I just finished reading '17 Hours to Glory' by Mathias Muller and in it he makes a statement about Ironman and it has resonated with me for two days now and tells me why I am training and putting my body through the ups and downs on a daily basis to cross that finish line.
He states:
"Ironman is a metaphor for life. As with everything else, work comes before success. It pays to set goals, be disciplined, work on one's weaknesses, overcome setbacks, and avoid being diverted from one's chartered course"
I could read that over and over and never get tired of it. It truly makes a statement about Ironman, but more so about life. In my opinion reading that tells you how to approach life and how to make sure that your sails are always with the wind.
If you train you will be successful at the race. If you focus you will be successful at the race. If you overcome the lows you will be successful at the race.
That couldn't be more true regardless of the race. Life is a race.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Going 1/2 Ironman Distances
Labels:
cycling,
ironman,
Ironman 70.3 California,
Marathon Makeover,
running
This weekend had distances involved that would be preparing me for goig the 1/2 Ironman distances. On Saturday I was to ride my bike for 3 hours and then on Sunday go for a 12 mile run with a heart rate under 150 bpm.
This past week led to this point where I am both excited and exhausted at the same time. All of the training this week was a lead up to going these 1/2 Ironman distances (although the 12 mile run was 1 mile short of the 1/2 Ironman distance.)
I had some tough swim training this week. It was difficult enough that on Monday I did only about 75% of the session. My mind was racing with the job hunt and when you are just going back and forth following the black like you just lose focus and think of everything but form and relaxation.
The second swim sesson on Wednesday was great. I told myself that I was going to be ultra-focused and making sure that I do the entire session and have a great time doing it. Isn't it amazing that when you put your mind to things they become easily achievable. The swim session on Wednesday was a ladder down. I start with some warm-up swimming then go to a 500 and then 5x25 hard, 400, 4x25 hard, 300, etc all the way down to a 100 and then cool-down. I loved the swim that day. I was on fire with it and just truly enjoyed it.
This week I had a rides of 1hr45min on Sunday, 1h30min on Monday and 2 hours on Thursday. I did the first two outside and the conditions were brutal. It was so hot that there wasn't enough liquid around to keep you hydrated. On Sunday I rode at 12pm and wound up drinking only 1 bottle of water and so on Monday I only brought 1 bottle with me. About half-way through the ride the liquid was all gone and I did not have a second bottle. I could feel my lips cracking and the salt just piling up on my face. It was not the easiest ride.
Tuesday I had a negative split run. Previously all my negative split runs have been time based, but this one was HR based. Out in the 130-140 bpm pace and in at 150-160 bpm. I did 30 minutes out and wound up doing the run back in 22 minutes. I was on cruise control on the way back and pushed hard.
Thursday I had a 1hr15m SUPER easy run. I kept a good pace and never felt fatigued. The purpose of the run was to get aerobic work in and let the legs relax a bit.
The best part of the runs was that I was able to run with the Castle Hills Running Club on both days. It was great to be able to see all the runners and the best part is that the group is up to around 10 people. It is amazing to see what was started as a group of 5 double in size and everybody keeps coming out. With the weather changning for the better I can only imagine that the numbers will continue to grow.
After Friday's day off the 3 hour ride came. I was on the bike around 10am and the weather was stll very nice. I took off from Flower Mound and headed north. I did not realize that north meant going all the way into Denton. I could not believe my eyes when I saw I-35 and I was in Denton. I wound up riding 53 miles that day and I felt great when I was done. It was a great feeling to know that I could do a 1/2 Ironman distance in 3 hours and most likely less.
-----------------------------------------------------------
I spoke with my Financial Advisor and met with my accountant and the business of Marathon Makeover in Dallas is going to be going forward. I am contacting them tomorrow along with setting up my LLC, getting a business checking account and a business credit card. The start of moving into my own business is starting and I know that once I start this I will land a corporate gig. I am ok with that b/c I need to cover the insurance and will continue to develop my resume and perfect my craft. At the same time my resume will be getting more and more established with the start of this business.
Learning all the ins and outs of running your own business is going to set me up for success in the corporate world. Making decisions on marketing spending and knowing how much to spend for the biggest return on that investment will only help me in the future. I am excited about this venture.
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Job Hunting -
The job hunt is still going on, but I must say that this past week was a great week for me. I connected with a handfull of people to get my resume into their network. One of them works for an agency and they happen to have two openings. The other works for a local television station here in Dallas.
I also sat down with a realtor who is involved in their church and they are going to push our resume's into their network.
I figured that I would have something setup by September 1st and I honestly think that is still going to happen. I have a great gut feeling about this week coming up and am excited to see how it all turn's out.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Thank you for reading my blog and keep on training
This past week led to this point where I am both excited and exhausted at the same time. All of the training this week was a lead up to going these 1/2 Ironman distances (although the 12 mile run was 1 mile short of the 1/2 Ironman distance.)
I had some tough swim training this week. It was difficult enough that on Monday I did only about 75% of the session. My mind was racing with the job hunt and when you are just going back and forth following the black like you just lose focus and think of everything but form and relaxation.
The second swim sesson on Wednesday was great. I told myself that I was going to be ultra-focused and making sure that I do the entire session and have a great time doing it. Isn't it amazing that when you put your mind to things they become easily achievable. The swim session on Wednesday was a ladder down. I start with some warm-up swimming then go to a 500 and then 5x25 hard, 400, 4x25 hard, 300, etc all the way down to a 100 and then cool-down. I loved the swim that day. I was on fire with it and just truly enjoyed it.
This week I had a rides of 1hr45min on Sunday, 1h30min on Monday and 2 hours on Thursday. I did the first two outside and the conditions were brutal. It was so hot that there wasn't enough liquid around to keep you hydrated. On Sunday I rode at 12pm and wound up drinking only 1 bottle of water and so on Monday I only brought 1 bottle with me. About half-way through the ride the liquid was all gone and I did not have a second bottle. I could feel my lips cracking and the salt just piling up on my face. It was not the easiest ride.
Tuesday I had a negative split run. Previously all my negative split runs have been time based, but this one was HR based. Out in the 130-140 bpm pace and in at 150-160 bpm. I did 30 minutes out and wound up doing the run back in 22 minutes. I was on cruise control on the way back and pushed hard.
Thursday I had a 1hr15m SUPER easy run. I kept a good pace and never felt fatigued. The purpose of the run was to get aerobic work in and let the legs relax a bit.
The best part of the runs was that I was able to run with the Castle Hills Running Club on both days. It was great to be able to see all the runners and the best part is that the group is up to around 10 people. It is amazing to see what was started as a group of 5 double in size and everybody keeps coming out. With the weather changning for the better I can only imagine that the numbers will continue to grow.
After Friday's day off the 3 hour ride came. I was on the bike around 10am and the weather was stll very nice. I took off from Flower Mound and headed north. I did not realize that north meant going all the way into Denton. I could not believe my eyes when I saw I-35 and I was in Denton. I wound up riding 53 miles that day and I felt great when I was done. It was a great feeling to know that I could do a 1/2 Ironman distance in 3 hours and most likely less.
-----------------------------------------------------------
I spoke with my Financial Advisor and met with my accountant and the business of Marathon Makeover in Dallas is going to be going forward. I am contacting them tomorrow along with setting up my LLC, getting a business checking account and a business credit card. The start of moving into my own business is starting and I know that once I start this I will land a corporate gig. I am ok with that b/c I need to cover the insurance and will continue to develop my resume and perfect my craft. At the same time my resume will be getting more and more established with the start of this business.
Learning all the ins and outs of running your own business is going to set me up for success in the corporate world. Making decisions on marketing spending and knowing how much to spend for the biggest return on that investment will only help me in the future. I am excited about this venture.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Job Hunting -
The job hunt is still going on, but I must say that this past week was a great week for me. I connected with a handfull of people to get my resume into their network. One of them works for an agency and they happen to have two openings. The other works for a local television station here in Dallas.
I also sat down with a realtor who is involved in their church and they are going to push our resume's into their network.
I figured that I would have something setup by September 1st and I honestly think that is still going to happen. I have a great gut feeling about this week coming up and am excited to see how it all turn's out.
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Thank you for reading my blog and keep on training
Monday, August 23, 2010
Stories Never Cease to Amaze Me
The stories of the competitors of triathlon never cease to amaze me. I had a conversation one time regarding triathlon and how I would stop to help a fellow competitor b/c I know what they have gone through just to get to the finish line. Their response was 'but aren't you competing to win?'
The answer to that is yes, I am competing to win but winning is not done at all costs. The idea of just running past somebody while they are out of it does not appeal to me and does not say that I beat that person at their best. The thought of cycling past somebody who has a flat without asking if they need help makes little sense to me.
I am out on the road running and cycling close to 10 hours per week and I know others are doing the same and thus we have a sort of bond as with being in a fraternity. Helping out a fellow triathlete in desperate need is something that I would do.
As a matter of fact, at the Pioneer Power Sprint Tri we were standing around near the finish line when a competitor crossed the line then essentially stumbled over to our area and collapsed. Karen and I were quick to get them water and ice towels and a race director to make sure that he was OK. He looked to be suffering from dehydration as it was terribly hot that day.
Here is a story from an Xterra race in Portland, OR where a racer in 2nd helped out the racer in 1st after she had collapsed. Just an all around inspiring story:
2nd place racer helps 1st place racer and finishes in 3rd
For more inspiration on triathlon and specifically Ironman Hawaii run, don't walk, to get this book:
17 Hours To Glory
I have read more then half this book in about 2 hours. Great stories of unbelievable accomplishments.
The answer to that is yes, I am competing to win but winning is not done at all costs. The idea of just running past somebody while they are out of it does not appeal to me and does not say that I beat that person at their best. The thought of cycling past somebody who has a flat without asking if they need help makes little sense to me.
I am out on the road running and cycling close to 10 hours per week and I know others are doing the same and thus we have a sort of bond as with being in a fraternity. Helping out a fellow triathlete in desperate need is something that I would do.
As a matter of fact, at the Pioneer Power Sprint Tri we were standing around near the finish line when a competitor crossed the line then essentially stumbled over to our area and collapsed. Karen and I were quick to get them water and ice towels and a race director to make sure that he was OK. He looked to be suffering from dehydration as it was terribly hot that day.
Here is a story from an Xterra race in Portland, OR where a racer in 2nd helped out the racer in 1st after she had collapsed. Just an all around inspiring story:
2nd place racer helps 1st place racer and finishes in 3rd
For more inspiration on triathlon and specifically Ironman Hawaii run, don't walk, to get this book:
17 Hours To Glory
I have read more then half this book in about 2 hours. Great stories of unbelievable accomplishments.
Back Home from Charlotte
I have not posted in a few days because I was out in Charlotte visiting family and it was a great time. I not only got to see my mother and Bill, my sister and her son but I wound up getting together with fraternity brothers from college that I have not seen in 15 years. What a great time all around.
Highlights:
1- Going to Duke University for the first and certainly not the last time. I have been a Duke basketball fan for as long as I can remember so getting the opportunity to step foot on the campus was incredible. The building are gorgeous. The trees and leaves of a college campus was inspiring. This was orientation week so seeing all those big-eyed freshman was a trip down memory lane. Wound up spending some money in the book store b/c I had to get apparel and I do not regret spending one penny.
4- Having a few moments with my mother and my wife discussing everything in life from the building of a mosque near the World Trade Center site to business to faith and who knows what else we talked about, but it was great.
Highlights:
1- Going to Duke University for the first and certainly not the last time. I have been a Duke basketball fan for as long as I can remember so getting the opportunity to step foot on the campus was incredible. The building are gorgeous. The trees and leaves of a college campus was inspiring. This was orientation week so seeing all those big-eyed freshman was a trip down memory lane. Wound up spending some money in the book store b/c I had to get apparel and I do not regret spending one penny. |
| Heading towards the gorgeous chapel |
2- Going to UNC-Charlotte for a 1 hour run around the campus. We went to UNCC prior to going to Duke so I was impressed at the time time with the campus and again all the freshman setting foot on the campus for the first time. I ran for an hour around the school and everything felt like academia all over again. Hopefully some of the brainwaves from the students found their way into my head.
 |
| Sigma Phi Epsilon at the Panthers-Jets Game |
3- Attending a Panthers preseason game with my fraternity brothers whom I had not seen in 15 years. The game was the secondary part of the experience. Being around guys I had not seen in 15 years was incredible. We told stories of our past and how our lives had changed. Talked about Duke playing the 1991 game against Kentucky and how I was so loud that we all got in trouble. It was a great time and great to see those guys.
4- Having a few moments with my mother and my wife discussing everything in life from the building of a mosque near the World Trade Center site to business to faith and who knows what else we talked about, but it was great.5 - Having a dance party at the house with my nephew, Bill, Mom, Julia and Karen after the wine club with some of my mother's friends (who were very nice and a joy to be around.) We were dancing in the living room and just goofing off the entire time. Took away all the stresses I have had for the past few weeks in a moment. Children can be so grounding sometimes.
The absolute worst part was leaving. Forget about the fact that we had to leave the house around 4:30am but the fact that I was leaving my family after such a fun time. I truly need to schedule more of these trips and now that I have the fellas in Charlotte it will certainly be easier to do.
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The Ironman training has continued but it is getting more and more difficult for a number of reasons. The training itself is getting longer and more wearing on the body for sure, but throw in the fact that I have this stress of finding a new job and it makes the training that much worse.
The funny thing about this is that when I am on the bike or on a run I don't feel that stress, but once I am in the pool it comes out. I think the pool makes it worse b/c it is just back and forth, back and forth with nowhere to go. Had I been in a 50m pool or the open water I would have less time to think about the stress and more time to focus on the swimming.
Strength has been coming along just fine and I have been increasing my weight levels about once a week. Today I went down slightly in some b/c I did a swim session prior to the weights. The best part is I have a bike session this evening as well.
Yesterday I spent 1hr45m on the bike and today I get to spend 1h30m on the bike. The cool part is that I am going to ride up by Jeff's house this way I can shower and head to the movies with he, Tiff and Brad. Should be a good time. I am excited about getting out on the bike again and seeing what my legs can do. Yesterday in my time I did 31.18 miles which came out to 17.8 MPH. Hopefully I can be a tad faster today. This coming weekend I have a 3 hour ride to do and I'm hoping that nets me the distance of the 1/2 Ironman. If I can do the 56 miles in 3 hours then I know when I am doing the Old College Tri, Cooper and Toyota that those distances will seem like nothing.
---------------------------------------------------------
On the job front:
I have not heard back about a 2nd interview from the one place I have been pinning my hopes on. I know it isn't smart to put all my eggs in this one basket but I know that I can do some great work for them. I was supposed to hear back on Friday and have not. I figured maybe Monday but nothing yet today and it is 2:32p. Oh well, maybe if I don't have expectations then things will happen.
I am supposed to have another phone interview for a sales position. I'm not 100% sure I want the job but I do need to pay bills and I can do the gig for a bit while I'm still looking and bring some money in.
I am also going to talk to a business about whether or not we can partner up or buy them outright or figure something out with them. It is a wine business and from the outside it looks promising. I am sure that I will have to get some sort of financing but I will cross that bridge when I come to it and figure it out then.
I guess you can say I have a lot of irons in the fire. Just need to get one of these to ignite now.
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Smile and the whole world smiles with you.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Legs are JELL-O
My legs are jell-o. They are wiggly and jiggly. Why you might ask.....well I am going to tell you.
Three consecutive days of hard training. Not just hard, but pushing and pushing and pushing my speed on the run and yesterday also included the hardest swim training to date along with a time trial on the bike. JELL-O I tell you.
So we start out with the race on Sunday in which both Karen and I place 3rd in our age group. I ran an 8:03/mile pace in scorching heat and was so dehyrated at the end that I almost lost my cookies, peanut butter protein bar, breakfast burrito.....you get the picture. I couldn't get enough liquids or carb/proteins in me. Luckily after a great breakfast at Barbec's with Karen and Barbara I felt 100x better.
Yesteray was a three training session day. Swim, Strength, Brick.....is that a 4 training session day? Either way the swim was reverse laddering. Huh? That's what I thought, but here it is. Warm-Up with 6x50 of 25 drill and 25 swim. Then the reverse ladder which starts with a 500 at T-Pace +5 seconds then 5x25 Sprint, then 400 at T-Pace+5 then 4x25 sprint, then 300 at T-Pace+5 then 3x25 sprint, 200 and 2x25, 100.....then you get to cool down with a 200 of steady kicks and swim. I was beat as there is not a lot of time in between these sets either. After the long swim you got 50" then 40" then 30" then 20" in between and in between each 25 you got 20". I would say this was probably the hardest swim training I have had in a while and by that I don't mean the ones where I just don't feel the water, but flat out difficult.
After that it was 1 hour in the gym lifting and working out doing supersets and keeping my HR elevated. TIRED!!!!!
That wasn't the end yesterday though. I originally thought this was a joke, but Coach did not back off because I did send her emails to clarify for me.
In the evening it was time for a 1 hour bike that included a 10K time trial at the end followed by a 20 minute run at 10K pace. It was brutally hot so I decided to do the bike on my trainer and would do the run outside in the neighborhood.
After 36 minutes of doing interval training essentially (3 mintues hard, 2 minutes recovery) I went for my 10K. I figured at 20MPH a 10K would take me a little over 18 minutes so that would get me close to an hour. I would up doing the 6.2miles in 20:17 which is an average pace of 18.4 MPH. I was happy with that pace because the trainer is so much harder then the road where you get downhills to get your speed way up so 18.4 I would take. My buddy Juan says it takes 30% more energy to use the trainer but I'm not sure what htat means exactly in terms of speed, but even a 10% increase in speed puts me at 20 MPH, which is my goal for the next race.
The 20 minute run at 10K pace was next. I covered 2.32 miles in that 20 minutes for an average pace of 8:37 which is slower then the 10K pace I set at The Hottest Half but I also did not have a 1 hour bike ride prior to that run so this pace was perfect for me and I was happy. I was happiest when I got in the shower though and allowed my muscles to relax and my sleep last night was terrific to the point of waking up at 12am feeling fully rested as if I had slept for an entire night.
This morning the alarm went off at 4:00am as I expected to do a very easy run with the Castle Hills Running Club. Well as I was looking at my emails from Training Peaks I noticed that the run had changed and it was not going to be an easy run.....uh-oh!!!!!!
The run consisted of warming-up with 4x strides followed by 4x800 at 5k-5second pace with a 400 recovery after each set. After the last recovery I was to do a 2 mile run at 10K+10second pace.
My times in those 800s and 2 mile run were:
1x800 in 3:21 or a 6:34/mile pace. HR was 171 with max of 175
1x800 in 3:26 or a 6:39/mile pace. HR was 174 with max of 178
1x800 in 3:28 or a 6:54/mile pace. HR was 176 with max of 181
1x800 in 3:32 or a 7:12/mile pace. HR was 174 with max of 180
2mile run in 17:52 or a 8:58/mile pace. HR was 168 with max of 174
That last 2 mile run I was on fumes and my legs were moving on their own as I don't think I was moving them with my brain. They were just going. I know that I did happen to see a few laps with 9:25/mile pace so I had to have picked it up at other times but that 9:25/mile pace was terrible to have seen.
My paces at the 800s were tremendous and really only that last 800 was really a 5k-5sec pace as the other were much faster then that.
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I am ready to get on the plane to visit my mom, sister, nephew and bill this week. It will be nice to get away from Dallas for a few days and be around family and while not completely forget about the job search to be around those that love me will be a great big confidence boost. It has become stressful with each passing day even though I have only been out for a month.
I am hoping to get a 2nd interview with the not-for-profit scheduled for next week by getting a call today. I have been thinking quite a bit about this job and this career move and the more I think about it the more I believe it to be the right fit at the right time.
In addition to that I have investigated a fitness business that I'm excited about as well. I think this is definitely going to happen and I have a call in an hour to talk to a friend about becoming a minority partner with me in the business. I think she would love it as she is a certified personal trainer and combined we have a tremendous passion for healthy lifestyles and that is what this business is all about (even though I just ate a bran muffin in about 30 seconds.)
Three consecutive days of hard training. Not just hard, but pushing and pushing and pushing my speed on the run and yesterday also included the hardest swim training to date along with a time trial on the bike. JELL-O I tell you.
So we start out with the race on Sunday in which both Karen and I place 3rd in our age group. I ran an 8:03/mile pace in scorching heat and was so dehyrated at the end that I almost lost my cookies, peanut butter protein bar, breakfast burrito.....you get the picture. I couldn't get enough liquids or carb/proteins in me. Luckily after a great breakfast at Barbec's with Karen and Barbara I felt 100x better.
Yesteray was a three training session day. Swim, Strength, Brick.....is that a 4 training session day? Either way the swim was reverse laddering. Huh? That's what I thought, but here it is. Warm-Up with 6x50 of 25 drill and 25 swim. Then the reverse ladder which starts with a 500 at T-Pace +5 seconds then 5x25 Sprint, then 400 at T-Pace+5 then 4x25 sprint, then 300 at T-Pace+5 then 3x25 sprint, 200 and 2x25, 100.....then you get to cool down with a 200 of steady kicks and swim. I was beat as there is not a lot of time in between these sets either. After the long swim you got 50" then 40" then 30" then 20" in between and in between each 25 you got 20". I would say this was probably the hardest swim training I have had in a while and by that I don't mean the ones where I just don't feel the water, but flat out difficult.
After that it was 1 hour in the gym lifting and working out doing supersets and keeping my HR elevated. TIRED!!!!!
That wasn't the end yesterday though. I originally thought this was a joke, but Coach did not back off because I did send her emails to clarify for me.
In the evening it was time for a 1 hour bike that included a 10K time trial at the end followed by a 20 minute run at 10K pace. It was brutally hot so I decided to do the bike on my trainer and would do the run outside in the neighborhood.
After 36 minutes of doing interval training essentially (3 mintues hard, 2 minutes recovery) I went for my 10K. I figured at 20MPH a 10K would take me a little over 18 minutes so that would get me close to an hour. I would up doing the 6.2miles in 20:17 which is an average pace of 18.4 MPH. I was happy with that pace because the trainer is so much harder then the road where you get downhills to get your speed way up so 18.4 I would take. My buddy Juan says it takes 30% more energy to use the trainer but I'm not sure what htat means exactly in terms of speed, but even a 10% increase in speed puts me at 20 MPH, which is my goal for the next race.
The 20 minute run at 10K pace was next. I covered 2.32 miles in that 20 minutes for an average pace of 8:37 which is slower then the 10K pace I set at The Hottest Half but I also did not have a 1 hour bike ride prior to that run so this pace was perfect for me and I was happy. I was happiest when I got in the shower though and allowed my muscles to relax and my sleep last night was terrific to the point of waking up at 12am feeling fully rested as if I had slept for an entire night.
This morning the alarm went off at 4:00am as I expected to do a very easy run with the Castle Hills Running Club. Well as I was looking at my emails from Training Peaks I noticed that the run had changed and it was not going to be an easy run.....uh-oh!!!!!!
The run consisted of warming-up with 4x strides followed by 4x800 at 5k-5second pace with a 400 recovery after each set. After the last recovery I was to do a 2 mile run at 10K+10second pace.
My times in those 800s and 2 mile run were:
1x800 in 3:21 or a 6:34/mile pace. HR was 171 with max of 175
1x800 in 3:26 or a 6:39/mile pace. HR was 174 with max of 178
1x800 in 3:28 or a 6:54/mile pace. HR was 176 with max of 181
1x800 in 3:32 or a 7:12/mile pace. HR was 174 with max of 180
2mile run in 17:52 or a 8:58/mile pace. HR was 168 with max of 174
That last 2 mile run I was on fumes and my legs were moving on their own as I don't think I was moving them with my brain. They were just going. I know that I did happen to see a few laps with 9:25/mile pace so I had to have picked it up at other times but that 9:25/mile pace was terrible to have seen.
My paces at the 800s were tremendous and really only that last 800 was really a 5k-5sec pace as the other were much faster then that.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I am ready to get on the plane to visit my mom, sister, nephew and bill this week. It will be nice to get away from Dallas for a few days and be around family and while not completely forget about the job search to be around those that love me will be a great big confidence boost. It has become stressful with each passing day even though I have only been out for a month.
I am hoping to get a 2nd interview with the not-for-profit scheduled for next week by getting a call today. I have been thinking quite a bit about this job and this career move and the more I think about it the more I believe it to be the right fit at the right time.
In addition to that I have investigated a fitness business that I'm excited about as well. I think this is definitely going to happen and I have a call in an hour to talk to a friend about becoming a minority partner with me in the business. I think she would love it as she is a certified personal trainer and combined we have a tremendous passion for healthy lifestyles and that is what this business is all about (even though I just ate a bran muffin in about 30 seconds.)
MAY YOUR PASSION SHOW THROUGH EVERYDAY!!!!!
Monday, August 16, 2010
REWARDING Run
This weekend has been a celebration of Karen's parents 50th wedding anniversary. It has been such a pleasure to see the entire family and hang out and hear stories of the past. The one down side to the weekend has been all the eating. Eating big meals and dessert every night has been brutal. I have eaten more sugar in the past three days then I think I have eaten in about a year. I am putting my foot down on eating habits starting this morning. No more eating as if I am going to never eat again. Back to fruit and fiber and I have the ability to do that now that I finally got myself to the grocery store.
That was not the only rewarding portion to this weekend. Karen and I ran a race (The Hottest Half) and finished 3rd in our age groups. It was such a huge lift to both of our psyche's and we needed that. It was a tough run as it was extremely hot out there and the production company was not prepared for this heat. On the way back on the 10K there was no water and only Gatorade, which not everybody drinks. Karen and I are two of those people that do not drink Gatorade and would prefer to have water to pour over their heads and not necessarily drink. There was also a 1/2 marathon going on and I felt for those people.
We picked up a friend (Barbara) who ran the race with us and she did great as well. After the race we went to breakfast at Barbec's which is a tremendously greasy diner which is perfect for an after all-heat run. Once we were done eating we drove around White Rock Lake where the race was and sure enough there were people still on the 1/2 marathon course and were looking at close to 4 hours at that point which is the cut-off point for a 1/2 marathon. As it turns out we found out that they had to take people off the course as they did not make the time cut-off or because they were over-heated.
It was a tough race but I'm very very proud of Karen for finishing 3rd in her age group as that is a great accomplishment.
As I am typing this blog the news on the local Fox station just said that the temperatures at the Rangers game were the hottest ever at the Ballpark. You do know that Karen and I went to that game. We left around the 4th or 5th inning as it was just unbearable. The news mentioned that 40 people had to be help for over-heating at the game. I'm surprised it wasn't more.
On the job front. I had a great phone interview last week and I'm expecting-hoping to get a phone call today or an email regarding booking a 2nd interview. I really want to get this job and not because I just want a job but because I think this position will allow me to do a lot of good for people and that is something I'm looking to do.
In that vein I am looking into Marathon Makeover as a part-time leader. The project helps to get people off the couch and to get them to run a marathon. I am very interested in this 'business' and again not because of getting a job because it won't pay all the bills but really to help people move forward in life. Provide a way to give them confidence and to provide with the ability to face life's tasks and not run away from them but embrace them and say that nothing is impossible.
Lastly, Karen and I have received some information on getting a small business going. We have spoken to potential investors and I'm hoping to try to get the ball rolling this upcoming week or next to get this started as I think it would be perfect for Karen and I. The issue is that I will need to have a job prior to getting this going because we will need health insurance and I would want Karen to run the day-to-day operations.
Lots of irons in the fire and now is the time to strike.
That was not the only rewarding portion to this weekend. Karen and I ran a race (The Hottest Half) and finished 3rd in our age groups. It was such a huge lift to both of our psyche's and we needed that. It was a tough run as it was extremely hot out there and the production company was not prepared for this heat. On the way back on the 10K there was no water and only Gatorade, which not everybody drinks. Karen and I are two of those people that do not drink Gatorade and would prefer to have water to pour over their heads and not necessarily drink. There was also a 1/2 marathon going on and I felt for those people.
We picked up a friend (Barbara) who ran the race with us and she did great as well. After the race we went to breakfast at Barbec's which is a tremendously greasy diner which is perfect for an after all-heat run. Once we were done eating we drove around White Rock Lake where the race was and sure enough there were people still on the 1/2 marathon course and were looking at close to 4 hours at that point which is the cut-off point for a 1/2 marathon. As it turns out we found out that they had to take people off the course as they did not make the time cut-off or because they were over-heated.
It was a tough race but I'm very very proud of Karen for finishing 3rd in her age group as that is a great accomplishment.
As I am typing this blog the news on the local Fox station just said that the temperatures at the Rangers game were the hottest ever at the Ballpark. You do know that Karen and I went to that game. We left around the 4th or 5th inning as it was just unbearable. The news mentioned that 40 people had to be help for over-heating at the game. I'm surprised it wasn't more.
On the job front. I had a great phone interview last week and I'm expecting-hoping to get a phone call today or an email regarding booking a 2nd interview. I really want to get this job and not because I just want a job but because I think this position will allow me to do a lot of good for people and that is something I'm looking to do.
In that vein I am looking into Marathon Makeover as a part-time leader. The project helps to get people off the couch and to get them to run a marathon. I am very interested in this 'business' and again not because of getting a job because it won't pay all the bills but really to help people move forward in life. Provide a way to give them confidence and to provide with the ability to face life's tasks and not run away from them but embrace them and say that nothing is impossible.
Lastly, Karen and I have received some information on getting a small business going. We have spoken to potential investors and I'm hoping to try to get the ball rolling this upcoming week or next to get this started as I think it would be perfect for Karen and I. The issue is that I will need to have a job prior to getting this going because we will need health insurance and I would want Karen to run the day-to-day operations.
Lots of irons in the fire and now is the time to strike.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Spring Fritatta Recipe
While reading Competitor magazine (which is given to me by Mari every time she visits from California) I found a recipe for a Spring Frittata by Deena Kastor and it sounded so good I wanted to share with everybody who reads my blog.
Deena points out that she eats this after a long run in the mountains to help her get protein into her system.
Ingredients:
HAVE FUN COOKING!!!!!
Deena points out that she eats this after a long run in the mountains to help her get protein into her system.
Ingredients:
- 6 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup milk
- Hanful of fresh herbs, chopped (optional)
- 1 teaspoon of olive oil
- 2 cups of your favorite veggies
- sea salt and pepper to taste
- half-cup of grated parmesan, gruyere or goat cheese
HAVE FUN COOKING!!!!!
Skies Will Always Be Blue
Just when you think the skies are darkest they have an uncanny way of turning blue. Being an optimist I have always believed that to be true. There are no problems so big they don't have a solution, no challenges too difficult to tackle. Staying positive has allowed me to move through the most difficult of times and come out shining.
That same mind set is helping me today through my job search as well as my training. Just when I think that it will take another 2 weeks to find a job something happens. Just when I think I can't go any further in the pool or on the bike I find another gear.
Yesterday I had a phone interview with a company that I am really interested in. The position will open up my experiences and allow me to help people and speak for people who feel they have no voice. There are only 6 candidates for this position and I was the first to get a phone interview. During the interview the HR manager said I passed the HR test and that I would be recommended to go onto the 2nd round of interviews. I'm trying not to get too high but I think this position will not just lead to employement but lead to the opportunity to have a great career. A career where the impact is not just measured in profit and loss, but measured in how you touched other people's lives.
Today I had a swim training session that was not a long one but one in which I had to continually get faster. I did 5x100 descending. My first 100 was at 2:00 and my second was at 2:00. The third was at 1:56 and the fourth was at 1:47 followed by one at 1:44. I had pushed myself to the point of being at 1:43 which I would believe translate to a much faster time in the 50m pool that I did the Pioneer Power Sprint Tri.
After a 2 minute rest I was scheduled to do 2x100 at the 1:43 with 20" rest interval. I went out and did the first one in 1:39. I was crusing through the water. I felt on top of the water and gliding and moving at a pace that was faster then I ever have gone before and was not hurting when done. My form must have been spot on b/c I wasn't fatigued and felt great. After the 20" RI I went out and did the 2nd 100 in 1:43. This one was more difficult then the first but I still cranked it out by using my form and gliding on the top of the water.
Next up was a 200 steady kick effort. After the first 50 I did not think I could do the full 200 but I thought about Coach C and her motivation and then I chunked it down to 50s. Get through the next 50 then only 100 to do, then one more 50 and only 50 left to do. Once I had my mind squared away the fatigue in my legs went away and I cruised through the remaining work and followed that up with an easy 200.
All the training has given me confidence in the water that my easy sets are just that. Instead of worrying about how fast I'm going during my easy sets I'm working on form and breathing.
The triathlon events and training have truly prepared me for being undemployed even though I was not planning on that translation. I went into tri training thinking that I wanted to compete at a 70.3 Ironman in 2011 and a 140.6 Ironman in 2012. Now I am thinking of doing 3 70.3 Ironman events in 2011.
The translation is easy in retrospect though. You train and push and work hard and the race is the easy part. Well I am working very hard in finding a job, and getting interviews and pushing and motivating myself to continue the search and when I land that interview it is easy b/c I have the skills and experience and personality to get the job. I will go through the training and working hard once I am hired just like I will push and work hard at 140.6 once I am done with 70.3.
Having discipline in tri training is the same as having the discipline to get up every morning and train then head to the coffee shop to research positions and make calls to land the perfect career. I don't want a job today, I want a career in the future.
That same mind set is helping me today through my job search as well as my training. Just when I think that it will take another 2 weeks to find a job something happens. Just when I think I can't go any further in the pool or on the bike I find another gear.
Yesterday I had a phone interview with a company that I am really interested in. The position will open up my experiences and allow me to help people and speak for people who feel they have no voice. There are only 6 candidates for this position and I was the first to get a phone interview. During the interview the HR manager said I passed the HR test and that I would be recommended to go onto the 2nd round of interviews. I'm trying not to get too high but I think this position will not just lead to employement but lead to the opportunity to have a great career. A career where the impact is not just measured in profit and loss, but measured in how you touched other people's lives.
Today I had a swim training session that was not a long one but one in which I had to continually get faster. I did 5x100 descending. My first 100 was at 2:00 and my second was at 2:00. The third was at 1:56 and the fourth was at 1:47 followed by one at 1:44. I had pushed myself to the point of being at 1:43 which I would believe translate to a much faster time in the 50m pool that I did the Pioneer Power Sprint Tri.
After a 2 minute rest I was scheduled to do 2x100 at the 1:43 with 20" rest interval. I went out and did the first one in 1:39. I was crusing through the water. I felt on top of the water and gliding and moving at a pace that was faster then I ever have gone before and was not hurting when done. My form must have been spot on b/c I wasn't fatigued and felt great. After the 20" RI I went out and did the 2nd 100 in 1:43. This one was more difficult then the first but I still cranked it out by using my form and gliding on the top of the water.
Next up was a 200 steady kick effort. After the first 50 I did not think I could do the full 200 but I thought about Coach C and her motivation and then I chunked it down to 50s. Get through the next 50 then only 100 to do, then one more 50 and only 50 left to do. Once I had my mind squared away the fatigue in my legs went away and I cruised through the remaining work and followed that up with an easy 200.
All the training has given me confidence in the water that my easy sets are just that. Instead of worrying about how fast I'm going during my easy sets I'm working on form and breathing.
The triathlon events and training have truly prepared me for being undemployed even though I was not planning on that translation. I went into tri training thinking that I wanted to compete at a 70.3 Ironman in 2011 and a 140.6 Ironman in 2012. Now I am thinking of doing 3 70.3 Ironman events in 2011.
The translation is easy in retrospect though. You train and push and work hard and the race is the easy part. Well I am working very hard in finding a job, and getting interviews and pushing and motivating myself to continue the search and when I land that interview it is easy b/c I have the skills and experience and personality to get the job. I will go through the training and working hard once I am hired just like I will push and work hard at 140.6 once I am done with 70.3.
Having discipline in tri training is the same as having the discipline to get up every morning and train then head to the coffee shop to research positions and make calls to land the perfect career. I don't want a job today, I want a career in the future.
STAY POSITIVE AND KNOW THAT BLUE SKIES WILL SHINE AGAIN !!!!!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Old Times Are New Again
Labels:
Castle Hills,
hear rate zone
This morning I decided to go to the coffee shop I worked out of when I first moved to Dallas. It is as they say like going home again. It has been around 2 years since I have been here and it is exactly as I remember it. I am inclined to discuss partnering with them and opening another shop in a different location with their help.....sort of a franchise but not exactly. I actually started to look up franchises online yesterday and have a call with a franchise on Friday at 3pm. Friday morning I have a meeting with a friend that opened up a pool franchise so we shall see where this goes. Would be interesting to work for myself and to be responsible for all facets of a business to learn and grow from.
This morning was also like going back in time in that I ran with the Castle Hills Running Club. I had a scheduled 45 minute run this morning that was to be essentially in Zone 1. A recovery run where you are not pushing yourself so hard and just working your way through muscle fatigue and getting the lactic acid out.
The run was great as we covered 4.75 miles in around 49 minutes so it was perfect. My average HR was 134 with a peak of 152 and that was probably at the hill climb of the golf course as my pace was slow and steady.
On the run I spoke with Robyn about her job and she informed me that she is having lunch with an HR recruiter from the company and will find out if there are any openings. Life is going to start to turn around very soon. The challenge after that will be figuring out work, working out, family time and sleep. In order to perform your best at any of these making sure you have rest is very important. A coach of mine from middle school once told me that you can never catch up on sleep but that even if you are not sleeping but laying down and letting the body rest that is good, not as good as sleeping, but good nonetheless.
Off to the job hunt and getting that perfect situation for myself where there is a life and work balance.
This morning was also like going back in time in that I ran with the Castle Hills Running Club. I had a scheduled 45 minute run this morning that was to be essentially in Zone 1. A recovery run where you are not pushing yourself so hard and just working your way through muscle fatigue and getting the lactic acid out.
The run was great as we covered 4.75 miles in around 49 minutes so it was perfect. My average HR was 134 with a peak of 152 and that was probably at the hill climb of the golf course as my pace was slow and steady.
On the run I spoke with Robyn about her job and she informed me that she is having lunch with an HR recruiter from the company and will find out if there are any openings. Life is going to start to turn around very soon. The challenge after that will be figuring out work, working out, family time and sleep. In order to perform your best at any of these making sure you have rest is very important. A coach of mine from middle school once told me that you can never catch up on sleep but that even if you are not sleeping but laying down and letting the body rest that is good, not as good as sleeping, but good nonetheless.
Off to the job hunt and getting that perfect situation for myself where there is a life and work balance.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Best Race to Date
I had one of those days where everything came together for me on the race course. I finished 9th out of 36 in my age group and 66 out of 312 which doesn't seem very good considering I was 2nd in my age group at Grapevine, but in the end this was a better result for me as I had PRs in all the disciplines.
My swim time was just out of this world for me. I did the 300m swim in 5:34 which equates to 1:51/100m or 1:41/100y. If you have followed this blog at all you will know that I am a 2:00/100y swimmer and to eclipse that by 19 seconds/100y is amazing. I went into the swim thinking just be steady and you will do fine, and that is exactly what happened.
During my warm-up I noticed that I was getting to the other side of the pool in under 1 minute and not pushing myself but just being steady and holding a consistent pace. I took that into the race with me and as it turns out I had the best time I have ever had. As a matter of face I wound up passing 1 person during the actual swim and at the end caught up to eventually passed 4 or 5 other people at the ladder as they looked around trying to figure out what to do next.
I think there was a major benefit to doing the swim in a 50m pool as opposed to the training I do in a 25y pool. I was nervous at first that I would not be accustomed to the breathing but in the end the longer distance of the pool allowed for a more relaxed and consistent pace.
Once out of the water I ran, and actually pushed another competitor out of the way as he was walking non-chalantly out of the pool area. I got to my bike and sort of lost where I was for about 10 seconds. Didn't know whether or not to put on shoes first or helmet and sunglasses and then remebered to take a gel. This cost me as my transition was 1:08 where it should be around :40 for a sprint tri.
On the bike start you are going vertical after the mount line. Some people ran their bikes to the top of the hill and started going, but I got on at the mount line and powered up the hill. I put so much force into the pedal strokes that I lifted the front tire off the ground, but I was off and running.
The course on the way out is downhill and flat with some uphills but nothing too difficult. The turn around was such a joke. They actually had you go into a parking lot, that for sure was not swept and probably had glass everywhere. Then the radius inside of the parking lot was tight and then back out. One thing about a turn around is it allows you to see where your competitors are. I noticed a pack of about 5 going into the lot when I got out of it and I thought to myself I am not getting caught and put everything I had into riding out of that lot.
The way in was much tougher as all those downhills became uphills. The flats of course were the same but the uphills were much tougher. At one point I passed another rider and then I saw his shadow right on my back tire and again I just started pedaling as hard as I could to get away and leave him behind. I wound up catching quite a few riders and finished with an average speed of 19.2 MPH which is .2 MPH faster then the Disco Triathlon. My new goal is to now hit 20.0 MPH on the bike and I think that is a feasible goal. Leave it all on the course.
My second transition was again slow at 1:01. Again I think I could save about :15 here alone so that totals out to about :30 to :35 of lost time.
Once on the run course I just found other competitors to catch and hopefully pass. I felt strong but eventually got a cramp in my side but I brushed it off. The run was on a golf course so there were some hills and eventually we got to one point that it seemed to just keep going up.
Throughout the race I wanted to make sure I did not get chicked (DGC) and for almost the entire race that was what happened until about 1.5 miles to go in the run. I got passed by a woman that I could never keep up with. She not only passed me but blew by me and before long she was just a memory, but that did not stop me from continually pushing forward and trying to pass as many people as possible.
In the end my run pace was 7:38min/mile which is even faster then Disco and pretty close to my all-time record for a 5K and that is without the swim and bike.
I am very proud of my efforts today, but there are also a number of other people that I'm proud of.
Juan turned in a time that put him 18th overall and 3rd in his age group. Just a great all around triathlete and I'm very happy for him that he placed as that has been his goal this whole season.
Robert had what he thought was a bad race but wound up finishing 70th overall. Knowing that he felt like he could have done better makes me happy for him b/c he can and will do better.
A new member to the tri-club is Karen's HS friend Craig. This was his first tri ever and he did great. For a guy who was first on a road bike two days ago he did amazing and I hope he continues to get out there with us.
Today was just a great time with a great result which is going to lead to a great week in the job hunt for Karen and I. As they say.....success brings more success and that is what I'm looking at.
Tomorrow I have an appointment with a headhunter and then from there I am heading to the pool and then home for some serious job hunting and resume submissions.
Here is to a tremendous week to you my readers. Thank you.
My swim time was just out of this world for me. I did the 300m swim in 5:34 which equates to 1:51/100m or 1:41/100y. If you have followed this blog at all you will know that I am a 2:00/100y swimmer and to eclipse that by 19 seconds/100y is amazing. I went into the swim thinking just be steady and you will do fine, and that is exactly what happened.
During my warm-up I noticed that I was getting to the other side of the pool in under 1 minute and not pushing myself but just being steady and holding a consistent pace. I took that into the race with me and as it turns out I had the best time I have ever had. As a matter of face I wound up passing 1 person during the actual swim and at the end caught up to eventually passed 4 or 5 other people at the ladder as they looked around trying to figure out what to do next.
I think there was a major benefit to doing the swim in a 50m pool as opposed to the training I do in a 25y pool. I was nervous at first that I would not be accustomed to the breathing but in the end the longer distance of the pool allowed for a more relaxed and consistent pace.
Once out of the water I ran, and actually pushed another competitor out of the way as he was walking non-chalantly out of the pool area. I got to my bike and sort of lost where I was for about 10 seconds. Didn't know whether or not to put on shoes first or helmet and sunglasses and then remebered to take a gel. This cost me as my transition was 1:08 where it should be around :40 for a sprint tri.
On the bike start you are going vertical after the mount line. Some people ran their bikes to the top of the hill and started going, but I got on at the mount line and powered up the hill. I put so much force into the pedal strokes that I lifted the front tire off the ground, but I was off and running.
The course on the way out is downhill and flat with some uphills but nothing too difficult. The turn around was such a joke. They actually had you go into a parking lot, that for sure was not swept and probably had glass everywhere. Then the radius inside of the parking lot was tight and then back out. One thing about a turn around is it allows you to see where your competitors are. I noticed a pack of about 5 going into the lot when I got out of it and I thought to myself I am not getting caught and put everything I had into riding out of that lot.
The way in was much tougher as all those downhills became uphills. The flats of course were the same but the uphills were much tougher. At one point I passed another rider and then I saw his shadow right on my back tire and again I just started pedaling as hard as I could to get away and leave him behind. I wound up catching quite a few riders and finished with an average speed of 19.2 MPH which is .2 MPH faster then the Disco Triathlon. My new goal is to now hit 20.0 MPH on the bike and I think that is a feasible goal. Leave it all on the course.
My second transition was again slow at 1:01. Again I think I could save about :15 here alone so that totals out to about :30 to :35 of lost time.
Once on the run course I just found other competitors to catch and hopefully pass. I felt strong but eventually got a cramp in my side but I brushed it off. The run was on a golf course so there were some hills and eventually we got to one point that it seemed to just keep going up.
Throughout the race I wanted to make sure I did not get chicked (DGC) and for almost the entire race that was what happened until about 1.5 miles to go in the run. I got passed by a woman that I could never keep up with. She not only passed me but blew by me and before long she was just a memory, but that did not stop me from continually pushing forward and trying to pass as many people as possible.
In the end my run pace was 7:38min/mile which is even faster then Disco and pretty close to my all-time record for a 5K and that is without the swim and bike.
I am very proud of my efforts today, but there are also a number of other people that I'm proud of.
Juan turned in a time that put him 18th overall and 3rd in his age group. Just a great all around triathlete and I'm very happy for him that he placed as that has been his goal this whole season.
Robert had what he thought was a bad race but wound up finishing 70th overall. Knowing that he felt like he could have done better makes me happy for him b/c he can and will do better.
A new member to the tri-club is Karen's HS friend Craig. This was his first tri ever and he did great. For a guy who was first on a road bike two days ago he did amazing and I hope he continues to get out there with us.
Today was just a great time with a great result which is going to lead to a great week in the job hunt for Karen and I. As they say.....success brings more success and that is what I'm looking at.
Tomorrow I have an appointment with a headhunter and then from there I am heading to the pool and then home for some serious job hunting and resume submissions.
Here is to a tremendous week to you my readers. Thank you.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Physically Ready.....Mentally Ready?????
I had my last workout today before the race tomorrow. I am racing in the TWU Pioneer Power Sprint that will take place at TWU in Denton.
The swim is a 300 meter swim (approx 330 yards) with a 16.75 mile bike and 3.1 mile run. The swim has me eager, nervous, anxious, etc b/c it is in a 50m pool which I have never done before. All my training has been in a 25y pool or in the open water. I'm not afraid that I can't do the swim b/c I know I can, but it is the unknow of going 50m before turning. It's exciting and I think I might find it easier to get into a rhythym. That is what I'm telling myself anyway. I will warm-up before the race to know to pace myself until those last 100m of course.
The bike route is flat and downhill on the way out, which means uphill on the way back. I think I can average around 23-25mph on the way out and then if I can maintain 17-19mph on the way back I can eclipse my personal best of 19mph on the bike. I think this is achievable.
The run is a simple 5k. I am obviously shooting to be faster then the 7:49/mile I put up at Disco and to set another personal record.
Robert, Juan and I are doing the race so it will be awesome again to be around my boys and rocking the race.
The rest of the day today is rest and relaxation. Jackson and Karen are asleep right now so I think I will toss on the tube and lay down on the couch myself. We have friends coming over this evening but I will be home and in a state of relaxation so it won't matter.
I will probably pack my bag in a little bit so that I have it and it's ready to go and I won't have to worry about anything tonight or at 4am tomorrow.
Until tomorrow's post about the race.....have a good one and don't forget to hydrate today as it is a hot one here in Texas.
The swim is a 300 meter swim (approx 330 yards) with a 16.75 mile bike and 3.1 mile run. The swim has me eager, nervous, anxious, etc b/c it is in a 50m pool which I have never done before. All my training has been in a 25y pool or in the open water. I'm not afraid that I can't do the swim b/c I know I can, but it is the unknow of going 50m before turning. It's exciting and I think I might find it easier to get into a rhythym. That is what I'm telling myself anyway. I will warm-up before the race to know to pace myself until those last 100m of course.
The bike route is flat and downhill on the way out, which means uphill on the way back. I think I can average around 23-25mph on the way out and then if I can maintain 17-19mph on the way back I can eclipse my personal best of 19mph on the bike. I think this is achievable.
The run is a simple 5k. I am obviously shooting to be faster then the 7:49/mile I put up at Disco and to set another personal record.
Robert, Juan and I are doing the race so it will be awesome again to be around my boys and rocking the race.
The rest of the day today is rest and relaxation. Jackson and Karen are asleep right now so I think I will toss on the tube and lay down on the couch myself. We have friends coming over this evening but I will be home and in a state of relaxation so it won't matter.
I will probably pack my bag in a little bit so that I have it and it's ready to go and I won't have to worry about anything tonight or at 4am tomorrow.
Until tomorrow's post about the race.....have a good one and don't forget to hydrate today as it is a hot one here in Texas.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Back from Houston, Back to Training
Yesterday afternoon I left Dallas to head to Houston to visit my cousin that I have not seen in quite some time. Left here around 11am and got to the hotel close to 3pm but it would have been sooner if Houston didn't have a Clay Road and a Clay Street. I wound up going downtown instead of to the outskirts. Once I was there I kicked back, showered and waited for Robbie to get back from work.
Once he was there we decided to grab some steaks and went to Morton's. I can't recall the last time I had a steak or red-meat other then a hamburger to be honest. The steak tasted great but it was the mushrooms and asparagus that won me over. After that we headed to the Flying Saucer and had a great time catching up. I love to hear stories about his kids and what they are doing and really hearing about how much they are growing up. That is what I miss the most about NY.
Got up this morning to head back to Big D and on the way got a phone call regarding my resume. That lifted my spirits, and Karen also got a call regarding hers. Now, regardless if nothing happens at all life is already looking up.
I am going to get ready now to head to the gym to get some swimming and running in. The swim should take about an hour while the run is 30 mintues. After that I may shoot up to grab my race packet. Not sure though as I also want to be home to see my step-son. I missed him and Karen while out of town.
Karen has been such a bright spot in my life and I honestly don't know what I would do without her she means that much.
I can honestly say that no matter how tired I am right now I am looking forward to the training. Eating the big steak last night and quite the big breakfast this morning has me ready to get back to working out and sweating. The Pioneer race is this weekend and I want to make sure that I'm in top shape for it.
---------------------------------
More Good News:
My blog was published on amateurendurance.com which should help it get some more exposure.
The link to the blog is right here although I need to inform them that Baha is my last name and not Baja California. No worries though as it is great to get the exposure to begin with.
Link to Blog on AmateurEndurance.com
Off to get my training in, but before I go I saw this on the road from Houston today and thought it was perfect:
Once he was there we decided to grab some steaks and went to Morton's. I can't recall the last time I had a steak or red-meat other then a hamburger to be honest. The steak tasted great but it was the mushrooms and asparagus that won me over. After that we headed to the Flying Saucer and had a great time catching up. I love to hear stories about his kids and what they are doing and really hearing about how much they are growing up. That is what I miss the most about NY.
Got up this morning to head back to Big D and on the way got a phone call regarding my resume. That lifted my spirits, and Karen also got a call regarding hers. Now, regardless if nothing happens at all life is already looking up.
I am going to get ready now to head to the gym to get some swimming and running in. The swim should take about an hour while the run is 30 mintues. After that I may shoot up to grab my race packet. Not sure though as I also want to be home to see my step-son. I missed him and Karen while out of town.
Karen has been such a bright spot in my life and I honestly don't know what I would do without her she means that much.
I can honestly say that no matter how tired I am right now I am looking forward to the training. Eating the big steak last night and quite the big breakfast this morning has me ready to get back to working out and sweating. The Pioneer race is this weekend and I want to make sure that I'm in top shape for it.
---------------------------------
More Good News:
My blog was published on amateurendurance.com which should help it get some more exposure.
The link to the blog is right here although I need to inform them that Baha is my last name and not Baja California. No worries though as it is great to get the exposure to begin with.
Link to Blog on AmateurEndurance.com
Off to get my training in, but before I go I saw this on the road from Houston today and thought it was perfect:
The Road to Success is filled with a lot of potholes.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Taking Some Time for Myself.....
I am about to embark on a trip to Houston to visit my cousin who is down there from New York for work.
In the past three weeks I have spent just about every waking hour looking for a job or training and so this is a much needed break from that routine. I know there are people out there that have been looking longer then me and I don't take what I'm about to say ligihtly but it is not easy economy What I can say is that I certainly value a career more then a job and I believe that is what I viewed my last employment as. I viewed it as a job and not truly a career. I believe that a career is one that involves being in love with what you do and feeling like you can make a difference whether it be with the people that work with/for you or people on the outside. That to me has become more and more important at each job description that I look at.
As for training, well I can't just drop it all together can I? I have my off day and that is Friday so that means I get to train every other day and today is no different. I got up this morning and decided that I wasn't going to do my swim training b/c I would be thinking about the trip to Houston and that would throw me off my game and decided to do the strength/core training that was scheduled for tomorrow. In addition to that I did my cycling training today as well. All this means is that when I get back from Houston tomorrow afternoon I will be doing my regularly scheduled training which consists of swim and run, but I get to skip the strength b/c I did that today. On my normal off day on Friday I will do the swim that was scheduled for today and then head for a massage.
On the job front I got what I consider a positive email. The person leading the charge for the position I found out through and out of office assistant was not to be in the office until Friday but that she was checking emails. To my surprise this morning she emailed to thank me for the letter and resume and she was passing it along to the hiring agent. I got past the first gate keeper and to me that is a positive step. I have revised my resume to be viewed as more of a doer and not a person who follows and I believe that made a difference as well as my revised cover letter which was tailored directly to the fact that my resume is impressive but is nothing more then words on a sheet of paper and that I had a lot more to offer the organization then what can be read through a cover letter or resume.
I have saved a few other postings that I want to review in my head before I apply because I want to make sure that I am applying for a career and not just a job. I want to make a difference in people's lives and re-reading these job postings will give me a sense of whether or not I will have the opportunity to do that.
I will post about my trip to Houston once I'm back in Dallas.
In the past three weeks I have spent just about every waking hour looking for a job or training and so this is a much needed break from that routine. I know there are people out there that have been looking longer then me and I don't take what I'm about to say ligihtly but it is not easy economy What I can say is that I certainly value a career more then a job and I believe that is what I viewed my last employment as. I viewed it as a job and not truly a career. I believe that a career is one that involves being in love with what you do and feeling like you can make a difference whether it be with the people that work with/for you or people on the outside. That to me has become more and more important at each job description that I look at.
As for training, well I can't just drop it all together can I? I have my off day and that is Friday so that means I get to train every other day and today is no different. I got up this morning and decided that I wasn't going to do my swim training b/c I would be thinking about the trip to Houston and that would throw me off my game and decided to do the strength/core training that was scheduled for tomorrow. In addition to that I did my cycling training today as well. All this means is that when I get back from Houston tomorrow afternoon I will be doing my regularly scheduled training which consists of swim and run, but I get to skip the strength b/c I did that today. On my normal off day on Friday I will do the swim that was scheduled for today and then head for a massage.
On the job front I got what I consider a positive email. The person leading the charge for the position I found out through and out of office assistant was not to be in the office until Friday but that she was checking emails. To my surprise this morning she emailed to thank me for the letter and resume and she was passing it along to the hiring agent. I got past the first gate keeper and to me that is a positive step. I have revised my resume to be viewed as more of a doer and not a person who follows and I believe that made a difference as well as my revised cover letter which was tailored directly to the fact that my resume is impressive but is nothing more then words on a sheet of paper and that I had a lot more to offer the organization then what can be read through a cover letter or resume.
I have saved a few other postings that I want to review in my head before I apply because I want to make sure that I am applying for a career and not just a job. I want to make a difference in people's lives and re-reading these job postings will give me a sense of whether or not I will have the opportunity to do that.
I will post about my trip to Houston once I'm back in Dallas.
DARE TO DREAM BIG!!!!!
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Castle Hills Running Club - for one day at least
On Sunday I ran with my running club (and I mean that.....I started the club over 2 years ago) and it was great to be re-united with old friends and see a new face. It has been a few months since I have run with them b/c my training has me riding or swimming and trying to fit it all in and somedays running is not on the schedule for Tuesday or Thursday, and not every run on the weekend is conducive to the running club.
Our running club is a loose social networks of neighbors that enjoys the benefits of running and not necessarily doing it for racing but it is a great way to get out with friends and make those grueling miles go by fast.
Sunday I was scheduled to do 10 miles and Adam posted on Facebook for Castle Hills people looking to run 6 miles to join. I went out with them and ran my 6 and figured they would stop but Adam and Karen are great friends who stayed with me to mile 8 and then I was on my own. I met Adam and Karen on our first run out here about January of February of 2008, and I have been running with them ever since. They even came to San Antonio to root me on during my marathon run, and they have shown up at other events as well to give me a cheering section. It is great to have them as friends who know how to cheer, and Adam is great at motivating me to keep my training going. Good friends don't fall out of the sky, but these two kind of did.
Today (August 3rd) rolls around and I see that I have a negative split run to do for 45 minutes. For those that don't know a negative split is one where you go out on a course in a certain time and you come back in a shorter amount of time.
Since I knew that the typical route on Tues/Thurs is about 4.8 miles and takes about 45 minutes I figured I would join the crowd and let them know that I was doing a negative split (actually only told Adam.) My first out had to be in Z1 and Z2 and then come back in Z3 and Z4.
The out was done in about 22 minutes and the back in 20 minutes and the entire time Adam and I talked. I wouldn't say it was conversational pace but it was a pace that we could actually speak somewhat clearly. We wound up running a 9:01min/mile and our splits were perfect. Out in 9:17 and 9:27, then the 3rd mile was at 8:55 (1/2 of that mile was on the out and 1/2 on the in) then on the way in the pace was at 8:43 and 8:34. I felt like I could run like that all day and while not down to the 7:49 pace I was at during the Disco Triathlon (Disco Triathlon 2010) it was still a very good pace.
My eating habits were in today as well. Before the run 2 slices of whole wheat toast and 1/2 cup of coffee. Following the run I had a bowl of grape nuts with 1/2 cup of whole milk and banana, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries. I don't feel very hungry but slightly hungry and will have my snack in about and hour and that will just be an apple, which will tide me over to lunch.
I had a very positive mind-set yesterday and while nothing happened on the job front in terms of getting call backs it was a good day, but after riding the bike on the trainer yesterday and my run this morning coupled with the fact that my nutrition has been better two days in a row I am going to declare that today is going to be better then yesterday.
YOU ONLY GET ONE CHANCE AT LIFE SO MAXIMIZE IT AND DO ALL THE THINGS YOU WANTED TO DO AS A CHILD.
Our running club is a loose social networks of neighbors that enjoys the benefits of running and not necessarily doing it for racing but it is a great way to get out with friends and make those grueling miles go by fast.
Sunday I was scheduled to do 10 miles and Adam posted on Facebook for Castle Hills people looking to run 6 miles to join. I went out with them and ran my 6 and figured they would stop but Adam and Karen are great friends who stayed with me to mile 8 and then I was on my own. I met Adam and Karen on our first run out here about January of February of 2008, and I have been running with them ever since. They even came to San Antonio to root me on during my marathon run, and they have shown up at other events as well to give me a cheering section. It is great to have them as friends who know how to cheer, and Adam is great at motivating me to keep my training going. Good friends don't fall out of the sky, but these two kind of did.
Today (August 3rd) rolls around and I see that I have a negative split run to do for 45 minutes. For those that don't know a negative split is one where you go out on a course in a certain time and you come back in a shorter amount of time.
Since I knew that the typical route on Tues/Thurs is about 4.8 miles and takes about 45 minutes I figured I would join the crowd and let them know that I was doing a negative split (actually only told Adam.) My first out had to be in Z1 and Z2 and then come back in Z3 and Z4.
The out was done in about 22 minutes and the back in 20 minutes and the entire time Adam and I talked. I wouldn't say it was conversational pace but it was a pace that we could actually speak somewhat clearly. We wound up running a 9:01min/mile and our splits were perfect. Out in 9:17 and 9:27, then the 3rd mile was at 8:55 (1/2 of that mile was on the out and 1/2 on the in) then on the way in the pace was at 8:43 and 8:34. I felt like I could run like that all day and while not down to the 7:49 pace I was at during the Disco Triathlon (Disco Triathlon 2010) it was still a very good pace.
My eating habits were in today as well. Before the run 2 slices of whole wheat toast and 1/2 cup of coffee. Following the run I had a bowl of grape nuts with 1/2 cup of whole milk and banana, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries. I don't feel very hungry but slightly hungry and will have my snack in about and hour and that will just be an apple, which will tide me over to lunch.
I had a very positive mind-set yesterday and while nothing happened on the job front in terms of getting call backs it was a good day, but after riding the bike on the trainer yesterday and my run this morning coupled with the fact that my nutrition has been better two days in a row I am going to declare that today is going to be better then yesterday.
YOU ONLY GET ONE CHANCE AT LIFE SO MAXIMIZE IT AND DO ALL THE THINGS YOU WANTED TO DO AS A CHILD.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Training gets going with a race around the corner
Last post was Jul27th and today is August 2nd so it has been some time and in that time I have had a couple of ups and downs in regards to my training.
I had a pyramid swim training session planned that I cut off after about 30 minutes because I was just not into the swim. I think it has to do with the fact that I started later then normal (not being employed right now allowed me to delay the swim start until 8am) and thus I had the opportunity to look for jobs and really to think about life. Those thoughts interfered with my swimming as for me swimming is almost 90% mental.
I was also afraid of injury since I was not keeping my focus and getting hurt just wasn't worth it and so I stopped, but it picked right back up with me going to strength training and it going very well with me pushing my weight up.
I have also had a very successful couple of training rides. Robert and I rode up in Sanger and had a blast. We went from Sanger to Eva, Texas and it was just a smooth ride. It was scenic, smooth and challenging which is the best kind of ride.
We also rode from Flower Mound to Argyle, Texas. Again we found a route that was very smooth and scenic and challenging. These rides really test our abilities to climb and to sustain speeds for a long time.
The runs have been going very well too, although on Saturday after a 1h45m ride we were supposed to do a 1hr run and it was cut short at 40 minutes b/c it was so hot outside. Temps here have routinely been 100+ in the past week or so and some days the humidity has been very high as well. Coach wants me to refuel as if in a race and while I did that in my last run it was still so hot outside that no matter how much liquid or gel you put in your body it was leaving just as fast.
I will say that I feel as if my overall fitness is going up but one item I'm disappointed in is my eating habits. Since getting laid off I have not been under control of my eating until today. Today was the first day that I was determined to maintain a quality diet and I have.
The issue has been that my mind has convinced my body/mouth that I need to really replenish and recover after training and so I tend to overeat and load up. While it is healthy foods the quantities are not equal to the amount of exertion that I have put forth. Today I had two slices of toast and coffee before working out, then after the workout I had a protein shake. My lunch was tuna on a whole wheat tortilla and a mid-afternoon snack of fruit and granola with honey. Dinner was two sliders on ciabatta with a salad. All along I have been drinking water and I feel like this has been a good way to get myself back on track. Especially since I have a 1 hour training ride left to do. Should be a ton of fun as I do nothing but sweat when I'm riding the trainer.
-----------------------------------------------
Job search is going as best as can be expected. I am hoping that a couple of leads come though in the next week. One I would love to get as a friend of mine works at the company (law firm) and they also sponsor a team that participates in the MS150 bike ride which I have done for the past two years.
One day the calls will come flooding in and it will most likely happen at the most inopportune time. Maybe on Wednesday when I'm driving to Houston to meet my cousin whom I haven't seen in about a year. I miss him and his family and the 4 hour ride is so worth it.
---------------------------------------------------
I am going to cut this short right now and go hit the bike and get my ride in, and mostly because I don't want to be riding so late that my endorphins are fired up and I can't sleep but also because it is Monday and my wife and I watch The Closer on monday nights.
Not to mention that tomorrow at 5:15am I will be on the road running a negative split 45 minute run with the Castle Hills Running Club.
I had a pyramid swim training session planned that I cut off after about 30 minutes because I was just not into the swim. I think it has to do with the fact that I started later then normal (not being employed right now allowed me to delay the swim start until 8am) and thus I had the opportunity to look for jobs and really to think about life. Those thoughts interfered with my swimming as for me swimming is almost 90% mental.
I was also afraid of injury since I was not keeping my focus and getting hurt just wasn't worth it and so I stopped, but it picked right back up with me going to strength training and it going very well with me pushing my weight up.
I have also had a very successful couple of training rides. Robert and I rode up in Sanger and had a blast. We went from Sanger to Eva, Texas and it was just a smooth ride. It was scenic, smooth and challenging which is the best kind of ride.
We also rode from Flower Mound to Argyle, Texas. Again we found a route that was very smooth and scenic and challenging. These rides really test our abilities to climb and to sustain speeds for a long time.
The runs have been going very well too, although on Saturday after a 1h45m ride we were supposed to do a 1hr run and it was cut short at 40 minutes b/c it was so hot outside. Temps here have routinely been 100+ in the past week or so and some days the humidity has been very high as well. Coach wants me to refuel as if in a race and while I did that in my last run it was still so hot outside that no matter how much liquid or gel you put in your body it was leaving just as fast.
I will say that I feel as if my overall fitness is going up but one item I'm disappointed in is my eating habits. Since getting laid off I have not been under control of my eating until today. Today was the first day that I was determined to maintain a quality diet and I have.
The issue has been that my mind has convinced my body/mouth that I need to really replenish and recover after training and so I tend to overeat and load up. While it is healthy foods the quantities are not equal to the amount of exertion that I have put forth. Today I had two slices of toast and coffee before working out, then after the workout I had a protein shake. My lunch was tuna on a whole wheat tortilla and a mid-afternoon snack of fruit and granola with honey. Dinner was two sliders on ciabatta with a salad. All along I have been drinking water and I feel like this has been a good way to get myself back on track. Especially since I have a 1 hour training ride left to do. Should be a ton of fun as I do nothing but sweat when I'm riding the trainer.
-----------------------------------------------
Job search is going as best as can be expected. I am hoping that a couple of leads come though in the next week. One I would love to get as a friend of mine works at the company (law firm) and they also sponsor a team that participates in the MS150 bike ride which I have done for the past two years.
One day the calls will come flooding in and it will most likely happen at the most inopportune time. Maybe on Wednesday when I'm driving to Houston to meet my cousin whom I haven't seen in about a year. I miss him and his family and the 4 hour ride is so worth it.
---------------------------------------------------
I am going to cut this short right now and go hit the bike and get my ride in, and mostly because I don't want to be riding so late that my endorphins are fired up and I can't sleep but also because it is Monday and my wife and I watch The Closer on monday nights.
Not to mention that tomorrow at 5:15am I will be on the road running a negative split 45 minute run with the Castle Hills Running Club.
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