Parker Wraps the Year

Not sure how Parker managed a very good year in kindergarten with Mrs. Kerr, but he did. Off for the summer and then grade one, here we come!

Tom's IM Texas Race Report - "On Your Left!"

As someone said, things never really go as planned or quite as you imagined.

It's incredibly hard to believe that I was in a hospital 10 months ago recovering from a destroyed hip socket after a bad bike accident. I wasn't cleared by the doctor to start long runs until February. Wow!

Who qualifies for Kona with a 1:39:xx swim, a leisurely bike ride of 0.67 IF and running 9:30+ minute miles? Me . I'm still expecting a call telling me they got the paperwork wrong and I didn't really qualify.

I came out of the water and looked at the clock. Could I really be that bad - again. Yup! 1750th place, nowhere to go but up Got on the bike and started passing everyone. I was really tired from hollering "on your left" all day long. 5:01:xx bike split riding a 0.67 IF; that's one fast course. The run course was a flat 3 loop course and very fun to run. But, hot and humid. Lots of walking all around me.

They need to fix the finish line too. I came around the final corner with about 20 yards to go. I looked at the clock. 10:59:50. I finished in 11:00:08. Had that final corner been 50 yards longer I surely would have broken 11 hours. 8 or 9 seconds faster would have sounded so much better

I'm still laughing at all the newbie things I did.

First, the swim. It was actually a great venue, just too warm for wetsuits. (Who wears a speed suit and swims a 1:39:xx - me!) Looking at the map it looked like just over a mile up and then back in a made made lake and then a short distance in a canal to the transition area. Well the canal went on forever and I just gave up mentally and physically. I was just really tired of swimming. I should have walked the canal distance on Friday. Should have swam more in training too.
Next time!

Second was nutrition. For the past 5 or so IMs I've used Cytomax and gels on the bike, 2 bottles to start and then 2 in special needs. I then fill in the extra calories with on the course materials. Well this year Gatorade is gone and Powerbar is in. The stuff tastes like crap and I just couldn't tolerate the bars, gels or drink. I can handle most things, but this was quite unbelievably bad. Who eats power bars when its a 100 percent humidity? Beyond awful doesn't begin to describe Powerbar products to me. On the run course I carried one Cyto bottle to start and a couple of gels. When they ran out I tried the course stuff again. No go. I tried coke, but it was still carbonated. One swallow and out that went. I ended up running from mile 15 to the end on water in the stomach and ice in the hat.

Third was my watch. Before the race I did as I always do, power up the Garmin to connect to the satellites to make the connection faster in T2 and then power it down and throw in in the transition bag. Well this time I somehow forgot to power it down, so as I strapped on the watch in T2 and turned it on it said battery gone and powers off. I ended up running the entire marathon without a watch. Still chuckling at that one. Of course I ran the marathon completely against all of my training principles, running way too fast to start and holding on for dear life at the end.

Well, I'm thinking about Hawaii and as Coach P says, "don't get fat!". Hopefully a couple of good glasses of beer are still OK.

Got to thank my Iron Sherpas who sat in the awful humidity all day long catching short glimpses of me here and there. My daughter Kira was there with her boyfriend Oscar as well as our Houston host, Patrick. Neither Oscar nor Patrick had ever seen a triathlon before, let alone an ironman. Quite the subculture shock for both of them! They were all awesome picking up all my gear at the end, getting my bike to TriBike Transport to be driven home, and mostly putting up with me. As to my wife who graciously allows me to train for one ironman a year, I'm going home to see how many family credits I have left in the bank

As a side note I also wanted to mention a guy a met when I was in Texas last month on the EN Rally. Big, strong, intimidating biker dude with a bald head and scraggly beard. He came out riding and running with us wearing a muscle shirt saying "Future Ironman". He probably ran 15 minute miles. Well, I'm in the Expo area the day after the race and there he is, hobbling around with his finisher medal around his neck beaming ear to ear. That to me is what Ironman is about. Very cool indeed.

Also had a friend email me some statistics about my day:

"A bit of data from IM TX last weekend where Tom Glynn went from 1750 overall out of the water to the end of his day where he got a Kona slot . . . During his 5:01:49 ride, Tom passed, on average, a person every 14 seconds. . . . . Here are the number of positions he gained in each section: 141 in T1, 1315 on the Bike, 10 in T2 and 97 on the run." WOW! Can anyone say Patience and Discipline?"

See you in Kona!

Well Just got the coolest update! The guy I mentioned in my race report above sent in a thank you video to Endurance Nation for helping to get him through his Ironman in 16:55:xx. 5 Minutes to spare!

Endurance Nation Podcast with me

Parker Plays Ball!

Today we wrapped up Parker's first season in the major leagues. Year one of t-ball is in the books and it ended pretty well. He wants to play next year, he had fun, and he learned a few rules along the way. All is good!

Parker Turns Six and Grows in the Night!

Indy does Puppy Training 101

Ever seen the movie Marley and Me? Remember the scene when they take Marley to puppy training - all the others puppies are sitting there calmly awaiting the next command and Marley, on the other hand, is happily trying to play with everyone while not listening to a single command.....so began our puppy training with Indy!

Dianne and Conner arrived early as this was the first week and we still had some paperwork to fill in - no one there but the dog whisperer, AKA Shane Gerrehy from Diablo K9, and us - almost forgot - also a very large poster of a Golden Retriever - Indy promptly began to growl and bark at the picture - just redirect him suggests Shane - easy for you to say - this guy is over 45 lbs already!! OK - We get situated, dog poster is now not in our view, and in walks a very sweet, although rather large (also in the neighborhood of 45 lbs), 4 month old Labradoodle. She sits quietly on her mat (Indy and his "handlers" can't even seem to locate a mat) and pays attention to her mom. Indy is dying to meet her - yes, almost killing himself trying to lunge over and introduce himself - in the meantime more and more puppies calmly walk in, take their mats and wait for instructions - all the owners are looking at us with that look of - can you not keep your dog under control? - at this point we are thinking individualized classes may be best!

As the class progresses we reinforce sit, down, touch (a new one for me), and begin to learn "let's go" - for those of you dog owners out there, let's go is a favorite of a dog (but maybe not an owner as it is being learned) - picture 6 puppies calmly walking around with their handlers and focused on the handler (and the treats) and Indy - desparately trying to make new friends and seeking better treats from all the neighbors - after I am dripping with sweat trying to "refocus" the dog and thinking this is a better work out than the gym, I asked Shane if there were any "tricks" that would help refocus him - Shane calmly takes the lead, presents his treat, and Indy walks beside him - I guess I am not a dog whisperer!!!

When it came time for "puppy play" we are all reminded that if there is an accident simply hold your dog and the mess will be cleaned up by an available adult. Off to play - (this is Indy's favorite part) - he is a great sport, finds the Labradoodle who also likes to play, and promptly takes center stage. Some of the puppies hover from the outside looking in and others look to their owners with the quissical "really?" look. Of course, play and Indy mean only one thing - poop is coming....unfortunately for us poop came while we were still in the play session - love cleaning that up with paper towel!

While we made it through day 1 with only 5 more to go - we did practice this morning with our extra special treats and that was more of a success - wish us luck for week 2 (PS - I am wearing work out clothes next week!)

Indiana Bones Glynn

Indiana Bones, call name, Indy. Born 11/7/2010 he was very well socialized in his litter. His family took him home at 8 weeks old and did a great job of continuing his socializing, training, & grooming. He was taken to training classes, slept in their bedroom, and had lessons every day. He loves kids, other dogs, cats, fetching & cuddling. He has had positive contact with horses, goats, chickens, sheep, cows, and the outdoor world. He walks well on a leash, is crate trained, mostly potty trained, knows sit, down, off, leave it, lets go, heel, wait, OK, kennel, and more.

Unfortunately one of the family owners developed a very bad allergic reaction to the puppy fur and Indie had to be returned to the breeder. We saw the note on Facebook along with the very cute pictures and began the family discussions.

We headed up to see Nacina this weekend, with Tundra in tow. I think we were all a little surprised that Indy wasn't really a puppy anymore. Maybe in age, but, those paws, wow! I think we are looking at a 80-90 pound dog a year or two from now. At 45 pounds, he is well on his way already. We had a great visit and I think even Tundra decided she could deal with a new friend, so after a couple of hours of hanging out, we loaded up everyone, including our newest family member and headed home.

He is everything a golden puppy should be - a face that is so beautiful you just want to kiss him, an inquisitive nature that incents him to be involved in every family activity, a highly social nature meaning that Tundra now has a perpetual playmate (even if she was not asking for one), and smart such that he understands what you are asking him to do (but may not choose to do it)! Parker fondly remembers him as the blue collar puppy that he fed when we went to help socialize the puppies in November. Conner has taken to helping with the training including introducing a clicker to him, which if we follow this religiously may even allow us to do further tricks like jumping through hoops!

He sleeps through the night, wakes up with enthusiasm to start his new day, loves to eat his food and treats, and wants to play play play. All in all we are thrilled to have such a great new family member and we are savoring every moment as he grows!

Now the real fun (or is that work!) begins.

Conner Skydiving!

How cool is that! Conner gets indoor skydiving lessons. Looks like he is ready to jump from a plane. Thanks for the invite Ben!