It's ON!!!!

This is it!! I am officially signed up for Ironman Florida 2010!!! On November 6th, 2010 I will run into the gulf with nearly 2800 other poor souls (at the same time) in an attempt to become an Ironman and live up to the effort my youngest makes just to get through a normal day. I'm also finally signed up for the Janus Charity Challenge. I''m really excited about all of this. I'm planning on doing some extra fund raising over the next year as well as asking for some support from local business', friends and family. You can check out the donation page here Click here. Any and all donations are welcome, no matter how small or how big they ALL help!! Picture on the left is Quinn and Cody chillin' at McDonalds.
For a really detailed look at what I'm doing please read the other posts on this blog!! There is a ton of info in there and it really sums up what this experience is all about. 
As most of you know already my son Cody was born without the part of the brain that connects the left and right halves. It's called the corpus callosum. I'm doing this Ironman to raise money for the only organization that is studying and helping those born with this disorder, The National Organization for Disorders of the Corpus Callosum (NODCC). They hold conferences and help family's and individuals make the adjustments and get the education they need to get the most out of life with the disorder.
Cody is doing great!!! I just attended an awards assembly at the boys elementary. Cody got an award for perfect attendance and his brother, Quinn received Principals Honor Roll and perfect attendance. Cody literally ran to the stage to get his award!! He was soooo excited! Needless to say I'm a very proud Dad!!


The theme for this Ironman dream of mine is "20X". When we went to see one of the docs that deal with the mind, she informed Knikie and I that Cody works about twenty times harder just to get through a normal day, than the average kid his age. So my effort on the day of the Ironman might come close to 20x the effort that I put in for a normal day. So "20X" stands for doing everything for the next year with twenty times the effort, twenty times the donations, twenty times the smiles, twenty times the determination, twenty times the work and twenty times the fun.   20X!!!

For those that have been following the blog you have been waiting on the announcement of my "secret weapon". Well it comes in the form of Michelle Tovar. Michelle will be my Coach starting in January and going through November. I'm very lucky to have her on my team.  She is a teacher and a graduate of Florida Atlantic University. Perhaps most importantly Michelle is an Ironman. Welcome aboard Michelle!! Michelle's husband, Andres will be attempting his first Ironman with me as well. So I get a great Coach and training partner all in one. Both are exceptional people and athletes and I look forward to a great year with them!!!! The picture to the left is of Andres and Michelle this year at Half-Ironman Longhorn in Texas!! 

Finally, I wanted to sum up with my volunteer experience at Ironman Florida this year. For those of you who didn't know about the only way to get into this race is to volunteer for the race and then they hold a spot for you in next years event. So a group of five of us made the eight hour drive to Panama City early on a Friday morning. The five of us together made for what I would call a bad episode of the odd couple. There is Peter Weiler a Financial Advisor here in Stuart, five time Boston Marathoner and a triathlete. Pete's close friend Mike Renfro, a Graphic Design artist and triathlete. Jeff Maher a former punk rock star, A/C installer,aspiring Fireman and Paramedic and triathlete. Tommy Allore, Nutritionist with Herbalife, Licensed Poker Dealer and triathlete. And of course me, Electronic Engineering Specialist and triathlete. Everyone, but Jeff would be signing up for Ironman next year. Jeff has to go to college next year to finish up his degree for the firefighting stuff, so that means not enough time. 

We went down early to watch the start of the race on Saturday morning. 2800 or so people running into the water at the same time is quite an intimidating site. We were all in awe. Mike was assigned to wet suit stripping as his volunteer slot. Basically he helped the athletes get out of their wet suits as they came out of the water after the 2.4 mile swim. He said it was great and really a good motivator. Jeff and Pete were assigned to the transition area. They helped the athletes find their bikes on the rack and get their gear in order. They also caught the bikes when the athletes returned from the 112 mile bike ride and again helped them with their gear. Tommy and I were lucky enough to be finish line catchers. Our time slot was perfect as we got to see all of the winners cross the line. I was really surprised when the sixth place male crossed the line and promptly went down. With a little prompting from our friend Andres (yes he was there too) we went over and picked him up and helped him back to the medical tent. He was the first of many people we would have to help back to the medical tent. Most everyone who crossed that finish line looked great when they crossed it. About four or five steps later they didn't look so great. It's amazing how far you mind can push your body, but when your mind quits pushing your body is ready to rest. Sometimes, it rests immediately and without warning.  The picture on the left is of my arm with the coveted Ironman volunteer bracelet that holds your place for the following year.
We went and got some dinner and some rest then returned to the finish line around 11pm to see the last finisher. You see it's a big deal in Ironman. You only have 17 hours to go the 140.6 miles. That 17 hours ends at midnight. Being the last finisher is almost an honor. We were all there when she came in at 16hrs 59min and 48 sec. It was very emotional and very fun to watch!
Overall it was one of the most motivating and fun times in my life. I couldn't believe that such a mix match of guys and personality's would have so much fun. Training with these 4 guys is going to be one of the highlights of this whole experience. I can't tell you how great it is to be teamed up with them all.




So with all of that said, lets get to work..............