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The swim was not as expected… It was nuts.. The day before it was absolutely perfect, calm, and ideal. (pictured below)
Day Before The Race
But then the conditions changed to this…
Umm.. Yeah.. Slight Change from the day before LOL!!
The swim was pretty crazy… I never got “used” to any part of it, never got into a routine, and it was just pretty much stay alive.. LOL… It’s pretty bad when the sheriffs boat would magically appear and then disappear before my very eyes behind the rollers… Now you see it, and now you don’t… Got punched in the face about ten times, got kicked in the face a few times, swallowed salt water, got my goggles kicked off one eye, and ate some funky seaweed stuff.. The current was pretty strong and the waves were coming in at an angle so it seemed like everyone was zigzagging the whole swim just trying to get it done. I saw a few people quit and get pulled out on boats and kayaks with a DNF. The swim can be competitive and yes, people get punched and kicked…
Swim = Fight Club...
The bike was perfect and I moved pretty fast for 52 miles, and then we made a left turn and hit the beach where the wind was strong enough to blow a few people off of their bikes… I don’t know how slow I was going in the last 4 miles but I felt like I was standing still… LOL…
100 Feet from the bike being over...
I got off the bike pretty tired… That last 4 miles sucked the wind out of my sails and sort of bummed me out… I knew I was averaging about 20 MPH from my bike computer but then that damn wind beat my average down to 18.1 (which still beats my Ironman New Orleans time so it’s not so bad). I should have removed my bike computer and just had fun and not worried about speed or average speed… Watching stats can be fun but in this case I think it bummed me out right before the run.
I racked my bike, changed my socks, used the bathroom, and then got to running… This is about where I realized how much energy the swim actually took out of me. My legs were pretty heavy but I just grabbed a slow pace and stuck to it. I walked through some of the water stations but stuck to my pace through the whole 13.1.
The finish was fun, packed with people, and I really felt good when I crossed that line. I wanted this at Ironman New Orleans 70.3 but since the swim was cancelled I had to wait 2 weeks and do it all over again. It was worth the wait. This trip to Panama City Beach was unexpected but life changing… I met some great people, stepped up to the line in front of an angry ocean swim, and charged full ahead for 6 hours 42 mins of suffering… And I loved every second… Most of all, I learned so much in my first triathlon… Ironman Louisville 140.6, here I come…
UPDATED***
Course Report
Swim:
Ocean swim, 1.2 miles, 3-5 swells, Beach start, Rectangle course (beach, 5th buoy turn left, 1st buoy turn left, take it all the way to the beach) Cloudy
Bike:
56 mile Out and back course, bike out directly north, on the way back a couple right turns to get the mileage in, flat course with only one short climb each way, last 4-5 miles was insane wind from the beach.. 30-35 mph gusts.. Some Rain as well..
Training has been moving right along… Last weekend was a heavy biking weekend but I had a 5k run race and some swims as well. I put out 100.2 miles total in two days and still felt fresh. I focused on the run this week with about 25 miles of run and a few swims. I’m going to swim a lot over this next week to prepare for the ocean swim and have a few light spins and a few low mileage runs to keep the legs fresh.
Today I wrapped up a busy weekend of training with a hard 62 miles out in the rolling hills… I rode with a new group this time and they are known for being fast, really fast. They didn’t warm up much, HAHA, right out of the gates we started moving and grooving so I knew this was going to be a challenge. I stayed right with them up until 26 miles, then got dropped, then did some hard work to catch back up… I frantically fought to stay in the pack but made a gear mistake on a hill at mile 46 and I never saw them again HAHAA, except I did catch one guy around mile 50 and we rode in together.. It was a hard lesson… I finished with the pack I rode with last time and that always feels good but this time I was rewarded with being pushed out of my comfort zone, I got a PR for longest sustained average pace (20.34 MPH for 62 miles), and I learned some lessons about gearing and staying in the pack. It was a great weekend.. I logged 92 miles in two days on the bike and a 5k road race with a new PR. I feel myself getting stronger, more knowledgeable, and slowly I’m building up that experience that is oh so important in this world of triathlon. Cheers and thanks for the support.. and GO STEVE-O!!!!!
Over the past year I’ve done a lot of things… But the biggest thing I have accomplished is training with my son a lot. If you train with your kids or in front of them they won’t need verbal lessons… I know I am imprinting these things onto his brain. When we shop for groceries he sees what I put into the cart, we play the “is this good or bad game”, When I train I play the “tell daddy to run faster game” and he loves it, and sometimes I hurt and feel pain when I’m pushing hard and he looks up at me and says, “You are ironman daddy”… I know with every training session I am passing something onto him greater than my goals, greater than these races, or medals.. I know I am passing on a legacy of mental toughness, never give up attitude, and when it hurts, well, just run faster till it stops.. Grab your kids and go train!!!
I received a message this morning and learned about Steve Smith, his training buddies call him Steve-O… Read this message from his daughter first, then let’s talk…
“I have a request. I was suppose to make my debut back to running this weekend at the Race for the Cure 5K. Due to my Dad’s health situation and fight against his brain tumor, I won’t be there. I was wondering if in honor of my dad, Steve Smith, if anyone who is running it (or any races) if you could tape his name to your shirt?? I was thinking “Steve-O” since that’s what all his training buddies call him. For those of you who may not know my dad, he is a world class triathlete who’s been competing in triathlons for as long as I can remember. He’s finished 12 Kona Ironman World Championships and he is a champion triathlete and recently earned the distinction of USA Triathlon All-American (for the umptheenth time). He’s also been nominated into the High School Swimming Coaches Hall of Fame. I could go on forever with all his achievements, but to sum it up- He’s BAD ASS!! He was suppose to compete in St. Anthony’s Triathlon in St. Pete’s, FL this weekend. Any support will be appreciated and hope all this energy from everyone will be sent his way to help in his fight. Send pictures to me or my Dad of you in the shirt, he’d be touched by the thought and it will give him more courage to know he has so many people on his side. Thanks!! Sarah”
Sarah and Steve-O.. This guy is a BAD ASS... Just saying..
Um yeah, so this dude is for real… 12 Kona finishes?? Are you kidding me?? He is more than real, he is pure Ironman.. So let’s help a bro out and do exactly what his daughter has asked of us. If you are racing anywhere soon please Write, Tape, Make a shirt, or something with “Steve-O” on it.. Hell put it on your hat, visor, tape it to your bike… Be creative.. It’s free and it’s going to give Steve a feeling of brotherhood among us.. Then email those pictures to me dustin@dustinhinton.com so I can get them to him… He has felt it on the course but now he needs to feel like he is still out there with us. I don’t know Steve, I have never met him, but we all share something in common, we all are chasing the Ironman, always, just like he is now…
Here is my Steve-O picture… More to come
Adam James Muncie, IN Showing his love... Thanks man
Denis Oakley from beyondtransition.com Thanks Bro
Pure Awesome... Keep Them Coming
Aaron Smith & Marsha Wood
From Jeff
Heather from runningwithsass.com
Alissa from Personal Best Fitness
Kristopher Williams
Every Member of the I.U. Rowing team Racing for Steve-O Today!!
The Wingenroths - Coaches vs. Cancer basketball tournament at Butler University
Luke Sagur at the South Carolina State Mountain Bike Championship
So my first Ironman event was a success. I wanted to finish Ironman New Orleans (2-52-13.1) in under 6 hours and I ended up coming in at 5:30:15 which made me very happy. I was bummed about the swim being replaced by a run but once we all saw the water conditions we were happy to not be in that water… It was bad… I didn’t feel like I was working super hard until mile 7 of the half marathon. What I am most proud of is my recovery time. I woke up the next morning feeling really good. I wanted to run but I am forcing myself to take 2 days off. I have the Gulf Coast 70.3 Half Ironman on May 12th. Looking forward to that…
Ironman New Orleans 70.3 was not meant to be… I will still be in search of my first triathlon… Due to weather conditions the race has been converted into a 2-52-13.1 duathlon. I will learn, make it a great training event, and look forward to the Gulf Coast 70.3 Triathlon on May 12th.
The answer, No… My belief is that being Vegan is a self discovery process and not something that is dictated. It took me 30 years to discover it and I don’t want him to be Vegan without the full self discovery process. If he is Vegan it’s going to be on his own terms and for his own reasons. So when I go shopping I buy a ton of Boston items as well. He gets turkey, chicken, milk, candy, cereal, etc… Things normal kids get… When we get home I obviously play the “is this a good choice game?”. I’ll hold up veggies and candy and even when he chooses candy he let’s me know that veggies are the better choice, and at the end of the day that’s what I am trying to teach him… I just want him to know the names of fruits and veggies, which things are really bad, kinda bad, ok, good, better, best, and AWESOME!!! Here is a photo from dinner tonight.. This is a typical setup.. Cheers and thanks for reading.
Sometimes you come across inspiration when you least expect it… I was on twitter and I received a tweet from @teamwinter and I clicked through her link to check it out. I’m not going to write a lot here… I watched this video and I was not only choked up but I was INSPIRED. I will only add this quote and let you watch the video…
“The flower that blooms in adversity is the rarest and most beautiful of all.” ― Walt Disney Company, Mulan
Please visit this link and If you can help her cause, please do… Cheers, Dustin
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness
That most frightens us.
We ask ourselves
Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small
Does not serve the world.
There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking
So that other people won’t feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine,
As children do.
We were born to make manifest
The glory of God that is within us.
It’s not just in some of us;
It’s in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine,
We unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we’re liberated from our own fear,
Our presence automatically liberates others.
So tonight I tackled the open water swim in lake Pontchartrain near the Ironman New Orleans 70.3 swim course. I’ve spent 100% of my time in the pool so it was obviously very different. The first 10 minutes was just a learning experience and I never freaked out, but it was an “anxious” 10 mins. Once I started timing my breaths with the tops of the swells, started taking less frequent breaths, pushed my chest down and stopped my feet from dropping, and got some speed going it began making sense. I did drink a good bit of water as I adjusted to the rough conditions but I really had a blast. There were swells and rough chop in between so it was a great way to just learn the hard way since the conditions were not ideal. Being in a lake with bull sharks and gators (and who the hell knows what else) really wasn’t even a factor… Everyone said it would freak me out a little but really it only popped into my head once and then quickly left when my feet dropped and I got right back into form correction mode. To get rid of the anxiousness I just said to myself “relax, calm down, and do what you have been doing for countless hours in the pool, but just in this damn dirty filthy lake!!!” LOL… I will have about 3 more open water swims before Ironman New Orleans 70.3 but I can already tell I’m ready. It’s not going to be easy, in fact, I know it’s going to be a painful tough race… But I guess what I’m saying is, I’m ready to take on the challenge and most of all LEARN…
We all need shoes, swim gear, bike gear, tuneups, fuel, parts, etc, right? So you jump in the car and head for the national big box store so you can get everything in one shot, get the cheapest, and get it right now, right? I used to do this all the time and that’s what we are supposed to do, right? WRONG!!! Here is what I have learned… When you get to the big box store and start sifting through 8 million different shoes, bikes, parts, etc, and then you grab one of the employees (yeah you know.. the one with the skinny jeans, he is 16, he has never ridden a bike, ran more than a mile, or been in a pool other than his good friends pool party last weekend)
You ask him which thing you should get… He says, “um, yeah.. hmm.. Well, that ones pretty good.. I like this one too.. That’s what everybody else gets.. umm.. yeah.. that one looks good”
So you sit there and say, “Ok, that was a complete waste of time”
You then buy it and leave because you don’t know what else to do…
What most people don’t know is that there are tons of little mom and pop shops that have been “home grown” all over the country. These people didn’t open their shops because they wanted to make millions (and most of them don’t) but rather to LOVE their job, to LIVE their own passions, and to fill a need. They have ran marathons (lots of them, and 1 milers, 5k’s, 10k’s, 13.1′s and insane ultras ), ridden tons of centuries (and further), swam the oceans, pools, lakes, and rivers, and they have climbed mountains, jumped out of airplanes, hiked through snow fields, and spiked up frozen waterfalls. They have won, lost, failed, and met every injury possible.. They have learned… They have more knowledge in their brains then any Google database or supercomputer because they know what the ocean tastes like, how the salt burns your eyes, how it feels to lose control of a bike at 23 mph, what “THE WALL” feels like (and what it doesn’t feel like). They are the wise, the seasoned veterans, and they have did things we still only think about doing during our “race/adventure todo list” day dreams.
So when you walk into their shop and ask them a question “um yeah” will not be one of their answers… They will blast you with questions, they will dig into your little brain, and then they will come up with a solution, solve your problem, give you advice, and a lot of the time they will NOT sell you anything… WHAT? But they are a business DUSTIN!!! THEY MUST SELL!! Yes, this is true.. But you will find a certain respect, character, and integrity with these shops. They didn’t get this way shoving stuff down peoples throats just to meet sales goals. So what am I saying? Don’t buy anything from a big box chain if you have a choice to get it from a local store… These people need our support and WE need their support. A little shout out to my favorite local store Varstiy Sports. If you are in the New Orleans, Mandeville, or Baton Rouge area please support them.
The past few weeks have been coming together nicely with the training. I’m not really sure what other people do because I’ve kinda stopped following a lot of training models. I am a dad first, work second, and then comes the training… I wish there was more time in the day to sneak in some miles, swim some laps, and keep the frequency up but I have to train when it’s possible. I guess that’s what will truly define if I become an ironman or not… An ironman has to make time, find a way, live, work, parent, and still do super human feats of weekly volume swim, bike, run. At the end of the day there is a burning desire that is deep down inside that lets me know I will never stop until I cross that finish line, I will find a way, I will be an ironman.. Boston, my son, told me yesterday, “when I get big I can be an ironman and then we can be 2 ironmans” Needless to say my fire just started burning much hotter than the freaking sun after that comment.
Training has been picking up steam.. Yesterday I put it all together and did a 1.2 mile swim, 40 mile bike ride, and a 4 mile run… Everything went good, I recovered fast (enough to knock out a 25 mile bike ride and a 30 min swim the today). My nutrition and hydration was spot on and I felt good the whole time. I have been cutting weight a little as the volume picks up but I’m ok with that because I think I need to thin up a little bit more before race day. My biggest improvement so far has been the swim… I knocked 14 mins off of my 1.2 mile time from a month ago and I think it’s because I’m just getting my form super tight. I’m getting really excited about the race and after yesterday I know I’m right on track… A few more of those full days and I should be mentally prepared and ready to go. My biggest weakness so far is my run. After completing the Louisiana Marathon I tore a muscle in my left foot and had to restart my entire mileage and now my foot is fine but I can’t shake this right I.T. band pain… It’s mentally discouraging and I find myself avoiding the run and focusing on swim and bike. The next 7 weeks need to bring my running back into focus or I’m going to be in a sticky situation when that half marathon rolls around. That’s my update.. Thanks to everyone for the encouraging words and I look forward to chatting with you more. Cheers
For some reason my favorite time to run is when it’s raining outside… The heavier downpour the better… While the rest of the world is trying to keep their hair all pretty, clothes pristine and dry, running in a full out panic because of a little water, you’ll find me lacing up my Merrell Run Road Gloves for a nice wet run. This past Saturday I was running down this long stretch of road next to the highway and I just felt this rush of happiness shooting through my veins, I started laughing out loud, and I realized there is no other place for me except out on the road in the pouring rain… Happiness comes in a lot of forms… For me it’s my 4 year old son Boston and running in the rain.. Go figure.. Cheers & happy Running to you all…
I could not wait to follow Lance on IronManLive.com and see what he could do with his 1st pro appearance in 20 years… Obviously Lance is “returning” to professional triathlete status (something that most people don’t realize or know). Lance started as a pro triathlete and then moved on to his incredible cycling career when he discovered he had an amazing talent for the bike. I’m not going to sit here and write a bunch of regurgitated fluff and stats from other sites because #1, I don’t know Lance and #2, I’m not a journalist… I just wanted to say that this is the type of stuff that gets me inspired to train everyday… Lance held on to the lead for quite a while during the run before Bevan Docherty chased him down and beat him by ONLY 45 seconds.
Lance showed some heart out there because on the back end of that run he was definitely hurting and struggling, but as always, Lance powered through… I am very interested to see how a 140.6 goes down.. Until then LIVESTRONG and awesome job Lance!!
So I have never raced in a triathlon in my life… BAM, there it is!! In 10 weeks I will be taking on Ironman New Orleans 70.3. Am I nervous? yes… Am I ready? not yet… Will I be ready? hopefully.. HAHA.. Since the torn foot muscle at mile 16 during the Louisiana Marathon (Which I stubbornly still finished) I have been rehabbing nicely… I’m getting in plenty of bike, tons of swimming, but minimal running. I have started my entire running process over since my injury required it.
I started using Trigger Point Therapy’s ultimate kit to help rebuild and get healthy and so far it’s been INSANELY AMAZING. I’ll give you a warning though, this is therapy for your normal running wear and tear and it’s intense. You will feel it… I foam rolled before this but I received a massively positive big wake up call during my first 30 minute session and instructional DVD lesson. I will keep you posted on this thereapy and give you a full review of their products after I finish Ironman New Orleans 70.3.
My injury and rehab also ended up timing perfectly with Dr. Mark Cucuzzella’s Natural Running Workshop where I decided quickly I needed to change my ways with one quote from the doctor, “Do you want to just run a few more marathons or do you want to be running through your 80′s?, I don’t know about you guys but that’s my goal… I just want to be able to keep running…”. Dr. Cucuzzella was plum full of juicy knowledge that all stemmed from common sense and the natural body. I couldn’t help but wonder why it took so long to realize this stuff… It finally took a seasoned medical professional to teach me that we should just run like the natural body intended.. I know what you are thinking, “well yeah Dustin of course… that’s what we all do…”, my reply, “Bull Shit”…
The reality is we don’t run right… It’s plain and simple… Anyone that has trained for a marathon has probably broken down at some point and there are a million variables that come into play but one thing is for certain, giant thick shoes don’t help the natural process. Dr. Mark Cucuzzella made a great statement, “You must earn the right to use those high tech running shoes… That means you need to learn to run correctly first.”. He went on to sum this up by explaining that our feet contain tons of nerves that send all the warning signals we need to correct our form and figure out why we are running wrong but when we numb them with big, giant, angled, mushy, cushy shoes then you lose all of the bodies natural problem solving skills. The natural running process will get you back on track if you also strengthen your core and add some flexibility.
So all in all the rehab is going great, my injury is healing nicely and I’m back up to 4 miles in my natural Merrell Trail Gloves, my swimming is going really good, and my bike is going pretty good. It looks like my 10 week training attack will get me to the finish line as long as I execute everything and stay on track. Cheers!!
In 1989 I was sitting on the floor playing with my Lego’s and my dad was on the couch when he flipped the TV over to ABC. I remember seeing billions of arms flipping/flopping in and out of the water and I had no idea what the hell was going on. My dad left it there and soon after walked away to do something, somewhere, but I was glued… Soon they were out of the water and on bikes and they were zooming past the cameras and racing away. I was an ironman zombie staring at the TV with complete amazement. I remembered the Olympics, watching swim meets, football, baseball, watching horse races, car races, etc, but THIS was different!!! These people were hardcore, they had these dead stares of dedication, finish line eating hearts, they were sweating buckets, and they all looked like they were purposely staying precisely on that fine line between life and death.
They jumped off the bikes, ran into a tent, then popped back out in full running form. “This is freaking nuts”, I thought, but I liked it, in fact, I was locked in and I couldn’t stop watching it… It looked so hot, I mean it’s Hawaii, right? How could these humans be doing all of this in extreme heat? It was HARDCORE, and for a 9/10 year old it was pure BAD ASS!!! They were gods, they were unstoppable, they were superhuman. ABC kept following these two guys the whole time, they made a big deal about these two, and they stayed next to each other the whole time. They pounded that pavement for hours until finally right before the end one made a move and ran off to win the race and the other one came right in behind him. These “two” guys would end up being Dave Scott and Mark Allen and this race would end up being legendary. If you say the words Dave Scott and Mark Allen around people who know ironman their heads will turn… If you know Football then maybe this will help, they are the Johnny Unitas, Walter Peyton, and Joe Montana’s of ironman, LEGENDS…
It wasn’t over… There was something else… Something that they kept cutting to throughout the race. This old man was swimming with his quadriplegic son, biking with his quadriplegic son, running with his quadriplegic son, and then right before the end of the whole show they started to tell the story of Dick & Rick Hoyt, now known as Team Hoyt. Rick’s brain was deprived of oxygen at birth, and as a result, he was diagnosed as a spastic quadriplegic with cerebral palsy. Dick never gave up on his son, he pushed him, loved him, and one day Rick asked his dad if they could run in a local charity race for a paralyzed kid, Dad said yes… One thing led to another and they eventually made it to the ironman Hawaii. The Dad swam, pulling his son, for 2.4 miles, then biked, with his son mounted on the bike, for 112 miles, then pushed a stroller with his son for 26.2 miles… I vividly remember the dad running SO FAST in that last few minutes that the camera could not keep up… It seemed like he was running faster than even the winner ran… I remember being so inspired and sad at the same time..
This was my first ironman experience and it didn’t make a lot of sense to me until this past year. I was 220lbs, I was mentally burned out, I was at rock bottom, I felt like my life was just falling apart… I moved across the country to be a dad and husband, I left behind my family and friends to do the right thing, I left my house, my good job, and everything I had ever known, I was definitely in complete red alert status. My marriage fell apart quickly, and soon I was on my own, Just me, my son, and a small 1 bedroom apartment. I worked, fathered, worked, shoveled tons of bad food into my gullet, worked, worked some more, fathered, shoveled more bad food, never slept, got fat, then more fat, then a little more fat. This went on for a while and then something happened… Joe died… Cancer took him pretty quick… Joe was from back home in Indiana, my brother married his daughter, but even before that we all knew about Joe. He was larger than life… He was a veteran, football coach, one of those super dads, ran a soup kitchen, a volunteer, a listening ear, a helper to anyone, and the list could go on for 20 more pages… He was just a guy who always seemed to do the right thing…I went back home for the funeral and then when I returned to New Orleans a week later things just changed for me…
I started running with a stroller for Boston, eating good, meditating, meeting new people in the running community, became vegetarian, mentally decided that I needed to do ironman Louisville, started swimming, started biking, became vegan, got even healthier, knocked out a 13.1 half marathon in under 2 hours, knocked out my first 26.2 full marathon on a foot with torn muscles, and lost 50+ lbs in the process… I just decided that it’s time to start living.. It’s time to start doing something worth something… It’s time to put a stamp on this life and leave something behind for my son. I want to cross that finish line in Louisville with my son Boston… I want to post that picture on facebook… I want him to say, “my daddy is an ironman”…
Why? I can’t explain it… It’s calling me.. it’s just something that I have to do.. Why does anyone do anything? Maybe one day when I am gone Boston might just decide to take on the ironman too… Maybe he will be just like his old man…
Sometimes you just luck out!!! Dr. Mark Cucuzzella, the Executive Director from the Natural Running Center, is coming to my town and I can’t wait to meet him. This workshop is going to be AWESOME and I can’t wait to learn a whole bunch of new natural running techniques, form tips, and have the doc actually watch me run. Newton & Varsity Sports (my favorite shop) is hosting the event.
1 – “I bet this sounded like a good idea when you signed up 6 mo ago.”
2 – “WORST PARADE EVER”
3 – “Because 26.3 miles is just crazy…”
4 – “Phidippides died about right here”
5 – “You are NOT almost there”
6 – “Free Hot Beer, Hot Doughnuts, and Warm Tequila Shots”
7 – “You have great stamina. Call me.”
8 – “if you are feeling tired you should have trained more”
9 – “most people don’t even drive 26.2 miles on a Sunday”
10 – “if u would have done the half, you’d be finished.”
Working through injuries just seems to be a basic part of ironman training… They come, they go, then new ones spring up. Long ago I would have stopped, said I would come back when it’s 100% again, and then just forget and get even more fat and out of shape, but those days are gone. We only have a limited amount of time on this rock so you just can’t quit, you must find a way to work through each injury, one at a time. Whatever gets you to that finish line…
The next phase of the journey is not an easy one.. The Ironman 70.3 event is definitely a very, very, very hard race… For those who know me the overall plan might be starting to make since now.. As you look at the backdrop you might start to understand why this finish line needed to be on my list. This is where my life in New Orleans started back in 2007, right inside of Jackson Square… To get back home to the Louisville Ironman 140.6, I must pass through these gates. Finishing here is my ticket to return home for a shot at personal glory in front of my family, friends, and more importantly, my son Boston.. Time goals? No… I had time goals going into the marathon and I learned some lessons… Regardless of a time goal, you must push as hard as possible and just see what happens. If you leave everything out there then you will have no regrets… The marathon was easy sailing, I was smiling, I was happy, and I was hitting my time goals almost perfectly until somewhere between mile 14-16… that’s when mother marathon decided to teach me a lesson about broken down feet and being arrogant with time goals my first time out… Lesson learned.. My goals have changed.. I just need to get there this year.. I just need to cross those finish lines and check them off my list.. I’ll make a new list after this year is over and I actually complete these races.. Then I can have time goals..
After hanging in there at my goal pace till about mile 16, Mr. Injury (my nemesis anterior tibialis tendonapathy and maybe a new injury) decided to put us in plan B mode.. No sub 4, just get there alive, my time 4:53:22.. And I earned every excruciating, sucky, dirty, grinding mile in that last 10.2.. Good times I couldn’t be happier with it.
**UPDATE: I tore some muscles away from the bone in my left foot.. With some rehab, R.I.C.E, Pool, and Bike I should be back up and running soon.
No, I don’t spend all day cooking.. Being vegan doesn’t mean you live in the kitchen. In fact, most of my meals can be cooked very fast. (usually within 30 mins)
a quick vegan meal
1 cup of frozen green beans ( I keep a big bag of these on hand $1.98 for a huge bag)
1 cup of frozen chopped onion, green pepper, and red pepper mix ( I keep a big bag of these on hand 2/$5 for a 2 medium size bags)
Mix 3 table spoons of hummus, 3 table spoons of salsa, and 1/2 cup of fresh spinach or fresh mixed greens
Evenly spread that awesomeness onto your whole wheat pita
chop fresh mushrooms, onions, and sprinkle fresh garlic all over the top with a little squirt of olive oil
crack some pepper on there.. throw some salt on there.. cook it in the oven (with no pan.. throw it right in there) 450 degrees for 13-15 mins (until you get the crust how you prefer.. I like it crunchy..
Well, it’s easy, VERY MESSY, and it’s MASSIVELY delicious…
Things you’ll need:
whole wheat hamburger buns (check the bag because some of them are definitely not vegan friendly)
fresh onion of your choice… I like sweet vidalias
a big fat portabella mushroom
fresh garlic
salt
pepper
soy sauce
mixed greens of your choice
your choice of bbq sauce (check the label because some bbq’s have honey, beef & chicken flavoring, etc.. so just cover your bases)
ketchup
mustard
Simple instructions:
start with a hot pan
chop onions, garlic, and add them to the hot pan with a little extra virgin olive oil
make a little circle area in the middle of your hot pan and throw your portabella mushroom in there (ridged porous side up) so it can start getting cooked
add soy sauce, salt, and pepper into your little porous mushroom bowl
spoon some of that onion, garlic, and olive oil mix from the pan into the porous mushroom bowl
cover it and let it cook for about 5 mins
uncover and flip it, cover and cook for 2 mins
toast your buns
remove your mushroom and throw it on the bun
add bbq sauce to remaining onion, garlic, and olive oil mix (add more fresh onions if you want it crunchy, like me)
stir that on mid/high heat until it sets up a nice thick garlic, onion, olive oil, and bbq sauce (usually takes 3-4 mins)
throw some greens on your burger
dump all of that good stuff bbq sauce right on top of that burger (make it messy)
shove it in your mouth.. and don’t even think about grabbing a napkin until it’s gone and your face is covered in bbq sauce…
calories: 385
Let me know if you like it.. better yet, send me a pic dustin@dustinhinton.com
This week I took the entire week off without doing a single workout… Nothing… And I’m going stir crazy… I hope this injury heals and this time off pays off. The marathon is in 14 days…………..
Well, so far on the journey to the ironman I have hit a few barriers and both of them have been in the form of injuries… The first was a foot injury that just wouldn’t go away but after messing with it for months, getting lots of help from some veterans, resting, and strength training, I worked through it. This time it’s a time sensitive marathon threatening injury that has me a little freaked out. After consulting a few pro’s there is only one fix for my injury, REST! This isn’t what you want to hear weeks away from the marathon but it’s what must be done.
I’m in Indiana this week visiting my family and hometown and I was supposed to be getting TONS of short hill training “taper” runs to really give me a nice kick for my 1st marathon but I’m afraid those will not be happening, instead I’m doing NOTHING!! I hate not being able to run, bike, or swim.. All three aggravate my leg so I will just have to keep the compression socks on, eat good, sleep good, and hope it heals in time for the marathon on 1/15.
Well, I’ve converted full blast into “operation emergency marathon recovery” mode… After 2 – 18 milers, 4 – 16 milers, 6 – 14 milers, and a ton of 6-13 milers, tons of cycling, and 3-4 swim sessions per week my left leg has encountered a Tibialis Anterior Tendinopathy overuse injury… I’m learning as much as I can about how to repair it quickly and I’ll be staying one week at a PT’s house to help get this thing ready for the Louisiana Marathon. Have you had this injury before? Then please leave comments and tell me what you did and how do I magically fix it hahah.. Cheers
I'm Dustin, and this is my son Boston... First, I'm a dad before anything else, after that I'm a 31 year old vegan expatriate Hoosier living right outside of New Orleans, LA.
On June 12th, 2011 I had a bit of a wake up call and began my road to the ironman 140.6 mile endurance event and after that I've got some big plans, so it won't end there... This is my outlet to vent, rant, promote, and let everyone know what's up. Connect with me on Facebook or Twitter by using the links above. Cheers
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Q.) Who Can Sponsor me? A.) Anyone can sponsor me.
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Q.) What do you get with sponsorship? A.) I Run, Bike, or Swim on your behalf, your companies behalf, or on behalf of a loved one who you want remembered in a special way. Sponsorship includes blog posts, Twitter posts, Facebook posts, + more. For detailed info please contact me at dustin@dustinhinton.com.
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My everything!!!
In 1989 I was sitting on the floor playing with my Lego’s and my dad was on the couch when he flipped the TV over to ABC. I remember seeing billions of arms flipping/flopping in and out of the water and I had no idea what the hell was going on. My dad left it there and soon after walked away to do something, somewhere, but I was glued… Soon they were out of the water and on bikes and they were zooming past the cameras and racing away. I was an ironman zombie staring at the TV with complete amazement. I remembered the Olympics, watching swim meets, football, baseball, watching horse races, car races, etc, but THIS was different!!! These people were hardcore, they had these dead stares of dedication, finish line eating hearts, they were sweating buckets, and they all looked like they were purposely staying precisely on that fine line between life and death.
I couldn’t be happier with it.
