Plano,TX

Sincerely,

The other brother.

Clinton, Mississippi

Westerville, Ohio

We in Ohio are cheering you on!

"With God all things are possible."  -- motto of the State of Ohio

Preggers

Not that I would know, but this Ironman has me feeling like I am pregnant. I'll explain.

My appetite has been ever growing. I get unbelievable cravings. I've had a date circled on the calendar that I have been looking forward to for the past 9 months. And, I look forward to this date knowing that it will be one of the most painful days of my life.

Let's talk about the cravings. Usually during a long run I get a starvation for a large pepperoni pizza. After a big race the day that follows is equally full of pain and a longing for specific types of foods. Today, I destroyed some jalapeno sausage and cheese kolaches.

The drive home

Feet up, tights on. It makes the day's pain seem so worth it.

Buffalo springs was the hardest race I've done. I felt terrible right from the swim, the course was a complete challenge and the only variable in my corner was the weather. It was unbelievable. Overcast, light sprinkle on the bike and wind that helped as much as it hurt, which is all you can ask for.

I survived, which quickly became the priority once I got going on the course. I think I finished in something under 6 hours and 40 minutes.

The other thing is that in less than a month I get to go TWO rounds with a similar course.

Race day

I feel fast. Hills and wind here.

Lubbock, TX

Rock and roll

Lubbock, TX

Soapsuds

Wheel Time

The drive from Dallas to Lubbock has lots of stuff to see and do...
like drive by Abilene. Also, that's it.

Rocky Balboa

I love Rocky. Who doesn't? Rocky 4 is one of the greatest movies ever. Recently, I saw Rocky Balboa playing on TV. I have only seen it a couple times and while it is neither the best (Rocky 4) nor the worst Rocky movie (Rocky 5 you know I am talking about you) it has arguably the greatest 30 seconds of any of the Rocky movies. I hesitate to include the link because the entire movie builds up to this one moment, but it is unbelievable.

I mean this is Rocky 6, so you know this guy has been through a lot. He gets his face pounded in, once again, and gets knocked down. Cue the thoughts of never stopping, roll life's montage, fade to black... ring the bell and bring out Rocky's theme music. Here is the clip on YouTube.

"It ain't how hard you hit; it's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. How much you can take, and keep moving forward."

A lot of people ask me what I think about when racing for some many hours. If I created a pie chart of all the things I think about when I run, I would be lying if I didn't say the big piece of the pie was from Rocky movies.

(Also, if you were curious, YES. I fully intend to wrap myself up in the American flag after I cross the Ironman finish line.)

Doubting Thomas

It seems nuts, but this week I was thinking I hope I can finish this race this weekend. Two weeks ago I did the same distance. How much can change in two weeks? In a month I am going to be racing double this distance. Let the internal struggle begin - brain vs. body.

The real struggle happens July 26 when brain and body join forces to tag team my heart.

Team Samaritan's Purse

Samaritan's Purse just put a story up about 3BROS!

You can see it at samaritanspurse.org. Here is the direct link.

Buffalo Springs 70.3

This past week I have been recovering. This week I am gearing up to do it all over again. Buffalo Springs 70.3 is this weekend in Lubbock, TX. This race will be my second half ironman in two weeks. Buffalo Springs is said to be one of the toughest half ironmans they have. Here is what it says on the Ironman site:

"The Ironman 70.3 at Buffalo Springs Lake is an event known around the world for conditions that most emulate those found at the Ford Ironman World Championships. As a matter of fact, just last week the race directors had put into place a contingency plan for the swim start just in case the 100 plus degree temperatures continued."

The World Champion

I have to mention this because I can't stop thinking about it. I wrote before the race that two 2x Ironman World Champions were racing at Kansas. Well, I only saw one of them and it was about 3 hours after she finished. I met Chrissie Wellington.

We can argue longevity, but Chrissie Wellington is a triathlete fruit roll up of Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan and Muhammad Ali... just completing in the women's division. You are laughing because I mentioned all those great athletes and I am a triathlete and just got star struck. Here is her bio printed in the race program:

"Undefeated in Ironman competitions, Chrissie Wellington is one of the world's top female competitors in triathlon. An incredible feat, Chrissie has won every Ironman race she's ever entered. She is the esteemed 2007 and 2008 Ironman World Champion. Less than two months before Kona, Chrissie competed in her first ever Ironman distance triathlon, Ironman Korea. She captured the Ironman Korea title and went on to win the most prestigious Ironman title, Ironman World Championship. Since then, she has won Ironman Europe and Ironman Australia. Setting Course Records by over 10 minutes at both Ironman Australia and Timberman 70.3, Chrissie races with a determined and vivacious spirit. She brings true talent and amazing character to the sport of triathlon."

Career Achievements:

2009 Ironman Australia Champion

2009 Ironman Australia - Course Record Holder

2008 Ironman World Championship Champion

2008 ITU Long Distance World Champion

2008 European IM Champion

2008 Ironman Australia Champion

2008 Timberman 70.3 Champion

2008 Timberman 70.3 Champion - Course Record Holder

2008 Triathlon de l'Aple d'Huez Champion

2008 Triathlete Magazine Overall Female Triathlete of the Year

2007 Ironman Korea Champion

2007 Ironman World Championship Champion

Needless to say, she won Ironman Kansas 70.3. She was second out of the water, got a flat tire on the bike and still dominated, and then destroyed the run to win by almost 5 minutes.

I wish I had of said something cooler or more intelligent to her. I was like, "Wow, you are really fast."

Kansas 70.3 Results

Ironman Kansas 70.3 was awesome. It gave me a chance to actually get some race time in and test myself on some different terrain. I am really happy with my results, though I would have liked to have my bike time under 3 hours and the run under 2... I'll get another shot next weekend. But surviving races of this distance is the key, and I did that.

One of the best parts about racing in endurance events is seeing the other participants. There are moments that you feel less than optimal and when you see people next to you, even though you have all felt better, it gives you motivation. You also never know who you are going to share the day's experience with.

A little while into the run, I started talking with an athlete who said he had flown in from Boston that morning! (Though, I think I still trumped him by driving back to Houston after the race.) He was a former pro (though suffering from jetlag) and we talked about Ironmans, he has done 19. Obviously, he had my attention after that statement. I told him I was doing Ironman Lake Placid in July and he confessed that it is a tough course. He went on to say something that I wouldn't think a former pro would admit and something that I had heard before but because of the timing put a lot more stock in, he said Ironmans are 90% mental.  

Brain - This July, it is you vs. me.

(The clock in the photo reads 6:29:10, but my time was actually 5:57:09. This happens as a result of wave starts. Most races do wave starts to avoid 1,500 athletes killing each other all at once. I went off at 7:02 a.m. instead of 6:30 a.m. with the pros. Full Ironmans are notorious for having a MASS START. Remember Mortal Kombat?)

Houston

Yes We Can

Yes We Can

Needless to say, 3BROS are taking America by storm. You too can get in on the action, by getting your limited 3BROS "Yes We Can" shirt. Shirts are $20 and will benefit our Samaritan's Purse donation efforts.

Email me to get yours TODAY! - prestonfiles@gmail.com

Men in Tights

If what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger, and I still have a pulse, things are looking good.

Ironman Kansas 70.3 was great, Bear and I both completed the race and I beat my previous best by about a minute. I didn't make the podium, but did finish under 6 hours, around 5:57.

After the race we showered at the race site, and got into arguable the only thing you need to survive a 13 hour drive home, Zoot CompressionRX tights.

We left Lawrence, KS about 4:30 p.m., arrived in Dallas at midnight, and somehow I stayed awake just long enough to get to Houston around 4:30 a.m. Now just for the record, that is crazy. Even by my standards that is crazy, and I have a skewed scale of crazy.

It is difficult to reason with a crazy person. Buffalo Springs 70.3 in Lubbock, TX is two weeks away. I think registration is still open. Lubbock is about a 10 hour drive from Houston.

This sounds a little too easy...

race day

my race number is 1296, bear is 1297. What are the odds?

I can't wait to get into transition first and ransack his set up.

Quote

I saw this quote today and it might be my complete foundation of
training and racing.

"If you think you can, or think you can't - you are probably right."

Henry Ford said that, not to me, but somebody heard him.

11th Hour

Hour 11 into a 13 hour road trip. Left Dallas at 5 am this morning. I woke up at 2:30 am and was wide awake, couldn't go back to sleep. Luckily, JBEAR's at the wheel. I'm excited, let's just get to the racing.

My 15 Minutes Starts Now

Ironman.com has the story - Janus Charity Challenge Athletes Compete As Families.

I guess Hijabe is a small town in Africa, probably really close to where Alan actually is, in Kijabe. The key of J separates the two villages.

Times Tables

If I am being honest, I am a bit afraid of not performing any better than my last half-ironman. I think it was one of the best races I've run, especially in the finish. I should be in better shape, but I have certainly not worked on speed, just hopefully, endurance. We will see. Here are my goals:

Swim (1.2 miles) - 29 min. (Austin 70.3 - 29 min.)

Bike (56 miles) - 2:55 (Austin 70.3 - 3:06)

Run (13.1 miles) - 1:55 (Austin 70.3 - 2:14)

If I break 5:30 I would consider that a podium finish.

Weather.com

Should I pack a poncho?

My Mama Says...

My Mom recently said to me that of all the people she knows, if ANYONE can do an Ironman, it is me.

Mothers can be very comforting.

What is not comforting about my Mother, I know how many triathletes she knows.

Sweatin To The Oldies

On a run, if I think of sweat as a weakness, a virus, leaving my body, I find that I will feel more tough than tired.

Pros vs. Joes

One of the biggest differences between traditional sports and triathlon is that on game day you actually compete with the pros - Preston vs. Multiple Ironman World Champions. I actually have a chance to win the race on Saturday, which is probably remarkably better odds than me winning the Super Bowl. Though, both of those odds would involve about as many digits as the number pi. 

While I am not anymore star struck than the average person would be when I mention the name Tim DeBoom, this weekend I will be racing against a 2x Ironman World Champion. Also, the women's side has 2x Ironman World Champion Chrissie Wellington. She is like the female Usain Bolt.

Cool Bands Not on Guitar Hero, My Iliotibial

I was given this crazy system of tubing and portable cooler that pumps cool water to a pack after I had knee surgery a while back. I brought it out of the closet and put it to work on the IT band. Not sure if it works or not, but it does makes me look like half man-half machine, and I like that.

Kansas 70.3

Next weekend, I am driving to Kansas to do the Ironman 70.3. I have done this distance only one other time, last October. I remember being nervous about the distance. While I wouldn't call it a warm up, let's just say I am excited. I haven't done a race since February. I can't wait.

A Side Note: The YouTube video 3 brothers has over 300 views. Just to clarify, that is about 292 more than I thought it would have.

***HIDDEN*** The Leg!!! 4-11-10