Sweatin' Like A Clown

Mr. Frank Buckles

2011-02-28T18:53:00.001-08:00

A few months ago I saw a story on the news about the last surviving U.S. veteran of World War I. He was in DC asking for a permanent memorial for the first world war, and I found it odd that there wasn't one yet even though I had seen every other memorial and just hadn't noticed there wasn't one. That same story also showed a government official from Kansas City talk about how there already is a national memorial dedicated to the war and it is in KC. Noting against KC but it belongs in DC with all the others and today of all days reminded me of this story.

Today I saw that Frank Buckles, the same man that was asking to have a permanent memorial, died yesterday at the age of 110. He was raised in Oklahoma and was only 16 when he lied about his age to join the fight in the 1917. I wish he could have lived to see a memorial in honor of his sacrifices, and the countless others who gave the ultimate sacrifice of their lives. Hopefully one day this will come true and people can go learn about what happened in those days.

My first thought about Mr. Buckle's passing was sadness for his family and then it was that we have lost that final link. If we haven't captured the stories yet we never will and now we can't go back. Every soldier involved in that history of our nation is gone. I just hope in the final years of Mr. Buckle's life he was able to share his stories so they may be passed along for years to come.

Even more amazing is what he lived through in his lifetime and since I like looking up facts on the internet here are things that happened in his lifetime.

Frank Buckles was born on Feb. 1, 1901
The First Radio Transmission - 1901
The Wright Brothers First Flight on 1903
Oklahoma becomes a state 1907
World War I 1914-1918
Babe Ruth's Career 1914-1935
The Great Depression 1930s
World War II 1939-1945
The First TV Broadcast - 1925
Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream Speech" - 1963
The Internet - 1969 (Thanks Al Gore)
Walking on the Moon - 1969
The Cosby Show 1984-1992
Facebook 2004
iPhone 2007
The First African American President 2008

Of course there are plenty of things that could be on that list but 110 years is a long time to live and the changes that have occurred are incredible. Hell, he was 80 years old when I was born in 1981. I hope I can reach my goal of living to be 108 and maybe I will have done something with my life that is .5% as important as what Mr. Buckles did and then some punky, music snob kid will write a blog about me.

Who am I kidding? There is no chance of that happening.

Girl Be Talkin'

2010-11-18T05:40:00.000-08:00

Yesterday my friend sent me the new girl talk album and it is pretty awesome. It's by far the best music to run/workout too and is just fun to listen to and try to figure out all the songs that he used to make the songs. If you wanna download it here is the link. http://www.illegal-art.net/allday/

Enjoy!

I Hate the Heisman Trophy

2010-11-15T20:37:00.000-08:00

Much like how I hate the Grammy awards I have grown to hate the most coveted award in college football. Why does the Heisman have to go to the best player on the best team? There are guys that dominate their positions and are the best player on the field and never win because they are a defensive player or a wide receiver for a team that wasn't picked in the top 25 to begin the season but are currently 9-1 and #10.

Last year Suh from Nebraska was the MOST dominant player in all of football and single handily changed games. You always hear guys say, "oh x team lost and therefore their QB won't win the Heisman." Even though the QB played great and his defense gave up a ton of yards he can't win because he won't be on the best team.

It's a joke and that's why I don't give a damn about the Heisman much like I don't care about the Grammy's anymore. The day Britney Spears won a Grammy is the day I knew they were a joke. It's all driven by money and record labels because there is no way how you can tell me Taylor Swift had the best album last year. I know it's harder to do because there are more albums than movies but the Oscars get it right and give it to the best not the most popular. If they did Avatar would have won best picture this year but instead it went to The Hurt Locker. Back to my point though, I hate the Heisman and I just wish players who deserve it would win it and not the running back or quarter back on the best team.

Catching Up

2010-05-21T11:09:00.000-07:00

It's been a week since I last posted so here is what has happened. Saturday I met the team at Red Coyote, a new running store on the Classen Curve, and we ran 3 miles. Afterward I bought some new shoes which was long overdue and man it makes a huge difference. I ran in them on Monday and the difference in how my legs felt was night and day. On Tuesday I did a long brick workout where I biked 16 miles and then hopped off and ran 3 miles. Thanks to my new shoes my legs felt great after one mile and I felt like I could have kept going for 2 or 3 more. Thursday I had my first open water swim of the season at Lake Arcadia with the OKC Tri group. It was a 500 meter swim that overall went well considering it was my first one of the season. I need to work more at it and will get another chance on Monday with the TNT group.

Today is Bike to Work Day so I got up earlier than normal to bike 13.5 miles to my work through morning traffic. It wasn't the best experience ever but I enjoyed it overall. I attached my camera to my handle bars and made a time lapse video. I have posted it below for your viewing pleasure. This weekend we have a brick workout and I have my Bunko Fundraiser. I will fill you in on those details as they happen. Go Team!

gettin' after it

2010-05-13T15:13:00.000-07:00

I finally got a fairly long run in on Tuesday going 4 miles and I was excited that I felt good for the entire 4 miles. I had only run once since April 17th and it was an awful 3 miles. Last nights swim practice was canceled due to lightning in the area so i got up early and swam at the YMCA and knocked out 1500 meters. It's weird how I feel better at the last 500 meters than I did for the first 1000. I hope it doesn't take me 1000 meters to warm up in Austin. Tonight I will hop on the bike (Ginnetha) and take it for a spin around Hefner. I still need those donations so keep them coming and go team! http://pages.teamintraining.org/ok/txtri10/kginn

28 miles(ish)

2010-05-09T20:05:00.001-07:00

Saturday we met at Coach Steve's shop and did a long ride with the Young Life group. We rode from downtown OKC to Lake Stanley Draper and back. The ride was roughly 28 miles, I don't know for sure because a little over halfway through I accidentally reset my bike computer and so i don't know how far. It was a good ride and on the way back it was only the TNT group as the Young Life riders were going around the lake before heading back.

Afterward I headed over to the Kickoff event for the Summer/Fall events for Team in Training. I am currently not signed up but went to support the Team and noticed to friends that have signed up. My friend Tamara Baldwin used to work with me and she has signed up to run the Nike Women's Half marathon in San Fran this fall. The other person was my dear friend Tina Fox's brother Phil. I always knew he was an avid cyclist so when I saw him Saturday and he said he was doing a Century ride I knew he would be great at it. Big shout out for T Fox for recruiting 3 people to the OKC TNT group in the last year, Myself, Phil and Bryan Sloan. Go Team!

Cinco de Swimo

2010-05-06T07:18:00.000-07:00

We had a great swim practice last night at OCCC. we worked on some long distance speed by doing 3 by 300 meter sprints at a good pace. I can totally tell that I am getting a lot more efficient and faster in the water and that is awesome. After that we worked on drafting off other swimmers which I didn't even know was possible in the water but it is and it's pretty cool. We ended with everyone in one lane and practicing on mass starts. I think we had more fun trying to swim over the top of others and grabbing feet then we did doing anything else. It's definitely worse in practice than it is in real life, at least from my experience anyway.

Wednesday was also Coach Steve's birthday so in honor of his birthday I am posting this video I shot of him a few weeks ago at one of our swims. Happy Birthday Steve.

Keep Fighting and Go Team!

Fix a Flat

2010-05-05T08:48:00.000-07:00

I set out on a ride yesterday and was having a great ride working on my speed in intervals. I had the wind at my side or back for most of it and that made it a lot easier but then i finally had to turn into the wind and it was tough for about 4 miles. As I started to head home over the Lake Hefner Parkway on Grand I started to really get after it and was cruising at roughly 28 mph when all of a sudden I heard the sound you never want to hear. PSSsssshhhsshshshshshshssss. I had a flat and the air was quickly escaping. My ride was over.

Two days prior I was on a ride with coach Steve and I pointed out to him that my rear tire had a weird bump and he said it was a defective tire and that it would need to get replaced but it was still ok to ride on. Well...I think over time the tire got worn down a lot where the bump was and made the wall really thin and that caused a rock or piece of glass to bust the tube in my wheel. Luckily I wasn't far from home was able to call a friend to come pick me up. I could have tried to replace it but didn't want to bother since it all had to be replaced anyway.

Tonight I swim. Go Team!

Less than a month

2010-05-04T11:14:00.000-07:00

I am hitting the home stretch of training and I am starting to get really excited about this triathlon. My swim time should be right around 30 minutes and I'm working on my bike speed now. I am working on hitting my fund raising goal of $4,000 and can use all the help you can give. Please donate what you can by going to this link. http://pages.teamintraining.org/ok/txtri10/kginn

Keep checking back as I will try to update almost everyday leading up to the big event on Memorial Day. Go Team

Did he just say chicken nugget meal?

2010-03-06T15:11:00.000-08:00

I took my new pocket camera out on a ride recently and tried to have a conversation with coach Ryan while going around the lake. We were successful but the audio doesn't sound too great. Here is that conversation

Later on Coach Ryan grabbed the camera and recorded me. I had some really awesome things to say but unfortunately you can't hear them due to the wind on the mic. Enjoy!....if that is possible.

Bicycling Time!

2010-02-28T18:26:00.001-08:00

We had a great practice yesterday at Lake Hefner. We rode 2 laps around the lake then hopped off the bike and knocked out 2 miles on foot. Today I ran 2.5 miles and my legs were tired but I made it through.

A few weeks ago I took a ride from my condo around the lake and back. I recently bought a new camera and attached it to my handle bars and took a time lapse video of the ride. If you can stomach the fast pace and camera movement here is the video.

I am getting excited about the event and more excited about the challenge of shaving 20 minutes off my race time. But let's not lose sight of the fact that we still need a cure for blood cancers and I am raising money. Please go to my page and give what you can. http://pages.teamintraining.org/ok/txtri10/kginn

Swimming getting better

2010-02-21T20:10:00.000-08:00

I am finally starting to enjoy swimming. Last week I had our coach film me so i could see what my form looked like. Here is what I look like in the pool, I have a lot of work to do.

Prepare to be blown away

2010-01-07T15:20:00.000-08:00

The new season of Team in Training OKC starts on Jan. 23rd. I have a larger role with TNT this season as a mentor and I also have ideas on how to keep the team involved in the training and the cause. Plus this blog will be the best blog on the internet according to a recent pole done by myself where I asked one person who also is myself. Check back soon.

My Back Hurts

2009-11-13T14:30:00.000-08:00

After taking a break from training I am gonna get back at it because I am tired all the time and feel like doodoo. Not sure what I am gonna do but it involves cardio and weights and sweat.
End.

Nation's Triathlon

2009-09-25T07:12:00.001-07:00

I am a slacker and have not updated this since before I left so here is a rundown of the Nation's Triathlon. Saturday Team Oklahoma showed up to the event to prepare our bikes and get them setup on our transition area. The transition area was 42,000 sq. feet and had 4,500 spots. I got everything setup and ready to go and went on my way. That night we had a pasta dinner with multiple speakers one of which had Leukemia and it was a very well done and touching speech.

Race Day

The alarm went off at 4:30 am and I was excited to get up and get after it. I prepared all my stuff the night before so all I had to do was fill my water bottles and head out the door. We took a team Oklahoma pic before we left the hotel.

It was a little chilly in the morning but I could tell it was going to be a great day. We arrived at the transition area with plenty of time to get ready and setup my bike, bike shoes, run shoes, etc. My only complaint was the 75 port-a-potties for 4,500 racers and its early so everyone had to go.

I got in the water at 7:27 and I was off. It took me 37 minutes to complete the swim and it would have been faster if I would have been smarter and stayed more on the inside but drifted to the out side and then had to make up all that space once i turned. I was tired but not really winded like i thought i would have been at the end of the swim.

I got on my bike and was off for a 1 hour 22 minute ride. My legs above my knees were stiff the whole time which was frustrating but i got through it. The course was beautiful and loved the scenic views of DC and Maryland. When I returned a large group had formed and it was fun to go through all the people cheering and yelling "Go Team". I racked my bike switched my shoes and was off running.

The run was great, kinda. My legs were still stiff from the bike until mile 3. But by that time i was halfway done and told myself. I was just going to do my typical 3 mile loop i always run and then I was done. So i powered through and stiffness and finished strong for my honored heroes, Leo and Austin.

Upon the finish I was pretty sure I had achieved my goal of under 3 hours but wasn't sure until i went to the results tent and got a print out. Sure enough I finished 49 seconds ahead of my goal, 2:59:11. I found my parents and hugged them before going back to the course to cheer on Tina and my other Team Oklahoma teammates.

Overall it was a great day and I loved every minute of it even though there were a few parts that I was thinking "why am I doing this" then i reminded my self that I was doing it for Leo and Austin. My final fundraising total was $5,306. Thanks for all the support and I am now planning my next triathlon or some other event with Team In Training.

Leaving Tomorrow

2009-09-10T15:49:00.000-07:00

I am leaving in the morning for the race in DC. I am really excited and can't wait to get it going. I will come back with a full report Tuesday evening.

Race Week

2009-09-08T13:12:00.000-07:00

My bike is in route to DC as I type. I ran today but will not run again til DC and I will swim one more time in OK before heading out. We have a team swim and info session tomorrow at Lake Arcadia. I am getting excited to get this event going and spend time in DC with T. Fox. If you are in the DC area this weekend come watch the race.

My Goal!

2009-09-04T14:08:00.000-07:00

I have officially met my fund raising goal of $5,000. Thanks to all who have helped me along the way by donating money, time, their home, poker tables, chairs, the list goes on and on. I am so excited and humbled by everyone's generosity and thank you all.

My focus now is on the race and making sure I finish then seeing if I can get under the 3 hour mark which was a huge goal for me. I will keep you posted on how that goes. Until then go watch the OSU game tomorrow and root on the Cowboys to victory.

Fundraising

2009-09-03T07:53:00.000-07:00

I have officially raised $4570 as of right now and would really like to get the remaining $430 so that I can reach my goal of $5,000. I am hopeful that I will still be able to reach my goal. so please donate if you have not yet donated.

Training is starting to taper off after this weekend. I have to ship my bike on Monday so I will ride it a few more times before I send it on its way to DC. I have been running an little more and haven't swam since last Wednesday because i know running is where I am going to make up my lost time. But I will swim tonight and again next week a few times before heading off to DC on Friday.

Bunko!!!

2009-08-31T07:17:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Sharon Wright and the rest of her family for hosting such a great event. I raised $701 and am getting a lot closer to my goal. I am currently sitting at $3746 and would really like to reach my goal of $5,000.

training is going great still i got up and ran this morning in the cool Oklahoma air. I need to get some biking done this week because I can't next week due to the fact that I have to ship my bike to DC for the race on Monday. Less than two weeks away til I am in DC racing to save lives.

Cliff Speegle is the man

2009-08-27T12:11:00.000-07:00

Wetsuits are amazing! I got my wetsuit last night and I must say that after I finally got in it, which took over 5 minutes, it made my swim in Lake Arcadia so much easier. I used to have to work to keep my legs higher to make me more streamlined but now the wetsuit helps me float and i can focus on swimming. It actually made me like swimming last night.

There are 9 members from the OKC Team in Training group going to DC and they are all really fun & great people. I learned last night that David McQuary is doing his 7th or 8th TNT event but his is his first triathlon, he has done century rides & marathons before.

I have a new person that I am racing for. After sending out an email to some work clients I discovered that one of our client's son has Leukemia. He gave me a donation of $100 and sent me a wrist band that says "All for Austin" so i now wear two one for Austin and one for team in training.

Special thanks to Cliff in KC for all the support. I hope to converse with Cliff soon over some beers and Cowboy football.

Coming down to crunch time

2009-08-25T14:44:00.000-07:00

The race is less than 3 weeks away and I am getting excited. I watched a video about the course today and it got me pumped. http://www.thenationstriathlon.com/home.html go to this link and the video is on the top right.

In other news my fundraising is coming down to the end and I have one last big event planned this Sunday at Sharon Wright's house. She has offered to host a Bunko Extravaganza where we will play the dice game Bunko and award prizes to the winner and worst player. We will also have other things that will be available to win in a Bunko Off. Items like gift certificates to Lottinvilles, Flat Tire Burgers, Golf lessons, gift baskets and more. Let me know if you can make it.

krginn@gmail.com

Breaking News!!!

2009-08-22T12:09:00.000-07:00

I am a condo owner! My new address is 5900 N Penn Ave. 212b Oklahoma City, OK 73112

Who wants to help me move?

Crunch time

2009-08-18T19:47:00.000-07:00

It's all coming down to crunch time. I raised some good money last weekend at my poker tournament. I am having a Bunko Tournament on the 30th at Sharon Wright's house at 2 pm. I hope to have some prizes and other fun stuff there.

Training is going good and I am getting a lot better in all three phases. We have an open water swim tomorrow at Lake Arcadia so that should be a good challenge for me and the rest of the team.

On a side note the waiting is finally over. After waiting for 4 years for a new album my favorite band MuteMath released a new album today it's called Armistice. You should check it out. I love it so far.

Getting better

2009-08-13T11:17:00.000-07:00

I have swam 1 mile two of the last 3 days in the pool and I must say I am really starting to enjoy it and getting a lot better. I need to work on my speed a little bit and i know if i can stay consistent and have the endurance to get through it all I will be good once race day gets here but I am glad that swimming is getting better.

I dropped off my new pedals and shoes yesterday at the bike shop to have them setup and I pick it up after work. Now i need to learn to clip in and clip out so i don't fall on my face. I will keep you posted.

Parents, kids and amazement

2009-08-10T19:09:00.000-07:00

I have a had some good practices lately and am heading down the home stretch in the training but I want to talk about something I saw yesterday. I volunteered to represent team in training at the Iron Kids triathlon at Lake Hefner yesterday. MY job was to pass out medals to every child who crossed the finish line and there were 3 things that really stood out to me. The first was that there was a large family of siblings, 7 to be exact, that all dominated the field and finished 1st in their respective categories, the girls were the first girls and the boys were the first boys sometimes being 1st and second. It was pretty cool.

Secondly was a boy with no legs who was about 7 or 8, I had no idea that he was in the race because I was only around the finish and wasn't close to the swim, bike or transition areas. All I saw was this kid come around the corner in a 3 wheeled racing wheel chair with a huge smile on his face. Everyone was cheering really loudly for him and he was so happy and excited, it looked like he had done them before and was just an inspiring thing to see and it nearly brought a tear to my eye.

Finally was a parent that needs to learn a lesson in competition and how to treat a child. Her son who was no older than 10 just completed a triathlon and when he crosses the finish line and comes to a stop I walk over to give him his medal and his mother quickly comes over and says while pointing her finger at him, "you didn't get first. Why did you let him pass you." I was shocked, mad and upset. That is not what you tell a 10 year old in any thing they do. That kid laid it all out on the line and gave it his best and that is how his mother treats him. I wanted to punch her in the stomach. Instead I walked over to him and gave him his medal and told him that he did a great job. Parents like that make me sick and need to learn a lesson in how to handle winning and losing for kids. At that age it's all about having fun and nothing else.

Work in progress

2009-08-05T20:17:00.000-07:00

So I went swimming at Lake Arcadia again tonight and learned a lot about my style. I need to slow down and swim my race in the water. I started out going really fast and and got winded and my arms got tired as did my legs. After I was about halfway done I really slowed my pace down and that helped to slow my breathing down and helped to not make my arms get so tired. I will keep working at it.

I have two fundraisers planned in the next week and a half. I am having a second poker tournament on Saturday, August 15th at my house in Edmond and the next day Sunday the 16th I am having a Bunko Tournament hosted by Sharon Wright. Both should be fun and hopefully raise a bunch of funds for me. If you know of anyone that would be interested in coming please pass it on.

Hard, Harder, Hardest

2009-08-04T17:42:00.000-07:00

Swimming is tough! I did my first open water swim and I struggled a bit. We swam at Lake Arcadia for 30 minutes and boy did it ware me out. I did some water treading and stopped once i could touch for a minute or two. After the swim we worked on transitioning into the bike and we did that for about 30 minutes then came bake and ran for 30 minutes. Afterward JoLynn (TNT leader) brought pasta and watermelon for all to enjoy as part of her fundraising. It was great and relaxingafter a tought workout.

I have a long way to go in my swimming but I know I am making progress. I plan on going out tomorrow to the lake and swimming again, this time it will be with the Tri OKC team.

Poker Tourney #2

2009-08-02T19:46:00.000-07:00

It's official I am hosting a second poker tourney at my house on Saturday August 15th. All the details are the same as the first one and hopefully one of the Ault brothers won't win it this time.

Poker Tournament Details
Saturday Aug. 15th, 2009
1701 Aurora Pl.
Edmond, OK 73013
$30 buy in, $20 goes to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, $10 goes to the winners pot.

Tomorrow is my first open water swim at lake Arcadia. I am excited about the thought but may not like the outcome, we will have to wait and see. We are also going to bike and run a little bit too. I will give you a full rundown afterward. Until then...keep on keepin' on.

Huge swimming progress

2009-07-30T14:10:00.001-07:00

Last night at the team practice they filmed me to show me my form and I learned that my form is pretty good for the most part. My worst flaw was that once my arms would hit the water I was bringing them toward the middle by my head and the s curving them through the water and once I would bring them out my hands would fly out to the side. So Coach Natalie told me to keep my arms shoulder width and everything else will fall into place, sure enough it did and by the end I didn’t really want to get out of the water because I was feeling good. Once I did all my drills and intervals I swam a total of 1900 meters which was by far the most I have ever swum. To that was nice.

My parents are officially coming to the race in DC. They booked their flight and reserved the hotel so they are locked in. I am excited that they are going to go to support me and Tina in the Nations Triathlon but I am also excited for them to see DC. I think they will both really like it and my mom will spend hours in the American Indian museum and my dad will live in the Air and Space.

Things are brewing

2009-07-27T10:01:00.001-07:00

I am planning a couple fund raising events in about 3 weeks. I have been told that I need another poker night so people who missed the last one can come play so I will be doing another one of those. I am also planning on having a bunko night at Robert's mom's house. I have some good ideas about this so stay tuned.

Lately I have been wrapping my brain around the concept of helping others and I really do believe that there is no greater feeling than doing something for someone that makes even the smallest difference in their life. I challenge everyone to figure out what they can offer and make a difference and you will get something in return that is way greater than what you offered.

Being Tired Sucks

2009-07-25T09:55:00.000-07:00

I have been very tired this week and I know that a lot of it has to do with my training and probably my lack of proper nutrition. I had a long bike ride today with my coach Steve and we discussed a lot of things from hydration to supplying enough calories for energy. It was a very helpful ride and info session as it was just us two today on our brick. After we rode about 20 miles we ran 3 and by that time it was well into the 90s so i got a good sweat going.

I have asked my momma to help with my fund raising and she has put a jar at her work and shared what I am doing with others in he beauty salon and some of them are helping to spread the word. The first day I got $62 so that is a great start. My friend Ann Marie operates a women only gym in Edmond and she has offered to help as well so I gave her documents and a jar for her to leave at the front of the gym. I am looking for more ideas for fund raising so if you have any please let me know.

It's not about me

2009-07-21T20:12:00.000-07:00

I was watching TV and the new Nike campaign for livestrong came on and it just reminded me that my efforts for this triathlon are not about me, it's about the people affected by blood cancers. I have been thinking a lot lately about helping others and the difference it can make. I am raising money for cancer but you don't have to raise money for cancer or be associated with a charity to do something for others. You never know what one kind gesture will do for someone. Figure out what you can offer and make a difference in someone's life.

50 miles in 4 hours

2009-07-19T08:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday our team practice was a bike ride in Norman for charity. The ride was called Norman Conquest, Conquer the Hills, Conquer the Heat. The best part was the fact that there wasn't any heat to deal with the bad part was that the hills were still there. If you have never been east of Norman it is extremely hilly and when you are going 46 miles on these hills it makes it even tougher.

So I met some team members in the parking lot and when it was time to head out I noticed that my front tire needed some air so I went to put air in the tire and told Stephanie and Kristy that I would catch up. When I got back to the exit of the parking lot I saw people turning left so I went left. I noticed that there wasn't anyone out in front of them but I kept going anyway since there were a few hills and thought maybe they just turned and I couldn't see them. So after I went about 2 miles and saw nobody I realized I went the wrong way and had followed the 10 mile family fun ride group. So I turned around and went back to the start. At this point I have ridden 4 miles total in the wrong direction and am probably 10 - 15 minutes behind the group.

I went back to the start and got a map and got on my way. After about 2 hours of riding alone I finally caught Stephanie and rode with her for a few miles before we hit a rest stop and that is were we found Kristy. So we all enjoyed some chatting about how badly I wanted chicken nuggets and then got on our way. At this point we were 25 miles in to the 46 mile ride, not including my 4 miles in the wrong direction. The last 20ish miles were so hard my legs were tired and just ready to not move for a while but I made it through and finished at 11:30. so I rode for 4 hours and covered 50 miles of crazy hills. I am glad I did it and can only hope that it made my legs stronger.

To put into perspective of how far 50 miles that is the same as going from 2nd Street and I-35 in Edmond to Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater.

Great Success!

2009-07-15T21:40:00.000-07:00

I made it through gauntlet #2 and I had the same outcome as I did last week. I went swim practice tonight and swam right at 1500 meters which included drills I have learned a lot of new tricks about my swim stroke in terms of efficiency and speed. I left the pool a little before 8 and went straight to northeast Edmond to dominate 2 softball games. I love to play softball but I will be ready for the season to end next week so I can focus 100% of my efforts on the triathlon. Nonetheless i have done this two weeks in a row and we have won all 4 games.

I discovered a new band today, Owl City. They remind me a lot of The Postal Service and their lead singer Ben Gibbard's voice, but the voice also sounds like the lead singer of MAE. Its good fun electronicy type of music and only $8 on iTunes, go get it now before they get one hit and the price goes up $4.

Poker Tournament & Stuff

2009-07-15T06:12:00.001-07:00

This Saturday I am hosting a poker tournament to help with my fundraising. $30 gets you a seat at a table, $20 goes to my fundraising and $10 goes to the pot for the winner(s). It should be a fun evening so if you are down to throw some cards like KGB in Rounders head on over to my house at 7pm this Saturday the 18th.

I rode the bike for 1 hour this morning going about 18 miles. I did a lot of intervals where I would go really hard then let up for a few minutes then go really hard a gain. I go honked at again by some guy in a gray Dodge Charger but this time I think he was actually letting me know he was there because he didn't lay on his horn it was just a few quick honks and it was well before he reached me. I gave him a fun thank you wave.

Eat Eat Eat.....I have been eating a lot more than I normally do because I noticed that my energy level is a lot lower when I don't because my body is using all the food I take in which is nice because I can pretty much eat whatever I want and still stay in shape. But I still try to eat fairly healthy.

Tonight is Gauntlet II. Like I said I rode the bike this morning, well tonight I have team swim practice at 6:30 and then I have 2 softball games at 8:30 and 9:30 I am gonna have to make sure I get away from the swim early enough to get something to eat as I know I will be starving by 8 tonight.

Being inspired

2009-07-12T21:05:00.000-07:00

This was a long week for me with training and dealing with passing of my uncle to cancer. I took one last hit before the weekend was over today when my mom called to let me know that her brother may have cancer. Will it ever end? My uncle Roy, who also is my godfather, is a hilarious man who always finds humor in the worst of situations and I know that he will do the same in this case if in fact he is diagnosed with cancer. When my mom had her surgery last summer to remove a cancerous tumor and her kidney he brought my mom a bag of kidney beans. When he was in the hospital a few years ago after having open heart surgery I remember asking how the hospital food was and he said, "great....if you like the taste of cardboard" and I remember laughing so hard at that.

Yesterday at our team brick we actually met with the members training for a marathon. We talked about our events and one woman shared a story of a 9 year old boy suffering from Leukemia and his battle it was very touching and we all biked/ran for him. I also met a couple John and Tracy and their cute daughter. Tracy is one of the marathon coaches and John is training for the marathon in Hawaii but you wouldn't have known it since he rode his bike. I thought he was training for the triathlon with me and when we were riding side by side he said, "no...i hate running so i am riding my bike for the cardio." He was going to do the Cap Tex Tri in May but hurt his knee so he just pushed his fund raising into the Hawaii marathon. John ended up running after we rode almost 10 miles.

I learned from John that he and his wife lost their 9 year old son to Leukemia in 2007 and ever since then the have been involved with Team in Training. John's goal is to make the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society on the same level as the Susan G. Komen events. It was inspiring to hear him talk about his son and his passion for what he is doing. It helps to keep me motivated.

The Gauntlet

2009-07-09T13:37:00.000-07:00

I decided to put myself through roughly 3 hours of athletic activity last night and am glad to say I mad it through. I had a team swim practice at OCCC at 6:30. It was a great swim and I hadn't been the last 2 times so the coaches were so excited to see my progress. We did a lot of tough drills but they were good and I got out of the pool at 7:45ish.

I then headed up I-44/I-35 to NE Edmond to play 2 softball games. I was starving and wanted to stop to get some food but couldn't. I showed up at 8:20 for our 8:30 game, just in time to write the lineup. we won the first game then won the second.

I got home at 11 and took a shower then ate a sandwich and went to sleep. I slept in today to get some extra rest and plan on running tonight. I wasn't concerned with my energy level but was just so dang hungry. I need to make sure I eat next time.

My Uncle Terry

2009-07-08T12:07:00.000-07:00

Today was the funeral for my Uncle Terry. He passed away last Thursday, July 2nd, losing his battle with cancer. It was a very nice ceremony at the church where I grew up St. John's Catholic Church in Edmond. It was a very small beautiful service that included a full mass. Father Dan who actually knew my uncle said some funny stories about him and delivered a wonderful service. I want to thank all of my friends for the support they have shown me and my family over the last 2 weeks. It really means a lot to me.

Tonight I have a team swim at 6:30 at OCCC and then am off to play 2 softball games at 8:30 & 9:30. I am predicting that I am very tired tonight at about 10:45 or 11. I have stepped up my fundraising effort and am sending out about 70 letters to friends and family, mostly people who don't use the internet, and I am hoping to get a great response from them. I have been throwing around some ideas for fund raising opportunities and will keep you posted on what I decide to do.

I have officially made the theme song to my training and commitment to Team in Training "So Alive" by Ryan Adams, yes that is Ryan not Bryan. I feel that it represents a positive message and really fits the idea of Team in Training and supporting others and helping to do what others can't do. Here is a link to the performance on The Late Show.

Singing while I swim

2009-07-06T15:03:00.000-07:00

So I got back into the swing of things this morning after taking 4 days off for the holiday weekend. I found myself in the pool by about 6:50am and noticed instantly they must have done something to the water because it was cloudy for an indoor pool. I swam half a mile and tried to take the advice that Tina gave me and tried to sing a song while swimming. I was only able to think of 2 songs while I swam this morning and both were songs about storms. "rock you like a hurricane" by The Scorpions and "riding the storm out" by REO Speedwagon. I couldn't remember the lyrics outside of the chorus so it didn't really help much. I will try again on Wednesday does anyone have a suggestion?

No honks just gray water

2009-07-01T15:19:00.000-07:00

I was able to get a great swim in this morning going 1300 meters which is only 200 short of the race distance but I didn't really have a chance to attempt the extra 200 because the water slowly started to turn gray while I was swimming and it was my time to get out after the 1300 meter mark. I guess there is some kind of senior water aerobics class at 7:50 every morning and they just look at me waiting for me to get out of their pool because the second I get out the lane ropes come down and they start to move in slow motion.....I mean do their workout.

Go around man!

2009-06-30T16:06:00.000-07:00

Today was the best weather I have had yet in terms of how nice it was and by how there really wasn't a ton of wind. I was cruising around Edmond when some jerk store honked at me when he had to pass me on Kelly just north of Danforth. If my speed is too slow for you that is fine but you don't need to honk at me when you pass me. Simply just go around me and continue smoking your Virginia Slims and drinking you mocha latte that you paid $8 for. So if any of you know a guy who drives a dark red Lexus and lives in North Edmond and in all likelihood is probably about to file for bankruptcy because he thinks he makes $100K and only really makes $42K, tell him he is a douche bag and he needs to not honk his horn at me. Next time I may just have to poke him in his retina and tell him to eat a wiener.

Cancer Sucks!

2009-06-27T10:09:00.000-07:00

My uncle, Terry Ginn, has been fighting Brain and Lung Cancer for just about 2 years now. A few months ago he ended his chemotherapy when the doctors told him it was too aggressive and there wasn't much more they could do to slow it down. Last Thursday, June 18th, we was admitted into Mercy Hospital and has been there ever since. Wednesday evening he was in a severe amount of pain and the nurses gave him pain medication to make the pain go away but it has also caused him to go into a sort of coma like state. He breathes heavily and looks like he is out of it but his brain is still working.

The nurses told the family to have everyone come up to the hospital if they wanted to see him alive. So I left work early on Thursday and went to see him and I typically don't do well with hospitals but wanted to see him one last time. I was in the room all alone and went up to him and saw him breathing heavily and his skin color was very pale. I grabbed his hand and said, "uncle Terry, this is Kenny" He squeezed my hand and started to shake his leg. I said, "It's okay to go now, I will take care of Scott (my 18 year old cousin) and everything will be ok. I love you and it's okay to go." He continued to shake his leg for a few seconds and I told him goodbye then I left the room.

As of right now he is still holding on but we think that once my brother and cousin Philip get there to see him he will let go and move on to a pain free place with the rest of our family.

My triathlon couldn't mean anymore to me than it does right now. My fundraising is for blood cancers specifically but I know that the research that is done could lead to breakthroughs for other cancers. If you have received an email from me about my fundraising please forward it on to anyone who might be able to help. I am grateful for any amount that you may be able to offer and please keep my family, especially my uncle Terry and my dad in your thoughts and prayers.

Team Brick

2009-06-27T08:01:00.001-07:00

We had a team brick training this morning at 6:30am. We started at Nichols Hills Plaza and rode around Lake Hefner with a slight detour so we ended up going 18 miles. It was a good ride that burned the Quads because we went faster and there was a strong North wind that we had to ride straight into for about 5 miles.

We finished the ride and did a 3 mile run through Nichols Hills. My legs didn't feel great but after about the halfway mark they got better and I was able to finish strong. It was a good day of training and now I plan on doing a whole lot of nothing today.

I took Friday off to rest and got a 3 mile run in on Thursday and plan on running tomorrow for a while I might even do some yoga, but we will have to wait and see about that.

½ Mile Swim!

2009-06-24T09:03:00.001-07:00

Today I was able to swim half a mile and felt good about my progress. My arms are still tired but I know that over time they will get stronger and get used to the amount of strokes I will need to do. I did my drills as well and was able to find a foam floaty thing to put between my legs to help keep my booty up and streamline my body. It took me a while because I was stopping every 4 laps to get the fog out of my crappy goggles and catch my breath. Overall I am happy with my progress in the week I have been swimming.

Yesterday I got up and rode around Edmond and was telling people to get out of my way because I was going so dang fast. Ok……maybe that wasn’t happening but I did get an 11 mile ride in and it was good. It’s cool to see how much ground you can cover in about 45 minutes of riding.

On a different note my training has taken on a different role. My uncle Terry is in the hospital suffering from Brain and Lung Cancer (he is not a smoker). I know my fundraising is for blood cancers specifically but all cancer research is a plus in my mind and who knows if a breakthrough with Leukemia will help with other forms of cancer. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

Starting to find my stroke

2009-06-22T18:58:00.001-07:00

I was too exhausted to get out of bed this morning to go swim so I postponed it til after work. I made it to the gym and got a 30 minute workout it. I was doing some of the drills that the coaches taught me last week and was able to really work on my breathing and just trying to stay consistent. I still have a lot of work to do but know that I will eventually get to where I need and want to be.

Lindsey Mason asked me to post the drills I have been doing so she could try them out so here you go.

1. after getting warmed up swim with your left arm straight out and stroke with the right one only, do one lap. Do the same thing for the left arm only.

2. lay on your back or side with your right arm straight out and left on your side, kick 10 times and rotate your body down to the right with your face going under water and emerging on the other side and switch to the left arm out and rifht arm down and kick 10 more times and switch back the other way. repeat this for one full lap.

3. I did this one with fins but if you don't have them it will still work. it is designed to help you get a feel for where your body should be positioned in the water and help you stay on top. Put your arms straight out and put your head between your arms, ears should touch biceps. Kick only and complete one full lap, while going try to play with your head position and get a feel for how you can streamline yourself moving through the water. I figured out that the further down my head went the higher my legs came up and made it easier to cut through the water.

4. If your pool has supplies look for a foam piece that looks like a figure 8 and put it between your legs right under your booty and just do laps. This will help keep your legs up and allow you to work on your breathing and stroke.

These drills are helping me a ton and I will continue to do them for a while until i get more comfortable with what I am doing. I do one drill then do a lap and then move to the next. Lindsey I hope these help. For all you other Triathletes feel free to leave comments with tips that you have done while training.

Weekend Update

2009-06-21T15:38:00.000-07:00

I took Saturday off and went to Ada, America to celebrate Ryan's 30th birthday, but got up this morning and headed back to OKC to meet the team at Lake Hefner for a ride/run. Again there were only four of us and I didn't expect that there would be more since today is Fathers Day. We decided that we were going to do 2 laps around Hefner in the 95+ degree heat with a 15ish MPH wind. It wasn't too hot because the wind was blowing and the wind didn't make it too hard to get around since Hefner is really flat. The first lap was nice and slow and the second lap I wanted to push myself so I left the group and went ahead on my own and finished the last 7-8 miles by myself and went pretty fast. I felt like a kid again, I think I still am a kid, because I was going fast and it was just fun. I finished with the wind at my back so that was a nice reward for pushing so hard while going into the wind. We skipped the run and headed to Louie's on the Lake for a beer and air conditioning. I will swim tomorrow morning and hopefully get a good nights sleep cause I really need one.

Running, Swimming and Leo

2009-06-19T07:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I woke up and did my normal 3 mile run but added a little bit of interval training too. I would speed up and slow down for a minute at a time. It was a great start to the day and always helps to keep my energy up throughout the day.

This morning I swam for about 30 minutes doing a lot of the same drills I was taught on Wednesday and it seemed to help. Today's swim was 100 times easier than Tuesdays thanks to my coaches.

I have determined who I will be racing for. My cousin Leo was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma a few years ago, after many rounds of Chemo he has been cancer free for a few years now. Go Leo! I will give more info on Leo soon.

I am looking for a song to base my training and fund raising on and am currently leaning toward the song "So Alive" by Ryan Adams. I think it is a great song and the meaning seems to fit the idea behind Team in Training. If you have any other songs that I should consider please send them my way I am open for suggestions.

I can breathe easier now

2009-06-17T21:02:00.000-07:00

Today I had my first swim practice with Team in Training and it was kind of amazing. I met my swim coach Natalie and she recruited her friend Ryan to come help out for the rest of the season. they started me out on a warm up where I struggled. Then I moved on to some drills where I would swim with one arm or kick 10 times and roll to the other side. The whole time I did this I was trying to work on my breathing and form. Needless to say I had no form and was barely breathing because the water was getting in the way of all the air, aka choking. But after a few modifications to help me recognize what good form can do and continued to do the drills I slowly got better. By the end of the evening I was no longer needing the aid of a device to keep me legs higher or fins and was actually getting in a rhythm and breathing from the left and right. I was totally impressed with the coaches ability to help me and my ability to listen and actually make some huge changes. I am still far from where I need and want to be but I will take the improvements made tonight and work from there. I rewarded my hour or so in the pool with a nice bowl of Frito chili pie. Yum!

Humbled Twice In One Day

2009-06-16T21:43:00.000-07:00

I have been some what of an athlete my entire life. I have been in some kind of team related sport since I was 5 and enjoy athletics. Most of those years have been spent doing a form of baseball or softball. When I began to run my senior year in high school I had a small learning curve but was able to pick that up pretty well and in the last 3 years have been running a lot and competing in various 5K and 10K events.

Well.....today I felt weak, non-athletic and just down right crummy for the first time since I was probably 5 years old. I swam and rode my bike and I have to say that shit ain't easy. Swimming is the toughest cardiovascular thing I have ever done and I have a new found respect for the Michael Phelps' and Darra Torres' of the world. The water just gets in the way, unlike the air in running, and causes you to work harder and I am gonna have to really work on my swimming stroke.

After work I rode my bike 12ish miles and it kicked my ass. My legs were burning and the wind made it really tough to go up a hill not to mention I was sweatin' like a clown. Again....new found respect for Lance Armstrong and Greg Lemond. I will have to really work on my cadence and just keep focused to make this work. Luckily I have just under 3 months to prepare.

Getting back to main point. I am deeply humbled. I feel like I have been fortunate in my life to have been able to easily adjust to whatever athletic activity I was doing. Today made me realize what I have in front of me and I can only hope when I get done it will have made me a better person. I admire those who have already done what I am starting and hope that it gets easier because my old body may not be able to take it for 3 months.

I need to work at swimming

2009-06-16T06:36:00.000-07:00

I got a text message from T. Fox this morning saying "are you up yet? time to swim". I was just laying there wanting to stay in bed but knew I needed to get up. After swimming this morning for the first time I confirmed what I thought to be true, I am terrible at swimming. I swam 13 laps in what I believe is a 20 meter pool, 47 laps is 1 mile, and I was swimming 2 at a time. I can't swim and breathe out to the side right now so I am sure once I figure out how to do that I will get a lot better. Until then I will struggle and keep working at it.

After my swim which included 3 other people no younger than 65 yrs old I went home and go t ready for work and then rewarded my efforts with at Jamba Juice. Tonight I will try to bike 20-30 miles.

Oh....I also go my first donation for my fund raising effort. Thanks Tina for the generous gift.

Introducing Giant! My new Bike!

2009-06-14T18:13:00.000-07:00

I bought my new bike on Friday and am looking for a good name for it. First off, is it a he or she? Secondly, the bike is a Giant Defy 3 (sounds fast huh?). I am open for suggestions. I rode it for the first time on Saturday morning and went about 15 miles and really enjoyed it. I am hoping this becomes a new source of exercise for me. I will keep the naming poll open for a while so please send me your thoughts.

First Blog Post Ever

2009-06-10T20:15:00.000-07:00

How does this thing work? Am I supposed to type something and then you are supposed to read it?