Another Racer in Our Family

Getting his race number

Showing off his medal!

Nervously running with Daddy!

Ready to race!

Walking with Aunt Leslie

James is not the only racer in our family. Aaron has also participated in some races. He is not a strong swimmer, so he has not done a triathlon yet. He has ran in several races, though. His very first one was in Galveston, TX in April of 2010. He ran in the "Little Lone Star" race. He was a bit nervous, so his daddy ran with him. We were very proud of him. We were especially proud that he ran, even after falling earlier in the day and scraping up his leg!

Ironman 70.3 Buffalo Springs Lake

When you win a lottery slot to Ironman Hawaii, you must prove yourself in order to keep your slot. You do so by completing a 1/2 or a full Ironman race prior to arriving in Hawaii. James had already planned to race the Ironman 70.3 Buffalo Springs Lake race in June, so completing it will hold his slot for Kona.

On June, 26, James's race day will begin at 6:30 am with a 1.2 mile swim around Buffalo Springs Lake. After he exits the water, he will get on his bike for a 56 mile ride through the Texas countryside. There are 8 challenging hills on this "out of town, farm to market" road course. After his bike ride, he will then run a 1/2 marathon (13.1 miles) along a "partially shaded, tough, scenic course". There are three different challenging hills on this run. When he finishes in less than 8 hours, he will receive a medal and the satisfaction of knowing he is set to compete in Hawaii!

BSL is a great place to practice for Hawaii. The average race temperature is around 90 degrees F, but back in 1994 they had record breaking temperatures of 113 degrees F! Should that be the case, the boys and I will be cheering for him from our air conditioned hotel room!

Workouts

James's grandmother is very sick. He went to visit her this weekend, and took a break from training. But, it was training as usual yesterday. He rode his bike for 3 hours and then ran for 20 minutes. Today, he got up at 4:00 am and went to the gym. He swam 2000 meters and ran for 30 minutes.

Fans Around the World

We are very excited that we now have visitors to our blog from 8 countries and 4 different continents! Thanks to everyone who enjoys our blog!

Taking a Break!

"Fuzzy Wuzzy" is the kindergarten bear. The kids take turns bringing him home and then they write about their adventures with him.

Rylan and his "teachers". He even got a certificate. It says "This certificate is awarded to Rylan Garris for being cute and making our Wednesday nights so much fun!!!"

Daddy and "Fuzzy Wuzzy" eating a hot dog!

Sometimes you just have to take a break from all the training. Last night, we had the end of the year celebration at our church. We ate hot dogs (junk food!) and just had a good time as a family!

Ironman shopping

Rylan and Daddy dreaming about a new bike! (Anyone want to donate one?)

Rylan trying on a race belt.

For long distance runs, many runners like to have a "race belt". This allows them to refuel with the calories and electrolytes that their bodies need to allow them to run longer.

Rylan was a big help in picking out a race belt!

Finish Line at New Bern

Feeling good after the race!

Finishing strong!

New Bern Triathlon

Aaron and Daddy going to get the race packet.

James on the bike.

Transitioning from the swim to the bike.

Swimming

In June of 2009, James tried a new triathlon. This one was in New Bern. It was a pool swim with an extremely flat bike/run course. Aaron liked it because we got to stay in a "green hotel". (The hotel sign and the building next to it were both green).

Monica's 2nd Favorite Ironman

Like Aaron, James is my favorite Ironman triathlete. But, when it comes to watching the professionals compete, all my attention goes to Chris McCormack! "Macca" is an Australian racer who has twice won the Ironman World Championship. Once in 2007, and then again in 2010. Maybe it's the accent, or maybe it's his self confidence...I don't know why he's my favorite pro, but he is!

To remember his mother, who passed away from breast cancer in 1999, he set up the "MaccaNow Foundation". The foundation's website states "Our initial intention is to raise $2,735,373 to provide assistance to families who are in active treatment for breast cancer in order to lessen the financial burdens and improve their quality of life." Why $2,735,373 though? Because he took the number of days that his mother was alive (19,455) and multiplied it by the number of miles in an Ironman (140.6) and that equals 2,735,373.

Now, who would not like a guy who lhonors the memory of his mom in such a way?

Favorite Ironman

Aaron and I were talking about Ironman triathletes today. He said he likes "Craig Alexander" because they share part of their name. (His middle name is Alexander). I asked "Well, is he your favorite Ironman?". He replied, "No! Daddy is!"

Fun Hawaiian Fact

Did you know that mosquitoes are not native to Hawaii? It really was paradise until they arrived a ship called the "Wellington" in 1826! Mosquito larvae was in the ships water barrels!

Training

Rylan loves riding in the stroller while Daddy runs!

Stretching is an important part of any workout.

The training continues for the Ironman race. Wednesday's workout was an hour and a half swim. Yesterday's workout was a 2 hour run with Rylan in the running stroller. Today's workout is to run for 30 minutes, then bike for an hour, then run for 30 more minutes.

Today's Training

Running hard!

Coach Rylan is ready to roll!

Stretching is an important part of training!


The training for the Ironman continues. Yesterday's workout was a long swim in a very cold pool! Today's workout is an hour and a half run followed by a 30 minute bike. Rylan is happy to help cheer his daddy on!

Funny Ironman Fact

At the original Ironman race, the athletes provided their own support crews. The second place finisher was a Navy Seal named John Dunbar. When Dunbar's support crew ran out of water for him during the marathon, they started giving him beer instead! I could be wrong, but I think this may be the reason he did not win!

History of the Ironman

Ironman as we know it today was conceived in 1977. A US Navy Commander named John Collins made a suggestion that a long distance race be run to settle a debate over who is the most fit. Is it swimmers? cyclists? or runners?

The first race was in Waikiki, not Kona as it is today (It was moved to the lava fields of Kona in 1981). It was held on February 18, 1978. (James was 3 1/2 years old!) The 15 athletes were each given a 3 page list of rules and course description. At the bottom of the last page was written "Swim 2.4 miles! Bike 112 miles! Run 26.2 miles! Brag for the rest of your life!" This is now a registered trademark of the Ironman.

The Ironman name comes from a quote made by Collins. He stated "Whoever finishes first, we'll call him the Iron Man!"

The first winner of the Ironman, Gordon Haller, finished the course in 11 hours, 46 minutes and 58 seconds. The 2010 male winner finished in 8 hours, 10 minutes and 37 seconds. The female winner finished in 8 hours 58 minutes and 38 seconds!

To see how much the Ironman has advanced in over 30 years, in 2010, the fastest male in the 65-69 age group beat the original Ironman's time by almost 10 minutes!

Lance Armstrong

Will Lance Armstrong be at the Ironman in Hawaii in October? Rumors circulating around the triathlete community say that he will. I did not realize until today that he was a triathlete before he decided to focus on cycling. He participated in Ironman Hawaii in 1991. I know I will be looking for him!

Nelson Bay

James and Josh after the race
Aaron and Daddy after the race

James on the bike

Aaron and "Mr. Chicken"

Nelson Bay was a fun race for all of us! There was a clam bake after the race. We were just sitting there, hanging out, when we heard James's name called. He had placed 3rd in his age division! Our friend, Josh, had placed 2nd! After the race, we went up the coast and spent a week at the Outer Banks.

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1st Open Water Swim

On May 17, 2008, James raced his 2nd triathlon. This was his 1st open water swim. It was in Nelson Bay.

The open water swim was a new experience for James. He learned to never wear pool goggles for an open water swim! He had to follow the splashes of other swimmers, because he could not see the buoy markers!

Training

Training for an Ironman is like having another job. It takes hours of committment. James tries hard not to allow his training to take time away from the boys. On days that he has to work, he usually gets up at 4:00 am to head to the gym and train. When he is off, he tries to run and ride outside. If it is raining, we have a treadmill for running and a "trainer" for his bike. The trainer allows him to still ride on his race bike, but turns it into a stationary bike for inside the house.

Here is the training schedule from last week. This is a fairly typical workout for the beginning stages of training for Kona.
Sunday-3 hour bike ride
Monday-1 mile swim
Tuesday-45 minute bike/30 minute run
Wednesday-1.2 mile swim/45 minute run
Thursday-1 hour bike
Friday-1000 meter swim/1 hour bike
Saturday-Rest Day!

The Littlest Ironman

The littlest member of the Garris Ironman team has a very big job. Whenever he can, he rides in the running stroller and encourages his Daddy! He is also in charge of "yelling" at any dogs that they pass on the road. It is a tough job, but someone has to do it!

April 15, 2011-Rylan's View

I went on a field trip with my big brother (because he is so cool!) After the field trip, Mommy was talking to Daddy on the phone and she started screaming. She scared me and I started crying. After we picked up brother from school, we went for ice cream. They would not let me have any, but Mommy, Daddy and Aaron all seemed really excited about something. So, I was happy, too!!

April 15, 2011-Aaron's View

James and Aaron celebrating the lottery slot that Daddy won!


On April 15, I had a field trip to Noah's Landing. There was a fat piggy and it was walking around during lunch time. I was sitting with Alex and Zach, and Zach almost rode on the fat piggy, because it almost carried him off.


I rode the bus back to school, because I like to ride the bus. Mommy, Daddy and Rylan picked me up from school. School was fun. In the car, I asked for a snack, and they said they had a surprise for me. We were going to get ice cream! Daddy handed me a DVD of an Ironman race in Hawaii, because he won a slot for Kona! I was excited!

April 15, 2011-James's View

April 15 started out like any other day. I taught a class and then went to a doctor's appointment. I had met Monica briefly in the parking lot. After telling her that I did not get a slot, she joked "My life sucks!" and drove away. I went inside to wait for my appointment.

Just out of curiosity, I was scrolling through the list of lottery winners. I was seeing if there was anyone from our area that would be going. I saw the name of our town and thought "who else does the Ironman there?" Then I saw my name! I dropped my phone and started shaking. I got up and walked outside. Soon, two nurses came rushing out to see if I was alright. I shakily said "I got a slot!" And one said, "yes, your appointment is at 2:15". "No," I said, "I got an Ironman slot!" They just looked at me like I was crazy and went back inside.

I then excitedly called Monica and when she did not answer, I left a voicemail for her to call me. After that, I called my buddy, Brad, and left another voicemail. I went back inside for my appointment. Monica called back when I was in with the doctor. The doc thought her screaming through the phone was quite amusing!

We came home, looked at the email some more and proceeded to call our friends and family to tell them our exciting news.

We picked Aaron up from school and took him out for ice cream to celebrate. When we told him, he just looked kind of stunned for a few minutes, but the excitement soon set in. A few weeks before, he had made a sign that said "We need to go to Hawaii!" Now, we were going to go!

Words cannot fully describe the shock of getting a lottery shot. This was a shot I never thought I would get!

April 15, 2011-Monica's View

Participating in the Ironman World Championship is a HUGE dream come true for James. Many nights we have spent watching past Ironman races on tv. On December 27, 2010, he entered the lottery for the 2011 race in Kona. He kept saying that he would never get a slot. "Things like that don't happen to guys like me!" I had a feeling he would get a slot, and the feeling grew stronger the closer we got to April 15, the day they announced the lottery results. I mentioned the feeling a few times, but James kept telling me I was crazy.

April 15 arrived as a sunny day with a field trip scheduled for Aaron. So, off he and I went to a local "zoo". Aaron rode the bus back to the school, and I briefly met up with James in the parking lot of the doctor's office. He had a follow-up doctor's appointment for a very nasty sinus infection that he had been suffering from. The lottery winners were to be notified by email after 12:00 noon. At 11:59, James checked his email and found no notification. He was disappointed and I was HUGELY disappointed, because I just KNEW he had gotten a slot. I jokingly said "My life sucks!" and drove away to my friend's house.

A little while later, I left my friend's house to discover a very panicked sounding voicemail on my phone. It said "Baby! Call me! Call me now! Just call me!" Well, I started to panic because I could not imagine what had gone wrong at the doctor's office. So, I called him back and he said "Your life does not suck after all! I got a slot!". I let out a scream so loud that it scared the baby in the back seat and he started crying. I told James "If this is a joke you are pulling, I am divorcing you! Now, keeping in mind that our marriage is riding on this, are you kidding me?" He said "No, Baby! I got a slot! We are going to Hawaii!" I screamed again and the baby screamed and cried some more. This went on for a little while longer as I raced home to see the results for myself on the Ironman website. When I found his name, I just stared and stared at the screen.

I KNEW he was going to get a slot!

Playing the Lottery!

At each Ironman race around the world, there are a certain amount of slots alloted for the top finishers in their age group, to have a spot at the World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, in October. There are usually 1,400 of these slots. In addition, there are 200 "professional slots" for the pro triathletes. 100 for the males and 100 for the females.

Then, there are the lottery slots... This year, around 28,000 people worldwide put in for the 200 lottery slots that are given to the "average joes" of the sport. These are the people, like James, who do triathlons simply for the love of the sport. On April 15, the winners of the lottery were announced! James had won a slot!