New Years Resolutions

Typically, the new year is a time to set new goals for the year, and get a fresh outlook on what we want to accomplish for the year. Statistics show that the first few weeks we stick to our goals, then slowly go back to our ways. In order to avoid slipping back into old habits, set long term goals, and then "milestone" goals for yourself. So, for example, if the goal is to lose 10 pounds for the year, a "milestone" goal would be to lose 5 pounds by March 1st. Once that milestone goal is met, reward yourself. Also, set quantitative goals for yourself. Quantitative goals are measurable goals so they're easier to keep manage. For example, I will lose 10 pounds or I will earn X more dollars this year. A few other tips are to set precise dates and targets around the goal. Example - I will lose 10 pounds by June 13th by going to the gym 4 times a week and following my nutrition plan. Another tip is to write your goals down and post them so you see them everyday as a reminder to stay on target.
As a fitness incentive, I am offering a FREE personal fitness evaluation at 7 Flags. This includes reviewing your current fitness levels, and getting an understanding of your goals, your interests, and available training time to provide you an assessment of how we can reach your goals. There is no obligation or strings attached. For more information, contact me at mgetting@7Flags.com or 515-490-4670

Bike Trainer for the Winter

I finally set up my bike trainer for the winter tonight. I used to dread using an indoor trainer because of the monotony I've come to the point where I don't mind it so much now because I can watch movies, spinerval DVDs, or just watch TV. The spinerval DVDs are really helpful because they push you hard, and the time goes by relatively fast. The advantage of using a bike trainer is your actually riding your own bike so you can ride aero, should be already fit for your body dimensions, improves pedal efficacy, and is obviously more realistic than a spin bike (no free wheel). Here is a pic of my setup.

2009 race schedule

After careful consideration, this is my race schedule for 2009. I've included the date, race name, and type of race it is, A, B, C - A race is a top priority to do well, B and C are more preparatory races.
April 4th - Loop the Lake 8K - B
May 30th - Dam to Dam 20K - B
June 8th - Copper Creek Sprint - B (assuming that my wife doesn't do the race)
June 14th - Kansas Half Ironman - B
June 28th - Hy-Vee Triathlon - A
July 18th - Lifetime Fitness Triathlon - tentative
July 27th - Big Creek Tri - B
August 16th - Pigman Half-Ironman - A
September 14th - Ironman Wisconsin - A
October 18th - Half Marathon - C

This is what I have so far for the season. I have the races spread out far enough where I have enough recovery time, and the ability to include in a few peak weeks between the Pigman Half and IM Wisconsin. I would like to participate in a duathlon next fall as well.

Have you made your schedule for next year yet? What races are you doing next year?

New Triathlon Class (for those in Des Moines, IA)

I am coaching a new triathlon training class at 7 Flags Fitness Center starting January 5th. It is open to the public and for the first 6 weeks it is free for members and only $5 a day for non-members. Below are the details

Who
All levels are welcome, from beginners to advanced

Great way to change your workout routine to get in shape, lose weight, and improve muscle tone

What
2 workouts a day (Monday-Thursday) including pool work, spinning, running, and sport specific weight training
As the weather gets warm, the class will include transition training, open water clinics, and nutrition and race specific training

When
Starting January 5th – A great way to start the New Year!

Why
Great workouts for a new way to get in shape, lose weight, and improve tone
Training specifically geared for the Hy-Vee triathlon on June 28th

Cost
6 weeks FREE for members, $5 per day for non-members
After 6 weeks the fee is $199 for members and $299 for non-members per 6 weeks

How do I sign up?
Contact Matt Getting at mgetting@7Flags.com or at 515-490-4670

Class is already over half full, so sign up quickly!!

Race Season Planning

Now that we're well into the holiday season, and the racing season is pretty much done for the year it's time to reflect on your past season, and begin planning for next year. From a reflection perspective, I like to look at what went right and what are some of the opportunities I want to focus on improving for next year. How was the spacing of my races, did I do too many, not enough? Could I have made any tweaks to my training plan? I also like to re-evaluate pre-race nutrition and race nutrition and understand which was the best combination.
For race season planning, I evaluate what other things are going on in my life - baby, wife, job, vacations planned, other possible factors that could effect my races. Every year responsibilities evolve, and goals change. As I'm planning my season, I'm going to set my season goals first, then plan my races (as far as dates/location, and feasibility), then rank the races as either A, B, or C. A means it's a race I want to PR, where B and C races are more preparatory for the a races.
How do you plan your races?

Running with the Dogs

Whenever I have a recovery run or a semi-endurance run (4-8) miles I try and take my two dogs with me. Unfortunately the dogs don't get too many opportunities to go on runs anymore so they start off at a fast pace while still trying to smell everything around them. After a few blocks they get into a rhythm and all is fine and good - relaxing, calm, and peaceful. All of the sudden, for no apparent reason, one of the dogs will just stop by digging his paws into the ground, causing my arm to jerk backwards. He'll walk around, sniff, and then off we go again. This will happen at least 4-5 times between the two dogs on the run. Typically I have one dog leash in each hand, but there has been times when the dogs think it would be a good idea to go over to the other side, which causes the leashes to tangle, and then I face plant into the ground falling over the leashes. Good times - looking back it's pretty funny. One of my favorites is when we're running in the Greenbelt and Bailey, the more observant dog, spots a rabbit or other critter in the woods and darts directly into that direction, which pulls us off the path. It is often a challenge to take them for a run, but they love to get out and enjoy the fall running days.

Rae Gene Burger

On Saturday my wife and I attended the Annual DSMTri Clubdinner. One of the featured speakers of the evening was Rae Gene Burger. She began her endurance career by doing marathons - she did 35 by the age of 40. She decided that she wanted to give triathlons a try - she didn't even know how to swim, but she joined the YMCA and learned to swim - soon afterwards, she did her first Ironman. She has done Ironmans in Brazil, Japan, Europe, and made 10+ races in Kona - the World Championship for the Ironmans. By the end of her career - ~ 65 years old she completed 39 total Ironmans. Rae is also a dedicated mom and grandma.
The reason I bring this story up is because, a) it is a testament to how absolutely amazing the human body is, and b) anyone can accomplish their dream and goals if they are willing to put forth the effort, and make the sacrifices necessary. If you set the goal, put in the work, have the support system, and wake up everyday reaching for that goal, you can do absolutely anything.

For my birthday, I got a new aero helmet. Some studies have shown that wearing an aero helmet can increase your speed by 1 mph. There are a lot of unknown variables in validating the study, but 1 mph can be pretty significant in the longer races. For example, going 1 mph faster can save about 5 minutes off your biking time in an Olympic triathlon, which is pretty signficant. I hope to get an opportunity to take a ride this weekend to try it out. Below is a picture.

Outdoor Biking vs Spinning

As the winter approaches it is harder and harder to get motivated to ride outside - it's cold, windy, and not as enjoyable as the summer. An excellent alternative is taking a spinning class. Spinning classes are offered at most gyms and will help improve your aerobic base, improve strength, hill climbing, and overall bike strength. Typically classes are offered in 45-60 minute sessions.

I do want to point out that spinning should not replace biking when the season nears for a few reasons.
1) Spinning is in a controlled environment - it's important to get outside to learn to adjust to the natural elements (heat, wind, rain, etc)
2) Riding a normal/tri bike will work more of your quads and hip flexors then spinning. Spin class will work slightly different muscles, including the hamstrings. Spinning will tax your cardiovascular system more and you will feel like you're working a lot harder than you normally would on a typical bike. Some spinning classes promote standing while riding, while racing triathlons you want to stay seated as much as possible and keep your heart rate in check.
3) It is important to include outdoor rides so you can work on steering, braking, and gear shifting. Outdoor riding will also encourage you to learn how to change a flat tire or fix common mechanical issues on the fly.
4) Triathlon training is based on periodization and many spinning instructors won't take that into account while conducting a class. Make sure you find an instructor that specifies in triathlon training and fits into your training heart rate zones.

Speaking of which, I will be conducting triathlon classes at 7 Flags beginning January 5th. Contact me for more information. More detailed information will be coming in the near future

I really like running at night during the fall - I enjoy the cool weather and dark streets that allows the worries and complexities of the day to fall by the wayside and I can just run, allowing myself to be free, hear myself breathing, and relish in the ambiance of the night.

Occasionally over the course of my blog I will post my workouts just to give you an idea of what I'm doing for training.
I had a lifting session over the lunch hour focusing on chest, back, triceps, and back.
Tonight's run:
1.15 mile warm-up (distance to a steep a$$ hill)
6 X 150 yard hill runs *45 second walking recovery, 30 second jog to start
1.15 mile jog back home
Total distance: 3.41 miles, total time 35 minutes

Stress

Stress impacts everyone in one way or another, often times in more ways than one. There are many ways to deal with stress, some good, and some that aren't good (eating, not getting enough sleep). For a lot of people exercise can be a great outlet for stress, whether hitting the weights as a release, or doing cardiovascular activities At the same time, stress can also hinder an athletes performance in training and racing. I read a study once about stress and cardiovascular activities - when using both the right side of your body and the left it helps create a calming equilibrium in the brain and makes thinking more clear and creates a calming effect. (The left side of the brain controls the right side of the body, the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body). For me personally, running, biking, and swimming helps me alleviate stress by helping me think more clearly, "escape" for a while, and re-energize my mind and body. Do you use exercise to deal with stress? What kind of impact does stress have on your workouts?

Strength to Weight Ratio

I read a great article by a friend who owns ZoomPerformance, a coaching firm in Des Moines and I wanted to share this information with you. Your strength to weight ratio is the measure of a person’s strength divided by their body weight. Now, why is this so important? Generally speaking, athletes with a lower strength to weight ratio will be able to perform better with increased efficiency during a race. According to Running Times, "some sources estimate a gain of one per cent in running speed for every one per cent reduction in body fat." To put this in perspective, great gains can be made by simply managing your nutrition plan with your training plan to optimize your results. According to the author, Jenny Weber, improving your strength to weight ratio can improve:
- your overall efficiency- improve metabolic function (body utilizes oxygen more efficiently)- decrease risk of injury- speeds recovery- improve mechanical efficiency
In order to improve your strength to weight ratio you need a strong, periodized training resistance program, nutrition plan, and goals for each of the above mentioned steps. For more information, follow this link

Traits of a Coach

What makes a good coach? Is it their dependability, knowledge, leadership, trust, or personable? I want to know what you think makes a great coach - if you had to list the top 3 traits of a coach, what would they be? I'd also like to hear your experiences of a good or bad coach.

Children and Obesity

One of the biggest epidemics in America that continues to get worse is our youth and obesity. Studies are showing that the number of children overweight and obese is growing at an alarming rate and continues to get worse. Some of the causes include schools cutting back on physical education due to budget constraints, increasing popularity of video and computer games, and the foods kids are eating these days. I think the responsibility lies with the parents. Kids will emulate what kids do - if you eat well, they will eat well. Keep the fridge stocked with fruits, veggies and whole foods and stop buying processed foods, high calorie juices, and pop. Be a role model by being active - go for walks, go to the park, or join recreational clubs. If your children see you being active, and enjoy being active, they will want to join in the fun. Limit video game time and get creative with activities to keep your children active and healthy. what are your thoughts? how do you keep your kids active?

refresh motivation

About once a quarter I feel like I'm losing my focus and losing control of where I'm at in relation to my goals -- at least the things that I can control. I feel like I am drifting off the path that I intended to go and am losing my grasp. When I sense this feeling approaching I take a day off from work and have a Matt day. these days are usually used for catching up on things that are overdue (i.e. blog, budgets), and a time to reflect on what I'm doing right, what things I can improve on - whether it be in my marriage, family, raising my daughter, training, work, personal goals, etc. More than anything, these days help me refresh and refocus my motivation and drive and help me get out of a funk. It is amazing that one day can turn things around and get pointed in the right direction. It is almost like a timeout from life for 8 hours to zero in on what I need to do to reach my goals - I may not have the exact answer, but I put myself on the path to find the answer, or get the tools to find the answer.

Workout Motivations

What is your motivation for working out? If you don't have any motivation/drive to get your exercise, it will be an uphill battle and chances are you will fall off your plan. Here are my motivations - tomorrow I'll touch on the physiological/psychological basis behind these drivers:
- stay healthy
- be prepared for races
- improve on my weak areas of fitness
- escape from the everyday grind
- alleviate stress
- get more energy
- feel a sense of accomplishment
- re-discover the balance between mind and body
- better sleep at night
- general feeling of good health
What are your motivations? What is holding you back from exercise? What are your deterrents?

Off Season Training Plan

As promised, here's my workout schedule for the next 4 weeks. In week 5 I will have a recovery week in which I will decrease both volume and intensity. I have incorporated weight training 4 days a week, core plyometrics(speed, strength exercises) 2 days a week and 2 swims, bikes, and runs a week. Essentially, it is two workouts a day, one morning and one afternoon/evening. This is a lot of training, but I've built a strong enough base (foundation of fitness) that I shouldn't have any issues completing this program. It will be important that I continue to focus on stretching, a good nutrition plan, and listening to my body for any potential warning signs.

Monday - Weights (shoulders, legs) - swim (tempo workout)

Tuesday - Weights (chest, triceps, back) - run (interval-hills)

Wednesday - core, plyometrics - bike (spin class)

Thursday - Weights (shoulders, legs) - swim (intervals)

Friday - Weights (chest, triceps, back) - run (tempo)

Saturday - core, plyometrics - bike (tempo)

Sunday - OFF!

I'd like to hear your feedback and advice

2009 Goals

This is the time of year where I begin to set goals for next year and structure my off-season workout. For the past two years my goals have been more around finishing my races and improving without much structure around SMART goals (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely). Having specific goals for training is motivation to continue to work hard duing the off-season and stay focused on what you want to gain during the next season. I'm not going to post all my goals for next season, but I will post my main goal - reach a tiime of 12 hours 30 minutes in Ironman Wisconsin next year. My first Ironman time was 15 hours, so my goals is to improve my time by 2 1/2 hours. I believe I can reach this goal by focusing my off-season on improving strength, speed, and aerobic threshold (faster speeds while maintaining aerobic energy system). Tomorrow I will lay out my workout plan.

IM Wisconsin Volunteering

On Sunday morning I arrived at my volunteer spot at a place called Cross Plains, which was one of the bike aid stations at mile 40 and mile 80 on the course. The day started off w/ us(30 people) removing the plastic caps and protective seal on about 1000+ gatorade bottles and then taking off the plastic caps on 2000+ water bottles. I'm not going to lie, this part is not fun at all. There were 2 gatorade stations, 3 water stations, and 1 food station(bananas, gels, bars). We heard from the lead volunteer director that the first racer was 5 miles out so we quickly got our respective aid stations and got ready. It is pretty nerve racking to hand a water bottle to a guy going 25-30 mph on a bike. After a little practice it became easier. After a while the amatuers began coming through the aid station. It is really inspiring to see all these athletes, young and old, large and small, pouring all their energy into this race and fighting through the pain and fatigue to finish. Volunteering this year made me realize how crucial it is to have volunteers in the race, and Ironman wouldn't be possible without them. It also made me realize how grateful the athletes are for the work volunteers put in - they were very gracious with many thank yous and appreciative comments.

I also enjoyed being able to sign-up for the '09 race in less than 1.5 hours the next day. Can't wait until next year!

Ironman Wisconsin '08

This weekend I am heading up to Madison, Wisconsin for 3 reasons:
1) Cheer on athletes competing in Ironman Wisconsin
2) Volunteer on race day to do my part in helping this great race
3) Sign up for Ironman Wisconsin 2009.
Ironman has become so big in the past few years that for most of the corporate sponsored Ironmans, you need to be on site to get in. If you volunteer, you will get first dibs for next year. I was lucky enough to get registered for Ironman FL online for '07, but I doubt I could do it again. This will be my first time actually watching a race vs participating but I'm excited because the atmosphere and energy in Madison is a feeling you can't describe. Whether you want to race or volunteer, I would recommend participating/volunteering in any race to get a sense of the incredible amount of work by the race coordinators, amount of training an athlete does for an event, and the opportunity to feel the energy these races create.
Thanks for reading.

Finding Balance

One of the hardest things that I face everyday is how to find balance in my life. If I'm focused on my family, my my web development/business, work, coaching and training lose their focus, and vice versa. I can always find some way to justify myself that where I am at is right. My focus is usually driven by motivation, not necessarily what is the right decision at the time. Obviously my priorities are family, coaching/business, training, and work. Yep, work is last, though very much needed to support my family. Often I justify that if I can get the business/coaching off the ground now, I will have more time for family. Suffer now and reap the awards later - not necessarily the case, but I certainly hope so. My logic is I want to put 100% into everything I do an dedicate myself to it 100%, but in reality, I can put 100% into it 30% of the time. Wouldn't change what I have for the world - I love the challenge and the fulfillment I have going to bed completely spent. How do you find balance?

Steelhead 70.3 Race Report

Woke up at 5:00 AM, loaded up my Perpetuem and aero drink, and ate my PB and J before making the 1/2 mile trek down to the transistion area. I had an hour and a half before the transition closed so I had plenty of time. I stepped out into the cool morning breeze and walked down to the race site. I heard some rumors that the lake was pretty choppy, but I put those thoughts in the back of my mind as I set up my area and sipped on my Gatorade. As the sun came up I headed down to the lake. WOW, they weren't kidding, there were 2-3 foot swells and the boats were having a hard time moving through the water. Oh well I thought, it is what it is and it should be a good challenge as I began the 1 mile walk down the beach to the start line. Just as I reached to race start the race director had decided to cancel the swim and replace it with a 2.1 mile run. I was a little disappointed because the swim was going to be challenging, but relieved for those who have little open water experience.

2.1 mile run - After an hour delay, the run was on. I was in wave 12 and there were 4 minutes between wave starts. The run was a hilly run and I decided to take it easy and not go all out, especially because I had about 69 miles ahead of me. I did see a lot of people going all out which I didn't understand at all. Toward the end of the run we had to run through about 50-100 yards of sand which makes things much more difficult. Time - 16:35

Bike - I was impressed with the bike course overall, a few of the roads were a little rough, but had great scenery. I felt really solid through the bike course and kept the effort at a 5-6 RPE and focused on a smooth pedal stroke and kept the nutrition and hydration plan. I do thing the course was short by about 2 miles, but beat my previous time by about 15 minutes - time - 2:52

Run - I think I may have pushed too hard on the bike or wasn't in the condition I wanted to be for the run because I really struggled here. I started running for the first mile then walked/ran for the next 12 trying to get my bearings. The legs were really tight and aching at this point. After running the first loop I decided to suck it up and cranked out 4 miles at a 9:00 minute pace - after that I knew I only had 3-4 miles left. The last few miles were a combination of a walk/run and a battle to get to the finish line. The last 100 yards of running in the sand was brutal, but on the horizon was the finish line. As I crossed the finish line I felt relieved. The course was hillier than expected. Time - 2:35.

Overall - 5:50, PR'd by 45 minutes!! (of course there was no swim so that would factor into this)

Much improvement from last year, but still more to go. Overall it was a great race and one I will consider doing in the future.

Steelhead 70.3 - Nutrition Plan

This weekend I'll be embarking on my first Half-Ironman of the season, Steelhead 70.3. This race is located in Benton Harbor, MI and includes a 1.2 mile swim in Lake Michigan, a 56 mile bike ride through rolling hills and a 13.1 mile flat ran. Today I begin to prepare nutritionally for the race. Yesterday the weather channel was predicting 90s for highs, now somewhere around 81. So, who knows what the temp will be by Saturday.

I will start hydrating myself for the race with a 12 oz glass of water every 1-2 hours. For lunch I'll include some protein and carbs. Tonight will be my carb loading session that is relatively low in fat (grease) - whole grain noodles in a veggie meat sauce with a piece of whole grain toast. Throughout today I'll also continue my normal intake of 2 yogurts and string cheese.

Tomorrow will begin with a bowl of cereal and a piece of fruit, a mid-morning yogurt, chicken breast and broccoli for lunch, yogurt and string cheese for mid-afternoon snack, and a light pasta feed held up at the race site for dinner - kind of an oxymoron, I know.

Saturday morning I'll have my usual PB and J on white bread and a yogurt while sipping on a Gatorade before the race.

Now for the race - after the swim I'll wait 20 minutes before I intake anything - a lot of times you can have some gastrointestinal issues if you ingest anything after being horizontal for a while. After the 20 minutes I'll intake 8-10 ounces of water every 15 minutes and 3 gulps of Perpetuem every half hour (Perpetuem is a caloric rich drink) to take in more calories of carbs, a little protein and small amount of fat. The bike is where I'll be taking most of my calories and hydration.

When I get to the run I'll take water every aid station, and if it is really hot I'll take some (Endurolytes) salt pills. I will only drink Gatorade for a 'change of pace' from water, not as a replacement. Depending on my energy level I will have gels with me to take. If you take gels make sure to wash them down with water.

With the above nutrition plan I'm confident I will have a successful race and will meet my goals. It is always important to train with your nutrition plan ahead of time to make sure you don't encounter any unforeseen issues and adjust accordingly before the race.

Lifetime Fitness Olympic Race Report

Below is my race report for the Lifetime Fitness Oly from July 12, 2008.

Prerace: My family and I arrived in Minneapolis on Friday afternoon after a 4 hour drive from Des Moines. We went and picked up my packet and walked around the expo for a while to pass a little time. After packet pickup we went down to the race course so I can familiarize myself with transitions, swim course, bike course, and run course. The swim was just a triangle and didn't look too intimidating. The bike looked pretty technical with a few quick steeps climbs and quite a few sharp turns. Some parts of the bike course needed a little road work as well. The run course was a 2-loop trail that was flat. After the review of the course we grabbed some dinner at Perkins - I had grilled chicken on top of rice with a side of broccoli - not too bad for a franchised dining establishment.

Race morning: Got up about 5:00 and ate my PB and J sandwich and yogurt and got ready to head out to the course. I got my bike set up and headed out of transition as it closed at 6:45. It was a wave start so I wasn't slated to go until 8:00 - nothing like standing around waiting to go - I was more anxious than nervous. My wave didn't end up starting until 8:45.

Swim: As I stated earlier it was a wave start with 3 second intervals between athletes. As I headed into the water I made sure to start slower than normal and build up speed as I got going. I felt very relaxed as I approached the first turnaround and only ran into a few swimmers heading out. There was a bit more traffic as I rounded the turn and got kicked right in the face, but nothing too terrible. As I rounded the 2nd turn to head back to the beach I picked up my speed and ran into a bit more traffic and started to get a bit tired with 400 meters to go. Managed to make it to the beach OK and PR'd my swim - 33 minutes. I was really happy with the swim and my sighting was right on target for the course.

T1: my bike was clear at the end so it was about a 400 yard run to my bike. Nothing too eventful here except I had a little difficulty getting my wetsuit off and putting on my bike socks/shoes. ~4 minutes

Bike: I started the bike by some quick spinning to get my legs back and then set into a solid pace. I didn't have any liquid or food for the first 15 minutes as I wanted to make sure my stomach readjusted from being horizontal for the past 30 minutes. This course was pretty technical and had a lot of sharp turns. My speed would range from 26 miles and hour down to 12 mph throughout the course. It was a very scenic course as we rounded the lake, across the Mississippi River, and through the neighborhoods and park. Bike time - 1:21 - 18 mph

T2: Off the bike and into T2 I felt great - hydration was good and took in some calories on mile 20 on the bike. This year I wore a trisuit so I was in and out of transition in 2:40

Run: The run was a two loop course through the park on the trail. Heading out on the course I started with quick short strides to get my running legs back. I looked down at my Garmin and realized I was going at an 8:45 pace, which for me is pretty quick. The pace felt good and I made it a point to maintain this pace and only walk through the water stations. I felt great during the run and was enjoying every minute of it. 54:25 - 8:47 pace

Total: 2:56 - a new PR by 5 minutes

A special thanks to my parents for coming up to the race and their relentless support. I couldn't do it without you!

Little Bit of History - Part II

I digressed from my history with the Hy-Vee Oly report. As I went through the 2007 season with the Oly, Half-Ironman, and Ironman I discovered a renewed passion with endurance sports. I knew this is something that I needed to be involved in for many years to come - it was in my blood, and the passion and desire to learn, grow, and conquer was thriving. After the Ironman I knew I wanted to increase my knowledge of triathlons, as well as athletic nutrition, exercise, health, etc. Knowing that this was a path I was ready to go down I signed up for a USAT Triathlon Coaching certification class. I also began to prepare to become an ACSM Personal Trainer and later a Certified Level III Cycling Coach.

As I thought more about this, and tried to figure out where this passion resided, and tried to understand why I had this need to get so involved - I needed to find the underlying purpose of the passion - and I discovered it was the need/desire to help people. With the growing obesity problems in the US today, especially with children, triathlon is a great segway into leading a healthy lifestyle. If I can be a catalyst to this change, I would feel that I'm doing something that is making a difference in people's lives - a positive difference in people's lives. So, this is where the journey begins.

2007 Hy-Vee Oly Race Report

So, after I finished my first triathlon I knew I was hooked. As I was planning out my next season I set some high goals and expectations for myself. I planned to do an Olympic, Half-Ironman, and Full Ironman over the course of the season. After I signed up for my races my training began. As I got more into my training I got enveloped by the sport and spent my nights training, and other times reading blogs, forums, and articles to learn more about the sport. My first race that year was the Hy-Vee Triathon, a first time Olympic event in my hometown of Des Moines. Even though this was my second Olympic distance triathlon I was still really nervous about the swim - as soon as the gun when off we were off - the swim course was challenging because it was not a triangular course. I had a difficult time getting into a groove and finding a rhythm, as well as someone to draft. Once we were out of the water it was into the transition area. I made a key mistake - never do something new that you haven't practiced - I bought a new bike jersey. As I was trying to put it on it got stuck because my back was still wet. I struggled to get the jersey on for about 3 minutes and then I was off on the bike. This was my first tri using my tri bike and it felt great. The course was flat and fast except for a few hills within the first few miles - the bike was my strong point for the race. When I got into T2 I felt great - put on my running shoes and I was off. The first 2 miles felt great and I was pacing pretty hard and more than I should. The last 4 miles were pretty grueling because I didn't save enough for the end but still managed to PR my previous race by 20 minutes. The season was off to a great start.

Litttle Bit of History - Part 1

I wanted the opportunity to give you a little background of where I've been and where I'm trying to go. My name is Matt Getting and I was raised in Des Moines, IA. the extent of my athletic background was I was on the football team in high school. (Notice I said 'on the football team', not 'playing on the team'). After high school I went to Iowa State University and would head to the rec center once in a blue moon. After college and a failed attempt at starting an entertainment web site for Des Moines entertainment I began work in the corporate world. In the five years that I've been in the corporate world I've ran a few 20K races and one triathlon. Things changed last year as my goals completely changed as I fully entered into the world of triathlons and fitness. Stayed tuned for Part 2

thanks for reading