Merry Christmas to All!!!

Merry Christmas!!!

As I scarfed down multiple orders of sushi and various rolls at an AYCE sushi place with my family on Christmas Eve, I started to think back to what a year it's been. I'll do a bigger look back at the year of racing closer to NYE, but just thinking about what I attempted and accomplished just seemed so far away...

I mean since Ironman Florida, I've plumped back up to 178 lbs, my pre-Ironman training weight. This is the weight I've been most of my adult life. It's crazy because for some reason my pants still don't fit haha. I also just finished a 3 mile run and while it wasn't the worst thing, it definitely wasn't the easiest. The only thing that has been going well is my weights workouts, but even then I'm barely moving the amount of weight I used to. It all just seems so far away now...

But yet here I am, ready and committed to ramping training back up after this weekend! Planning an epic year of racing and hoping things go as planned! Looking ahead I'm already paid up for:

Surf City Half Marathon
LA Marathon
LA to SD Ragnar Run
Big Rock Olympic Triathlon
OC Marathon
Ironman 70.3 Hawaii
Redondo Beach Sprint Triathlon
Ironman 70.3 Vineman
Honolulu Marathon

And even on top of all that, I'm thinking about adding another half marathon (SF just to get a medal), a swim (same pier to pier as last year), a couple more tris (at least Hermosa, possibly Malibu, maybe Goleta or SB and possibly another 70.3) and maybe even a century or something. But I mean, I'm psycho so ya know...

The big ones for me are Ironman 70.3 Hawaii and the Honolulu Marathon. Both I've added this year through the Children's Tumor Foundation. I'll be announcing this to my friends and family looking for support yet again. But while the cause is noble and my hope and partnership with Ava is something I am looking forward to again, the real reason is to race in front of my family. I'm hopeful that my Japanese grandfather will be willing to travel to the Big Island to see the Ironman. It'll be a crazy spectacle for him to maneuver, but if he could see me attempt any part of it, I would be so happy! Because as another year passes and he gets older, the likelihood of him being at my future wedding diminish and that really saddens me as he is the grandparent I'm closest with and always wanted to make proud. So if he could see me accomplish something like a half Ironman finish, that would be a great moment.

But it's Christmas! It's a time to be thankful, a time to be with family and a time to be Merry!!! So hopefully you're spending Christmas where you want to be, with who you want to be with and with those who bring you love and joy!!!

Merry Christmas to all from Las Vegas!!!

(Photo credit: http://www.lasvegas-how-to.com/christmas-in-las-vegas.php)

Oh and it was a full moon out tonight too!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Happy Thanksgiving from my family to yours!!!

Thanksgiving is an American holiday which celebrates the first harvest in America by the pilgrims. It has since become a very important national holiday in which the emphasis is to "Give Thanks" for those family and friends in your life.

For me, I've got many great people. To start, I have my family. Family is a bond that ties you together for life. Love em or hate em, family is family and will always be so. My family is crazy, but awesome! My parents love us all and support us in all that we do. They're just the best! Nothing showed that more than when they traveled across the country to support me for Ironman Florida 2015 just a few weeks ago. They took some days off work, fly to be there for me, support me, take pictures of me and help to care for me after the race and the days we stuck around! They're amazing!

I also have two great siblings. My brother and his wife are two of the best people and they now live in California for the time being so we can hopefully continue to grow closer! And then there's my little sister. She's the best! She created some cool shirts for me and my parents for Ironman Florida because she wasn't able to come. But she has come to support me for other races!

Lastly, I'm so thankful and blessed to have many great friends and supporters! Good friends are much different than family. You're born into your family and are stuck with them for life. But you choose your friends! And the company that you keep defines who you are. I'm so lucky to have many great friends in all aspects of my life who help make the man I am today. And while there are too many to list, I'd like to highlight a few who have been extra supportive of my triathlon life:

There's the Honey Stinger Picnic Crew! The OG crew who started the journey together back in June 2013. Our fearless leaders Kim and Dave hooked this crew and have trailblazed this path we've all been on as we strive for greatness. There's Amy, John, Steph and Jenna who, like me, were all convinced by FOMO and the pursuit of the athletic achievement and endorphin high associated with crossing that finish line. We're a tight knit crew who push each other, support each other and have a bond that's hard to put into words!

There's also the extension of the athlete crew. These folks show up to random races either to partake or sometimes just to support the athletes! There's Mark and Janet, the wonder parents, with their unwavering support and Mark's hilarious on-course taunting! There's Pat the crazy athlete who sparingly trains but often shows up at a race and crushes it! There's Noah, Julia and Munch, the NorCal crew we see at least once a year at Wildflower! There's the epic Yurko who is a freak athlete always crushing races that he enters!

And finally there's those folks who don't race but have went above and beyond to show their support. My good friend Noe is just an uber supportive friend who loves to see the race bling and chat over cookies and coffee! My great friends Phil and Sam who have supported at a few races but always provide congratulatory remarks and often dinners or wine nights! My amazing roommate Harry who may not show his support at a race, but he often cooks me dinner and helps fuel this triathlete making it easier for me to use my few hours of spare time training! There's also my good buddy JB who's been a constant supporter and great friend! And there really are just so many more friends and supporters but I'd be writing the world's longest ledger if I really listed them all!

So that's my abbreviated thanks to those who have supported my triathlon journey! Hopefully this great day has allowed you to think of all those people in your life that you're thankful for!!! Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Race Report: Avengers Half Marathon

Did the Avengers Disney Half Marathon run with BApple coworkers just a week after Ironman Florida. Ended up being a really bad idea and I'm still hurting even over a week since the finish date. Definitely using the now off season to rest up.

Race details:
Anaheim, California
Run: 13.1 miles

 

Course Reported Finish: 1:52:00

Garmin Splits:

Race Summary:

This race doesn't really need much of a summary. For me it was more of a fun run than anything else. Turns out I ran relatively well and had a Half Marathon PR, but I also never ran a race Half Marathon before so it's not too surprising.

One thing to note is that Disney races have huge corals and so we got stuck in the third coral and were stuck behind packs and packs of people. It was terrible. Trying to get around crowds was very difficult to start.

The only other real noteworthy thing is that I started to feel some pain around mile 9 in my right leg, generally in the knee area. Post race it hurt and even now I still kind of run with a limp, if you call what I've tried to do running. So that sucks. I'll have to heal soon.

But otherwise, a relatively fun race. Cool part was running on the field at Angel stadium. But otherwise, I think $200 for a half marathon and running only the first 2 and the last 1 mile in the park is kind of a bummer. If I really wanted to, I could easily run on the streets of Anaheim. HA!

Pics:
Pre Race BApple Pic:

Race Pics:

Post Race Pics:

Race Report: Ironman Florida

My very first Ironman. I haven't experienced any other feeling like crossing this finish line. The whole weekend was an amazing experience. The biggest bummer is that the entire race is on my watch, but something is corrupt with the file and I can't download it to Garmin Connect and do a proper race analysis. So all I have is the Ironman splits and what I remember about the race. So here goes nothing...

Race details:
Panama City Beach, Florida
Swim: 2.4 mi - open water, ocean swim, water temp too warm, non-wetsuit legal swim
Bike: 10 mi - road, 1 giant out and back loop, some light rain, plenty of headwinds, one tailwind
Run: 3.0 mi - run, 2 loops, out and back and out and back again

Course Recorded Finish: 12:37:38

Garmin Splits:
N/A - Garmin file not uploading :(

AG Finish: 31/92
OV Finish: 759/2980
AG Race Factor: 1.47
OV Race Factor: 1.36

Race Analysis:
Transitions:

My transitions were much slower than normal, but everyone recommended to take your time and get everything on dry and comfortable because you're about to be doing each discipline for A LONG TIME. So don't rush through it, but don't dilly dally. Additionally, a full Ironman is quite different in that you have to run to get your gear bag then run to a changing tent then run to the next event (either the bike or the run). So there's actually quite the amount of distance to overcome. Therefore, while slower than most races, I really didn't linger and wasn't disappointed with the amount of time in either transition.

Swim:

To start out, the water temperature was pretty warm (I wanna say around 77°) and so the race was declared to be non-wetsuit legal. What this meant was that anyone who opted to use a wetsuit would not be considered for Kona spots and you would not show up in the official Age Group results. You'd still get a time and a medal and everything that comes with being an Ironman, but lose out on those 2 things. To most people, it was a no brainer. You're not gonna win Kona, you probably didn't swim 2.4 miles without a wetsuit, so don't use it. But to me, it was also a no brainer. I had done the Pier-to-Pier swim without a wetsuit, I was comfortable in the ocean and there was no way I was not going to show up in the Age Group results even if I didn't have a shot at Kona!!!

This swim also had a rolling start. This means that your time starts when your chip crosses the start line. This allows people to start the race with any group they wanted. So they had designated sections for expected times and you just kind of slot in wherever you think you will perform. My guess was in the 1:30 hour range, so naturally I stood near the 1:25 hour sign so I could try to swim with faster swimmers in the hope of pacing a big quicker. This ended up not working out so well because I got kicked and pulled and passed left and right... So maybe next time I would just kind of start at the slower end and try to chase people down rather than trying to stay up ahead.

Generally, the swim went well. I was trying to pace myself and keep strong form since I didn't have a wetsuit to keep me buoyant. But upon seeing my time, I probably should have pushed just a little bit harder. 2:39/100m isn't a great time or a really terrible time, but it's not what I would have hoped for. I would have liked something a little bit closer to 2:00/100m. Next year's swim training should possibly include more open water swims and practice sighting. Maybe that's what slowed me down in addition to the crowds and such.

Bike:

While the swim was slow, the bike was probably my strongest leg and so ideally the better pacing on the swim kept me really fresh for the bike! And the good bike split was despite having to stop at the Special Needs Point and at miles 65 and 85 to poop! So maybe there was a chance I could've approached 18.5 mph and shaved even more time off my great 6 hour bike time!

Without the Garmin analysis, this one is quite difficult to dissect. And having the Garmin doesn't even help that much either because the road conditions make a huge difference. Basically there were 2 hills, several rolling hills and lots of headwinds with maybe 1 tailwind section. Other things I can say is that downshifting and just keeping a high cadence through headwinds was a great tip from the CTF volunteer coaches. I think if I would've tried to power through then I would've been gassed. Towards the end, I wasn't able to stay completely in aero. But trying to loosen up the back before the run was probably needed anyway.

As far as nutrition goes, I stuck with the motto of really taking in calories during that first hour on the bike. I went through a bottle and a half of CarboPro mixed with Nuun as well as a bottle or two of water and Gatorade. Throughout the rest of the race, my only other nutrition was my third bottle which had CarboPro, a packet at Special Needs with CarboPro, one Ginsting Gel and then water and Gatorade at every nutrition stand. The key as mentioned to me by Ian Murray was to throw out both bottles in the cages, rack a Gatorade, rack a water then sip or fill the aero bottle and continue on. That strategy worked really well. It was also clutch and a big time saver to have throw away bottles to start the race so I wasn't getting rid of any bottles that I liked.

As mentioned, the only real challenge or issue was having to go poop! I had to go twice. The first time got really bad as I approached the Special Needs section. I saw a PortaPotty and yelled out if there were more with a volunteer saying yes at the end. Well... he was wrong! So after I got my Special Needs stuff, I rolled forward to find that there were no potties. I very quickly made the decision to hold it and go at the next stop. Man that was rough. Rolling for another 15 miles waiting for a PortaPotty. It wasn't too bad because I didn't like HAVE to go. But I def was feeling some discomfort before getting it all out at mile 65ish. The crazy thing was that I suddenly needed to go again just 15 miles later! What the heck!?!?!?! So I think it was about mile 85ish when I made it to the next aid station with a PortaPotty to sit down for my second poop. I mean I would not have held it given the length of an Ironman, but damn I could've had a much better race if I didn't need to go hahaha.

All in all, I was very happy with my bike split!

Run:

And this is where the trouble began. I mean hitting my secret 12 hour goal was always going to be tough, but most of my splits were relatively close to expected and reining in 12 hours might have been a possibility with a sub-4 hour marathon. Everything would have to go right!!!

While I started my first 2ish miles going right on pace, I really started to slow down between miles 4 and 9 according to the IM split. But I was able to kind of pick it back up and give it a go towards the end of the first half. But early on in the second, I looked down at my watch and kind of knew it wasn't meant to be. I had gone too slow and not been able to push it hard enough. So I started to hang back and get comfortable for the rest of the second half of the marathon. Everything was going as planned to at least be right around 12 hours... Then something rough happened...

I really started to slow down around mile 21. The IM splits show that I came down to 12:32/mi around mile 22 and then slowed even further through the mile 24.5 marker. What it doesn't capture is the total meltdown that I had in that area. My body had basically failed me. Moving forward was rough, I could barely keep up any kind of pace. Walking had settled in. I even started to have stomach issues. So much so that I needed to poop. I sat down at a rest stop near mile 23 but nothing came out, just a little pee. So I kept on going ahead. Another mile, another fart, a little pee and no poop but plenty of stomach issues. So onward I went.

I had been walk jogging for several miles now. Struggling with the reality that I had officially been defeated. I had officially lost to pain and mental stability and had been broken. I had no more fight to push hard and barely had any will to push forward, if only for Ava. But the mile 25 marker was just up ahead. The end was near. I stopped at the aid station. I grabbed a water, a Coke and a water. And then I said to myself... LET'S DO THIS!!!

I "sprinted" the final 1.2 miles "running" through the roaring crowds, passing many competitors and running down the elusive chute and red carpet. It was amazing. The sudden high and lift was just amazing. And then crossing that finish line... WOW! No feeling like it! It's tough to even put into words. I mean I really just can't describe how amazing it was. Hopefully the pictures do it justice!

Pics:

Pre Race:

Swim/Bike/Run:

Finish Line Pics:

Ironman Medal Pics:

Destroyed Bus Pic:

FinisherPix Personal Video:

Celebratory McDonalds Dinner and Note From Ava:

AWA Bronze Surprise Ranking:

Ironman Digital Race Badge:

Post Race Celebratory Scotch:

Medal Hanger Now Full:

JOSHUA IZUMIGAWA... YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!!!

Possibly the greatest feeling I've felt in my entire life so far!

Making my way to the finish line...
Running down the shoot...
Making it to the red carpet...
All the fans...
The bright lights...
Roar and cheer of the crowd...
My name being said (correctly) on the speakers...
YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!!!

There just hasn't been anything as euphoric, as fulfilling and as special as crossing that line!

I'll write a race report eventually when I can really think and be really coherent. Right now, I'm just tired and pooped but just so happy. It was a long journey. So many ups and downs. And to be so nervous for Race Day. To hope that everything went well enough.

I mean other than the complete wreckage and breakdown that resulted in me falling apart at Mile 21, everything else went relatively well. That's not to say that I performed well, because I didn't have my best race. But most things went well enough to give me a fighting chance!

The swim was packed due to a rolling start and there was a lot of times getting kicked and grabbed and punched. And the swell getting out for lap two was rough. Not to mention that the swim was announced at 77 degrees meaning that it was NOT wetsuit legal. So naturally, I played by the rules to be in the official AG results and went sans wetsuit. But I got it done and at a time that wasn't too terrible.

The bike went about as well as I could have hoped for. No mechanical issues. No flats. Nutrition relatively on point with no cramping. The only issue was somewhat gastrointestinal... ie... I had to poop... Twice... I'll have to figure that one out eventually, but I'd say that using the bathroom was a nice relief as opposed to trying to hold it in. We even had a little bit of rain around mile 70 to 90, but it was a welcomed occurrence and didn't result in any significant challenges or anything due to the flat and straight course at that part. But again, got it done and was at a respectable time.

The run went well enough until Mile 21. I was making some good time and picking up the pace a little bit during loop one. I even got to the dreaded Mile 18 marker feeling strong. But I hit that Mile 21 marker and it was all downhill from there. Legs locked up. Water, salt, bananas, gatorade, coke... Nothing worked... A lot of walking and then running for a few minutes before walking again. It was terrible. I actually I almost cried. I kept thinking that Ava would fight, that my tri friends would want me to fight and that I can't be so weak as to walk this close to the finish. But there was no motivation to pull me out of the depths then. Nothing I tried mentally could get my body feeling good enough to run that last 5 miles. I succumbed to the dark side and just walked then ran...

But after walking midway from Mile 24 to the aid station at Mile 25, I mustered up every once of strength and fight in my body to run that final 1.5+ miles! That's also where the crowd lines the street and the cheering... Oh the cheering! I mean that uplifts you and helps pull you from the depths! I mean it took everything I had but I fed off the energy and the will to get to that line with strength! But...

I did it!!! I AM AN IRONMAN!!! And nothing feels better!!! :D

IMFL RACE WEEK!!! The Real Countdown Begins!!!

And so it begins!!! It is officially 5 days from Race Start. In 5 short days, I'll be toeing the line at Panama City Beach, Florida hoping to cross the finish line at my first ever full Ironman event!!! 140.6 long and grueling miles which will top off over 4 months of training. Many, many laps swam, pedal revolutions turned over and miles trudged along.

I'm nervously excited. In my last post I summarized what I've done and accomplished on the road here. It's personally been a major highlight. Possibly one of the most productive and accomplished months of my life. In short, I feel ready. Either way, every opportunity to get werk done has officially passed by. Any additional laps, miles biked or miles ran would do no good. It's time to start getting calm, getting some rest and getting mentally ready.

My bags are also packed. All the gear is ready to go. The bike has long been put on the truck and shipped. Nutrition is in zip lock bags and bottles and extra nutrition is ready to go.

The schedule ahead looks as follows:

Monday - short run (maybe an hour) at Z1, work (and trying to focus there), sleep
Tuesday - work (and trying to focus), board the red eye
Wednesday - land in Texas and wait to get to Panama City Beach, check-in and sleep
Thursday - CTF brunch, athlete check-in, short run (maybe an hour in Z1), athlete banquet, sleep
Friday - CTF team swim, bike rack and prep, carbo load dinner, sleep
Saturday (RACE DAY!!!) - poop, eat, poop, get to transition, get psyched, toe the line, RACE
Sunday - RECOVER!!!

It should be fun! I really just can't wait!!!

Oh and this is soon to be my new FB profile picture :D

(Note: I def did not write and post this blog at 4am PST... I pre-wrote it and set it to publish at exactly Race Start today hehe)

7 Days Left!!! The Final Push!!!

Well, there's officially 1 week left until I'm toeing the line with thousands of other athletes, hoping that I can crush my first ever Ironman attempt!!! It's so unreal and I can't even begin to comprehend how I'm able to embark on this journey. It seems so long ago now that I struggled to finish my first Wildflower Long Course attempt this past May...

Since then I've been on such a strong streak of training and racing and building of my fitness level. On this road to Ironman Florida, I've accomplished:

-Raised over $3000 and awareness about Neurofibromatosis and the children and families it affects
-Completed 5 Sprint Triathlons (setting new PRs in all of them compared to previous years)
-Completed a Olympic Triathlon (setting a PR for this distance)
-Completed a Half Ironman (setting a PR for this distance)
-Completed a 2 mile Hermosa to Manhattan, Pier-to-Pier Swim (first ever, sans wetsuit)
-Completed a Century ride (first ever and not an easy one either, 5400ish ft of elevation)
-Completed a Full Marathon (first ever)
-Set PRs for my 5k, 10k and Half Marathon runs
-Set PRs for my 40k Bike
-Changed my diet and (for the most part) eliminated fast food
-Lost 6 lbs and about 10% body fat (which is about 11 lbs of fat)
-Practice discipline, fought through struggles, persevered through pain, blew past doubt
-And at least checked in with most of my social circles (for the most part)

And that's just the things that I can recall!!!

I also want to reiterate my thanks and admiration for the Children's Tumor Foundation and their Endurance NF program. Without them, I wouldn't even be able to do this race. But much more than that, I was paired with little Ava Lowell, her wonderful mother Dawn Lowell and the rest of their beautiful family. They've been a huge inspiration and have really helped to keep me mentally strong. To think that such a beautiful, wonderful and sweet little girl can persevere just helped me keep pushing forward! As the great Macca said in his book "I'm Here to Win," it really helps to understand one's motivation for racing and to really be great you need to find and race for something more than just yourself. So I thank CTF for giving me that!

So this journey has been great and the experience has got me thinking this won't be my last attempt. But for now, I'm very excited to countdown to Race Day and hopefully cross that finish line with a smile and a great time!

To close, I'll leave a snapshot of the course I hope to crush:

 

(Photo credit: www.ironman.com)

Pledge Week 15: And That's A Wrap!!!

Times eaten fast food this week = 0
Total pledge amount this week = $35 (7 days * $5)
Total pledge amount to date = $540 ($600 contributed to date)
Funds raised to date = $3070

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And so the fundraising comes to a close and I just squeaked by the required amount! Whew! That was close! But a very special thanks to everyone who contributed to my cause and to support Ava and all the other NF fighters out there!

(Photo credit: https://herdfoundationnagpur.wordpress.com/2015/01/12/international-thank-you-day-january-11/)

And while the fast food challenge comes to a close, I think I'll plan to keep up the strong work and resistance to this indulgence as much as possible. At the start of the challenge, I weighed it at a respectable 175 lbs but with a rough 20% body fat, not exactly great triathlete numbers for a guy only 5'7". Given the change in diet and the extraordinary amount of training, I weighed in at a much leaner 170 lbs with only 15% body fat. So 5 lb net loss but also a 5% change in body composition means some pretty darn good gains! Hopefully I can avoid any holiday weight gain and keep trending upward for next season!

Today I also finished my last big brick for the season. About 3 hours of biking and 5 miles of running. It was a little rough as I went to my good ol' hills in Palos Verdes. IMFL won't have any hills, but I wanted to hit up ol' Faithful. And you can see why!

But it's been a great, character building journey of first finding my lows and the depths of my struggles, pulling myself from those depths and rising to new heights as an athlete, as a person and translating that newfound confidence and zest for life to all aspects of my life.

I also can't thank CTF enough for giving me the opportunity to partner with them and raise awareness for NF! And then partnering with just the sweetest little girl in Ava who is fighting her own amazing fight! I mean she is my great inspiration. In those dark depths, I dug deep and mentally asked myself why I couldn't continue. Why I couldn't fight through pain or fatigue because Ava fights through so much more every day! And so she has been my motivation to continue pushing forward, pushing for excellence and just pushing to be the best of me!

This journey has been crazy and now I'm exactly 2 weeks away from Race Day! I can't wait!!!!