Wrapping up 240 miles of running in two weeks

The title of this blog post makes it all sound much easier than it was. It was not easy. BUT, I made it much easier on myself than it could have been. I'm lucky to have finished the challenge injury free. And I feel blessed to have such great support around me to help make this possible, and also those that helped reward my efforts by "giving" to Open Meadow Alternative Schools. To all of you, I thank you so much. It means a lot to me to be able to share with you the joy in giving back to such and incredible organization. An organization that has not turned their back on me from day one. An organization that has helped me way more than I have been able to help them. I only hope I can continue to give some of you at least a glimpse of the passion at Open Meadow that has been able to breed such strong, successful members of our community. Kids that had everything going against them, against all odds....and they came out of high school with a smile and all the momentum in the world. Please people, don't overlook programs like Open Meadow that help guide the youth in our community. They are our future.

After steadily chipping away at 120 miles of running in the first week of the challenge, week two started off slow. Here is how it went:
MONDAY- I just had to take it off! I knew I had to have a recovery day in order to make it through this challenge in one piece. So this ENTIRE day was spent on the recliner (thanks to my wife for understanding my laziness)
TUESDAY- Well, now I am going to have to average 20 miles per day for the next six days to hit the goal. Well.....I was able to get 6 miles in on the treadmill early in the day. Then after work I just didnt have it in me to run 14miles. So I ran 8miles (2mi treadmill run, 190 pushups, 2mi tread run, 100 squats, 2mi run, 220 situps, 2mi run)
WEDNESDAY- I cannot remember how the mileage was broken up but I only did 16miles this day as my energy and legs were just zapped. I knew at the end of the day, that I was in for a super challenging next four days to hit my goal.
THURSDAY- Got a second wind as I got word of some donations for my efforts (Thanks you Pops and Grandma & Grandpa Monda). Running started at 4pm- 4miles on treadmill, 30minutes rest, 4miles on treadmill, 30minutes rest, 4miles on treadmill, 30minutes rest, 4miles on treadmill, 30minutes rest, and 4more miles on the treadmill... dones at 830pm with 20miles on the treadmill and a lot of sweaty dirty running clothes and towells to wash!
FRIDAY- 7mi run in AM with my buddy Big Aaron. And 13mi run in PM with Paul Shoen (who also informed me he was going to donate for my efforts).
The weekend- 50 miles still needed to hit 120 for the week, and 240 in two weeks

SATURDAY- Started the day off with Energy Event's Earth Day Run, 5miler. My father in law was running in his second ever running event, so I had to be there for both him and my sponsor Energy Events. The plan was to run a steady run (maybe 630/mi to 7min/mi pace). But when the event started, a guy took off running 5:45 pace while juggling at the same time! I tried to keep from letting a Joggler, win the race, but this guy was smooth and I couldn't keep up with his pace after 3 or so miles (legs were really hurting at that pace for me). Turns out him and his wife (who also won the race for the women) are WORLD RECORD HOLDERS for Juggling and Running at the same time. Cool stuff.
After I came in 3rd place, running around 5:56 pace, I did the 5mi course again at a slower 8min pace. Then when I got home I had to turn around and run 10miles, to finish the day with 20 total. Legs pretty damn sore and stiff at this point!
SUNDAY- Final day. Big Aaron drove me out and dropped me off at the end of Wildwood trail, and I ran the ENTIRE 30mile trail non stop to get my miles in for the day, the week, and the challenge was over. I did it! Thanks to running buddy John Parsons for running with me from miles 2-12 of the trail. And Big Aaron, for meeting me with about 9miles to go on Wildwood and helping me gut out the those last painful miles!


I'm happy to say I brought in a little under $2k for Open Meadow Alternative Schools for all this running I did. Thanks to the following:
Athletes Lounge- $1k
Pops Monda- $250
Grandma & Grandpa Monda- $250
Grandma & Grandpa Nordstrom- $120
Paul & Annie Shoen- promised donation
Jaysun & Dana Pyatt- promised donation

I also really want to thank my sponsors this year:

Gu Energy- wow, time to restock already. Could not have made it through this challenge with out all the Calories, Carbs and Protein you have blessed me with!

Energy Events- Its about game time- VANCOUVER USA MARATHON- Ready to get focused and race ready for this classy local event.

Portland PACE- (Title sponsor of my tri team P.A.C.E. Multisport)

My beautiful pregnant, understanding wife- Ashley Monda. Thank you baby.. Now its time for you to stop taking care of me, and I can take care of you...since you are after all 17 weeks pregnant! :-)

Thanks again everyone. As my best friend, and Open Meadow's Step Up Advocate (Roosevelt High School), Drew Holguin says: "Teamwork to make the Dream Work"

There are still seats and tables available to the GotGame? Open Meadow fundraiser trivia event: HERE 

-Josh Monda
1999 Open Meadow Graduate
Current Open Meadow Board Member

120 miles complete, halfway there

Running 120 miles in a week, is a long time to be out on the road (16 hours of running). You see a lot, and you think a lot (I ran 116.5 of these miles completely solo). About half way through the week, I saw a kid getting arrested and put into the back of a police car while on my run.  He must have been 15 or 16 years old. We'll call him "Junior". I have thought a lot about Junior during my runs these last couple of days. I have wondered what he did (there were two other cop cars there, so it could have been serious). I wondered what his home life has been like. Who are his parents?  Is he a run away? Does he have solid support in his life? Does he have positive role models? IS HE GOING TO BE OK? I think so much about him now, because I likely wouldn't have been running in that area, if I wasn't out exploring and trying to tick off the running miles. I'm only really running this many miles, to help support the organization who's board I serve on. I only serve on that board because I have stayed in contact with the organization for years, and spoke on their behalf at other events. I only spoke on their behalf because at one time I was "Junior". That was me sitting in the back of a police car. It does not make me happy to think about how I used to be. Not a day goes by in my life that I don't reflect (and regret) on the terrible mistakes I made my 8th and 9th grade years. I was a lost kid, mad at the world, didn't give a crap about anything if you had asked me back then. But, I still had potential somewhere deep down inside. And Open Meadow was able to help pull that potential out of me. The staff at Open Meadow were able to help me navigate through all the adversity and disadvantages that had been dealt to me...and that I had dealt myself. I would start to grow up and eventually graduate high school a whole year early. Eventually I would use the lessons I had learned to become a top salesman for a nationwide organization, buy two houses, start my own business and help create jobs for 8 other people working for me. I found an amazing wife who is now carrying our first child and am learning how to be a great husband and father.
My best friend (since kindergarten), Andrew Holguin, was also "Junior". Andrew like me was lucky enough to find Open Meadow at the right time. Andrew would go on to graduate high school. He went on to graduate Portland State University (spending one whole year studying overseas in Spain). Andrew now works for Open Meadow's StepUp program at Roosevelt High School as an Advocate. Andrew's life is dedicated to helping other kids who were just like us discover their true potential and realize what they can become. We NEED programs like Open Meadow around to help bring out the best in our kids.
This is why I am running....

Thursday- 17miles- 3miles in am @ 8min pace. 8 miles after work @ 8min pace. 6 miles after dinner @ 8min pace
Friday- 17miles-  4 miles before lunch @ 7min pace. 3.5miles on treadmill @ 8:30 pace early afternoon. 6 miles outside mid afternoon @ 8min pace, 3.5miles after dinner @ 830 pace on treadmill
Saturday- 20miles-  9 miles in am on the trails @ 7:20 pace. 7miles @ 8min pace in the afternoon. 4miles early evening @ 8:30pace on the treadmill.
Sunday- 20miles- 13mile run in the morning (3.miles with big Aaron). 7 solid @ 7min pace miles late afternoon to hit 120 for the week!

Notes:
-I went through a few dark patches the last few days. I was just TIRED of being out and moving and the miles seemed to be going by slowly. This was not easy at all.
-As I said previously, I stayed in the aerobic zone and didn't do any speed work this week. This has helped me NOT get injured, but it has also made the challenge tougher mentally as I didn't have any intervals to break up the monotony.
-Originally, I thought I was going to be doing a bunch of running with other folks to help keep me company. This would have made the miles go by easier. But, as I got through the week and started to get more and more tired it seems so much easier to just "get the run done" and not spend energy trying to coordinate runs with others. If I am going to make it through next week, there is no way I can do it again on all solo running.
-Ice and Stretching are ooooh sooo important!!!
-Running 3-4 times a day you go through a lot of laundry and a lot of clean towels.

That is all for now. Tired, but happy.

-Josh Monda

Your gift of $25 buys nutritious snacks for 20 middle school students before testing.

100 total miles total run for the week.

Very tired! Will have more to post tomorrow, after I get my last 20 in... In the meantime, check out Vinnie:

Gates Millenium Scholar

Summer 2009
Vinnie can afford to speak softly. His accomplishments speak for themselves. [Enrolling in Fall 2009] at Chicago’s Columbia College, one of the top music business schools in the country, he brings something to the table, having performed around town with his hip-hop group, Turf Noize.
“I want to be a record producer,” he says. “I’m gonna do that.”
Vinnie has that kind of confidence. He’s been an accomplished athlete as well as a high-performing student at Roosevelt’s math and science-oriented POWER Academy (3.50 GPA). He also has left an impression on the youth of his St. Johns neighborhood, having mentored and taught children at James John Elementary School for three years.

“That’s the best part of my day,” Vinnie says. “I just like kids.”
For all of his self-assurance, Vinnie still marvels remembering the day [in the spring of 2009] when he learned he’d become a Gates Millennium Scholar, which will fund his post-high school education.
“It doesn’t happen to people from St. Johns,” he says. His mentor, Hanif Fazal of [Open Meadow’s] youth empowerment program Step Up, says such things do happen to young men like Vinnie, who walked a straight path even as friends veered toward trouble.
“He is an example of what is possible,” Fazal says. “He has made a lot of great choices along the way and learned from some of the wrong choices.”

Your gift of $250 buys materials, supplies, and transportation for service learning activities for 24 students for a school year.

Three days in...46miles ran...194 to go for Open Meadow

Gov. Visits Open Meadow yestereday
http://openmeadow.org/open/meadow/blog

When I first started going to Open Meadow at the age of 14, I had been out of the public schools (expelled and  a runaway) for the first third of my freshman year in high school. When I first attended Open Meadow I wasn't magically transformed overnight into a student that had a "vision" and "goals in life". I was just going there because my probation officer ordered me to go there. I still didn't REALLY want to go to school every day. It would be a little bit of a process before my motivations in life would shift, but it did happen towards the end of my freshman year and into my sophmore year at Open Meadow. But my point is, during that initial phase of getting back into school and getting my life on track, my relationships, and bonds and respect was so great for the staff at Open Meadow (especially my Advocate, Holly) So, many days that I wanted so bad to revert back to the old ways of cutting class, I would show up just because I didn't want to let Holly down. I would show up because I knew how much Holly cared. Because of how close I was with the staff at Open Meadow, is a huge reason why I am where I am today. It is these close personal relationships that the staff builds with our students, that really fuels this program.


Ok, here is my total miles for each of the first three days of the challenge:
Monday- 17 Miles total- Slept through my 430am alarm in the morning and I was really annoyed because I wanted to get 5 or 6 miles out of the way early. I also know there is no way my body will be able to take 240 miles of mostly long 13+ mile runs for two weeks. I need to break it into manageble chunks of 2-3 runs per day (hopefully 3). Anyway, I went for a 14 mile run at 7:30pace right after work. And then logged another easy 3 mile run at 7pm at around 8min pace.

Tuesday- 13 Miles total- Woke up on time and got an early 6mi run in at 7:40 pace! Followed it up with a 5mi lunchtime run at around 7-720 pace. Had planned on running another 6 miles after work, but I just wasn't feeling that great and I do not want to push myself too hard this early in the challenge so I cut it to a short 2miles. I'm ok with this, knowing that I always have the weekends to make up for missed miles during the week.

Wednesday- 16 Miles total- Again wasn't feeling that great and was worried I might be getting sick. Got an easy 4miler in early at 8min pace. Then after resting up, and chilling with Ashley for the morning, I felt re-energized and got a solid 12mi run in this afternoon at 730pace

46 Miles in three days. Sounds like a lot, but in order to acheive my goal here I am going to have to have some stretches where I run 55 miles in three days! Should get interesting!

Couple of notes and observations:
-My legs feel fine...so far......
-I am pretty sure I am just going to keep all these miles in the aerobic 7:00-8:30pace through the challenge. While doing speedwork on the track would be nice to break up the miles and make time go by quicker, I'm afraid that it will fatigue me too much...we'll see
-I realized today that I have done all my runs on the concrete and asphalt so far! I HAVE to get onto the trails (and maybe even the treadmill) to make it easier on my body
-I need to run with people! I can't do this all by running solo. So I will start to announce some weekend runs and some weekday evening runs I will be doing from Athletes Lounge



Again, if anyone is interested in getting a table or even a couple of seats at the Open Meadow GOT GAME? fundraiser (at the Crystal Ballroom on May 9th), please email me (joshua@grindstonecollections.com) or you can just go to Open Meadow's home page (www.openmeadow.org) and look for the GOT GAME? logo to purchase online. This event was an absolute blast last year! And its for a great cause guys!!

Here is some recent press for Open Meadow that I am really excited about:
http://www.kptv.com/story/17380614/the-alternative-way-can-be-the-right-way  (the Gov. visits Open Meadow!)
http://www.portlandtimbers.com/news/2012/04/portland-timbers-community-fund-recognizes-recipients-girls-inc-and-open-meadow-school (Timbers are on board!)


Thanks for reading,
Josh Monda

Did you know?
A contribution of $500 to Open Meadow gives 84 high school students physical education activities like tennis, yoga and martial arts.

240miles for Open Meadow. Yeah, I Got Game

When I was young, in High School, the teachers, advocates and staff at Open Meadow Alternative Schools made personal sacrifices in their own lives to help keep me on the right path. They would help me outside of school, call and check in during non business hours, write letters and speak on my behalf during my routine probation juvenile court appearances. This kind of dedictation and sacrifice towards something that one feels "passionate" about has stuck with me throughout my late teens and early adulthood. Many of my characteristics to "stick it out", the never say die attitude and dedication were influenced on me during my years at Open Meadow. When you are surrounded by that kind of love and compassion on a daily basis, its hard to forget.....even 13 years later (wow, its been that long since I graduated). It is this type of devotion and commitment that is allowing Open Meadow to turn many of Portland's "at risk" youth into important, contributing members of our community for the last 40 years.

Starting tomorrow, April 9th, 2012 I will begin my journey to run 240 miles in two weeks! Athletes Lounge (Portland's full service Triathlon Store and TOP 10 Triathlon Retailer in America) has offered to purchase a table for 8 at Open Meadow's 2nd Annual Trivia Fundraiser Event- GOT GAME? from me for completing the challenge.
Thank you Athletes Lounge for this support, it means the world to me!!
I just love having this event that the school puts on annualy. Its great not just because its a super fun evening, but because its a great chance for me to show other important people in my life today where I came from. And why I give so much of my time and effort to helping and giving back to this great organization.

Run 240 Miles in Two Weeks?!!
Yes, it comes out to 17.14 miles per day. This is going to be an interesting 14 days, and I will try to update this blog or my Facebook page every couple of days on my progress. Instead of hammering out long 17mi runs every day, I will be shooting to run 2 (or maybe 3) times per day of around 5-7miles per run.
Hopefully this will help in my training (and not hamper it) for my big race on June 17th-- Vancouver USA Marathon
I'm not sure how hard this is going to be, but we will sure find out wont we?! If I need to take an easy day, I am going to be smart and take it....Lets just hope I dont have to run 55miles on the 14th day just to hit my goal! Stay tuned.......


PS- If anyone is interested in learning more about GOT GAME?- Open Meadow's fundraiser trivia event (it is a BLAST!), or just Open Meadow in general, please contact me joshua@grindstonecollections.com

31miles of runnin in the Mud!

I ran the Hagg Lake 50k Ultra Marathon (31miles) last saturday. Boy was this thing muddy. I pretty much ran in a thick mud puddle for 30miles. I had mud caked on the back of my neck, and even some of the squishy stuff in my shoes.

 Here is what I learned from my first time "racing" a 50k
1. 50km is a long ass ways!
2. For you Triathletes- competing in a 50k takes about the same time as it would take you to complete a half ironman....but you are running (or at least on your feet) the whole time!
3. 50km in the mud makes for a very long day
4. Do not underestimate the techincal aspect of a "trail race"- you have to have good balance and skills on your feet, know how to carry your speed, KNOW the course you are racing. I was not at all prepared for this and did most of my training runs on straight flat roads due to time constraints.
5. Falling hard and banging your left ankle on a foot bridge at mile 8 of the race can make it a long ass day!
6. Damn, there are some fast runnin hippies out there!
7. GU rocks as a 50k sponsor. There were Gels everywhere!! And they helped get my good buddy eric into the race at the last minute too! Thanks guys.
8. A lot more ultra runners than I would have thought (fast ones too) race these things with an Ipod.
9. Its worth crowding in and carpooling with a bunch of friends to head to race because you WONT want to drive after. Great race and ride fast Eric, big Aaron & Mountain Alex...and thanks for driving and taking pictures Kat!
10. People look at me just as crazy when I tell them I ran a 31mile mud run, as they did when I would tell them I raced Ironman :-)
11. Train on trails, a lot, if you plan on running a trail 50k. Train in mud, a lot, if you plan on doing this race.
12. You can never thank your family or friends enough for their support.
13. 3miles from the finish you may never want to race a 50k again.....3 days after your finish, you may be hooked!

Here are a couple of cool pics- #1 and #2

Race Results HERE
I finished in time of 4:21:xx (about 8:25/mi pace for 31miles). My overall place was 25th and I was 5th in my Age Group (first time racing in the 30-34 division). While I definitely had some issues out there, I am happy and greatful to have finished the day on my feet and in a decent time/placing. My ankle has been pretty swollen these past few days, but I am healing up quickly and easing back into some like workouts these last two days.
Thanks everyone for reading. It's great to be back at it. I am hungry (in more ways than one) and Excited for this year!!

-Monda

Ironman Canada

Well I have now trained and raced in three Ironmans now. All three races I've had some sort of issue and/or learning experience on the bike that ruined my "race for a Kona slot" but helped me learn a lot about myself and what it takes to be successful at the Iron distance.

I'm not going to lie, it has been extremely tough for me to train for Ironmans, run a new business (we hit hour two year anniversary on 9/1/11), be a good future husband to Ashley, get enough sleep, and more all at the same time. Part of me is relieved to have Ironman Canada out of the way and  I am relieved that I am not racing Kona in five weeks. I will actually get to relax, and have a vacation with Ashley that is not focused on "race prep" and keeping me off my feet!

The other part of me though...the competitive side...the really driven side...the hungry side....is of course constantly replaying things in my head thinking about all the "what ifs?". I'm anxious to get out there again and use everything I have learned in training, race prep and race execution to finally be able to nail the distance and do what I am capable of. But for the next year, it is going to be best for my overall mental health to take a break from IM and probably any out of the area long distance races. 2013 will be the next Ironman year for me.

Lets just get down to the race:
Penticton BC- Awesome town. Everything that it is cracked up to be. This town supports the crap out of the race, its safe, friendly, and the scenery is absolutely gorgeous! The race organizers really put on a fantastic event and I can see why this specific Ironman has always had the reputation of a "must do in your lifetime" race.

SWIM- 1:07:35(33rd in Age group)- Ow, did not expect this from my training, but I have come to expect it from my recent races. I have just struggled with keeping myself together in the open water swim. I had all the things in my favor, due to my bad eye sight: Sable Water Optics Goggles- these things NEVER fog..very worth the $50 price tag & a very simple swim course with tons of huge orange buoys every couple hundred meters----- But I just could not keep myself pushing hard and swimming like I do in practice. Granted I did get elbowed hard in the nose and eyes (about 10minutes in), I had to flip on my back to make sure my nose wasn't bleeding and let the water out of my goggles. After that, I tried to play the drafting game and felt I did a pretty good job of it...it just doesn't show on the swim split. Whatever! out of the water-
T1- 2:38 (about a minute slower than the pros, but faster than 99% of the people)- I got a pair of good strong college guys as my wetsuit strippers and jetted off into the transition tent. First thing I noticed in the tent was there were WAY  MORE athletes in there than any Ironman transition tent I have ever been in. Probably a couple hundred at least.... I passed most of them in the tent. And ran out to my bike.
BIKE- 5:29:44 on the race clock ( My actual riding time per my Garmin is 5:19:20)- FLAT TIRES SUCK! After riding smoothly through the field up to the McLean Creek steep climb, and then flying at only 220 watts through 40km in 1:00:00 flat--- yes that's right. I rode the first 40km at Ironman Pace in 60 minutes. Only a few years ago, it was my goal to  beat 60minutes in a 40km bike during an Olympic Distance Tri. This course starts out fast and I was happy and ready for the challenging parts of the course to show up and test us. I had moved steadily through the field and my legs just felt phenomenal! Then around 30miles in I heard the noise. THE NOISE. Yes, its a noise that all of us triathletes and cyclists hate to hear. I had a flat. This was my first flat tire in a race (half iron or longer) in  the 6 seasons I have been racing. Only my second flat in a race ever (I flatted at age group nationals in 2008 half way through the ride) But this was the first time I had to change a flat in a race, knowing I was up against the clock and watching hundreds of riders pass me up while I was on the side of the road......10 minutes later I was back at it...but I was concerned. I knew I was likely giving up 7-10 minutes to some of the top guys in my age group in the swim already...and to lose another 10 minutes meant I would need to execute the rest of my bike and then have the run of my life to get close to a Kona Slot. I carried on and tried to execute the rest of my bike exactly to our original plan. Climbing the two mountain passes in the race- Richter and Yellow Lake- was soooo cool! At times it felt like the tour de france or giro di itaalia with fans lined up on both sides of the street cheering you on! 100 miles in when its time for some long steep windy descending, I was very happy with myself staying in the aero bars most of the time and just being really aggressively aero going down hill. The last two miles through Penticton I just tried to focus on staying in the moment and getting mind right for the marathon to come.

T2- 2:54- Took my time here and just wanted to gather myself to go out and still "race" my marathon.

RUN- 3:48:55 (8:44/mi pace)- I started the run really wanting to still run my best possible marathon. I knew I had a sub 3:12 in me on an ideal day, and even on a hot day like this a sub 3:20 in me. I looked at the race clock and I was 6:43:00 into the race...Geez I thought, now its gonna be a serious challenge just to break 10 hours today....but I needed to go for it anyways because who knows what might happen to the athletes in my age group ahead of me... But I thought I might have some dehydration issues because my chest was so tight I could not breathe in deep...I could only breathe in short shallow breaths and had little side aches underneath my rib cages. I decided to take it easy the first 3 miles and see if my chest area would release a litte allowing more breathing freedom. The thing is my legs felt INCREDIBLE! I could tell my coach and I just nailed the race prep and taper and rest before the race...it did not feel at all like I had just ridden 112 miles. If only I could breath, I thought to myself.

At mile 3 things were not all that much better on the breathing front, but my legs just felt so good....I thought of Ashley and my family back home watching and tracking the race, and all my friends, training partners, competitors doing the same back home, and my coach....I said the hell with it and decided to just turn my body loose and start nailing my Marathon Pace. I was running 7:15/mile from miles 4-10 and it was great! This is the first time I have been able get into my groove on the run in the three Ironman marathons I have done. I was passing people left and right, it felt easy on the legs (still hard to breath but who cares about breathing if you are gonna get a kona slot?), and I was getting all kinds of Props and Kudos from Athletes and spectators on the course. 6 miles in I saw Chris Bagg running the other way 4th overall in the Pro Race! I was soooo Pumped for him. It was the coolest moment of the day for me. (Chris is a local pro athlete I have always admired and spent enough time with him and his fiance Amy (the super spectator!) the days leading up to the race to call them both FRIENDS now...., definitely good people to have in your life)---see Bagg's 4th place pro race reports HERE. Anyways, I kept plugging along, dialing in the nutrition, hitting aid stations and keeping my body cool with ice...at mile 10 or 11 it gets a little hilly out on the course and because of my breathing I decided to take it real chill up the hill. Just short choppy steps. Nothing to elevate the heart rate too much. Down hill I would pick it up a little, but found that the jolting and bouncing that goes on when running fast steep downhill seemed to bother my sideaches. Not too long after about 10-12 minutes before I was going to hit the turnaround I started to see my age group competitors coming the other way. i did the math and saw how far I was still behind them....at least 20-30minutes I figured. This is when I sort of lost the "fight" i still had in me...and I went into "just get to the finish mode". It was extremely difficult to deal with the breathing issues and the side aches when I knew I was just out there to get to the finish.... this is the hard part about when you always set high goals and expectations for your self. When you hit the goals you are on cloud nine....but when you go through what I was going through in my head those last 13 miles on sunday...well, I'm just going to stop talking about it now because its depressing! Anyways, a fairly uneventful  last 13 miles that I averaged in a dismal 9:15/mile pace. I did however have one of the team TBB Female pros (Maki Nishiuchi) running directly behind me from miles 15-20. She said a couple times "you are so strong!", lol, which was a good tactical choice of words to keep me working for her. She seemed to be happy letting me do the work in a head wind at 8:45 pace and I actually felt pretty happy having some sort of "purpose" out there on the course. I felt important. Here was a pro athlete using me to help her do her job, and I was running well enough for her to just keep running behind me. After 20miles she took off, I had done my job and she was ready for the last 10km push. I remembered in training how much I would imaging the moment where I would be 10k from the finish and how I would up the pace and leave it all out there. Its funny what Ironman can do to your motivation and competitive desire after 7-9 hours of laboring, sweating out in the heat....I did not care about anything these last 10km. I just wanted to keep moving forward and get this event done with. I got passed by 5 or 6 guys in the last couple miles...I did not care. I could have sprinted and flew past a 40 year old in the last quarter mile of the run (much to the pleasure of the encouraging fans) but what would that really accomplish in the long run?? What I was happy to do, when I got to the finish shoot, was go and high five as many of the fans as possible. I realized for a brief moment that what I saw as a disappointing day, was being seen as a remarkable accomplishment by so freaking many people out there....Sometimes I just need to be happy that I can go out there and do what I love to do...winning or losing, hitting goals or falling short...I still get to do what I love to do. And that is what is most important.

Next up- I still have my plane ticket stamped for KONA!! Although, I won't be racing on the big Island, I will be out there to support all the local athletes and have a blast watching the World Championships of my favorite sport. I am excited! What's more exciting? Probably that I am getting married two days later on a Kona beach to my best friend, biggest fan, and love of my life, Ashley. There is still lots to look forward to for Joshua Monda!


As always thank you to my huge support network- Ashley Bird (soon to be Monda), Pops, Mom, all my family and friends. Coach Ciaverella. All my Pace Multisport Teammates. Athletes Lounge. GU Energy. Open Meadow Alternative Schools. GrindStone Collection Strategies, Inc.!

Rev3 Coast Rica- Olympic Distance- Wish I was there! Yahoo for race season!

REV3CR 2011 - Pro Olympic Rev from REVOLUTION3 Triathlon on Vimeo.


Rev3 is a super exciting, well run race series. I'm really looking forward to the half iron distance REV3 Portland in July!!

My Running Tips

Here are a few things I try to remember to do when running. Keep in mind, I am not a running expert! I have however been a consistent dedicated runner since 2005, and have found some things that work well for me in training and racing  :-)

1. Move your arms faster to make your legs move faster! (This never fails. Our brains are wired so that when one arm swings forward, the opposite leg moves forward at the same time. Anytime I'm feeling sluggish in the legs, I just increase the tempo my arms are pumping away at, and it translates into a higher turnover in my legs!)

2. When running uphill, lean slightly forward into the hill and shorten your stride. (I do this in races all the time. All I know is it works for me. Using Tip #1 also works very well for this tip!)

3. Jam out! (Music helps everything. It makes the time go by quicker and helps keep you motivated---especially the last half of a 15-20mile run.  I probably run with an Ipod about 70% of the time. Pure runners may frown on this. And others think that getting too used to running with music will hurt you on race day when you dont have the tunes... But it has never hurt me on race day as far as I can tell. Come race day, I naturally replace my Ipod with adrenaline and pure competitiveness.

4. Acknowledge other runners, walkers, and dogs! (You dont have to say anything, just a simple smile and wave, thumbs up, or nod of the head. Some of my best runs are in areas where there are lots of other people, and I get to smile a lot)

5. Acknowledge Cars!! ( I always, always, always, wave to acknowledge a driver in a car that yields to me. We have enough stories as it is with Cyclists and/or runners getting hit and killed by drivers who "didn't notice them". The more we can acknowledge drivers and get them thinking about us and our appreciation for them, the more they will be alert of other endurance athletes out on the road in the future!)

6. Keep your eye on the prize! (Nothing helps more than being REALLY motivated. If you are training for a race, practice visualizing yourself on the big race day during your training run. If your are running to lose weight, visualize yourself on the beach or standing in the mirror with your shirt off or in your swim suit.)

7. Stay hydrated and fueled before, during and after long runs or before and after your short runs! (Enough said here!)

8. Dont be afraid to breathe! (Many races I find myself breathing harder than anyone else around me. In my opinion, if I am breathing harder, I am getting in more oxygen!  To get in some extra Oxygen, I breathe through my mouth AND nose at the same time. Try it!)

Have fun y'all!!
-Josh Monda

Oh, what? My blog! Crap, here's an update

Doin a crunch with Stella on me

Life has been goin good and busy and balanced these past few months. Ash and I have been able to save a little money, make good improvements to the house, and add a new member to the family. Its surprising how much money you can save by not eating out at all! Check out Ashley's updates here

GrindStone is starting to really turn a corner, and we are just a couple turns away from everyone who got in at the ground floor making big money...I can feel it coming! We still have a lot of work to do, but I am excited for the company and do not for a second regret starting it up 18 months ago :-)


In January we travelled down to Phoenix to spend time at my Corp office, hang with my dad and uncle, and race the PF Chang's Rock n Roll Half Marathon.  Thanks to GU for getting me signed up, it was a great to get in a good hard run down in the sun. I did not have a great race. My legs just weren't there that day and I hobbled through the last six miles, finishing over 4 minutes off my PR in 1:18 and change. It felt a little weird since I have raced a January half marathon every year since 2007 now and this was the first time I have not PR'd. What was AWESOME was that I got to run right next to Kara Goucher (US Olympian and US's #1 Womens Marathoner) for the first few miles before she took off on me. All I can say is its pretty cool running next to a celebrity runner that I have admired and watched on national TV for the past few years, and really fun running with the motorcycles with camera men on them!

Right now, in my spare time, I'm working hard to get my fitness back and shed off some of the winter weight I gained in the off-season. I think I gained more than previous off-seasons! Uh oh. The extra pounds are however helping to keep me motivated as I build up for IM Tx in May. I am also doing a few things different in my Bike training, and have made a big change in my swim stroke. I'm now (finally) starting to feel that itch to get out there this year and get 2011 race season under way!

Silverman Half Iron- The Final Race of the Season!

In this sport it is easy to work hard. Its easy to work too hard in many cases. The difficult part is accepting the fact that most everyone else you race with has probably worked just as hard as you. Sometimes I find myself cursing other athletes inside my head during a race. I get mad that the really fast swimmers have a 5 to 9 minute lead on me out of the water. I feel like swimming is just the "easy" part of the race for them, and I am left in their wake, getting kicked, punched and swallowing water with my heart rate at 190 beats per minute...hurting, exhausted! These "swimmers" then can go on to maybe bike just as fast as me, but can run 4-8 minutes slower than me in a half ironman and still finish in front of me. But when I stop (not a complete stop) to think about it, these guys have worked just as hard. Actually, most of these guys were swimming countless hours staring at the bottom of a swimming pool, day after day, week after week, year after year in middle school, high school and even college! I really respect the "swimmers" when I look at it this way. They put in their "hard work" years ago, and they deserve to reap the benefits. The same goes for those that ran and even cycled when they were younger. However, I can no longer call myself a "newcomer" to this sport. Silverman 2010 capped off my final race of my fifth season racing Triathlons......time flies when you are having fun!

Me and Big Aaron pre race

Silverman is a tough ass race! I was pumped to be able to race the course this year and get a preview for what the Ironman 70.3 World Championships course is going to be like starting in 2011 (and hopefully for many years to come). The hills on the bike and run are relentless. They never, never NEVER stop. This race  really puts your body and mind to the test, and I was ready for it on Nov. 7th

Before I go any further, I want to really thank everyone who supported me this year. My girlfriend, Ashley, has been so supportive and enthusiastic about my goals and drive to succeed it really makes everthing just seem so easy at times.
Pops, Mom, Uncle Terry, Grandparents, ALL my family and friends- THANK YOU for cheering me on.
Athletes Lounge- You guys have done so much for me this year, thank you!
GU Energy- You've stuck with me for 3 years now and I'll always be spreading the GU love.
Coach Ciaverella- I got all my faith in you man. Thanks for teaching me so much and helping me realize my potential.

SWIM- 33:54 (66th place out of the water): Yeah swim was rough and it hurt and I kept swimming of course. The start of the race was really cool, as we started under the pedestrian bridge in a fresh 65 degree Lake Las Vegas. Hundreds of spectators were up above our heads cheering us on before the horn sounded and then I began the usual routine of swimming over and getting swam over by people. I started out really REALLY hard like I usually do, and when I felt the oxygen debt kick in I fought the normal regrets and doubts that go through my mind as I tried to muscle through the water. But, as always, 5-10 minutes goes by, the field thins out and I'm able to get into a rhythm. I had a little trouble sighting and never really found anyone that I could trust drafting off of. I knew my swim fitness was not exactly where it would normally be in a big race like this, but I worked with what I had and was ready to get down to business as I pulled myself up onto the dock and out of Lake Las Vegas, 1.2 miles later.

T1- 2:28 (3rd fastest and only 7 seconds off of IM World Champ- MACCA, yes!)- Wetsuit strippers at this race. Sweet! Pointed at strippers, laid on my back and let them rip away. Passed maybe 10 or 15 guys in the transition tent and headed out and grabbed my bike. This transition area had a little 150meter hill you had to run up with your bike before mounting which made it interesting.

Going up one of the "3 Sisters"

BIKE-2:39:58 (21.0 mph) 9th fastest split- I passed maybe 25 athletes in the first 5 miles as I settled into the long hilly ride. I remember my shoulders and neck being really sore and stiff and I was not comfortable in the aero position for the first 20 minutes of the ride. But that went away, and I started getting my nutrition in and sticking to my goal watts. At about 12 miles in I got caught and passed on the bike by a sharp looking athlete. He didnt pass me very fast however and we ended up playing the pass and repass game every 15 minutes for the next 30 miles. This occupied my mind and made time go by much quicker. I was patient on all the uphills, riding up them in low Z5 watts at 65 rpms, and I would fly down the hills but also make sure to coast a little towards the end of each downhill. This is NOT a technical course. There are no trees and the downhills are pretty straight, so that helped me since I suck at downhills. I saw big Aaron on the two out and backs and timed myself about 4-5 minutes behind him both times. Still in striking distance, I thought to myself. At mile 38 we hit the "3 Sisters" (3 consecutive climbs, about 1minute in length and averaging a 15% grade) and I pulled ahead of the guy I had been riding with, for good. On the 3rd Sister there were about 25 rowdy fans yelling and cheering me up the top of the hill. It was sooo exciting having them there! I looked at my power meter and it read 550 watts....Ooops, just burned a match there, but it was worth it :-)  The hardest part of the whole day was the 5mile false flat immediately following the 3 Sisters, directly into the wind, on a lonely bike path with NOBODY in sight. The last 16 miles of a half ironman bike course is where I really start to lay the hammer down on the bike. While my power meter was showing the effort, the MPH reading was like 14mph! This is where one can really benefit from a power meter. If I had not been able to get that feedback,  I might have killed my legs trying to go 16 or 18mph on that section. Regardless, that 5 miles took forever. Towards the end of the bike there was a nice section of about 2miles downhill at 40+mph (the wind made it a little sketchy at times with the disk and deep dish front rim at that speed) but I went for it anyways. The last half mile I saw big Aaron on the run already. Crap, I thought, he must have put some big time on me at the end of the bike. I caught and passed one more guy, Michael Ingardia (last years overall winner), right before the end of the 56mile ride.

T2- In and out, and ready to go hunting!

Out onto the Run, Pops, Ash, Uncle Terry and Aunt Marilyn cheered me on. Pops informed me that I was in the Top 10 overall (I was 9th overall and 6th amateur) and six minutes behind Aaron. Big Aaron is my training buddy, but we are fierce competitors. So, of course, Pops made sure to give me those splits heading out onto the run. I love to see my good friend do well, and there is nobody else that I would want to do kick everyone's butt when I am having an off day.....but I was running for him, HARD!
The first mile of the run is all downhill, ran it in 5:20 and my body just felt great. Second two miles are all gradually uphill, and I was holding a steady 6:40ish pace that did not hurt too much. Towards the end of mile 3 I got the (oh "so familiar") cramps in my inner thighs. I've had them in EVERY SINGLE Half Ironman that I have done and I always get them when going uphill or shortly after a hill. As always, I just slowed to an easy 9 minute pace for about 30 seconds and patiently allowed the knots to disappear. As soon as they did, I had caught my breath a little and was ready to turn the burners back on. However I was a little concerned is that I was running so well but had not caught anyone on the run yet.... Mile 4 was mostly down hill. Ash and the fam were waiting for me there, encouraging me while giving me a split of only 3 minutes to Aaron. Good, I thought, I've gained 3 minutes on him in 4 miles so I must be gaining on others too. At Mile 5 I passed a strong looking guy, who just looked like he was going through a bad patch. I was too focused to say anything to him, just ran on. A half mile later I saw a tall guy up the road as we started another long uphill stretch. As I got closer to him I realized it was my boy. It was obvious by the way he was running, he wasnt having his best run. He seemed to be cramping a little, so I pulled out my pouch with salt pills as I had planned to offer him one when I caught up to him. Right before I caught him Macca ran the other way by us (in first place of course), smiled and shouted  "Good job guys"! Man, that was so inspiring seeing him out there!! As I passed Aaron I ran with him for 15 seconds or so, offered him salt (which he kindly declined), asked him how many in front of us and he told me maybe six guys. I took off on the hunt. It turns out at this point, halfway through the run, I was in 7th place overall and was the 4th overall amateur. I could see 3rd place up the road in the distance and he seemed to be running really well. I just kept my eyes on him, up to the challenge of catching and stayed locked in the zone. It is such a great feeling when running really well in a race. It hurts, but its a good hurt because you are making progress. Mile 8 came and it was time to really pick it up as this guy still had 30 seconds on me. My body responded. Still, I did not catch 3rd place until Mile 10. Right before we crested a small hill, I surged passed him...fast....and then on the downhill I just let it rip and turned my legs over as fast as I could. The last 3 miles were pretty uneventful. I was gaining time on 2nd place but could not see him and still  would end up 3 minutes back at the end. The last mile hurt bad. It was all uphill, and it was feeling hot outside, but I knew the finish of my season was right up the road and that I was about to cap it off with a great result!!...

They held the tape up for EVERY finisher at this race, COOL!

Final run split- 1:25:44 (only 2minutes slower than Macca and the second place Pro). 

Finish time 4:43:44, 1minute under the old amateur course record, 3rd place overall amateur, 6th Overall, 1st place M25-29.

Full Results here

For anyone racing 70.3 worlds next year, expect a finish time at least 20minutes slower than your PR, OR about 30-40minutes slower than your Clearwater PR, hahaha!

The race director puts on a great race at Silverman. All the Iron distance and half Iron distance athletes were treated like stars all weekend!

A little tired

Three days in Vegas prior to race, had me ready to drink immediately after the finish! Free beers by the way,  LOL

To me, the hard part about this sport, is no matter how well you train, how dedicated you are to the sport, on any given day it could be the day you've trained for OR things may just not go the way you have visioned it--You just never quite know until you put yourself out there. But, the thing I love about racing Triathlons, is when you have that day where everything clicks and you hold it together throughout the race. When you overcome the obstacles and adversity that is thrown your way throughout the day.... and you cross that finish line knowing damn well you left it all out on the course and there is nothing else you could have done, under your control, to go any faster. This is how I ended my season

Ashley being a good sport about all the sweat I'm dripping on her

Top 3 M25-29 finishers, and Top F25-29

Aaron and I both finished with AG Victories!

Next to come:

Holidays with Ashley, Gain 10 pounds, and look forward to starting 2011 with my new team Pace Multisport! Oh and for a recap of the rest of our Vegas trip go to our blog here

Nevada Silverman Triathlon this weekend!

Almost "showtime" in Vegas :-)   Ashley and I begin the drive down in the morning. Stay tuned for Race Report and a Trip Report on http://www.joshandashleysworld.blogspot.com/

Ironman Hawaii 2010 - Macca vs. Raelert

Tha past few months:

Yes, yes it has been quite a long time since I have posted. I haven't gone anywhere, I am still as dedicated and consistent with my training. But its been nice to take a step back from being so focused and competitive with the sport and hit the "refresh button".  Here is a recap of whats been going on since June, this is kind of long!

JUNE:

T1 at Ironman CDA

Pops, me and Uncle Terry, day b4 race

Ironman Coeur D'Alene- The day did not go exactly as I envisioned it during the hundreds of training hours leading up to the race. I needed to finish top 4 in my age group to qualify for Kona. I had an ok swim-1:06 (27th in Age group). I cruised through transition and quickly found myself on my bike rolling through the field. This was my first Ironman and my coach and I were just a tad too aggressive in our gameplan on the bike. While I climbed my way up towards the front of the race, I was burning a long fuse that was about to reach its end before I blew. At mile 90 of the bike I was on track to go sub 5:05 for the 112mile ride--way too fast for me. I started hitting the wall, with very low energy, lots of sweating, aching eyeballs, man it sucked. I putzed through the last 22 miles and ended up riding a 5:15 bike split (21.30mph for 112miles). This is not a bad time at all, especially for my first Ironman. However I did not evenly pace myself to a 5:15 split, I fell apart into a 5:15 split---big difference! And I still had to run 26.2miles after. A little concerned, I still flew through transition and onto the run course with the new game plan to run about 30second per mile slower than I had planned for the first 5 miles to see if my body would bounce back. It never bounced back. The damage I did to it on the bike was too much. I hung tough, and finished 5th in my age group with a time of 10hrs 10min 29sec. I ended up in the medical tent with 6 doctors trying to find a vein that was not too dried up to stick an IV in. I made the podium in my age group, got a cool trophy, but missed out on the World Championships by one spot, and walked away a humbled athlete with some valuable experience and much respect for the distance and my fellow competitors..... Coach has analyzed the data and we know what I am capable of come my next Ironman in May (IM Texas)

JULY
I took two weeks off of training and paying any attention to my passion and the best thing ever happened to me. I met Ashley (thanks for the matchmaking Paul & Annie). I cant put into words all the great things about Ashley and still do her justice. She is that great. Lets just say, she is the best thing that ever happened to me, she makes me a better person, she supports everything I am about, I support everything she is about, she balances out my life. Everyday I am thankful to have her in my life...I am in love...a new "passion & dedication" in my world.

Ash & I @ Lake Shasta

Ashley, her bff Ashley, and bff baby Mackenzie

On July 5th, I officiated my first wedding. My best friend Adam Rich and his new bride Misty Rich. What an experience! It was an incredible feeling playing a huge role in the most important moment of their lives. Cheers Adam & Misty!

AUGUST
With Ashley now a huge part of my life, I still was getting the training in, but did not have quite the "tunnel vision" I once had for Triathlon training and racing. I now had balance in my life. I really credit her for my race result at the Midsummer Olympic Triathlon at Blue Lake. I ALMOST broke 2hrs. But had a great race (biking 57:25 and running 36:16- both pr's at the distance) and finished 3rd overall, with Ash and her fam cheering me on throughout the day. Craig Dean has a great race recap here:


I also wrote a guest article, in defense of Alternative Schools in Portland that was published on the Oregonian website. You can see it here

By the end of August I was gearing up getting good training in and feeling fit to race another Iron distance race- Rev3 Cedar Point- which GU Energy had set me up with a "comp entry" into. All cylinders were firing! Then I got into an unfortunate bike accident that would sideline me for 3 weeks w/ a badly bruised left shoulder. To make a long story short, I crashed into an older woman named Shirley, who was walking down a bike path. It was the fault of no one, but we collided hard. She would go on to tell me "you are the sweetest man I have ever ran into"  :-)

SEPTEMBER
I will not lie, after a long season with a lot going on it has been a little tough to have the same "go get it" attitude that I had when I was training my ass off for the first Ironman. I never stopped training. I still dont miss workouts, dont party a lot and I recover well. But I honestly hardly ever lay in my bed at night and fall asleep visioning myself sprinting through that finish chute to take first place. Sometimes I find myself on my bike rides and long runs never even thinking about a race. I have always, always, ALWAYS thought about my races in training. Instead, I think about the future for Ashley and I. I think about my growing business. I think about my role on the Board of Directors at Open Meadow. This is a good thing, I am sure of it. This does not mean I am any less competitive. This does not mean that I have stopped Reaching, Believing, and Achieving in this sport. I think maybe I am just pacing my mental strength and saving it for race day......


OCTOBER
Beaver Fever Duathlon (Corvallis, OR)- 5k run, 18mile bike, 5k run
Thank you ATHLETES LOUNGE! Saturday before the race, Chris Bodreaux (co-owner and Pro Triathlete) offered a chance to win a new pair of Oakleys if I could beat two young guns (who were doing the race as a relay) into T2. All I had to do was come off the bike ahead of Dave (my go-to bike mechanic) after Eric Lagerstrom (a very fast young triathlete, with a remarkable racing resume) ran the first 5k. I really wanted to win this race, but I may have wanted those Oakleys more! I surged on Eric, Jaysun Pyatt and Joe Tysoe after about 1.25miles of pack running, and came into T1 with a nice lead in first place in 16:18 (5:15 pace). I was excited and motivated throughout the day to win this race wire-to-wire with my girl and her family there watching and waiting for me. During my T1, Dave (who was waiting for Eric to finish the run and tag him), yelled to me that he was going to catch me. I was also worried about my training partner, Aaron Jenniges, catching me on the bike, but I had about 90 second lead on him after the run. I kept my focus and hammered the bike at the front of the field. I rode hard up the two mile hill on the course and was determined to stay in first place through the end of the bike and get those Oakleys! Aaron had gained a minute on me and was only 30seconds down. Starting the second run (5k cross country course), I knew I would win the race and was thrilled about my new pair of Oaks I would be getting. I cruised through the fun two loop course, zigzagging through trees and around the school. The finish was 300m on the track where Ashley, her dad and brother were waiting, cheering me on as I broke the tape at the finish line. First win of the year.
 Vancouver, Washington athletes, Aaron Jenniges and Jaysun Pyatt rounded out the podium.

Eric and I on right, pre game smack talk!

and we are off!

Running hard into T1 (16:18 for 5k)

First into T2, I want my Oakleys!

Chattin' with the boyz after race

Next up is the Silverman Half Iron in Las Vegas on November 7th. This is arguably the toughest triathlon course there is. Next year it will be the site of two world championships, so there should be plenty of competition showing up to test out the terrain. Aaron and I will show up again, hoping to put Vancouver, WA near the top of the race results.