The most important things in life are not things.

 Before 5:30 a.m. I was on my way to the 5i50 Boulder Peak Triathlon at Boulder Reservoir.  On the morning of a race, I am always filled with all sorts of emotions, so I was doing my best to stay relaxed listening to some music on the radio when the morning host brought up a quote that I had heard many years ago.  It stuck with me this morning.  “The most important things in life are not things.” 

As I looked around at the amazing bikes, the expensive aerodynamic helmets, and all the other gadgets and equipment that make triathlon so exciting, I couldn’t help but think about that quote.  I walked to the body marking line and noticed an older gentleman getting marked whose age looked more like a race number than an age, and that someone is someone who makes triathlons great.  It's not the bikes or wetsuits; it’s the people.  There are very few sports where the elite athletes compete side by side with the age group athletes, and that is something important, as it is a family event.  The idea of triathlon is to push one's physical, emotional, mental, and perhaps spiritual limits to the test.  Each one of those characteristics I tested today, which I take pride in.  Not the things used in a triathlon, but instead the concept of triathlon is what keeps bringing me back. 

If you are unfamiliar with my racing tactics, I like to start each triathlon by digging myself a huge hole in the swim portion which gives everyone a head start.  It happens every time, despite my fluctuation in swim training, so I am starting to think that this may just be the way it is.  After getting to the beach and making it to my bike, I couldn’t wait to get started.  Midway through the bike portion of the race, I came across my longtime friend Jim Halberg who was yelling at me to get in a bigger gear and get rolling.  This little push reminded me to have courage and push my limits which I did en route to my fastest bike split average ever at Boulder.  Off the bike, I had exciting feelings flying through me.  As I took off up the first hill, I thought once again, "This high, this excitement is what triathlon is."  The run is always fun for me because I get to fly by those larger swimmers or the cyclists who can hammer it while biking.  Passing them right and left, even seeing some walking really helps build my confidence as I go.  The dirt trails of the course do not bode well for fast times, but compared to my competition, I flew as I clocked the 4^th fastest run. 

When the race was over there is a sense of achievement.  It's not a finisher medal that gives value to the race; it’s the feeling of doing something with your day that most could not do in their life.  I ended up finishing 14^th in the Men's Elite division which should qualify me for the Hy-Vee 5i50 US Championship.  Depending on my team's schedule this fall will determine if I can race, but it is still a nice accomplishment after such a dreadful swim. 

I understand many who read this blog are not triathletes, or even runners, but I would encourage you to slow things down.  Many of you are athletes still in college who I coach or know.  I am not telling you not to focus on getting that diploma.  Graduating is very important, but look around at what really matters.  Fill your life with people who want to enrich your life, and do your best to do the same for others.  This may involve sacrificing some of the “things” that we pursue, but look to bring value to your life in whatever direction you may be heading, and there will be a sense of satisfaction that will last longer and bring more happiness than anything else ever can.        

July 13^th 2014 (1500swim, 27mile Bike, 10K Run) Boulder Peak

2:19:58. (Swim 28:50, T1 1:58, Bike 1:10.28, T2 :59, Run 37:41) 14^th Elite

Summer Round Up 12K

Yesterday I raced the Summer Round Up 12K in Bear Creek Park in Colorado Springs.  This was not my typical triathlon race or even a fast road race, but a very hard single track trail race with difficult hills and terrain.  After the race, I was not happy at all with my performance.  I placed 6^th and had pretty much fallen apart for miles 5-6.  Seeing other friends do so well while I was struggling was not easy to accept, and on top of the race, I have just been drained emotionally lately.  Later on in the day after spending some much needed time at home on Bailey Ranch, I realized I was being too hard on myself.

Just the other day I saw a video of a friend’s child who took their first step.  To me the baby stumbled to the ground and really didn’t walk at all, but I suppose from a parent’s standpoint this was a huge step, regardless of how small it may seem to outsiders.  This got me thinking about how hard I have been on myself.  Whatever happened to the days when we celebrated small victories?  In any great story, the final product of success is not achieved without many small steps.  Instead of beating myself up for losing in a trail race to some of the top runners in Colorado and also a few Africans, I should be celebrating that I won my age group and that I ran a competitive trail race while I have not been training for such a race at all.  Instead of looking for how I have come up short, I need to be looking for how I succeeded.  Is this not how God looks at us?  We fall short nonstop by our standards, but as long as we accept our failures and have goals and continue to better ourselves, God looks at us like a parent watching their child take their first step.  He celebrates our small steps because he knows what we are capable of.  If we would do the same with ourselves and the people around us, just think of how much better we would be.  Yesterday’s race may not have been graceful like a baby’s first steps, but I had the courage to race, the courage to try as a child does.  In life if there is something you want to accomplish, a place you want to be, or a person you want to be with, you must have the courage to try.  You might fall after one step, but you will be closer after that fall than you were before.  After several falls, you will eventually get the goal, to the place you want to be, or with the person you want to be with.  Failure is somewhat an endearing quality when it is partnered with passion and courage.  Relish the small steps that bring you closer to the end goal of your dreams. 

The race yesterday was well organized and a lot of fun.  I was able to see many friends and to compete in my favorite city with Pikes Peak in the back ground.  It may not have been the perfect race, but it was a success.    

A Rough Start

Crescent Moon Triathlon. June 7th, 2014

Sea kayaks are seaworthy small boats with a covered deck. The importance of such a vessel I had yet to truly appreciate until today. 

This morning I made the drive to Aurora CO for the Crescent Moon Triathlon.  With cloudy skies and a cool wind I knew as I entered the 59degree reservoir that today would not be an easy day for me. The start is always a restless time, moving for position in the water knowing that in just seconds complete chaos will ensue. If too much bumping or shoving happens in running races they start the race over however in a triathlon it's all fair. Today I took the full blunt of the heel of a competitor. Not 200m into the race this heel struck the side of my face causing me to bite my tongue. Instead of staying relaxed I completely lost focus and felt like I was about to drown. I never thought I would need a kayak or a boat or help but today I was humbled. Hugging the kayak, spitting blood and wondering what to do I finally relaxed and worked up the courage to continue. 

Out of the water and on the bike I was still battling a headache and was flat out delirious. I battled the cross wind on the out and back course and did my best to make up the lost time but knew it was not going to be easy. As I hopped off my bike I realized my chain was on my lower chainring. I have no idea if it was like that the entire time or just as I dismounted but regardless I survived and was ready to run.

The run course was a upside down lollipop in direction on trails around aurora reservoir. I decided to not go crazy and just ran 6:10 pace and ended up closing the 10K in 38:03. From the time I exited the water in 102nd place to when I crossed the finish line in 15th I had made up a lot of time and places but nowhere near what I had hoped. 

My race reports the past couple years have been plagued with bad luck. From wrecks, heat exhaustion, flat tires, and today's swim I can't help but feel like I have the worst luck. As a coach I do all I can to convince my athletes they can work their way out of slumps. That bad luck almost always comes to the ill prepared. Taking the same advice is getting very hard after several years of the same pattern. What lies ahead is uncertain but with prayers and hard work I believe I will work my way through this and come out the other side with a COMPLETE race of success. 

Swim 31:04, T1 :76, Bike 1:12.08, T2 :51, Run 38:03. 2:23.24

Two Questions

Newton’s Third Law of physics states that “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” This, of course, applies to science which in turn means it applies to life.  If a person wants success in life, one first must be willing to put forth the effort to cause a reaction.  Doing so may not always be easy, but with the right motivation it is definitely possible.

So, today at practice I took my team into a classroom and gave them a pen and paper.  Next, I asked them to answer two questions.  First, I asked, “Why do you get out of bed in the morning?”  I instructed them to put some thought into this, considering what might be the drive or motivation to start their day.  The second question I asked them, “What is YOUR definition of success?”

I get out of bed every morning, and more often than not it is to do my first workout of the day.  But, why do I work out?  Because I have athletic goals and other life goals that I believe working out will lead me closer to achieving.  I have been posting my goals since I was in high school.  I believe having a direction is vital.

If I gave two of my athletes a map of a cross country course, I am confident they could find their way around the course even if it is not marked, completing a 5K.  On the other hand, if I told two other athletes to run a 5K on a blank course without a map or GPS, they would have no idea and only by luck would they stand a chance of achieving the goal of knowing where to go.  A goal is a map, a direction to where you are trying to get.  As a coach, I see athletes who succeed and others who do not.  The number of athletes who struggled and did not have success almost always had the necessary talent yet lacked the direction, the focus, or the plan to achieve success.  “Success is the completion of one's goals and is a never ending process where one must continually be setting new goals and moving forward.”  This is what I wrote when I asked myself the second question.

Watch the news for 15 minutes, and there will be a story of rags to riches or vice versa.  In today's society, we are money hungry and consumed by what financial security can bring us.  However, success should not be pinned to a dollar amount, but instead it should mean achieving one's goals.  The fifth grade teacher who stays late to help a student with the basics of math and sees success will be as happy as someone who finishes their first marathon that they set out to do.

After reading through the answers given by my athletes, I was encouraged.  Their responses, of course, reflected that they have individual goals as I had hoped, and that each new day provides new opportunities or is a day closer to reaching their goals.  However, I couldn't help but think how many times it seems that some of my athletes have gotten up and not felt this motivation or drive.  If they would just have these questions answered and then write out clearly defined goals in plain sight, they might be more driven to succeed.  Newton's law might also apply to the force pushing you back into bed.  This is the moment when one has to work up the courage to meet this action with an equal reaction and get going.  So when you are looking to accomplish more you must be willing to put in more effort, as a larger reaction only comes as a result of a larger action. 

As with many of my posts, I challenge you to answer these two fundamental questions and to use your answers as a map to achieve what it is that you have been sent here to achieve.  I am 100% confident that God has put me here and you here as well for a reason.  It's time to stop putting off life and time to strive to achieve success.

1500m of Faith on Cracked Ribs

It's been nearly five years since I last raced a 1500m race.  Even more surprising might be that one of my greatest days was that day.  It was a perfect day on my home track at the conference meet.  Bringing home the conference title and going out on top seemed like the perfect way to cap my collegiate running career.  Since that day, I have raced countless races from a 3K to a marathon, but I have not touched the 1500m.  Why would I?  I had a perfect race and have a perfect memory that would be very hard to beat; however, I recently decided it was time to take the 1500m out of the closet and play with it again.   

Nearly two months ago, one of my athletes suggested running a fast 1500m at TCU as it is an early outdoor meet, and there would be great competition.  At first, I said I would run the 3K if I raced anything, but he convinced me that it would be fun to go fast again.  With that in mind, I went for it and called up the TCU coach two weeks ago.  I asked if I could race unattached this coming Friday in the 1500m and perhaps in the 3K later on in the meet.  After I was granted permission to toe the line with a bunch of college students still in their prime, I was filled with excitement.  What kind of shape am I in, how fast will they go out, and am I too old to run with these guys?  I have always loved the quote that nothing great was ever achieved without excitement, so here I am, excited and ready to see what I can do. 

The day after my phone call to TCU, I had a run in with bad luck and ended up going down in a parking lot cracking three ribs.  Was this a sign that I shouldn't be racing?  Perhaps, but I am too stubborn to call the TCU coach and tell him I need to drop out.  So, with less than two weeks until the race, I decided to ignore the doctor's orders and continued training and pushed through the pain.  It has not been easy as each step jars the ribs with a painful shock.  Lifting is out of the question, and I can't even sleep normal as I am stuck sleeping in a recliner. 

Just to make sure this coming race is even more interesting, I have been seeded with the #1 time.  So, with race day approaching, I am filled with excitement and perhaps fear.  What happens if the pain is too much to handle with the ribs, or what if two weeks of sub par training will leave me bringing up the rear?  These thoughts could keep me awake and stressing every second from now until race time, but that will do me no good.  I must have faith.

My faith is what gets me through.  My finish time is irrelevant to me.  What matters is my effort and the way in which I race.  God has given me the ability to run and run well.  It wouldn't matter what the trial is that lies ahead.  My life is filled with hurdles that must be overcome, but I do not worry because I have my faith.  Worrying is like a rocking chair, it will pass the time, but it won't get you anywhere.  One must fill themselves with faith, faith that God has a plan and that He will not lead you where you are not supposed to be.  I cannot imagine even getting out of bed without faith.  How can someone live without faith?  What is the point of even putting on your shoes?  Without faith you are alone; even surrounded by people you are alone because it is only faith that will lead past this life into something greater.  Friday afternoon when I step to the line, my mind will be filled with faith, faith that God will be with me every stride, and that with all my effort I will run the race he has put in front of me. 

New Year 2014

It's New Year's Day, Day 1, the beginning of a new year, a fresh start, the first day of change.  In the past, I have been guilty of making lofty goals and have written many posts on what I have accomplished and what I want to achieve in the new year.  This year I am in a different mind set.  Last spring I missed 5 months of training and completely had to refocus and realign my goals, but this is how the real world works.  The new year does not ignite a spark any more than next Friday will.  It is all about decisions and sacrifice, resolutions are rarely to do less but to go into the unknown and accomplish more.  So, if today you wrote out a list of five great things you plan to achieve in 2014, I am happy for you.  My question though is how will you react when life says "NO" to what it is you are trying to do? 

In John 6, the masses grew and grew for the people wanted to see and perhaps even have a miracle performed on them.  It was not until Jesus claimed he was the living bread sent from God that the people started to leave and question Him.  When Jesus was healing the blind it was easy to believe, but when it got harder to handle what He was saying, the people left and only twelve remained.  It is simpler and easier to pursue one's goals when everything is going well, when it is early on, and when the fire still burns from that moment they decided to make the change.  But now, the tides have turned, and suddenly it is not so easy, and the world appears to be against you.  This is the point when one needs resolve, the point when one must decide whether to go with the masses and make excuses or dig deeper.  Jesus asked, "You do not want to leave too, do you?" to the twelve.  Peter answered, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.  We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God." These are the words of one who is committed, one who believes.   

In 2014 you may have goals; that is the first step.  The second is your plan for when life throws a wrench into those goals.  Will you be committed as Peter was or will you flee with the masses?

The coach in me wants to help you who want to start something new this year with some advice.  Make your long term goals, but make shorter goals that in turn will lead you to the larger goals.  Also, while choosing these goals think about what these goals mean to you, because chances are there will be a bump in the road that may interfere.  It may not be a 5 month injury, but it may be weather, it may be time, or a multitude of other possibilities.  Think of what might derail you and have a plan for when things don't work out.  If you can write these goals down along with why they mean so much to you as well as your plan if things don't go according to plan, you will be prepared for the worst and have a much more successful 2014.

God has been good to me this year even in the time of injury.  I trust that 2014 will be even better.  I owe so much to my family, friends, and to my sponsors Brooks and Honey Stinger!

Build the Base

When it comes to training, a runner is a lot like a tree.  A tree wishing to grow taller must first grow its roots and its trunk strong before stretching its limbs into the sky. Today marked my first interval workout in over 6 weeks.  It has been six weeks of base training, long runs, and recovery runs with nothing exciting, other than the love of just running.  These weeks may have been boring to me, but they were exactly what I needed.  I had grown as tall as I could with my racing and needed to come back to the roots; I needed to rebuild a stronger base before I could embark on my next journey of serious training and hopefully racing.  Six weeks I rebuilt the body from the ground up to a point where I was strong aerobically and had the general strength under wraps.  Now, it is time to reach into the sky and go for new training, racing, and hopefully glory that I can give to God.

The metaphor of the tree growing its roots stronger in comparison to a runner building his base also applies to another situation.  Go and make disciples of all nations. Matthew 28: 19-20.  I read "Follow Me" by David Platt this summer, and it made me think more about making disciples and how important it is.  Then, this fall my friend Janean asked me to join a group of friends in reading "Multiply" by Francis Chan.  Both of these books talk about going out and making disciples, spreading the word, and sharing the love of Christ with others.  The questions that I have asked myself many times are whether I am strong enough to go out and make disciples, do I know enough, and am I ready for such a command.  The answer I found is, "Yes," but it hasn’t always been, "Yes."  I first had to work on my roots, I had to build my strength up before I reached out. 

So here I am, typing with tightness in my legs that burns yet feels truly refreshing.  Only one interval in the books, but I am on my way.  I put in the time to build my roots, and now I am aching to go faster.  With interval training back in the plan, I also must be looking to race.  Hard work without direction is simply pointless so I have narrowed down my plan to 1 or 2 races in early December that could be anywhere from 3K through 13.1.  Depending on how the next week of training goes, I will determine how long or short of a race to aim for. 

Running without direction is the same as discipling without direction.  I can run around until I am blue in the face, screaming of God's love, but that will not lead people to Christ, or at least not in a very effective manner.  When I meet someone who is struggling or does not even have a relationship with Christ, I must have direction.  Letting them know of God's love, patience, and forgiveness is essential, but doing so in an organized fashion will have greater results.  A story out of order will make no sense to my friend who is intrigued by the story of God.  Having a base and having a direction will allow me to be the disciple Christ called me to be, just as having the base and the direction will allow me to be the runner that God has called me to be.   

The seasons are changing, and so are our lives, but God's Love is not changing.  May a change in the season spark a change in you, but for the change to last, for success to come, don't forget to build your base.