I was accepted to race on team USA at the ITU cross world championship in Pelham, AL.  It fell two weeks after my Ironman but it seemed like a really neat experience so I went for it.  I was humbled by the competition, coming from completing an Ironman in the top 30% to completing an off-road tri in the back 30%.  Although I was destroyed, I was glad I did it and got a lot out of it.  I got to spend some good time with my family, travel to somewhere I've never been, race in a race that was held in the US for the first time.  I also met the owner of Breakthrough Nutrition, Clifton Duhon (who also contributed to the direction of my season).  I was wearing a BASE performance shirt when I went to pick up my packet Clif noticed the shirt and told me Breakthrough would be carrying BASE supplements in the next few weeks.

Two weeks from ITU cross was Xterra East Coast Championship.  I did this race in 2011 and it was rough, even though it's my home town.  I got an email from Paul Lieto (from BASE) and Clif asking me if I wanted to race.  Hell yeah...time to jump on the pain train for a rematch! Previous year at Xterra EC Champs I wrecked twice and blew up on the run.  This year, crushed my last time by 32 minutes!  Also, I had just started working with Bob Flanigan, owner/coach of Central Virginia Endurance, who really helped me with the mental game of this race.

After that was Age Group Nationals in Burlington, VT.  I qualified for this when I won my age group in a half iron distance race at the Outer Banks last year.  I was excited about qualifying and registered, not really thinking about what I was getting into.  This was the top 10% from all USAT races...and it was an Olympic distance. Speed is not one of my strong points, especially running, and in Olympic distance speed is important.  Still I went after it and PR'd my Olympic distance by 10 minutes.

To wrap up the season, I raced Augusta 70.3.  Goal here was to break five hours.  I had been working with Bob for three months at this time.  Even with jumping on board with Bob in the middle of my season we were able to do some, what I would consider, pretty remarkable things and it really showed in Augusta.  First of all I had a 24:33 swim.  Keep in mind we were swimming with the current but I came out of the water 25 out of 300 in my AG.  On the bike I was able to average 22.8 mph.  That's 1 - 1 1/2 mph faster than I've ever done.  Came off the bike 26 in my AG.  The run, even though my weak point, was still a tremendous improvement.  The two half iron races I did last year I ran a 2:03 half marathon in both.  This time I ran a 1:54.  Overall time 4:51:48!

The Best Journey

This year I've met tons of great people, crushed PR's, traveled to new places, and learned a ton about the sport (triathlon) and myself within it.  I've had so much help from friends and family who helped keep me motivated and supported me through all the training and races.  My friends that tolerated me bailing on get-togethers and turning in early so I could get up at 4:30 AM and train or go for 5-7 hour bike rides on the weekends.

My brother was a huge part of this year.  We literally traveled all over the country chasing after this crazy sport; as far west as Utah, north to Vermont, and south to Georgia.  Sitting in airports, 11 hour trips in the car, trying to find hotels at 10 or 11 at night, hanging out at expos for hours and repeatedly getting called "the twins."  Straight Kick Ass!!!  Just wait till we go international, BOOM!!!

Crushing PR's

So this year I made some significant leaps in my times from last year.  When you're cutting off 30+ minutes in Xterras and half iron distance races from one year to the next there has got to be reason.  Here is what I've come up with:

• Taking care of myself.  When training for St. George I was sometimes putting in 18-22 hours a week of training.  I made sure that I was eating halfway decent and getting enough sleep.  I have no problem with pushing myself, but realizing when you need to take it easy was a problem.  
• BASE performance supplements!  The multi, aminos, recovery caps and electrolyte salt was a must.  The proof is there!  The stress that I put on my body when training and to be able to get up and push just as hard the next day was definitely attributed to BASE supplements.  To be at the end of the 112 bike ride, getting ready to hit the 26.2 mile run, and your legs start to cramp so you hit the electrolyte salt and BAM, cramps gone and not another issue for the entire marathon!  
• A coach.  I'm very self motivated when it comes to training. I rarely missed a workout so that aspect of a coach was not really what I was looking for.  I wanted someone to look at my times/training and dissect my strengths/weaknesses to make me the best I could be with what I have.  I started with Bob to see how the coaching thing worked, and boy did it!  In the short four months that we worked together he helped me shave minutes off my swim, ride like a maniac, and put a decent run together (running is my weak point).  A good coach is like a therapist.  They can stand back and see the whole picture where you be focused or caught up with one part of it.  
• Another year of experience.  Augusta made triathlon #15 for me.  After finishing St. George, I went after most of the other races to "race" and not just to finish.  Going into a race with that mentality makes a big difference  

That's all I can really come up with.  Those four bullet points are the only different approaches I had from last year to this year.  I had the same bikes, I weigh the same...that's about it.

What Now?

So it's been well over a month since my last race.  My goal is to take it easy for a few months, probably till December or January.  I'm still running, biking and swimming but just at my convenience.  I just want to keep it fun and at the end of this season triathlon started to lose it's luster.
In 2013 I want to do more off road stuff.  Maybe a few endurance mountain bike races and more Xterras.  I'm also really looking hard at Leadmantri in Bend, Oregon.  A 5k swim, 223k bike and 22k run.  We'll see...

Ironman St. George v1.0

Ironman St. George is known to be one of the toughest on the circuit and this year, and it's last year as a 140.6, it definitely lived up to the hype.  I say that only through what I've heard and read about it.  Since this was my first Ironman all I can say is it was challenging.  Also, Ben Hoffman crossed the finish line at 9 hrs 7 mins for the win, almost 27 minutes slower than his last years time for 4th place, which adds a little more perspective to the difficulty of the course. On a lighter note, St. George is amazing place to visit! From the scenery to the people it's one of the best places I've been for a race-cation.
The weather forecast of around 8 MPH for race day quickly went out the window about 5 minutes into the swim.  When we made the turn at the first buoy we went from swimming in a reservoir to the middle of the ocean.  There were huge swells that ended up taking about 300 people out of the race. I was able to keep calm but was loosing sight of the buoys. I knew the course and could still see other athletes so I kept pushing along. Swim time 1:19:51, position 325 overall.

As you can see, it was a bit rough out there.

T1 was a little longer than I would have liked it to be. I felt like I couldn't get it together. My goggles had leaked on the right side and I guess because of the water my vision was blurry. I'm sure this didn't help the situation. It's awesome having the help in the transition tent. Once on the bike and heading out of Sandy Hallow park I hit the head wind that we had to fight for about 80 miles of the ride. I had pre-rode and drove the course so I knew what was in store. My main concern was my heartrate, it was way too high. It was hanging around 150 bpm. I didn't feel like it was that high but wanted to save as much juice as I could for the run so getting it down became a main focus. My nutrition went great. I had 800 cal. of GU mix in a bottle that I would mix in my aero bottle with water from aid stations. Every 30 minutes I alternated gels and bars (GU gel and Bonk Breaker bars).  The ONLY positive to the headwind is when we did the switchback to head up "the wall" that headwind turned into a tailwind.  Don't get me wrong, the wall was challenging, but there are other climbs on the course leading up to the wall that are steeper.

The overlook while climbing "the wall"

With the climbs and headwinds I watched my average speed continuously drop. The only place I felt I could make up some time was on the descend back into town. My Garmin said I hit 55 mph, awesome!
 Heading back in to T2 we had one last hill, I think it was around mile 110, which my quads started cramping. I had forgot my BASE salt at T1. Luckily I had put extra in my T2 and run special needs, just had to make it there. My bike time was 6:56:52, position 357 overall.

Snow Canyon, the descent back to St. George

T2 went a little better. I popped two capsules of BASE electrolyte salt right when I got my bag. I bought "0" size pill capsules and filled them with BASE salt, which equals one serving. This worked perfectly! I would pop one every 30 minutes on the run and had absolutely no more problems with cramps, BOOM!!! I LOVE that stuff!

Ironically the run was the easiest...well, most normal part of the race. I had mentally prepared for it to be an all out war. At the first aid station I stuffed my TRI top with sponges and just kept them soaked with ice water throughout the run. I also had on arm sleeves which I kept wet. I think this played a huge part in my run survival. My 1st mile was an 8:35 pace. I didn't keep my hopes up for that pace. My nutrition plan was similar to that on the bike with the exception of bars; gel every 30 minutes. This worked for the first 2 hours. Just before that I also stopped drinking the Ironman perform, not a fan. I felt comfortable relying on my salt to keep my sodium and electrolytes up. I switched to bananas, a few pretzels, and a bag of chomps from then on.

 On the second loop of the three loop course I grabbed a Red Bull and the rest of my BASE salt out of my special needs bag. The Red Bull was great pick up! I could feel the legs starting to go, though. Everything else was still good, just the legs. I was now around a 10 minute/mile pace. It would be around mile 22 that I would begin the "Ironman shuffle." On my last lap I started with the cola. When I made the final turnaround at the end of Diagonal St. and saw mile marker 25 the excitement hit me. I ran the last 1.2 miles for an overall finish of 12:52:53, position 299 overall and 37 in my age group. It turned out to be everything I hoped it to be. I'm glad I got to do not only one of the hardest Ironman races but some of the toughest race conditions as well. I wanted to earn every second of that race and I feel like I did. A HUGE thanks to all the volunteers! They are the people who make this all possible and the ones at StG did an exceptional job! My brother was also a huge help in the whole experience. He helped me keep my head in the game the week before, get everything in order, take pictures, and all around great support.

Some new things I tried this race was arm cooler sleeves and calf compression sleeves.  I really like the arm sleeves.  I felt they provided great UV protection and on the run I soaked them with ice water to stay cool.  I liked the calf sleeves too.  I felt they gave me a little extra support.

Thinking during a layover

So, I'm down to one week!  It feels like I just started but the 24 week program I've been following is coming to an end.  It has been such a great experience, I kind of don't want it to end.  I've had so much help and support from family and friends.  I think when its all over and I look back at this experience I will value the journey much more than the actual race.


Around three years ago I was at a Cubs game and a guy sat down in front of me with an Ironman jacket on and I thought to myself, "that is something I will NEVER be able to do." Now, with two half-iron and several other triathlons in the bag, I'm just seven days away from attempting what I thought for me was impossible.

I stuck hard to my training plan and feel like I am prepared.  Here is my mileage and time for the last 23 weeks:

• swim - 81 miles - 128 hrs
• bike - 2,972 miles - 156 hrs
• run - 478 miles - 80 hrs

The only thing I thing I skipped out on that might come back to bite me is climbing on the bike.  I should have made several trips to the Blue Ridge Mountains for rides.  I know I can do the time in the saddle, it's just going to be a war with the elevation gain.  The course is out then two loops. I plan to ride very conservative on the first loop.  I'm confident in my swim and I've just accepted the fact that the run is going to be a battle from hell...which in the twisted brain of mine excites me all the more, haha.  My brother and I are heading out a week early in which I hope to adjust to the climate, elevation and breakdown the course. 

Ironman St.George course video

Late Report on 10k & Virginia Duathlon

Had a pretty action packed weekend with a 10k on Saturday and Duathlon on Sunday.  I've been peppering my Ironman prep with races here and there to keep the training interesting and hopefully get a deeper insight on how I react in race condition.

Monument 10k

This is a great race that has blown up to over 40,000 participants.  I had a 2hr 40min run scheduled for the weekend so I tried to get all of it in by running to the start of the 10k (4.5 miles), running the 10k, running back out to mile 2.5 of the course to hang out with a group of friends and then running almost all the way home.  When I got to a little less than 2 miles from the house I decided to throw in the towel.  My brother came and picked me up.  I had around 18 miles in the bag and wanted to have a decent day Sunday so I didn't want to push it anymore.

VA Duathlon

After my bro picked me up we headed out to the Du to pickup our packets.  I almost talked him into picking them up Sunday morning before the race but am extremely glad that he was persistent about riding out there because we had a chance to drive the bike course.  After going over the bike course I almost considered riding my mountain bike!  The majority of the course was back roads and there had been road work done in several places recovered with gravel.  At least one rider, that we know of, became victim of the gravel and suffered a broken nose and concussion.

We got there Sunday morning with about 10 minutes in transition.  I am at fault for this because I feel like I was dragging my feet getting ready and loading everything that morning.  This was my Bro's first duathlon and I feel bad because he didn't get a lot of time in transition, but we got everything set up and headed over to the starting line.

I started off hot on the first 5k.  My first mile was under 7 minutes, which is fast for me.  There was one hill heading out and one heading back.  I finished up in 22:26.  I was pretty happy with T1 in 36 seconds and nailed the fly mount; still get excited when I hit it just right.  

Throughout the bike my condition varied.  I would feel fast and powerful for a few minutes and then feel drained and slow for a few.  I just felt off.  I averaged 20.5 mph and finished up in 1:04:17.  I had one Accel gel (chocolate) around 45 min into the ride.  

I felt better on the last 5k than I did on the first even though I was a little slower.  I finished the run in 23:36. Overall time of 1:51:40.  I placed 2nd in my age group (30-34) and came in 47th out of 133 males.  

The Owl Trophy

My brother did awesome for his first Du! He finished in 2:06:49.  He hasn't had a lot of time on the road bike so for him to go out and average over 18 mph is great!  Once he gets down the transition and some more time on the bike he is going to be beast!

Brother coming in to the finish!

We hung around for a bit and enjoyed the barbecue lunch they had for us.   After the awards we grabbed our stuff out of transition and loaded up.  A good ride back to Richmond sipping on BASE Performance amino mix and chit-chatting on the day's events.

Team Photo

I can't wait to do a race with a full taper!  During the duathlon and the marathon I did a few weeks ago I had to keep telling myself, "this is for training, don't blow it all out here!"  Pace is going to be everything in the Ironman so I have to stay focused on running my race and not trying to hang with the pack.  

First Marathon...Unofficial

I had been considering doing the Shamrock Marathon earlier this year as kind of a training/preparation for Ironman St. George.  With the marathon being 7 weeks before the Ironman there was a lot of concern with recovering/potential injury.  I had opted out...until last Thursday.  I was doing a group run and was talking to someone about it and they said their friend was injured and wasn't able to run and I could probably have his bib. So with a little logistics I got in touch with them and had a friend pick up the bib from the expo.  I removed the chip from the bib because I didn't want to give him a "black eye" on his race results.  he was in Coral 1, which is the speed demons.

I had a 6hr ride & 45min recovery run scheduled for Saturday and a 2hr 40min run scheduled for Sunday.  So I shaved some time off the ride (cut it back to 4hrs 15min = 75 miles) and dropped the recovery run and did a swim instead.  I figured I could add that onto the Sunday scheduled run and go for the Marathon.

Shamrock is a flat course.  Very little elevation change.  Miles 1-9 were a little rough, trying to get into a groove.  I drank a lot of fluid the night before and that morning so I had a bathroom stop somewhere around mile 8 or 9.  Before I stopped for the port-o-potty I was just ahead of the 3:45 pacer.  I was able to catch back up with them around mile 11 and stayed ahead of them till mile 16.  Miles 16 to somewhere around 19 were desolate.  No cheering crowds, no scenery, just woods on both sides of the road.  I was running with the 3:45 pacer at this point.  At mile 20 I decided to back off and the 3:45 pacer started to slowly get farther and farther away.  20-26.2 was tough.  I tried to zone out but the pain keeps you present.  If I had to describe it, it's like doing squats and the second to last rep where your legs are burning and you know you only have one more in you...take that feeling and hold it for 6 miles.  The final mile I saw my friends and that always gives you a boost.  Finish time: 3:54:48.

Nutrition and fluid I felt good.  The night/morning before I had a few bottles of BASE electrolyte salt mix and other sport drinks.  I only drank Gatorade™ on the course, one cup starting at mile 6 and then bumped up to two cups at each station around 12, no cramps.  I had a peanut butter GU™ at 50 minutes, Accel™ gel at 1:30, Carb Boom™ around 2:05, some Twizzlers™ around 2:20, Accel™ gel with 20mg caffeine and 1/2 banana at 3:00.  Around mile 24.5 there was a group of spectators handing out cups of Guinness™ so I went for it.  I have to say that was a GREAT idea!  Tasted sooo good!  After the race I picked up my checked bag where I had 4 caps of the Base Performance Recovery Activator and washed them down with a "recovery" beverage.

Best part of the race...the after-party!

I'm really glad I did the Marathon before the Ironman.  I learned a LOT about myself and what to expect in less than 7 weeks.  Conditioning wise I felt great!  The legs were gone, though.  I stayed focus on form; good turnover and good foot striking.

Still Learning - Nutrition

Wrapping up my 11th week of training.  Less than 14 left till game time.  Endurance wise everything is looking good.  I'm battling a few minor injuries but manageable.  Luckily nothing has popped, snapped, torn, or broken and I hope to keep it that way.

Gotta Eat!!!

I've been seeing Dr. Green at Active Chiropractic for the mentioned injuries, which has helped TREMENDOUSLY!  Last week I brought up nutrition on race day and in training.  He had a few minutes to spare and started asking me questions about my current nutrition; what's my eating like now,  what have I ate on the morning of other races, what do I eat on long workouts, etc.?  When I told him I got the reaction that if he was drinking something he would have spit it out or choked.  I'm not eating enough...not even close!  The question was sparked from a previous conversation I had with another endurance athlete the night before who had pretty much the same reaction as Dr. Green.  

I'm 192 lbs. on a 5' 10" frame, which is not quiet the ideal body type of a competitive triathlete.  I sometime think I should just gain the weight and go Clydesdale but I'd rather go in the other direction.  With that in mind I was highly regulating my calorie intake, somewhere around < 3000 a day, besides the occasional splurge on a bag of pretzels or anything else that was in the way when I had a mad craving.  I was starting to think that I just couldn't control my eating, not that I was literally starving myself.  Some may think 3000 calories is a good intake, if not too much, when trying to loose weight which is true in some situations.  But when you put in a three hour bike ride and burn 1800 calories (according to my Garmin with heart rate monitor) that doesn't leave you with a whole lot.  So no wonder my weight came to a screeching halt, my body was holding on to everything it could get.  The most aggravating part about all this is I know better, I just got caught up in it.

Since last Tuesday I've been eating, eating...and eating.  The goal has been 600-800 calorie breakfast, lunch and dinners with 200-300 calorie snacks before, in-between and after.  Needless to say, any urges to splurge, binge, or overindulge have been vanquished.
Also, I've found a supplement line that I'm really happy with.  BASE Performance, founded by pro triathlete Chris Lieto, has a solid line of endurance supplements.  I did a post a year ago about amino acids and supplements and experimenting with different brands.  Well, I experimented with an abundance of brands, everything from your simple one-a-day to the "beast stack" and I'm sticking with BASE.

Back in college I worked at GNC and was a certified personal trainer so I've pretty much ingested everything sold over-the-counter that is said to make you bigger, stronger, recovery faster, etc.  The majority of products in your neighborhood vitamin store is filled with the "fad" products; the magical diet pill or crazy growth stack.  There are a few tried and true  supplement companies but you got to know what to look for.  A good documentary to watch that is an eye-opener, "Bigger Stronger Faster."  My advice, before you pop a pill or slam a shake do a little research on the product and company.
I like BASE because it's geared towards endurance athletes which is scarce in the supplement world.  The amino mix has a light flavor and is easy on the stomach.  I've had some that's been like drinking over-sugared Kool-Aid and that's not what I want on or after a hard workout.  The multivitamins have everything I need and are easy on the stomach, as well.  Since I've started taking BASE I've noticed an improvement in my training, especial long workouts.  For example, on my long rides I would start dying around 2 1/2 - 3 hours, feel drained and miserable.  I put in a 4 1/2 hour ride over the weekend, increased my speed from a previous 16.4 mph pace on my last 4+ hour ride to an 18 mph pace this time and still had some left in the tank! I'm sleeping better and having more energy through the day.  All in all, good stuff!
Another line of product that I found to work for me is Honey Stinger.  On long rides, for me, I need something more than gels.  Honey Stinger has waffles which tastes awesome, gives you some substance, organic and provide the energy you need...what more can you ask for!  They also have awesome protein bars in which they use whey protein (absorbed faster by the body than other proteins).

I'm approaching my third recovery week which I plan to take full advantage of.  I have almost everything in line for my race.  My brother and I are going out a week early to hangout and acclimate to the environment/altitude.  I rented a two bedroom condo that is less than five miles from the Ironman start; how lucky is that!!!   We are flying into Vegas and driving to St. George (about two hours), cheaper.  The only thing I have left is getting my bike out there.  

140.6 or Bust

Why St. George

The 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile run has been my goal for almost two years so now it's time to do work!  I'm less than 20 weeks out from Ironman St. George.
Deciding which race to do was hard.  One thing that is crazy about Ironman events is the majority of them fill up quick (for example, Ironman New York 2012 sold out in 11 minutes).  Destination and the time of year is also a major factor.  I was thinking Arizona in November but was worried because that one sells out quick as well.  A few that don't fill up as fast are Louisville (known as the hottest race on the circuit because it's in the dead of summer), Cozumel, and St. George.  I went back and forth for a few days but finally bit the bullet and registered for St. George.  Now I'm less than 20 weeks out
St. George is said to be one of, if not, the hardest on the circuit.  The bike course will be interesting with up to 17% grades and 6000+ ft. elevation gain.  The run course is said to be THE hardest marathon, but for 2012 they have re-routed it so we'll see if it still holds the title.  One good thing is that it is one of the most beautiful courses and I'm sure I will have plenty of time to admire it over the 112 mile bike ride.

Another reason is I've always wanted to get out west so figured this would be the perfect opportunity.  St. George is also only two hours from Vegas which is great persuasion when trying to convince family and friends to come; they can drop me off, go gamble/catch a show for several hours and then come back and pick me up.

Preparation

Ironman St. George is scheduled to take place May 5th, which means winter training and the holidays.  I did Orlando 70.3 last May so I figured I could handle the winter training again even though I'm starting six weeks earlier.  Another one of my concerns is the elevation.  Richmond, VA is around 160 ft and St. George is around 2,600 ft. and the bike course goes up to 4,100 ft.  The only thing I can think to do is make a few weekend trips to the Blue Ridge Parkway for rides and runs.  I am also going to try and fly out to St. George the weekend before the race to adjust.
I picked up Matt Fitzgerald's "Essential Week-by-Week Training Guide" to develop my training plan.  In it are 10 levels of training plans for the full distance, from beginner to pro.  I am going to attempt to follow level 9 which consist of 11 workouts a week, putting in between 15-22 hours.  Seems a bit excessive but I figure I will miss a few workouts here and there so if I shoot for insane and fall short it will still be crazy.  I've learned to squeeze out every second of opportunity to get in my training so I think it will be manageable.

Where I'm at Now

Currently in my fifth week of training.  The first couple of weeks were a bit challenging, just as much mentally as physically.  I've only been out of triathlon training since the end of September but it was crazy how much I lost.  I was still running, lifting, and an occasional swim or bike.  The volume of training is just what dropped off, and I felt it!  But now I'm starting to get back in the swing of things.  I've been very fortunate so far with the awesome weather.  It's been perfect for running.
I've been doing all my bike workouts on the trainer because it saves time and it's almost dark when I get off work.  I don't mind doing the workouts on the trainer, actually kind of prefer it to riding outdoors.  You don't have to worry about getting run over or flat tires.
The holidays are a stressful time for most people and for me they have become a bit more cumbersome than I had anticipated.  Buying presents, traveling, planning time to meeting up with family and friends are all things I can usually manage but trying to do that and plug in 2+ hours of training a day is pushing it.  As much as I would like to curl up in a little ball of self-centered narcissism I know it's not the time.  It's really not as bad as I make it out to be.  Any stress that I do have I bring on myself.  Just need to quit sniveling and man up.  But that's my only gripe so I think I have it pretty good right now.

My Bro

Another thing I'm really excited about is my brother showing interest in triathlons.  He wants to complete a Half Ironman in 2012, think he's shooting for one in September.  He's currently following an Olympic training plan to get the feel of things.  I know it seems ambitious to shoot for a half your first year in triathlons but he's got tremendous drive and commitment so I think its definitely possible.

It's awesome working out with him because I get to seem him improve and I know how good that feels.  He's going through the obsessed stage where it's all you talk about, think about and want to do.  It's good to be around that because I feel like it gives me a little extra kick.  Plus he has lost over 40 pounds and is eating better.  

His biggest adversity is his job; he works on the railroad.  He works a lot of long hours and has to travel every so often.  Yet, he squeezes in every workout he can.  I'm super proud of him and plan on doing everything I can to help him reach his goal.  

Brother & I before 8k