Muncie Ironman 70.3 Race Recap

Wow!  Where to begin.  First off, while I do hope you find my recaps entertaining, please keep in mind that I do this primarily for my own recollection to reread in advance of my next attempt (or to talk myself out of doing something so crazy again), but lets start with the race prep.

As many of you know, my amazing wife is the director of volunteers for this race, and while she puts hours upon hours of work into this race well in advance of race week, the days leading up to the race are her biggest hands-on responsibility.  For this reason, I took Thursday and Friday off of work.  This allowed me to spend time with the kids "relaxing" while Molly took care of business at the expo and race site.

Thursday we went to get my bike fixed (broken pedal), lunch out (Fazoli's) and to see a movie (Monsters University), and just hung out most of the day relaxing before I went and helped Molly at the Volunteer Captains Meeting.  While Friday was spent relaxing by the pool, hitting the expo, dropping off the bike at transition, and carb loading at Olive Garden.  We really had a fun couple of days together.






RACE DAY
Molly had the alarm set for a time that started with a 3 and reset it when she left for a time that started with a 4 (ugh).  Baby sitter arrived at 4:40 and a granola bar and Gatorade later I was out the door to pick up a pro from her homestay.  Had a nice chat on the way out, wished each other well, and worked on my set up.  The swim was declared wetsuit legal with a water temp of just under 76 degrees.  The air temp was around 61 at race start, so most opted for the wetsuit, including myself.  Setup was uneventful and I saw very few people that I know, so I just did my own thing.  This included going to the bathroom at least 3 times, and wading in the water before the pro start.

Once the pros were off, I got a real warmup swim in, and worked my way back to the start area.  Pete and Amy (and dozens of other friends) are volunteering today and were the first to find me waiting in my swim wave before Molly came over and wished me well with a kiss.  Once through the arch and ankle deep in the water the announcer took a moment to thank so and so from somewhere for being a firefighter, police officer, in the army, in the navy, being physically challenged, etc., and then he asks "Where's Christopher Day", as I raise my hand he tells the story of how I'd lost 100 pounds training for last year's race only to be denied the opportunity with the shortened distance, and had to complete Steelhead 70.3 to meet my goal, but was back for more this year.

SWIM
The gun is off, and so are the 80 or so yellow caps, men age 35-39 last name A-K (ah, the joys of being in the largest age group) - I find a pretty good stride for about 5 strokes before I get bonked on the side, kicked in the arm, ankle grabbed, etc.  This goes on for a good 150-200 meters before it spreads out enough to get into a real good rhythm.  Head down, and moving well, it is about 900 meters across the lake to the furthest buoy, and I felt strong even as the age group (35-39, L-Z) leaders behind me caught up already and zipped by.  I was passing different colored swim caps as well by now, so didn't mind, but the traffic and congestion at the turn buoy was tight.  Swimming parallel with the opposite shoreline for about 300 meters is pretty easy with no current to deal with and it seems to go by pretty quick.  But as we make the turn to head back to the beach, the sun is IN YOUR EYES and blinding to the point that you can barely see the hand in front of your face.  It is at this point, that I'm sure I began weaving left and right and probably causing more contact with others than I should have, but most were very nice and even apologized like it was their fault.  I counted down the buoys and found that my stroke count was pretty consistent between buoys, and when I finally hit the beach, I could not believe my watch - 40:54 - That is almost 5 minutes faster than I was expecting, and a sure sign that the wetsuit helps me be faster.

T1 - Volunteer surprise of the day as I was coming up the swim chute - wetsuit strippers!  The Muncie Central Football team was smiling and anxious to rip that wetsuit off me, so as I got it to the hips I made eye contact with a couple and said "you ready?" which they lit up smiling and got in a ready position.  I dropped to my bottom and rocked onto my back as they simultaneously grabbed it at the hips and YANKED - that sucker popped right off in less than 1 second!  I sprung up and they threw it at me and I was running to my bike!  Awesome!
Once at the top of the hill, Molly was waiting for me (smile) and I made the long jog to my bike.  I had a little trouble getting my tri top on, but once I got my socks and bike shoes on, I was ready to roll 3:53 later.







BIKE
Once I was clipped in I was taking inventory of how I felt and was surprised how relaxed I was.  On one hand it made me want to push the bike early a bit, but ultimately decided to stick to the plan and be smooth and strong as long as possible.  Working our way out of the PCR area and out onto 35 is a pretty easy mostly downhill ride and mostly on smooth roads, but once you hit the highway it is like a drag strip.  It is so wide and bikes are coming by me like I'm standing still!  Large majority are on aero bars and catching much less wind than I am, but I'm comfortable with my pace, and sticking to the plan.  Once we get off the highway we enter a controversial new area where the road is not in good shape and is very narrow, so much so that for 3/4 of a mile it is a NON PASSING ZONE!  Um, isn't this a RACE?  Needless to say none were too happy about this, and were not willing to stay in line stuck behind someone going slower than they could, and ultimately many folks pulled out and passed (illegally).  I took the high road and opted to use this time to drink more and eat more.  Speaking of eating, my nutrition was spot on all day with one exception - I forgot to bring my Payday candy bar. I normally eat half of it at hour 1 and hour 2 on the bike, but I did have an extra granola bar in the bag, so I split it up and substituted it.  It was messy but it did the trick.
Once off this stretch of road, it doesn't get much better as the country roads are still very bumpy to the turnaround.  I averaged 18.36 mph on the first 28 miles out.  Coming back was the exact same situation in reverse.  Bumpy roads.  No passing, and super fast highway!  And I enjoyed the tailwind as well!  The first OOPS of the day came as I grabbed a bottle of water at the last aid station (roughly mile 43 I think?) and with one good drink, I DROPPED IT...and to make matters worse, the other bottle I was carrying was empty!  Therefore NO FLUIDS for me that last 13 miles coming in!  I was freaking out and of course like anything that you don't have, your mind decides that you want it that much more!  There's a pretty good climb at mile 52-53 that I dropped into my easiest gear to grind it out, but didn't burn up the legs too bad, and by the time I reached the dismount line, I actually negative split the bike by averaging 18.64 mph coming in (thank you tail wind) Total bike time was 3:01:37 and while I really wanted to go under 3 hours, I'm still faster than I was in Steelhead, so I'll take it!

T2
Jogging into transition and have another Molly sighting (that girl is everywhere) she asks how I'm doing so I reply honestly "I've been better".  And it's not just because of my legs...but it's because I've had to pee for the last two hours!  (ironic given the lack of fluids I've had the last 30 minutes) I refused to pee on myself during the bike (even I have standards), but once I changed my shoes and exchanged the helmet for the visor, I lucked into an open portapot in transition - Have you seen the Austin Powers movie where he pees, and pees, and pees (click to view)...yeah, it was like that!  3:13 later (:45 of which was spent in the bathroom) I'm on my way (lighter than ever)




RUN
I can not tell you how or why, but I felt AMAZING coming out on the run.  Maybe too good!  My first mile was a 9:35 and my legs felt surprisingly fresh, but I also knew there was no way I could hold that pace.  Aid station 1 was my favorite.  The big sign said "soak city" and the dude with the hose was waiting on us!  Amy was handing out water there (no clue how she got there), and Pete was tooling around in a gator for athlete support.  Pete spotted me and slammed the gator into park and bum-rushed me with a high-five.  Said I looked strong, and I felt strong clocking a 10:21 second mile.  As I climbed the hill to the turn near mile 3, I took my first walking steps up the hill and as I gutted out a 10:50 third mile.  The back was aching and the hamstrings were tightening, and I knew it was time to put race strategy into play early.  The plan was to walk the aid stations, and walk the uphills, but this was not supposed to start until the run back at mile 7, but I knew it needed to start now.  I was taking lots of fluids and ice as the heat was really turning up at this point it's going on noon and the sun is baking me!  I used a combination of counting cones (run 2 walk 1, run 3 walk 1 - thanks Pete) and forcing myself to run hard on the downhills.  I know at this point that with 10 miles to go, a 12:00 pace will take me 2 hours and the math tells me it will be a PR.  So, I used the Garmin setting on my watch that told me what the pace on my current mile was and committed to running EVERY time it showed my pace was over 12:00 and allowed myself to walk EVERY time it showed my pace under 11:30 - Check out how consistent the results were due to this on miles 4-11:  11:51, 11:56, 11:50, 11:36, 11:30, 11:23, 11:22, 11:47 - At this point I have ran the most strategic race I know how and when I finally find Pete again, he repeats himself with how strong I look.  I decide that I can run more than walk, and really push myself for a strong finish.  I know that I will PR and now I just want to crush it.  Mile 12 was 11:13 and mile 13 was a 10:57, and of course I find it in me for a sprint finish for a half marathon time of 2:26:33 - ahead of my goal, and faster than Steelhead last year!


POSTRACE
I'm anxious to see the official post race photos as I think I was smiling pumping my fist, but was really so delirious I can't be sure.  As I find my wife in the crowd for my post race hug and kiss, she turns and points to....MY PARENTS.... SURPRISE.... SHOCK... AWE... and TEARS!  You have to understand, my parents have NEVER seen me finish an endurance event.  They've never been to a marathon or half marathon, let alone an Ironman event, and to my surprise, they greeted me at the finish line (more tears)  In truth, I broke down, but think I was too dehydrated to actually produce a tear.  Lots of hugs and kisses (even as disgusting as I was in that moment).  I'm struggling to stay on my feet.  I know I have blisters.  I know how bad my back hurts.  I know if I don't keep moving the hamstrings will tighten quickly and the rest of the day will be miserable, so we waddle around together and make our way to the food tent.  Finally able to meet up with others I was anxious to hear how everyone else's day went.  Many had great days.  First time finishers, Personal bests, and joyous reports all around.  While others didn't have good days.  Injuries, DNFs, and unfortunate confrontations that will leave lasting scars.

The results compare very favorably to Steelhead from a year ago.  I have no complaints about the day at all.  None.


Volunteers were amazing. 
My friends and family were amazing.  And now we have just 6 weeks left to push on to the full distance.  Many have said that when you finish 70.3 you will think to yourself how will I ever go 140.6 - I can honestly say I'm not thinking that way.  It will be an incredibly long hard day, but today was the confidence builder I needed.  My fitness level is high but my determination is higher.

MUNCIE 70.3 PRERACE THOUGHTS, REFLECTION AND THANKS

Less than 48 hours and I will be stroking my way through the 1.2 mile swim course at Prairie Creek Reservoir on my way to my second 70.3 finish line!  Hard to believe it is here already.  The road to get here has been swift but challenging.  There is a bigger picture this year as I prepare for Ironman Louisville in just 6 more weeks!

These are the times I like to reflect.  While I know my way around this course well, I really am not a veteran of the sport.  Having done my first sprint tri in September 2010 at PCR, I was not the first in this house to do this.  In fact my experience with Muncie goes back to the 2010 Muncie Endurathon when MY WIFE decided to compete in her first Sprint Triathlon!  Then the sprint distance was offered and for some reason my crazy wife decided to take the challenge.  Seriously - if you've not seen the pictures from this, you HAVE TO CHECK IT OUT HERE !!  That next day Morgan was so inspired that she did the kids triathlon as well, meaning I was the THIRD person in my home to do a triathlon...and thus began a family addiction like no other.

We believe it was God's timing that put Molly in that race in 2010 that gave her the experience; coupled with our reconnection to the Siefert family at church that allowed her to meet their son-in-law, Brian Myrick, who would become the race director in 2011 when the Muncie 70.3 race would become an official Ironman branded race.  This lead to her current position as the Volunteer Director for Ironman Muncie 70.3.  In 2011 the sprint distance was offered for the final time and it was my turn to give it a go.  As I read back over my original blog from that day, it makes me laugh a little as I remember how nervous I was for a sprint distance, but I never imagined crossing that "Ironman" finish line would lead to the things that are soon to come in both Muncie and beyond!

I knew that 2012 was my year to go after 70.3, and there was no better place to do it than in Muncie with my friends and family surrounding me.  As I read back over the race recap from last year I am reminded of the pain and disappointment I felt as the race was shortened due to the excessive heat, but also how proud I was of being so strong in the race itself.  It was truly a great day even though we were not permitted to race the full distance. 



Ironman made the offer to race a different 70.3 and so I was able to fulfill that goal just a month later at Steelhead in Michigan.  I have read the race report from Steelhead a couple times this week and am convinced that I am so much stronger this year if I can just have the kind of day that I know I can have!

So what will this year's finisher picture look like?  Smiles?  Pain?  Fist pump?  Cartwheel?  We will soon find out, and I hope many of you are there to see it happen live!

Thanks to all my friends and family who support my every stroke, crank and stride.  I couldn't do it without your support.  Thanks to my sponsor Chocolate Milk and my coach Justin Roeder who pushes me daily to be the best I can be!

It's almost go time...until then I will relax, reflect and smile!

The stress of being stressed

If you're a regular follower of this blog and you've been wondering where I've been for the last 4 weeks, I have no one to blame but myself, but I do hope you'll forgive me.

Since my last post, the Olympic distance at PCR, I have logged a tremendous amount of training miles and hours.  The workouts have been long and arduous and extremely focused on the drills and distances being asked of me.

Making things even more complicated has been the ongoing planning of the race that I am a co-director of, the Four for the Fourth which took place yesterday, and went off without a hitch. 

Now we have just one week left until Muncie 70.3, and as you can imagine with my wife being the director of volunteers, the stress has shifted in our home from his to hers.  She has done an amazing job thus far, and I'm sure it will all be fine.

That's not to say that I won't be dealing with my own stress as I am obviously racing this weekend, and REALLY want to do well!

I can see a bit of a light near the end of the tunnel as we are taking our summer vacation following the race in Destin, however, there will be a fair amount of training going on while we are away. 

So that's what's up....

"Olympic Medalists"

Yes, it's true, I have not updated the blog since May 12.  This is quite an absence for me, but honestly it's because I've been busy...training!  The first big announcement was that I hired a coach, and not just any coach, an Olympic Hopeful!  Justin Roeder is stationed at the Olympic Training center where he trains to make his bid for the 2016 Olympics!  He is from the Indianpolis area, and is a Butler graduate.  His impressive resume as an athlete is inspiring in itself, but I had a feeling working with him was going to provide the necessary guidance and accountability that I desperately need to get me to the finish line in Louisville in August!
We began working together on May 20 with him uploading workouts for me.  And I can honestly say that I have not missed a single workout since we began working together!  Is it paying off?  Check this out...
Yesterday was the June Muncie Olympic Distance Triathlon at Prairie Creek.  Many of you may remember reading the Race Report from May where I vented about my performance, and said I believed I could go under 3 hours.  SPOILER ALERT:  I CAN!
The day was about as perfect as you could ask for in terms of weather.  Wetsuit swim.  Upper 50s Low 60s at the start, overcast, but sunny with mostly calm winds.  The water was 69 and felt great.  My swim was unlike any other.  Only a little trouble sighting coming in.  Best T1 I've ever had.  The bike was SICK!  I was over 20mph on the first lap, and had the HR way up!  Couldn't hold it the second lap, but still averaged 19.6 for the bike!  Over 3 minutes faster than I've ever been!  Best T2 I've ever had.  The run started off flying at 9:10-9:20 for the first 3 miles, and then my 170+ HR just couldn't take anymore.  I took my first walking steps and held on for a 10 minute average pace run.  And here are the results and comparisons from my previous attempts

Making the day EXTRA special, was spending the entire race with my family!  Morgan and Emma both completed their first 5k, and my Uncle James brought my cousin Haley who ended up first overall female in the 5k!  Here are a few pictures from the day!  Everybody got a medal, and we all earned it!

Muncie May Olympic Tri Race Report

Let's just start with the weather!
Thursday's high was mid 70s.  Friday's high was upper 60s.  The water temperature on Friday was 69.
Rain overnight and overnight lows in the 40s = Saturday water temperature at 61.7 with air temperature of 48 degrees!
Now most people would have turned around and gone home - no, actually most people wouldn't even sign up to torture their body like this on a normal Saturday!  But I'm not most people, and race day is no normal Saturday!
With a sold out race, the lines were long, and with many people still in line at 7:30, the race was officially delayed 30 minutes to not start until 8:30.  It certainly couldn't be because of the temperatures, so I figure the fog on the water was only possible rationale.
Nonetheless, 8:30 comes and the elites are off, followed by the sprint tri athletes and I didn't hit the water until 9:00.  When my face hit the water it was a bit of a shock to the system, but honestly, swimming was pretty good for my body temperature!  Afterall, the water was warmer than the air, so everything was going well.  It was certainly not the swim I had hoped for, but I never felt bad, I just never had that "fire in the belly".  When I hit the beach, my watch was 34:16 at the mat.
Transition is a good jog up the hill, and stripping the wetsuit was not easy.  Once I reached T1, I took my time stripping and layering up with warm dry clothes, the most important of which was my new REFUEL windbreaker jacket.  Spent way too long in transition, nearly 4 minutes.
Once on the bike, I just could not get comfortable, took a gel, and drank some water, but my hands were freezing.  My trisuit was still wet and drying in the wind, so there was nothing I could do to gain warmth.  I was pedaling, but just couldn't push.  I think Chuck beat me out of the water, and I beat him out of T1, but he caught me by mile 3 of the bike, and was out of my sight by mile 7.  After one lap, I was ready to be done, but quitting was not an option today.  I don't think I had a single mile over 20 mph, and the wind seemed to pick up on lap 2.  I'm also convinced that my great looking windbreaker was acting more like a parachute.  It was anything but aerodynamic, but it was keeping me warm!  I developed some pain in my lower back late in the ride, but nothing I couldn't work through.  The bigger issue was frozen and numb feet!  As I dismounted and started to head to T2, I could feel nothing in my shoes!  My bike was a sad 1:29 which is only 17.3 mph average.  Not even close to where I was at this time last year.
T2 wasn't terrible, but again, as I jogged out I couldn't believe how painful my feet felt!  Once on the road, I just wanted to run the first mile.  As I climbed a little hill to the first aid station at mile 1 I caught a guy who had stopped to retie his shoe.  When he popped up he was right with me and we were running the same pace.  So Phil from Indianapolis who is in the medical device sales field and I ran together through mile 4 when I finally had to let him go as my quads were locking up like never before.  I could finally feel all of my toes around the turnaround aid station, and even though the legs were telling me to quit, I was determined to run through it...and I did!  My first sub 10 pace on the run - 1:01:44. I could not be more excited to finish the run without walking.  Maybe it was because I didn't spend as much energy on the bike as I formally had, but I'll take it.

So now comes the analysis.  And it's pretty simple.  Spend more time on the bike, and attack the heck out of this course next month.  I really think I have a sub 3 hour in me, but it's going to take 3 straight hours of 100% commitment!  See you next month!

An evening with Jillian and Danni

How did we get here?  That's the question that I continue to laugh at.  Sure we took 69 North to Marion, but it's much deeper than that.

Last evening, Molly and I had the EXTREME pleasure of being Danni Allen's invited guests to the Jillian Michaels Maximize Your Life tour stop in Wabash, Indiana.

The show was nothing short of "life changing" for both Molly and I - and not just in terms of weight loss, but in terms of LIFE!  The show is broad, mature, and REAL.  If you're not ready for the truth, then stay home!

The show is broken into three parts.  Science, Sweat, and Self - or - Food, Exercise, and Life!

Each segment starts with an intense video - the music is loud - the crowd is not.  It is very much a lecture type of atmosphere.  Molly took notes throughout.  Jillian is...Jillian.  There's only one of her, and what you see is what you get.  She tells it like it is, no matter what you may think of it.

The show opens with her saying, here is the secret to success - wait for it - Eat Less.  Move More.  Simple right?  As she says, "...and you continue to pay me money to tell you that!  I don't get it!?!  But thanks!"
The science is simple, and it's what we all know.  Burn more than you eat.  Within food, we talked about counting calories (how cutting edge is that-ha) We took a hard look at specific foods, food groups, pros and cons, what and when and how often (what did you think I was going to share all the secrets here)

The Exercise part was great for me.  Cardio vs Strength - Both are critical.  Do you know your BMR (not to be confused with your BMI) - if not, google BMR calculator and find out!  Mine is higher than I expected.  But then you can increase that number from 10-30% based on what you do throughout the day (I sit at a desk, so I get a 10% bump) - For years, I've told you to use myfitnesspal because IT DOES THIS FOR YOU!

After intermission, we talked about Self.  I was surprised how much I got out of this, but as we got into the psychology of who we are, what we are, and WHY we are, I found myself hanging on every word of the quasi live version of a self help audio book.

When it was done, it was done - OVER 2 HOURS LATER!  It flew by though!  But the fun was just beginning.

Danni hooked us up with VIP tickets for the after show Q&A meet and greet.  Our orange wristbands got us into the basement with about 100 others who fought for a close seat and waited on Jillian AND Danni!   Yay, Danni was there!  And as the Q&A began, I was fortunate to have my question picked to come forward and ask.

As I approached the mic, I caught her eye, and we smiled and waved.  And in my most smitten child-like voice I said, "Hi Danni" and she laughed and said "Hi Chris", then I said "This is cool - I'm talking to Jillian Michaels and Danni Allen" which drew a laugh from the crowd.  I told Jillian that I learned tonight that it really was okay to be proud of myself, and so I was happy to share that I had lost over 100 pounds which drew a nice applause, but ultimately my question was "As an endurance athlete, training for an Ironman, I just eat and eat and eat, but I'm burning it, however the weight has stopped coming off, and I know I have more to lose - should I expect my body to stop dropping weight because of the extreme cardio, or is the only way to get more off to add the strength training"  I loved her answer - in typical Jillian fashion "Oh honey, I can tell by looking at you that you might have a few vanity pounds to lose, but you don't need to lose any more" - I smiled and said "thanks, but..." and then she interrupted "Do the math!  BMR + burn - calories"  She asked if I had an arm band and I said we had tried the BodyBugg, but no, I counted on my Garmin for the calorie burn count, too which she said are you sure you're eating enough calories and my wife chimed in from across the chairs "YES" - she again said "Do the math, and make sure your deficit is no more than 1000 calories on your big burn days"  I'll take that along with everything else I learned tonight and put it to the test.

I returned to my seat and enjoyed the next 30-40 minutes of questions, and when it was done, Danni hopped out of her seat and bolted right for me with the biggest hug and thanks for coming!  Seriously!  I couldn't thank her enough!  And finally released her into the waiting arms of my wife who gave her an equally big hug, while I grabbed my phone and captured this moment!  We just stood and smiled and continued to say thanks until it seemed awkward that others were standing around us waiting they're turn to meet her while we were hogging her all to ourselves!  I promised her we'd see each other again, and we agreed to continue to keep in touch.


Jillian was surrounded by the masses, posing for photos, and signing autographs!  Someone had a strange request for her to yell "Get your ass back in the gym...and move your ass" and I almost caught the whole thing on video.

As security pulled her away to exit, she graciously continued allowing pictures to be taken, and I was brave enough to jump in and get mine taken with her.  When she was gone, Danni remained with many others, and as much as we wanted to hang out and chat more, it was going on 11:15 pm, and we had an hour drive home, so we headed out.




We talked the whole way home, and learned a lot about ourselves, and each other.  Our habits, our likes, and things that just never have come up in day to day conversation were meaningful to both of us.  This carried on until our heads hit the pillows, and this morning we picked right back up.  The VIP package included a 4 week free trial of Jillian's program off her website, and Molly had it downloaded and installed before 8 a.m.!

I tossed and turned and even smiled as I lay in bed last night thinking "how did I get here?".  Jillian kept talking about "what is your why" Why am I doing this.  Why was I fat?  Why did I change?  Why do I continue?  I know the answers to each, but that's another post.  I chose tonight to focus on the How.  So how DID I get here?

Well in a reverse chronological relational sense...I got to hang out with Jillian and Danni tonight because I got to meet Danni in Nashville.  I got to meet Danni in Nashville because I won a contest through Rock N Roll races.  I won a contest through RnR races by being registered for the Nashville Half.  I signed up for the Nashville Half because I was sponsored to do so by Team Refuel and Got Chocolate Milk.  I was sponsored by Team Refuel and Got Chocolate Milk because I shot a video at the Vegas RnR Expo (and because you voted for me, thanks!) I shot a video at the Vegas RnR Expo because I was signed up for the Vegas RnR half.  I was signed up for the Vegas RnR half because Pete and Amy encouraged me to do so.  Pete and Amy encouraged me to do so because of the impact I've had on their lives.  I've had an impact on their lives because I helped get them active by being active myself.  I got active myself because... well, because I wanted a better me!  Danni said it in Nashville, "Be the best you that you can be because there is only one you" and I can tell after tonight that she learned that from Jillian who preached the same message. 

I continue to be blessed with amazing opportunities as a result of my efforts.  I had let my foot off the gas a little over the winter months, and tonight was the perfect reminder of why I want to maximize my life!

THE ARTIFICIAL DIET

I was approached by a college journalism student to be the subject of her final project for the semester.  This is the article she produced.  Thanks Victoria Davis for the opportunity to share my story with you.  It is impressive how much detail you got from our short conversations.  Hope you got an A!


THE ARTIFICIAL DIET

At Jos.A.Bank men’s apparel store at Hamilton Commons in Noblesville, Ind., Chris Day begins to try on a new three-piece suit. In the reflection of the mirror, Day sees a man who stands tall and for the first time in a while, sees someone different. His clothes actually fit, and they are no longer swallowing his figure. Two of his close friends noticed recently that Day’s clothes were massive in comparison to his body. His clothes were so big that they could be wrapped around him. The two offered to take him shopping to upgrade his look. That afternoon, Day walked out of the store with two brand-new full suits. Down 70 pounds after following a vigorous workout routine, Day was suddenly struck by reality. “At that moment I realized that the change I had made was significant. The way that I felt when I put on the suit and when I looked at myself in the mirror I felt like a whole new man. It created a realization for me,” says Day. He continues to thank his two friends till this day, not for the money, but for the experience.

Since 2010 Day has shed more than 100 pounds and with his dedication he has earned himself a sponsorship through a chocolate milk company by the name of Refuel.  “I am very driven by goals that seem impossible,” says Day. In 2010, Day weighed over 300 pounds and quickly realized that he wanted a different lifestyle for himself. Since then, Day has completed a half Ironman triathlon this past July, which included a 1.2 mile swim, 56 miles of biking and a 13.1 mile run. Day is now training for a full Ironman competition this summer in Louisville, KY. For training purposes and weight management, Day continues to compete in local 5K races frequently with his family and friends.

In the Day household he is nicknamed the “human garbage disposal” because he usually eats all of the leftover food. “In our family we don’t believe in wasting food,” says Day. It all started at one specific dinner setting when Day’s five-year-old daughter said to him, “Is that what made your tummy so fat?” The same evening, she proceeded to drum and tap on Day’s stomach and chant “Daddy’s belly, daddy’s belly.” This was a moment that has changed Day’s life. “I was beginning to run out of excuses,” says Day.

Formerly a high school band director and now a financial advisor at Edward Jones in Yorktown, Ind., Day’s career choices have played a role in his weight management. In high school and college, Day was always very active in sports and other physical activities. Once he became married and began having children was the same time that he began working at Edward Jones. Going from being on his feet all day as a teacher to sitting at a desk in the office contributed to Day’s weight gain. In 2007, once his son was born, Day and his wife, Molly, decided to change to a different lifestyle. “One night, I was sitting on the couch and I began looking at fitness websites,” says Day. “That was the night that I decided that I wanted to run a marathon.” Little did Day know, a resource that would later contribute to his weight loss was right around the corner.  A YMCA was built less than a mile away from his home was where it all started. “It was hard being the fattest guy in the room at the Y and it was really difficult to remind myself that I was there for myself and not anyone else.  When I looked around the room everyone was just so fit, but it was just more in my head than anything,” says Day. Starting off small, Day implemented a fitness plan. He started by running for 90 seconds, then walking for a few minutes and soon starting the process over again. “I couldn’t even walk ten minutes without feeling winded, so it took a while to build everything up,” says Day.

Standing at about 6 feet, Day now weighs in at about 205 pounds and plans to lose more weight through triathlon trainings. “I began using an app called My Fitness Pal and begin holding myself accountable. The great thing about that app is you don’t feel handcuffed to fit a special diet,” says Day. He currently exercises every day for an hour to an hour and a half. His workouts usually consist of running several miles around his neighborhood with the range of miles varying by day. With the use of technology, such as the My Fitness Pal application and Day’s Garmen wrist watch he is able to track his progress easily. On some days Day may run four miles, while the next day he may spend three to four hours running 16 miles. The Garmen wrist watch is a GPS training wrist watch used by many athletes. “I am very analytical when it comes to tracking my progress, and the data is really important to me,” says Day as he pulls up various charts on his computer.

Although Day didn’t used to have a lot of confidence, now he feels a great sense of accomplishment after losing 100 pounds. “What I learned later is that although I was usually one of the heaviest people in the YMCA weight room, a lot of those people looked at me with admiration because I was actually taking that first step,” says Day. He may be the heaviest person in the room or may complete the race in last place, but the sense of pride that he feels is priceless. “Competing with others who are more advanced can be challenging both physically and mentally. When the results come out at the end of the race, and it tells me that I am 49 out of 50 it can be disappointing,” says Day. “I’ve had to really learn to separate the competition factor and make it a competition for myself. This means racing against the clock, not the person next to me.”

Andrew Griffin, an independent personal trainer in Indianapolis, has been a personal trainer for four years and has witnessed many plans for a healthy lifestyle. He says that it all starts with the first initial plan of expectation. “Before beginning a workout program I have to get a clear picture of their goals and the underlying reason of why they want to accomplish it. The shallower the underlying reason, the more likely you are to quit when times get tough,” says Griffin. There are also mental aspects involved with weight loss and it is the difference between weight loss and fat loss. “What we should focus on is body composition,” says Griffin. “The scale doesn’t do a great job of showing what’s really happening in the body. It can be misleading. A better way to monitor your progress would be to look in the mirror. You’ll see little changes in definition quicker which let you know fat is coming off.”

In order to track his progress, Day created a blog on September 29, 2009 called “I Advise U.” The blog was created at the very beginning of his weight loss journey and has changed paths since the start up. Initially his blog was meant to be an advice column, but as time went on the blog became an exhibition of Day’s personal journey. He writes about his upcoming races, his family, and what keeps him motivated. As a self-proclaimed music junkie, Day often mentions the music on his playlists that keep him enthused during the race including Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” and Kanye West’s “Stronger.” Many of the songs chosen for his playlist are because the tempo matches Day’s cadence during races. One post mentioned Day’s first triathlon. He finished with a time that he did not feel comfortable with, and by the end of the day he ended up in the emergency room. The memory that he will always have as his first triathlon involves being diagnosed with hypothermia and dehydration as he was halted into an ambulance truck.

During tough times when Day finds himself losing motivation, he has his own personal support group at hand, his family.  Day’s wife Molly was the one who encouraged him to pursue triathlons through her work with Ironman. To date, she has lost over 75 pounds. Not only is Day’s wife involved in changing to a healthier lifestyle, his children has also been involved. His eldest daughter is on the swim team and runs in the summer with a group. “It is interesting to see them pick up on things. Definitely without the support, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” says Day. LeAnne Greene, the Branch Office Administrator at Edward Jones has worked closely with Day for the past eight years and has observed his evolution in the past three years. “Chris is really motivated and once he put his mind to the idea of becoming healthier, it took off from there,” says Greene. “He is always looking for another race so that when one is done, he has another one already lined up.” Greene was once shown a photo of four men at a golf course and Day asked her if she recognized anyone in the photo. Greene says she had not, but then later realized that Day was actually one of the four men in the photo. “When you see someone every day, it is hard to recognize change because it is not something that you rest upon daily, but once you look back and reflect on those changes, it’s magical,” says Greene. Day’s inspiration has even encouraged Greene to form her own fitness plan to manage her weight.

Since Day has gotten the attention of the Refuel, a chocolate milk company, he has no problem staying motivated. On a sunny Saturday afternoon in the sin city of Las Vegas, Day and his wife Molly are spending their afternoon visiting the vendors at the Expo of the Vegas Rock n’ Roll Marathon Series. Being the very social person that Day is he wandered over to a vender table just out of curiosity. He asked the representatives what exactly was going on and the woman replied that they were filming commercials for chocolate milk. Instantly, Day was given an iPad to sign up and learn more. The requirements for each participant were to say why they liked chocolate milk and to tell their personal story. “I’ve got a story,” says Day. “I pulled out my phone and showed them one of my fat pictures and began filming my commercial.” Confidently, Day displays his charisma skills in front of the camera and encourages others to become active and live a healthy lifestyle. 

The commercial was aired on the Refuel chocolate milk website for about a month and Day gathered all of his friends and family to vote for him. “I’m just blown away by this,” says Day. “I can’t believe that someone is willing to give me money, clothes and pay for all my race entries for the year is remarkable.” Upfront Day has received his cash prize, sponsorship clothing and has been entered into races that total over $1,200. Day says that money isn’t everything, but it definitely makes this hobby a lot more interesting. “It’s humbling and overwhelming, but at the same time there is this sense of responsibility to succeed because I am carrying the name of a company,” says Day.

Currently there are only 40 people in the U.S. that have received the Refuel chocolate milk sponsorship. About five people are chosen per month and the participants range from all different ages, abilities and genders.

Training for a full Ironman in August 2013, Day reflects back to his first race at Prairie Creek Reservoir in Muncie, Ind. Day heard about the race the day before on the radio. The next morning Day attended the race, cash in hand, ready to compete. With no prior preparation for the reservoir’s hilly landscape, Day did manage to finish the race. “The internal feeling of accomplishment is what was more important to me than anything,” says Day. Despite feeling completely exhausted from his first race, Day researched the race once he arrived home and found out that there was a race every month. “I now have my wife, two of her friends and her friend’s children participating in the monthly races,” says Day. In the May race, with now family and friends, Day was eager to show off his endurance. “Although April was my first race, this race was one of the most meaningful because it seemed like the beginning of something special,” says Day.

With strict physically training, Day has a very interesting way of watching what he consumes. On a day where exercising does not take place, Day keeps his daily calorie intake at about 1,500. On a day where exercise is included, Day keeps his daily calorie intake at 1,500 plus whatever he burns. He calls it simple math and with this strategy he plans to lose about one pound per week. “Technically I can eat whatever I want because I burn it off throughout my workout. I don’t feel handcuffed to some sort of special diet. I just hold myself accountable for what I eat,” says Day. Throughout Day’s blog, he mentions that he still enjoys McDonald’s every now and then and snacks such as cookies. He hasn’t given up on being the ordinary family man.

Once Day completes his upcoming full Ironman race in August, he plans to participate in other marathons and maintain his level of fitness. He doesn’t see himself becoming significantly faster, running wise, but he hopes to still participate in local and national events. “The next graduation of a full Ironman would be multi-day triathlons and destination racing, it’s an excuse to travel,” says Day laughing. Walt Disney World has a raced called the “Dopey Challenge” where participants get the opportunity to run through the Disney parks and hopefully have an chance to win one of six medals throughout the five day competition. Day hopes to get involved in races like these in the future.

Not all races end with a happy ending. On April 15, 2013 the annual Boston Marathon in Massachusetts ended in powerful explosions as runners sprinted through the finish line. According to the New York Times, three people were killed and over 100 were injured. “As a runner, the marathon is one of the most grueling things we can put ourselves through.  We train for weeks and months on end to prepare for this single event, and the Boston marathon is the pinnacle race for most marathoners,” says Day. “At the time of the bombing, those finishing were at the end of the qualifying times and most were charity runners, doing this for others.  I'm horrified. I couldn't do what I do if not for my support system and network of fans.”

Despite the overwhelming activities that occurred at the Boston Marathon, many races are still being held. On April 20, 2013 Day competed in his fourth marathon in Carmel, Ind. within five hours and two minutes. During the race, Day experienced a great deal of pain in his ankles, calves and back. “Mile fifteen brought exactly what I had hoped for, my family,” says Day. In the distance, his wife and children stand at the marker, smiling, waving and cheering. “I looked at Molly, in the eyes and said ‘I just need you to be proud of me. She kissed me and said ‘I am proud of you now keep going!’” says Day. In a blog entry about the Carmel Marathon by Day, he says “I must finish this post with a huge thanks to my amazing family who allow me to do these crazy activities, but especially to my wife, who already gave me a full body massage. I love you Molly.” Day says that his motivation for the race was dedicated to the innocent victims that were killed in the Boston Marathon race. “While the impact of today's events will weigh heavy on my mind and heart, they will NOT change who I am, what I do, or how I do it,” says Day in a blog post on the day of the incident.

Now that Day has accomplished many of his goals with the support of his family and friends, he likes to share his knowledge with the world. Very often, Day is questioned by those around him on the secret to his weight loss. Day gives three pieces of advice to those looking to start their own weight loss journey and those who want to begin living a healthier lifestyle. One must have self-discipline. “It doesn’t happen quick or overnight. It took me seven years to gain the weight and sometimes it takes just as long to lose it,” says Day. He also believes in celebrating the little victories in an appropriate manner. “The problem in my previous lifestyle is that I would reward myself with food. You have to find other ways to reward yourself. My wife loves to go shopping,” says Day. One also must be willing to change their attitude. “I lived as if my life revolved around food. Once you can break that habit of only eating when you’re hungry and not at the specific times we are accustomed too is when great things can happen,” says Day.

Day shows his personality, drive and compassion everyday through his running. His family is simply amazed by his significant change and ambition. “My children always tell me how proud I they are of me,” says Day. “Molly inspires me and I am in awe of her patience.” The moment Day decided to change his attitude about his health was when the spark ignited.

Interviews

Chris Day

Interviews:

March 23 (face-to-face)

April 2, 2013 (face-to-face)

April 16, 2013 (email)

Chris.Day@edwardjones.com

LeAnne Greene (Chris' secretary)

Interview:

April 2, 2013 (face-to-face)

765-795-7030

Andrew Griffin (personal trainer)

Interview:

April 7, 2013 (email)

April 10, 2013 (email)

Giffinfitnesstraining@gmail.com

Sources

Day, Chris. "I ADVISE U." Weblog post. Carmel Marathon Race Report. Blogger, 20 Apr. 2013. Web. 23       Apr. 2013.

Day, Chris. "My First Triathalon." Web log comment. I ADVISE U. Blogger, 4 Sept. 2010. Web. 23 Apr. 2013.

Eligon, John, and Michael Cooper. "2 Blasts at Boston Marathon Kill At Least 3 and Injure More than 100." The New York Times. Nytimes.com, 15 Apr. 2013. Web. 20 Apr. 2013.