Ted talks: http://www.ted.com/talks/larry_smith_why_you_will_fail_to_have_a_great_career.html
a great talk on why most people are destined for mediocrity. I've spent a lot of time making excuses and accepting mediocrity. over the past month or so i've started to put the excuses aside and step out of my comfort zone. it's pretty scary out here at first, but it's a fun scary. i'm attempting to stretch and see where i can go.
failure is only failure if you give up on it completely, otherwise it's an opportunity to learn and improve.
are you failing or are you learning?
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.
- Theodore Roosevelt
Excerpt from the speech "Citizenship In A Republic"
delivered at the Sorbonne, in Paris, France on 23 April, 1910
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Sunday, March 25, 2012
20120325 week summary
a bit tired at this point, my legs are feeling the increased effort. a great week in the books, now lets see how repeatable it is. it seems every run was either a pretty strong effort or a long run. had lots of climbing and some good tempo efforts, and several nice steady longer runs thrown in there. achilles held up nicely through all of this, some twinges here and there, but nothing i'm concerned about yet. when it complained i pulled back.
biggest week since early january and things are still feeling good. i definitely have some soreness in new muscles. looking forward to continuing down this path and discovering some new trails:
Total Time: 16:59
Run: 14:59
Other: 2:00
distance: 93.3
TSS: 845
climbing: 9900'
Friday, March 23, 2012
Strong showing this week - so far
well i've had my share of good runs this week. things are starting to come together nicely. i've yet to push any kind of distance since my trip to arizona, but have been maintaining a good bit of 1 - 2 hour runs consistently. most of them at a decent pace.
the best part is though the pace is turning out to be decent, the effort is somewhere between relaxed and pressing things slightly. i've been running faster on seemingly sluggish legs (i seem to have a good portion of the days without spring in my step) without really pressing the pace. this is a pleasant surprise.
my week started with a nice bit of climbing up a new trail - el capitan mountain. great run with some extra rocky sections and steep climbs, then some goat track at the end. some very fun segments. I was pleasantly surprised with how springy my legs felt on some sections, and how well my achilles held up. i did a precautionary stretch and massage about 1/2 way up. It was truly a good day full of some great views.
the next few days were comprised of mainly flat easy runs to leg my legs take in the el capitan experience. then i did a trip up cowles, which felt pretty good. had some tightness, but nothing to worry about. then an easier run thursday afternoon out in mission trails. it was supposed to be flat, but somehow turned into a bit of climbing. all in all things are still good.
then today (friday) i went out for an easy jog to let my legs recoup from the climbing, and felt very consistent (not great, so i didn't push it, at least not early on). i had some repercussions from the heavy lunch, mostly in the form of a very heavy feeling in my gut, though my legs never really felt like i was pushing, my lungs were struggling slightly due to the overloaded stomach (i'm good at storing lots of food). with about 2 miles left i noticed i was on a pretty good pace, and decided to press it slightly and see how close i could get to 50 minutes without truly racing. i managed a tidy 51:25, and never really went too crazy with the effort. it felt very sustainable except the excess food.
looking forward to logging some good runs this weekend. enjoy . . .
the best part is though the pace is turning out to be decent, the effort is somewhere between relaxed and pressing things slightly. i've been running faster on seemingly sluggish legs (i seem to have a good portion of the days without spring in my step) without really pressing the pace. this is a pleasant surprise.
my week started with a nice bit of climbing up a new trail - el capitan mountain. great run with some extra rocky sections and steep climbs, then some goat track at the end. some very fun segments. I was pleasantly surprised with how springy my legs felt on some sections, and how well my achilles held up. i did a precautionary stretch and massage about 1/2 way up. It was truly a good day full of some great views.
the next few days were comprised of mainly flat easy runs to leg my legs take in the el capitan experience. then i did a trip up cowles, which felt pretty good. had some tightness, but nothing to worry about. then an easier run thursday afternoon out in mission trails. it was supposed to be flat, but somehow turned into a bit of climbing. all in all things are still good.
then today (friday) i went out for an easy jog to let my legs recoup from the climbing, and felt very consistent (not great, so i didn't push it, at least not early on). i had some repercussions from the heavy lunch, mostly in the form of a very heavy feeling in my gut, though my legs never really felt like i was pushing, my lungs were struggling slightly due to the overloaded stomach (i'm good at storing lots of food). with about 2 miles left i noticed i was on a pretty good pace, and decided to press it slightly and see how close i could get to 50 minutes without truly racing. i managed a tidy 51:25, and never really went too crazy with the effort. it felt very sustainable except the excess food.
looking forward to logging some good runs this weekend. enjoy . . .
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
It's been some time now
So i tried to get back into this blogging, and as indicated between my previous post (nov 11??) and this one, it has been less then successful.
it's been a rocky road between here and there. lots of lows and some slow progress. the most notable of which is my acknowledgement that there is something fundamentally wrong with the way i run. this has been a thorn in my side for several years, but took a series of very difficult decisions and realizations on my part to finally seek outside help.
i'm not infallible, i do have flaws, and sometimes it requires someone other than myself to fix them. i will complete my 4th week of rehab tomorrow. it's been a positive experience so far, though i still haven't tested things out officially (haven't gotten to the point at which i've been historically failing), things seem to be improving.
new muscles are sore, most stiffness has been alleviated, range of motion is improving, and i had a fairly good run with some significant climbing earlier this week. i've also had some really poor showings during the last 4 weeks, though none of them have been caused by niggling injuries, just by odd new failures (i think a combination of sleep and nutrition or lack thereof) and typical muscular fatigue.
i've a fairly ambitious lineup this year, and that's just what i've already paid for, if things pan out i hope to add more to the list. fingers crossed (i'd rather be lucky then good), and i will continue to pay my dues (fortune favors the prepared).
i've created a bit of clean up for myself, and unfortunately some of you as well. for this i am truly sorry.
you have helped me far more then i can express or fully thank you for, and i am happy to call you my friends. i cannot thank you enough for being there for me and being as understanding as you have been. i truly hope you never need that level of support. if you do, i will do all that i can to be as good as you have been to me.
it's been a rocky road between here and there. lots of lows and some slow progress. the most notable of which is my acknowledgement that there is something fundamentally wrong with the way i run. this has been a thorn in my side for several years, but took a series of very difficult decisions and realizations on my part to finally seek outside help.
i'm not infallible, i do have flaws, and sometimes it requires someone other than myself to fix them. i will complete my 4th week of rehab tomorrow. it's been a positive experience so far, though i still haven't tested things out officially (haven't gotten to the point at which i've been historically failing), things seem to be improving.
new muscles are sore, most stiffness has been alleviated, range of motion is improving, and i had a fairly good run with some significant climbing earlier this week. i've also had some really poor showings during the last 4 weeks, though none of them have been caused by niggling injuries, just by odd new failures (i think a combination of sleep and nutrition or lack thereof) and typical muscular fatigue.
i've a fairly ambitious lineup this year, and that's just what i've already paid for, if things pan out i hope to add more to the list. fingers crossed (i'd rather be lucky then good), and i will continue to pay my dues (fortune favors the prepared).
i've created a bit of clean up for myself, and unfortunately some of you as well. for this i am truly sorry.
you have helped me far more then i can express or fully thank you for, and i am happy to call you my friends. i cannot thank you enough for being there for me and being as understanding as you have been. i truly hope you never need that level of support. if you do, i will do all that i can to be as good as you have been to me.
Friday, November 11, 2011
back on the trails
It's been a difficult year. I've had lots of ambition, or at least faux ambition, but when it's come down to it, i've folded under pressure.
I've set some goals which are slipping from my grasp at this point, and amassed a ridiculous 4 DNFs this year, some valid, some are still rattling around in my head.
Spring cleaning comes a bit late this year, and it's time to sort out the rattling. So i'm going to spend a bit of quality time outside phoenix this weekend recounting the things that were done right this year, and the areas for improvement.
If you're interested in joining me on this adventure, the Aravaipa running group was kind enough to make it possibe, at least in spirit and via the internet:
http://www.aravaiparunning.com/avr/ultracast/
if you've got something better to do than sit around and watch a computer screen for 25+ hours, enjoy your day, and feel free to check in periodically:)
i wish each of you the best this weekend - enjoy whatever you set out to do and make sure to pursue it whole heartedly.
I've been asked what is different about this run then the dnfs (DNF = simpley means i chose the easier path, i dropped from the race) from earlier this year? i don't have anything tangible here, except maybe this is an easier course.
fortunately there are the intangibles. here's to the desire to complete what you start.
or perhaps in Karl Meltzer's words "100 miles is not that far"
I've set some goals which are slipping from my grasp at this point, and amassed a ridiculous 4 DNFs this year, some valid, some are still rattling around in my head.
Spring cleaning comes a bit late this year, and it's time to sort out the rattling. So i'm going to spend a bit of quality time outside phoenix this weekend recounting the things that were done right this year, and the areas for improvement.
If you're interested in joining me on this adventure, the Aravaipa running group was kind enough to make it possibe, at least in spirit and via the internet:
http://www.aravaiparunning.com/avr/ultracast/
if you've got something better to do than sit around and watch a computer screen for 25+ hours, enjoy your day, and feel free to check in periodically:)
i wish each of you the best this weekend - enjoy whatever you set out to do and make sure to pursue it whole heartedly.
I've been asked what is different about this run then the dnfs (DNF = simpley means i chose the easier path, i dropped from the race) from earlier this year? i don't have anything tangible here, except maybe this is an easier course.
fortunately there are the intangibles. here's to the desire to complete what you start.
or perhaps in Karl Meltzer's words "100 miles is not that far"
Sunday, June 5, 2011
IM ST. George
Since last weekend went so well, i decided i’d like to see what ironman st. George has to offer. I’d heard some good stories about the course, and just couldn’t resist the opportunity to form my own opinion. It would promise some good mileage to help prepare for the upcoming mountain bike tibet trip.
SWIM
I lined up a bit outside towards the front for the swim start, the gun went off, and i settled into a very comfortable pace. For the most part, there was a good amount of open water which i took full advantage off. There were several occasions where things got a bit crowded and i was reminded it is in fact an ironman swim.
The swim course is 1 large loop, similar to canada. The water was a good temperature, though i actually had a couple sections that were a bit warm for my taste. After the first turn, we were swimming into the sun, though the sighting wasn’t to difficult, it did require a little more attention.
I felt strong the entire swim, though i never pushed it, knowing full well i had a long day ahead of me, on one of the tougher ironman courses. I got out of the water feeling pretty fresh and ready to ride. Swim was 1:09:00 (1:49 min/100m).
T1
went well, no blazing times here, but a focused effort to get through without too much delay. 0:05:58
BIKE
the bike course has a 23 mile lead taking you from the swim course and delivering you to the 2 loop portion, with the much talked about climbing. I sat very comfortably in for the first section. Taking in liquid and calories very regularly.
I went through my 2500 calories of carbo pro right on schedule chased by lots of water and threw in a few bananas and gels for variety.
The first loop went well, i pedaled steadily and felt ok. At mile 50, the worst of the climbing is done, and by mile 56 it’s pretty much to a steady descent back into st george. The 2nd loop felt significantly slower, my legs didn’t want to push with any sort of consistency. I put my head down and kept spinning the best i could muster.
Slightly before mile 90, the last of the difficult climbs was complete. I knew there were 1 or 2 more inclines, and a series of fast descents, and paced accordingly. Though i struggled a bit on these last 2 ascents, once i hit the top, i assumed aero and enjoyed the fast descent back into town. 6:06:19 (18.4 mph)
T2
relatively uneventful, except for the fact that my legs where having none of this running portion. I chuckled a bit to myself, knowing full well there was still some run left in me and my legs were mislead.
RUN
It took almost 2 full miles to convince my legs that i fully intended to run the entire distance, no walking. The first 2 miles is a steady climb, with the next 1.5 being a bit steeper, before a small reprieve and a little more climbing. Then you drop down to mile 6.5 and turn around and retrace your steps.
I knew my legs were unhappy and it was a bit warm, so i followed a very simple routine, gel every 15 – 20 minutes followed with water. Every aid station had the same protocol: ice in the jersey, sponges, water, ice, sponges. I carried a water bottle, and would fill it up with ice and water every 3 miles. This worked well.
My first loop went slightly over 2 hours, then my legs and i had a bit of the same conversation as when i first started the run. Seemed like deja vu. I kept turning it over, every so slow and steady, knowing full well this is what i signed up for, and enjoying the fact that my achilles had yet to indicate any signs of stress.
Along the course of the run i crossed paths with 3 or 4 pulse regulars, and some not so regulars. I saw the gap closing slowly between myself and mark, until i caught up with him at mile 24. We proceeded through the last 2 miles to the finish together. 4:24:59 (10:09 min/mile)
All said and done, it’s been a solid week of testing the achilles and it’s come up roses. I’m back to full training volume, still holding off on any type of speed work, as i want to be very sure the achilles is 100% before i put those types of load on it. total time: 11:48:38
SWIM
I lined up a bit outside towards the front for the swim start, the gun went off, and i settled into a very comfortable pace. For the most part, there was a good amount of open water which i took full advantage off. There were several occasions where things got a bit crowded and i was reminded it is in fact an ironman swim.
The swim course is 1 large loop, similar to canada. The water was a good temperature, though i actually had a couple sections that were a bit warm for my taste. After the first turn, we were swimming into the sun, though the sighting wasn’t to difficult, it did require a little more attention.
I felt strong the entire swim, though i never pushed it, knowing full well i had a long day ahead of me, on one of the tougher ironman courses. I got out of the water feeling pretty fresh and ready to ride. Swim was 1:09:00 (1:49 min/100m).
T1
went well, no blazing times here, but a focused effort to get through without too much delay. 0:05:58
BIKE
the bike course has a 23 mile lead taking you from the swim course and delivering you to the 2 loop portion, with the much talked about climbing. I sat very comfortably in for the first section. Taking in liquid and calories very regularly.
I went through my 2500 calories of carbo pro right on schedule chased by lots of water and threw in a few bananas and gels for variety.
The first loop went well, i pedaled steadily and felt ok. At mile 50, the worst of the climbing is done, and by mile 56 it’s pretty much to a steady descent back into st george. The 2nd loop felt significantly slower, my legs didn’t want to push with any sort of consistency. I put my head down and kept spinning the best i could muster.
Slightly before mile 90, the last of the difficult climbs was complete. I knew there were 1 or 2 more inclines, and a series of fast descents, and paced accordingly. Though i struggled a bit on these last 2 ascents, once i hit the top, i assumed aero and enjoyed the fast descent back into town. 6:06:19 (18.4 mph)
T2
relatively uneventful, except for the fact that my legs where having none of this running portion. I chuckled a bit to myself, knowing full well there was still some run left in me and my legs were mislead.
RUN
It took almost 2 full miles to convince my legs that i fully intended to run the entire distance, no walking. The first 2 miles is a steady climb, with the next 1.5 being a bit steeper, before a small reprieve and a little more climbing. Then you drop down to mile 6.5 and turn around and retrace your steps.
I knew my legs were unhappy and it was a bit warm, so i followed a very simple routine, gel every 15 – 20 minutes followed with water. Every aid station had the same protocol: ice in the jersey, sponges, water, ice, sponges. I carried a water bottle, and would fill it up with ice and water every 3 miles. This worked well.
My first loop went slightly over 2 hours, then my legs and i had a bit of the same conversation as when i first started the run. Seemed like deja vu. I kept turning it over, every so slow and steady, knowing full well this is what i signed up for, and enjoying the fact that my achilles had yet to indicate any signs of stress.
Along the course of the run i crossed paths with 3 or 4 pulse regulars, and some not so regulars. I saw the gap closing slowly between myself and mark, until i caught up with him at mile 24. We proceeded through the last 2 miles to the finish together. 4:24:59 (10:09 min/mile)
All said and done, it’s been a solid week of testing the achilles and it’s come up roses. I’m back to full training volume, still holding off on any type of speed work, as i want to be very sure the achilles is 100% before i put those types of load on it. total time: 11:48:38
Spring Sprint
What better way to test my recovery from injury then to have a long slow day followed by a short fast day? Sunday I'd be doing Spring Sprint, on top of testing my achilles, Mike was nice enough to get me a new tri bike - 2011 Felt DA. So i was very anxious to ride it.
I woke early, got my stuff together, and headed to mission bay. racked all my things, and promised myself, this wasn't a race, i was out here to have fun, and see how my achilles was holding up.
SWIM
At the start of the swim, i worked my way up to the front of the starting pack, and swam comfortably hard to the first turn (~ 1/3rd of the swim). I never really found a pair of feet to draft off, which seems to be the way things are going for me these days, i've lost a bit of the drafting ability i once had. this has been added to the list of potential improvements.
The last 100 meters of the swim proved to be a bit tougher then i anticipated, i started a little too hard, and had to dig a bit to remain consistent through the swim. (1:47 min/100m)
T1
Into transition, a pretty liesurely transition, and onto the bike. As i slipped my right foot into my shoe, the pedal came off the spindle. this will make for an interesting ride, not 200m into the 15km ride, and i'm down to 1 pedal . . . sort of.
BIKE
I got my other foot in the shoe, and slid the right pedal back onto the spindle. I would need to be cognizant of this the whole time riding. I wasn't able to apply to much force to the pedals, or my right pedal would come off the spindle again. So i road a consistent bike, a little slow, but steady. (0:28:25 - 19mph)
T2 - RUN
Back into transition, and another liesurely transition (not as relaxed as the 1st one). I made a slight effort to get in and out quickly. I still hadn't come across mike kelley, i figured i'd have trouble catching him on the bike with my pedal issue, but still held a little hope for it. no such luck, the catch would have to wait until mile 1 of the run.
we chatted briefly, he informed me there were 3 people in front of him. I tried to run with him, but the thought of 3 people ahead proved too much for me to bear.
I increased the pace and started looking, all the while being cautious not ot over exert and injure my achilles. About 200m from the finish line i caught kariem, wished him well on his second lap, and cruised into the finish. (0:20:54 - 6:45min/mile)
All in all it was a good day, some minor setbacks, but none of them had to do with my physical capacities, just equipment malfunctions, perfectly acceptable.
The pulse crew had a great day, lots of representation, a good time for all. another successful training group and pulse outing.
I woke early, got my stuff together, and headed to mission bay. racked all my things, and promised myself, this wasn't a race, i was out here to have fun, and see how my achilles was holding up.
SWIM
At the start of the swim, i worked my way up to the front of the starting pack, and swam comfortably hard to the first turn (~ 1/3rd of the swim). I never really found a pair of feet to draft off, which seems to be the way things are going for me these days, i've lost a bit of the drafting ability i once had. this has been added to the list of potential improvements.
The last 100 meters of the swim proved to be a bit tougher then i anticipated, i started a little too hard, and had to dig a bit to remain consistent through the swim. (1:47 min/100m)
T1
Into transition, a pretty liesurely transition, and onto the bike. As i slipped my right foot into my shoe, the pedal came off the spindle. this will make for an interesting ride, not 200m into the 15km ride, and i'm down to 1 pedal . . . sort of.
BIKE
I got my other foot in the shoe, and slid the right pedal back onto the spindle. I would need to be cognizant of this the whole time riding. I wasn't able to apply to much force to the pedals, or my right pedal would come off the spindle again. So i road a consistent bike, a little slow, but steady. (0:28:25 - 19mph)
T2 - RUN
Back into transition, and another liesurely transition (not as relaxed as the 1st one). I made a slight effort to get in and out quickly. I still hadn't come across mike kelley, i figured i'd have trouble catching him on the bike with my pedal issue, but still held a little hope for it. no such luck, the catch would have to wait until mile 1 of the run.
we chatted briefly, he informed me there were 3 people in front of him. I tried to run with him, but the thought of 3 people ahead proved too much for me to bear.
I increased the pace and started looking, all the while being cautious not ot over exert and injure my achilles. About 200m from the finish line i caught kariem, wished him well on his second lap, and cruised into the finish. (0:20:54 - 6:45min/mile)
All in all it was a good day, some minor setbacks, but none of them had to do with my physical capacities, just equipment malfunctions, perfectly acceptable.
The pulse crew had a great day, lots of representation, a good time for all. another successful training group and pulse outing.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)