4:30AM

4:30AM is early... Very early in fact. Twice a week, for the past month, I've been up and out of bed at 4:30 in order to get 45 minutes to an hour of swimming before work. 

It's a terrible feeling at first, waking up that early. Your not sure if it's the end of a long night out or the beginning of a very very long day. Either way, you get the instant feeling that you should still be sleeping. I can honestly say that I've really taken to the "Early Bird" role and waking up with the "chickens". 

It's become routine for me to pop up out of bed, get dressed, pack stuff for work, and make the 30 minute drive up to the Westside Aquatic Center in Greenville. I look forward to the exhilarating jump into the chilly 70 degree un-heated water of the competition pool. To some, this sounds a little nuts: jumping in a cold pool at 5:30 in the morning and swimming for an hour before working for 24 hours. To me, it is awesome. 

I've never considered myself a swimmer whatsoever but, like waking up early, I have taken to the role with a smile on my face. I've transferred well into swimming from my long-distance running background. I've found that, like running, I can get lost in my thoughts and get into the "zone" pretty easily. At first, all I can think about is my technique, my breathing, and how fast I'm swimming. I start to panic a bit and I just don't feel comfortable in the water. The moment of panic is just that, a moment. Like going on a long run, in only minutes I "zone out", relax, and just swim. My mind will wander and I'll start to think about a lot of different things: friends, work, Ashley my wife, my Mom & Dad, my brothers & sisters, anything and everything. Before I know it, my breaths are easy, my strokes are flawless, and I'm gliding through the water with ease. Consequently, after "zoning out" time has flown by and it's time to shower up and head to work. 

The invigorating morning swims have become part of my weekly routine and will continue to be until I hit the waters of the Ohio River in Louisville next summer. I had better get used to the 70 degree water now in September because, it's bound to be much colder in January.

Competion Pool at the Westside Aquatic Center - Greenville, SC

Ironman Foundation - Your Journey, Your Cause

As I stated in the introduction, through this blog I'll be sharing my fundraising efforts leading up to Ironman Louisville. Over the next year, I'll be fundraising via the Ironman Foundation and be racing for the American Cancer Society specifically. Through the "Your Journey, Your Cause" program, I will be able to raise funds for cancer research and support services for cancer patients like my Dad. Beginning in late November, Ironman will provide me a personalized webpage where I can tell my story and collect tax-detuctible donations for the Cancer Society. In the mean time, I'm still spreading the word of my journey and my cause for becoming an Ironman... So stay tuned!! 

Where my journey begins...

My journey begins almost exactly three years ago in the Fall of 2010 when my father, David Weber of Canal Fulton, Ohio, was on the verge of running two consecutive marathons in two days in the States of New Hampshire and Maine.

I vividly remember the weekend of Dad's "double", and the events leading up to the races. As I said, he was on the verge of running two consecutive marathons in two days in New Hampshire and Maine, a feat very few runners would attempt let alone a veteran marathoner. I had just started a new job 8 hours away with the Greenville City Fire Department so, I wasn't there to wish him luck personally as he set out on his journey. Although, I was able to call and talk to him the day before he left and I made sure he knew he had a cheering section down in South Carolina. In the weeks leading up to his races my Dad had been dealing with an issue of a small lump under his armpit that had begun to bother him. It was the size of a golfball, located just at the crease in his chest. His doctor pleaded with him to have the lump biopsied but, my Dad refused due to his impending races and the planning and preparation he had put in. Despite his doctor's pleas, Dad traveled to Bristol, New Hampshire ran the marathon on Saturday and then drove to Portland, Maine and ran his second marathon on Sunday.

One week after completing this awesome feat of running over 50 miles in two days, my Dad had the mass biopsied and was diagnosed with a rare form of Stage 3 melanoma skin cancer.

If you haven't noticed, I have been referring to my Dad in the past tense. Sadly, he passed away on November 3rd, 2011 after fifteen sessions of chemotherapy treatment, one clinical trial, and a short remission. The greatest guy I've ever known, died at home in Canal Fulton, Ohio, surrounded by his family, 13 months after running his double.

Throughout his life, my father was never into running or long distance endurance events whatsoever. He was a hard working electrical engineer from Orrville, Ohio who was married to his high school sweetheart, Mary, and had 6 wonderful kids - Terri, Rose, Brian, Laura, Scott, and myself Mark. He was a good hearted down-to-earth individual who was never afraid to take the road less traveled or take on a new business venture as a side job, such as photographing people's homes from the air and selling them a framed copy. My Dad was a great guy who taught me a lot about being a good person. He taught me to take the high road when someone else starts to loose their cool. He taught me to realize that there is more to life than personal belongings and money. He taught me to have a strong will and to see the job to the finish. Finally, and most importantly, he taught me that when a door opens in your life you take the opportunity and walk through it. For this I owe him a tremendous amount of gratitude and for this I miss him dearly.

How, might you ask does my Dad running two marathons in two days and a year long battle relate to me becoming an Ironman?  You see, his double marathons were not his first two marathons but, in fact his 15th and 16th overall. His ultimate goal was to run a marathon in ALL 50 STATES. He planned to travel across the country, see every state, run marathons, and live his life to the fullest. Unfortunately, his dream was cut short by the evil of cancer. His dream of crossing the finish line from sea to shining sea would never come to pass. But before his death in 2011, my sister Laura and I pledged to my Dad that we would finish his 34 remaining States.

I am proud to say that after three years of my own marathon running, I have added 5 States to the original 16 and 9 marathons overall. Only 29 marathons and a lifetime to go. No my Dad never competed in an Ironman, and no he never completed a triathlon but, his spirit of adventure tells me that he would have jumped at the chance. For that reason I will become an Ironman, for my Dad.

Dad at his 4th marathon the Sunburst Marathon, South Bend, Indiana - June 2009