Going to be warm one outside this evening at the Inverness Patriotic evening! Bring lots of cool drinks and watch the Firefighters run on treadmills! 5pm-9pm.

Interview with the Chronicle!

I had a great interview with Nancy from the Citrus County Chronicle yesterday! I hope everyone has a chance to come see what we will be doing at the Inverness July 3rd Celebration. We will have goodies for the kids and information for the adults with questions about burn prevention. If you would like to donate, you can do so on the active site or just come by and cheer on the runners July 3rd and put a little cash in the boot!

Feel compelled to donate?

If you feel compelled to donate to the IAFF Burn Foundation, follow the link and you can donate using your credit card! http://www.active.com/donate/IAFFFdnMain2012/anthonytheironman

July 3rd Patriotic Evening in Downtown Inverness

Come out and Celebrate our freedom in Downtown Inverness FL on July 3rd from 5-9:30pm. There will be music, vendors and fun for kids.

Citrus Sheriff Fire Rescue's Tower 1 personnel will be on site showing off equipment and raising money for the IAFF's Burn Foundation. All proceeds will go to burn survivors in the regional area as well as some nationally. Money will be collected at the booth next to the truck where Driver Engineer Anthony Seguin and some of the other Citrus Sheriff Firefighters will be running and cycling to raise awareness for burn victims.

Hope to see you there!

Amazing story of a true Hero!

FDNY Fire Fighter Robert Wiedmann, Critically Injured in December Blaze, Walks Out of HospitalNew York Daily News (03/23/12) Schapiro, Rich

New York City fire fighter Robert Wiedmann walked out of the hospital March 23, three months after he was critically injured in a raging house fire. The 14-year fire fighting veteran was injured Dec. 19 while fighting a blaze on the top floor of a three-story home in Prospect Place in Brooklyn. To escape flames that were engulfing him, Wiedmann leaped headfirst out of a window onto a ladder that was extended just below him, where fellow fire fighters beat his body to smother the flames. Wiedmann's doctor said he suffered burns on more than half of his body and underwent more than 10 surgeries. "He couldn't be here today without the fortitude he's had to get him through this," said Dr. Roger Yurt, the director of the Hearst Burn Center, where Wiedmann was admitted and treated.

Finished St. Anthony's Triathlon

St Anthony's was the first race of the season! The Pro's were out in high numbers, age groupers were primed and ready to race! I felt pretty good despite what seemed like lack of preparation. We lined up in the water about chest deep, and off went the bell! All swim starts seem to start with some amount of chaos, and this was no different except I was in the Clydesdale division and everyone topped at least 200 pounds and most were well above 6 feet tall! I felt good through out the swim, the bike went smoothly, and the run I averaged a 10 min mile! My overall time was 2:56. I felt good for the most part, definitely could improve in a couple of areas! Great start to the season and ready for the next race..... Which is to be determined!

Been a while since the last post, but the training has not stopped! I will be competing at Saint Anthony's Triathlon in St Petersburg at the end of the month! Can't wait for the first triathlon of the season! More to come soon!

Florida Burn Camp Link

Hey everyone, here is a link to one of the burn camps located here in FL. They do some really amazing things with traumatized children burn victims. They have slip-n-slides, rope courses, camp fires with lots of smore's! It is an exciting week for these children. Check it out!

http://childrensburnfoundationoffl.com

6 mile quick ride to the park and back with Ethan in the bike trailer! 30min total time 1/4 mile intervals at about 18 mph on a mountain bike! Run this afternoon!

Fire and Burn Injuries.....

Here is an interesting fact....

Fire and burn injuries are the second-leading cause of accidental death in children ages one to four, and the third-leading cause of injury and death for those ages one to eighteen.

Donation Website is up!

I have created a donation website on active.com. You will be able to donate using your credit card, so no need to send the big checks to me! Here is the link to the website:

http://www.active.com/donate/IAFFFdnMain2012/anthonytheironman

Workout of the day..... 4 x 800m sprints held within 30 sec of each other. Posted times of 4 min, 3:35, 4:30, and 4:45. Felt great but the cold air on the lungs is a killer! It was only 70 degrees! Loving it!

Ironman Florida..... Say what!

Ironman Florida hear I come! This blog will not only document my trip to and from the race, but it will document the many challenges and rewards of training for such an event. I can't wait to challenge myself on a whole new level. When I signed up for the race, I immediately started planning my training schedule and my triathlon season that would lead me to the FL Ironman! After all the hype and excitement, I started thinking about why I really wanted to compete in the Ironman. After all who wants to swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, and run a full marathon all in one day??? Am I really up to the challenge? Can my body actually handle the abuse of being on the move for the 13 + hours it could take to finish? Iam sure it can, but what else am I looking to accomplish by competing in this race? So, after a few prayers and thinking about how I can impact others while still challenging myself, I came across an article in an IAFF magazine that showed other firefighters raising money for the IAFF Burn Foundation. The Burn Foundation raises money to help burn victims across the nation by providing grant money to develop new ways of healing burns and putting on camps for children who have been burned. I am a firefighter just like these other participants, and I am always teaching others about fire safety and preventing burns; so I decided that I could best help others via my goal of completing the Ironman by fundraising for the Burn Foundation. Now, I not only have a goal of completing the Ironman, but I have a purpose, raise as much money as I can to help impact another persons life after going through such a traumatic experience, such a being burned. I hope you enjoy reading about my adventure to becoming an Ironman and also my fundraising for the IAFF Burn Foundation!