Posts Tagged Matt Hoover
Week of Thanks…
Posted by Matt Hoover in General on November 22nd, 2010
For the next few days I am going to write about things I am thankful for. Some may be short and others long, but during this holiday season I feel this is an important exercise in gratitude.
Tonight I am going to start with my recent Ironman finish. Doing an Ironman requires a ton of sacrafice not only on the athlete’s part but their support system as well.
For starters, I want to thank my wife. Missing the cut-off last year was as tough on her as it was on me. I went through a pretty major depression when the race was over last year and we both thought it would be better if I put on trying to become an Ironman for a while (years). When the idea started circling around in my brain that I would give it another shot this year Suzy was a little hesitant.
We talked it over and she gave me her support. We missed out on a lot of weekends together as my training increased but though it all she remained steadfast in her support. Her support, along with my boys, was a driving force between my will to finish this year.
My coach this year was a good friend of mine named Joe Lotus. Joe and I have been friends since our freshman year at Iowa. He has watched me go through my ups and downs in life and his friendship has been unwavering. This whole Ironman journey was pretty much his idea and I am thankful that he pushed me. Joe helped me come up with a great training plan and race day strategy that was definitely right for me. Although I know at times he may have thought I might have been in over my head, he never let on. He helped me to stay positive and believe that I could reach my goal of becoming an Ironman.
My triathlon team Raise the Bar is filled with great people and great coaches. Patty Swedberg helped me learn how to swim and gave me great advice throughout the past two years. Most importantly, her and the Raise the Bar family were shining examples of what it means to be a triathlete.
About a month before my race in Florida my bicycle broke. I had serious problems trying to get it replaced and with less than a couple weeks before I was suppose to leave for Florida I was still without a bike capable of making the 112 mile trek. That’s when one of the most amazing things happened. I have developed a great relationship with my local bike shop Speedy Reedy. They are great people who have the best customer service in the world. There are shops much closer to me than they are but I will always drive further for great service and Speedy Reedy is worth the drive. Just when I was about to pull the plug on my Ironman dreams, I mentioned the problem I was having getting my frame replaced. Brooke, one of the owners offered to let me use one of their brand new bikes. I came in, got fit and had a reliable, not to mention good looking, bike to ride in Florida. I definitely could not have done this race if it hadn’t been for the generosity of Brooke, Reed, and the rest of the staff at Speedy Reedy in Seattle.
I have had some amazing support from my local gym Vision Quest Sport and Fitness. From the owners Brad Swartz and Chip Schwerzel to my trainer Ali Crosbie, I couldn’t have asked for a better place to help me get ready to become an Ironman. Again, their encouragement was invaluable.
The Biggest Loser was a huge part of me being able to do this race. They helped me beyond what words can describe. I am amazed on daily basis by how much my life has changed as a direct result of being on the show.
This year I was lucky enough to be sponsored by three great companies. Xterra wetsuits provided me with a state of the art wetsuit that helped me conquer the swim, even in the most unenjoyable weather. Great company with a great product.
K-Swiss has been with us from the beginning. I love their apparell, but their shoes were perfect for a bigger triathlete like myself. They have been a huge blessing with all of the gear and support they offered.
My nutrition last year was a huge reason why I missed the cut-off in Kona. I just didn’t have anything left. This year, I was lucky to meet Scott at Dotfit Supplements. I felt so prepared going into the race and had a great day thanks to my Dotfit nutrition. Last year I vomited over 20 times and struggled through multiple bouts of cramps. This year I didn’t get sick and didn’t have any cramps. I had sustained energy throughout the day and it was because of the program that Dotfit helped me design. Check them out at Dotfit.com.
If this sounds like a giant advertisement, that’s fine with me. I literally could not have done Ironman Florida without all of the help from the people above and more that I have probably forgotten. But to everyone, I just want to say thank you.
I also want to thank all of my Internet friends. Your words of encouragement leading up to the race and the letters of congratulations were so appreciated. Although I may not always respond, your kind words mean a lot to me. Thank you to you all as well.
I am so thankful for all of you and it is because of you that I am able to call myself an IRONMAN!
Ironman Florida part 3…
Posted by Matt Hoover in General on November 17th, 2010
This is the last part of my wrap up about my Ironman experience this year. Tomorrow I will share some lessons and thoughts about this event.
With about 5 miles to go on the bike I started making some strategy decisions. Last year I spent a lot of time in transition. Cutting that amount of time could have helped me get to the finish line in Kona in time. I debated on what to do. Last year I changed all of my clothes and put on different clothes for the run. It was again time to make a decision.
I had a complete change of clothes but decided to just put on a new base layer on top. It had been cold all day and temperatures were expected to drop into the 30’s by the time I would be finishing up the run. As I was running by the table I saw some cream that you can put on to avoid friction and the inevitable chaffing that comes with doing a marathon. I grabbed some and put it on my skin down my shorts thinking that it would be a good idea.
BAD! I had already gotten some chaffing going on and slapping that creme on felt like pouring salt in an open wound. I just thought to myself “This is going to be a long night!” As I left the shoot I heard nothing but encouragement and kind words. Even with the Achilles problem I felt pretty good.
After a few minutes the burning from the creme had subsided and got into a good running rythm. During the bike ride my watch had stopped working so I was doing this run with no way to tell how I was doing time-wise. I actually think it helped me because I was listening to my body and not worrying about the time. I made the first 6 miles in pretty good time. I really couldn’t believe how good I was feeling.
The first 13.1 miles were pretty anticlimactic and I began to think about what it was going to be like to become an Ironman. I was excited and still moving pretty good. Then it happened. At about mile 15 the old wheels came off. I was exhausted.
Just a few minutes ago I couldn’t believe how good I was feeling and now I could barely move. During the first lap I had met up with a woman who had done several Ironmans and kept pace with her because she knew she was going to finish with plenty of time. Now, I was all alone.
Within a few steps I started to realize that I had developed some blisters. One in particular was pretty painful. I had gotten a blister across the entire front pad of my foot. Right at the bottom of toes on the bottom of my foot I could feel the uncomfortable pillow of a huge blister. It hadn’t affected me much during the first 13 miles but now it was all I could think about.
There were little speed humps through the residential area of the run. Just going up those felt like someone was sticking nails in my foot. I was now at a slow walk. It was about that time that a camera crew came up to film me. They asked me how I was doing and I said “Not so good.” I also told them I had no idea how I was doing for time since I didn’t have a watch. One of them graciously offered me a watch.
When I looked at the clock I saw that I had to make 15 minute miles to get to the end in time to be an official finisher. I picked up the pace. After leaving the park which meant I had less than 6 miles to go, there were a ton of signs for other runners from friends and families. I saw one of a little boy about my sons age and lost it. It was the first really emotional time of the race. I imagined the “runs” that my sons and I had done on some of our “boys day outs”. When we do those runs my sons run along beside me and just look at me and smile. It is an amazing feeling to see their little smiles and the joy that they get from being active. It was even more amazing to visualize them running there beside me that cold dark night out on that course.
I got it back together and stopped crying. I was back to walking again. Any deviation in cadence made my foot feel like the bottom was going to rip off. Each speed hump that I crossed felt like I was walking up a mountain. Every now and then I would step on a rock that would shoot a piercing pain all the way through my body. I hurt.
With about two miles to go I could hear the announcer yelling “Congratulations, you are an Ironman!” It brought back a flood of emotions. I remembered being able to hear those same words last year and Kona but didn’t get to hear them myself. I thought about all the training and the time I had spent away from my family while training this year and last. Most importantly I thought about what it was going to be like to cross that finish line.
I had one hour to go 2 miles and I was going to need it all. As I got closer people were yelling conratulations and words of encouragement. Many were simply saying “You’re gonna make it!”
When I came around the last turn into the finish shoot I thought of how I was going to cross the line. Was I going to skip, do a cartwheel, or do a somersault? As I got closer I realized it would be none of the above. I simply walked jogged toward the line taking it all in, high-fiving strangers listening to the cheers and appreciating what I had just accomplished.
About two steps from the line I began bawling like a baby. As I crossed under the finish line I threw my hands in the air and gave thanks to God for giving me the strength and opportunity to do what I had just done. A medal was placed around my neck and I was an official Ironman.
The excitement quickly turned to relief and then pure exhaustion. One of the show producers handed me a phone and I called my wife. We cried together for a moment and she told me she was proud of me.
I have one state and national titles in wrestling and been the winner of The Biggest Loser. This moment topped them all. I was an Ironman!
See you tomorrow!
Ironman Florida…. Part 2 (The Bike)
Posted by Matt Hoover in General on November 16th, 2010
Here is the second part of my Ironman experience this year. If you missed yesterday you might want to go back and read it because I am simply picking up where I left off. Now it’s time for the bike ride.
As I exited the water, I quickly forgot about how tired I was when I felt the icy cold of the sand. The transition was a pretty good distance away so after a short run up the beach I ran between two buildings and into a parking lot. The parking lot was filled with numbered bags in long lines. Inside those bags was the bike ride gear. After finding my bag I was off to change. Again, it was a nice little jaunt to the changing building.
After changing I headed out for a “few” miles on the bike. Heading out of town I felt pretty good. Most of the ride through town was between large buildings that protected me from the wind. I must say that I was getting pretty excited at how I was cruising along.
When I got away from the buildings and made the turn out of town, my excitement turned to fear. The wind was blowing hard. In the first 12 miles I saw more than a few people get blown right off the road. In fact, I passed a pretty good wreck where the lady was being loaded into an ambulance.
The great thing about being a bigger triathlete is that although it is a struggle riding into the wind, when you finally get to go with the wind, you flat out fly. I made it to mile 56 feeling pretty good and in pretty good time. At the turn around is when I got to go back into the wind for about 40 miles.
As I rode into the wind, my mind started to get the best of me. I don’t remember if I have mentioned it or not, but you are not allowed to use headphones or ipods during an Ironman. It is 140.6 miles with only your thoughts to entertain you.
About mile 60 I began to think about how much fun I was no longer having. The more I dwelled on the negatives, the more negative I became. (Imagine that!) I fought through those emotions and just put my head down and began to pedal. I was already half-way done and each pedal stroke was taking me closer to home.
At mile 70 I had one of the sharpest pains I have ever felt in my life shoot through my Achilles tendon, up my leg and into my hip. I drove right off the road. As I stood there trying to figure out what had just happened to me I decided to call it quits. The pain went from a shooting sensation to just a solid burn. I wasn’t able to put full pressure into my pedal strokes without pain and it literally felt like my hip was on fire.
I got back on my bike and decided to tough it out and get home. I was also telling myself that I would call it a day once I got back. I could say that I was injured, call for a medic and let them pull me off the course. My mind was made up. I was just going to pedal back and end this misery.
It was tough going. The wind was howling straight into my face and my feet were now numb from the cold, not to mention my new injury. I was definitely feeling sorry for myself. I fought through the wind and finally saw the glorious flashing lights of the sheriff cars that marked the turn onto the road back into town.
Two thoughts crossed my mind. You are on the home stretch; this will be all over soon when the medics pull you, and you get the wind to push you now that it is at your back.
At mile 90, the fight in my mind was taking to a new level. I really wasn’t feeling that bad and I knew it. Sure, my leg hurt and my hip was burning, but deep down I knew that I could keep going. The thing was is that I had already made up my mind to quit. I had a perfect excuse, medical forfeit. It was at that time that I remembered how I felt at Kona last year and how tough it was to deal with not finishing in time. There was no way that I could just give up and not even try.
Although people probably would have said: “Good job, you did the swim and the bike, that is more than most people can do.” I would have known the truth…. I QUIT! I began to talk to myself. Yes, really talk to myself and out loud at that. I can only imagine what the riders I was passing must of been thinking as I rode by having a full on conversation with myself.
I began to tell my body how good it was feeling. I began to praise it rather than curse it. I told myself about all the training I had done and how quitting was something that “Old Matt” would have done. I began to think about all of the people that had helped me to get to this Ironman. I thought of my wife and sons wearing their IronMatt t-shirts back at home and how they believed I could do it. I thought about a saying that I took from my dear friends the Watson’s: He thought he could so he did! Most importantly, I prayed. I handed the whole thing over to God and asked for strength. He delivered.
I came into the transition and rather than calling for a medic and calling it quits, I ran to my gear bag for the run and went into get changed.
After all, after a 2.4 mile swim and a 112 mile bike ride, all I had left to do was a marathon!
See you tomorrow!
What Do You Believe About Yourself?
Posted by Matt Hoover in General on October 13th, 2010
Have you ever wondered why similar things seem to happen over and over in your life? Let’s take weight loss for example. Why do so many of us do really well on our program only to fall off track at the slightest set-back and sometimes even success?
The answer is relatively simple. We draw on past experiences and beliefs. If in our past we have comforted ourselves with food, naturally we will want to continue to do so unless we change our beliefs. Our beliefs dictate our results. When we walk around telling ourselves that we will never be fit, or never be able to get control of our lives, we will take actions that back up that belief.
Although we may not realize it, many of our patterns stem directly from the way we see ourselves and what we believe about ourselves. If we constantly wait to fail at our endeavors, we will most definitely fail at some point. The great thing is that with practice we can change our beliefs.
In order to begin to change our beliefs we need to think about who we want to become and then begin to act like that person. If we want to be successful we need to act like a success. The old saying “Fake it until you make it” actually is quite powerful when it comes to changing our beliefs.
To become happy, we need to act happy. To become more fit we need to act like a fit person. The more we practice, that more it becomes habit. Another powerful tool is using positive self talk. Rather than telling ourselves how miserable we are doing and how “This is how it always goes for me.” we need to commit to being positive. We need to learn how to accept praise from ourselves. We need to let ourselves appreciate small victories.
As we learn to appreciate the small victories, we will begin to see the big picture. You will never appreciate losing 100 pounds if you can’t appreciate losing the first ten. Although it may be overwhelming, we must always look for the positives in a situation.
The only way that we can become the success that we want to become is to change our beliefs in our selves. Start small by telling yourself how good your are doing. Begin to act like the person you want to become and don’t look back. We have all experienced failures in life. The important thing is not to dwell on our failures but our successes.
If you want to change your life, change your beliefs about your self!
An Inspirational Piece… Just For Today
Posted by Matt Hoover in General on October 5th, 2010
I came across this as I was doing some studying. I would like to share it with you today. I have been reading it every morning and it has had an immediate impact on me. Enjoy!
JUST FOR TODAY
Just for today I will be happy. This assumes that what Abraham Lincoln said is true, “most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” Happiness is from within; it is not a matter of externals.
Just for today I will try to adjust myself to what is, and not try to adjust everything to my own desires. I will take my family, my business, and my luck as they come and fit myself to them.
Just for today I will take care of my body. I will exercise it, care for it, nourish it, not abuse or neglect it, so that it will be a perfect machine for my bidding.
Just for today I will try to strengthen my mind. I will learn something useful. I will not be a mental loafer. I will read something that requires effort, thought and concentration.
Just for today I will exercise my soul in three ways; I will do somebody a good turn and not get found out. I will do at least two things I don’t want to do, as William James suggests, just for exercise.
Just for today I will be agreeable. I will look as well as I can, dress as becomingly as possible, talk low, act courteously, be liberal with praise, criticize not at all, nor find fault with anything and not try to regulate nor improve anyone.
Just for today I will try to live through this day only, not to tackle my whole life problem at once. I can do things for twelve hours that would appall me if I had to do them up for a lifetime.
Just for today I will have a program. I will write down what I expect to do every hour. I may not follow it exactly, but I will have it. It will eliminate two pests, hurrying and indecision.
Just for today I will have a quiet half-hour all by myself and relax. In this half-hour sometimes I will think of my God, so as to get a little perspective into my life.
Just for today I wil be unafraid, especially I will not be afraid to be happy, to enjoy what is beautiful, to love, and to believe that those I love, love me.
-Sibyl F. Partridge
Do Over…
Posted by Matt Hoover in General on September 7th, 2010
Have you ever watched a young child play a game? If things aren’t going quite right, what do they do? In case your not sure, I will remind you with a quick illustration. Child is playing a game, child is not doing well at game, child innocently says: “Wait, wait, let me start over!” Child starts over.
Children seem to have this ability to recognize when things are not going as they wish. They also have the ability to start over without mulling over and over what they should have done different. Children have a short memory.
Somewhere along the way, we as adults, have decided that a “do over” is a sign of weakness and that if we start over we have somehow failed. Of course we can’t just throw in the towel the instant we don’t like what is going on, as a child does, but we may be well served in having the short memory of a child when things don’t work.
The minute a child says “do over” it is like the previous mistake or situation never occurred. The child begins to work on a new plan to achieve their intended objective. They somehow remember what wasn’t working and go about their new business with little or no fear.
I think that as adults we would be well served by learning the art of the “do over” as it has been perfected by millions of children all over the world. There is nothing wrong with giving ourselves a clean slate.
Here is what I propose for the adult do-over. Identify what isn’t working, acknowledge it, adapt to it, and start again. We don’t need to dwell on what didn’t work but we must recognize and remember in order not to keep doing it over and over.
That is where the kids have gotten it right. They will try and try until they get the desired result without dwelling on how many “do overs” they have had. When whatever IT is that they want comes to them, they feel like they arrived there with no effort at all. Because after all, they have an unlimited number of “do overs” just like us adults!
Where is Your True Starting Point?
Posted by Matt Hoover in General on August 16th, 2010
Yesterday I was out on a bicycle ride with a good friend of mine. As we were riding we started talking about the progress I’ve made over the past year in the sport of triathlon and how I am feeling as I prep for next Ironman in November.
I told him I felt unbelievably different. I am down several pounds, my cycling has improved, and so has my running. Most importantly, my mindset has improved. Last year when I took on the Kona Ironman I had no idea what I was doing. I didn’t know that carrying around extra weight could affect me as much as it did.
Last weekend I was flipping through the channels and caught the replay of the Kona Ironman on NBC. I watched the race and saw my brief segment once again. When I saw myself, I wasn’t disappointed, I was a little sad. The reason I was sad was because I knew that I had a false sense of how I looked and felt physically.
I was big, not as in pre-Biggest Loser big, but I was carying more weight than I should have been to be competing in a race of that magnitude. The thing is, is that at that time I didn’t realize it. I felt like “I can move 140.6 miles in one day. I am in pretty good shape.” That statement was partially true.
True in the sense that you have to have a pretty good level of fitness to do that race and make the cut-offs. Not true, in that I was definitely carrying too much body fat and failed to realize it. I saw myself as being better off than I was. It wasn’t until I saw myself on television that I realized just how big I was.
I am convinced that had I weighed then what I weigh now, I would have finished that race in under the cut-off time and would have been an official Ironman. That is neither here nor there now. I didn’t finish in time. Heavy or not, I have yet to become an Ironman in the true sense.
What does this have to do with the title of this post? As I was talking yesterday, I came to the conclusion that many of us have a false sense of where we are when it comes to weight. Some of us can think we are smaller and better off than we are, others think we are bigger and worse off than we really are.
In order to know where we really are, we must give ourselves a true starting point. By true starting point I am talking about where are TODAY. I don’t mean 5, 10, or even 20 years ago. The only way to gauge our progress is by having an official starting point and then using that point as a gauge.
For example. If I weigh 240 pounds today, that is what I weigh. In a year from now, if I weigh 200, I will say I lost 40 pounds. If on the other hand I weigh 245, I will say I gained 5 pounds this year. Here is why this is important. I could use my pre-Biggest Loser weight of 353 as a gauge and in turn be able to say that I have lost 108 pounds. Although this is true, it isn’t necessarily the whole truth.
I lost 157 pounds on the show then gained weight back. I then lost weight again. The reality is that If I use the 353 pound number than I am really just losing and gaining the same weight over and over again. This is why I am now using 240 as my starting point. By doing this I can have a clear number and place to begin.
What this allows me to do is wipe the slate clean. I can no longer play games like the “I use to weigh… and even though I have gained…. I ‘ve still kept off….” I know what I weigh and will use this as my starting point and lifelong marker. By doing this, I will have a realistic perception and gauge of how I am doing on this lifelong journey.
In essence, our true starting point is TODAY. Now, lets get started!
See you tomorrow.
Road Trip Time…
Posted by Matt Hoover in General on July 6th, 2010
I will be heading out soon for the San Francisco Triathlon soon. I love road trips so I volunteered to drive the equipment down from Seattle. The trip is scheduled to take 12 hours. That is a long time to be in the car alone; especially when you consider that in the past, that is where I turned my eating common sense off.
I have been doing really well. I have found that the more I plan the easier it is for me. Wow, what a revelation! Planning works! I will be packing my food and drink so that when I stop at the gas stations all I have to do is fill up and leave. Rest stops will be at the ever so clean confines of the interstate rest areas.
Gas stations make sense, but why the rest areas? Because for me, there is little enjoyment in stale candy from a vending machine. I know that if I stop at the rest areas I will be in a safe zone as opposed to stoping at a convenience store or restaurant. I’m not avoiding; I’m planning.
Another thing that I will be doing is listening to T.Harv Eckers Millionaire Mind CD’s. I have listened to them before and it is time to brush up on some things. What a better time to do it than alone in the car with no distractions. Car trips don’t have to be wasted time. I am going to use this time to make my mind sharper.
I feel like I have a pretty good plan in place now it is time to execute it. I will let you know tomorrow how it goes.
See you tomorrow!
Back to Work…
Posted by Matt Hoover in General on July 5th, 2010
The holiday weekend flew by. We went camping and had a pretty good time. I have to say that after spending two weeks in Utah, my tolerance for cold weather has greatly diminished. As soon as we got our campsite set up, Suzy and I headed out for a bike ride. It was a great way to start off our weekend.
For some reason I thought it was a good idea to have smores on the campfire that evening. I don’t even like smores, but when I get around a campfire it sounds like a good idea. It wasn’t. I had 2 of them and proceeded to get a violent stomach ache before going to bed.
The next morning was pretty chilly. I had planned on going for a swim but when I felt the water I decided against it. Instead we went for a little walk. Saturday was a pretty lazy day. I felt like I ate too much but considering my past trips to the mountains I did pretty good.
The thing I noticed when I got home was how my lack of structure over the weekend affected me mentally. I was a little growly and just didn’t feel like myself. It seemed like because I wasn’t planning my days as I have been lately, that I felt like I could easily slip back into old habits. I definitely don’t want to do that.
So today I am back at it. Planned meals, planned workouts, and a planned schedule. I feel better and more energetic. For a guy who always thought of hiumself as just being able to “roll with it”, I am really liking this structure thing. I feel more productive, I value myself more, and I especially am valuing my body and the way I treat it.
