Posts Tagged triathlon
Kona Ironman 2009 part II
Posted by Matt Hoover in General on October 18th, 2009
When I woke up on Saturday morning I still wasn’t feeling nervous. There is a certain calm that happens upon you when you know you have prepared the best you can for something and I knew I had done all I could. I knew I wasn’t going to magically become a world-class runner or cyclist in the next few hours before the race so I slept in the car on the way to the race.
We got to the race at around 5 am. I proceeded to the body marking area where I was greeted by the bright lights of an NBC film crew. I got my number marked on my arm, 196. After the body marking I walked over to the bike transition area where I made sure I had enough air in my tires. I did until I turned the bike pump switch the wrong way and let all the air out of my tire! I got it figured out and got my tires inflated to the right pressure.
On the way out of the transition area I felt like something had stung me right in the middle of my back. I walked over to Suzy and asked her if there was anything on my back. She said there was a big bump but neither of us thought much of it. It wasn’t until my coach, Jim Vance, came over and I told him about it that we actually took my shirt off to look. He pulled this huge bee looking thing off me that had gotten trapped inside my shirt and proceeded to sting me a couple more times. I’m not allergic to anything so I think he was more worried than I was.
It was getting closer to race time and it was time for me to head toward the water. I shook Jim’s hand and gave Suzy and the boys a kiss and said “I’ll see you later tonight.” I got my skin suit on, it’s suppose to help you swim faster, and made my way into the water.
When I got into the water I just stood there taking it all in and thanking God for giving me this opportunity. I have wrestled in state, national and world competitions, and none of them compared to the site I was seeing. There were people lined up on the shore for as far as you can see, there were guys jumping out of planes and parachuting into the bay where we were about to swim, there was music so loud it vibrated your heart, and most of all there were over 1800 athletes treading water while getting ready to pursue their goal of becoming an Ironman and I was fortunate enough to be one of them.
I stood there for another minute just taking it all in and believe it or not, I began to tear up. I had such a feeling of pride as I entered the water to begin treading water like everyone else. At this point nobody cared how I got to Kona, or what show I had won, or how big I was, we were all the same in that we were triathletes looking to become Ironmen and women.
After treading water for a few minutes, at exactly 7:00 am on October 10th, 2009 a cannon shook the bay in Kona, Hawaii. When that cannon went off it felt like someone gave me a brief squeeze around the chest and I took off into the churning white water.
I still felt like I was imaging as I took off and then WHAM! I got kicked in the jaw harder than I ever have, then I felt people litterally trying to swim over the top of me. At that moment it became crystal clear that this was different than any other triathlon I had done and that it was time to get serious.
I popped my head out of the water and found what I thought would be the best line for me and I stuck to it. I didn’t do anything mean, but I made sure that I was going to swim my race and held my line the rest of the way. After about 15 minutes things began to thin out and I settled in. My breathing was good and my stroke felt strong. Once I reached the turn around 1.2 miles away, I really began to settle in. I actually began to enjoy the swim. I didn’t feel tired and was seeing beautiful fish and a couple turtles. Once again a calm came over me and I was able to truly enjoy the experience that I was having.
After just over an hour and half I reached the shore again and began my transition to the bike and what was about to become the longest day of riding in my life.
See you tomorrow!
Kona Ironman 2009 part I
Posted by Matt Hoover in General on October 17th, 2009
Well, it has been exactly one week since I competed in my first Ironman. For those of you who may not have known, it also happened to be the 2009 Ford Ironman World Championships.
My journey began this spring when I was asked to participate in this race. I had only done one sprint triathlon in my life, so taking on the biggest triathlon race in the world wasn’t really something I had ever given much thought to. Once I decided to do it, I called my coach and asked him what he thought and he said that it was a once in a lifetime opportunity and that I needed to take a shot.
I began working closely with Jim Vance at TrainingBible.com. He came up with a solid training plan and I began working.
This summer I participated in several olympic distance tri’s which were 1 mile swim, 26 mile bike and 6 mile run. (distances vary from race to race) I also had to prove my fitness in order to participate in Kona by doing a half Ironman, or IM 70.3. I accomplished that in August and knew after that race that I had lots of work to do before getting to Kona. The time flew by and with the exception of a bike crash in September I had injury free training.
I got to Kona on Oct. 5 and immediately knew that this race was going to be like nothing I have ever done or how I had played it over and over in my mind. For starters, it was hot, the kind of hot where you sweat as soon as you go outside. I live in Seattle where a hot day is 80 with no humididty. The next thing I noticed was the wind, a wind you practically need to lean into in order to not get blown over.
Prior to the race I had to do a lot of press and various interviews. Looking back I am glad I had to do that because it gave me something else ot think about in the days leading up to the race. On Thursday, the 8th, I checked in to become an official race participant. I got a little band that I had to where the rest of the time that said “athlete”. I’m gonna be honest, that band created more strange looks than I could have anticipated. I am not your typical looking triathlete, in fact being around the athletes kind of made me feel like I should be back on the show. They were very lean and very fit. I am fit, but am working on getting leaner.
On Friday I did a short swim, bike, and run and then checked in my bike. I have walked red carpet events, and the scene at bike check-in was right up there with the amount of hype and photographers. I walked my bike to my spot and found out where I was stationed. It was the first time that the magnitude of what I was about to do began to set in. Believe it or not, I didn’t cry, but I kenw that I was going to at some point.
We went home and I got off my feet. I didn’t want to show it, but I was silently stressing out. I had spent months preparing for something that many spend years preparing for. I was scared. I honestly can’t remeber the last time I was scared to do something. I went to bed early that night and slept surprising well.
At 4:00 AM on October 10th I got up and got ready to pursue my goal of becoming an Ironman.
Check back tomorrow to find out what the day was like for me.
Sometimes It’s Hard to See The Shore Through The Waves
Posted by Matt Hoover in General on August 24th, 2009
This afternoon I went for a swim in the ocean. From the bluff we were standing on it didn’t look to bad. There were waves crashing on the shore as you would expect at the ocean but from where we stood it didn’t look that bad once you got out a ways.
Once I got down to the beach I could tell it was choppy but I was still confident that things would calm down once we got further away from shore. The plan was to swim out to some buoys about 1/2 mile off shore. I took off with the guys I was swimming with and encountered exactly what I thought I would, some rough waves. As I continued to swim I realized it wasn’t going to let up.
After swimming a few minutes I stopped to see where the buoys were. I couldn’t see them. In the bottom of the trough there was no sign of any bouys. I could no longer see my goal. At first I was a little nervous. How on earth was I going to get to my goal when I couldn’t see it? I was in the ocean and I couldn’t see where I was going.
As I rose and fell with the sea I realized that when I was on top of the wave I could catch a glimpse of the spot I was aiming for. I knew that if I kept swimming in the right direction and stopped to look for the buoys when I had a chance that I would eventually get there.
I did eventually reach my goal, a half mile out into the ocean. Once I got there I turned around and headed back to shore. It was rough going back too, but at least this time I could see the shore line. I was confident I was going to make it back.
When I got back to shore I realized I had just had an amazing learning experience. There are a lot of times when we seem to be getting tossed around in the ocean of life. Sometimes when the sea is choppy we panick and just try to keep our heads above water. Rather than to keep swimming toward our goal and truly fighting to stay afloat, we will sit and tread water until things calm down.
In this moment we have to trust our ability to swim. The waves may push us or pull us and make it seem like we are going in every direction but forward. This is the time that we need to press on. Keep swimming and look at where you are going when you have the chance. Even though we may not be able to see our destination at the bottom of the trough we have to be encouraged by the fact that once we get on top of the next wave we will be able to catch a glimpse of where we want to go.
Our daily swim in life may not always be in smooth water, but we need to be encouraged by the fact that we have the ability to push on and keep swimming even when it’s tough. When the water is rough, keep swimming!
The only way to reach our goals is to not give in when things get rough!
Why Are You Doing This?
Posted by Matt Hoover in General on August 5th, 2009
This afternoon my wife and I met with a friend of ours. Eventually the conversation turned to my Ironman that is quickly approaching. Our friend asked me an interesting question. Quite simply it was “What is your goal in doing this?”
I stated “To finish.” She asked again “Besides that, why? What do you hope to accomplish?” I thought for a moment thinking that finishing the race should have been a sufficient reason and a good answer. I really wasn’t sure what she was getting at.
This is my first season in the sport of triathlon. I had done a couple sprint distance races several years ago but never gave much thought to becoming a triathlete. In fact when I was first approached by a friend of my to try doing an Ironman distance race I flat out told him no. When I finally decided to give it a try I jumped in with both feet.By the end of my first season I will have done every distance you can do in the sport of triathlon.
What started out as something to try has turned into a passion. I love the training, I love the comraderie with my team, I love competing , and most of all I love being surrounded by like minded healthy, as well as those striving to get there, people.
Often when Suzy and I go to an event, whether to compete or watch, people will come up to us and thank us for inspiring them to get healthy. That is an amazing compliment and one that drives us in our quest to continue living healthy lives. We know people are watching us.
This brings me back to why I am going to compete in the 2009 Ford Ironman World Championships. I am obviously going there to finish, but more importantly I am going there to show myself and others what we can do when we set our minds to do something that is important to us.
The longer I thought about my friend’s question the more reasons I began to come up with. Me doing this event is setting an example for my little boys. Even though they may never remember me crossing the line in Hawaii, they are seeing me workout everyday and working to be healthy. As I continue in this sport they are going to see me as well as their mom being active as long as they are under our roof.
I think one of the biggest reasons I am choosing to do this is to encourage others to push themselves beyond what they may think is possible in their own lives. I have heard from so many people who say that they wish they could do this or that. Unfortunately, right after they tell me what they wish they could do, they list a ton of reasons why they can’t.
I hope that by me doing this race the same people who list all the reasons they can’t do something will start to look at the reasons they can do anything. I want them to see that no matter where you are, you are capable of so much more if you will just give yourself a chance or take the chance when it is given to you.
I guess the short answer to my friend’s question tonight of “Why are you doing this?” is this. I am doing this to show that the only limits that we have are the ones we place upon ourselves, whether it be competing in an Ironman or rolling off the couch and taking those first steps back to health. I am doing this to ensure that I leave a legacy of health and wellness for my sons, not one of fear, doubt, or what ifs. I am doing this to show that it’s not starting the race, it’s finishing it and learning lessons along the way.
Tonight a friends question gave me a great new perspective. Maybe it’s time that you join me in asking “Why are YOU doing this?”
Update Time…
Posted by Matt Hoover in General on July 30th, 2009
Man how time flies! I have been traveling a lot these past few months and had a ton of video blogs to post. Unfortunately after arriving home from one of my latest trips my Flip (video camera) was missing from my luggage. The irony isn’t that it dissapeared, it’s that I usually have it on me and this was the first time I put it in my checked luggage.
Anyway, I am going to do this the old fasion way, typing.
As most of you know by now I am training to compete in the 2009 Ford Ironman World Championship. I have had two races so far this season and will be doing a half Ironman in less than three weeks.
Tonight I want to talk about my training and one of the things that has become the most important aspect of my training.
I have literally been spending hours swimming, cycling, and running. All of these things have been helping me tremendously physically, but I have come to learn that I need to spend almost as much time working on my mind.
With the hours I have been spending working out I have had a lot of time to think. I’m not sure how many of you regularly spend up to six hours on your bicycle, but if you ever have you know that you have a lot of time to think.
This amount of thinking time can be a blessing and a curse. A blessing in that you actually have time to think and a curse in that you have a lot of time to do it.
On one of my latest rides I found myself beginning to focus on some negative thoughts. Thoughts like ” What have I gotten myself into?” and “Can I really do this?” as well as thinking about how tired my muscles were and how nobody would even know if I cut my workouts short.
When you allow thoughts like this to take hold it can make a long workout even longer, which began to happen almost immediately.
After I finished my workout I went home and had a hypnosis session. I have been focusing most of my sessions on weightloss. Fortunately, weightloss wasn’t my struggle.
I did a cd with Dr. Jack Singer. He is a reknown sports psychologist who works with elite athletes. Some of the points he made with me are so beneficial that I need to share them with you.
The first thing that struck me is how optimism can help you perform better. Expecting to win or in my case finishing Kona will increase your performance. These positive thoughts translates into success. Beleiving you will succeed because of your own work and strengths aid in having a positive outcome.
The second and perhaps most beneficial to me was learning that the sub-conscionience doesn’t hear negatives. If I say “Don’t get tired.” or “Don’t be nervous”, my mind only hears “Get Tired” and “Be Nervous”. This lesson was crystal clear when looking back at my workout. I was telling myself to not breathe so hard and not get tired. As I said almost instantly I began to have labored breathing and my legs began to feel heavy. I got through my workout but it wasn’t enjoyable.
I am not making this up. The next day, after my session, I went and did the same course. This time I said things like “my legs are strong” and “my lungs are lungs are efficient and my blood is circulating amazing”. I had turned the computer on my bike so I couldn’t see my time and other numbers. I just wanted to focus on my self talk. I did the same exact course with the same exact equioment 15 minutes faster. I felt better and ended my workout on a positive note.
Say what you will, but that is a pretty good time change. I didn’t get more fit overnight, but I did improve my mind overnight.
Our minds are powerful things, we can use them to improve our performance or hurt our performance. The choice is up to us!
