tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78462136042150100112024-02-22T11:42:51.255-05:00Go, Smitty, Go!!!A blog about Running, Biking, Swimming, and using my body the way God intended it!Matthew Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01027593921011160323noreply@blogger.comBlogger95125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846213604215010011.post-12092484444186362432013-08-29T21:21:00.002-04:002013-08-29T21:40:00.978-04:00Ironman Louisville Race Report - RunIf you missed the other parts to this race report you can read the swim <a href="http://go-smitty-go.blogspot.com/2013/08/ironman-louisville-race-report-swim.html">HERE</a> and the bike <a href="http://go-smitty-go.blogspot.com/2013/08/ironman-louisville-race-report-bike.html">HERE</a>. I got a lot of comments asking about how my foot was feeling during the day. I smacked it on the railing getting out of the water, but it really didn't bother me during the bike at all. I noticed my foot was swollen during T2, but it wasn't a game changer for sure. <br />
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Getting off the bike, I realized that the marathon was going to be nothing that I ever expected. I knew that I would be slow. I knew that it would be a run/walk. I had planned to go out much slower than race pace, in fact, the plan was to run 10:30's for the first 6 miles, and then hang on or adjust depending on how I felt. My goal time had been around a 5 hour marathon. But I knew that my legs were already shot! I walked out of the tent with another awesome card from Jennifer in my hand. The transition chute was long, and I walked with a few others trying to decide what to do. At the top of some short stairs, I saw the marathon timing mat, so I started jogging as I went across. That didn't last long as I saw my dad and walked next to him up to the first aid station. I had one of the awesome volunteers pour ice water on my neck and back, which made me feel so good...everywhere but my legs. I kept walking down around the KFC YUM! center in the shade and up a hill. At the top of the hill, I decided to see what I could do with a slow jog and did ok for a block. I saw Jennifer, Caffrey, Trevor, Wyntre, Tom, Colleen, Abigail, and Brittany standing on the side of the road cheering for me, so I ran to them and stopped to strategize.<br />
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Our hotel was in a perfect spot and RIGHT ON THE RUN COURSE! Here's what the course looked like. Our hotel was right where the top left corner of the orange #14 box is on the map. <br />
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I would pass them 4 times which really helped! I stopped, and we talked for a minute. I asked them if they would still love me if I ended up walking the ENTIRE marathon, and they all smiled and said, "Yes." That was reassuring. Tom was in running shorts, so I asked if he wanted to go with me. He did, and it was the best decision ever to have someone with me, encouraging me, motivating me, coaching me. We started off with a pretty steady run/walk. It wasn't fast, and I didn't run very far for those short spurts, but the run/walk was working. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We were actually RUNNING!!!</td></tr>
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After a few miles, my calves started to give me trouble. BIG TROUBLE! They were cramping so badly! Both sides would lock up and wouldn't release. We stretched and then kept going. At mile 5 or 6, the running wasn't happening, because my legs would only cramp up worse. Tom and I were walking, but we decided that if we were walking, it would be with <b>DETERMINATION!</b> It was a fast walk.<br />
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Tom is a Type I Diabetic, so after awhile, he told me that he needed some sugar. He ate some nutrition that he was carrying, but he obviously wasn't as energetic as he was when we first started. It sounds funny, but it was actually perfect, because I suddenly was the encourager, which only boosted my positivity. We continued the long walk talking everything from triathlon to religion. I can't tell you how awesome it is to have such an incredible friend that not only is willing to drive 7 hours to come support me, but is willing to walk with me to make sure I'd finish. Tom, I love you, bro! You are the man! Thank you!!!<br />
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As we got back to where the cheerleading squad was, my awesome brother-in-law, Trevor, who also had driven up and had to work the next morning (a 5+ hour drive), took me around the loop, by the finish line. We stopped at Special Needs and I decided to switch socks and shoes. I had been feeling a hotspot on the bottom of my left foot. It turned into a beautiful blister. Wanna see?<br />
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It wasn't the most comfortable, but neither was moving...PERIOD! The volunteer at Special Needs was so awesome. Both of my legs completely locked up as I sat in the chairs there. I couldn't even bend to get my socks and shoes off, so this complete stranger bent, untied both my shoes, took those stinky things off, took my sweaty socks off, put fresh socks and shoes on, and handed me my Snickers that I had packed for this time. She was incredible! <br />
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Trevor and I walked back to the cheering squad where a photographer took this picture. Still smiling, but hurting!!!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Low Res from Finisherpix</td></tr>
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It was time for another switch, and Colleen was up. I was excited about doing the last 13 miles with her. This wasn't the first time we'd done a half marathon together. In 2012, we ran one together in Atlanta (Read about it <a href="http://go-smitty-go.blogspot.com/2012/10/all-state-atlanta-half-marathon-race.html">HERE</a>), and she's really fun to run, or in this case, walk with. Keep in mind, this girl just had a baby 10 weeks ago! We started out walking, and Colleen laid out the plan. She said that we were going to walk 9 minutes and run 1 minute. That sounded ok, and I told her I'd do my best. Nine minutes later we started to "run." It was more of a bounce down the street. It went ok, but pretty quickly, my calves and the fronts of my shins cramped. I walked it out. We did it again. And again. The third time, everything locked up so badly that I stopped to try and get the cramps out. The problem was that when I stretched the calf muscle, the front got worse. When I stretched the front, the calf got worse. There was no way to win. I decided that the "bouncing" wasn't helping anything, so we continued to walk. She was monitoring my time and knew that I would make it if I kept it under 20 minute miles. <br />
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Now I know for many of you, you can walk a 20 minute mile in your sleep! Me too! But it was all I could do to keep moving forward. I was putting down some really fast miles (haha) at 16 or 17 minutes, and that was enough. Remember that the cutoff for an Ironman is 12:00 midnight. I had started 34 minutes later because of the time trial start, so I had less time. Never in my life had I thought that I would be anywhere close to a cutoff. I was thinking 14 hours at the latest.<br />
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Colleen kept me moving forward. We talked vacations, spouses, babies, you name it. Although it sucked, she made it fun! The sun went down, and we put on glow sticks that went around our necks. There were hundreds of others walking. Hardly anyone was mustering any kind of run. We reached the turn around and had a little over 6 miles left. Here's where it started to get really hard. I have never been that physically exhausted in my life! When I started the marathon, I thought, "I can walk all day!!!" Now, I was really questioning whether or not I would be able to go 6 more miles. It was all I could do to put my hands on my hips and just keep putting one foot in front of the other. I found out later that I wasn't the only one that was hurting. Colleen's feet were throbbing, and I don't blame her! Did she ever say something? Nope! She was positive the whole way. What an incredible friend to be there by my side the whole way back.<br />
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With .8 miles to go, we saw Tom and Abigail who walked a little ways with us. Tom and Colleen walked me through the rest. They told me that the last half mile was for me to think about the last 8 months of training, the early mornings, the long runs and rides, the sacrifice, the pain, and everything else that I had gone through for <b><u>this</u></b> moment. Tom told me to turn on "the jets" as I left them, and I did...for 10 seconds before everything locked up again. I had to kind of laugh to see the miserable shape I was in. I wanted to run, seriously! As I rounded the last corner, I could see the bright lights of the finish, and that was enough to get me running no matter what muscles were cramped. <br />
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The street was lined on both sides with 6-8 people deep as they were straining over the barriers to get a high-five from any Ironman Finisher. It was the coolest thing in the world! I felt like a king! They were there to see me!!!! I saw Josh Woods, who had finished the race a couple hours earlier, and Brittany, his Wife along with my dad there. Pretty much right in front of them, in the center of the chute was a manhole cover that was slightly raised. I saw it, but I didn't realize that my steps were so close to the ground. I tripped over it and about sprawled all over the ground. Luckily, I saved it and laughed as every muscle cramped worse. I had purposefully held back so that I had the chute to myself, because I wanted to hear those words "Matthew Smith, You are an Ironman!"<br />
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My dad took this picture of me running up the finisher chute. You can see me way up there in the light.<br />
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I've heard that Louisville is one of the coolest finish lines ever because it is under the Fourth Street Live roof. The noise is deafening! I started to weave back and forth between the sides slapping hands on both sides. Jennifer says I slapped hers, but I don't remember it. <br />
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FINALLY, I crossed the finish line!!!</div>
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You can watch it here. Just jump to <b>8:37:20</b>. He even said my name!!!<br />
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The catcher gave me my medal, water and chocolate milk, and I was ready to find Jenn. She was on the other side of the fence, but I found her quickly. I had been waiting for that moment and just hugged her and let all the emotion out. It was AWESOME!!!</div>
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After seeing my dad, Josh and Brittany, I started to feel light-headed and queasy, so I sat down. I had heard that getting an IV is one of the best ways to recover, and the way I was feeling, anything was worth a shot. A volunteer wheeled me to the medical area where I got an IV. <br />
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After hobbling the couple blocks back to the hotel I was completely overwhelmed by the incredible support that I had as my phone was blowing up with texts, phone calls, emails, Facebook posts, and tweets. You guys are awesome! I couldn't have done it without you. Just to know that so many of you were tracking me through the day, some even using up all their data on their phone (MINDY), made my day worth continuing. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!<br />
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But there are several people that I would like to specifically thank for their dedication to me becoming an Ironman.<br />
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<b>Jennifer and Caffrey:</b> You guys got the worst of it. Early mornings when I would be gone. All day Sunday by yourself as I rode century after century. Listening to me complain about being sore or tired. Encouraging me when all I wanted to do was quit. You two are the best! I could never have done it without you. Even on race day, you had just as long a day as I did, but you stood out in the heat and never complained. You are my pride and joy! I am the luckiest guy in the world to have you, Jenn, as a wife and you, Caffrey, as a son. I love you both SO much!!!<br />
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<b>Josh and Brittany:</b> You guys are awesome too. Josh, you have trained the most with me, supported me through the slow rides and runs, encouraged me, pushed me, motivated me and kept me going. Thanks for being such a great friend. You are the man, and I love you! Brittany, you're a great friend too, and I'm so glad that you married J-Woo!!!<br />
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<b>Dad and Grandpa:</b> Thanks for making the long drive up to Louisville to sweat it out in the heat just to support me on race day. <br />
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<b>Trevor and Wyntre:</b> Thanks for driving all the way up to see my race, to walk that long block with me, to carry my shoes. Thanks for being tired the next day at work because you stayed to support me. Love you!<br />
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<b>Tom and Colleen: </b> You guys are incredible! From the endless wisdom and experience of doing an Ironman to encouraging me and advising me. Thanks. And obviously, thanks for doing the whole marathon with me! I can't even explain how much that means to me! I'm so glad God put us in the same area so that we can be friends. You guys are the best! Maybe one day we will be related...through our kids. :)<br />
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<b>The Buford Family: </b>All week long, I have thought about how so many of you stayed up late to see this pastor cross the finish line. What a fantastic church I get the honor and privilege to serve. You really are family, and it means the world to know that you guys love me too! Thank you!<br />
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<b>Brooks Running: </b> Thank you Brooks for all the free gear this year! You made it possible to train in the best equipment out there. My body thanks you!!! Let's do it again in 2014!<br />
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And to all the others of you that I didn't mention, your wisdom and advice and support and motivation helped so much, and I will always be grateful. Thank you!!!<br />
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Will there ever be another Ironman in my journey? Well, I guess you'll have to keep reading!<br />
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<br />Matthew Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01027593921011160323noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846213604215010011.post-36447753155493295022013-08-28T21:32:00.000-04:002013-08-28T21:32:19.220-04:00Ironman Louisville Race Report - BikeIn case you missed the report on the swim, you can read it <a href="http://go-smitty-go.blogspot.com/2013/08/ironman-louisville-race-report-swim.html">HERE</a>. Just to recap, I did it 10 minutes faster than I thought I would and actually did the transition a couple minutes faster too. That was the last time that I focused on my goal time for the rest of the day.<br />
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The bike course at Louisville is known for its hills. I would describe it as relentless hills. None of them are too terrible, and they really aren't any worse than the hills of Atlanta. I had driven up to ride the course back in May (read my report <a href="http://go-smitty-go.blogspot.com/2013/06/louisville-bike-course.html">HERE</a>) and had formed a strategy to ride it for race day. On the preview ride in May, I had only ridden the loop once and had dragged back to the car a beaten cyclist, although I did average 17.8mph. Here's what the course looks like.<br />
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After riding the last couple months up to race day, I had decided to take it super easy for the first 80 miles, at like 15-16mph, and then pick up the pace and hope to get close to 17mph for the whole ride.<br />
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I saw Jenn and my dad as I ran through the Bike Out arch. Can you see the white thing in the pocket on my jersey? That is a sweet card from my awesome wife! She gave me one for T1 and T2. I was hustling and didn't want to stop, so I threw it in there and decided to read it at my darkest mile. It totally came in to play later on in the ride. Don't I have a crazy awesome wife? She's amazing, and I couldn't have done this without her. After leaving transition, I saw my brother-in-law, Trevor, and his wife, Wyntre. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiasDfPkTClNJLhvFsdattVzwY8vf747IqHKy-ktQx3fluplz4N65DfVfO2AKa4frig05iHPsd7uxVHNNbCy10Wxxwd89iZLrhaJr1GIsvYePQZXdedFFraQbEC2u8j1yD7MTcbAyuIDEG1/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-08-28+at+9.12.18+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiasDfPkTClNJLhvFsdattVzwY8vf747IqHKy-ktQx3fluplz4N65DfVfO2AKa4frig05iHPsd7uxVHNNbCy10Wxxwd89iZLrhaJr1GIsvYePQZXdedFFraQbEC2u8j1yD7MTcbAyuIDEG1/s640/Screen+Shot+2013-08-28+at+9.12.18+PM.png" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Low Res from Finisherpix</td></tr>
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The first 10 miles or so are super flat, and it is hard not to kill it there. I just listened to my legs and just spun easy through there. I was averaging about 20mph. There were several nasty holes in the road, but I had ridden it already, so I knew where they were. I did see one guy crash pretty hard right behind me. I think he was alright.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Low Res from Finisherpix</td></tr>
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The course gets hilly and has a nasty out-and-back section where there were several accidents. I stayed in the saddle for this entire time and for the first 80 miles, for that matter. My goal was to drink one 24oz bottle of water, the 16oz water chamber in my aero bottle and part of my Powerade before the first aid station...and I did that! I was spot on for my nutrition throughout the ride. I drank and drank and drank and drank! There was no way that my day was going to end because I was dehydrated. <br />
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At mile 40, the course goes through a viewing area in the town of LaGrange. Jennifer, Caffrey, Trevor and Wyntre had driven out there and met up with Tom and Colleen and Abigail Kingery who had driven up especially to cheer me on. It was so awesome to see them all there! I stopped just for a few seconds to snag a kiss from the wife and to say "hi" to everyone else. They were the best crew EVER!!! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwTIu_1iwldLzow4rk5sTopk_6JLc3sfSBd9ukzrbp288N6qqHzORRzyQy9o_voqQY3-dUbFVXbKrMI_1kWOClIo4TOYCBxVPs3BLn8ebkPPLcEBnaWPoClsMbm-pE7v9l4ADJQnfxZN_V/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-08-28+at+8.53.15+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwTIu_1iwldLzow4rk5sTopk_6JLc3sfSBd9ukzrbp288N6qqHzORRzyQy9o_voqQY3-dUbFVXbKrMI_1kWOClIo4TOYCBxVPs3BLn8ebkPPLcEBnaWPoClsMbm-pE7v9l4ADJQnfxZN_V/s640/Screen+Shot+2013-08-28+at+8.53.15+PM.png" width="514" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Low Res pic from Finisherpix</td></tr>
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Around this time, I passed a girl who yelled, "Smitty?" I turned around to see <a href="http://firstinphilly.blogspot.com/">Coy Martinez</a>. She had just recently signed up to do Ironman Louisville as her first Ironman. We chatted it up and tried to spin to save the legs. For some reason, I ended up dropping her, but I would see her later. I started the second loop and stopped at the Special Needs bags to get my second Powerade. <a href="http://www.thisspartanwill.com/">Erika</a>, had told me a special trick to freeze it and wrap it in tin foil to keep it cold. It was PERFECT and tasted SO good!! Thanks for the tip!!! I saw my dad and grandpa, and the rest of the cheering team in LaGrange on the second loop and that's about the time everything started to be questionable. My legs were TIRED! What happened? I had ridden the course exactly how I had planned. I hadn't pushed it. I had done my nutrition exactly how I needed it. I was worried.<br />
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Coy caught back up to me, and I could barely hang with her. As we came up to an aid station, she encouraged me to get some ice. I stopped and took several minutes to stuff ice in my shorts to sit on my quads to help them relax. Just that ice water on my face and neck felt really good. It was 90+ degrees outside, although I didn't really notice it being that hot. Soon after the ice stop, I couldn't hang with Coy, and she dropped me pretty easily. Guess what? It was mile 80, and that was when I was supposed to throw down the hammer, right? Nope! Not for me. My legs were toasted, and it was really frustrating!!! I had done what I was supposed to, but it wouldn't be my day to throw down a really good bike split. I was sitting up more and just trying to get home. One thing that didn't leave my face was my smile. There was no way I was going to drop into a bad attitude!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqW9UhdvHLFaYIYaSPLdQ_IPKux9PefwYQlZVzDKCLg6ebs5P4l99iaPYpP4YhiRQ9D4z6JXkO9Zs7UelP7WN-Se5h8Br0WfxXryl_QBrVpVdIBjefV4dD1MhDnTdGHTdpUqj9fRZieYSj/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-08-28+at+9.06.40+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqW9UhdvHLFaYIYaSPLdQ_IPKux9PefwYQlZVzDKCLg6ebs5P4l99iaPYpP4YhiRQ9D4z6JXkO9Zs7UelP7WN-Se5h8Br0WfxXryl_QBrVpVdIBjefV4dD1MhDnTdGHTdpUqj9fRZieYSj/s640/Screen+Shot+2013-08-28+at+9.06.40+PM.png" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Low Res from Finisherpix</td></tr>
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The last 32 miles were really tough. I was getting passed by everyone, and it was all I could do to just keep pedaling and try to save the ride. My computer reset itself, so I had no idea exactly how much further I had to go. It was about this time that I decided to open up that card from Jennifer. She had written a super sweet message and it had a picture of the whole family in there. It was AWESOME and got me the rest of the way back. Finally, I rolled into transition and new that the run was going to be super tough! My bike average ended up being a super slow 15.59mph. In hindsight, I think I would have just gone out hard on the bike to try and have a decent bike time that I know I could have done instead of trying to save my legs for the run. <br />
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The bike catchers were cool and grabbed my back and racked it for me. I made my way to the changing tent to see guys throwing up, some just collapsed in chairs, some trying to get fluids in them. It was pretty sad. I took my time to change (15 minutes), and made sure I had everything. Then it was on to the "run."<br />
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Thanks for reading!! I'll give the run report tomorrow.Matthew Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01027593921011160323noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846213604215010011.post-52314866568978531512013-08-27T22:13:00.001-04:002013-08-27T22:13:09.707-04:00Ironman Louisville Race Report - Swim<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">"Matthew Smith. You Are An IRONMAN!!!!"</span></div>
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Those words are still ringing in my ears. I could hear that every day! What an incredible experience. What a day to be alive. What a bucket-list check mark, an accomplished goal, a completed dream. And I can't stop being overwhelmed by the support that I have felt from friends, family, my church, bloggers and even strangers! It seriously chokes me up every time I think about how many people were tracking and cheering and watching that finish line as I completed the 2013 Ironman Louisville. Incredible!!! </div>
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But to not make this post so incredibly long, I'll split the weekend up into three separate posts - Swim, Bike and Run. And to start off this swim post, I'll give you a little bit of pre-race activities too.</div>
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Josh and Brittany Woods, came up to Atlanta to stay at our house Thursday night. I had borrowed a church member's van (Thanks, Scott!) so that the trip would be more enjoyable. Bright and early on Friday morning, we woke up and loaded the van with all the triathlon gear that we had and hit the road for the long, 7-hour journey. We had to get there and be registered by 5pm, or we wouldn't be racing on Sunday. </div>
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We got to registration at the Galt House at about 4pm and even made it in time to buy those super cool Ironman shirts that have your name on the back. That's cool! I ended up with a very easy-to-say number that I yelled a dozen times on race day. I love that my name is on it, plus, I enjoyed cheering for other athletes by name.</div>
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After registering, we drove a couple blocks to the Brown Hotel which turned out to be the perfect spot to stay. It not only was a really nice hotel, but it was ON the run course which was perfect for spectators. We all were hungry, so we strolled a couple blocks down and ended up at Fourth Street Live, which is the finish line area too!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2 future Ironmen!</td></tr>
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After a decent night's rest, we got up and checked out the swim start. I had missed the memo that I needed to bring my swim cap in order to swim, so I just put my hand in the water to see how warm it was, and it was perfect! Normally, the Ohio river is blazing hot during this week, but because of our unusually cold summer, the temperature of the river was 82*, which was wetsuit legal. I had pretty much made my decision before we even got there, but after putting my hand in the water, there was no question. I would NOT be wearing a wetsuit. This decision might have saved my day!</div>
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As we left the swim start, there was a group of people that were having a worship service right there near the transition area, and Jennifer and I decided to stay and praise the Lord with them. It was really cool...especially since we normally worship on Saturday. Pretty cool! </div>
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The rest of the day was fairly relaxing and included a picnic by the river with the family. My dad and grandpa had come up to cheer for me too.</div>
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We dropped our bikes off at transition, and that was the last I'd see of Clifford for the night. I let some air out of the tires as it was easily over 90*, and I didn't want those babies to pop!</div>
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We ate a really good carb-loaded meal at The Old Spaghetti Factory and then went to bed pretty early. Race day was coming! I slept with earplugs and didn't hear Caffrey the whole night! Jenn was such a trooper trying to help me get as much sleep as possible, which meant her not getting as much. Man, I love that girl!!!</div>
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At 4:00am, the alarm was supposed to go off. I had woken up at 3am and had just laid there in excitement and anticipation. It was Race Day!!! I made some scrambled eggs on our electric skillet and had a bagel with peanut butter. It was delicious! We headed for transition and got everything ready. The valve on my rear wheel's tube was really short, and I freaked out as I tried to pump it up and it wouldn't. Thankfully, the guy next to me and a longer valve extender that I borrowed and worked like a charm. Josh and I got separated on the long walk to the swim start. It was roughly a mile up the road at a place called Tumbleweeds. Once I got marked, I got in line...the porta potty line! It lasted forever! And this was frustrating since every second in that line meant I wasn't spending that time in the swim start line. Ironman Louisville is a unique start in that there is a massive line that forms and athletes jump in as they get to the water. There is no mass swim start. After taking care of business, I started the walk which was at least another mile to where it finally ended and I started to wait. I heard the canon go off for the pros at 6:50am, and then I heard the second canon go off at 7:00am. We still had a long wait before our day would start. </div>
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We got a last family picture and then began the long walk to the start.</div>
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Finally, we got there and everything started!! Here's the video of the swim start that my dad shot. Can you tell that he's nervous for me? </div>
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The swim was AWESOME! It took me a minute to chill out and start really swimming. There weren't too many beatings from other swimmers. I did have to find a little open water, but once I found it, I was cruising. The swim course goes up and around Toehead Island before turning back with the current and flowing back to Louisville.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQWF1-Hez_clUczbw1hJHlOlHCpZwnR6Vy2H17Khb7kakTHIll34tC4Mx0Gz3QY-HOQGj8x6e9NibqkxnZYw24cATQ_tZLq5C3yrOlsX8XP-at5fUOmxnT3yUS-Zaj8kD7swHqon_z7Z4z/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-08-27+at+10.07.37+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQWF1-Hez_clUczbw1hJHlOlHCpZwnR6Vy2H17Khb7kakTHIll34tC4Mx0Gz3QY-HOQGj8x6e9NibqkxnZYw24cATQ_tZLq5C3yrOlsX8XP-at5fUOmxnT3yUS-Zaj8kD7swHqon_z7Z4z/s640/Screen+Shot+2013-08-27+at+10.07.37+PM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
It took FOREVER to get past the island!!! Once we rounded the turn bouy, I really got in a groove and started going faster. As I got to the exit, one of the volunteers who was chest-deep in the water offered me her hand. I grabbed it, but wasn't quite close enough, so I gave one last kick, but my foot smashed into the railing that went deep into the water. Although I'm not in this picture, here's what the swim exit looked like.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLW-7zkFnvIwogTCD_UkbQMWrzvcCZ4jPr-QbNW0uWOemzd0OZ5J3hqeOXUXoYMj9fRyWMfFdXc2S9nBhnpJjVC7sqQX28yM9uoXC7mYyEafmjQPDAPmpMByt60GgDIAGUCZGuJ-oo2aCh/s1600/DSC04733.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLW-7zkFnvIwogTCD_UkbQMWrzvcCZ4jPr-QbNW0uWOemzd0OZ5J3hqeOXUXoYMj9fRyWMfFdXc2S9nBhnpJjVC7sqQX28yM9uoXC7mYyEafmjQPDAPmpMByt60GgDIAGUCZGuJ-oo2aCh/s640/DSC04733.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
OUCH! It instantly swelled up and turned black and blue. No worries. I wasn't going to let that stop me. I got out of the water, grabbed some water to drink, hustled into transition and got out to see that my swim had been 1:20! I was shooting for 1:30, so that was an instant 10 minute bonus. My transition had been fast too, so I was stoked about my time! And that's about when I stopped worrying about my time for the day.<br />
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With the swim done, I was off on the bike for a 112 mile victory ride. I'll do my best to post it tomorrow. <br />
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Thanks for reading!</div>
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Matthew Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01027593921011160323noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846213604215010011.post-16045570346858415062013-08-21T19:03:00.000-04:002013-08-21T19:03:29.594-04:00Ironman PredictionsAs you can tell, life has been full of everything else <u>other than blogging</u>, but I thought I would at least give out some predictions of what I <i>think</i> will happen on Sunday when I finally get to the day I've been waiting for...Ironman Race Day!!! What a day it is going to be!<br />
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<b>I Predict...</b> that Sunday will be the hardest and most rewarding day of my entire life.<br />
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<b>I Predict...</b> that although it is going to be tough, I will keep a smile on my face throughout the race (mostly) :)<br />
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<b>I Predict...</b> that I will have the greatest cheering crew out there including <a href="http://calimaysdaze.blogspot.com/">Jennifer</a>, Caffrey, Dad and Grandpa Smith, Trevor and Wyntre Stout (Jenn's bro and wife), Tom and <a href="http://cbkingery.blogspot.com/">Colleen Kingery</a>, Brittany Woods, Neil Arnold, and countless others tracking online and cheering from different states.<br />
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<b>I Predict...</b> that I'll be able to see them all very clearly, because they'll be wearing THESE babies!!!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back</td></tr>
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<b>I Predict...</b> that there will be something that happens that I didn't expect, didn't plan for, or didn't want to happen, and I will adjust, be flexible, and go with it!<br />
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<b>I Predict...</b> that there will be a whole lot of people that finish in front of me, but there'll be a bunch behind me too.<br />
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<b>I Predict...</b> that I'll make a ton of new friends, especially out on the run course.<br />
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<b>I Predict...</b> that I will see Josh Woods, <a href="http://runkdubrun.blogspot.com/">Karen Whitlock</a>, David Brannon, or Keith Shoemaker out on the course somewhere, although I'm pretty sure that they all will be waiting at the finish line by the time I get there.<br />
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<b>I Predict...</b> that it is going to be hot. REALLY HOT, but I'm ready for that and will continually be drinking!!<br />
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And here are my <b>PREDICTIONS </b>for my race splits.<br />
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<b>SWIM:</b> <b>1 hour 30 minutes</b><br />
I'm a slow swimmer, and I'm just going to take my time. This is the smallest part of the day, and there is no need to blow up because of a cooked swim.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.everymantri.com/.a/6a00d83451b18a69e2015434eff28b970c-600wi" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="417" src="http://www.everymantri.com/.a/6a00d83451b18a69e2015434eff28b970c-600wi" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the most unique Ironman swim starts...</td></tr>
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<b>TI: 10 minutes</b><br />
<b> </b>Again, why hurry? I want to make sure I don't forget anything.<br />
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<a href="http://www.ironman.com/~/media/e4cc3b215bc64172b980d50d7ff1beea/ironman%20louisville%20eventpgmainimg%201280x600%20v2.jpg?w=1280&h=600&c=1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://www.ironman.com/~/media/e4cc3b215bc64172b980d50d7ff1beea/ironman%20louisville%20eventpgmainimg%201280x600%20v2.jpg?w=1280&h=600&c=1" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>Bike: 6 hours 34 minutes</b><br />
So here is the big question. To get this time, I'll average 17mph. I know I can go a whole lot faster, but I don't want to pop on the run, so I think it's in my best interest to back it down and take it easy. That being said, if I'm feeling good, I wouldn't mind averaging faster. We'll see what happens!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's a beautiful course full or horse farms.</td></tr>
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<b>T2: 8 minutes</b><br />
<b> </b>I'm changing at both transitions, so it might take me quite a bit of time. Plus, there could be some stretching at this one. It's only 26.2 miles left, right?<br />
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<b>Run: 5 hours</b><br />
<b> </b>I don't enjoy running usually, and I doubt I'll enjoy it any more after doing 2/3 of an Ironman. So, let the death shuffle begin! The plan is to run between the aid stations as far as I can go. I've got a bunch of Ironfans that may or may not hop out on the course to run (walk, let's be real!) a little bit with me. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://api.ning.com/files/*7G1hLPRlL5JQNOiwcZsHHnjy*EeYQ0XpEvSm4n0zBiaZNp8ObgpSM9SX4FCntbOV-7JuVCCut5AMaH0hpItIRi-n7H2u5gb/IMKYFinishLine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://api.ning.com/files/*7G1hLPRlL5JQNOiwcZsHHnjy*EeYQ0XpEvSm4n0zBiaZNp8ObgpSM9SX4FCntbOV-7JuVCCut5AMaH0hpItIRi-n7H2u5gb/IMKYFinishLine.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finish line on 4th Street Live!!!</td></tr>
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<b>And Lastly, I Predict... that at the end of the day, I WILL be an IRONMAN!!!!!</b><br />
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Thank you to all that have supported me through this whole journey. We've got one very very long day until it's done. If you would like to track me, my bib number is #1456, or you can search for Matthew Smith in the 30-34 age group. This is my first race in that group! Yikes! I'm getting old!!!Matthew Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01027593921011160323noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846213604215010011.post-70528739498218321972013-07-07T17:10:00.000-04:002013-07-07T17:10:01.037-04:00Juggling LifeI don't know if I'll ever do another Ironman...at least for 10 years. It really is tough, especially here in the last two months of training, to juggle everything in life. Not only am I struggling to get all my workouts in, but trying to balance work and upcoming church events and family time and allowing Jenn to have time to train too. Did I tell you that she's training for a half Ironman? Isn't that cool? I'm super excited for her, but it sure is hard to find a good balance with all the things going on right now. Sometimes it is nice to put specific workouts on the calendar so that you can't miss them.<br />
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Last Sunday, I had placed the GA-400 Century on my calendar, and therefore, I had to do it. Aftering riding the Louisville course and talking with several people, I decided to swap out my standard crank on my tri bike for the compact crank on my road bike. With the help of Tom Kingery, we made it happen just in time for this 101 miler. I had heard that it was a beast of a ride that included "The Three Sisters," three consecutive climbs that sounded brutal. Steve, one of the leaders for the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/441297125952047/">Gwinnett Tri Club</a>, posted that he was riding it too and wondered if anyone else was. That worked out well to have someone for those lonely miles. We met up at the start and got in line. I was pretty stoked to ride on GA-400, which is basically a freeway that runs into the heart of Atlanta. Honestly, it wasn't all that it was cracked up to be, and we ended up just riding down one exit and then got on surface streets. Anyway, there were TONS of people there! Please excuse the retarded look on my face, but this will give you an idea of the people doing the ride.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisK3_eWUmKBBPi8udKZFRGzo-dIprxmmyvjV1a8ULurfc0x_DC3iOdsA6qAPcYlZv-fgpkg2GVPrWd8QYX5yVZzR9KoJPipYQrHjsj1GgcRR3HEnOsMfgnRQsmaSR0tKgVKbHEOZ5qDnHF/s1600/IMG_1445.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisK3_eWUmKBBPi8udKZFRGzo-dIprxmmyvjV1a8ULurfc0x_DC3iOdsA6qAPcYlZv-fgpkg2GVPrWd8QYX5yVZzR9KoJPipYQrHjsj1GgcRR3HEnOsMfgnRQsmaSR0tKgVKbHEOZ5qDnHF/s640/IMG_1445.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Behind me...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE1h_NSLozz3Mx1wN3zgHbc3Jk-Al9H2UuhTtboVc6Q6jOkLqJHy6oFV8McGBzAchyGsxUHpI4IjLX_7f1RUeWaersxJENJLjkFWJgDf7wdUbsQwf50O852DfJEt7at4sYlfEwsvDbgDgK/s1600/IMG_1446.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE1h_NSLozz3Mx1wN3zgHbc3Jk-Al9H2UuhTtboVc6Q6jOkLqJHy6oFV8McGBzAchyGsxUHpI4IjLX_7f1RUeWaersxJENJLjkFWJgDf7wdUbsQwf50O852DfJEt7at4sYlfEwsvDbgDgK/s640/IMG_1446.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In front...</td></tr>
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There were several rides including a 9-mile "I Did It" ride, 22 miles, 45 miles, 62 miles, and the full 101 miles. I needed all the miles I could get, so I did the full 101. Right at 7am, they let us ride, and onto the freeway we went.<div>
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It was actually pretty tough riding with everyone so close together. In these pics, it had already started to thin out. Soon enough, we were at the first SAG stop, which we skipped. 9 miles and need something? Come on! :)</div>
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The ride went really smoothly. Steve and I hung together all day and just enjoyed chatting it up. My goal was to be in the 17-18mph range, but that didn't quite happen. The first 9 miles were so conglomerated with other bikers, that there was no way to go fast. Oh yeah, and those three sisters slowed us down quite a bit! But, thanks to the wisdom and help from a lot of you, I had the right crank for the job and was able to climb without any issues. </div>
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The course finished with a pretty tough climb for the last mile. Not cool, guys! Not cool! All in all, it was a great day. Thanks, Steve, for making the day enjoyable! We finished with a 16.7 average, and I'll call that a good ride!</div>
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This morning, I went out for another pretty long ride. I decided to ride around Lake Lanier. I was scheduled for a 4 hour ride, so I figured about 70 miles would be great. It was an overcast day, and although the sun didn't make me sweat, the humidity made me start dripping almost instantly. At about the 3-hour mark, I stopped at the third crossing of the lake to enjoy some nutrition while taking in the view.</div>
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I tried to pick up the pace for the last hour and ended up with 17.8mph for 71.37 miles. I had enough time before it started to rain to do a short brick run to loosen up the legs. All in all, it was a perfect training day to spend with Clifford!</div>
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This week is going to be another hectic week of balancing schedules and time. SEVEN more weeks till raceday!</div>
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Matthew Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01027593921011160323noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846213604215010011.post-17064212471712534302013-06-25T21:12:00.000-04:002013-06-25T21:12:30.191-04:00Louisville Bike Course Preview...Confidence booster, or not?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This past Sunday, I got the chance to drive up to Louisville to ride the Ironman course. All in all, it was a really good trip, although it ended up being a lonely trip by myself. But, before I get to Louisville, I'll give you a little update on Caffrey. (Heads up. Sorry for the long post!)</div>
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Jennifer and Caff are currently on a trip with Mimi, Jenn's mom, to Branson, MO. They have tried to do a mother-daughter trip every year, and so this year, they decided to go to Branson. I think they are having a blast, although being a bachelor isn't as fun as it sounds when you've got an incredible family you COULD be with. Yesterday, Caffrey was back in the pool. Jenn said he just kicked and kicked and kicked. That's my boy! I think he's training for his first triathlon.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Working on his Swim...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimCzTdXDWiiff0R-BBaabp2iO38HN4pcGa1_5abyr4FNSdKTAgGVJctq31qhnLcoSDxsH5j6lPtUhJJisSbw90N1JPUHb2SVU1ZmyCCx8XmMfQY5nU54CLUAcN02GYmKkwmQ2WW6GKXoko/s1600/IMG_1417.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimCzTdXDWiiff0R-BBaabp2iO38HN4pcGa1_5abyr4FNSdKTAgGVJctq31qhnLcoSDxsH5j6lPtUhJJisSbw90N1JPUHb2SVU1ZmyCCx8XmMfQY5nU54CLUAcN02GYmKkwmQ2WW6GKXoko/s640/IMG_1417.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Working on his aero position on my bike. I think he needs a smaller size...</td></tr>
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Now if he can just start crawling and then walking and then running, he'll be a triathlete! He's also been working on his skillz with the ladies. He's obviously got eyes for a sweet little girl that is only a few weeks old. She's beautiful, and Caffrey obviously LOVES Abigail!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb3f7EtNlA8heKghVqgNT4Y8MzGFUAGM3ldwrACtTOQXvND5fepcbZY6w85_OguZNTQYzDXNSMZEE2uEvkNixkaWtZQ_stlSE3mNuxoChaA8LSQXojT2557O6AY1ikuCRCC7S06AGC9CeC/s1600/IMG_1419.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb3f7EtNlA8heKghVqgNT4Y8MzGFUAGM3ldwrACtTOQXvND5fepcbZY6w85_OguZNTQYzDXNSMZEE2uEvkNixkaWtZQ_stlSE3mNuxoChaA8LSQXojT2557O6AY1ikuCRCC7S06AGC9CeC/s640/IMG_1419.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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We try to get together with the Kingery's every couple weeks. It's really cool to see how God put these two families in the same place at the same time. Jenn and I talk about how blessed we are with such fantastic friends.</div>
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On Friday, I got out to do my long run. I have been feeling pretty awesome on the bike and in the pool, but I've been super nervous about running a marathon after all that. So, heading out on my long run was very intimidating. I ran a new route, and I think I had <i><b>one of the best runs of my life</b></i>! It was awesome! I ended up with this:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3xlDDi7vknIbe6AtqU2dzlo_A-1Bh4TLfraM5ec0FSnGAM0A9xCcx6jqgQEAs8dSNwliGCBtuBpF-nOlka8dY-N2CZ_Bp0pt3BRBHgC_iZ0kftpz6UB9LKLAgg1S4AoC7VFbkbHSRBBfZ/s1600/IMG_0132.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3xlDDi7vknIbe6AtqU2dzlo_A-1Bh4TLfraM5ec0FSnGAM0A9xCcx6jqgQEAs8dSNwliGCBtuBpF-nOlka8dY-N2CZ_Bp0pt3BRBHgC_iZ0kftpz6UB9LKLAgg1S4AoC7VFbkbHSRBBfZ/s640/IMG_0132.jpg" width="558" /></a></div>
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15 miles at 8:52's is really good for me. At 13.1, I actually was a minute faster than my half-marathon PR. Granted, I had a fairly easy week of training, so my legs were pretty rested, AND I left at 7:30am, so it was cool. Still, I'll take a good long run like that for a HUGE confidence booster. </div>
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On Saturday, I left to drive the 7 hours to Louisville. My buddy, Josh, was going to go with me but ended up not being able to go. Then, I asked Tom to go, but he couldn't either. So, it ended up being a solo trip. Now I have to tell you about the incredible couple that totally let me crash their home for the night.</div>
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I met Neil last year at Ironman Louisville when Jennifer and I were volunteering. We just happened to be working together in the finish shoot, so we got a chance to chat it up a bit. He was planning on doing Ironman Louisville this year, so we were instantly buds. He lives there in Louisville and said, "When you come up next year, let me know, and you can stay at our place." Well, I don't know if he really planned on my taking him up on that offer, but I did. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilug9O_RSTN9ld2H-3aLCc6q82GeBKr56djjE1aaEy-nO_5s6oEKCJsba5rdK7cJITL61ArbGBFshVs9klAw-Sdhw-Hnn36iXMsuDpZe2CBuqg0ONhGg77vZQg6LZic47_Fo0AXgxWy1Fr/s1600/IMG_1432.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilug9O_RSTN9ld2H-3aLCc6q82GeBKr56djjE1aaEy-nO_5s6oEKCJsba5rdK7cJITL61ArbGBFshVs9klAw-Sdhw-Hnn36iXMsuDpZe2CBuqg0ONhGg77vZQg6LZic47_Fo0AXgxWy1Fr/s640/IMG_1432.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Not only is he super cool, but his wife, Brooke, is too. She's in a band with her brother, and I got to listen to a couple of their songs as they played at a pizza joint close to his house. They have a really nice home WITH A POOL! Neil and I planned out the next day. He was going to meet me at a gas station about 30 miles into the ride. I went to bed because it was already late, and I knew I had a tough ride the next day.</div>
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Here's what the course looks like. It is a "lollipop" route with two loops of the "pop."</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkzD_5IB9oTVROxV3bujdAmSm6g18tEk7DoxHgC9a4QmHYEMyxZbi_SPI5K6mvaI-ClkmlHJMCJQRHDrP1Xc8KNdauppBwx32r2tut577KAVwbhWenibCOUmrX1LFmp6CTd33vyfYiSVPk/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-06-25+at+8.08.48+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkzD_5IB9oTVROxV3bujdAmSm6g18tEk7DoxHgC9a4QmHYEMyxZbi_SPI5K6mvaI-ClkmlHJMCJQRHDrP1Xc8KNdauppBwx32r2tut577KAVwbhWenibCOUmrX1LFmp6CTd33vyfYiSVPk/s640/Screen+Shot+2013-06-25+at+8.08.48+PM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Sunday, I woke up before the alarm totally excited! I drove the 15 minutes to downtown Louisville (it was sweet that they lived so close!), and found a place to park. The first 10 miles of the course are flat as a pancake along River Road, so, in order to speed the day up and get to my long drive back to Atlanta, I parked 6-8 miles already out on the course. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3J1OGsph3grckKVO1qj2v_7w5OkpaUcEmJtKdenXlzleizIHsOPdD-LTv3rJM9DEtkc-7LY51hLLJYurpbWYv2Jo_E85vKzy54v6zTRqWktNR3bOeq8pWL6kmf11pvplEHKLBNvDodDqY/s1600/IMG_1430.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3J1OGsph3grckKVO1qj2v_7w5OkpaUcEmJtKdenXlzleizIHsOPdD-LTv3rJM9DEtkc-7LY51hLLJYurpbWYv2Jo_E85vKzy54v6zTRqWktNR3bOeq8pWL6kmf11pvplEHKLBNvDodDqY/s640/IMG_1430.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I recently put a hitch on the back of the Civic so that I didn't have to drive the gas-guzzling 4-runner everywhere to ride. I think it looks pretty sexy, right?</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWG0hled8E9_1t4TQBwOxcN05OzxYMwPYFAtb8Oszomd0s090TS79BriqlTfrmNzg0uW6D63Y_fAAEQ61ZUZ765AV5I-3viM4NhXpucnx1ncDDIKiisGvrUE59qU0CvcVFv7hjg6NZ8eBl/s1600/IMG_1431.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWG0hled8E9_1t4TQBwOxcN05OzxYMwPYFAtb8Oszomd0s090TS79BriqlTfrmNzg0uW6D63Y_fAAEQ61ZUZ765AV5I-3viM4NhXpucnx1ncDDIKiisGvrUE59qU0CvcVFv7hjg6NZ8eBl/s640/IMG_1431.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gotta have directions!</td></tr>
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After the required pre-ride pic, I headed out.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6vJN7A6w2iScRS-o-ikI6EyI7qVfAz_XHMKwSlXXjEUth39xWPrB8ehg8_TED_HfynXtCyWCgngjJvRbGJe0lITAHZnhUxqFd8m6L1d38J7hplODr7AAiyY3QYzn-lnu9cZdrgbalvdCC/s1600/IMG_1429.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6vJN7A6w2iScRS-o-ikI6EyI7qVfAz_XHMKwSlXXjEUth39xWPrB8ehg8_TED_HfynXtCyWCgngjJvRbGJe0lITAHZnhUxqFd8m6L1d38J7hplODr7AAiyY3QYzn-lnu9cZdrgbalvdCC/s640/IMG_1429.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<br />My goal was to really test my legs and the hills to see how I could handle everything. My race day goal is to average 18mph, and so I thought I'd see how close to that I could get. Well, the whole course was exactly how I expected...tough. I wasn't surprised, and I don't feel like anything out there is worse than the hills of ATL. Actually, I feel like they are quite a bit tougher here. That is the good part. I know I can handle it.</div>
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At mile 30, I arrived at the gas station at the EXACT time that Neil drove up. How's that for perfect timing? My average was 18.3mph, and I was feeling fantastic. He went to pump up his tires, and nothing worked! In fact, the air out of BOTH tires came out, and we discovered that the valve stems had been ripped off. I'm pretty sure that the pump he was using was tweaking the stems. We had some spares, and I just so happened to have a schader to presta adapter. I didn't want to use up my CO2 cartridges as I still had a long way to go, so, we did something that seemed a little sketchy. We used the gas station's compressor! It worked very well without any trouble. As we road off together after the 30-minute stop, it just wasn't meant to be, because Neil had another flat! So, without any spare tubes, he headed back to the car while I continued on solo. It was a major bummer because we were really looking forward to riding together. Maybe next time.</div>
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So, back to the course. It really is a most beautiful ride. The whole time, I kept saying, "This is BEAUTIFUL!" I can't wait till I actually ride it on race day when the course is covered in other racers. Finally at the top end of the "pop," I turned back towards Louisville. There's a sign that says, "33 miles to Louisville," and I thought, "That's not so bad!" Well, I'm not sure what happened. I don't know if my legs were still tired from the 15-miler on Friday, or I went out too fast or if I didn't do my nutrition very well or what. There might have been a slight head wind on the way home that slowly drained and demoralized me, but I hate making excuses. It was a tough ride back. I just watched my average drop and drop and drop. There wasn't much I could do. I hadn't planned on doing the second loop, but there was no way that I could have handled it. Finally, after just over 4 hours of riding, I made it back to the car with 74 miles with a 17.8mph. To be honest, I felt like it was a good ride, although there was no way I could have done the second loop OR RUN A MARATHON after that! After thinking it through, I still feel pretty good about the day and know what I need to do, but you may not agree, so here goes nothing.</div>
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I think I need to switch my crank! For those of you that aren't cyclist/triathletes, here's what a crank is...</div>
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<a href="http://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/dura-ace_7900_crank.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/dura-ace_7900_crank.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Now my crank on my Tri bike is the one above and is a standard crank. The crank on my road bike is a compact crank which basically means that it is easier to climb hills. I didn't have trouble climbing any of the hills in Louisville, but I wasn't able to "spin" up them either. I believe this is why my legs pooped out on me, because they had no break whatesover. Either I was hammering it downhill or grinding it out, even in my granny gear, up the hills. This tells me that I need to do the switcheroo and get that compact crank on my Tri bike. </div>
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I'm riding the <a href="http://www.ga400century.com/">GA-400 Century</a> this sunday with Tom, and hopefully I'll have the crank switched by then as there are supposed to be quite a few hills on this course.</div>
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Sorry for the long post, and thanks for reading!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>
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Matthew Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01027593921011160323noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846213604215010011.post-50120013190958368302013-06-02T16:37:00.000-04:002013-06-02T16:37:18.366-04:00Throwing down some miles! (Training Update)With Ironman Louisville looming and only 83 days left till race day, I decided that I would give you an update on my training. So here she goes!<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">SWIM:</span></b><br />
Nothing to report here. No, I'm serious! I haven't been in the pool in a LONG time. I HAVE to go swim, and it's going to happen THIS week! To be honest, I'm not super worried about the swim portion of IM Louisville. I know I'm not a ridiculously fast swimmer, and I know it isn't going to ruin my day if I'm not the first out of the water. So, I'm planning on taking my time out there and not over exerting myself.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Bike:</b></span><br />
Here's where I'm proud to report some serious mileage! I have been spending quite a bit of time with Clifford, and I'm really feeling comfortable.<br />
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A couple weeks ago, my good buddy, Josh, had his 28th birthday. We have a tradition of doing a pretty big ride on or near his birthday. So, in honor of turing 28, we decided to ride 128 mile! It was AWESOME!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsM_5TOTUfCXGusUgc6zaGrjXJ78E-4ARhdZA7DDcQs_YodUxW6TpHinbuh5UW4A_544aagwpYv93SOB1KIqNfKPbQEgC-V3727iP7evIGUuuvW8SbPEhg8nE9n7W-yBsLTCmwNQpQI1Qf/s1600/IMG_1361.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsM_5TOTUfCXGusUgc6zaGrjXJ78E-4ARhdZA7DDcQs_YodUxW6TpHinbuh5UW4A_544aagwpYv93SOB1KIqNfKPbQEgC-V3727iP7evIGUuuvW8SbPEhg8nE9n7W-yBsLTCmwNQpQI1Qf/s640/IMG_1361.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birthday Boy!</td></tr>
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We decided to ride the Silver Comet and just do an out and back of 64 miles each way. At mile 60, we crossed the Alabama state line and started riding on the Chief Ladiga trail.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhht_OI6tO2NuNk9Pk5qJNWddEyGabPCjdVIZnP3-eP0-qy2fOjV8M3zeqWAaZbI4kgSJA8aO2n9dl6SrRgDzRMUivIfRvQiXna4VILb6WEhyphenhyphenLh4Y-CcmHUVNeZHlShNnlxN3n4qbFKtuiQ/s1600/IMG_1364.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhht_OI6tO2NuNk9Pk5qJNWddEyGabPCjdVIZnP3-eP0-qy2fOjV8M3zeqWAaZbI4kgSJA8aO2n9dl6SrRgDzRMUivIfRvQiXna4VILb6WEhyphenhyphenLh4Y-CcmHUVNeZHlShNnlxN3n4qbFKtuiQ/s640/IMG_1364.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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We certainly weren't fast, but we finished it strong. My plan was to <u>eat</u>, <u>drink</u> and <b>SPIN</b>! With the last 20 miles to go, I couldn't believe how great I was feeling! Sure, my legs were tired and sore, but I felt like "time trialing" it the rest of the way! After 8+ hours of riding, we finished and went to eat an incredible birthday dinner with our amazing wives. Jenn's birthday is just the day before Josh's.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieg-6_QFAMGBoplS8O1n3fQdi3qk1iLABeB8It_2OPhAGFnEK3oUziXkXGtN4U6vQQqB53DNEUyYbHqlUMwTd6E-RH-9cS0YOUVKGGiuCRtD3MKIwFbZoiJvXHf6FvzaonCVvP1oP6zG1C/s1600/IMG_1367.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieg-6_QFAMGBoplS8O1n3fQdi3qk1iLABeB8It_2OPhAGFnEK3oUziXkXGtN4U6vQQqB53DNEUyYbHqlUMwTd6E-RH-9cS0YOUVKGGiuCRtD3MKIwFbZoiJvXHf6FvzaonCVvP1oP6zG1C/s640/IMG_1367.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Silver Comet was a tad bit dirty!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDOIETQ3uyT233xEa_4Gm7pF4EyDqnZvL-CIcbapvs-HStT0ZhXcFlNuwH-zCI6YG3mmH6wrBBfCemdC-0a0X87Lg0MdXl5v9j5RcgM8eJhngg1k-Ms4GMF4kVYxlNb2rghaM5oen3PNO3/s1600/IMG_1366.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDOIETQ3uyT233xEa_4Gm7pF4EyDqnZvL-CIcbapvs-HStT0ZhXcFlNuwH-zCI6YG3mmH6wrBBfCemdC-0a0X87Lg0MdXl5v9j5RcgM8eJhngg1k-Ms4GMF4kVYxlNb2rghaM5oen3PNO3/s640/IMG_1366.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It may be a long time till I see THAT big of a number again!</td></tr>
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Although I'm feeling like my endurance is pretty good for some long mileage, I haven't been impressed with my speed. In training for Steelhead 70.3 a couple years ago, I was SO much faster! So, I decided to go out and do 55 miles last week and add some speed to it. I was really pleased to grab an 18.3mph average. That was a serious confidence booster for the biking.<br />
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This morning, Jennifer, who is training for Augusta 70.3 in September, and I decided to do another ride on the Silver Comet. We loaded Caffrey in the trailer behind my road bike and started pedaling. I was super proud of how strong Jenn road, and I was really surprised with how hard it is to pull a kiddo! I definitely could feel the tiredness of IM training in my legs. It was a good 30 mile ride to start the week. Here are some foggy pictures of today's ride.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2TkUWERhlmVn7zH0WFUtvxsbT_rjxXxBCNKkzq-hX4-lQaYfkwJBQd7hZnmmSokzzM_UJGbRsN91tSsLdUk3LbmbKRa18mZ-Rw0Et5-kp3cRCdBqxjnqloLhMIB4pMX4Qvtnnfj3l6zrn/s1600/IMG_1401.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2TkUWERhlmVn7zH0WFUtvxsbT_rjxXxBCNKkzq-hX4-lQaYfkwJBQd7hZnmmSokzzM_UJGbRsN91tSsLdUk3LbmbKRa18mZ-Rw0Et5-kp3cRCdBqxjnqloLhMIB4pMX4Qvtnnfj3l6zrn/s640/IMG_1401.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All 3 of us out for a ride</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju9XUIAA56F0Whx9hkzxgMG_WpvxlAbmtd0duwPhCKJhPqPK7sn7e_LC9esygRVo3MZROgg6DHEvBU43ENbDBmEjjTd2xPyC0NVFoxNEWtkKqy8TbtR8j5IxXBqrOVPF_PLROgR9nY7_Wc/s1600/IMG_1403.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju9XUIAA56F0Whx9hkzxgMG_WpvxlAbmtd0duwPhCKJhPqPK7sn7e_LC9esygRVo3MZROgg6DHEvBU43ENbDBmEjjTd2xPyC0NVFoxNEWtkKqy8TbtR8j5IxXBqrOVPF_PLROgR9nY7_Wc/s640/IMG_1403.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caffrey's feet poking out from his carseat.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Run:</b></span><br />
My running is kind of a roller coaster right now. For several weeks, I felt fantastic and was cranking out some pretty good time on some decently long runs (10-12 miles). A couple weeks ago, on a 12-miler, I had some sharp pain from my IT Band. I have NEVER had trouble with that, so I decided to rest it a week. I haven't had any pain since then, but now it's another issue. My legs are TIRED! This makes me super nervous about Louisville, because I know that my legs will be toasted after the swim and the bike. If I'm struggling now with mild heat and moderate miles, how will I ever run a marathon on race day? I will say that <a href="http://www.brooksrunning.com/">Brooks</a> has really hooked me up with great gear to motivate me to train as well as keep me on good running shoes. My current pair are the <a href="http://www.brooksrunning.com/Ravenna-4/110131,default,pd.html">Ravenna 4's</a>, and I really like them! I thought I would have a hard transition from my Asics that I've worn for many years, but I haven't noticed much difference at all!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Rxd2hEPwStBghQBn2atUsl79B0XnSF9lbQLFfspInUjtlACIL4cUSZ4__qR2HlwLhqn7WYJ9oaW0w6_J8jjDRCpQafQl7NSVAacMfPoiziv13Kku2b-xgsZyCOQ-0UHBfZK8HZyboAwU/s1600/IMG_1382.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Rxd2hEPwStBghQBn2atUsl79B0XnSF9lbQLFfspInUjtlACIL4cUSZ4__qR2HlwLhqn7WYJ9oaW0w6_J8jjDRCpQafQl7NSVAacMfPoiziv13Kku2b-xgsZyCOQ-0UHBfZK8HZyboAwU/s640/IMG_1382.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Any advice on training with tired legs?</i></span></b> I bet you'll say, "Keep running!" That's the plan right now, so we'll see how that goes.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Bonus...</b></span><br />
As I'm writing this, I'm watching Jimmie Johnson dominate in the Nascar race for the day, and it reminded me of where I was last weekend. I took one of my elders, Todd, to a race in Charlotte, NC. We had a blast! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU_tv3gXqPWEzENVpa4FeyfP3OS8okFckj1u_2vSQN2uM9FD3sgh1gx20ER2McATOtrcuZLZp78EiMcFUcytWQBmXzyko9y6JmnThlscGWf4eP9PMOEOY05yF272-MI7ev7n0PhktmYv_2/s1600/IMG_1381.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU_tv3gXqPWEzENVpa4FeyfP3OS8okFckj1u_2vSQN2uM9FD3sgh1gx20ER2McATOtrcuZLZp78EiMcFUcytWQBmXzyko9y6JmnThlscGWf4eP9PMOEOY05yF272-MI7ev7n0PhktmYv_2/s640/IMG_1381.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Although the race wasn't the most amazing race I'd ever watched, we did enjoy watching the guy next to us that started the race absolutely smashed! But he didn't stop there and kept downing another beer every few laps. He struggled to find his seat several time, kept stumbling over the old guys in front of us every time he had to go to the bathroom, and fell asleep for half the race. Another interesting race fan was this guy...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_FkrSzxUwD7185_WwnBi_NTvJkLYgKWpmxJbSQ4lhtNJV-Un6BxAT1PWsTOFoVWbzWqsIVwvKCDXMWXIuNOr2Zafknjz93C2NGYxxZVcTRVMfCuw5pzo5drqAJ_POw7r5iaoF3Q8GphQn/s1600/IMG_1380.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_FkrSzxUwD7185_WwnBi_NTvJkLYgKWpmxJbSQ4lhtNJV-Un6BxAT1PWsTOFoVWbzWqsIVwvKCDXMWXIuNOr2Zafknjz93C2NGYxxZVcTRVMfCuw5pzo5drqAJ_POw7r5iaoF3Q8GphQn/s640/IMG_1380.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
Yes, he shaved his head into a 55 for his favorite driver, Mark Martin. That's a true fan! Even if you hate auto racing or think it's ridiculous, you should at least go to one race in your life just to see the people there! It's hilarious!<br />
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Thank you for reading and your encouraging comments. They really motivate me in my training. I'm excited, nervous, and can't wait to finally become an IRONMAN!Matthew Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01027593921011160323noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846213604215010011.post-67744617431253430422013-05-20T17:19:00.000-04:002013-05-20T17:19:40.553-04:00My Name Is What?Over the last week, I have been amazed with the creativity of so many of you to come up with fantastic names for my new ride! You all could teach a class on naming bikes! I have finally come to a conclusion on the name as well as the top 4 names that I really liked, but before I tell you, I have to tell you about what the winners are winning.<div>
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At the end of last year, I contacted two companies that create identification bracelets for cyclists or runners or any athlete for that matter. The first company I contacted was <a href="http://sportstagid.com/">Sportstagid.com</a>. </div>
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<a href="http://www.sportstagid.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/NEWSPORTSTAGLOGO.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="37" src="http://www.sportstagid.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/NEWSPORTSTAGLOGO.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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I asked them if they would be willing to give me an ID to giveaway in some sort of blog contest. They said that they have contests on their facebook page all the time to give them away, so if you'd like to win one, go <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SportsTagID">HERE</a> and "like" their page. It looks like they are giving them away pretty frequently. They also sent me an ID to tryout. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFW3dS6fkV1QDK-Y5vuSCnISudgpwEYwBEsSFdYiXvKmy_xYZ7fc1CWnfvn5D3T1A2rLdOXA5kcMte3ifbho6DUSF3lz0k_RdL-IMT-2AfzmqXCAV3mAUFeQEpoTpINJOBAtKpXyupPZoO/s1600/IMG_0948.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFW3dS6fkV1QDK-Y5vuSCnISudgpwEYwBEsSFdYiXvKmy_xYZ7fc1CWnfvn5D3T1A2rLdOXA5kcMte3ifbho6DUSF3lz0k_RdL-IMT-2AfzmqXCAV3mAUFeQEpoTpINJOBAtKpXyupPZoO/s640/IMG_0948.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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It came in the mail just a few days later, and I was so excited! It really is a neat design that has a clasp on the back to close easily and securely. There are trim marks on the silicone band so that you can dial in the fit around your wrist by simply cutting off the excess.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJTsaqa2w1wQp4wde5ReuWkL4zZ2E5ggdqRSJxW5AwMH01IwQb303ylQsWOM7sP3xw6JjA8s4AmakHD5Mg2qCzPp_Utiwyr5u3ArT1rNrEaI_g9vHtOVkb7ARtO54qgBK7A3DHcn7S5Hbe/s1600/IMG_0951.jpg" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjhv51BsSbHteqeIfLyy1DHV20FDVmQf19Qc-pjjaxMazS_pZAcdQ6oE5kwXHw8Y1VuR2N_OcdBBvdblwUbpF9nNeyiBSqygCipquVm3htNvMt3Z8VxdlW1w3lq6xrVZAhZgQ-rLthfzdr/s1600/IMG_0952.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: right;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjhv51BsSbHteqeIfLyy1DHV20FDVmQf19Qc-pjjaxMazS_pZAcdQ6oE5kwXHw8Y1VuR2N_OcdBBvdblwUbpF9nNeyiBSqygCipquVm3htNvMt3Z8VxdlW1w3lq6xrVZAhZgQ-rLthfzdr/s320/IMG_0952.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJTsaqa2w1wQp4wde5ReuWkL4zZ2E5ggdqRSJxW5AwMH01IwQb303ylQsWOM7sP3xw6JjA8s4AmakHD5Mg2qCzPp_Utiwyr5u3ArT1rNrEaI_g9vHtOVkb7ARtO54qgBK7A3DHcn7S5Hbe/s1600/IMG_0951.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJTsaqa2w1wQp4wde5ReuWkL4zZ2E5ggdqRSJxW5AwMH01IwQb303ylQsWOM7sP3xw6JjA8s4AmakHD5Mg2qCzPp_Utiwyr5u3ArT1rNrEaI_g9vHtOVkb7ARtO54qgBK7A3DHcn7S5Hbe/s1600/IMG_0951.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJTsaqa2w1wQp4wde5ReuWkL4zZ2E5ggdqRSJxW5AwMH01IwQb303ylQsWOM7sP3xw6JjA8s4AmakHD5Mg2qCzPp_Utiwyr5u3ArT1rNrEaI_g9vHtOVkb7ARtO54qgBK7A3DHcn7S5Hbe/s320/IMG_0951.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The second company I contacted was ridiculously generous! They are <a href="http://yikesid.com/">Yikesid.com</a>. They decided to give me an ID to try <b>AS WELL AS</b> one for Jennifer to check out. Both of us really like them! The one I got has a strap like a watch band that works well as it fits any wrist size. </div>
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<a href="https://yikesid.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/e/l/elite-detail-img.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://yikesid.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/e/l/elite-detail-img.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Jenn's is the classic "Livestrong" band style with a smaller ID on it. </div>
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<a href="https://yikesid.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/a/w/aware-detail-img.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://yikesid.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/a/w/aware-detail-img.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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But that's not all... They also wanted to give <b><span style="font-size: x-large;">YOU</span></b> some ID's as well! So, they agreed to give away:</div>
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<ul>
<li>One Black Yikes ID Elite (<a href="https://yikesid.com/wrist-elite-runner">https://yikesid.com/wrist-elite-runner</a>)</li>
<li>One Black Yikes ID Aware (<a href="https://yikesid.com/aware-runner">https://yikesid.com/aware-runner</a>)</li>
<li>Two Yikes ID Runner (<a href="https://yikesid.com/runner">https://yikesid.com/runner</a>)</li>
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Aren't they a cool company? For those of you that don't win, Yikes wanted you to have 10% off if you decide to buy one, so use the code <b><span style="color: red;">YIKES888</span></b> to get the discount.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Now, on to the names.</b></span></div>
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Just in case you didn't read all 66 names in the numerous comments, here is a list (those in red are honorable mentions):</div>
<ol>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="color: red;">Red Piston</span></span><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Robin Meade</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: red;">Rediculous</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Rexecutioner</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Reducator</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">John
Stamos</span><span style="font-size: 20pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt;">The Red Monster</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Red Lightning</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Big Red</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Raging Red </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">The
Louisville Slugger</span><span style="font-size: 16pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16pt; text-indent: -1in;">Abianne</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16pt; text-indent: -1in;">Bedelia </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16pt; text-indent: -1in;">Ezri</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16pt; text-indent: -1in;">Fallon</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16pt; text-indent: -1in;">Indira</span><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16pt; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="color: red;">The Red Devil</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16pt; text-indent: -0.5in;">Edom (Hebrew for "red")</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16pt; text-indent: -0.5in;">Beast of the Southern Wild </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Freight</span><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Sandtiger</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt;">'Ol Red</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Red Velvet</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: red;">Scarlet</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Crimson
Ride</span><span style="font-size: 16pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Road Rage</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Redy</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Time
Machine</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Tyrannosaurus
Red</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Rogue</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="color: red;">Red Bull</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Chile (or Chilly or however you spell
the pepper!)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Rover</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="color: red;">Blue</span> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Clifford</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Red shift</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt;">720 nano [red wavelength and well as two
full spins =)]</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">The Russian steel</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Red badge of courage</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Green bike (for the color blind people)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Thin red lines</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Red bearing</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Seeing red</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="color: red;">El matador</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt;">The mars rover</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Nile rider</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Cinnabar Handel bars</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Vermilion marathon</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Red Smith (like the sports writer)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Red hammer</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="color: red;">Road rash</span></span><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Ronaldo</span><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt;">“En Fuego”</span><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Red Riding Hood</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Charlie</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Wedgie</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Strawberry Bikesicle</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt;">John</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Rolling Thunder</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Circle Squared</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="color: red;">Tabasco</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Pete</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="color: red;">Solo Cup</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Nile</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Eternal Wind</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 21px;">Perpetual Tailwind</span></li>
</ol>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">And the winners are...</span></b></div>
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Although there were many that I thought were <i><b>fantastic</b></i> names, the top 4 were </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> <a href="http://wadininthebreeze.blogspot.com/">Jenn Batchelor</a> - <b><span style="color: red;">RED RIDING HOOD</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> <a href="http://triaflete.blogspot.com/">Kevin</a> - <b><span style="color: red;">LOUISVILLE SLUGGER</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Josh Woods - <b><span style="color: red;">TYRANNOSAURUS RED</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>And my bike's new name will be (drumroll please)...</b></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.itsonthegrid.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/clifford_happy_a_l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://www.itsonthegrid.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/clifford_happy_a_l.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">CLIFFORD!!!</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></div>
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(from <a href="http://www.thisspartanwill.com/">Erika Myers</a>)<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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Please contact me at Spottersmitty@gmail.com for instructions on how to get your prize!</div>
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Matthew Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01027593921011160323noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846213604215010011.post-11596473196339866762013-05-13T18:55:00.000-04:002013-05-13T18:55:00.607-04:00My New Family Member (BLOG CONTEST)I bet you all are thinking that I am announcing another kiddo on the way. Nope! Not yet, although I would love to have more kids one day. Sorry for all of you that are frustrated and don't think my title was funny. Don't stop reading!<br />
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Several months ago, I did get someTHING that is a big part of my life. I spend a lot of time with it. We hang out together. We train together. We eat and drink together. Although it sleeps in the other room, we have a close bond as we both look toward finishing an Ironman on August 25 together. <br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">It's my "new" bike!</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFS-zf1qVmnzpcAg36tyKKHP7i0XH82mzHCHlOTLB3NJv4ax8-gaSbFVTix_wFo1KUWrUyY0VJHw5zV_6eb9jiinR6CcSNJnm1YThor79OhdJcNZ-ly2bkJT5wD9OyBRllHcyypIg_NDiy/s1600/IMG_1309.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFS-zf1qVmnzpcAg36tyKKHP7i0XH82mzHCHlOTLB3NJv4ax8-gaSbFVTix_wFo1KUWrUyY0VJHw5zV_6eb9jiinR6CcSNJnm1YThor79OhdJcNZ-ly2bkJT5wD9OyBRllHcyypIg_NDiy/s640/IMG_1309.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I searched for what seemed like forever to find just the right one. Ebay, Craigslist, Slowtwitch...I looked EVERYWHERE! Finally, I knew exactly what I wanted. I have had a Felt road bike for a long time, so I was going to go with a Felt. Their two top models are the DA and the B2. Both have this really cool Bayonet headset that moves with the front fork. Of course, that HAS to make you faster, right? So, after searching for months, I found this sweet ride! Yay! The only problem was, it was in Seattle, Washington. Plus, it was on Craigslist, so I wouldn't be covered by any security from Ebay or anything else. After emailing the guy selling this bike, we talked on the phone and skyped, and both of us felt a lot better about the transaction. He had his buddy box it up and ship it off to me. A week later, it got here! I was more excited than a kid on his first day of school. Immediately, I dropped everything to unbox it and put it all together. Nothing was more important than getting my bike together!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOr0ZCC-fQlJ4NQ9R7y_fCNRiR80W6G8NuBVN8YAWl5mE85Srx-WPdOAOPfohM_QfUQyZiLPjYrOxDFWgzohJ1qW3AlhWEyi4y4mM-ejQkg7f1kM33na8oL2ckpwyJaM8bG7PAkrpQuaN8/s1600/IMG_1350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOr0ZCC-fQlJ4NQ9R7y_fCNRiR80W6G8NuBVN8YAWl5mE85Srx-WPdOAOPfohM_QfUQyZiLPjYrOxDFWgzohJ1qW3AlhWEyi4y4mM-ejQkg7f1kM33na8oL2ckpwyJaM8bG7PAkrpQuaN8/s640/IMG_1350.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5aik-G_D_ETOCp4pCekYs9G67kA9x_eFNGy9pdTVtdSaq8OC_Bfz6JMHLRH7lD7byXRKirTfngJNv2lBwI3IvVS-sXTrOO-vlfsZHtRT27FfZTrozoI8Nj_5VPU-VN799InV92IBhYh_m/s1600/IMG_1349.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5aik-G_D_ETOCp4pCekYs9G67kA9x_eFNGy9pdTVtdSaq8OC_Bfz6JMHLRH7lD7byXRKirTfngJNv2lBwI3IvVS-sXTrOO-vlfsZHtRT27FfZTrozoI8Nj_5VPU-VN799InV92IBhYh_m/s640/IMG_1349.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Here are the details:</div>
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<li>2009 Felt B2 Pro 54cm</li>
<li>Dura-Ace Components</li>
<li>Fulcrum Racing 5 Wheels</li>
<li>Made to go FAST!!!</li>
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After some initial questioning if I had gotten a size too small, Tom and Colleen Kingery and Josh Woods helped me dial in the fit so I'm comfortable (well, as comfy as you can get on a TT bike). I LOVE IT! It looks good. It rides good. It is an incredible machine, and I absolutely enjoy riding it! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFEVT_w_x2q_9nlRxE2zqzxwfnBObDtGvazxx3xfFd509UGB9AnaZuwwyCfNsVwPPo-ptMkuvH5stgBBYe-K9Ssxq_TwMG8gF9thkkGl5A_BIV-GbR7EbMKsrOy6k7rI6IgRIug9PDpb4o/s1600/IMG_1346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFEVT_w_x2q_9nlRxE2zqzxwfnBObDtGvazxx3xfFd509UGB9AnaZuwwyCfNsVwPPo-ptMkuvH5stgBBYe-K9Ssxq_TwMG8gF9thkkGl5A_BIV-GbR7EbMKsrOy6k7rI6IgRIug9PDpb4o/s640/IMG_1346.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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There is just one problem...it doesn't have a name! And that's where I need your help. Sure, I've got some good name ideas for this bike, but I want to have a bigger pool to choose from, and I thought we could have some fun while we are at it. </div>
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A while back, I contacted <a href="https://yikesid.com/">YikesID</a> about giving me some of their products to give away in a blog contest. They make road id's just like <a href="http://www.roadid.com/Common/default.aspx">Road ID</a>, and they were really cool about it! Not only did they give me and Jennifer a YikesID for free, but they will give away <b><u>FOUR</u></b> more id's to winners of this contest! They really are a great company that is focused on their customers.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Contest Details</span></b></div>
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Come up with a name for my new bike and leave it in a comment. That's it. You can give me as many names as you want. The more names I get to choose from, the better! Now, here's where this contest gets completely <i><b>subjective</b></i>. I will choose the top four names that I like (it's MY bike, right?), and the people that suggested those names will be the winner. Now, I know that some of you don't participate in contests because you already have the prize and don't want to win it while someone else needs it more. I respect that, but I want your names, too, so in your comment, just tell me that you don't want to be a part of the contest. Got it?</div>
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So put your creative name minds to work and give me your best shot!</div>
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Matthew Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01027593921011160323noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846213604215010011.post-79250270309929039322013-05-04T09:12:00.000-04:002013-05-04T09:15:26.904-04:00Missing In Action (Emphasis on Action)Well, I know it seems that I forgot my blog, again, but I haven't. I just haven't blogged in forever! And although I've been a little weak on commenting on everyone else's blogs, I HAVE been reading. Sorry for the lack of comments.<br />
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While I might have been M.I.A. on the blog front, I have been keeping up the action of training. In fact...<br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">I Registered For Ironman Louisville!</span></div>
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Just yesterday, I finally sat down and forked out the dough to be a part of IMLou on August 25. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKvMQ1imOfViFP4uxrHyjlQtd5GIFmH_r7CTnlBB22COmQ0brMqJHVhuIagPAIGCdTKbE0oWtuVK9cDlMuf4k-UNa3PT28DTYU84TNtbQyRekLBpXJqWEwIjyYBmc49NBrwwnZelTNJBlK/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-03+at+2.13.22+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKvMQ1imOfViFP4uxrHyjlQtd5GIFmH_r7CTnlBB22COmQ0brMqJHVhuIagPAIGCdTKbE0oWtuVK9cDlMuf4k-UNa3PT28DTYU84TNtbQyRekLBpXJqWEwIjyYBmc49NBrwwnZelTNJBlK/s640/Screen+Shot+2013-05-03+at+2.13.22+PM.png" width="612" /></a></div>
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It's going to be awesome, and I can hardly wait, although it HAS to wait, because I'm not ready yet! There's no way I could swim 2.4, bike 112, and run 26.2 at this stage. It just wouldn't happen! But I am feeling like I'm getting there quickly.</div>
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For some reason, my runs have been REALLY good! I'm not sure if something is clicking in my head or if my legs are just stronger, but I've actually enjoyed running recently. Crazy, right? I bet you never thought you'd hear that from me. On my longer runs, I've been cranking them out in the low 8-minute range and feeling good the whole time. It's weird, because I've been getting a second wind at around 7 or 8 miles, and then it's just smooth sailing from there. I love it!</div>
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On the bike, although I still haven't gotten my speed back, I've been feeling really good too! I've been able to crank out some longer rides with my good buddy Josh, and he always makes the miles fly by.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH6cHS0NQJJ2TnIuBZOy8CR8Jvn_Mk7-W1G-7qdN7g_BMbhhpmbT0ZrgWhazriXEx94s0i1ppIPSqKYxTPJKBe_caScybbCZW0m-lEMwqZcOaEBAvJQkfYGX8yhy_7h0UrhBuDb3xWkCkM/s1600/IMG_1244.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH6cHS0NQJJ2TnIuBZOy8CR8Jvn_Mk7-W1G-7qdN7g_BMbhhpmbT0ZrgWhazriXEx94s0i1ppIPSqKYxTPJKBe_caScybbCZW0m-lEMwqZcOaEBAvJQkfYGX8yhy_7h0UrhBuDb3xWkCkM/s640/IMG_1244.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On a fifty miler</td></tr>
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Just last Wednesday, we met up at the Silver Comet (I know...it's flat, and Louisville isn't), and rode 76 miles. We cut it pretty close as it was absolutely dark when we got back to the cars. It did feel pretty cool to know that we had been out there for 5 hours and were the LAST people to leave.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrLa9tMLefP8YRFMYknix6j8y6MmGFta4GxlWFNqs6mPUtZFuus1UCJx5MfCtg_TpYuzyusIHxHNgRKVFlaPPjARe8nq1AB9xVwHb4k4CdD_sA62FXHMT644_aAGvemdzqeKjnQKAmDjJQ/s1600/IMG_1314.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrLa9tMLefP8YRFMYknix6j8y6MmGFta4GxlWFNqs6mPUtZFuus1UCJx5MfCtg_TpYuzyusIHxHNgRKVFlaPPjARe8nq1AB9xVwHb4k4CdD_sA62FXHMT644_aAGvemdzqeKjnQKAmDjJQ/s640/IMG_1314.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before the Ride</td></tr>
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We've got a 128 mile ride scheduled for his annual birthday ride coming up in a few weeks. That's going to be awesome! I also got to ride with Mr. Tom Kingery! It's great living so close to friends that you can train with. </div>
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I'll be honest that I haven't been to the pool in awhile. I know, I know. I'll go back soon. It is the least part of IMLou that I'm worried about. I enjoy swimming and plan on relaxing for that part. :) Sound like a plan?</div>
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So that's a quick update on the training. I've got some more blogs marinating, so I'll be cranking them out soon including some reviews on some cool products that I've had the privilege to try. Plus, there's a contest coming up to help me name my new ride!</div>
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Thanks for reading, and good luck to all those that are racing this weekend. I hope the rain holds off!</div>
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Matthew Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01027593921011160323noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846213604215010011.post-18073069870036692932013-03-21T17:31:00.000-04:002013-03-21T17:31:33.849-04:00Improvements (Another Pic Dump)Recently, Jenn and I have been taking every spare minute of time we've had to make some home improvements around our place. We've been "rearranging" all the bushes out front and cutting down the enormous ones that needed to be excavated so normal bushes could replace them. Here is the before and after...<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6fGqmGNM_1XX4ZoyTqSep_32VRhxypbh7J6sn8PzoZeomlS_iWMfsWEmozT4-ol-8tVHDcpZPZtrC0CxxfZKtT1XofpLOU03G3EUQIhqbmZB4or9RW2WpWSQ0kgGjRxGgavxX4W-gEImt/s640/5015248_1+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6fGqmGNM_1XX4ZoyTqSep_32VRhxypbh7J6sn8PzoZeomlS_iWMfsWEmozT4-ol-8tVHDcpZPZtrC0CxxfZKtT1XofpLOU03G3EUQIhqbmZB4or9RW2WpWSQ0kgGjRxGgavxX4W-gEImt/s640/5015248_1+(1).jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BEFORE</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7iq4Extl7eY0glQxHhUZmRrcId4B7eJXFOlpeu8zJkkTdHWN68S1bKyWMCKkU7i4tKfM-gbusbNDz5P2z_TIHMRH9YjZ5Ww-_R-7gHQrLY4Xk8G4fg2QBeL8rZ_YSyub02eivBYLw2XcG/s1600/DSC_0008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7iq4Extl7eY0glQxHhUZmRrcId4B7eJXFOlpeu8zJkkTdHWN68S1bKyWMCKkU7i4tKfM-gbusbNDz5P2z_TIHMRH9YjZ5Ww-_R-7gHQrLY4Xk8G4fg2QBeL8rZ_YSyub02eivBYLw2XcG/s640/DSC_0008.jpg" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">AFTER</td></tr>
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Obviously, we still need some mulch, but it is such a big change from that massive bush that was in front of my office window. I can finally see outside!!! I'm working on getting the yard in shape, but it's going to be rough! Any pointers?<br />
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Another improvement that has been a process for a long time has been the kitchen. We ripped out the nasty countertops from the previous owners and poured concrete countertops. With the help of a friend, we set them into place. Since then, we put up a tile backsplash, and last night, I put on 15 coats of sealer. Think that will be enough? I couldn't stop as it just got shinier and deeper. Here's what they look like.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqwamOPuS1x-COMTTeYnefGbBHebOLVsiqXkeJ2DFaPZ8579HTrWMoOm8MAyUkJE1ydhz_jomASvp5jIOEUV464s_eyfuKtpQ2dwFAkWTaeQIspJKc5pzTmQAkM3hpg12u422wsXd2aTFt/s1600/DSC_0006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqwamOPuS1x-COMTTeYnefGbBHebOLVsiqXkeJ2DFaPZ8579HTrWMoOm8MAyUkJE1ydhz_jomASvp5jIOEUV464s_eyfuKtpQ2dwFAkWTaeQIspJKc5pzTmQAkM3hpg12u422wsXd2aTFt/s640/DSC_0006.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shiney!!! </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmPSYULPhAIoi3M498MxT9ErGcbSnrBinZ9LaPJjWm1Eg420AqroGl9tKrYfX0znEjyJJNo1BTL2uN6C7TfywWLKiCxjmZ9cyQ7M8ai_YeoYeq5txJkBM-Ze7RoI9pnlXYPqwH2p12JdGq/s1600/DSC_0007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmPSYULPhAIoi3M498MxT9ErGcbSnrBinZ9LaPJjWm1Eg420AqroGl9tKrYfX0znEjyJJNo1BTL2uN6C7TfywWLKiCxjmZ9cyQ7M8ai_YeoYeq5txJkBM-Ze7RoI9pnlXYPqwH2p12JdGq/s640/DSC_0007.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Then, thanks to <a href="http://cbkingery.blogspot.com/">this awesome blogger</a> and her husband's generosity in giving us most of the materials, Maglee, our boxer, has a new fence to run around in! Trevor, Jenn's brother, and Josh Woods helped me so much in actually installing it. We've been doing our best to still take Maglee on walks!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWzxVqekBxzjqEFVyczN5ZeEW2lEA2_mBC00e0BSsOGM2cOgXrPERVW4doomErKUBYjoB8CcuoX3BlZWS1k5TPdUlh3b3TakQraxuE8_hEz8Bt2W2txiW7aSI393E16OUN9OeFNZtYhMf1/s1600/IMG_1199.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWzxVqekBxzjqEFVyczN5ZeEW2lEA2_mBC00e0BSsOGM2cOgXrPERVW4doomErKUBYjoB8CcuoX3BlZWS1k5TPdUlh3b3TakQraxuE8_hEz8Bt2W2txiW7aSI393E16OUN9OeFNZtYhMf1/s640/IMG_1199.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Early this morning, while being on Daddy Duty, I had enough time to hang our new fixture over our kitchen table. Out with the brass, please!!!<br />
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In addition to all the improvements, we've been having a lot of fun too! On Saturday, Jenn, Caffrey and I went to Stone Mountain for an afternoon of hiking and fun. I was a proud papa to be hiking up the mountain with Caff strapped to my chest as I listened to everyone make comments like, "Oh, look at those cute feet sticking out!" It was so breezy on top that we just snapped a pick and headed down. <br />
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Of course, every beautiful day has to have a picnic!<br />
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Last week, I was able to squeeze a round of golf in with a fellow pastor as we talked ministry and enjoyed the sun. He got a really cool shot of me.<br />
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Last night, Jenn and I went over to Tom and Colleen Kingery's house for an evening of fun! We brought a couple of pizzas and simply had a blast. We can't wait to meet their little girl here in a few weeks. Caffrey really likes them both, but it was especially fun watching him talk and stare up at Tom. They're gonna be buds for sure! (He'd better get to know him as he could be his father-in-law one of these days)<br />
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And lastly, Caffrey got his 3-month pictures a couple weeks ago. I chose my favorite to share with you.<br />
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<br />Matthew Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01027593921011160323noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846213604215010011.post-65886185617717474842013-03-11T10:16:00.000-04:002013-03-11T10:16:56.122-04:00Reality CheckSometimes, it's good to have a perception check on how your fitness really is. Sometimes, a perception check just turns into a reality check as you realize that you've got a long way to go before you can conquer 140.6 miles in a day. Yesterday was my reality check! The good thing is that I still have 166 days till go time!<br />
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It's really hard to find some decent riding where I live. The roads are awesome, but the traffic is really tough! I guess I'm a little scared, but I think that's an ok fear to have. Usually, I just go out and ride anyway, but for longer rides, I've decided that I'll go ride <a href="http://www.silvercometga.com/">The Silver Comet</a> trail.<br />
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The Silver Comet is a rails-to-trails project that goes from the east side of Atlanta (45 minutes from my house) all the way to Alabama and connects with the Cheif Ladiga trail for an additional 30-some miles. All in total, it's about 95 miles long! I plan on riding the entire trail one day, staying the night in Alabama, and then riding back the next day. That'll be some good training. Here's a visual of how long the trail is...<br />
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I've been pretty faithful about logging some solid trainer rides, but with incredible weather and a free Sunday, I decided to go for a long ride. After hanging out with Caffrey while Jenn got some extra sleep, I loaded up my bike and headed for the Silver Comet. I unloaded everything and took off. Wowee! I was flying! I knew that my legs were in for a longer day, so I tried to spin as much as possible. There were a ton of people on the trail, but it is wide enough that it's no big deal to pass. Here's what it looks like with one of the many tunnels that you go through. <br />
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There were runners, walkers, riders on road bikes, riders on mountain bikes, rollerbladers, and a bunch of triathletes training. About 10 miles in, a guy on a sweet TT bike caught me, and we started to talk. He is a multi-Ironman and has done Louisville twice. We had a blast talking about everything from triathlon to religion, and the miles ticked by. At 25 miles, I turned around, and I had averaged 18.3mph on the way out. When I turned around, I realized that it was going to be a long ride home. Not only were my legs aching, but I realized that there was a definite headwind coming my way. Now, I HATE it when people blame poor rides on headwinds, SO, I won't. But, I will say that I didn't plan my nutrition very well, which made the return 25 miles really tough. Since I've lost about 20 pounds recently, my body doesn't have too much to "eat" off of, and I didn't give it more to eat! Well, I ate two granola bars when I turned around, but it was a little late in the game to recover. I really struggled on the way back. Another triathlete (girl) rode up next to me, and we talked for 10 or so miles. Finally, I just told her to go on as I struggled to keep going. I got dropped by a girl!!!<br />
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In the end, I rode 50 miles (first of the year) and averaged right at 17mph. I'll take it as a solid training day, although it was a rude awakening of where I am as far as fitness goes. My motivation is high, and I'm still excited about training. August 25 is coming, and I'll be ready!!!<br />
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Thanks for readingMatthew Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01027593921011160323noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846213604215010011.post-40473183407470988872013-02-28T07:00:00.000-05:002013-02-28T07:00:10.347-05:00Slow Down! (Pic Dump)Oh my word! Life has been so ridiculously busy recently, and I think I've made it through the toughest part. For awhile there, it was hard to even take a breath without feeling guilty that I had more things to accomplish and get done. So here is a list of some of the highlights.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Training</span></b><br />
I finally have gotten motivated to get into some serious training. The last couple months have been so crazy that I haven't felt the motivation to prioritize triathlon. That being said, I have been putting in some decent workouts that have left me feeling like I have a really decent base to go off of when my training schedule really ramps up into some serious mileage. I have found a really nice 7.5 mile loop near my house that is my favorite route right now. I've also discovered how much harder it is to run while pushing a stroller.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caffrey usually goes right to sleep. It was cold that day!!!</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Weight Watchers</span></b><br />
When Jennifer got pregnant, she said that she wanted to do Weight Watchers after the baby was born. She had incredible success before, and we both knew that she would have great success after. I told her that I'd do it with her, so as of now, we've done it for 8 weeks, and I'm down <b><u>17 pounds</u></b>! Woohoo! I'm a whole lot like <a href="http://mattheworavec.blogspot.com/">Matty O</a>...we both put on some winter weight and then use it as motivation when the season starts again. I hear he's dropping a ton of weight too! Jenn is having great success too, and it's actually really fun to do it together.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">New Brooks Stuff</span></b><br />
I ordered a bunch of Brooks stuff (THANKS, BROOKS!) so that I can "run happy." They really hooked me up with the Brooks ID program. It's awesome! I got a hat, some tights, some compression shorts, but my favorite is my new jacket. What do you think?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's super warm and really comfortable!</td></tr>
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I think I'll be placing another order soon. What an awesome company to be so generous. Go buy some Brooks stuff! :)<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">New Bike</span></b><br />
Some of you know that I bought a tri bike. Why has there not been a special post about it yet? Well, I'm still trying to figure it out. I bought a 54cm, and I like it, but I feel a little crammed. Then, a couple days after I bought it, I saw the same bike, only a year newer, basically brand new and a 56cm for $1000 less. So, needless to say, I bought that one too! It'll be arriving shortly, and I'll have to do a comparison. I'll be selling the one I don't need, so anybody need a TT bike? I'll do a special post about it, AND<br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: x-large;"><b><u>There'll be a NAME CONTEST to follow!</u></b></span></div>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Caffrey</span></b><br />
Little Caffrey has been getting so big! He weighed in at 12 pounds a couple weeks ago when he went to get his shots. Poor guy...he didn't know what was about to happen.<br />
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He's really starting to move around alot. We even think he might roll over this week. He almost had it a couple nights ago.<br />
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He's been enjoying seeing all of his family including Grandy (Jenn's Step-dad):<br />
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and Great-Grandpa & Grandma Smith:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yFZeweSMIjI3FoVDttgaQVCRAM9wDY1Jevws_BOrd4GqhoYr8tpM8HGBPcMm9b9Zd-ONxDtzrZqSNHd_6jq3xZ4H1PaksdqJU1GA9TyQ2qsW36ucTlNX0aBnsQpuc9uuCTGHCPjk1PR-/s1600/IMG_0405.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yFZeweSMIjI3FoVDttgaQVCRAM9wDY1Jevws_BOrd4GqhoYr8tpM8HGBPcMm9b9Zd-ONxDtzrZqSNHd_6jq3xZ4H1PaksdqJU1GA9TyQ2qsW36ucTlNX0aBnsQpuc9uuCTGHCPjk1PR-/s640/IMG_0405.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
and Grandpa and Grammie (My Parents):<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ7WnqBCKy57u26M-2x4JhTiyY-2ika9ym4YueTya06pG3n_zvr9pQg6FakLJXEKtX4swzQ-ZIRHVbw95AbpYJq_IHdrH1BTmsfLECdpgYdwXCcSETSGOui6fGk4QwaMENbuu7_J08WNiC/s1600/IMG_0403.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ7WnqBCKy57u26M-2x4JhTiyY-2ika9ym4YueTya06pG3n_zvr9pQg6FakLJXEKtX4swzQ-ZIRHVbw95AbpYJq_IHdrH1BTmsfLECdpgYdwXCcSETSGOui6fGk4QwaMENbuu7_J08WNiC/s640/IMG_0403.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCaDHvn335vwiYHfSVlY3c5hUS9qYmxwIFY7Oyoi90FojruL_bUPSvVqfseYaEnEdI-XUTBZVtNF7AQyF-bRGKVeydn920ffE44ivwtpk3kwS2_LLXm7uFmEtjfkTGuTF2L04X6Ltg75_V/s1600/IMG_0406.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCaDHvn335vwiYHfSVlY3c5hUS9qYmxwIFY7Oyoi90FojruL_bUPSvVqfseYaEnEdI-XUTBZVtNF7AQyF-bRGKVeydn920ffE44ivwtpk3kwS2_LLXm7uFmEtjfkTGuTF2L04X6Ltg75_V/s640/IMG_0406.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">4 Generations of Smiths</td></tr>
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and Nana (Jenn's Grandma):<br />
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This weekend, Grandy and Mimi (Jenn's mom) will be staying at our house for some Caffrey time.<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Special Event Speaker:</span></b><br />
I got the opportunity to preach for the Public High School Retreat that our Conference puts on for any Seventh-day Adventist that is in public school. It was a fun weekend with about 100 kids that showed up. Here's one of the times that I preached.<br />
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I also had the privilege of flying out to Loveland, CO to be the Week of Prayer speaker at <a href="http://www.campion.net/">Campion Academy</a>. I preached twice a day and then once on Saturday for church (11 times in 6 days!!!!!). It was CRAZY but fun at the same time. Here's what it looked like going down.<br />
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The Chaplain of Campion is our good friend Nick Clark and his wife Taryn. We got to spend a whole week with them, which was awesome! He's a fantastic pastor/chaplain, and it was fun to see him in action.<br />
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It was also the first time they got to see Caffrey.<br />
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You may be wondering how the plane rides went with Caff. They were GREAT! Jenn fed him going up and coming down, so he did terrific!<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Ordination</span></b><br />
The past too days, I have been at <a href="http://www.cohuttasprings.com/">Cohutta Springs Youth Camp</a>, which is our church's summer camp. Jenn, Caffrey and I went there for an Ordination Review. I had to put a massive portfolio of my ministry this far together for them to check out and interview us. This morning, they unanimously affirmed my ministry and I will be ordained this summer. Pretty cool! Here's what my portfolio looked like.<br />
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Well, now you are all caught up on what's been going on in the Smith home. I hope you enjoyed the pics. Don't forget to be thinking of bike names (Hint: it's red) and have them ready for the upcoming contest. I think I've got some pretty cool prizes that you'll like if you're into sports at all.<br />
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Thanks for reading!Matthew Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01027593921011160323noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846213604215010011.post-12711479708913438992013-02-04T20:28:00.000-05:002013-02-04T20:28:01.631-05:00Tornado Alley!Last week, I was working in in my home office while Jennifer was in the living room doing what she seems to constantly be doing...feeding Baby C. She was watching the weather, and I overheard the weatherman talking about the craziness that was brewing. He said that there was a possibility of tornados, and they were heading straight for Calhoun, which is the town my parents, grandparents and uncle/aunt live in. That made my ears perk up, and I quickly went out to see what the weatherman was saying. He zoomed in the on the map to see the little communities that were in its path, and I knew that was exactly where my parents lived! I quickly texted them to make sure they knew it was coming, and they did. They had been watching the weather too. They had seen it go through Adairsville, a town just to the south, and here's what it looked like as it crossed I-75.<br />
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Yikes! That sucker was huge!!! I kept watching as the twister went through their community and kept going and then called my mom. She said that they heard it coming and had already cleared out a spot under their stairs to hide in. Once it was on them, they both got in there and just prayed. She said it sounded "just like a freight train," but 30 seconds later, it was gone. My dad said that he opened the door and could see debris all over everything outside. The Lord sure protected them as it is obvious that the tornado went right by their house! The only damage to their actual house was some bumps and bruises to the gutters, a cracked outer pane of a tiny window, a 2x4 that spiked through their roof and let water drip onto the ceiling making a large brown spot, and LOTS of their trees down. They were totally fine!!<br />
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You can see the tornado's path as it ripped through neighborhoods. This is the neighborhood in front of my parent's. Their house is right next to that lake.<br />
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The middle of the three houses closest to the lake is my parents. There <b>USED </b>to be a nice thick tree line.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.srh.noaa.gov/images/ffc/events/01302013/Fairmount-20130131-00096sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://www.srh.noaa.gov/images/ffc/events/01302013/Fairmount-20130131-00096sm.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the street right before my parent's street. I can't tell you how often I've walked this street</td></tr>
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My dad said that he was going to be doing some chainsaw action on Sunday, so I went up to help him. As I drove in his subdivision, there wasn't much damage until I actually got onto THEIR street. Then, all of a sudden, there were piles and piles and piles of trees that had ben piled by the curb. There were people everywhere helping other people. There were houses missing windows and siding and their roof. I pulled into my parent's driveway and just lost it! I just started crying...probably because of a little shock/fear, but also because my parents went right through a tornado and were still with us. I got out of the car and just hugged and hugged my dad! <br />
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Just a few minutes after I got there, a whole crew of church members showed up with chainsaws and man power to clear all the snapped trees. It was AWESOME!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There USED to be an awesome row of Cyprus trees between the houses. The poor neighbor obviously had some damage as well as completely losing his detached garage.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr9oiP96y8OrNJEnZ7JVtIz1tCR5WiNTOW3J-csKhWXBDUbAvX9U6gcs_00-s-sFH6EjTIHVMM8-nlJwToqB613KxBv0-FNhXC4rrpmQm8mMhs3AOCbo5n8LtmZ7YPIGPOEelC40-DiPjG/s1600/IMG_1043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr9oiP96y8OrNJEnZ7JVtIz1tCR5WiNTOW3J-csKhWXBDUbAvX9U6gcs_00-s-sFH6EjTIHVMM8-nlJwToqB613KxBv0-FNhXC4rrpmQm8mMhs3AOCbo5n8LtmZ7YPIGPOEelC40-DiPjG/s640/IMG_1043.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We had fun even if it was hard work</td></tr>
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Soon after we started work, my sister and brother-in-law showed up to help. We stacked a little firewood, wouldn't you say?<br />
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One of the coolest parts of the day was when four teenagers, sophomores in high school, came over to me and said, "Sir, can we help you?" They jumped right in and helped us pick up all the trash, shingles, busted siding and large sticks that littered the yard. It's pretty cool to have complete strangers show kindness. Cool kids!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUJnEEYKeUALkh13AEQ7YxBxm8s3AI7RVqqaiOC8NywSKOn-Z5uDQz_MmYqiRAo0mZAHduhkYinsFtGr6b5aK-Tfyh_D-YdGJPtK9LfvxVljT0sVHyyoRpLYnAK6rAMtAkRqaL4kn5z3G4/s1600/IMG_1046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUJnEEYKeUALkh13AEQ7YxBxm8s3AI7RVqqaiOC8NywSKOn-Z5uDQz_MmYqiRAo0mZAHduhkYinsFtGr6b5aK-Tfyh_D-YdGJPtK9LfvxVljT0sVHyyoRpLYnAK6rAMtAkRqaL4kn5z3G4/s640/IMG_1046.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left to Right: Braxton, Allie, Haley, Brandon<br />P.S. Braxton lost half of his house but was over here helping us</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje6frDbvTq9hAzaZAT01h2uptWx7MTi-gRgCNEKKZI7PmySnZ74ZtNcTUerehWBqYItF6AMBHsDJcpmYG3g8aHnF0aPjEsmhaPRD-3-iysDZ7ndbubp-Xgc_evUKOoFf4HCveFeSrYS0QX/s1600/IMG_1052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje6frDbvTq9hAzaZAT01h2uptWx7MTi-gRgCNEKKZI7PmySnZ74ZtNcTUerehWBqYItF6AMBHsDJcpmYG3g8aHnF0aPjEsmhaPRD-3-iysDZ7ndbubp-Xgc_evUKOoFf4HCveFeSrYS0QX/s640/IMG_1052.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's hard to see how big those piles are, but they are HUGE! </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDwuKjuj-KYP3ZngOa_lVAFK43Fip470Q-HVUh3eBS2GGmzIVx0jgZqOgWakPPJ0yBO8J-IOvj6Mb74NuWwzRpsYqoGzNp6PMVFu5wCP8gvx8A-0wgnv0KoIoNGGbyNXAl3Pty4Wu5mJlN/s1600/IMG_1054.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDwuKjuj-KYP3ZngOa_lVAFK43Fip470Q-HVUh3eBS2GGmzIVx0jgZqOgWakPPJ0yBO8J-IOvj6Mb74NuWwzRpsYqoGzNp6PMVFu5wCP8gvx8A-0wgnv0KoIoNGGbyNXAl3Pty4Wu5mJlN/s640/IMG_1054.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Some newspaper took this picture which is the house next to my parent's house.<br />
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It really is a sobering experience to see the raw power of nature. But at the same time, it really is a faith-building sight to know that my God is so big and powerful that there is nothing He cannot do. I praise Him for keeping my parents safe through the storm. <br />
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Thanks for reading!<br />
<br />Matthew Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01027593921011160323noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846213604215010011.post-53560099146199626762013-01-15T12:16:00.000-05:002013-01-15T12:32:29.869-05:00The Back-Burner BlogA couple days ago, <a href="http://www.shesaidineedagoal.com/">Adena</a> tweeted me asking where I was? It seems that I'd gone missing from blog world! Life gets busy, doesn't it? One of my favorite quotes that I used in a sermon several months ago was from Craig Groeschel that goes, "If the Devil can't make us really bad, he'll make us really busy!" With everything from figuring out daddyhood to travelling to Daytona for the Southern Union Ministerium (a conference for all SDA Pastors in the South) to trying to get motivated on Ironman training, the blog got the back burner in my life. It happens. But, for a quick recap:<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Training:</span><br />
I'm not going to lie and say that I'm killing it on the training front and haven't missed any workouts. I've been really struggling! I know it's an excuse, but my schedule is so jacked up with this kiddo here, that it is just so hard to get my workouts in during the morning. My running has really suffered because of this. And the swimming? Yeah, well, I still haven't purchased my membership for the sweet Aquatic Center that's only 15 minutes away. That needs to happen ASAP! I will say that my love for cycling is kicking into gear. Whether it is time on the trainer in front of a screen or out on the open road, I'm really enjoying riding again. I'm ready for a tad bit warmer weather to fully enjoy it, although, it's been pretty nice recently. I love the South!<br />
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On Sunday, I went for a ride with my church board chairman, Billy, who just got a new bike. We had a lot of fun burning calories and sweating.<br />
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One irony that I giggled at came from a fortune cookie. With the goal of this year to go Iron, here's what I saw as I broke the cookie in half...<br />
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Think it's a sign? If I don't get my butt in gear with this training, that's all it will be...a sign of what could have been.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Baby C:</span><br />
Baby C is GROWING so fast! He's outgrowing his clothes by the day. It seems that as soon as we put him in anything, he can only wear it once before he's stretching it out to the max. And he's really getting heavy too! <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Daytona:</span><br />
Every five years, all the Seventh-day Adventist pastors in the South gather at the Hilton in Daytona Beach, FL for some really cool meetings. There are terrific speakers as well as inspiring workshops to help grow our ministries. It's really cool, because all our families get to go as well. Jenn was so brave to go and take Baby C too. She's such a good mommy! Man, am I ever blessed!!! She had to feed him every couple hours, and she was confined to a hotel room. The only good thing was the view from our balcony.<br />
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We had pretty awesome weather with highs in the upper 70's and low 80's. It's a good thing that I took my bike so that Josh and I could go for a couple of rides together. Both of us have lost so much bike fitness since training for Steelhead 70.3 (Race Report - <a href="http://go-smitty-go.blogspot.com/2011/08/steelhead-703-ironman-race-report.html">HERE</a>).<br />
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The best part of the trip was being able to hang out with friends and family. I loved seeing my niece!<br />
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And being at the beach is always fun!<br />
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All in all, 2013 has started off with a whole lot of blessings. I'm one happy guy that is enjoying every minute (except for the 3am feeding) of life. Thanks for reading.Matthew Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01027593921011160323noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846213604215010011.post-88504422035672689052012-12-23T13:41:00.000-05:002012-12-23T13:41:06.247-05:00Christmas Lights, Christmas Ornaments, and Christmas GIVEAWAYS!Are you ready for Christmas? Got all the presents wrapped? Mine is currently wrapped in a swaddling blanket and sitting with his momma. Baby C <b><u>LOVES</u></b> Christmas lights! Jenn and I have caught him looking at the Christmas tree out of the corner of his eyes several times. In fact, we've put him down on his tummy time mat underneath the tree and watched his eyes sparkle at the shiny lights all around him. It's pretty cute!<br />
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Our Christmas tree is covered in very special ornaments that have been gathered ever since Jenn was a little girl. Her mom, Kathy, started giving her (and me once I came on the scene) a new ornament every year. Here's the one that she gave us this year.<br />
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Here's one of my favs considering that I love VW's so much.<br />
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Here's one I made for Jenn in 2004, three years before we were married!<br />
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Here are a couple from <a href="http://thisspartanwill.com/">this</a> awesome blogger that she's sent us the last two years.<br />
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And here are a couple of specialty ones that you might like.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQkOpqf6Rz6kmTa0dXk0jwT53XkhsugWH_TVQCi4TQJphkNS70vcEp0j-85DQ3AheOVGPwv8vQdpgWZeykPIicn3-3Rq2XRq4ZZX5yH09zBh_660CiS3728Tem8tMoQ6l_xC9NbqIBk4Jv/s1600/DSC_0014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQkOpqf6Rz6kmTa0dXk0jwT53XkhsugWH_TVQCi4TQJphkNS70vcEp0j-85DQ3AheOVGPwv8vQdpgWZeykPIicn3-3Rq2XRq4ZZX5yH09zBh_660CiS3728Tem8tMoQ6l_xC9NbqIBk4Jv/s640/DSC_0014.jpg" width="427" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWg5iNJy8pTTNyUegxZIAh2kXdN5CPF_OxAZpwVCyt9QeUskDCaWbKMZ4x9pfLq7N-7w1vD8-fxB55z-F6CqTksCIKlu4JV9e7cN8rDU8goJTOI1p-kriRKO9nU3UVvu_gR7-1LAAgmHqj/s1600/Frame+Artist+copy+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWg5iNJy8pTTNyUegxZIAh2kXdN5CPF_OxAZpwVCyt9QeUskDCaWbKMZ4x9pfLq7N-7w1vD8-fxB55z-F6CqTksCIKlu4JV9e7cN8rDU8goJTOI1p-kriRKO9nU3UVvu_gR7-1LAAgmHqj/s640/Frame+Artist+copy+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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It truly has been an awesome holiday season...one I can really be grateful for and remember forever!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMBGO9KtJT8jlhQ8BB2tcgZyqt5yTE72QzC4QXK_26xtVi2pUWwjMXSCsdSZ4Wu0CheDrzY8Rxu0CvfQKGffwddqnlPObSPCIj7qD5lQmrPlwYwUNOjh9S_N5biH7gUYECwxTMovWF92lb/s1600/Frame+Artist+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMBGO9KtJT8jlhQ8BB2tcgZyqt5yTE72QzC4QXK_26xtVi2pUWwjMXSCsdSZ4Wu0CheDrzY8Rxu0CvfQKGffwddqnlPObSPCIj7qD5lQmrPlwYwUNOjh9S_N5biH7gUYECwxTMovWF92lb/s640/Frame+Artist+copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">But I want you to remember it to...with a little momento from me!</span></b></div>
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Last year, Erika Myers @ <a href="http://thisspartanwill.com/">Thisspartanwill.com</a> contacted <a href="http://runningmedalhangers.com/">Runningmedalhangers.com</a> (go check them out...I'll wait here) about seeing if they would send her a medal hanger to do a giveaway on her blog. Well, being the generous company that they are, they said, "Sure!" I happened to win the giveaway! And, here's what my medal hanger looks like!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYiB4G_UFW9GqS3zMQ9Ue-s48g17iy1nzmJ_99rA8vKrvabBZmqEnE2dgZMm7Fpko_srXvzXtpN1jb4twNd9S8ntlRwjDEc7B_ot3hvYwnjkK7tInRO2j_vOfWtJ4yKWFGIV5M3NX4RdoK/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYiB4G_UFW9GqS3zMQ9Ue-s48g17iy1nzmJ_99rA8vKrvabBZmqEnE2dgZMm7Fpko_srXvzXtpN1jb4twNd9S8ntlRwjDEc7B_ot3hvYwnjkK7tInRO2j_vOfWtJ4yKWFGIV5M3NX4RdoK/s640/photo.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In all honesty, half of those medals are Jenn's...</td></tr>
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I freaking love it! They even sent it to me with wall anchors, screws, and spacers to hold it off the wall. It really is an awesome way to display medals. They have so many different options for hangers, or you can even get something custom like mine created. So, since I like mine so much, I wanted to give you the opportunity to be blessed by this great company as I was. I contacted Gayle who is their sales coordinator to see if they would be willing to sponsor a blog giveaway. Of course, just because they are so generous and cool, she said "Yes!" She sent me three hangers, one of which I gave to the winner who guessed the closest to when Baby C was born. Here's what they look like.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic4fO2_WDaRSv6u-1mFrLjFceJVrgs66N5mCH36j3h8EJRb-oUGe3fY2guLfxQ6-NeuGZhWynYkhGSOjahSDlSDETfJu1xJ3iXqvXP50m67cvEUrKlNGIIc6Sd4p3XZ4wb_2QfDvki7GTh/s1600/IMG_0967.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic4fO2_WDaRSv6u-1mFrLjFceJVrgs66N5mCH36j3h8EJRb-oUGe3fY2guLfxQ6-NeuGZhWynYkhGSOjahSDlSDETfJu1xJ3iXqvXP50m67cvEUrKlNGIIc6Sd4p3XZ4wb_2QfDvki7GTh/s640/IMG_0967.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Pretty cool, right? I know that whoever wins these hangers will be happy with it, and if you don't win, check <a href="http://runningmedalhangers.com/">Runningmedalhangers.com</a> out to get one of your own.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Rules:</b></span></div>
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This giveaway contest will run until Friday, December 28, 2012 at 11:59pm, so make sure you have your entry's in by then.</div>
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You can get one entry for <b><u>each</u></b> of these options. I will tally up all the entry's and use Random.org to select <b><u><span style="font-size: large;">TWO</span></u></b> winners.</div>
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<ol>
<li><b>Leave a comment: </b>That's easy, right?</li>
<li><b>Follow my blog:</b> I know there are some of you out there that read but do not publicly follow this blog. On the left sidebar, click the button that says "Join this site" and follow me publicly. If you already do follow me, leave a comment telling me that you do. </li>
<li><b>Friend me on Facebook: </b>Click the Facebook icon on the top of the left sidebar to take you to my facebook page and ask to be my friend. Again, if we already are friends, say so in your comment. If you want <u style="font-weight: bold;">another entry</u>, post a link to this giveaway on your Facebook wall, and let me know you did.</li>
<li><b>Follow me on Twitter:</b> Just like with Facebook, click the Twitter icon on the top of the left sidebar to take you to my Twitter page and follow me. While you're at it, tweet about this blog giveaway for <u style="font-weight: bold;">another entry</u>, and let me know that you did.</li>
</ol>
That's all you have to do. I will announce the winner sometime next weekend and will ship them out asap.<br />
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I hope that you have a very Merry Christmas! Enjoy the time off work. Enjoy your family. And most importantly, Enjoy The Food!!! :)</div>
Matthew Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01027593921011160323noreply@blogger.com40tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846213604215010011.post-39867056461411959592012-12-16T08:45:00.000-05:002012-12-16T08:45:26.309-05:00Infants and IronmanLast year, I made the decision to one day train and complete an Ironman. This year wasn't the year with moving, buying a house and switching jobs (although some people can do that, <a href="http://thisspartanwill.com/">Erika</a>). So, I decided to go for it in 2013 in Louisville Kentucky on August 25. Life is so much easier now with an infant that needs fed every two hours, right? I'm totally joking!! By the way, Baby C and his mommy are doing really well, and I know he's growing. We go to the doctor this next week for another checkup to see how much he weighs.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOIBaN46Y63ZYHj2ktB1nDyn5E9OJ4eHhS3qAzHZftr-80IT_Zny1s69fqbwuNdhVATGBvTbroBtJtvGttDYQxA3zcBC-26y7ZhF0pnT37RjcLsEkhXGQdG9dOP4s7RPcYBOhITqyz0ngg/s1600/IMG_0940.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOIBaN46Y63ZYHj2ktB1nDyn5E9OJ4eHhS3qAzHZftr-80IT_Zny1s69fqbwuNdhVATGBvTbroBtJtvGttDYQxA3zcBC-26y7ZhF0pnT37RjcLsEkhXGQdG9dOP4s7RPcYBOhITqyz0ngg/s640/IMG_0940.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All snuggly after his FIRST BATH!</td></tr>
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So, it's time to start training! I've looked and looked and talked and talked to established Ironmen(and women) about a training plan, and I finally settled on a 36-week training plan that I found on Tridaddy.com. You can see it <a href="http://thetridaddy.com/wordpress/?page_id=71">here</a> if you are so inclined (I think it's the 36-week plan from Trifuel.com but is put in a slightly more printable format). So <span style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">TODAY </span>is the first day of training that will take me to this:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl_05tiNwaQwLRlYO43UrNb_c0l0bSvRKcqILEmgXrzzDv3BDGVt-niEvKd2t2sBN9UISrx5Jc0eu2eYA4yZXHXMlc_TJ2X6SODJuAnJdMW0BdcBH5MHIe2vzLB7HYzCcArAAWzZwpe5GX/s1600/IMG_0603.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl_05tiNwaQwLRlYO43UrNb_c0l0bSvRKcqILEmgXrzzDv3BDGVt-niEvKd2t2sBN9UISrx5Jc0eu2eYA4yZXHXMlc_TJ2X6SODJuAnJdMW0BdcBH5MHIe2vzLB7HYzCcArAAWzZwpe5GX/s640/IMG_0603.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jenn's idea on our anniversary weekend in Asheville, NC</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>JUST KIDDING! Not that IRON-Man. How about this!!!:</b></span><br />
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<a href="http://ironmanlouisville.com/"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSC6fg4eIEFAC48uM2OKkiUZd9yDXYxMeXtoMGtfK5qe3Nfax0ThdhjXDDnuyycgwjkrWkLUeqQcwviyIIu9HaNtGXajyGJocgFgqkH7FB32tUu1Ue6BfA-6HwOU_iHkcBL40OrKvxbZaF/s640/imlou+primejpg.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
I'm so excited about race day, but I'm just as excited about the training. Check back with me at week 12 to see how excited I am. I know that IMKY is a tough Ironman because of many factors, but I think it is the best option for me because of many reasons too. So let the training begin! I know that for the next 36 weeks, I am going to need a ton of encouragement and advice, plus, my #1 love language is words of affirmation, so don't be shy!<br />
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Speaking of affirmation...<br />
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Last month, I applied to be a part of the Brooks ID program, and I got accepted! Yay! For those of you that aren't familiar with this program, the running shoe company Brooks will be hooking me up with free shoes and apparel as I train and race events. That's a hook up! Thank you, Brooks!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL1qOjAgPyOCv7wPhK-pg0gleL39a2AP1In8nUYKyCzn3xsi55_vuQ-6KudrD6EJh3du436Cav21RddF0Fc3_ldv4VmYeO6sD32_vXTtKF914Sf1uNrmJKcT6mypQgPOsvoTEk5mTV8CsM/s240/BrooksID+Logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL1qOjAgPyOCv7wPhK-pg0gleL39a2AP1In8nUYKyCzn3xsi55_vuQ-6KudrD6EJh3du436Cav21RddF0Fc3_ldv4VmYeO6sD32_vXTtKF914Sf1uNrmJKcT6mypQgPOsvoTEk5mTV8CsM/s240/BrooksID+Logo.jpg" /></a></div>
So, let the journey to becoming an Ironman begin! It's going to be <strike>painful</strike>, <strike>tough</strike>, <strike>challenging</strike>, <strike>difficult</strike>,.......AWESOME!Matthew Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01027593921011160323noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846213604215010011.post-41683996555499195092012-12-13T14:38:00.002-05:002012-12-13T15:10:43.919-05:00Baby "C" makes three!Wow! What an incredible week! To make a long story short, we finally had our boy; we'll call him "Baby C"!!! I didn't think I could love someone other than Jennifer THIS much! It truly is one of the greatest things to ever happen to me. I don't think anyone can really put into words what it is like to be a part of a miracle that is created because of you. All the waiting was worth it!<br />
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On Saturday morning, Jenn woke me up and said that she thought she was having contractions. Sure enough, they were coming easily and pretty far apart. After a couple hours, they stopped. We slept a bit more, and then I got up and went to church. Luckily, I had my brother in law, Jason, who is also a pastor, already scheduled to come and preach at my church. He did an excellent job!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS9Yf8RTQTdBK-h4cbK3g_9TBtYky216vSgILbkf-ij-4KJNECh7TJ08_ZbbQl9Zv-U4m0bYyXpzvEjQcRgUaiBqaTnXHm4BHViR6Hh_oox1o2IInci9IetE2fzsjmsQzwki7YIcYxYjfg/s1600/9d0d3a68415b11e2a07422000a1fab83_6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS9Yf8RTQTdBK-h4cbK3g_9TBtYky216vSgILbkf-ij-4KJNECh7TJ08_ZbbQl9Zv-U4m0bYyXpzvEjQcRgUaiBqaTnXHm4BHViR6Hh_oox1o2IInci9IetE2fzsjmsQzwki7YIcYxYjfg/s400/9d0d3a68415b11e2a07422000a1fab83_6.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jason, bringing the WORD!</td></tr>
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Shortly after getting back home, the contractions started to continue. We were in the waiting game, although the end was in sight now. Our doctor was super cool and called to check on us a couple different times during the day. As the contractions started to get stronger and closer together, we headed into the hospital at about 11pm. Once we got our room, the contractions became <b>REALLY</b> strong! We tried walking the halls and different breathing techniques, but nothing was really helping. After talking to our wonderful nurse, we decided that it was time for an epidural. Let me just tell you, #1, if you are a guy, having a wife in contractions is one of the hardest things to deal with. I felt so helpless! Jenn was in so much pain, and I couldn't do <b>ANYTHING</b> about it! And, #2, if I was going to have a baby, there would be no debate about getting an epidural. That needle would be in my back asap! Even with all the pain, Jenn was a trooper and always was positive about it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8PXtGyLxucFUmN4G6QHwtGnjc1FklgVt2Y84-TlrHm8KBkfUVJmlKKOYU742fWi2x78BuT_40OoVp8a6bEPFf4tUITWKGlZGO576kcnww6SZwd1Mv4u3Go9zqxo8ao2JnJjN6RzoUE_V_/s1600/IMG_0839.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8PXtGyLxucFUmN4G6QHwtGnjc1FklgVt2Y84-TlrHm8KBkfUVJmlKKOYU742fWi2x78BuT_40OoVp8a6bEPFf4tUITWKGlZGO576kcnww6SZwd1Mv4u3Go9zqxo8ao2JnJjN6RzoUE_V_/s640/IMG_0839.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just after a tough contraction!</td></tr>
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The anesthesiologist came in about 3:30am and gave her the epidural, and then we were able to rest. We slept off and on for a couple hours.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2SC8BgZr7pF9MirplXLkvhGbfo3fFIbQrlvjBCIW1IzQRAma6048DL4UMQiJsDTyzYTZNMRingiNNLBUfVHRIhCtUTXE4c7C-pG7EmgaLAECn_gdebkkkk68NI-SuaHTP6LftxFxAN5gh/s1600/IMG_0842.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2SC8BgZr7pF9MirplXLkvhGbfo3fFIbQrlvjBCIW1IzQRAma6048DL4UMQiJsDTyzYTZNMRingiNNLBUfVHRIhCtUTXE4c7C-pG7EmgaLAECn_gdebkkkk68NI-SuaHTP6LftxFxAN5gh/s640/IMG_0842.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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At 7:00am, the nursed checked Jenn, and she was fully dilated. So, we waited for the doctor to come, and she started to push. If you have never been in the room while a baby is being born, it is quite the experience. Jennifer was INCREDIBLE! The doctor said that he thought she would have to push for an hour or and hour and a half. It took <b>THREE </b>hours for this little guys to appear! She was exhausted. In fact, the nurse said that she had enough energy because she was involved in endurance sports. Triathletes make great pushers! Finally, after a whole lot of effort (by Jenn), this little guy appeared on the scene on Sunday, December 9, at 11:02am.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgel_Nfa2I6aOvziER8i6k0c3jvREAWug5JrzhvgPzxpTuZaipUkIvrBRjcVL6cLtTl8mmjAtTn6Y4MNO6_r-9RcckmVDzfqL3OyQIgL9tlUcyw4TWJwxVz8-bV_Djur1kHyl9LsszSqE0G/s1600/IMG_0845.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgel_Nfa2I6aOvziER8i6k0c3jvREAWug5JrzhvgPzxpTuZaipUkIvrBRjcVL6cLtTl8mmjAtTn6Y4MNO6_r-9RcckmVDzfqL3OyQIgL9tlUcyw4TWJwxVz8-bV_Djur1kHyl9LsszSqE0G/s640/IMG_0845.jpg" width="492" /></a></div>
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I got to cut his umbilical chord...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh9OexDOaLF6zbioKH3CYS7JHzvvUw9Vkzx2Vr8HMCg4nnoFgeSSbK648SztllBtiuwsn_owhLz5sCwVORrFMqx39Eh57cNAJUKFBrBy_UCKMDeNCX6DuEBALrqRiDjb1sGf9FRn1Irixw/s1600/IMG_0849.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh9OexDOaLF6zbioKH3CYS7JHzvvUw9Vkzx2Vr8HMCg4nnoFgeSSbK648SztllBtiuwsn_owhLz5sCwVORrFMqx39Eh57cNAJUKFBrBy_UCKMDeNCX6DuEBALrqRiDjb1sGf9FRn1Irixw/s640/IMG_0849.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
And he was free! It was a little funny, because I wasn't sure who to go with. Forever, my concern had been everything about Jennifer, and all of a sudden, there was someone else that I cared about in the same way. I was torn between the two! After making sure Jenn was ok, I walked around the bed to see my son getting worked on.<br />
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He was weighed and measured... 8lbs. 5 oz., 20.5 inches<br />
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He got his first diaper...<br />
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Then, I asked, "Can I touch him?" to which the nurses laughed and said, "He's YOUR baby!"<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/55549059?badge=0" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="500"></iframe> <br />
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Finally, after he was a little cleaned up, he got to go be with his mommy.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="881" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/55549028?badge=0" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="500"></iframe> <br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/55549028">Jenn and Baby</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user9283984">Matthew Smith</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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<span style="text-align: left;">I couldn't keep the waterworks from flowing down my cheeks! It was just a most wonderful moment in my whole life!</span></div>
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It didn't take long before he was whisked away to get his first bath. I went with him as they finished up with Jenn.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So fresh and so clean, clean!</td></tr>
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The next couple days have flown by so quickly with family and visitors wanting to get a look at this little fella. Our church has brought us a bunch of food. Mindy, my sister, came last night and brought a ton of goodies to munch on too. We even had a famous <a href="http://cbkingery.blogspot.com/">blogger</a> stop by for a visit. We've determined that there will be an arranged marriage between our kids if they have a girl.</div>
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On Tuesday, we were discharged from the hospital, and we loaded up the car. No one ever told me that this would be the scariest ride of my life. I was overwhelmed with the responsibility of having not one but TWO people that I loved so much riding along with me! I was terrified, but we made it home safely. </div>
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Kathy, Jenn's mom stayed the night with us and showed us the ropes of parenthood. She is a pediatric nurse practitioner, so that works out well for us! Jenn is doing so well with nursing, and Baby C is really doing well. I hate waking him up in order to feed him, but I guess that's just part of it. He got all dressed up in his VW onesie this morning to go for his first doctor's appointment and passed with flying colors. </div>
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Thank you for all the wonderful comments on Facebook, text messages and phone calls to check on us. We feel so loved by so many different people, and I'm glad that we could share our life with you!<br />
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<i><b>So, are you wondering who won the contest of who could guess when he would be born? My aunt Linda guessed December 9 at 4am, so she is the winner. Just an FYI, I'll be posting another giveaway contest here shortly which would make a great Xmas present for some athlete somewhere!</b></i></div>
Matthew Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01027593921011160323noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846213604215010011.post-67268995632558117492012-12-03T16:18:00.001-05:002012-12-03T16:19:12.617-05:00Baby Birthday Contest<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Since little boy Smith has decided to stubbornly stay in the "oven" a little longer, I thought it might be fun to create a contest to see who can guess when he will get here.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>The Entry:</b></u></span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><b>Leave a comment on my blog that says the <u>DAY</u> and <u>HOUR</u> when you think he will be born. The closest to the actual time of birth WINS!!!</b></span></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></u></b></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">The Prize:</span></u></b></div>
It's just that easy. What will you be given, you ask? Let's just say that if you are into running, cycling, triathlon, and anything else athletic where you receive medals or know someone that is, you'll be happy with your prize.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline;">The Facts:</span>(To help you guess correctly)<br />
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<ul>
<li>Baby Smith's due date was November 30, 2012</li>
<li>He is now 3 days past the due date.</li>
<li>Jennifer is READY and coaxing him out by walking, eating eggplant, rocking in rocking chairs etc.</li>
<li>He was 7lbs. as of last Wednesday.</li>
<li>Jennifer was born about a week late!</li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Happy Guessing!</b></span></div>
<br />Matthew Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01027593921011160323noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846213604215010011.post-7427766781210917642012-11-30T09:43:00.000-05:002012-11-30T09:43:09.234-05:00Carpe DiemThis past week, Jennifer and I have been doing our best to "Seize the Day" (or week in our case). Today is Jenn's due date, but nothing is happening yet. So, in preparation for long nights of waking up every two hours, a screaming infant that you have no idea why they are crying, countless diaper changes and not much time for yourself, let alone a date night of sorts, we decided to cram some fun things for just the two of us into our last week as a couple.<br />
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Here's what we did:<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Sunday:</b></span><br />
Jenn and I had some coupons to go see a movie, so we went to see <a href="http://www.lifeofpimovie.com/#!/watch-trailer">Life of Pi</a>. It was a pretty good movie because it was clean. It's hard to find a movie that isn't full of cursing, sex, violence etc. We hardly ever go see movies, because we just wait for them to come out on redbox.<br />
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When that was over, we went to some of our friends/church member's house (The Blakes) to eat dinner and play games with them. They are so much fun and have some of the coolest kids around. They came over to our house the first weekend we were here and helped us paint into the wee hours of the morning.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From left to right: Jennifer, Raegen (with Maglee), Dylan, me, Garron, and Brendon. (Gina is taking the picture)</td></tr>
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They are such an incredible family and we're so blessed to be in the same church family as them. After some pizza and a little Sunday Night Football, we played Hand and Foot, which was a new card game that I'd never played but was a whole lot of fun.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Monday:</b></span><br />
We had a bit of a lazy day with me working from home and wrapping some details up on church projects. I did have a chance to go on a quick bike ride in the afternoon. I'm on total off-season mode as far as training, but it was nice to get back on the bike.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Tuesday:</b></span><br />
Tuesday evening, Jenn and I decided that it was time to try one of these wive's tales about hurraying up the baby. I know it wasn't even her due date, but we're just too excited about him to wait any longer. So, we went to the Olive Garden for some Eggplant Parmersan. I'm about a twice-a-year Olive Garden guy. It's just hard to walk around as a living garlic clove for the next couple days after eating those yummy breadsticks. Anyway, the food was awesome, but it didn't induce contractions. :(<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I know, she doesn't even look pregnant!</td></tr>
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We decided to continue our little date night by doing something that we both enjoy, watching movies. So, we went to see the new James Bond movie, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kw1UVovByw">Skyfall</a>. Two movies in one week? I know...crazy! On the way into the Mall of Georgia, we stopped by the big Christmas tree for a profile shot of that belly. Ain't she the cutest pregnant girl?<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Wednesday:</b></span><br />
My dad's birthday was Wednesday, so we met him at Philips Arena to see the Atlanta Hawks play the Charlotte Bobcats. I got some super cheap tickets on <a href="http://stubhub.com/">Stubhub.com</a> that were in the second level, but we were able to move right down to the first section and had a row to ourselves. It was a nail-biter at the end, but we ended up winning 94-91. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretty empty! </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Thursday:</b></span><br />
We love our house, but one thing we've really wanted to do is put a fence up in the back. Maglee needs to have a place where we can <strike>kick her out when she is annoying</strike> let her run around. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We need a fence!!!</td></tr>
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Luckily, Tom and <a href="http://cbkingery.blogspot.com/">Colleen Kingery</a> recently took down a whole bunch of chain link fence at their place, and they generously gave it to us! Yay! Jenn and I went over to load it up on a trailer and ended up just talking for awhile. I love that we live so close to them. We have so much fun together! It's so neat that we'll be going through learning how to be a parent right alongside them. <br />
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After unloading the fence, we headed over to a special band concert of one of the youth in my church at Mill Creek High School. She rocked, of course, with her flute! She and her family gave us a quick tour of the school, and then Jenn and I left. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Friday:</b></span><br />
Today's the day that we've been waiting on for the last 9 months. I know that the first baby is usually late, but it's hard to be patient. We've already getting text messages from people asking if he's here yet, but that's just depressing, because nothing's happening. I know he'll come when he's ready, BUT I CAN HARDLY WAIT!<br />
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Thanks for reading! Maybe the next blog will be pictures of our new family member!Matthew Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01027593921011160323noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846213604215010011.post-31233454960489128632012-11-25T10:00:00.000-05:002012-11-25T10:00:03.223-05:00Makin a list and checkin' it twice<div>
Are you ready for Christmas? At this point, I could almost care less about Christmas and any presents at this point because I'm ready for the greatest gift I'll get this year...<b><span style="font-size: large;">a son!!!</span></b> </div>
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<b>The baby room is finished. </b></div>
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<b>The changing table is ready. </b></div>
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<b>The forms are filled out. </b></div>
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<b>We've gone through birthing class.</b></div>
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Jennifer has made her lists (there's more than one) of a birth plan, a who-you-call-when-the-baby-is-born list, and there's a couple more. She's got the bag packed, and we're just so freaking ready for the baby to get here. <div>
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The worst part is how uncomfortable she is! She has a hard time sleeping or sitting or doing pretty much anything including putting her shoes on. She's got a terrific attitude about everything, but I find myself pretty much helpless. Other than tying a shoe or helping her up once in awhile, there isn't much I can do to make this baby come.</div>
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The due date is THIS FRIDAY, November 30, and we can't wait. We're afraid that he's gonna come late, but we're so ready <b><span style="font-size: large;">now</span></b>! It's going to be an amazing adventure, and it can't come soon enough. We're so stoked! I'll blog about it all once it happens, but if you want more current updates, follow me on twitter or facebook. Thanks for reading, and keep us in your prayers as it's unknown for us both.</div>
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Matthew Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01027593921011160323noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846213604215010011.post-44677749123356301432012-10-23T10:45:00.000-04:002012-11-24T22:03:14.997-05:007 Bridges Marathon Race ReportPeople ask me all the time, "Are you a runner?" My response is usually a "Yes." But, I think it's sort of a lie. I don't especially enjoy running. I don't really look forward to doing it...ever. I'm not really good at it. I usually struggle through most running races and end up a little disappointed in my results. I deal with running because I enjoy the sport of triathlon so much. The hard part is getting compared to people, girls or guys, that are pure runners, who enjoy it and do so well every race they ever enter. Maybe I've just got issues with competition, or self esteem, a core fear of failure, or just my own confidence when I don't live up to my goals at running races. It is just disheartening when the first question I get is, "What was your time," and I have to report something less than amazing. Maybe this should just be motivation to make me faster or at least more driven...<br />
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Thanks for letting me vent! Now on to the race report! <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Short Version:</b></span><br />
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<b>I completed my first marathon!</b></div>
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<b>Time: 4:48:04</b></div>
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<b>AG Place: 19 out of 23</b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Long Version:</b></span><br />
First of all, I have to say that I really did have fun at this marathon. That's hard to believe after that first paragraph, right? I knew it was going to be hard, and one of my goals was to have a positive attitude the whole way and keep a smile plastered on my face the whole way. Well, I did both of those, and I think that's why I had such a good time.<br />
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Jenn and I woke up way before the sun on Sunday morning to go to packet pickup. We had stayed at my sister's house which was only 20 minutes from the race site, so it was no trouble finding a parking spot really close. As we arrived, I noticed that there were no signs telling us where to go. This was a foretaste of things to come as I felt the race was not executed very well. We finally found the packet pickup tent. The poor volunteers inside didn't even have any lights to perform their duties with. There was only one person that had a headlamp to use to find race numbers and fill bags with swag. I was lucky enough to meet fellow blogger and triathlete, Beth, who has an awesome blog, <a href="http://thepettysquest.wordpress.com/">The Petty's Quest</a>. She was just like all the other bloggers that I meet...super cool. It's always fun to put a voice with the face and name you already know. I would see her several other times during the race, and several of these pictures are from her camera.<br />
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After packet pickup, Jenn and I went back to the car to warm up since it was a chilly 45 degrees. Before long, we headed one block over to the start line. Of course the porta potties had a huge line, but I had found some earlier, so no worries there. I gave Jenn a hug and kiss goodbye, and then got in line in between the 4:15 and 4:30 pace groups. My game plan was to go out at 9:30's and see how far that carried me. I knew that this wasn't "going out too fast," but I didn't know what would happen. It's kind of scary running your first marathon or even your first full 20 miles. At 7:00, when the race was supposed to start, THEY MOVED THE START LINE! Everyone had to move to a completely different area and line up again. Soon the national anthem was sung, but it wasn't someone singing it but rather a recorded version. No big deal, but it kind of gave the impression that the little quality things of a well-organized race were missing. Jenn told me later that right before the song began, the girl that was going to sing came up and said that she was there to sing the national anthem, but it was too late. Finally, at 7:15, the race began.<br />
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<b>Miles 1-13.1:</b><br />
The first few miles were dandy. A half mile into the run, a friend, who was running the 1/2 marathon, came up beside me and asked what my goal time was. I told him, and he said, "You're going out a little hot, right?" Well, I knew that I was right on the money, so I went to show him on my Garmin. Well, I hit the power button rather than the light button AND SHUT IT OFF! I immediately realized this and turned it back on, but the rest of the day, it wasn't accurate. Bummer. By the first mile, I had ditched my sweatshirt and was enjoying the cool morning. <br />
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The first aid station was the third as well, since we were doing an out and back, and I was amazed at the lack of organization. There were two, <b>TWO</b>, volunteers that had to fill cups and hand them out for ALL the marathoners and half marathoners. It was ridiculous. I carried my little Nathan water bottle, so I didn't have to stop at too many stations. I was just amazed at the lack of organization. There was even one station that was "self-serve!" There were coolers and cups, but people had to stop and fill them to have anything to drink.<br />
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I made a friend, Helen, at mile 4 that was running the half, and we struck up a great conversation. Before I knew it, I had seen Beth, Jenn, and then I saw my dad at mile 7. He and Jenn were awesome all day as they leap-frogged me and each other to be a mobile cheering squad. They really helped! <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Helen is on the right</td></tr>
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At mile 10, Helen peeled off, and I continued. I found myself in no man's land between the 4:15 group and the 4:30 group. I didn't want to push it up to the 4:15ers, but I didn't want to drop back to the 4:30 group either. There was hardly anyone around. Finally, I connected with Lizz who lives in Atlanta and was running my pace. <br />
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<b>Miles 13.1-18:</b><br />
Lizz and I had fun talking to each other and telling stories. She had run several marathons and had actually run the All-State Half Marathon (See race report <a href="http://go-smitty-go.blogspot.com/2012/10/all-state-atlanta-half-marathon-race.html">HERE</a>) a few weeks ago. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lizz and me chatting it up</td></tr>
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We got to the one hefty climb of the day that goes up and over the Chickamauga dam, and of course we slowed down. I ran/walked it but kept the same pace as Lizz. At mile 18, we finally made it to the Riverwalk that I had been looking for, but the wheels started to fall off. I had to make a pit stop, and wished Lizz good luck.<br />
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<b>Miles 18.1-26.2:</b><br />
After "draining the radiator," I felt pretty good and picked up the pace. I ran to mile 19 where I saw Jenn again. She saw that I was hurting pretty good (although still smiling!) and got a little choked up. That choked me up too, but it was great to see her pretty face. The run/walk started shortly after that, and it was slow going from here on out. I made one more friend to get me through the race, Rachel, who was a student at UTC. This was her first marathon too, so we stuck together. We ran what we could, and walked quite a bit as well. It was SO lonely out there. I really thought this would be a bigger event, but there were some empty roads with few people. I think if I ever do another marathon, I will pick a bigger one just to have people around me. Rachel and I pushed each other and did our best. With 1.2 miles to go, we decided to run the rest and powered on. With about 3/4 mile left, I told her that I wanted to pick it up, so I did and floored it to the finish line. <br />
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My goal was of course to finish my first marathon, but I really wanted to do it under 4:30. Well, that didn't happen, but it's finished! YAY! It was quite the experience, and I can look back on a beautiful day and a whole lot of calories burned (almost 3500).<br />
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<b>Post Race:</b><br />
Again, I was a little disappointed with the post-race food. They handed out water bottles (bike bottles) full of water, but there wasn't any powerade/gatorade/chocolate milk/electrolite drink of any kind. The had a few bins of fruit that was chopped up and some REALLY stale pizza. Maybe I'm being stuck-up, but I thought it would be a little different. I just thought my $110 would have bought me a bit more...<br />
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I found a seat on the bottom of the Market Street Bridge, and ate, drank and rested. <br />
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I had to go over to the finish line area and ask someone to look up my time since they didn't have a huge clock or anything hanging over the finish line. It was weak! Soon, we left, and I got my ice bath and chocolate milk. Awesome!<br />
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Today, two days after the race, I'm feeling a bit sore, but it was worth it! I definitely don't have a marathon on my race calendar, but it could happen...we'll see.<br />
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<b>***Special thanks to Jenn and Dad for taking their Sunday to be spectator/cheerleader just for me. It really helped, and you guys are the best! I love you both!***</b></div>
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One last HDR shot that I thought looked pretty cool. Thanks for reading!</div>
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Matthew Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01027593921011160323noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846213604215010011.post-45762692368914353702012-10-17T17:21:00.000-04:002012-10-17T17:21:35.681-04:00Feeling GoodI'll never know what it's like to be pregnant! And, I think I'm kind of glad. While my awesomely beautiful wife gets more and more uncomfortable as her belly expands for that little boy inside her, I just don't even have a clue how tough it really is. Sure, I try to help by picking up stuff off the floor or helping her out of the couch, but I still sleep like a baby while she tosses and turns and tries to get comfortable. She's such a trooper and doesn't even complain. I married a good one!!! 6 more weeks to go...<br />
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On the flip side, <b><span style="font-size: large;">I'm</span></b> feeling REALLY good! Not only are my legs feeling fresh and rested, but my mind is in the right place too with all sorts of confidence. I have been enjoying these taper weeks (maybe a little too much with a lack of almost all running), and I feel like I'm pretty ready for all 26.2 miles. I did my last "long"(this becomes a relative term when training for your first marathon) run on Monday. It was a weenie 8 miles. The craziness is that I had to pull the throttle back the whole way!! Ever since running the <a href="http://go-smitty-go.blogspot.com/2012/10/all-state-atlanta-half-marathon-race.html">Allstate Half Marathon</a> with <a href="http://cbkingery.blogspot.com/">Colleen</a> a couple weeks ago, I have totally changed the game plan for race day. There will be no "banking" time at the beginning, but instead, the goal is to just keep it pretty steady at 9:30 mins/mile. I executed this on those 8 miles and felt terrific at the end. I'm feeling <strike>good</strike> GREAT, and I just want to go out there and have fun. If I can do that, I know it'll be a great day. <br />
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Speaking of a great day, the weather is looking pretty nice...<br />
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Hopefully, it will be the perfect race day experience. If it's not, I don't know if I'll ever run another full marathon (outside of an Ironman)!</div>
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The plan is to line up with the 4:15 group and make some pretty quick friends. That's not too hard for me to do, and I think that they will help the miles click by as we talk about whatever. I'm sure I'll fade a bit, but if I can just get to mile 20, I think I'll be ok. The last 7 miles are on a riverwalk that I'm pretty familiar with, and I think that will give me an energy boost. Oh yeah, and it's slightly downhill for the majority of those 7 miles. If I can finish under 4:30, I'll be a happy guy! If not, I'll STILL be a happy guy if I just finish. :) It's going to be fun either way. I'm pretty excited!!!<br />
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Here's the elevation profile. There really only appear to three hills, and one of them is up and over a dam. Hopefully I won't be doing the marathon death shuffle by then.<br />
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Thanks for reading.Matthew Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01027593921011160323noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846213604215010011.post-72069694214479538822012-10-07T12:18:00.000-04:002012-10-07T12:18:18.426-04:00All State Atlanta Half Marathon Race Report<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have officially started tapering as of last Tuesday for the Seven Bridges Marathon. That was my attempt at my longest run ever, 20 miles, that didn't quite go as planned. Oh well. I guess there are good runs and bad ones. I wasn't really feeling confident, <b>UNTIL TODAY</b>!<br />
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Last week, I got an email from a fellow Atlanta blogger, Karen, at <a href="http://runkdubrun.blogspot.com/">Working It Out</a> (Go check out her blog! I'll wait...) that I had won a free entry into the All State Atlanta Half Marathon. She was running it too and had been given a free entry to give away on her blog. I actually wasn't the officiall winner, but evidently, the real winner could not use it, so she picked me. Yay! Thank you so much, Karen!!!<br />
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This morning, I got up at 5am to drive the short 35-40 minute drive to the start line. Soon after I got there, Tom and Colleen, a.k.a. <a href="http://cbkingery.blogspot.com/">Irondiva</a>, arrived as well. By the way, Jenn and I have had so much fun getting to know this fine couple. They are some of the most fun people around, and we love hanging out with them! They had already been signed up for this race, so it was perfect that I got to run it too. Since I'm starting my taper, I didn't want to cook my legs and try for a PR, and Colleen was nice enough to run with me. Tom was going to go quite a bit faster, so after meeting up just a few minutes before the race started, we heard the national anthem and were off! Colleen and I had so much fun! We talked about everything as we slowly clicked off the miles. She says she's not very good at pacing, but she was spot on for our goal of 2:05. The first 5-6 miles were not all the great for me, but after a little while, I started feeling pretty good. The course was pretty hilly, but it wasn't anything different than what we train on all the time. Before we knew it, we were at mile 9 with only 4 miles to go! Tom finished the race and then came back to meet us at mile 12. We finished exactly at 2:05! After we were done, we scored our sweet race medals that spin, grabbed some chocolate milk, and headed home.<br />
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I'm still riding the high from a really fantastic run! I kept telling Tom and Colleen how great I felt and that I could definitely go longer. Twice as long? I guess we'll have to see. <b>But, my confidence is through the roof!!!</b> One thing that really helped me was how we ran today. Usually, I try to bank a bunch of time at the beginning and then watch the time slowly slip away as I slow down. Today, we stayed very consistent throughout and nailed our goal. I think this is how I will attempt my marathon in <b>2 weeks! </b>I hope all this training will get me through all those ridiculous miles. :) Thanks for reading!Matthew Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01027593921011160323noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846213604215010011.post-13387678945073924772012-09-11T22:51:00.000-04:002012-09-12T01:09:48.401-04:007 Bridges, Here I Come!I just registered for my first marathon! YAY! I guess it's kind of silly since I've done most of the training already, and it is a matter of weeks now till race day. That's how I always do it...wait until I'm sure I really want to. It's not the best method since I never get the early bird discount. But, I'm excited and freaking nervous about October 21. I couldn't ask for a better place to run. Chattanooga is gorgeous! What do you think?<br />
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and there are three <b><u>more</u></b> bridges that I get to run across on my way to finishing my first 26.2 miles!</div>
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It's going to be awesome! Recently, with the weather cooling down, my runs have been getting better. I haven't been as wasted at the end, the speed has been picking up, and my shoes haven't been a soaking mess at the end of the run. I can only imagine what the cool temperatures of late October will be like.</div>
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This weekend is Jenn's brother's wedding, and it's up in Chattanooga. I'm planning on driving the course to get an idea of what I will be running. What's nice is that I've run the last seven miles of it that are on a riverwalk next to the river so many times that it is familiar territory. I'm sure I'll need the familiarity for those last miles.</div>
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So, with an 18 miler and a 20 miler left for my major long runs, I'm feeling like I can do the whole thing. The mental battle is what is going to be the hardest for me. This last Sunday, I was scheduled for a 12 miler and went out pretty fast with the idea that I would fade, but my time wouldn't fade as bad if I started out slower. It worked out well, and I was pleased with my time at the end. I'm thinking about doing this for the 18er on Sunday to see how it works. I don't think there's any hope of a negative split. What do you think?</div>
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I will say that without the awesome support of my wife, I wouldn't be able to reach this huge accomplishment! She is such an awesome cheerleader, coach, sherpa, support crew, and I'm so thankful for her!</div>
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Thanks for reading.</div>
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Matthew Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01027593921011160323noreply@blogger.com9