The Boy From Aus: Tales of a Professional Triathlete

Zoester

2009-03-23T18:46:00.000-07:00

When i look back there are so many things that have given me so much pleasure in my life, i truly have been incredibly lucky. But thinking about what is truly the most meaningful, fulfilling moments in my life i would give everything up for the moment i had on Sunday. Zoe and I just sat on my bed together, she was lying on my legs just grinning and gurgling away. I would pull faces and she would laugh and make faces back. We did this for about an hour, it seemed like 5 minutes. Being Zoe's dad is truly amazing.

Thanks for the lasting memory Zoester!

I'm getting old...

2009-03-18T10:31:00.000-07:00

Usually when everything falls apart on me I just dig myself deep into my training for a few days. But things have changed now, i don't know why, maybe i'm just getting old. Before i would always try to ignore, put things aside, and hope that they would either work theselves out or go away over time, not any more! I seem resolved to not put up with things like I did before.

I am who i am, i need what i need, i'm tired of peoples apologies. I want my friends to be my friends in actions not words.

Going forward i am going to surround myself with people that show me that they give a damn. I need my friends to be honest with me, no more apologies. If you have to keep apologizing then either you don't care enough to listen or I ask too much, either way I don't need the drain.

Yep, I'm getting old and grumpy!!!

Taken from facebook

2009-03-15T05:40:00.000-07:00

I took a test on facebook about what birthdays mean, kinda interesting, here is the result.

Loves to joke. Attractive. Suave and caring. Brave and fearless.Firm and has leadership qualities. Knows how to console others. Too generous and egoistic. Takes high pride of oneself. Thirsty for praises. Extraordinary spirit. Easily angered. Angry when provoked. Easily jealous. Observant. Careful and cautious. Thinks quickly. Independent thoughts. Loves to lead and to be led. Loves to dream. Talented in the arts, music and defense. Sensitive but not petty. Poor resistance against illnesses. Learns to relax. Hasty and trusty. Romantic. Loving and caring. Loves to make friends .

Building blocks

2009-03-04T20:46:00.000-08:00

My whole world seems to revolve around building blocks.

I spend all year training, building blocks, getting stronger and more confident as each block builds on top of the next. After a period of time i start to be able to trust my training. Things that appeared impossible to conquer are suddenly not even a consideration. I can't rush it, it takes time to develop. Talking about the block and preparing for it doesn't do anything for my fitness or my confidence. A block has to be delivered.

Today

2009-03-02T18:13:00.000-08:00

"At the innermost core of all loneliness is a deep and powerful yearning for union with one's lost self."
Francis, Brendan

Breakfast

2009-02-20T19:50:00.000-08:00

Not only is it the most important meal of the day, it is also just the most enjoyable. Just saying!

AT&T half marathon

2009-02-15T18:59:00.000-08:00

To keep it short 1.23.00
3min PR, 2nd age group, 20th overall.
The legs didn't quite have it today, i was off pace all day by 15-20sec per mile. No matter how hard i tried the leg turnover wasn't happening. On 3 or 4 hrs sleep it was still a very successful run.
Now i look forward to running a faster split off the bike in galveston.
BTW, thats a pretty tough course out there and the wind definately didn't help.

Order out of Chaos

2009-02-11T16:22:00.000-08:00

Right now everything i think about appears to be chaotic and out of control. Every afternoon i get to a point where i finally stop, life appears out of control as i deal with where i am and where i am trying to get.
The worst part of a trip is being stuck somewhere in the middle from the departure and the arrival, thats right where i am now. I know where i want to be but i just can't get there right now. The wheels are in motion, i'm moving forward, but i'm just not there!
It reminds me of a poster on an admin staffs door at school which said "Lord, please grant me patience, but hurry"
The good news is that when the dust finally settles, all the changes will be worth while. I'm looking forward to the future with such excitement.

Stolen words

2009-02-08T18:47:00.000-08:00

This was a posted comment on a friends blog. Its brilliant!!

"Fill your life with things you love - whether it's triathlons or belly dancing or ballet or art or cooking or friends or books or robots...whatever. At the end of it all, I don't think you want to say, "Well, I was miserable but I was a damn good triathlete." I don't think there's any joy in a life like that. And maybe a statement like that would mean you hadn't been true to yourself. And perhaps that's a better measure of living up to your potential... maybe the real question about potential is: "Did I live life to the fullest - meaning that it was joyful and meaningful and that I shared that joy with others?" Because I think when we do that, we can't help but be the best person we were meant to be."

Learning

2009-02-06T20:00:00.000-08:00

Today i had to deal with something i am no good at. Its a love/hate relationship at the moment as i learn what i am good at and what i suck at. Its now a matter of focusing and making sure i achieve my goals. Its a very different year this year but for the first time i am taking a risk and going after what i really want. Its just going to take some time and patience from those closest to me, three minute miracles don't happen every day!

Elephants, Gazelles and the Greenbelt

2009-02-06T08:14:00.001-08:00

Last night i had this dream about two gazelles running along talking with each other. They bounced along ever so easily, like their feet never touched the ground. Behind them was a charging elephant, big and clumsy. It was night time and the clumsy big elephant was braking branches and crushing the rocks beneath him. Occassionally the silly elephant actually thought he had a chance of keeping up with the Gazelles, how silly. Finally after a long pursuit by the elephant the gazelles stopped talking. The elephant new this was bad!! This meant that the gazelles where about to run faster, and they did. The poor elephant was left in the dark, his big legs feeling heavier and slower with every step as the gazelles bounced away effortlessly into the darkness.
Suddenly i woke up, i was sweating like crazy. I opened my eyes and found myself at the exit of the greenbelt,coach Derick and another runner standing in front of me.
I guess i'm the elephant!

A few days in review

2009-02-03T20:46:00.000-08:00

Thursday was my first attemp at trail running. Not one to do things simply i decided to do my first ever run on the greenbelt in the dark. Oh, and with some of the fastest runners and triathletes Austin has to offer. I ran 7milres before the effort easy on the trail then headed out for 1 1/2 hrs on the greenbelt. It was fast, it was difficult, but it was fun. I woke up the next morning feeling like i has just run an Ironman, ouch!

Friday was a lot lot better. I would actually say its was my most enjoyable workout of the year. I got to ride a steady 50miles on the dam loop. The legs felt great and it was just what i needed after the trail. Hopefully i will get to repeat that kind of a day in the future.

Saturday i ventured out on the ATC ride. A lot of the big hitting roadies were away so it made it easier for me to sit in and have a steady ride. Its been nice to suffer my way back into a little bit of fitness. By the end of the ride my legs felt like there was nothing left. The trail was starting to catch up with me.

Sunday was a long run. I felt all run like something was missing. i could not put my finger on it but I definately didn't enjoy it like i normally do. It was only 16miles but the last 2 miles were horrible.

Looking back it was an interesting 4 days of training. I feel like i actually achieved a little bit of overload this week over previous weeks. I am still lacking a ton of fitness but its nice to see that it hasn't gone forever and i can get it back. It will be nice to get some concistency in life soon and have the ability to achieve and enjoy what is so much a part of my life now.

Enough said

2009-01-27T19:07:00.000-08:00

It just doesn't get any better than this!

Who knew!

2009-01-27T18:58:00.000-08:00

Have you stopped recently and asked yourself who you really are, what you really like, what makes you truly happy, truly sad, smile a smile that only one other understands?

I have, its worth the effort, but it might take more than a few minutes :)

Permission to fail

2009-01-21T10:10:00.000-08:00

With everything we do in life there is always the opportunity to fail. Failure is not something I cope very well with.
This week is the first time in a very long time I've allowed myself the luxury of failure.
What have I realised:
Failure is good, it means we have tried our very best, we have pushed, we have reached to the end of our abilities. With failure comes improvement and growth.
I'm okay with failure now........sometimes!

Time to focus

2009-01-16T11:34:00.000-08:00

2009 has started off as a pretty crazy year. Just when you think you understand what life has install for you, you wake up and everything is turned on its head.
So, its been a pretty rough start to the year as far as training is concerned. I am training everyday (almost) and have been focusing a lot more on my running. The goal was to hit the Austin Marathon and run a 2.40. Instead it looks like i will try to run a fast half at the Austin, oh well. At least i am enjoying my long runs!!

The triathlon season is just around the corner so its time to get back into gear. I either need to start training like an Ironman or at least stop eating like one. I jumped on the scales today, bad move. I'm starting to look at some pre Cda races and its reminding me i really need to get my butt moving.

Guess i should go run.

Back in the Swing...Nearly

2008-12-22T16:44:00.001-08:00

After a really successful season under the guidance of coach D its been nice to take some down time and not think about training for a little while. I think we all operate differently during the offseason. For me, i need to be “normal” for a little while. But it doesn’t take that long before i start to get a little anxious about things and i quickly realize that i am not normal. So what then!

2009 quickly approaches with many new challenges i have never faced before. 1.) I’m going to be a dad for the first time in about 3 weeks. 2.) I am looking at returning to the workforce full time again. 3.) Coach D made me realize that the goals i had always had in the sport of triathlon are actually achievable.

D and i sat down last week and discussed the season just finished and goals for improvement for 2009. So where am i at?

Swimming: The swim has come along really well. I’ve always been able to swim. I’ve always been really inconsistent. I’ve never been able to gauge how much effort needed to be expended in the pool compared to the bike and run. This year with D i swam a structured program which put me in the water LESS than before, but was totally for me and my race program. I went from 1.02.00, 55.00, 53.40 over the season. We now know what i need to do and when. CHECK!

Bike: I love the bike! I would ride the bike all day every day if i could. This year i had some goals for the bike and everything worked just as we planned (10.00+min Ironman PB ). Do i still think i have a lot of improving to do, absolutely!!! But i think we now have a formula for me that will hopefully turn some heads next season. CHECK!

Run: This is like therapy, i feel like i have to talk about the run. Don’t get me wrong, the run has improved dramatically during the season, its just the area that i can make the most time gains for next season. I am physically one of the biggest, heaviest, pro triathletes out there so running a marathon at the end of 112 miles is challenging for me. Its also the only of the three sports that i never raced as a child so i really don’t know what i am capable of doing. I say that because as we get older we tend to be more cautious, we know what happens when we fail and things fall apart. So we don’t push ourselves to the breaking point as much.

The plan: RUN!!! The 3M half marathon and the Austin Marathon to be exact! I have goals, I have a schedule. I am going in to the next couple of months understanding that i am going to suffer more than i have on the trail and on the track, and i am excited about it. Today is a field test, 2 miles all out!!! It will hurt, i won’t go as fast as i want. But, for anyone interested i will blog the result. I’m still not game to blog my marathon goal time as its a long way away and i still have a lot of work ahead, but as we get closer i may just mention it.

So, today i am back in the swing…................nearly. I just have to get out in the cold now and run.