Bummer or Not?

So kinda bummed about missing my bike ride this morning. Just got my new 2011 Felt B16 (see pic) and have only gotten in one long ride on Sunday, but it was 17+ mph Kona-like winds and kinda hard to hang onto, so I was looking forward to a good "normal" ride this morning. Well that didn't happen; the two factors that contributed to my not being able to ride were:

1. it's coming a frickin monsoon here right now


2. already had my life insurance physical scheduled for this morning (wouldn't allow me to workout due to skewing the bloodwork and I needed to be fasted).

So I almost canceled the physical and put the bike in the trainer, but I didn't ride at all this morning and opted to go through with the physical and get it over with.

After the physical, I'm now embracing the fact that over the last 19 months:

1. I've totally changed my outlook on life
2. I've lost a total of about 40 pounds (and still probably have another 10 or 12 to go)
3. am in the best shape of my life
4. can see that I may, in fact, actually have abdominal muscles
5. quit using smokeless tobacco (copenhagen - 20 yr addiction)
6. I no longer have to take medication for high blood pressure
7. have now put myself into a preferred insured category for my life insurance
8. have created a monster that now feels like a total slacker for missing one workout
9. have probably ensured that I will actually be around to see my grandchildren
10. I have gone from an XL shirt to a Medium
11. have accumulated a crapload of clothes that don't fit and need to go to the thrift store
12. have gone from thinking an Ironman triathlon is awesome but I could never do one, to actually signing up for a half-ironman (Ironman Augusta 70.3)

I know I'm not the only one that can tell that story; many triathletes, if not most, have similar stories to tell. I even heard 4-time Ironman World Champion, Craig Alexander say that until he was an adult, he was a fat kid; triathlon has changed countless lives. I guess I'm just looking for reasons to still be pumped about today...So those aren't the only reasons but at least that's my top 12 reasons why I should still be pretty happy today, right???

What's This About?

What is Tri-ing To Find A Cure?

I'm swimming, biking, and running to raise awareness for prostate cancer. I have been training for triathlons since last summer and have been diligently training toward my goal of completing a half-ironman triathlon. I am registered for the Ironman 70.3 Triathlon in Augusta, Georgia on September 30th and hope to fulfill that goal there.

But that's not the only thing this is about. My father was diagnosed with prostate cancer and has fought it extremely hard for the last 5 years. His battle is nearing an end but it's never too late to help those battling cancer. So, in addition to my training and triathlon goals, I am also committed to supporting Athletes for a Cure and the Prostate Cancer Foundation by raising funds for prostate cancer research. Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer in America, affecting one in six men. Men are 35% more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer than women are to be diagnosed with breast cancer.

Athletes for a Cure is a non-profit program that uses our love of athletics to save lives through research that will lead to a cure. AFAC raises awareness about the 2 million American men living with prostate cancer and the 30,000 who will die each year. The goal is to be a force of hope and to recruit others to join our cause. Then, the funds raised by Athletes for a Cure go to the Prostate Cancer Foundation to accelerate the most promising prostate cancer research.

Competing in an Ironman triathlon represents to me the strong will of a human being and the strength to perservere through much pain, anguish, and exhaustion; much like battling cancer. At Ironman 70.3 Augusta, I will be swimming 1.2 miles, biking 56 miles, and running 13.1 miles, all in honor of my father, my wife (who has also battled cancer) and family, as well as the millions of other people whose lives have been affected by cancer. My hope is that I can raise awareness about prostate cancer through triathlon. I am dedicated to this event and hope that you will support me in reaching my fundraising goal.

You can help by clicking here and sending a donation to the Prostate Cancer Foundation, by Liking us on Facebook, and tweeting about us.

Are you a triathlete planning to compete in Ironman Augusta and wanna join our team? Click here and signup with AFAC and Team Tri-ing To Find A Cure.

Thank you for supporting the Prostate Cancer Foundation and cancer research.

David Watson

Why Am I Doing This?

I get asked often: "why are you doing triathlons?" ...or "that's crazy man; a half-Ironman, really!" Well, here's how I got here. I basically had a moment in my life where things had become real; we'll get to that more in a moment, but here's the back story...I had a father (see pic) who had been diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer, a wife who had been diagnosed with breast cancer (non malignant but invasive), and meanwhile I had gained some significant weight while starting my own small animal veterinary clinic; all of this taking place in a matter of months. The stresses of life and the life-altering dianoses of people that I dearly loved had begun to make a significant impact on me.

Before (see pic), I was eating a high fat diet, drinking tons of sodas, using smokeless tobacco (Copenhagen snuff) not exercising much at all. I had already been diagnosed with high blood pressure and was taking medication for that. I needed a significant life insurance policy to cover my business liabilities and the agent that wrote my policy said to me, "that snuff's costing you a good bit extra on your insurance; you should quit and save that money; besides it's bad for you. What? .....I'm a doctor (veterinarian), and this guy is having to tell me about my unhealthy habits? Something's wrong here. I go in the room with my clients and lecture them about their obese pets and I'm overweight myself....what a hippocrit I've become!!! Well that was it, I decided that guy's right, I need to quit dipping! So I did; not cold-turkey mind you, but I weaned myself off of it and in a couple months I was tobacco-free and have been for over a year and a half now!

I then decided to take a good, hard look at the man in the mirror...wow! I've got to do something about myself, I said. I'm a hair under 6' tall and at that time I weighed 225 lbs. I've never allowed myself to be obese but I was very unhappy with myself for being so unhealthy. So, I had heard of this workout and I ordered P90X, the famous workout DVD's that claim to change people's lives. It came in the mail and I looked it over and frankly was a little intimidated by it and the program was a bit confusing to me at first, so it sat there in the box for several months. I began to run a little in the meantime while I wrapped my head around this workout program. Well, I got it figured out and got the gumption to start it and it was great. I learned alot about my body and the workouts were working, and I was enjoying it. I also learned alot about nutrition and how to eat a healthier diet. The P90X program is a good complete program with very good support with online forums and coaches, etc. I completed the 90 day program, well almost. I was 5 days shy of 90 days and hurt my back pretty bad. Had to take several months off of working out to allow it to heal. It was a stupid move on my part; improper lifting technique with too heavy of weight.

My back finally healed enough that I felt comfortable (okay, I was a little nervous about it) working out again. So here we go P90X for the second go-round; determined to complete it fully this time and be even stronger and healthier. Did that; so 2 rounds of P90X. Then there was another program by the same company, called Insanity; did that one too. They all helped but I still wasn't as healthy as I needed to be. I thought, there's got to be something more, some way to lose more of this weight. I had gained some muscle but hadn't removed much of the fat. Then, I asked myself, who are some of the fittest and healthiest people in the world?

Ironman triathletes!!!! That's it...I remembered when Jami and I had gone to Hawaii and saw the signs of the Ironman World Championships. I saw the Ironman tv special of it and how fit those people were and how incredible that event was. I then remembered that a friend of mine was a triathlete. He was doing Ironman and half-Ironman triathlons and he was in excellent shape. I messaged him and asked a few questions. I started looking at what it would take to do triathlons and what kind of training and so forth. It was a whole new world of fitness and training. I had never been a competitive swimmer; I had never been a competitive runner; I had never been a competitive cyclist. Is it even possible that I can do this??? Well, I had swam before but only far enought to climb back aboard the boat; I had ridden a bike when i was a kid and loved it; I had run while playing baseball and football. Okay, not very promising but yep, I'm motivated and I can do this!

(Keep scrolling down, there's more.......--->)


I Started emersing myself into the world of triathlon; again watching the tv special on the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. (click that link and you can see the full NBC special program) If that video doesn't inspire you, ...well, it inspires the heck outta me; makes me wanna be a better person. Some of the competitors at Kona are elite professionals and some are just regular people; man that is really cool, isn't it?! Where else do you see pros and regular guys competing against each other at the same time at the same venue. And to see what some of these people go through just to make it there, and the incredible day they have participating in an Ironman triathlon, and the elation and emotion they go through upon completing it...is just utterly amazing to me. To me triathlon, especially Ironman triathlon represents the strong will of a human being and the strength to perservere through so much pain, anguish, and exhaustion; much like battling cancer. So it is so much more than an intriguing fitness goal, so much more than just the pinnacle of endurance sport. It has a greater meaning to me. I do it for the struggle, the goal, the competition, the fitness, but mostly to honor those that I love that have struggled with cancer.

So last summer I bought a tri-bike and some gear, started swimming with a Master's swim team at the gym, and running; all part of a plan from a book my friend recommended, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Triathlon Training. Training went pretty well and after 3 months of training, in September I completed my first triathlon. But wait, I've only done one triathlon, a sprint (600 meter swim, 14 mile bike, 3.2 mile run). Now we're talking about a half-ironman. I have another sprint coming up soon, a half marathon, and this summer a couple of Olympic distance triathlons (1500m swim, 25 mile bike, 6.2 mile run), then my big race, Ironman Augusta 70.3 in September of this year. I've been training hard to reach my goal of a half-ironman race this year and I'm confident that I'll be ready for Ironman Augusta. My ultimate goal is to complete a full Ironman 140.6 mile race. Ironman Florida next year, perhaps?

Training for any half iron or iron-distance race takes discipline, dedication, hard work, and it takes time. Swimming 3+ hours a week, biking 3-5 hours a week, running 3-5 hours a week is typical for an age-grouper (non pro), like me. While I acknowledge the fact that this amount of training can be self-serving, it has become a very important part of my life. So in an effort to do more than just train for and participate in what will be one of the most epic events of my life, I would like to dedicate my training and my half-Ironman race to my father, who still struggles for his life with his cancer, and to my wife, who fought and won her battle with cancer, and also my children, whom I live for and strive to be a role model in their lives.

This blog will document my journey to Ironman Augusta 70.3 and help raise awareness about prostate cancer.