It will be 2 months soon since the OBX marathon. These last two months have been the most difficult "training months" in recent memory...and I have not exercised a bit!
My family and I have been fighting every virus from pink eye to RSV. We have bought so much medication that the drug store clerk thinks we are making meth! Throw in an ambulance ride and a hospital stay and our family has had our share this season.
The lack of activity has tested my patience, my mental health, and my body differently than it ever has before. I also have added on some unwanted "lb's" to bring into the tri season--grrr!
Although, most significantly, I have been awed again by how fragile we truly are and how blessed my family and I are to have the gift of health.
May I appreciate my health and the benefits I receive from it.
...only 3 more days of penicillin and then it is on!
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Mohawk hair, Mohawk attitude, Mohawk adventure---Mullet ending!
Well...I finished the 2008 Outerbanks marathon. Thanks for all the support and well wishes. I learned a lot about myself and my surroundings!
Quick race recap: I made some key mistakes.
A) I left my water bottles for my fuel belt at home. I have never been on a long run without them. It was hotter than expected and the liquid stations were NOT every mile as hoped.
B) I bought brand new shoes---1/2 a size too small. When my feet started to swell at the 13 mile mark...my feet were killing me. I had blisters that went on top of my toenails and have had to donate to the toenail gods recently.
C) Because of the cold start, my heart rate monitor did not get a good contact and stopped working after mile 1. Therefore, I had to race completely off of feeling.
Things that went well:
A) I had some sub-8 minute miles around miles 13, 14, 15.
B) I had a blast!
C) There was an incredible crowd of locals the first 13 miles that were handing out jello shots and Margaritas. Thank you to the lady handing out gummy bears--they saved my life. And to the guitar playing guy handing out oranges before the bridge--you ROCK!
D) I hit the 13 mile mark at 1:56:02 (8:52 avg) and then the 20 mile mark at 3:01:58 (9:06 avg).
Then, somewhere between mile 20 and mile 21---my body would not cooperate. I started cramping and my legs would not turn. My pace dropped to 12 minute miles. I had to resort to a run/walk/walk/crawl/roll/hitch-hike method to get to the finish. I ended up with a chip-time of 4 hours and 13 minutes and 15 seconds. A personal best---but not what I wanted.--I could have done better.
Reflections:
A) An Ironman is going to be incredibly tough!!!
B) I have the most supportive family in existence who without them---this part of the journey would not have happened.
C) There is nothing like having a group of friends to share this experience with! Congrats to AJ, J-rock, Whit "Lightning", Megaman Andy, B-Nizzle, Nate-Dogg, Cali from the Valley, and PJ for rocking it all day and night! Can we come with you to Boston Whit?
D) Running a marathon in April, having a baby in June, and running another marathon in November is a pretty cool accomplishment in a year.
E) Puking at the finish when everyone else is drinking beer really, really stinks!!
F) This put fuel on the fire folks. I am starting back today with new quests and plans.
May I appreciate my health and my opportunities...
...oh yea...and may others "fear the hawk!!"
Saturday, November 1, 2008
7 days left until OBX!
Well we finished our 20 miler and are now enjoying the taper. Final preparations are under way for the trip and we are hoping for the following:
1) A tailwind
2) Sunny but cool weather
3) All chaffing issues to be resolved
4) Knee pain to go away
5) Gas prices to continue to drop
6) At least most if not all of one Prince song to be sung on race day-by the group-at race pace
7) To be able to channel my "inner Kenyan"
8) For those that promised to do "Mohawks" to follow-thru for race day!
May I be mindful this week of the journey ahead...
Sunday, October 19, 2008
What is a vision quest anyway?
Let me explain the purpose for the vision quest premise. Vision Quest was a "cheezingly awesome" 80's movie that high school wrestling coaches across America used to motivate youth. And although I emulated that movie more than I'd like to admit--I am not referring to the movie this time!
You see, when I was in elementary school, my perspective is that my parents did not want the cost or time commitment associated with Boy Scouts. So instead they got me involved with Indian Guides. It was like sitting at the lunch table in 4th grade and everyone else has brand name "Doritos" and then they pick on me because I have "Food lionitos" in my lunchbox. All the "cool" kids were in Boy Scouts and made pine wood derby cars and shot rifles at summer camp.
At Indian Guides, I sat and made "head dresses" and played drums in a circle---WITH A BUNCH OF OLD WHITE MEN trying to read from a YMCA book about how to be Native American! I mean seriously--we wore "war paint" on our faces and had names like "Little Bear". The concept of this was wrong on so many levels!
However, as ill-conceived and misguided as it was, perhaps there were good intentions and something much more significant about a bunch of 30-somethings pretending to be Native Americans every Thursday night in a suburban basement. I believe, like me now, they were searching for a way to connect with their sons and to connect with nature and their surroundings--traditional Native American values. We attempt to do this in so many ways now...
It was from one of our "tribe" meetings in which we had (I want to believe so bad that this is was true) a Native American tribal chief that told us stories about becoming a teenager and going on a vision quest. I recall that the purpose of a vision quest was to remain in solitude and experience a journey in nature. If we were able to do this then truths about ourselves and the world around us would appear to us. Now of course this speech was given to us before our annual camping trip and I ate that stuff up ravenously.
Hence, the vision quest premise for my blog. This potentially infinite goal of wanting to complete an Ironman is my journey. Jokingly, at this stage in my quest, I have substituted endorphins instead of peyote.
May truths continue to be revealed to me about nature, my surroundings, and myself.
You see, when I was in elementary school, my perspective is that my parents did not want the cost or time commitment associated with Boy Scouts. So instead they got me involved with Indian Guides. It was like sitting at the lunch table in 4th grade and everyone else has brand name "Doritos" and then they pick on me because I have "Food lionitos" in my lunchbox. All the "cool" kids were in Boy Scouts and made pine wood derby cars and shot rifles at summer camp.
At Indian Guides, I sat and made "head dresses" and played drums in a circle---WITH A BUNCH OF OLD WHITE MEN trying to read from a YMCA book about how to be Native American! I mean seriously--we wore "war paint" on our faces and had names like "Little Bear". The concept of this was wrong on so many levels!
However, as ill-conceived and misguided as it was, perhaps there were good intentions and something much more significant about a bunch of 30-somethings pretending to be Native Americans every Thursday night in a suburban basement. I believe, like me now, they were searching for a way to connect with their sons and to connect with nature and their surroundings--traditional Native American values. We attempt to do this in so many ways now...
It was from one of our "tribe" meetings in which we had (I want to believe so bad that this is was true) a Native American tribal chief that told us stories about becoming a teenager and going on a vision quest. I recall that the purpose of a vision quest was to remain in solitude and experience a journey in nature. If we were able to do this then truths about ourselves and the world around us would appear to us. Now of course this speech was given to us before our annual camping trip and I ate that stuff up ravenously.
Hence, the vision quest premise for my blog. This potentially infinite goal of wanting to complete an Ironman is my journey. Jokingly, at this stage in my quest, I have substituted endorphins instead of peyote.
May truths continue to be revealed to me about nature, my surroundings, and myself.
Friday, September 26, 2008
The "F" word...
Yes I know I say the word you are thinking of a bunch...but this time I don't mean that word. I want to talk about "Failure".
In personal reflection mode, I am by nature not a risk taker. I don't gamble. I close the curtains when I get dressed. You won't find me investing any money in buying beach property or on e-trade looking for bears and bulls. Nope, I calculate as much as I can and use logic (what I think is rational) to make 99% of my decisions. Hell, I'll stopwatch most anything to help me calculate a plan!
In regard to training: I try to plan everything. My distances...my times...my nutrition...my music...my heart rate...heck even my underwear is strategic. Along the same lines, I am cautious about doing anything that I don't think I can do.
I am afraid to fail.
Now, I can rationalize ("everyone fails") and reframe ("look at what else you gained from this!") as good as anyone. But to try to do something that I truly don't think I can do from the start...extremely difficult for me. I suspect I am not alone on this. I think most people in our Western culture are like this. We are taught that "failure" is "bad" and that it says something about the value of a person.
It is almost like if we fail...well then we were wrong. And if we were wrong then what does that mean? It may make us question the very foundation of many of the things we believe. For some, that is too unraveling.
For me, I hope this quest has many successes. I am too scared today to hope for failures. But may I recognize them when they happen and be attentive to the exposed nerve endings that lead to deeper answers about myself.
No matter how raw...that is what this quest is about.
In personal reflection mode, I am by nature not a risk taker. I don't gamble. I close the curtains when I get dressed. You won't find me investing any money in buying beach property or on e-trade looking for bears and bulls. Nope, I calculate as much as I can and use logic (what I think is rational) to make 99% of my decisions. Hell, I'll stopwatch most anything to help me calculate a plan!
In regard to training: I try to plan everything. My distances...my times...my nutrition...my music...my heart rate...heck even my underwear is strategic. Along the same lines, I am cautious about doing anything that I don't think I can do.
I am afraid to fail.
Now, I can rationalize ("everyone fails") and reframe ("look at what else you gained from this!") as good as anyone. But to try to do something that I truly don't think I can do from the start...extremely difficult for me. I suspect I am not alone on this. I think most people in our Western culture are like this. We are taught that "failure" is "bad" and that it says something about the value of a person.
It is almost like if we fail...well then we were wrong. And if we were wrong then what does that mean? It may make us question the very foundation of many of the things we believe. For some, that is too unraveling.
For me, I hope this quest has many successes. I am too scared today to hope for failures. But may I recognize them when they happen and be attentive to the exposed nerve endings that lead to deeper answers about myself.
No matter how raw...that is what this quest is about.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Formula for success?
I was awestruck this week by how "spot on" and I guess what I mean by "spot on" is how similar I feel to a review by Bob Boilen (the NPR guy) of a Radiohead concert in which he described their music as it "stretches time and allows the mind to wander and rejuvenate. I think of it as resetting the synapses. Creativity breeds creativity. When the music was over, I felt unboxed and changed and pretty darn happy."
I thought "man, that is such the way I feel when I listen to Radiohead"...and when I am not puking...that is the way I feel after a long run or ride.
The run allows my mind to wander and rejuvenate and to be mindful and centered...I have come up w/ the best ideas for work and family. When I finish...I feel changed and "pretty darn happy." Imagine me running and listening to Radiohead at the same time...one's mind could explode on that juice!
Now, about my "formula for success". I have started a Cervelo fund to go towards a new time trial/tri bike for next season. Every little morsel of cash I don't spend goes into my "can". As a sign of my competing priorities on so many dimensions, Similac is my chosen sponsor for the endeavor. So if you borrow a few bucks from me and it reeks of this strange soy-milk smell...well then you know how important that dollar was to me.
I have 15 miles tomorrow morning. May the journey rejuvenate and breed creativity! Hope to see you along the way!
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Inside Job vs. Outside Job + Epic...Disaster!
Scenario: This past weekend did a bike/run brick w/ Stiney on Sat. We biked about 16 miles and averaged about 21 mph and then ran 2 miles. Pulled something in back doing airplane w/ baby.
Had to run 13 miles on Sunday. And the story begins here...
So I am headed off to run my 13. I am exhausted and not looking forward to the run. It is easily 90 + degrees outside and the humidity was fierce. In the car on the way to the lake, I call my buddies for some "external motivation". They were in a different mood (headed to a party) and were unable to be of any real assistance to the cause. So I get out of the car and continue my quest on the trail. Pearl Jam's "Inside Job" hit me at the right time on my Mp3 Player and I began to get really motivated...I knew that my effort today would have to come from inside. So I said to myself, "let's push it, let's experiment with some pacing and test some limits". That was all I needed--at the moment. I was running like a dog fresh off the leash at the dog park!
About mile 4, I started to feel the heat and my inner canine was wanting to jump in Salem Lake and call it a day. I was thinking about church that morning and the sermon being about looking for the "burning bushes" that represent God's presence that are around us all the time...then all of sudden---I started to feel these cool breezes coming off the lake and I was able to continue. My sense of strength and motivation then became an outside job...external to myself.
The ying and yang continued. At mile 8, I was hot and hurting and could not get my heart rate down. Tom Petty's "don't fade on me" came on and I kept repeating that phrase as my mantra to myself...as if "Body, don't fade on me". It was an inside job then. About mile 11, a light and cool rain began...not a second too soon as my water supply was depleted and I had forgotten my second gu in the car. The rain cooled me off and distracted me from my inside job...was the rain a "burning bush" as well...? I eventually finished the run. It was not pretty. It was ugly. It hurt worse than it should. But I pushed it and learned some limits...hopefully expanded my capacity.
Perhaps, if I am able to challenge my male "dichotomy" thinking then I come to the conclusion that it does not have to be "either" or "or"..."black" or "white"...I think it was an inside and an outside job that got me to the finish line. Perhaps I don't even know which one was which!
Well to top off the story...which brings me to the disaster...I drank my endorox and headed home. Only to find myself shivering and cramping. I was unable to keep any food or liquid down for the entire evening...
Ha--everything inside....came outside....
...and the journey continues!
Had to run 13 miles on Sunday. And the story begins here...
So I am headed off to run my 13. I am exhausted and not looking forward to the run. It is easily 90 + degrees outside and the humidity was fierce. In the car on the way to the lake, I call my buddies for some "external motivation". They were in a different mood (headed to a party) and were unable to be of any real assistance to the cause. So I get out of the car and continue my quest on the trail. Pearl Jam's "Inside Job" hit me at the right time on my Mp3 Player and I began to get really motivated...I knew that my effort today would have to come from inside. So I said to myself, "let's push it, let's experiment with some pacing and test some limits". That was all I needed--at the moment. I was running like a dog fresh off the leash at the dog park!
About mile 4, I started to feel the heat and my inner canine was wanting to jump in Salem Lake and call it a day. I was thinking about church that morning and the sermon being about looking for the "burning bushes" that represent God's presence that are around us all the time...then all of sudden---I started to feel these cool breezes coming off the lake and I was able to continue. My sense of strength and motivation then became an outside job...external to myself.
The ying and yang continued. At mile 8, I was hot and hurting and could not get my heart rate down. Tom Petty's "don't fade on me" came on and I kept repeating that phrase as my mantra to myself...as if "Body, don't fade on me". It was an inside job then. About mile 11, a light and cool rain began...not a second too soon as my water supply was depleted and I had forgotten my second gu in the car. The rain cooled me off and distracted me from my inside job...was the rain a "burning bush" as well...? I eventually finished the run. It was not pretty. It was ugly. It hurt worse than it should. But I pushed it and learned some limits...hopefully expanded my capacity.
Perhaps, if I am able to challenge my male "dichotomy" thinking then I come to the conclusion that it does not have to be "either" or "or"..."black" or "white"...I think it was an inside and an outside job that got me to the finish line. Perhaps I don't even know which one was which!
Well to top off the story...which brings me to the disaster...I drank my endorox and headed home. Only to find myself shivering and cramping. I was unable to keep any food or liquid down for the entire evening...
Ha--everything inside....came outside....
...and the journey continues!
Friday, August 8, 2008
2008: The Year of "Real" Endurance
This year has been the year of 26.2's and perhaps the most all-encompassing endurance race of them all: having a child!I have often thought someone could have written me a book that tells me minute by minute what it would be like to have a child...and the book would not have conveyed 5% of what it is really like to have a child. This year's quest has revealed to me new responsibilities (3:00 am feedings, diaper genie knots), new possibilities ("can I really push the stroller up this hill?", a few hours of sleep can be enough?), new strengths("I can do this parent-thing"), new vuneralbilities (times of a whole new dimension of helplessness) and a new gusto...for the journey!
Next goal: Mission Sub-4:00 OBX (aka Outerbanks Marathon, Nov. 9th).
My goal is to run the marathon in less than 4 hours. I think I can get 3:45 ...
I did 7 miles at apprx. a 9:05 pace w/ a 2 minute walking/goo break today.
Avg. heart rate was 155. I felt good and could have pushed it harder. My legs are coming off of an epic 30 mile "attack ride" yesterday in which Stiney-Hiney wished he had more impulse control!
Overall and possibly most difficult goal of quest: Balance.
The art of priority management. How to keep family, marriage, fatherhood, athletics, mental health, occupation, spiritual and environmental duties dovetailed with Ironman aspirations?
I am open to sugestions.
I am hopeful that I can achieve this elusive goal.
I will find a way...
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
The Journey: "Hey, at least I finished right?..."
So, save for some 21 minute and change 5k results in which I won some age groups...oh yea and a 2nd place Clydesdale triathlon finish ( I don't care if the swim times were off Nate)...my results over the last 4 years have been nothing special! My rationalization to sleep better at night has always been "hey, at least I finished!"
Truth is, even though "yea, I want to do well", the special thing about this journey has been about the personal growth from my training experiences, the people I have met on the way, and the camaraderie I have gotten by training with my friends. Nate Dogg, B-Nutz, Stiney-Hiney, Chuck-D, and J-Rock have been awesome with their commitment to a lifestyle of fitness and adventure. I am lucky they let me suck wheel on the weekends! And Nate...I will beat you one day...one day! But more about the cheesy stuff later...for myself...for my accountability...here are most of my results over the last 4 years...along with some observations...
Clemson 05/2004: Swim: 750: 16:19/ Bike 11 miles: 38:22/ 5k run: 25:04/ Overall: 1:19:44
(*I felt as if I was going to be kicked to death in the lake, almost drowned, evaded a panic attack)
Hurley 07/2004: S 500: 15:33/ B 12.5 miles: 41:06/ 2.75 miles run: 20:34/ OAll: 1:20:48
(*Several times I said to self: "Self, why do you do this?")
Tour of Tanglewood, 09/2005 My first Century, 100 mile bike ride
(*"There will be food for you at the finish"...yea at Brick Oven Pizza ya dirty liars!)
White Lake Sprint, 05/2007: S 750 20:11/ B 14 miles: 43:41/ 5k: 23:02/ OAll: 1:31:02
(*There were white caps on the surface and Loch Ness below)
Triad Tri, 08/2007: Swim 300 yds: 5:07/ B10 miles: 34:21/ 3.1 trail: 26:34/ OAll: 1:08:47
(*2nd place Clydesdale whoop whoop...yea the race folks messed up the swim...don't burst my bubble!)
Lake Lure, 09/2007: Swim 500 mtrs: 12:33/ B15.5 miles: 1:03:37/ 5k uphill: 29:03/ OAll 1:48:09 (*Kidney stones + mountains = enter the pain cave for a winter spell)
Big Sur International Marathon 04/08: 26.2 miles/ 4:39:56
(*Bonk at 20 miles, consider cliff jumping, Dean Karnazes is on the sauce)
Until next time, in which I will discuss about current barriers and my new adventure!
Zip it up and Zip it out!
Truth is, even though "yea, I want to do well", the special thing about this journey has been about the personal growth from my training experiences, the people I have met on the way, and the camaraderie I have gotten by training with my friends. Nate Dogg, B-Nutz, Stiney-Hiney, Chuck-D, and J-Rock have been awesome with their commitment to a lifestyle of fitness and adventure. I am lucky they let me suck wheel on the weekends! And Nate...I will beat you one day...one day! But more about the cheesy stuff later...for myself...for my accountability...here are most of my results over the last 4 years...along with some observations...
Clemson 05/2004: Swim: 750: 16:19/ Bike 11 miles: 38:22/ 5k run: 25:04/ Overall: 1:19:44
(*I felt as if I was going to be kicked to death in the lake, almost drowned, evaded a panic attack)
Hurley 07/2004: S 500: 15:33/ B 12.5 miles: 41:06/ 2.75 miles run: 20:34/ OAll: 1:20:48
(*Several times I said to self: "Self, why do you do this?")
Tour of Tanglewood, 09/2005 My first Century, 100 mile bike ride
(*"There will be food for you at the finish"...yea at Brick Oven Pizza ya dirty liars!)
White Lake Sprint, 05/2007: S 750 20:11/ B 14 miles: 43:41/ 5k: 23:02/ OAll: 1:31:02
(*There were white caps on the surface and Loch Ness below)
Triad Tri, 08/2007: Swim 300 yds: 5:07/ B10 miles: 34:21/ 3.1 trail: 26:34/ OAll: 1:08:47
(*2nd place Clydesdale whoop whoop...yea the race folks messed up the swim...don't burst my bubble!)
Lake Lure, 09/2007: Swim 500 mtrs: 12:33/ B15.5 miles: 1:03:37/ 5k uphill: 29:03/ OAll 1:48:09 (*Kidney stones + mountains = enter the pain cave for a winter spell)
Big Sur International Marathon 04/08: 26.2 miles/ 4:39:56
(*Bonk at 20 miles, consider cliff jumping, Dean Karnazes is on the sauce)
Until next time, in which I will discuss about current barriers and my new adventure!
Zip it up and Zip it out!
Sunday, July 27, 2008
The Initiation:
It all started when my brother in-law "to be" was planning on doing the Clemson Sprint Triathlon in 2004. This came at a time when I was wanting to challenge myself before I finished grad school and would have to enter the "real world"(marriage, dog, mortgage). It sounded like a ridiculously tough feat but somehow had an incredible allure to me.
Please keep in mind: as my grandfather says, "son , you are built like an Army mule."
1) I do not have a lean cyclist's body structure and had not ridden since middle school bmx...
2) When I was forced to swim on the swim team in elementary school--well I swam in the "exhibition" lane where it did not really count but they wanted me to feel "part of the team"...
3) I have always hated running--so much that in military school I felt lucky if I passed the 2 mile run on the PT test.
I liked the non-cardio sports: weight-lifting, wrestling...any sport in which I could stop and catch my breath.
Completing a triathlon would take me learning and doing 3 different skills that I was not born for, did not enjoy, and really, really were terrible at doing. My attitude at the time was kind of like the scene in Good Will Hunting when Matt Damon's character is asked why he picked the wrench for his dad to beat him with. He responds with "cause f%*k him, that's why." I guess I started this Quest because I felt the need for some personal growth and I had my own "beatings" to try make sense of..."cause f*$k them, that's why!"
So I picked a training plan off the net, bought an old steel road bike off E-bay with shifters on the down tubes, begged an old friend to teach me how to swim and borrowed my little brother's goggles.
I was off on my Quest.
Please keep in mind: as my grandfather says, "son , you are built like an Army mule."
1) I do not have a lean cyclist's body structure and had not ridden since middle school bmx...
2) When I was forced to swim on the swim team in elementary school--well I swam in the "exhibition" lane where it did not really count but they wanted me to feel "part of the team"...
3) I have always hated running--so much that in military school I felt lucky if I passed the 2 mile run on the PT test.
I liked the non-cardio sports: weight-lifting, wrestling...any sport in which I could stop and catch my breath.
Completing a triathlon would take me learning and doing 3 different skills that I was not born for, did not enjoy, and really, really were terrible at doing. My attitude at the time was kind of like the scene in Good Will Hunting when Matt Damon's character is asked why he picked the wrench for his dad to beat him with. He responds with "cause f%*k him, that's why." I guess I started this Quest because I felt the need for some personal growth and I had my own "beatings" to try make sense of..."cause f*$k them, that's why!"
So I picked a training plan off the net, bought an old steel road bike off E-bay with shifters on the down tubes, begged an old friend to teach me how to swim and borrowed my little brother's goggles.
I was off on my Quest.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
