... An Opportunity to Serve

This post I am breaking away from the updates on triathlon training and my progress. Not too much to report in that area, as it really comes down to the fact that I am doing a lot of swimming, biking, and running, amounting to about 20 hours a week in total. Besides, it is good to highlight the charities which work to do good in the world. Recently we ran a fundraiser for Alex's Lemonade, and the response was fantastic. We made nearly half our goal of $1,000 to help in the fight against childhood cancer. Today I want to put the spotlight on another unfortunate reality in our world - poverty. Organizations such as Compassion International, or Feeding America, do their own part in trying to bring comfort and stability to those affected by poverty.

We've heard the statistics before, that around 15% of Americans, and nearly half of the world's children, live in poverty. Unemployment in the U.S. is between 7-8% (not including underemployment). There are no shortage of opinions on how to solve this problem. However, these opinions spewed forth in debate do little to spark action, and instead tend to promote political bickering and finger pointing. Sadly poverty has become a political football. So true that many complex macroeconomic issues have a dramatic affect on global poverty. Unfortunately, many people focus on finding solutions at the complex "macro" level, while many tend to neglect what can be done on the "micro" level. Which brings me to a quote provided by the Compassion blog:

"Poverty is not necessarily an issue to solve; it is an opportunity to serve." - Johnny Carr

Up until a couple years ago, I would make myself so angry by the fact that "we" did little to end the suffering of those people living below the poverty line in the world. That for a fraction of the money we spent on wars, we could provide much needed aid to all the world's children. Yet in my self-righteous indignation, what was I doing to be of service to those very people for which I was trying to be an advocate? Nothing but complaining and whining about how "we" as a community, nation, and world weren't doing more.

Once again I was wasting all my energy on things I could not control and had no influence over, while neglecting the service which would provide help to those in need, and serenity to me.

The statement above doesn't necessarily imply that the poverty issue can't be solved. Maybe it can. But individually, our responsibility is to serve each other. If we fulfill on that responsibility and treat others as we ourselves would wish to be treated, then more people in need would be given a helping hand. And many small acts of service on a global scale will make a world of difference. Perhaps that is the "solution" we are looking for.

If you would like to be of service today, you can donate to one of our fundraisers for Feeding America or Compassion International. Also, you can visit the Compassion website and sponsor a child in a developing country. It is a very rewarding experience.

Long Beach Triathlon Race Report - Redemption

After my previous race experience, needless to say I was a bit cautious coming into the Long Beach Triathlon. My expectations were lower, I had already made this a non priority race, and I was two hex-bolts away from putting training wheels on my bike. Overboard? Maybe. But I didn't want to risk eating asphalt salad again (by the way, "Asphalt Salad" would make a great band name!). You can read all about my expectations in my previous post here.

All that being said, as I went to pick up my race packet on Saturday morning, I got a view of things to come. The weather was absolutely beautiful with no wind. The water was calm and inviting. Much of the bike course was a grand prix race course (designed for fast racing). The run was flat. While this was a short "secondary" race, the conditions were about as perfect as they could be, which made me second guess my conservative approach. What better course to give it all I have and see how well I do?

That thought lingered a long time, but I had to remember what got me to this start line; humility, patience, and acceptance. I also had to remember that being too aggressive forced me off the road last time around. I decided to stick to my original plan: Book it on the swim and run, and take it relatively easy on the bike. 

This post is "media rich", with plenty of photos and video to help you kill some time. Many thanks to my wife, Marie, who took full advantage of our new Nikon D7000 and got some great shots! So without further ado, here is the race report.

Race day sunrise

Pre Race:

I arrived at the transition area about an hour early, set up my stuff, and started eating some oatmeal (this has been my pre-race meal of choice, as it has not caused me any GI problems in the past, and gives me plenty of carb energy). I made my way to the swim start by jogging the path in my wetsuit. I was the only one doing this, and I heard a lot of comments along the lines of "the race hasn't begun yet," and the like. However, I find it is essential to get a good warm up in before a race. Why would you ever want to start out stiff and cold?

Once I reached the starting area, I took a few swim laps around the buoys. The water felt great, and I thought about the last time I was in the water in Long Beach. I was about 3 or 4, and our family was in the marina among the slips of boats. I thought it would be a testament to my strength to show that I could push one of these 28 foot boats and make it move in the water. I validated my physical prowess, but misjudged how gravity would play into my little experiment. I ended up in the water between the dock and the marina, and fortunately was rescued by an understandably alarmed set of parents. I think it was at that time that they decided to put me in swim lessons. Today I was venturing into the water on a voluntary basis.

I was having some issues with my goggles filling up. Turns out there was a small crease in the rubber seal, that probably came about because they were left in the hot car (only thing I could think of). I had trouble fixing this, but my backup pair was back at transition, and the race was about to begin. At this point I took my own advice and just "let go" of the situation and do the best I could.

Swim:

We were the second wave to go, and the wave breaks were only 3 minutes apart this time around. The 30-39 age groups followed the 20-29 age groups. After the first group took off, I lined up at the front middle of the wave. This is usually the spot where the fastest racers position themselves, and I wanted to see how I fared. When the gun went off we ran to the water and the front of the pack, as expected, began to converge a bit. Once I was about knee deep in the water, I dove in and began swimming, recognizing that I was faster if I swam than continued running. This helped me to pass a few more people. There was lots of contact between the shore and around the first buoy, but I was able to find my way around a lot of people and continue moving forward. Finally, after about 300 yards, I began to find some open water and found a great rhythm. At a couple of points I noticed that I made contact with the feet of other racers, only to recognize that they were from the wave in front of me. I was seeing fewer and fewer orange caps (30-39), and more and more green caps (20-29). I took that as a good sign. 

Swimmers begin rounding the buoy's and heading for shore.

We rounded the last buoy and headed for shore, and I began to back off a little bit so that I could catch my breath for the run up the beach. Once I hit the shore and I looked at my watch, I saw that I was at about 11 minutes, which was much faster than my goal of 15 minutes. However, I still had to make it up the beach to the timing mat, a few hundred yards away.

Exiting the water and heading toward transition

As I crossed the timing mat I saw that I was around 13 minutes. A great swim! 

Swim Time: 13:02, 1:29/100 YDS

Transition 1:

Further good news was about to hit me, as I recognized that most of the bikes in my age group were still present in the transition area (which meant that many people were still in the water). Transition went smooth, as I was able to get my wetsuit off, and socks and shoes on, quickly without a problem. My only mistake came when I didn't turn on my GoPro before the race. This took me about 15 to 20 seconds to address, but I couldn't afford not to film the bike portion! That would be doing all of you fine people a disservice! The rest was easy. I ran to the mounting area, got on my bike, and there I went!

T1 Time: 1:50

Bike:

Again, my goal was to take the bike conservatively, but in sections where it was safe (straightaways, wide areas, etc.) I would put the hammer down as hard as I could. It was really the turns that had me nervous, as I didn't want another rider to clip me or try to cut by me on a sharp turn. I found that I would get passed by a few people on each of the sharp turns, but then I would reclaim my position on the straightaways. Thus I think the reward for aggression is minimal and short lived. 

The first lap was fantastic, as it felt like I had the road to myself, with the occasional rider. The course took us down Shorline Drive from Ocean Blvd. down the grand prix raceway. A quick U turn brought us back down the raceway toward the Queensway bridge in Long Beach. Over the bridge and toward the Queen Mary, there were a few more sharp turns, at which time I was passed, and straightaways, at which time I did the passing. We went back over the Queensway bridge and took a sharp right back on to Shoreline. I anticipated this turn and took it slow, but was passed very quickly on the left by someone in aero position (no brakes!). 

As we approached the turnaround, the honeymoon was over. Now into the second lap, the field was becoming more congested with people coming in from later waves. Unfortunately, this meant there were faster bikers mixed with much slower bikers. While it was relatively easy to pass on the wide Shoreline Drive, as we went over the bridge, there was no way to pass. This made my already conservative bike time even slower. But, the good news is that I made it back into transition with both wheels on the ground and my head above the handlebars. 

Biking into T2

(A little more shameless self promotion. Music by Radblaster)

Bike Time: 33:07, 19.9 mph (The bike was a little longer than 11 miles - my Garmin had it at 11.5, with a split of 20.9 mph)

Transition 2
Everything went absolutely perfect in T2, I don't think I could have done anything any differently. This time I saw only two or three bikes, which told me I was still in good shape. Got my running shoes on and my race number, and sprinted outa there!

T2 Time: 1:03

Run:
My goal was to run 7:00 miles, and I was just about there. I remember from my previous race in Carlsbad that I hit the gas too early and burned out in the last couple hundred yards (at which time another racer passed me). So I held back a bit longer, while trying to keep my pace around 7 min.

The run was much like the bike in that the first lap was empty, aside from faster 20 somthing's passing in the opposite direction toward the turnaround. The second lap was more congested, but I found it more easily navigable, and was able to continue passing people while maintaining my pace. It was a great feeling as I approached the turnaround the second time and the volunteer pointed to the turnaround but I was able to point to the finish and go through the chute. I didn't really hit the gas at all at the end of the race, but I should have finished strong. But at least I finished feeling like I didn't need to puke.

The best part is I looked at the time as I crossed the finish and saw "1:13:00". This meant that I actually beat my goal by 2 minutes! I then realized that, being in the second wave, we started 3 minutes after the first wave. That means I beat my goal by 5 minutes!

Happy finisher with energy to spare!

Run Time: 21:25, 7:09 min/mile
Total Time: 1:10:25, 5th place age group (out of 46), 40th overall (out of 611)

Overall, I enjoyed this race. The course was great, the climate was awesome. Organization had a lot to be desired, but I can't complain about a fifth place finish in my age group. I wasn't aware of my placing when they first began posting results, as they were just posting overall. I could see that I did pretty well. As I pushed through the crowds to see the posted results (in the smallest font possible), I tried to determine how many 30-34 age groupers were ahead of me. I thought I saw two or three, but I couldn't tell. While we had other plans for the day, I had to convince my tired wife and kids to stick around for the awards ceremony.

The awards ceremony wasn't very organized as they were giving awards out to the relay groups and youth groups before getting to the age groups. They announced the names and I found out that I didn't get a podium spot (which was okay, because it wasn't very organized - they didn't have a podium). I was just happy with my performance. Given this was a "B" race and I didn't want to be aggressive, I think my time was awesome.

When I got home I learned that I got 5th place in my age group, and missed third by a little over 2 minutes. For my second finished race, this is not too shabby. Putting this into perspective, at an Ironman race, there are 50 spots allocated for the Kona World Championships. At times, 30-34 will get at least 5. Being 40th overall, and 5th in age group would secure a Kona spot! Granted, the Ironman is a lot more competitive, a lot longer, and a lot more challenging, but I have time, patience, and determination. It may not happen next year, or even the following year. But the point is that for the first time that goal actually appears on the horizon and looks achievable. I think I've come a long way in the last year. Great things are yet to come!

Pre-Race Long Beach Triathlon

This coming weekend I venture out to compete in my third triathlon this season, The Long Beach Triathlon. If you'll recall in previous posts (here and here), I have experienced two of the extreme outcomes thus far; exceeded expectations, and a literal faceplant. While the joy of doing well and my competitive spirit are urging me to push it to the limit on Sunday, Long Beach is by no means an "A" race. In fact, it's not really even a "B" race. Since I am training for longer distance triathlons, the sprint distance triathlons to this point have been a means to get myself comfortable with the process. Not to say that I've "been there, done that", as I have a great deal of respect for these races, the sprint is just a different kind of race. Where longer distance races promote patience, the sprints are, as coach Mark Allen says, "fast and furious".

My instinct tells me to run like hell, but my plan is to get my money's worth during this race. I plan to take things conservatively, especially on the bike, and whatever happens happens. In most races I tend to want to leave everything on the course, not leaving feeling like I could have given more. Unfortunately in my last race, I left everything on the course, including some of my face and shoulder. This time I guess I plan to take some of it with me. I'll leave some of it on the course, but I'm going to take a lot of it too so that I will be in good shape for my next races.

Speaking of the next races, I am upping the distance from here on out. In October I will be competing in the inaugural Lifetime Fitness Oceanside Triathlon. This will be an olympic distance race, which is a 1.5k swim, 45k bike, and a 10k run. Then in December I will be competing in the HITS Half Triathlon in Palm Springs. This will be a 1.2 mile swim, a 56 mile bike, and a half marathon. That one I am looking forward to because it will be a light field, and it will be much cooler out (I seem to do better in the cold). In these two races I plan to bring my "A" game and leave it all on the course.

So the plan for this Sunday is to do the following:

1. Swim as fast as I can with good form - In the previous races I took the swim very conservatively and was able to improve my confidence. I want to push a little harder to see where this puts me. This will probably put me in the front of the middle of the pack.
2. Practice smooth and fast transitions, getting in and out in under 2 minutes.
3. Bike conservatively, focusing on keeping the rubber on the road, and not playing cat and mouse with aggressive racers.
4. Run as fast as I can with good form.

So in reality, I am hoping for very good swim and run splits with an acceptable bike split averaging 20 mph. It should be a fun race, and I'm really looking forward to completing it. Be assured that a race report will come shortly after.

... Make Lemonade!

It's amazing how a little gesture can go a long way. This past weekend we hosted a lemonade stand as a fundraiser for Alex's Lemonade Foundation, as a way of supporting one of my Ironman charities, and as a way to celebrate my wife's birthday. First off, let me just say how lucky I am to be married to a woman who chooses to give of herself on "her day". She is wise beyond her years, as she has come to realize that there is no greater gift to give yourself than to give freely of yourself. This weekend was no exception.

Through the generosity of many anonymous and thirsty passers by, along with loved ones coming out for support and donating online, we were able to raise nearly $300. Not too shabby for a few hours work selling lemonade (I certainly couldn't have imagined making that kind of coin when I was a kid). Thank you to everyone who came out to support the cause and gave generously. With these donations we have made it almost halfway to our goal for this charity with a few months to go, and this has strengthened my spirit and commitment to the goals of all three charities.

It makes the training and the racing so much more enjoyable and fulfilling to know that at least a small amount of money is being donated to charity. The support of the people who read this blog and contribute to these fundraisers helps me to renew my commitment daily to work hard to achieve the goal of finishing an ironman. I would highly recommend to anyone who wants to live a fulfilling life to set an extreme and achievable goal for themselves and find a way to be in service while achieving that goal. The service will be the most fulfilling part of the journey.

See some of the pictures from the event below:

This was the setup for our lemonade stand; modest, yet effective, and the lemonade (prepared by my lovely wife) was delicious!

Zack & Sarah are natural salespeople (unlike their daddy). They were fearless (almost too much so) at approaching people and telling them about our cause. It makes me beam with pride to know that they are learning early how to give freely of their time.

Here, Sarah promotes the stand while a thirsty patron enjoys refreshment in the shade.

Thanks again to all those who came by to support the cause or donated online. If you couldn't make it, you can still donate to the fundraiser by clicking here.

When Life Gives you Lemons...

As important as it is to train and prepare for these races in this little adventure of mine, it is equally important, if not more so, to shed light on the charities for which I am racing. For each of these charities, I have a goal of raising $1,000 before race day (March 30, 2014), and I am committed to achieving that goal. It is my hope that those of you reading this will be touched in some way by one or more of these charities and donate to the fundraiser (all of them are open now).

In addition to actively promoting these fundraisers on this website (you can donate to these causes by clicking here and clicking on the charity you would like to donate to), my family and I have been thinking of ways to further promote the causes. Up until this point (within the last few months), we have had very, very few donations, which has led us to consider if we have gone about this the right way. Asking people to part with some of their hard earned money is by no means a talent of mine, even if it is for a good cause. I have never heard of anyone who has said they have regretted donating their money to those in need. Nor have I heard of anyone going bankrupt doing so. On the contrary, I have found that when I give freely of myself without expecting anything in return, that is when life is most fulfilling and joyous. And it is this joy that has led me to want to share this opportunity with all of you.

In an effort to expand our fundraising reach, my wife Marie came up with a great idea. This coming Sunday we are going old school. We are doing a good ol' fashioned Lemonade Stand to benefit Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, a charity which raises money for research and treatments of childhood cancer.

We will be on the corner of Camino La Pedriza and Calle Altea in San Clemente. If you would like to stop by and grab a glass of refreshment and inner peace, come on by! If you can't make it, please visit our donation page and make a donation. Every little bit counts, and it is most certainly a cause we can all get behind. It will be absolutely amazing if we can reach our goals before the race in March. Thank you all for your support!

Letting Go

In a recent article I wrote for MindBodyGreen.com, called "6 Signs You're Working Out Too Hard", I talk about the importance of taking rest from training when your body is telling you you're overtraining. Well, that is sound advice when it's presented to the anonymous masses, but what if it's me that's overtrained? Would I be just as willing to take that advice as I am to dish it out? In many respects it's easier said than done.

It gets back to issue of humility, acceptance, and patience - the three values I am attempting to employ strictly as I venture forth on this road to physical, mental, and spiritual fitness. Shelving these values in any aspect of my life puts me at risk of shelving them in other areas of my life as well. Allowing my ego to get in the way of better judgement gives the ego leverage over other areas of life. If I was to tell myself to push through my symptoms of overtraining, what's to stop me from trying to take control of everything else I have no power over? This is where two very powerful words come into play and are extremely useful as a mantra during meditation, prayer or deep breathing. "Let Go."

This seems very trite, but the words can be powerful in changing attitudes and perspective, whether you are letting go of your will to God, the universe, nature, or supernatural power. Letting go means to surrender (which implies humility, patience, and acceptance over the things we have no control over), not to give up (which means to quit).

An earlier version of myself had significant control issues. My insanity led me to believe that I had the power and authority to control people and situations, which of course led to anger, self pity, and depression when things didn't go my way or how I had planned. Learning to let go was a key ingredient to my inner peace.

Letting go is still a daily practice for me, for life situations big and small. I believe that, subconsciously, what prompted me to write the article above was that I was starting to feel some of the symptoms I listed, yet I wasn't taking the right steps to allow my body to recover. Instead I was continuing the intensity of the workouts, and growing more frustrated that my pace was slowing a bit, and was feeling tired and achy. I was practicing Adam's will, not God's.

If you step back and think of how we wish to control certain aspects of our lives, you can begin to see just how crazy it is to do that. Did I actually think that by ignoring the symptoms and powering through an obvious burnout that I would suddenly and magically start feeling better? That's crazy, but it's also a default for a lot of people. I've seen it often that people get burned out and then quit altogether. Instead of "surrendering" their will early on and practicing humility, patience, and acceptance, they "give up" when things don't go their way. This is certainly the insanity I used to live by. And I firmly believe that practicing these three principles can lead people to more joyous, healthful, and fulfilling lives.

Today I'm grateful that I am willing to surrender. I'm grateful that my mantra is "Let Go" because it hasn't failed me, whereas my attempts at control have failed me many times over. I have never been let down by practicing humility, patience, and acceptance.

Locally Grown

I thought it had been a while since I posted anything about our experience with the Tower Garden and our efforts to grow our own fruits and veggies, but then I realized I haven't posted anything about it at all. It seems to happen frequently with me that I intend so much to do something that eventually I assume it already happened. That excuse doesn't get me very far at work or with family. However, before I get into that I have a few brief updates and shameless self promotion to bore you with, so thanks in advance for bearing with me!

First and foremost, I am honored to have had an article posted by MindBodyGreen.com. If you haven't read it already, here is the link. I am truly grateful to have had my article published on a site ripe with talent and expertise. MBG is a great site because it reaches broadly across many aspects of health and wellness, and presents itself in a positive, uplifting, and inspirational fashion. With so much negativity on the internet, it is a welcome oasis, and it is my goal to exude the positive on this site as well. Thanks to all who have read the article and have found this site as a result. Welcome!

Second, I have made a lot of progress on my swimming as of late. Today I woke up at 4:30 am to do an iron distance (2.4 mile) swim. This is the longest distance I have ever swum, and psychologically one of the most significant milestones to surpass (one of the others was swimming in open water). When I first began seriously swimming (not just swimming to get back to my surfboard, or showing off in front of the kids), it was intimidating to think of swimming a few hundred yards, let alone over 4,000. I was frequently out of breath after a few laps. I could not even fathom (unintended pun win!) doing a non-stop 2.4 mile swim. But the power of persistence pays off, and I achieved that today. To get beyond our negative perceptions, and the "I can'ts" running through our heads, we need to break through a number of barriers, physical and mental. For me it was slowly increasing the yardage while swimming through the intimidation. Where once I was standing at the end of a pool intimidated by the idea of swimming 2,000 yards, I can now confidently do more than twice that, and 2,000 now appears easy. Our perception about certain challenges (in this case distance) begin to change as we break through barriers.

One additional note on the swimming. In the beginning I had resigned myself to the fact that I would likely not be able to swim any significant distance at a pace under 2 min/100 meters. After all, I am a "sinker" with a bad shoulder. However, today I completed my swim at an average pace of 1:45/100.

So now to switch gears completely and break all the rules taught to me by my writing teachers (well, I guess I've already done that many times over. Especially with my overuse of parentheses), I'm going to talk about something completely different. Home grown food.

With the idea in mind that we wanted to source our produce locally, we began getting a weekly delivery from a local organic farm (as described in "So THAT's a Parsnip... Do You Eat It?..."). That has been working well, since it is affordable and abundant, but there are some shortcomings. First, we get whatever is given to us. This is okay in theory, but it also turns into a lot of uneaten potatoes and ears of corn in our fridge. Also, sometimes the fruits or veggies go bad before we have a chance to eat them. Therefore, we came to the conclusion we should begin growing some of our own. Besides, you don't get more locally grown than in your own backyard!

The Tower Garden was our first purchase. Essentially, it is a hydroponic system that provides water and nutrients via a pumping system. We set it up and began growing veggies in early June. Here is what it looks like now.

What you can't see is the tower itself as it is covered by a tropical rainforest of monstrous vegetation. We had about a 80% success rate with the seedlings, and have thus far been able to harvest chard, kale, two kinds of lettuce, cucumber, squash, and zucchini. Still yet to bear fruit we have tomatoes, lima beans, brussels sprouts, and broccoli. The produce is delicious and fresh, as we cut it off right when we need it, and it has thus far been plentiful.

A few weeks ago, we increased our production capacity of veggies by building a raised garden bed. The dimensions are 4 ft by 8 ft, and the total cost to install was just around $250. The cost was definitely justifiable, but the undertaking was proven to be most adventurous. We needed a little more than a cubic yard of soil to fill the thing, which put us in a tricky situation. The local supplier of organic soil mixes would not deliver a quantity that small, so we had to pick it up.

There were a few things I underestimated when I thought of left to pick up a cubic yard of soil. First, it the company was located quite a ways up the Ortega Highway, probably about 45 minutes away from home. Second, I didn't realize how much a cubic yard of soil actually is. This was made abundantly clear when the bulldozer dropped the atomic load into the rented U-Haul truck. The F-150 quickly turned into a low rider, and I became terrified that I may become the not-so-proud owner of a broken down U-Haul. Fortunately, the Heavy-Duty did it's duty and made it home.

Finally, I underestimated the amount of time it would actually take unloading the material. It took me a solid two to three hours of digging and dragging to get all the material out of the truck and into the garden bed. Lesson learned, it's always best to outsource this work to the experts. I was grateful that I was able to clean the truck out completely and return it in one piece!

After a couple weeks, we have some growth in the garden bed with room to spare. We have pinto beans, beets, carrots, and kale. We haven't harvested it yet, but it's doing very well, and I'm fairly proud of the results.

While the initial costs of installing the Tower Garden and the garden bed was pretty steep, I believe that within a year, once we have a good rotation of veggies growing in both, we will break even and then begin saving money on produce. Additionally, our veggies will be fresher than anything we have ever purchased at a store, and we will have the satisfaction that we have benefited from our own hard work.

I don't want to sugar coat it, it's important to note that it is not easy to be self sufficient with regard to growing all our own food. On the contrary, it takes a lot of time, energy, and planning. It requires us to plan the seasons so we know what to grow when, it requires that we replace the water and nutrients in the Tower Garden multiple times per week, and that we keep those pesky varmints away. But like anything else, it's mostly a change in behavior.

It's all in the question of what's most important to you? With everything we choose to spend time on in our busy lives, what many of us choose to put at the back of the list is health. Many of us spend little or no time looking at where our food comes from, how it's prepared, or even how long it's been on the shelf (or how it's even able to stay on the shelf that long). When it comes to our health, nothing can be more important than what is going into (and thus what is affecting) our bodies. A little extra work can make a world of difference. Until next time, be in good health!