Gotta Make it Quick

- Crazy week with clients, teaching at school again, training and getting the family ready for a vacation in Arizona (can't wait)

- Had an amazing time at camp in Florida with the Gollnicks and our athletes.

- 7th overall in the Great Escape Triathlon with a pretty solid field of elites from Candadian National Team, Clearmont National Training Center and hand full of top Ironman athletes that train in Florida. I was shocked and very encouraged.

- I feel God lifting me up throughout this week and am more convince than ever that I'm doing the right thing by racing this year.

All glory to God and blessings to you all!!

Remembering Where You Came From

My clients and friends, the Weaver and Jongerius families, were kind enough to let me stay over at Clearwater Beach with them while we awaited coming to Tri Camp in Sarasota Florida with Heather and Todd Gollnick. When I'm with this group I'm always reminded of where I came from. They are from my home town, Sheldon , IA, and hearing news from home and names of old friends in the conversations gives me a bit of peace. Remembering where and I came from and what has made me who I am - and that the person I am is OK is just plain nice.

Lately I've felt a bit in a funk. No goofing around, no dancing, just not being me. It's strange but as I flew in yesterday Katie made the observation that I was about 40% of myself. Today after some good sleep we went for a ride with Mike (Kate's Dad) around the neighborhood. It was AWESOME to get outside and just roll. I haven't enjoyed my bike as much lately and it was just fun again. We also walked down to the beach in full wetsuit and goggles all the way through the neighborhood and it was just fun to be funny and get the looks from all the local folks. We went for a short swim and joked (kinda) about swimming with sharks and laughed at our fear while out there. Coming back in we caught a couple nice waves - body surfing !! We laughed and just plain had FUN- weird that triathlon would be FUN - what's that? All of this was wonderful and just reminded me how we all need to do things with JOY and getting such a gift from God , the ability to do triathlons, is special and should be filled with laughter, fun and JOY!

This all sunk in when we were back in the house and Bonnie (Kate's mom) and I were talking about some old school friends like Tim Blankers which reminded me of other great friends and a whole group of guys and gals that loved me for exactly what I was and always reminded me to do the same. We also talked about an old family friend of ours who had recently passed but it also brought back memories of simpler times, less stress and pure joy! Northwest Iowa is a special place and I feel I need to bring myself back there (in my heart and head) more often to find a place of peace and enjoyment of old memories and memories yet to come.

Ok OK OK we also had an absolutely wonderful time so far at camp and I see the fun the groups having, the wonderful hosts we have in the Gollnicks and all the great potential for joy in our small group. Riding and running in shorts, doing run drills in GRASS , and enjoying sprinkles just to cool off - who can't enjoy that in MARCH?

I can't wait to go home and share some good energy with my family and see and feel the JOY with them as well.

Katie asked me if I was up to 110% yet and I have to say - YES!!

Roller Coaster

Wow! Being a former theatre geek and baby boy of my family I can be a bit dramatic at times. However it won't stop me from going on about the roller coaster of the past week or so.

It started last Friday with a trip to the dermatologist to recheck a really nasty "rash" I've had since the new year began. It's a series of nasty red spots I've gotten nearly everywhere on my body. At first it was a bit of a nuisance but lately it's really had me down and feeling something was really wrong. After lots of going round and round, light therapy, creams, antibiotic prescriptions and more it had basically gotten worse. The doctor informed me that I had PLEVA. It was acute for now but could be a chronic case of lymphocytes acting funny and if it continued to be chronic (remember I have the acute case) could lead to problems with the skin and seems to be more prevalent in people with lymphoma. NOT READY TO HEAR THAT! I spent a lot of the morning crying- no real danger just a reminder that sometimes I'm not the healthiest of folks.
After working though the slight depression I began the next week with a HUGE bike wattage test- best numbers I've ever put out. VERY exciting. The next day I ROCKED the water at my first group swim in awhile- I was pulling away from some really good athletes - it was very exciting. Later that day I went to get my bike refit at Gear West. We got it pretty much nailed down but things just felt a little off with my new bike- it's like new shoes - they may fit really well but you still need to get used to them. Thursday of that week my red spots were bright and shiny for a day of 4 workouts with one being a new strength session I promised to go to. It was really great but EXCRUCIATING - in my heart I knew it would effect me for days but I hoped for the best. Micki and I had a fun date that night and everything seemed great.
The next day I had a nice day off- felt ummmmm ok but the girls stayed home with me and I had to try to get some work done (my fault for leaving it). The whole day tore at my heart trying to do everything and just running on empty. Micki was gone until almost 10 at night and I was just drained. Micki had class again on Sat. so I got up at 5:00 and went to the studio alone to swim. Once again the whole day I tried to get some things done but was torn by needed girls and really wanting to give them ALL of my heart and attention the while waiting for Micki to get home so I could train another 3 hours. She got home around 5:00 and I began but just had NOTHING! My goal this year is to be a bit smarter about bad days so I pushed off my biggest training day of the year so far for Sunday.
I really wanted the family to be at church and couldn't get up early enough to get anything in so I thought I'd get my work in between church and Grandma's birthday party. Got to try and ride outside but was so uncomfortable and weak on my bike I gave up on the workout. With a push from my wife I did go out for a little test run to see if it was as bad as thought. The run went quite well- I felt a bit better. Later that night I got back on my bike to try and finish. Just didn't have it and there was no way I was going back outside to run with freezing rain.
Today I woke up with that all too familiar pit in my stomach. It seems since I've stopped teaching I just feel a bit lost- the schedule is just so variable and it leaves me a bit unproductive.
I did spend some good time reading my yearlong bible and praying. I downloaded the sermon that turned my year around last Jan. and listened to it while I rode. WOW - the legs were back and I felt confident again! The Lord does test us but I once again feel that sense of purpose for this season.
God's peace to you.

Borderline

It was yesterday, a Sunday, and it just kinda hit me. The day before Dan and I had a clinic to give in Chisago Lakes so it was an early Saturday morning of workouts. Swimming came first and it was mmmmmmmmm... ok. I'm really starting to expect a lot in the pool as workouts have been faster than I ever have this winter. The base was some strong 200's and things were fine. I was actually wearing a bit more of a drag suit and could really tell. Next came a run. Wow, did not feel well at all. I DID reach for the ipod this time and have to say it saved me! I had just downloaded some GNR and just smiled as it came on- taking me back to a time when this was all a game, life was fun and free and workouts seemed more an adventure than a job. I had some 2 min. harder efforts and rarely made it the entire two minutes. Yes, I certainly could have finished them off but felt that it wouldn't be beneficial the way I was feeling. I could go on and on. This brings us to Sunday.
My coach had even more intensity on the run, strength training and even a short ride. Just couldn't do it. I NEEDED a Sunday. A day to wake up late, read the paper, and nap, nap, nap. The stress indicator in the mornings has been resting heart rate. It as actually back down near normal in the morning. Still I just didn't feel that it would be smart to do a lot of hard work today. To top it off it was a beautiful day! Yet, I resisted the temptation, played with my kids, actually took a nap and even got a few minutes of the World Golf Championships in.
When all of this happens I usually fight a small battle in my head- am I being smart or am I being a wimp? It's a borderline that athletes teeter on.
My conclusion is this. All of us work hard and have overcome our own obstacles both big and small- getting out the door, following dreams, raising our kids, surviving in this crazy world, striving to understand our faith, finding purpose.
Smart or wimpy? I don't think any of us are wimps!

The Good, the bad and the ugly- in reverse.

The ugly: Sunday's run felt the exact opposite from Saturday. Slow, tired and pathetic. After a tortilla chip and homemade salsa binge my weight is up almost 4 pounds (mostly water and salt)

The bad: All the girls are recovering from ear infections. I've been really stressed about this coaching gig. I just can't let it go when I sleep or have down time. There is basically no getting away from it and I don't handle that stress well.

The GOOD: The picture above says it all- bedtime with the girls puts everything in perspective!

God Bless You!

A Normal Blog?

I have a tough time with a "normal" post. Maybe I'm a just a little closed off or don't feel like using my blog like a diary (although that's what they are right?). I do love that peole open themselves up and bring us into their days and lives freely in their blogs. It will take me awhile to get to that point.

Last night Micki and I got a treat. A neighbor watched the kids and we got to go down to Julie Mac's for Danny's Birthday. We had a blast. Drank a beer or two and played some ROCKIN' Guitar Hero. Now I'm not much of a gamer but it was ez to get hooked. Mike Creigo and Dan were the superstars but the rest of us enjoyed ourselves non the less. It really is true rock comes in three colors - red, green and yellow. That's on the ez level of course!

This leads us to today's workout. We slept in this morning. I worked most of the rest of the morning. Micki was wonderful enough to let me get an additional nap in. Pre-kids weekend naps were a given but NO MORE. I took advantage by flipping on the Golf tournament and ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.

It was getting later in the afternoon so we bundled up everyone for a family workout. We decided we'd run to the park and do some loops on the plowed road in the camp ground. Quincy (3 1/2) ran with us for several blocks. That kid is getting quit long legged and really clipped along. I felt a little guilty watching her run thinking "I'm influencing this kid too much!" it was still cool to see her run so well! The workout was hectic with the Dog, the girls crying A LOT and having to try and work in a little speed with the whole crew. I did the run ahead then run back routine and actually got some good speed and power in. I felt incredible on my feet today! Running nearly full speed didn't phase me at all, I felt light and fast- like I could run fast ALL DAY! It was exciting to feel that way - is this a sign for the upcoming season? God does work in mysterious ways!

Peace

Best foot forward

Each time I come to a workout there's a question I ask myself. Why? As a coach I know that a workout without a purpose is simply some nice exercise. When the question is easily answered it's also very ez to do. If , however, the question is not so easy- well that's when it's ez , to quote Mater from Cars, "ta not to".
This morning I was once agin asking the question as I stared at the TV (that said it was -14 F outside) and pondered my upcoming BRRRRR run part 2. Two hours of ez to aerobic running with no indoor option. I certainly tried to figure out a way "ta not to". Was it healthy? Was it worth it? It was hard for only a short while. As I have stated before, this season is about honoring and glorifying God. It was brought to even clearer light later tonite during our FCA huddle when we talked about being temples of God and when I put my oldest to bed and told her God loves her through her family and friends. So honoring God also means honoring my family, my coaches, my competitors, my friends... Needless to say it was much easier to get out the door than the last time.
As I ran it was hard at first. Workouts have been going well but due to the volume it's been tough at the beginning many times. Each step felt a little better. My mind began to drift to the upcoming season. I have BIG goals. With those goals come certain paces that have to happen. As I went over some paces for my biggest goal , IM Louisville and a bid to qualify as a pro, I began to realize just how massive this goal was. The weight of it began to wear on me. Then something hit me. Goals are great but we all truly have limits. So many times in racing and life all we can do is push it to the limit, have hope in our hearts and let God sort out the rest. Thus at that very moment my goals changed. Don't get me worng - my goal remains the same but at the same time different. My goal is now the HOW of any future accomplishment. I will make myself the best at each discipline I can. I will go into each race not with an end goal in the front of my mind but the back. My fore most thought will be doing the best I can each step, to push threshold at every distance I do. If I do that its the best shot I have to glorify God, my wife , daughters, friends and competitors in all I do.

My hope is that all of you find a way to honor others and each other in what you do. It certianly makes things like training easier and more worth while.

Peace