Times Free Press Article

https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/business/aroundregion/story/2016/may/21/us-xpress-truck-driver-compete-ironmchattanoo/366794/

Pictures of the Ironman

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Who I Am, and Why it Matters

Every athlete toes the start line with a story. All of them are unique, each of them are inspirational to others, in some way.

I am a truck driver. I belong to a profession that is not known for the fitness of the people who stay in the industry for a long time. Wait, let me amend that. Truck drivers have a reputation for their fitness level, but it is not a good reputation. The consensus view, even among other drivers, is that truck drivers tend to be grossly overweight, smokers, sleep deprived, with more of a penchant for barbecue than a brisk walk around the truckstop.

The image is not unwarranted. According to a study performed by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health in 2014, long-haul truck drivers are more than twice as likely to be obese as the general population (69% vs. 31%). We are also more than twice as likely to be morbidly obese (17% vs. 7%), and to smoke (51% vs. 19%). We are twice as likely to have diabetes (14% vs. 7%).  All of this is taking place in an environment where federal regulations are growing stricter on just how out-of-shape someone can be, and still safely operate a commercial motor vehicle. Sometimes, though, it takes more of a wake up call than than the government telling you that you are unhealthy.

As a third-generation trucker, I was not surprised that when I first went into driving, I began to put on some weight. Driving is a demanding profession, and at the end of a long, stressful day I only wanted to grab a bite to eat and hit the sleeper berth. When I met my wife in 1989, and we started driving team, the challenges only increased. Driving around 22 hours a day, we did not have the time, nor the energy, to exercise and learn to eat right. My weight went up way past the point that I did not like what I saw in the shower-room mirror. I hit a point where my energy was low, my back hurt all the time, and I would get winded just by climbing up a few stairs. We decided to make some changes after a trip to Alaska in 1992.

A short hike will allow visitors to Exit Glacier, on Alaska's Kenai Peninsula, to climb up to the ice fields. The hike is considered moderate in difficulty. We wanted to see the ice fields, but knew that “moderate” may have been beyond our limits. We had always planned to get back in shape “someday.” For the first time, a possible adventure had come up, and we were not fit enough to enjoy it. Out of our frustration, we decided to set a goal. We wrote our goal on a piece of paper and posted it where we would see it everyday. We wanted "To be ready for whatever may be in store for us!" We began a journey that involved learning about nutrition and exercise. The small changes we made became bigger changes and then bigger goals. About thirteen years later, I set a huge goal. I wanted to train for, and run, a marathon.

Most marathon training programs call for building up weekly miles of running. I changed my priorities to suit my goal. If the truck was stopped, I was running. My weekly miles progressed up to twenty miles per week, then thirty, then even a forty-mile week. Although most runners would consider me woefully under-trained, I completed the Rock-N-Roll Marathon in Phoenix in January of 2006. Running turned out to be a great way for me to exercise on the truck. It was efficient, I could get my heart rate up quicker than seeing blue lights in my rear-view mirror. Running provided a great break from driving. Only minimal gear was required, so not much space in the truck was taken up with exercise equipment. Now I have completed five marathons, two half-marathons, a number of 5Ks, two sprint triathlons, an Olympic-Length triathlon, and I am about to try my longest race ever, a Half-Ironman. 70.3 miles of swimming, cycling, and running. Cindy and I still like to eat barbecue, but we make daily decisions to be active and watch what we eat.

I do hope my story is inspirational. Currently, it seems that if we drivers see a fit person driving a truck, we think he is new to the industry. We see a heavy person driving a truck, and we think they are a veteran driver.  If we see a four-hundred pound person anywhere, we think that they must drive a truck for a living.  I have a dream that we can change that line of thinking.

I would like to see a scrawny person driving a truck thought of as a brand-new driver.  A heavy person driving a truck will be thought of as a newbie, one who has not quite gotten it together yet.  When you will see a fit person getting out of their truck in running shorts, you would think that he is a veteran driver who has figured out how to live on the road.

Resources exist, and are being created, for drivers who have decided to make a change. We have to get the message out to them that they can make a difference in their lives. If I can do it, they can do it. If getting the message out involves swimming, cycling, and running around the beautiful city of Chattanooga for a day, I'm in.

A construction worker starts driving a truck, circa 1988.  On my way to over 280 lbs.

Finishing my first marathon, 2006. Back in 1-derland.

Olympic-Length Tri finish. Over 90 lbs lighter.

Cycling on the Road

The cycling part of the Half-Ironman is 56 miles.  The race in Chattanooga goes into the hills of Northern Georgia.  Did I say hills?  That's only because I am from Colorado.  They are mountains. The iconic advertising on barn roofs throughout the area does not talk about the view from Lookout Knob. It is called Lookout Mountain.  I think they say you can see all fifty states from the overlook, and you actually look down on the moon from the top.  At least that's how it will feel on my 30-year-old Cannondale, that I bought for $400 on Craigslist.

Cindy and I have kept a bike on the truck for years.  We have a tandem, and a folding Dahon bike.

We had gotten in the habit of looking for great  trails around the United States and Canada, places to park our truck and go for a ride.  We even started sharing the places with other drivers on Facebook groups like Truckin' Runners, Ride and Roll Cycling on the Road, Truckers with Bicycles, and have begun documenting them on Facebook group Trucker Trails and http://truckertrails.blogspot.com/
Running or cycling around the truckstop can be dangerous, smelly, and irritates other drivers.  Then again, maybe they need a little "encouragement".

I had to get in some workouts on the bike, though.  A pleasant ride with Cindy to Old Town Sacramento for dinner is different than racing youngsters with $6000 tri-bikes.

So I did.

32 miles in Sacramento CA

51 miles in Fontana CA

56 miles around Kent WA

65 miles around Denver CO

Am I ready? I have certainly tamed the mental beast a bit.  I know I can ride that far.  Now, as for running a half-marathon after...

Bugs are protein.  Protein is good, right?

Looking More like a Tri-bike.

Aero bars?  Who needs that nonsense?  I used to think that.  Then I fought a fifteen mile-per-hour headwind one day on the way back to my house from a swim workout.  I was a little tired, but I felt like I was riding straight up a steep hill.  Whew!

45 bucks on Amazon for these clip-on Aero bars.  I spare no expense!

We did a bit of adjusting to get the fit right.

Trail Running

Why incorporate trail running into a program where the race is not on a trail?  Because I like running on trails.  So much of staying fit while driving a truck has to do with the mental battle.  Driving is stressful, shippers and receivers often take more of your "workout" time than they should.  The days are long, and weather can keep you from getting out of the truck, if you let it. Anything that will help you look forward to moving is beneficial.  Heck, walk to the donut shop, if that's what it takes, but move. I can actually talk myself into wanting to get out and run, if I can find something, anything, that appeals to me.  Trails are great for looking at plants, wildlife, scenery, and they are car-and-truck free!

Desert running with my sweetheart near Chiriaco Summit CA

Ocotillo are fascinating. Many of them were blooming this rainy day.

Cindy likes the downhill part.

Serious trail running means dodging mountain bikers on single-track trails through the woods.

The Shawnee Mission Trail System, near Kansas City.

Ahhhhh...

Good thing there was a four-inch tall photographer in the woods.

Swim Workouts on the Road

Driving through Florida, I often look at the inviting lakes and streams, dream of going for a swim, and then wonder how you can tell if there are any alligators in a particular lake.  I assume that the people who live there know where to swim, and where not to swim, but to us travelers, it can be a mystery.  A mystery you don't want to solve by getting nibbled on by a ten-foot long prehistoric critter.

The swim part of the Half-Ironman is 1.2 miles in open water.  In a 50-yard lap pool, that is about 42 laps.  The first time we got home I swam 1.6 miles in about 70 minutes in our local recreation center.  I also got in a mile at a YMCA that is across the street from a truckstop in Weatherford, Oklahoma.  I wanted to get in some kind of open water swim, and kept looking on Google, and Google Maps for places to go.  We have observed some swimming areas near truckstops over the years.  There is the Columbia River, near Troutdale, Oregon.  Also the lake near the TA in Sparks,Nevada.  The state campground is right across I-15 from the Flying J in Willard, Utah.  This early in the year many of the swimming areas are not open yet, because it is too cold to swim.

We had a day off, waiting for a load, in Sacramento, California.  Cindy agreed to run with me down to the Sacramento River, wait while I swam, and run back with me to the 49r Travel Plaza where we were parked.  I found a website that had river temperature information on one of their links.  The river was 58 degrees.  Sounded chilly.  The Chattanooga River is supposed to be 72 degrees during my race.  Sounds nicer.  As it turns out, 58 degrees is CRAZY chilly.  Not bad for wading, but I was glad Cindy was there to encourage me to get in.

I look like I am checking my equipment in this picture, but I am actually working up my nerve to get in the water.  BRRRRR!

Dang, when we get by home next time, I am grabbing my wetsuit!  I will also be praying for loads to Florida.  Maybe those gators aren't such a big deal after all.