IRONROB

He did it!

70.3 miles using only his own power for six and half hours....

Rob completed the half IRONMAN last Sunday and I could not be more proud of him! He worked so hard for to reach this goal for himself. Througout his 15 weeks of training, he logged 180 miles running, 560 miles biking and 26 miles of swimming, as well as hitting the gym once a week to lift! He also cut out the heavy drinking and watched what he ate.

This was an amazing goal for him to reach, he set it for himself, worked hard and acheived it. He has come a really long way!


Let me talk a minute about Rob's weight loss; alot of people think it started just before he moved to Singapore. He actually started losing weight WAY back in 2003 after his first MS150. A short while later, he decided to cut out fast food and alcohol for 6 weeks. At that time, both made up a huge part of Rob's diet, so replacing that with water & home-cooked food...and eating throughout the day...helped shed pounds alone. This encouraged him to keep going.

He also got the exercise bug...more MS150's, marathons, biathlons, triathlons and ultimately the half Ironman. This has been a process that has taken about 3.5 to 4 years. He has worked hard and had to have will power...of course it can't be all work and no play! Its all about balancing everything in order to stick to it and make it a lifestyle...afterall, life would be a little less fun without Mexican food, ice cream and the occassional night out until 5am!

Below are some pics of the event...I made signs and cheered him along the entire time! From the 7:25am swim start at the beach, to the finish right in the center of the city. The finish line was a happening atmosphere, it took place on the "Floating Platform" with a great view of the city, lots of people, music and booths. As far as watching, I wasn't bored at all...this stuff goes hand in hand with my college education and new career path....so it was really fun for me to watch. I honestly thought I would get bored after 4 hours, but it was fun being a spectator too...I love this stuff anyway!

Now I have been right next to Rob when he has "hit his wall" during competition. He becomes very stubborn, grumpy, wants to sit down and never move again! (Sydney Marathon last year!). When he does get back up, he hates every minute of it until he finishes! This competition was totally different. The entire time, he looked really good, dare I say, Happy! I never saw him looking like he was hurting or hating it. He seemed to soak up every second of it and looked good throughout the entire event.

Rob wouldn't be Rob without a bit of friendly competition and trash-talkin'. Mikael, from the office, also did the event. They have done tri's and biathlons together in the past, always with some bet or wager on the line. however, this event is so big that neither one of them could really talk trash after finishing it.

As far as recovery, he's has also done well - still getting around just fine but a little sore.

So...any other psycho crazy long events in the near future???? I think he is done for a while. Maybe stick to 2 hour competitions like half marathons and olympic distance tri's.

This event was a qualifying event that included elite athletes from 48 countries. The top guy finished at 3:49:59 and the top female at 4:11:23. Rob finished with a respectable 6:22:40; in his age group, he was 61 out of 126.