All these and a pass to the Ballard pool

Currently I look pretty silly, but I have to bite the bullet sometime. This is the beginning hopefully of my triathlon training. I will move to swimming three times per week, and running two or three times per week. After the winter I'll figure out the biking part of the whole deal, but I need to make sure I have the swimming down.

Register for Seattle Rock & Roll

My training has suffered through the winter. I feel it when it comes to my stress level and overall sense of personal health. Now the goal is set and the plan is in place to achieving it. Fourteen weeks until the race and I got out in the freezing $@% cold this morning. Additionally for this race I've begun tracking what I eat. I added a very cool widget to my iGoogle page that is a form where I type in what I eat during the meal. I then have to look up the estimate calorie count, but it automatically adds it to a Google Spreadsheet. Overall pretty cool. And just for the record today I did great, ha we'll see how long that lasts.

This will be my ninth marathon. This race for some reason has created a hump for me to get over, work, family, and winter have all been factors. But nothing replaces overall laziness. Discipline in my life is lacking, and that often make me feel out of control in other areas. Recently I have even had the thought that I'm getting a ulcer. Don't get me wrong, life is nuts right now and there are good reasons to be stressed, looking for a house, having a 17 month old, the economy, and a wild work travel schedule.

Discipline is not the overall answer, anyone who has an understanding of the gospel knows what I am talking about. Yet, God has given us disciplines and there is nothing wrong with setting a goal, making a plan, and trying to accomplishing something. This winter has pushed me hard and in many ways I caved. Sometimes God allows that in our life to make us realize how little we really can handle. After my eighth marathon I almost did a quick turn for my ninth. I was riding high it was my PR and I really thought I could at least match it quickly. Instead I fell off the wagon and haven't really wanted to get back on until now. It was humbling, and now I'd like to get back to some very simple basics. One foot in front the other, and start building up the miles.

Maslow's Inventory applied to Life

I just read on the Complete Running Network and analysis of motivation applied to running based on Maslow's Inventory. Interesting. I seem very needy.

Here are my results:

Maslow Inventory Results

Physiological Needs (27%) you appear to have everything you need to survive physically. Safety Needs (37%) you appear to have a very secure environment. Love Needs (44%) you appear to be semi-content with the quality of your social connections. Esteem Needs (74%) you appear to have a low level of skill competence. Self-Actualization (36%) you appear to have a low level of individual development.

Take Free Maslow Inventory Test
personality tests by similarminds.com

Running without Legs

I don't know how much you have read about this controversy in the world of competitive running, but the latest news brings a smile to my face.  No it is not about some other cheater getting busted on steroids.  it is about Oscar Pistorius getting a decision overturned to compete in Beijing.  This guy is incredible.  Yes I have some reservations about whether he is getting an unfair advantage, but look at what he has had to overcome, on top of everything this court case has severely interfered with is training.  Anyway I am glad to hear the right decision was made and look forward to hearing all the talk about fair and unfair on it.  Good decision!

Arizona Rocks especially while running

So last weekend my family and I spent it in Scottsdale, AZ! What an amazing place. The views were beautiful, my only other tripto AZ was the Grand Canyon, and this was up there in overall beauty.

On Saturday Karin, Jon (my bro-in-law) and I went for a run which ended up being about seven mile and included a 400 ft. Hill. The above picture is part of the view from the top, amazing 360 degrees, breath taking beauty.

The part that made the run the most fun was how truly Arizona it was. First on the way down I slipped and caught myself without falling, the only problem was I kept myself running by grabbing a cactus. Needless to say there was lots of blood. The picture is great, looked much worse than it felt.

As we stopped to take a picture of my hand we looked at the sign and snapped a picture while Karin ran by. Beware of AFRICANIZED BEES JUST OFF PATH!!! Glad we avoided them.

The trail ended in someone's back yard. Instead of getting to know the neighbors we had to cut through uncut desert to get back to the road and eventually a trail. On our way there, I heard what sounded like a rattle. Thinking I was paranoid imagining things I went the opposite way to be safe. After getting on the road I asked if Jon or Karin had slipped while behind me, then Karn looked at me and said I heard it to...A RATTLE SNAKE. So no lie while running in Arizona we had close calls with a cactus, africanized bees, and a rattle snake! The wedding was great, but the run made the trip:)

A Lesson from Running

People put off doing things out of fear and being out of touch with reality. If you wait until the last minute and throw something together you have two options. First if it goes well and someone says, "That was great." You can think to yourself, "Imagine what a great job I would have done if I really committed to it." False sense of the reality becuase even if you spent more time it might have been the same or worse. The second is if it fails you think, "I could have done better if I would have committed to it." Also not true, you have no idea how you might have done. When you make a plan, set goals and commit to an idea or task especially one you are passionate about the stakes are much higher. You fail and it is crushing, years in the music industry and still not making it compared with getting rejected on American Idol. You succeed you realize how much hard work. Either way the outcome is real and does not leave you with any place for pretending. It is hard to do, and this morning I deeply understood why so many of us live without really committing to anything fully.

When you become a runner

Today I recognized a change in my life. I am scheduling oral surgery and the two things I am basing my timing on are my ski vacation and my next marathon. I have crossed the line in both those areas. Feels pretty good

Goal Accomplished!

Yesterday I ran my 5th marathon. This was an ambitious goal for me alone because of the birth of Taitum and then I was really sick this past week. Not only did I finish the marathon, but I set a new PR (Personal Record). Not only did I set a new PR, but it was at my goal! My goal was to finish sub-4-hours. I finished at 3:59:42. I had a whole 18 seconds to spare:) It was an amazing day, sunny and cool, as perfect as it gets in Seattle! I am of course grateful for my bro-in-law who ran with me and inspired me along the way, and then on friend from church who joined up for the last few miles and gave me an added boost of support. Not sure what is next but it feels really good to accomplish something, and I know the circumstances are rarely perfect so we are always doing it in adversity.