“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.  You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.”      
-Eleanor Roosevelt
 

I am now officially registered for event #6 in the USMS National Long Course Swim Championship.   This means I am one step closer to the challenge my oldest daughter presented to me earlier this year.

So, how has training for the 200 fly been going?  Quite honestly…I feel like a first-time marathoner who is less than a month out to race day, and has yet to complete a half marathon!  I really wish I had specified ‘short course’ versus ‘long course’ because in my training I have realized one thing…I like walls. 

To make matters a bit more humbling, Lauren and the other kids from her swim team will be timing our events that morning.   Great…this is the opportunity for Lauren to experience what it is like to have to sit in the heat and watch your loved one swim, and a perfect occasion for Lauren to yell and scream at me to ‘kick faster!’ while fully aware that I am already going as fast as I can.

I only hope that cameras are barred from the pool deck.

Happy Training.
 

RIP Jon “Blazeman” Blais August 30, 1971 – May 27, 2007
He Leaves The World A Better Place Because He Was A Part Of It…
(posted on http://www.alswarriorpoet.com/)

Emerson wrote, “To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children, to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends, to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch…to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.  This is to have succeeded!”  

Thank you, Blazeman, for your enduring inspiration to myself and numerous others.

“Fatigue makes cowards of us all.”  -Vince Lombardi

Racing is a great way to guide us in our training…it highlights what we need to work on, feeds our competitive desires, makes us laugh (and on occasion, at ourselves), and can humble us beyond imagination.  Disney 70.3 did not let me down. 

The race day conditions were milder than last year, and the highlight of my morning…warm water!  My goal for the race was to have a better day than California and put the DNF demons to rest.

Upon finishing the race, one of the first phone calls I made was to one of my close friends who, after congratulating me on my finish and listening to me discuss my strengths and weaknesses in the race, proceeded to ask me, “What were you doing in transition?”  I seemed to have overlooked ‘transitions’ when analyzing my race, but she was not going to let me off the hook!  T2 was simple…Mother Nature called, and I made a necessary stop.  She let me slide on that one, but kept pushing to hear about T1.  A bit embarrassed I explained that yes, I failed to listen to the advice of ‘practice your transitions and never try something new on race day.’  Let’s just say…putting on a top when wet proved to be a bit of a challenge for me.  And, yes…I had to laugh at myself. 

But, that was not the only chuckle I had from the race…the surprise came when I realized I suffered (yes, that is the correct term to be used if you saw the size of this ‘wound’) a huge papercut on my backside.  During the first lap of the run my race number was already hanging by one loop on my race belt.  Unfortunately during lap number two (of three), the number fell off.  Thank goodness some participants who were heading the other way saw it happen and gave me a heads up.  The last thing you want to do when you are running is re-trace your steps…but I did not want to be penalized for ‘abandoning equipment’ and so I went back to pick up my number.  Without thinking, I stuck the race number in the back of my shorts.  Well, the good news…no penalty…the bad news…OUCH!
Happy Training.

“What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lives within us.”          -Emerson

If you live in California and have not raced the PossAbilities Triathlon, then you are missing out on one short, fast, and fun race.  Even if you don’t live in California, it is a race worth checking out.  Last weekend I had the fortunate opportunity to travel to California to speak at the Inland Inferno Tri Club’s monthly meeting.  Since their meeting was being held in conjunction with the PossAbilities Triathlon, I thought I would take advantage of the opportunity to also race.

I have not participated in a sprint triathlon in seven years.  I have avoided sprint triathlons not because they are too short, or too easy…oh no, quite the contrary…sprints hurt too much!  But, there were two things that drew me to this race.

First, the race benefits the community outreach program, PossAbilities.  PossAbilities assists individuals who were born with or have suffered permanent physical injury.  This effort touches me personally as my grandfather was paralyzed when he suffered a spinal cord injury as an adult.  In addition, I had an aunt who had to have both legs amputated, enduring several operations to do so, as diabetes ravaged her body.  Their spirit and tenacity continue to be a source of inspiration for me.  So, without a doubt, I definitely felt an immediate connection to this race.

Second, the swim is only 150 yards in a HEATED swimming pool!  Now, this is my kind of triathlon.  After suffering hypothermia at California 70.3, how could I resist a WARM (and short) swim?!  No complaints there.

My trip to California, like the race, was short and sweet.  I had a great homestay (thank you Kylie and Mike), was able to get in a good ride on Saturday, and even made a shopping trip to Trader Joe’s (the Triple Berry-O’s cereal is the best).  We arrived to race site early with ideal race day conditions.  The competition was great, and the race was a sell-out success.  The Kid’s Triathlon was memorable…dads carrying multiple kids on their back while the kids are screaming “faster, faster”, and children grinning ear to ear as they are running their hearts out.  I always hope that love for the sport stays with them throughout adulthood.       

Following the awards, the Inland Inferno Tri Club held their meeting and we talked “tri-talk.”  We discussed training, balancing triathlon and family, the benefits of using Spenco Ironman Cycling Gloves (reduced vibration equals more comfort on the bike which means more time is spent on the bike!), nutrition, etc.  Best wishes to all Inland Inferno Tri Club members…may each of you reach your goals this tri season.

Happy Training.

These are the four words that preceded a challenge my oldest daughter, Lauren, recently proposed to me.  Lauren swims for The Woodlands Swim Team and has been swimming competitively for half of her young life.  She gets a kick out of beating me in the water, and she does so with ease, and with just about any stroke compared to my freestyle-only swimming (I MIGHT be able to hold her off if I handicap her with breaststroke while I swim freestyle).  Yes, it is extremely humbling. 

I did not grow up swimming, and honestly, I have probably very little comprehension of the difficulties she faces in her races.  I have no clue what it is like to have to perform in a meet which has prelims and finals, where, if I am fortunate, I get to swim 14 individual races in a period of four days (not to mention relays).  But, c’mon…I HAVE raced a few marathons, some Ironmans, and several Half-Ironmans…so, really how difficult could it be?  My races last hours, and hers…for the most part she is finished in a couple of minutes.  

Ah, then those four simple, yet complex words, “I bet you can’t…”  

Lauren knows I have a competitive spirit, which when faced with somebody telling me “I can’t” do something, usually means that I will work hard just to prove that person wrong.  So, when Lauren and I were comparing the difficulties of triathlons versus swimming, she set a challenge for me.  She told me, “I bet you can’t swim a 200 fly even if you tried.”  I accepted the challenge…foolishly, maybe? 

The USMS National LC Championship will be hosted by my hometown Masters Swim Team this coming August, and Lauren graciously gave me until then to train and prepare for the 200 fly.  If I succeed, she gets to do my laundry.  If I don’t, well…we won’t go there! 

I have made the commitment to this race, and have engaged the help of The Woodlands Masters Swim Coaches.  While they are positive I will fulfill the challenge set by my daughter, I know it will take a lot of hard work and preparation. 

So, now you may wonder…WHY am I doing this?    

1.    To inspire my daughters to not be afraid of trying something new, regardless of their age.  “Never let the fear of striking out get in your way.”  -Babe Ruth
I did not grow up swimming, so the butterfly stroke is something I have viewed as a form of punishment.  Really, is the body meant to undulate like that?  It surely is not an efficient stroke, is it?  It might be a beautiful stroke, when done correctly, but the operative words are…when done correctly.  Regardless, the best way to inspire somebody is through actions.  Besides, if I don’t try…how will I really know if I can or cannot do something?  How can I expect my daughters to live up to a standard, unless I personally do the same? 
2.     To demonstrate to my daughters that you can do ANYTHING you set your mind to as long as you properly prepare.  “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”  -Benjamin Franklin 
To date, I have been able to swim 1×50 meter butterfly, but of course, I get to the wall and am gasping for air and my entire body is completely exhausted.  Currently I might only be ¼ of the way there, but I am preparing for the 200 fly by religiously working on my core strength (with the help of Gaiam and Trigger Point’s Stability Pods), by taking swim lessons (thank you Fun IN Swimming), and by swimming, swimming, swimming.
3.     To motivate my daughters to pursue dreams outside of their comfort zone.  “If we did all the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.”  -Thomas Edison
There is no doubt that attempting the 200 fly is out of my comfort zone, but it has now gone beyond a challenge, and has become a dream of mine.  Even swimmers acknowledge that the 200 fly is one of the more difficult races.  I can talk to my girls all day about the importance of pushing themselves to the edge, but I would rather have them watch their mom demonstrate the pursuit of a dream.  
 

Happy Training.