Warning: this is a family friendly blog but the F in team TMF is not so family friendly. While I will not expand on it you will need to decide for yourself if you want to read on or not.
I have introduced you to a number of the members of Team All or Nothing: those that prop me up and keep me moving forward.
Today I will discuss the other team I am on: Team TMF. The TMF stands for Tough Mother and I'll let you figure out the rest.
Team TMF consists of myself and:
Joe Hensel of New Hampshire. Joe is originally from WI; I worked with him briefly out of college. At my first race in Appleton in 2005 Joe was in the area for the Memorial Day weekend and doing the race. We chatted briefly after and have been friends on line and otherwise ever since.
Pat Graven of Jackson. I noted on the participant list for IMWI '06 that there was another guy from Mayberry (aka Jackson) doing the race and contacted him in case he was interested in training together from time to time.
Joe has done a ton of Ironman's over the years including WI every year it has been held. Last year was a first for Pat and I. So we had a ton of questions for Joe and he was always willing to help. At some point we decided we were becoming a bit of a team that needed a name.
Then came Memorial Day weekend 2006. Joe was in state for the weekend and the 3 of us decided to do the Mad City 1/2 marathon in Madison on Sunday followed by a bike ride of part of the WI bike course that afternoon. Race day dawned very hot and very humid. Like mid 90's for both. We all completed the run on a day that at some point they actually shut down the full marathon race due to running out of water and medical supplies. Then after a short break we went to the bike course and rode 50-60 miles in this weather. We then made our way back to Mayberry and had dinner at the Texas Road House in West Bend. Joe and Pat (mostly Joe) proceeded to eat more than the rest of all of us in the restaurant combined!! At some point during this fun and relaxing dinner someone observed what a tough mother of a day it was and Team TMF was born.
We have had a great time together sharing ideas, keeping each other up to date on our training progress etc etc. Joe and Pat are great guys and I am happy and thankful to have them as part of my circle. They both crossed the line well ahead of me last September but were there to greet me and we got a great picture together after. It is hard to descibe the feeling of completing a race like IM, especially on a day like last Sept. But sharing it with friends who went through all the same things is very special.
While none of the 3 of us is much of a potty mouth for some reason we communicate with a lot in acronym's (must be an internet thing) and most have a tendency to include an F in it. Much of this is a variation on JFT which is a term coined by triathletes when people get too far into the why's and how's and complications of training for this sport. JFT stands for Just F ing Train meaning just get out there and do something. Variations include JFTaper and JFRace and JFRecover. HTFU has been known to make an apprearance which stands for Harden The F Up, typically directed at one who is having a bad week training wise or about to embark on a long day/weekend. "Suck it up Princess" can be used in it's place.
This weekend is a JFTrain weekend for me; and it will be a big one. It is a JFRace for the other team members. Pat ripped it up at the Pewaukee Triathlon last weekend and will be racing at the Spirit of Racine triathlon this weekend; you can catch his results at www.spiritofracinetri.com later on Sunday. He is sitting out IMWI this year in favor of the Chicago Marathon in October but will be back for more in Madison in Sept '08. Joe will be racing the full tortilla (as you can see from his eating prowess above he's a full tortilla kind of guy) at Ironman USA in Lake Placid New York this Sunday; you can follow his progress all day at www.ironmanlive.com. Joe will be joining me on course at IMWI this year to keep his streak of racing IMWI every year alive. By joining me I mean he will be ahead of me all day.
Good luck this weekend gentlemen; JFR boys, JFR!!!!! And yes guys I will HTFU and get my JFTing in.
7 comments:
Well, Jeff, at least one of us does not have a potty mouth. Weather should cool for this weekend training.
Well Jeff, as your"Sainted Mother," while I can't condone your lapse into "potty speak," I must say at least I figured it out--your Dad needed me to explain it to him. What does that tell you about our minds? Sometimes certain emphasis meeds to be made. Yesterday I told a customer service guy where he could go. Keep on keeping on. Mom
Don't blame Jeff. It's really my fault. One day I rode 150 mi. in the wind, rain, and 55 degrees with no socks, gloves, arm warmers, or helmet out here in the mountains of NH, and I emailed Jeff and Pat "I'm the toughest mother #%@$&* on the planet." Otherwise, we're a very wholesome group of guys.
joe
thanks I wasn't sure that my recollection of how that term came to be was correct. Now that you relate that story you are right that is where it came from. I also recall thinking some other terms for a guy who would do that ride in that gear other than "toughest" :-)
I don't get it... Oh, right. I'm not that smart either.
but you can eat!!!
good luck this weekend
Ah yes, the 150 mi. ride........I believe that's when I realized just how much of a freak you are Joe. I think you had another similar ride scheduled for the day after the Mad-half as well? Nothing like the Roadhouse to replace all those nutrients and lost calories. Makes it easier to go hog wild when you're dining for free too, thanks Jeff.
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