Monday Morning Reflection – Inspiration vs. Motivation

This time of year many people go about setting New Year’s Resolutions, things like quitting smoking, lose weight and start exercising only to be forgotten once the calendar turns over to February. Why is that? Why are people who are so inspired to change something about their lives so easily dissuaded? The issue I see is the battle of Inspiration vs. Motivation. Let’s take a look at the definition of both words:

in·spi·ra·tion  /
noun
1. an inspiring or animating action or influence: I cannot write poetry without inspiration.
2. something inspired, as an idea.
3. a result of inspired activity.
4. a thing or person that inspires.
5. Theology .
a. a divine influence directly and immediately exerted upon the mind or soul.
b. the divine quality of the writings or words of a person so influenced.
6. the act of inspiring; quality or state of being inspired.

mo·ti·va·tion
noun
1. the act or an instance of motivating, or providing with a reason to act in a certain way: I don't understand what her motivation was for quitting her job. Synonyms: motive, inspiration, inducement, cause, impetus.
2. the state or condition of being motivated: We know that these students have strong motivation to learn.
3. something that motivates; inducement; incentive: Clearly, the company's long-term motivation is profit.

Looking at the definitions of the 2 words what stands out to me is that inspiration comes from an outside source and motivation is something more internal. Also inspiration seems to be driven by “What” you want to accomplish and motivation is driven by “Why” you want to accomplish them. So if you are inspired to lose weight after a holiday season of gluttony and excess but not motivated to actually join a gym and start working out, you are doomed to failure.

I can speak from personal experience on this, I knew I was gaining weight over the years, I wasn’t blind or stupid. Every time bought new pants and I had to go up a size, or what once was a drawer full of large and XL t-shirts became 2XL and 3XL and those larges became old rags I knew I needed to get back on the right track. I would come across a late night infomercial for P90X or some other home gym workout program and I would get inspired to join the gym again and start working out. But sure enough by the next morning, or a few days later it would be forgotten or as in some cases I would join the gym, go for a couple days or weeks, but soon grow frustrated with either my lack of progress or just the simple fact that I could not do the things I once could so easily. One of the most vivid memories I have of a failed attempt to get back into exercise was a time I was at the gym doing bench presses and struggling with 135 lbs, meanwhile the 40-50+ year old guys were not too far away banging out sets at 225-250 lbs with ease. This was incredibly demoralizing, especially since once upon a time I could bench press over 500 lbs, I used to warm up with what those guys were lifting and 135 lbs wasn’t even something I messed with. Inspiration faded quickly and the gym got a year’s worth of membership dues for about a week’s worth of exercise.

So inspiration failed once I was faced with adversity and struggled with my own expectations of success, what than motivated me to start my journey? Well if you have read my blog for any time you know that one of the biggest motivators is my sons, especially setting the example of a healthy lifestyle for them. But that wasn’t what got me started in the first place; it is what keeps me going now. What motivated me in the beginning was something so simple, I was embarrassed. Not for myself, well I was but having dealt with weight issues (or the perception of my weight) all my life it wasn’t anything new. What was the real kick in the teeth was I was embarrassed for my kids, and my wife, that they had me as a father and a husband, and it really hit home when we were on vacation in Florida the first time. I was that guy at the pool and the beach, the one who didn’t want to take off his shirt and when I did you knew why. I always hid my weight well with a shirt on, broad shoulders and a barrel chest helped out and I still had some muscle from years of lifting weights for sports, but when stripped of my only defense and cover against the truth of my weight I was exposed for what I truly was…obese. And I was embarrassed that my family had to be seen with me. That vacation was when I made the decision to change my life. Not when the doctor told me 6 months earlier that I had high blood pressure, borderline diabetic, off the chart cholesterol and was killing myself slowly. No that was only inspiration because I still didn’t care, in fact I almost even bragged about my condition to people when explaining it. It hadn’t settled in yet that I might not live to see my kids graduate high school or college or get married I was still living in denial. But on that vacation I was really faced with what my life had become, and I realized what I was going to miss out if I didn’t do something to change for them, not for me but for the people who counted on me. My family became my motivation, and being there for them for the long haul and not being an embarrassment to them, well not for my weight at least ;-)

At the end of this week I will set out my 2012 Goals, I don’t do resolutions anymore I set goals. A resolution seems like something I “need” to change, and if that’s the case I’m not waiting till the New Year for that. Besides goals are something to strive for, a benchmark of success, a challenge to conquer, and as an athlete that is much more motivating to me, I like challenges.

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday season...Until next time...do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.

Thursday morning blah's

Could not get up this morning, snoozed through my alarm by an hour and half, then I just couldn't convince myself to run outside even though it wasn't that bad out this morning. I couldn't sleep last night finally fell asleep sometime after 1am. Going to be a long day, lots of coffee in my future as I zig zag my way back across Iowa. Today's workout was pretty much garbage so it is going under the category of "workouts I did when I didn't want to workout", and hopefully the pay off is more mental than physical. I'm blaming my rest day, yes I took a scheduled rest yesterday which was nice, all I did was a light weight workout yesterday morning for about 30-45 min but it wasn't enough to physically exhaust me so when I did lay down last night I still had that antsy, nervous energy running through my body which has become a staple lately.

On the upside I did get to visit an old friend and her family last night, it was great to see them again, they were my second family in high school and I haven't seen them in 12+ years, which is really horrible since I've been traveling to the town they live in for over a year now and this is the first time I've made the effort to visit. Not sure why it took me so long, but I'm glad I finally did it was good to catch up and see them again and I look forward to getting together with them again soon.

Until next time...Do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.

Tuesday morning ride with Mickey Mouse

Got up early to do my bike ride the plan was for 10 min w/u, 8 x 4/2 intervals (4 min hard/2 min easy), 10 min c/d, increasing 1 minute per hard interval from last week.

Legs were still a little sore from the weekend but felt pretty good after the warm up, after my first interval my oldest son came walking downstairs, he's an early riser like his dad. I got him set up with a pop tart and he sat downstairs and watched ESPN with me. After a few minutes I could tell he was getting bored with football analysis so I asked him if he wanted me to find a cartoon for him and he smiled and said yes please, and luckily Mickey Mouse Clubhouse was on. Honestly I could have cared less what I was watching, it was the fact that we were spending time together, even if it was watching cartoons while I rode my bike trainer.

I've spent considerable time over the last few days hashing out training details and a race schedule for the upcoming year, I have some friends that are succeeding in talking me into doing a half Ironman potentially this next fall. This will require a considerable amount of training and my biggest concern is that it doesn't take away from time with the family so days like this morning will really make this process a lot easier, being able to work in family time with training will be the best of both worlds. Both boys lately have been non stop about wanting to run a marathon (marathon = race in their mind) and we were able to get in a couple runs this weekend together. For me they were a nice active recovery from the earlier running/biking that morning and for them they got to train with Dad which really makes me feel special.

This next year is going to be amazing and hopefully I do it right and it strengthens my family and the bond between me and my boys. Until next time...

Do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.

Tempo turned rest turned fun run

Today's run 4.3 miles 35:27

Did not want to do this workout today, I woke after hitting the snooze button a couple times and decided I was going to take a rest day. After sleeping in for another hour I figured I needed to at least take the dog for a walk, after getting dressed to take him for a walk I figured I'm going to go for a 30 min walk I might as well run. I'm glad I did! I had a 6-8 mile tempo run scheduled today but once I headed out the door I decided to just run, run hard, run by feel and ultimately not care about what "type" of workout I was doing. I realized when I woke up I didn't want to skip out on my run want I really wanted to do was skip out on "training" for today. It really felt good to just walk out the door and go with nothing but running on my mind, no pace to concern about, no distance to achieve, the only thing I was even remotely concerned about was being done around 30 mins. I am glad that I had this day, reminded me why I fell in love with running in the first place, and reminded be that I don't necessarily need a day off, but maybe just a day off from training and just do what feels good for that day, that is how I used to approach running when I first started and at times I miss that.

Until next time...Do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.

I need a plan

I've come to the realization that for my triathlon training I am going to need a plan, so far I have been doing run and bike workouts, I'll start swimming in January, and that is working so far. I know I'm going to need some assistance with swim workouts, I have no clue what to do in that department, running I feel pretty confident I know what I'm doing at this point and cycling I could use some direction as well.

I work best when I have a plan in place, when I know exactly what exercise I'm supposed to perform and how I'm supposed to do it. When left to my own decisions its too easy for me to cut a workout short or out entirely, if its on paper then its what I have to do I can usually convince myself to finish it up.

Next couple weeks are going to be spent getting a plan in place so I can execute come the first of the year. If anyone has any suggestions please feel free to pass them along.

Until next time...Do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.

Tuesday morning ride...

Watched the Ford Ironman World Championships while riding the trainer this morning, WOW talk about motivation and inspiration to push through a workout, kinda hard to give up after an hour on my bike while watching a double amputee, a cancer survivor and multiple 60+, 70+ and 80+ year old age groupers complete an Ironman. I'm not ashamed to admit that I shed a tear or two while watching and listening to some of these peoples stories. I can relate to some of the struggles that these back of the packers go through on a daily basis and can only imagine what others have to deal with (see double amputee or cancer survivor). I respect the skill and talent that the pro's have to do what they do, but the rest, the "average Joe's" the ones with day jobs, kids, and no corporate sponsors those are the people I respect and admire most. Then there are those that deal with all the daily hardships that we all go through but do it while also fighting cancer, or while missing a limb, these are the truly remarkable and the truly uncommon, these are the modern day superhero's.

Until next time...Do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.

Saturday Morning Brick Workout

So normally I would head out to run some trails on a Saturday morning, this time of year though that requires waiting for the sun to come up (lazy, good for nothing sun), and seeing as how we have Casey's secret Santa fund raiser at school this morning I had to get my workout in before then. Plus we are headed out of town to visit my relatives so my normal Sunday morning ride is on the shelf as well. What a perfect scenario for a brick workout!

Brick w/o part 1 - Run - 5.94 mi - 56:49
It was cold this morning, 8 degrees according to the weather app on my phone, time to break out the winter running gear. I already had my heavy duty pullover and warm up pants, but after letting Lucky out for his morning business I realized I was also going to need my face mask. I got myself all bundled up and head out the door, although it was cold it wasn't terrible since there was little to no wind. I learned last year that winter running can be very enjoyable if you have the proper gear. The worst scenario for running in the cold is starting out slightly cool and never getting warmed up.

As far as the run went nothing terribly special, just a nice 6 mile loop around the neighborhood, Lucky joined me and he seemed to be holding his own, in fact he seemed like he was pushing the pace a little bit. I get concerned in this kind of weather about keeping him out very long but usually at or around 10 degrees he's ok any colder or if there is a strong wind it's probably not safe for him (or me for that matter) to be out that long.

I finished up the run came inside stripped out of my layers and grabbed a drink and an energy gel and headed downstairs to jump on the bike trainer.

Brick w/o part 2 - Bike - 13.5mi - 45:00
Like all my trainer rides I'm merely guessing at the mileage based on sporadic cadence counts, perceived effort and the gears used. I started out pretty slow, legs definitely felt heavy after the run but once I got loosened up a bit I got into a rhythm. The best part about riding my trainer is being able to watch TV while I ride, it keeps my mind occupied while plugging away at the miles and lets me catch up on some of my favorite TV programs.

I had planned on doing an hour on the bike, but 30 mins into it I realized I was not going to have enough in the tank to get me through. Legs felt tired, which is understandable I've had a pretty hard week of training without a rest day since the previous Monday so I was on my 12th consecutive day of training, plus I added leg lifts to my routine this week. Tomorrow will be an easy day, maybe run for 30 mins on the hotel treadmill, or just take a much needed day off.

For the week I've totaled out at 4 runs for 20 miles, 3 bike rides for 56 miles and I lifted weights 4 times (2x upper body and 2x legs) for a grand total of 8 hours and 15 minutes. Ideally I would like to be around 10-12 hours for a week and peak at 15 hours once I start incorporating swim workouts in January. Getting all that into my schedule will take effort and some sacrifices like going to bed earlier and getting up early but that is half the fun and challenge. Living a sedentary life style is easy and frankly boring, being active and training is not only a physical challenge but a mental one as well, one thing I have learned is that to be physically strong you have to be mentally up for the challenge as well. Until next time...Do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.

Monday morning run

Today's workout Easy Run/Weight lift - 4.12 miles in 35:43 @ 8:40 pace.

Today was supposed to be an easy run for 3-4 miles and then 30 minutes of circuit training afterwards. Now an easy run for me is usually in the 9:45-10:00 min/mi range, obviously I didn't adhere to that this morning. I started out at what I felt was a comfortable pace, but I felt like I was flying when I looked at my watch after the first mile it read 9:06, which is an incredibly fast first mile for me, even during a tempo workout. I didn't feel like I was pushing the pace so I didn't try and reign it any, I just went with it. It was a very cool morning, 29 with a 10 mph wind out of the north making the wind chill around 20 degrees, and I tend to run faster in chilly temperatures, that is when I do make it outside.

I knocked out my second, third and fourth miles in 8:38, 8:31 and 8:25 and was very pleased when I stopped my watch at 35:43. I love running fast (well fast for me) and when it also feels easy its far more enjoyable. I often wonder what it feels like to be an elite runner and easily knock out miles at 5-6 min/miles, to experience that kind of raw speed and power must be incredible. I wonder if they even truly can enjoy it, or the way someone who's never been fast would. Reminds me of a t-shirt I saw once while running the Bix 7 the back read "In my dreams I'm Kenyan". Yeah, I'd have to agree, in my dreams I'm Kenyan too (or any elite runner for that matter) and I can run like a gazelle, miles upon miles, for hours at a time...then I wake up and I knock out an easy run in 9:06, 8:38, 8:31, 8:25...


Until next time...Do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.

Oh crap I think it just happened

I'm not sure but I think I might have just gotten sick. It's actually pretty amazing that it hasn't happened sooner...I mean after all I do live with 2 little germ factories a.k.a. my kids. I cut my bike ride on the trainer short this afternoon because I felt weak and light headed and I thought it was due to not eating lunch beforehand, but sitting here watching football after I'd eaten I'm starting to get the chills and a headache to go along. I will say I'm usually very fortunate, I may only get really sick once a year other than the common cold. Hopefully, if I am getting sick, this will be it for the season and I can get it out of the way before I dive headlong into triathlon training starting in January.

Post Edit: Well my rush diagnosis may have proven to be incorrect, thankfully. We had an early dinner due to Casey's Christmas play at church, Deanna made taco's (a family favorite). I ate ravenously, 4 large tacos and I polished those off with a couple of chocolate chip cookies we made yesterday. By the time we got to the church I felt 110% better and enjoyed an amazing performance by all the kids, mine especially. So I learned a lesson today, working out in the morning on an empty stomach = ok, working out in the afternoon on an empty stomach = disaster.

Until next time...Do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.

Love my dog!

If a picture speaks a thousand words than let me have 2000 please...

This is what my wife had to deal with last night while I am out of town for work, God bless her she has to deal with this garbage, pun intended. It seems like something like this happens every time I go out of town...which is almost every week.

Lucky is a rescue dog and had been passed around to a number of homes before finally settling in with us. He suffers from separation anxiety which is understandable considering his background. He normally is a pretty good dog, but like me he just seems to annoy my wife a lot. He's also really good with the kids and very protective of them, when I wrestle with the boys, he gets defensive of them and even tries to break it up. Not to mention he can be awfully cute at times...



Lucky has been a member of our family for nearly 2 years now, he has become my most reliable running partner, he can knock out upwards of 12 miles at a time, if the weather isn't bad, and still want more later in the day. I feel bad since I know some of his behavior issues stem from his attachment to me and when I'm gone is the only time he seems to act up. We have discussed possibly finding him a new home for him, but that would be like putting one of my kids up for adoption, I just couldn't do it. Like any family member, you love them always, but at times they can frustrate you, disappoint you and sometimes make you down right angry.

Until next time...do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.

Hotel Treadmill Circuit Workout

Today was supposed to be an easy run day so I decided to do one of my favorite treadmill workouts when I'm on the road and have limited access to exercise equipment, Treadmill circuits - run .5 miles stop do 25 push ups and 50 crunches repeat for 4-6 miles. I set the treadmill at 6.5 mph @ 2.0 inc, was going to stop after 5 miles but felt really good so I did one more round. Ended up at 6 miles with 300 push ups and 600 crunches during. Finished the workout with 30 minutes of upper body weight lifting plus lunges.

Last night I tried swimming for a bit in the hotel pool, talk about a wake up call. My biggest concern about making the jump to triathlon is the swimming, it's not that I can't swim, it's more that I don't swim. Oh I get in the pool and play around with the kids, but that usually consists of me throwing them up in the air and other horse play, no actual swimming is done. In fact I haven't actually swam laps since I was probably 9 or 10 years old when I took lessons and the occasional time in high school when swimming was part of the curriculum for P.E. class. I made it about 15 minutes for roughly 300-350 yards, I'm guessing on the distance since its not a standard lap pool. I was all over the place, trouble breathing, couldn't seem to coordinate my arms and my legs to move at the same time. I'm sure had anyone walked by at that time and say me they probably got a good laugh. After last night I may reconsider my approach to swimming, originally I was going to try and get in 2 swim workouts a week once I get my Y membership, but now I'm thinking 3-4 may be needed just to get my form down. I might even need to seek professional help from a coach, I will have to look into those options, at least in the beginning.

I have all the confidence in the world in my ability to complete the biking and running stages of a tri, I have the fitness level already to succeed in those two elements. Add in the swimming and it becomes a game changer, that is my weakness and therefore that is going to be my focus when I start officially training for Triathlons in January.

Until next time...Do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.

Week in review: Getting Back into Training

Man what a week! Monday started the 8 day sales event for my company that ends today, I opened a new kiosk location at the Wal-Mart in Anamosa, IA, had Thanksgiving, Black Friday and helped get the Christmas decorations up at the house (okay full disclosure here, the wife and kids did all the decorations while I was out for a trail run with friends, I basically put the tree up, hung lights and assisted with hanging of the ornaments). In addition to all that I eased my way (with all the subtlety of charging rhino) back into training. I was able to get in 5 good runs last week including 2 on trails as well as a couple sessions on the bike trainer for about 7 hours total of training last week. I am jumping back into it full steam this week starting tomorrow, after taking a rest day today (although I did lift weights after work), rest days are difficult for me anymore, I always feel like I need to be doing something.

I am super motivated to get back to training again, even though I am going to (try) and keep it somewhat relaxed till the first of the year, the holidays are such a crazy time both at work and with personal obligations I don't want to get frustrated if I miss a workout or worse get burned out. I have had the honor to meet and make some friendships with some pretty awesome people over the last year like Aaron Mauer, Jeff Paul and others through Live Uncommon who have also inspired me to do more and push farther, I have big goals for 2012...like:

1. Make the jump to Triathlon (QC Triathlon and possibly Hy-Vee Triathlon)
2. Run a Spring and Fall Marathon
3. Run a Spring and Fall Ultra - 50k (Hawkeye 50k - March 17th and Wildcat Den 50k)
4. Run a 50 mile race (Haven't found one yet)
5. Do more obstacle races like Warrior Dash, Spartan Race and Tough Mudder and still do all the local 5k, 10k, Bix 7, and half marathon races I can.

I know it is going to be hard to simultaneously train for triathlons, road marathons, obstacle races and trail Ultra's but I'm not doing any of these to win them. I'm doing them because I love being in shape an being an athlete again, because training and racing is fun, and it's my hobby and my therapy. I want to do them because if I'm not training for these things I will do something far less productive with my life like sitting on my @$$ watching TV, playing video games, drinking beer, eating like a slob and killing myself slowly all while setting the wrong example for my boys. I know I've talked about it before but setting the example for my 2 boys is one of the biggest motivating factors for me to keeping pushing myself. Don't get me wrong I love working out and I love training for races and competing and I certainly love how being in shape makes me feel, but setting a good example for my boys to follow, live up to and hopefully surpass is far, far more important to me. My legacy in life will not be how I finished in some race, but how I raised my children and the example that I set for them and since I can't sing worth a damn or paint a magnificent portrait I guess training, racing and living a life of fitness is what I got, God made me a beast of burden and I'm happy with that.

Until next time...

...do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.

Impromptu Turkey Trot and Saucony Peregrine shoe review

So we were supposed to go out of town to the wife's grandma's for Thanksgiving like we do every year, but we had to cancel those plans with our oldest son being sick. We didn't think it would be a good idea to travel 3+ hours one way with a sick child or very responsible to take him to an assisted living home and potentially get a bunch of people ill.

The bright side was I got to go for an impromptu Turkey Trot on some of my favorite trails. It was a good day for a trail run and I got a good 7+ miles in, even got to see a couple deer including a massive buck run across the trail about 20 yards in front of me. My dog Lucky was completely disinterested in the deer but as usual wanted to chase every squirrel and rabbit he saw, which certainly helped me keep up my pace.

I also was able to try out my new shoes, Saucony Peregrine, I have wanted to purchase these shoes for some time, but couldn't justify yet another shoe purchase when I had a perfectly good pair of trail shoes that had little miles on them and where still in good shape. So to say I was happy when I blew out some stitches and trashed my shoes during The Wildcat Den 50k would be an understatement. Since becoming a dedicated runner I have developed a some what unhealthy obsession with running shoes, I generally have anywhere from 5-8 pairs in my rotation and that could easily be more given certain circumstances like say more disposable income or free samples from manufactures for review.

Saucony Peregrine Shoe Review:

Looks: At first look these shoes are pretty sweet, definitely a cool looking shoe, I went with the black and orange version instead of the black and blue but both color schemes are good looking.

Fit and Feel: These shoes have a good fit, they are roomy enough in the toe box to allow my toes to move and splay out as I run but not so much room that my feet feel like they are moving around inside the shoe, which can cause blistering on long runs. I did notice some looseness in the heel cup and felt like my heel was popping up at times, this may have been due to the fact that I didn't lace up through the last eyelet like normal. I started out with lacing trough all the eyelets but after I tightened the laces I didn't like the feel, I will have to try them laced all the way up on my next run and see if that improves the fit. Overall the fit seems to be fairly similar to my Kinvara's which is to be expected since the Peregrines are built on a similar platform as the Kinvara's. The weight on these shoes is good too just under 10 oz (website has them listed at 9.7 oz for size 9's) which is considerably lighter than my previous shoes and you can really notice a difference on the weight during the run.

Overall I really like these shoes after just one run and really can't wait to put some more miles in them in the near future.

Until next time...

...do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.

Nov. 21, 2011

Long day today, got up early to run, colder than expected starting temp was 24 degrees, still made it outside though. I did get to run on some rural, gravel side roads which was nice and peaceful, add in the fact that the wind was minimal and it wasn't a bad run. Scared some cows, well not so much scared them as made them look at me like what the heck is that bi-ped doing running down this road before sunrise. When I ran past the same cows later I'm pretty sure one of them rolled their eyes...haha!

Spent a little over 12 hours getting my new store set up, but its done and ready to go, we even got a couple sales out the door at the end of the day so all in all it was a good day.

I did get a disturbing phone call today about my brother, seems he's gone off the reservation again, nobody has seen or heard from him in about a week, worried about him, keeping him in my prayers, any additional thoughts and prayers would be appreciated.

On the docket for tomorrow . . . tempo run, maybe 7 0r 8 miles, either that or if its too cold a treadmill interval workout with push ups to failure in between . . . I don't know . . . we'll see what the morning brings. I know it was only a week off but man I really missed training . . . until next time...

...do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.

Sunday Nov. 20th

Getting ready to head out of town for a couple days, got a new store opening in Anamosa, IA at the Wal-Mart, should be a good store and I'm excited to add it to the Iowa Market. It's going to be a hectic week with the new store, a holiday promo starting tomorrow and of course Thanksgiving and Black Friday. This is a week that I really don't look forward as someone who works in retail, but it hopefully will be a good week and help me and my stores make our budgets.

Will also be a good week to ease back into the training spirit, still taking it easy but I should be able to get in a couple of runs and bike sessions. I was able to get an hour on the trails yesterday which felt surprisingly good, legs seem to have recovered well after last weeks race. Got an hour on the bike this morning before church which felt really good, I'm so glad that I made the investment in a bike this summer and a stationary trainer for this winter. Riding really allows me to ease back into training without putting a lot of extra stress and strain on my legs and joints.

Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving...until next time...

...do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.

Wildcat Den 50k race report

I couldn't have picked a better race for my first ultra marathon, this is a low key event on an 3 mile out and back course (5 loops = 30 miles or 50k). Race registration consisted of showing up writing your name in the book and making a donation. The race director, Larry Sandhaas, does an amazing job with this race on a minimal budget and utilizing the church pot luck model for food and refreshments. The unofficial race results can be found here.

The night before I got all my food prepped and ready for the next day, I wasn't entirely sure what I would need or even be hungry for while running for 5 - 6 hours. I had a pretty good idea what my nutritional needs might be based on my marathon experiences so I went off that and added some for the additional mileage/time.

6 PowerBar Gels, 2 packages of Clif Shot Bloks, 2 peanut butter and nutella sandwiches, 2 bananas, G2 and chia fresca, for about 2350 kcals, along with a Monster Rehab, G2 and protein powder for afterwards.

I slept pretty well the night before and got up at 5:30 to get some breakfast and coffee before heading off to meet up with James, Courtney and Scott to drive down to Muscatine.

5:30am and ready to race.

I was really glad to have some friends joining me for this race, James and Courtney only planned on doing 1 or 2 loops and Scott had ambitions of sticking it out for all 5.

3 Amigos and 1 Amiga

About 140 runners showed up to do anywhere from 1-5 loops, we all huddled up for a group photo and some words from the race director and we were off on our adventure.




The first loop went really well, I was full of energy and excitement for the day, I really had to fight the urge to go to fast to soon as I knew it was going to be a long day. After going through the course the first time and experiencing all the climbs and descents I knew there was going to be a fair amount of walking in my near future.

At the turn around was an aid station with goodies, water and Gatorade. The aid station volunteers really deserve a big thank you, they put in a long day and did a great job keeping peoples spirits up.

A much needed cup of cold water at the turn around aid station

Feeling better after the aid station

The biggest thing I learned while running 6+ hours and covering 30+ miles is that the course isn't the only thing that has peaks and valleys. When running for that kind of time and distance you go through a lot of emotional and physical highs and lows. For the first 3 loops I was pretty much on an emotional high, and having Scott running with me for those 3 loops really helped pass the time, when he decided to call it quits after 3 I was starting to spiral down a bit, but I grabbed some much needed refreshments and headed back out for another loop. Another nice thing about this race, you really could think about it as running 3 miles at a time, which doesn't sound so bad and made it a lot easier to head back out for another loop.

Half way through my 4th loop I really hit a low point and really considered calling it a day, it was probably a good thing I was almost to the aid station and not the start/finish line other wise I just might have. I took my time at the aid station, gobbled a couple handfuls of trail mix and pretzels (yeah seriously craved the salty and the sweats) refilled my water bottle and headed back out. By the time I made my way back to the start I was riding high again, doesn't hurt that heading back is on a nice down hill and nothing makes you feel better than an up tick in your speed.

I headed back out for my 5th and final loop which was definitely my toughest but also my most enjoyable. I walked a good portion of the first half, I was starting to feel the effects of the day and I really wanted to finish strong. After the turn around I ran would could and walked when I had to but by that point I knew I was almost done and I was riding an emotional high again, just a couple of miles left and I would be done. As I neared the finish and the down hill section I picked up my pace and was able to run my way to the finish ending my journey in 6 hours and 30 minutes, well over my goal of 5:30 but never the less a new PR and my first ultra distance finish.





At one point during one of the last loops I'm pretty sure I told myself I would never, ever run this kind of distance again, I've also said the same thing after both of my marathons, but now writing this race report a week later I'm certain I'll do it again next year, if not sooner, the Hawkeye 50k is in March I believe...



Until next time...

...do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.

The Magic Bullet

I've been asked many times how I've done it, concerning my weight loss, and the simple answer I usually give is eat better and exercise more. Now I know that is not typically the answer people are looking for, most people want to know some secret pill or magic bullet that let me lose weight without dieting and exercise. Well unfortunately that doesn't exist, or at least I haven't found it yet. There is a secret though, and I'm willing to share it with anyone and everyone that will listen. Kind of like the old saying "Find a job you love and you'll never WORK a day in your life" same thing goes for losing weight, find something you are passionate about and it will never seem like exercise.

The main reason I can get up at 5am to run, bike, swim (in the near future) or lift weights is because I'm excited to. I literally can't wait till my next workout sometimes because I enjoy what I do so much. I love how I feel after a hard workout, I love seeing my body change in the mirror over the weeks and months. It's what drives me and motivates me to continue to do more, push my limits further and further. I also read about other peoples stories and journey's as well, I read a lot of books about athletes who do seemingly impossible things and that motivates me to try those things. 3 years ago I never thought I could run the Bix 7, heck at the time I couldn't even run a mile, but I read one of my all time favorite books Ultramarathon Man by Dean Karnazes and I was inspired to get out the door and run, any distance I could cover at the time, it didn't matter I just wanted to run. The seed was planted and all I had to do was keep at it, perpetual forward motion, as I've heard it called.

It also helps that I'm incredibly stubborn and I hate to quit or give up on anything once I've set myself to a goal or task. I've found that having a goal race to train for keeps me motivated. I can't just exercise all the time because I love it, some days I don't want to get out of bed that early, some nights I don't feel like putting in a second workout. When that happens I usually can talk myself into it because I know it will make me better and I know I'll feel better afterwards, but on the rare occasions when I feel burned out or just plain exhausted, I'll take the time off, skip a workout and get the extra rest knowing I will get back after it the next day.

Until next time...

...do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.

Losing too much weight?

I never in my wildest dreams ever thought there could be a possibility that I may being losing too much weight, and for the record I don't believe I have. I'm still a good 15 pounds from my ideal weight, I currently weigh around 205 (depending on the day) and I would like to get down to 190. This is where my cardiologist originally stated he would like to see me at 2 years ago and I laughed at him, I haven't been below 200 lbs consistently since I was 14 years old. And by all accounts 190 is my ideal weight based on various different health metric.

But recently I have had more than one person tell me that I need to stop losing weight, or tell me I look like I'm getting too thin. Granted I have lost a lot of weight, 100 lbs over 2.5 years, but I've done it safely and slowly, I've never lost more than a couple pounds in a week and I am not starving myself in any way shape or form, in fact I still eat a diet that tops out at 3000 calories a day (if not more if I indulge a little which I do from time to time). I do appreciate their concern, they are just looking out for my best interest I'm sure and I'm certain none of these people have anything but good intentions when they say these things to me. But my real issue is where we these people with their good intentions and concern when I was eating myself into an early grave? Why didn't they speak up and speak out while I was gaining weight?

That right there is the underlying problem with America's obesity epidemic; we don't try curtailing someone in the midst of their weight gain. We offer them a super sized portion and tell them something stupid like "It's good to indulge a little" or "You only live once" and "Live a little" (I find the irony of that last statement hilarious). It seems to me we as a society only become concerned with a problem once it has reached an exaggerated point, once someone has become so obese that going on a show like Biggest Loser is their only hope.

I'm trying to live my life in a state of balance, not on one extreme or the other, and that includes everything from diet, exercise, time spent watching TV, sleep and everything in between. I'm 34 years old and I can honestly say I'm in the best shape of my life, I can run for an hour or so in the morning before my kids wake up, go through an entire day of work and family activities and then get another hour long work out in after the kids go to bed. I sleep about 6-7 hours a night because I've found that is what works best for me (anymore and I’m groggy any less and I'm lethargic) and I have enough energy to do it all over again the next day. I can run up to 20 miles on a Saturday morning play with the kids and do chores all afternoon and evening and then knock out a 50 mile bike ride on Sunday morning before church. Yes I may be extreme compared to the normal person, but in my opinion this is the best way for me to live my life. I'm healthy, happy and in a great place in my life. Living the "normal" life is what got me over 300 lbs in the first place, if that is normal than I'll pass on a couple extra hours of TV in favor of a run or a bike ride any day.

I'll get off my soap box now, thanks to any of you that read this blog, I would appreciate any feed back on this and any post.

Until next time...

...do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.

Spartan Race - Midwest Video

Here is the video from the Spartan Race, there are a couple shots of me, James and Courtney, were kinda hard to make out since we were covered in mud.

Once again this was easily the best race I've done all year and I can't wait till the Super Spartan hits the Midwest next year...AROO!

SPARTAN RACE - Midwest Video

Until next time...

...do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.

This is why I get up early to run

I get asked a lot why, or how I'm able to get up so early to get my work outs in, mainly because its simply the only time available that doesn't interfere with other responsibilities like being a father and a husband. I essentially sacrifice an additional 1-2 hours of sleep for running, biking and lifting weights. But then there are days like Saturday and running trails, no words can do it justice and even my crappy pictures taken from my phone can't capture how really beautiful trail running can be especially in the fall.

Until next time...

...do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.

Spartan Race

Just got home from the Spartan Race and I will just say, this 4 mile mud run obstacle course was the toughest race I have ever run. Far more difficult than the Warrior Dash, and any road 5k/10k or half marathon I have run yet. A marathon is the only thing to compare it to for physical exertion and it would be a toss up between the 2, but I would say I would rather do another Spartan Race just for the pure excitement!

4 miles, 20 obstacles, freezing cold streams and all the mud anyone could ever want, AROO!!!

This may have been the most fun race I have run. I did the entire race with my friends James and Courtney, and even though we didn't "race" it, it was a blast. Yeah we could have gone faster, I could have gone faster, but half the fun was helping others who struggled during the physical challenges complete the task. The Spartan Creed is to help others and never leave another Spartan behind, I know this may sound cheesy but when you are out there, you get it, you understand. I can only imagine it is the same way our military feels when they are out on a mission, only if I failed a task I had to do 30 burpees, they fail they lose their lives. I will say I did have the opportunity to talk to a member of our armed services afterwards who had competed, and I asked him what was harder this race or basic training, he told me this race was harder. Makes me want to do the Super Spartan (8+ miles) and the Spartan Beast (10-12+) even more now...

Until next time...

...do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.

Big boy riding a big boy bike

So we went to pick Caden up from his friends house yesterday and as we pulled up we saw him riding a 2 wheel dirt bike without the training wheels on. Apparently he just jumped on and started riding, which is even more amazing to us since Casey just got his training wheels off this spring. We were afraid that when Caden notified his older brother of what he did that Casey would be disappointed that as usual Caden did something sooner than Casey did. But upon hearing the news Casey loudly proclaimed " THAT'S AWESOME CADEN! YOU ARE SUCH A BIG BOY!" Which I was grateful to hear, I feel bad for Casey sometimes because Caden seems to adapt to new things and challenges earlier and sometimes easier than Casey, which is typical of a younger brother. Casey gets frustrated with this at times which is understandable and I remember what that was like with my brother growing up so I can relate. I was really impressed with his excitement for his brothers accomplishment which is a great indicator of his growing maturity, which of course makes me a proud papa!

Until next time...

...do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.

QC Marathon Race Report

You can view my official race results here.

Sunday was the QC Marathon, and let me tell you it didn't seem like it could come fast enough, all week I was anxious, nervous and suffering from taper madness but finally the day was here. I woke up early so I could eat breakfast a few hours before leaving for the race, last year I had a horrible experience the last 6 miles with cramping and getting tunnel vision from lack of nutrition before and during the race and this year I was not going to repeat my mistakes. I had a light breakfast of some of my favorite old reliables and load my pockets up with gels, I planned to take 2 right before the start and have 2 in reserve in case I ran into a spot I really needed one and couldn't wait till the next spot on the course that was handing them out. I had all the GU stations mapped out and I planned on taking 2 at each station even if I didn't need them right then and would hold on to them for later if need be.

After getting everyone loaded up (Deanna and the boys were doing the 5k walk with Dee's sister and our nieces) we headed down to the Mark (I refuse to call it by its new name since I work for a competing cellular company, LOL). Normally I like to warm up with a couple of miles before a race, but with a marathon the first few miles serve as my warm up. After hitting the porta-john one last time it was almost time for the gun.

The race started off slowly for me, took nearly 4 minutes to get to the starting line, which was perfectly fine by me. I got to start the race with my family and it forced me to go out much, much slower than my target pace. I have had a habit this year of starting races much to fast, which is not so bad in a 10k but over the course of 4 hours and 26.2 miles it could make for a very painful day. Once we made it over I74 bridge I was able to speed it up a bit and get into a nice groove. The first 4 or 5 miles went by pretty quickly and effortlessly, I love the first part of the course as it goes through my old neighborhood and where I grew up.

By the time we made our way into Davenport I was doing pretty good and I had an eye on my desired pace group just off in the distances. My plan was to stay pretty close to the 4:10 group through the first half of the race conserve some energy and then try to gain and hopefully pass the 4:00 group on the second half. At the down and back section just past John O'Donnell I met up with a fellow LU member Aaron Maurer whom I had met the night before at the pasta dinner. We ran together for a good portion of the race, talking and getting to know each other, and it certainly helped pass the time, I was really thankful to have Aaron to run with for a portion of the race especially after we crossed Centennial Bridge. I wasn't hurting or getting tired (yet), but that point in the mileage it can really start to drag and having some one right next to you to carry a conversation with really makes a big impact, I'm sure I wouldn't have had the finish I was looking for with out it.

Once we made our way on to the Arsenal I started to get the sense I was going to lose Aaron soon, my left hamstring was starting to tighten up and even though our pace hadn't quickened any I was struggling to keep up with him. Finally at one water stop after he had pulled ahead of me a ways I decided to stop and stretch it out for a minute and I'm really glad I did. Immediately afterwards my hamstring felt great, no tightness and I was able to get right back into my groove and was even starting to get back under my target pace which was good I had some time to make up now. I could see Aaron off in the distance so I just tried to keep him in sight and reel him in over the next 10 miles or so. The rain started falling soon after my short break, which I wasn't to upset about, it felt good, and I am pretty used to running with soggy shoes so that didn't bother me to much. I had decided to wear a short sleeve compression shirt on underneath my shirt and I'm glad I did, I think it helped keep me warm with out making me hot.

I will say one of the most memorable parts of the race was running by the cemetery on the Arsenal, to look at those head stones and think that those men died to give us the freedom to go out do things like run a marathon in the rain gave me a whole new perspective at a time when I could have been struggling a lot more mentally.

Just before coming up to the bridge to exit the Arsenal, I passed my friend James who was doing the half and it looked like he was struggling bad, I learned latter that his knee was bothering him, I slapped him on the back as I went by and told him to "Just keep moving", which he did and finished his first half marathon. Apparently after finishing he immediately said he was giving up running, I later heard he was planning his next one. Ah Ha another one bitten by the bug!

By the time I made it off of the Arsenal I was starting to feel every step of the 20 miles I had already run, I was starting to hurt and I seriously contemplated making a right turn instead of the left and calling it a day. I was tired, sore and soaking wet but seeing as how I am a gluten for punishment, not to mention I was right on pace for 4 hrs I took the left turn and man was I glad I did. As soon as I came off the bridge I saw Deanna and the boys cheering me on, I wanted to stop and give them all a big hug but if I had I may never had started running again so I ran over and slapped them high 5's and kept on moving. That was just the shot of adrenaline and emotion I needed to get me motivated for the final 6 miles.

I've heard that in a marathon you run the first 20 miles with your legs and the final 6 with your heart (or head) and that is absolutely true. After 20 miles raw emotion can only carry you so far, adrenaline spikes last seconds, not minutes and how good you feel off an emotional high one moment is quickly replaced with a deep valley. That's why having support groups is so valuable, why volunteers are the most amazing people and having someone cheering you on can mean the difference between just missing your goal and beating your expectations. I was lucky enough to have Jeff Paul a local professional triathlete and fellow LU member cheering me and others on at the end. He was riding his bike back and forth on the bike path along River Drive shouting out encouragement, giving me split times to the 4 hour pace group as well as to Aaron who was just ahead of me at this point. I was truly amazed at his enthusiasm and his spirit as he worked his way along the course cheering on dozens of people, not to mention it was a pretty wet, miserable cold day out. I ran my final 10k nearly 3 minutes faster than my first, which in my mind is pretty amazing especially since it felt like somewhere around mile 20 I apparently, unbeknown to me, had done a couple sets of heavy squats or at least that's how my quads felt at the time. Having Jeff shouting out encouragement helped me to keep pushing through the pain, pass the 4 hour pace group and eventually catch up to Aaron. The final icing on the cake was surprisingly seeing my wife and kids again about a half mile before the finish line, that was all I needed at the point. I don't think I even ran the last half mile, more like floated, or at least that's how it felt in my mind, I was riding an emotional high that carried me all the way to finish line...in 3:54:15 I took 30+ minutes off my time from last year and finished well under my goal.

All in all it was a great race, even if the weather wasn't perfect it was a perfect day. I'm truly blessed to be where I am at in my life and getting to run a marathon in the rain is just one of the many blessings I have.



Until next time...

...do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.

Taper Madness

Yes its that time of the year again, no not football season (although I am happy its finally here again), Marathon Taper Madness!!! For those of you who have never experienced the joys of running and thus the agony of tapering for a big race let me explain... A typical marathon training schedule is roughly 18 weeks, in which you continuously build your mileage and number of days running per week. If your like me you also added cycling this summer for cross training to reduce the wear and tear that running can cause, and now its the week before the QC Marathon and its time to ease it back to save my legs, conserve energy and maintain optimal hydration levels. All this is well and good for Sunday but for Monday - Saturday a person who is accustomed to exercising 1-2 hours a day 6 days a week dropping down to 2-3 workouts for 30-45 mins has a lot of unspent energy that in my case comes out as anxiety, edginess, and general grumpy behavior. My last hard work out was yesterday, a 40 mile bike ride, which left we pretty tired and sore this morning, so I ditched my workout this morning and slept in which in the long run is probably the best thing I could have done.

The worst part of tapering is not the increased anxiety from lack of exercise, or the sudden (and necessary) weight gain, but the way I suddenly feel sick, sore and tired all in a matter of a few days. This happened to me last year the week before my marathon, and it also happened the week before my MMA fight the year before last. The weeks and months of endless training, finally catch up to you at the first hint of a slow down, like being sick was just sitting back waiting for its moment when you were most vulnerable and than decided to attack. I suppose it is probably a good thing to feel a little bit under the weather while tapering, it forces you to sleep a little more, eat a little healthier, cut back on training, nothing I do training wise this week is going to aid my performance, but it certainly could hinder if I went to hard or did too much.

So for now, cutting back on training, sleeping a little more, and hopefully relaxing a little bit is what the training schedule calls for this week, hopefully it pays off on Sunday, I'm hoping to go under 4 hours this year, but I'd be happy at 4:05 as well. Last year I set 3 goals for the marathon this year I'll do the same.
1. Finish under 4 hrs.
2. Run the entire race (last year I ran everything except the water stations where I walked 30-45 secs)
3. Have as much fun as last year

Do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.

Silvis Family Run 10k and Run with Carl race reports

So I never got around to doing a race report for the Silvis Family Run last week since I was in Tulsa all week for work, so I'll just combine the 2.

Silvis Family Run 10k

The is by far one of my favorite races for a couple of reasons, first and foremost the starting line is less than a mile from my house which is perfect I can get my warm up in while I travel to the race. I really dislike having to drive anywhere to run or bike, one of the main reasons I like running and cycling is the concept of traveling under my own power, but sometimes it can't be avoided, oh well. Another reason this is a favorite race is I run this course every week, and I know it better than any other race, I have "practiced" this race so often that when it comes time to run its almost like I'm on auto pilot and I just let muscle memory take over. Also this is a smaller race, less congestion and its a pretty good post race spread afterwards.

I went in to this race with one goal in mind, to push my self harder than I have ever pushed my self previously. I really wanted to test my limits and see if I could find that breaking point, or what I have referred to as "Blowing Up". I actually went into the race with an expectation that I would possibly fail to finish, and I was honestly ok with that mindset.

Well I did a pretty good job of that right off the start, I made the mistake of lining up behind a friend of Deanna's family Josh Sherrod (overall winner) and for a brief moment I thought I would try to run with him off the gun. HA!!! That lasted for all of 2 seconds until I couldn't see him any longer, so I settled into what I thought was comfortable pace, but was way faster than I should have been going, I was close to 6 min miles. I wasn't going to be able to sustain that pace for 2 miles let alone 6.2 and even though I wanted to push myself to my limits I didn't want to necessarily do it in the first mile.

So after backing off a bit and turning to climb the only hill, I started getting into a comfortable rhythm, I love running up hill for some reason, I am always able to pass people, even if they pass me again once it levels off, its like going up hill equalizes my size and speed disadvantage. I don't slow down as much going up hill as others do and that of course just fuels my competitive drive to pass people.

After reaching the top of the hill the course pretty much levels off and winds its way through my neighborhood, which is the best part, Deanna and the boys came out to see me run and made sure to run by and slap high fives to both boys. They get so excited watching daddy run, and it always gives me a burst of energy to see them cheering me on, I wish I could strategically place them throughout every race, so whenever I needed a pick me up they would be right there.

Nothing spectacular happened for the remainder of the race I passed some more people, ran mostly alone until the course doubles back and reconnects with the 5k run/walkers, which is right before the 5 mile mark. With a mile remaining I turned it up a bit, the other great thing about this race is that it finishes with a nice down hill then a short flat stretch and another short down hill to the finish line which I crossed at 46:06 which is another PR for me at the 10k distance, which is quickly becoming my favorite distance.


Deanna and the boys were waiting for me at the finish line which was awesome, we hung around for a bit at the post race but took off before the awards ceremony, I was pretty sure I didn't place...that was until later that week I received an email notifying me that I had placed high enough in my age division for a trophy. I figured I had snuck into 3rd place, its not a big race, but I'm not that fast either, well I went to pick up my trophy today and to my surprise I placed first in my age division 30-34. SWEET!!! This is the first time I've placed let alone won my age division, I'm pretty excited.

Run with Carl

Official race results can be found here.

This was the first time I've run this race, and I was pretty excited to do so, it is a race run in my hometown of Bettendorf and is a memorial run for Carl Schillig who was a local athlete from Pleasant Valley High School. In addition it also funds a 4 year grant for a local student from the Bettendorf/Pleasant Valley school who exemplifies Carl’s spirit through participation in school, sports and community and church activities the link to the website can be found here.

I really meant to just run this race as my weekly speed work and not race hard, especially after running so hard at the Silvis Family Run and just 1 day removed from my last long run of 19 miles on Saturday. But of course my competitive nature took over and I couldn't help myself, I didn't go for broke like Silvis but I did run hard finishing in 37:41 which was good enough for 17th in my age division.

This was a really nice race, that winds it way through Bettendorf along the bike path and behind Palmer hills golf course. Lots of spectators out in the residential areas cheering us on, which is always a plus.

Right after the 4 mile mark and going up the last hill a came up on a kid who couldn't be much older than 12 who was chugging right along, I had the hardest time catching up to him and when I did I noticed his bib # was 1045 which I immediately thought "This kid is probably 10 and he is making me feel like I'm 45 trying to catch him". I was able to finally pass him, hey I'm not exactly proud about it but he was like 20 years younger than me and probably 100 lbs lighter, I'll take my victories where ever I can. The end of the race is on a nice down hill that finishes up in the Bettendorf Life Fitness Center's parking lot. Deanna and the boys were once again at the finish line cheering me on, which put a huge smile on my face.

I ran into a couple of old friends that ran the race, as I waited for some other friends that were running together to finish. Didn't stick around for the post race awards this time, I already knew my placing thanks to Accu-Split and it was cold with the wind blowing.

All in all this was a great race and I will definitely be adding it to my yearly race schedule, maybe next year I can compete for a top placing in the 35-39 age division, my time this year would have been good enough for 4th or 5th so I think its very doable, good goal to shoot for until then...

...do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.

Why am I smiling?

I easily had one of the worst runs this morning, in I don't know how long. My legs hurt, the effort seemed much harder than my pace indicated, and I was suffering, but why was I smiling so much? I have learned to embrace my suffering when running, and enjoy it. This was the kind of run that 2 months ago would have had me questioning whether or not I could complete another marathon, heck I was struggling with 6 miles, how in the world would I ever finish 26.2!? But not today, I knew it was bad, but instead of dreading it and hating it, I did the only thing I could do and kept putting one foot in front of the other, and accepted my suffering as just something I had to endure, heck it was an out and back course so I really had only 2 choices, I could walk back or I could run, running shortened the suffering considerably.

Running has a way of stripping you down to the bare essentials. You can't carry alot of additional baggage when you go for a run, you take whats necessary, shoes, shorts water maybe some food and thats it, you leave the rest behind. The same can be said for the mental aspect, you can't carry to much emotional baggage on your run either, running is a great way to think through a problem or a difficult decision that has to be made. But if your spending all your time fretting over how tough the run is you'll never solve the other bigger problems going on. In that respect running is a great metaphor for life, strip your self of all the unnecessary baggage, get down to the bare essentials (the rest really just weighs you down), and no matter how tough the going gets, just keep putting one foot in front of the other and eventually you will get where you need to go.

Remember...do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.

Fall is in the air...

Or so it seemed this morning when I headed out for my run, it was a brisk 57 degrees and light wind, perfect weather for running. I love running in fall like weather, so much so that my scheduled 8 mile easy run quickly turned into a 12 mile race pace effort.

It so much easier to pick up the pace and push a little harder when the temperatures start to dip, plus when the leaves start to change and you get the smell of fall in the air, it's invigorating. Part of the route I ran this morning took me through a park where the path runs along a stream. Its secluded from the noise of the neighborhood streets around, so its quiet and peaceful, just the sounds of your footfalls and nature makes it easy to get into an almost rhythmic trance. Running in that kind of setting is something amazing and something I wish I could do more often. It was a shame I had to turn around and head back, but oh well there's always tomorrow...until then...

...do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.

Casey's first day of school 2011

Casey started 1st grade today, with a fresh mohawk a new back pack, lunch box and his first pair of glasses, yes unfortunately he got Dad's eyes.

Do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.

Caden's first Soccer Practice

Caden had his first soccer practice yesterday, he was so excited to be starting soccer, that was till we actually got there and started practice...

...Caden can be very shy at times, and I think he may suffer from dad's anxiety a little, shortly after practice began, he came running over to where me and Casey were kicking a soccer ball around, crying. Apparently he was upset cause he didn't know what to do and I think he was a little scared and intimidated. I told him to listen to his coach and he would tell him what to do, he then told me he just wanted me to coach him, which was sweet. We eventually got him to go back over and within a few minutes all was right with the world again. When they started practicing kicking the ball at the goal, he kept looking over at me and giving me a big thumbs up and smiling after his turn. He just needed to get out there and do it and realize that he is good enough, he hasn't realized yet that he is pretty good athlete, heck he competes against his brother all the time and holds his own. He doesn't understand that he's not supposed be able to do everything that Casey can do, but he tries and he succeeds, more often than not. What was really sweet was after we got back home, Casey spent about 10-15 mins kicking the ball back forth with him, showing him how to kick using the inside of his foot, he can be a good "Big Brother" when he wants to.

Do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.

Du State Du Race Report

Official race results and split times can be viewed here.

Let me just say first off this was one of my favorite races I've done to date, I'm really glad I decided to do this event. I was nervous going in to this race since it was my first multi sport event, I've only been cycling for 2 months, I had no idea how transitions would work, and I've only done one run/bike brick workout so I had no real idea how my legs would handle the transition from cycling to running.

The race is held out at Loud Thunder which is a 40 minute drive so I left the house about 6 am after a light breakfast, I've found that I much rather prefer to arrive early and let all the pre-race jitters run their course before the race while I warm up and wait. I've found that seems to help me avoid going out to fast and experiencing that adrenalin dump a few minutes into a race. So after checking in and figuring out the transition area, I set my bike at the furthest corral, my biggest fear was having a collision with someone coming in or out that was "really" racing the event and thus causing them to have a bad time. This was a first time event for me so I wasn't worried about my time, or how fast I moved through the transition area, I just wanted to have fun and get some experience at a multi sport event.

Run #1
After lining up and receiving some pre race instructions and cautions about gravel on the bike course we were ready to start. I headed out at a pretty easy pace, I was hoping to go around 8:30/mile, I didn't want to go to fast and burn my legs out before the bike portion, especially since I got a pre race warning from a friend about the hills and their level of difficulty. After about half a mile I looked at my GPS and saw that I was right at 8 min pace and it was feeling pretty comfortable so I decided to hold that through the turn around at the 1 mile mark and picked it up a little on the way back in, I finished the first run leg in 15:26, avg pace of 7:57 and 66th overall which I am very happy with since in this field by comparison I am not nearly as strong a runner.

The first transition was kind of a blur, I certainly now understand why most Tri shoes are slip on's or quick release laces, trying to untie your shoes immediately after a hard run isn't exactly the easiest thing in the world. After getting my cycling shoes on and taking my bike off the rack I was headed out for the bike portion.

Bike
Heading out on the bike I was a little nervous, I've never competed in a cycling event and going out of the transition area with your bike in tow is a bit hectic, I made my way to the opposite side of the exit as to be out of the way. After mounting my bike and getting my shoes locked in I was off, I started off slow just to see how my legs would respond and to navigate the exiting area without incident. Once we got past the area where they had warned us about the gravel, I started to pick up speed and was actually surprised at how easy I was passing people. I'm not a very fast runner, my build and size just work against me to much in that area but I think on the bike I can at least overcome that some with the leg strength I have from years of sports and heavy lifting. All that being said I was still concerned about burning up quickly, after all I was only 2 miles in to what would be 19 mile event and I knew there were some major hill climbs to come. The first hill wasn't nearly as bad as I had expected, I carried a lot of momentum from the down hill and was able to climb fairly easy, even passing a couple more people, in fact I was only passed by one person on the bike portion and I ended up passing that person a few minutes later. The second major hill was the one I was warned about and it lived up to and surpassed my expectations, easily the toughest hill I've gone up. As I was making my way towards and up the hill, the leaders were flying by going the other direction, it is truly amazing to watch some of these athletes do what they can do running and cycling. After making the turnaround it was a nice long flat stretch before heading down the hill and I was looking forward to flying down it, according to my GPS I hit a top speed of 40 mph, and let me tell you what if you don't feel a rush going 40 mph on road bike you just ain't alive my friend. The last and final climb in my opinion was the worst, it was so much steep as it was long and winding, you could never get any momentum going so it was a grind the whole way. I was able to catch and pass a couple more people before making the turn and the home stretch to the next transition. I finished the bike portion in 49:25 avg speed of 17.9 mph and a very surprising 51st overall fastest bike.

The transition from the bike to the run was only slightly more difficult then run to bike, trying to tie your shoes on wobbly legs with a thumping heart trying to jump right out of your chest while sucking wind is some what of a challenge, once again those Tri shoes sure looked good at that point.

Run #2
I left the transition area on what can only be described as rubber chicken legs, how I managed to run at that point was beyond me. I was almost certain that I was moving at a 10-12 min pace, it certainly felt that way. I resisted the temptation to look at my GPS right away, because I was afraid of the demoralizing effect confirming my sluggish pace might have on me. I have often been on a long run of 16-20+ miles and had to make that final 1-2 mile push home and I am always able to convince myself that there is nothing to it, you can do that in your sleep. Well that certainly doesn't hold true for a multi sport event, the sheer difference in how your muscle work in each separate discipline and the overall fatigue, with 2 more miles to go, if I would have confirmed how slow I thought I was going it might as well have been 20 more, at that point all I could do was keep pushing forward and hope for the best. Luckily that didn't take to long, about half a mile into the run the rubber chicken leg feeling started to go away and I decided to sneak a peek at the GPS, and boy was I shocked out of my skull when I saw I was moving at a 8 min mile pace. That was all the confidence I needed to finish strong, suddenly another mile plus didn't seem so far and after I made the turn around and headed back I picked up the pace and even passed a couple people. I finished the last run in 13:49 with a 7:38 min/mile pace which was the 42 fastest second run. I finished 60th Overall and 6th in my age group (30-34) with an official time of 1:21:24, I am extremely proud that I was able to improve my position in each leg of the race, by comparison by transition times were much slower than the people who finished around me, which is just my inexperience and something I can easily improve upon for next time...oh yes there will be a next time!

I'm also glad that I was able to represent team Live Uncommon well, this is a group I came across a few months back that embodies the spirit of giving back by being an example of what living a healthy balanced lifestyle is all about. As I've gone on my journey to change my life physically I have realized that I'm also changing who I am at my core and what kind of example I want to be for my children and Live Uncommon is a perfect representation of that life I want to lead. For example each time I passed someone through out the race I tried to give them encouragement or tell them good job, as I found out yesterday, this is an extremely hard sport and just lining up for the race is a testament to the dedication and hard work one needs to put in to be successful, no matter what level that is. I know in past races I've had someone give me encouragement, a perfect stranger passing me on their way to the finish line, they could of just gone on and not said anything but those few words always seem to motivate me to push a little harder to get through to the end, I just hope I can do the same for others and remember...

...Do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.

Me with overall winner Jeff Paul check out his blog @ Dream Big JP