Picking Back Up

In the past, I've done some intensive blogging about a bunch of different things. Mostly as an outlet to get what was inside out. Lately, through the events that have caused a significant life change and re-focus on my personal and professional life, I've been compelled to pick it back up. Through the inspiration of some friends and co-workers (Daniel White), and with working more in the athletics and fitness side of my job, I'm thinking of jumping back in to the blogging foray. Mainly as a documentation to be able to refer back to when I'm helping other people with their training and/or nutrition.

Pretty soon, I'll be transitioning locations and ramping up my work with FH World Sports in working with athletes that compete in races for worthy causes. These are both pro athletes and regular weekend warriors that have a heart to help the poor and impoverished through raising funds for a multitude of different causes. This is some wonderful and tangibly rewarding work that I'm passionate about spreading to a wider audience.

If you're interested in tips for training, training programs, nutrition advice, competing in a race and raising money for a cause, advice on gear, etc., contact me here. I would love to help AND help people in need in other parts of the world at the same time. Let's make a small difference to make a big impact.

Working Out With Taylor

Today was enjoyable in that I was able to go on a nice easy run with my daughter Taylor. She's on the high school track team, so she's already familiar with running and is in pretty good running shape. We had a nice time running and talking together and best of all, I was more impressed with her running ability than previous. I new she was pretty good, but I didn't really know how good. Well, I can certainly tell that she genuinely loves running and the feeling it gives you.

We ran for about 40 minutes and later that afternoon she even went to her high school track practice and ran some more. After her practice, I picked her up and took her with me to the swim complex where I had tri swim practice. There, she decided to run some more! I was a bit taken aback to say the least. If she stays on a path like this, she'll be the world's most fit teenager! I've been proud of how she's taken to eating more healthy and trying to get in some daily exercise.

As for me, I went ahead and did the full swim practice with foot cramps and all! It's an area of frustration for me. I'm sure it has something to do with hydration or nutrition or something. Anyway, I press on.

Today I felt truly blessed to have gotten to spend some valuable time with my little girl and continue to teach her something that will stay with her for the rest of her life. Health is one of the true gifts that God bestows upon us to be good stewards of.

Good luck to all who are running in the Country Music Marathon this weekend. Hopefully, I'll be able to join you next year.

Tornado Run Day

Today was crazy! Last night at 4:00 am I woke up to some serious storms. In fact, I thought my front windows were going to break. From there, the weather didn't let up until about 3:00 in the afternoon. In the middle of all of that, were multiple tornado warnings, hail, and tons of wind and rain. That's not real conducive to running or riding outside which seemed to put a damper on my original plans. Therefore, I had to come up with different options. I ended up cleaning up the house, preparing me some meals for the days ahead and simultaneously watching the Masters and storm coverage. Exciting day for sure.

After the rains had subsided, I decided to go with my "plan B" - a nice easy run after yesterday's. I would've rather gotten in about a 45-50 mile ride but that obviously wasn't going to happen. So I journeyed out on an easy run. It ended up being a nice one with no cramping or serious soreness afterward. I guess this is telling me that my form is coming around nicely and I'm running more efficiently for longer distances. That encourages me.

I'm slowly learning a lot about myself, about my body, and about my life. Things I'd wished I had learned many years ago. It's quite humbling and thanks to the discipline of triathlon, I continue to be greatly humbled.

Swim Practice & A Busted Wheel!

Last night was my usual swim practice that, for this particular session, wasn't too hard for me. That's because Coach Ashley had all of us doing sprints and that's the particular area of swimming I seem to excel in. That's not much help when you're training for triathlons and supposedly doing long distance stuff. At any rate, I battled through some cramping in my feet and calves but managed to make it the whole practice without just dying as I normally do. I felt good. The practice consisted of:

20 Minute Warm Up
6 x 75- breathing pattern 3-5-7 by 25's 1:30
8 x 50--Slow/medium pace :50, 1:00,
8 x 50--Medium/fast :50, 1:00,
8 x 100--Freestyle (descend in sets of 2) 1:30, 1:45, 2:00,
8 x 100--75 build, rest 10 seconds, then 25 sprint 1:45, 2:00, 2:15,
8 x 50--25 medium, rest 10 seconds, 25 sprint (1:10 interval) 1:00, 1:10
Total Group 1- 3250 yards + Warm Up / Warm Down

Today after working on film and video stuff for the office, I decided to take a nice run in the great weather. I wanted to take advantage of it because, knowing my luck, it won't be very good tomorrow since we have the day off. Tomorrow would be a perfect day for training all day, but I believe we're expecting bad weather during the day. Go figure!

The run was nice and relaxing and I am starting to learn to keep it at a comfortable zone 2 pace. It's a slow learning process that I wish I could be faster at learning, but I'm getting there thanks to Triswami. And speaking of the "Coach," he's unfortunately suffering through a broken toe that he acquired during a training session (you can read about it here). I guess that means that I have some lag time to be able to catch up to his fitness and running level. I think I'm gonna go for it! :-)

Lastly, my devotion for today hit me pretty hard. It was, "Consider it not hard labor, but serve strangers and smile. Accommodate your neighbor, journey with him that extra mile."
Matthew 5:41

A Run With Kori

Today was a bit of a weird day. It started out as being slightly overcast and very windy. Then around noon, it cleared up substantially with not as much wind. It was then that I decided to fit in my Saturday run. As I was preparing to leave while stretching and such, Kori asked me if she could come with me as she rode her bike. Of course I said yes! So the two of us went out to the garage and got her all set up to roll out with me on her bike. Needless to say, it made for a much more interesting and fun run as we talked, laughed, I pushed her, etc. We were out for 45 minutes (until she had had enough for the day) and it proved to be the most meaningful and enjoyable run that I've had since this whole thing started. I always cherish the times that I can spend individually with my girls as I know they will become fewer over time.

After the run and doing some replenishing of fluids, I decided to get in an hour of cycling on the indoor trainer as I watched the NCAA tournament. It ended up being quite a nice little workout considering I couldn't ride outside due to scattered thunderstorms and high winds. The workout ended up being a constant spin in zone 2 during the actual game on tv and some intense zone 4 workout during the commercials. This was an idea given to me by my coach Triswami.

Once that was over, it was off to relax land for me. That's when the tornado storms moved in and dumped some serious rain and hail on Williamson County. The whole day's temperature was quite nice and in the mid 70's until the storms had moved through and brought back the cold weather. Man, when is Spring going to be fully here?

Today was a good day. Now off to church tomorrow with all my girls then swim practice. The Lord is good and merciful. . . thankfully.

Sunday's Swim and Run - Post #201!

This post marks the official passing of 200 posts! I can't believe that this is post number 201. I can distinctly remember beginning this thing back in May of last year. It's been quite a journey of ups and downs and, for me, it's quite interesting to go back and look at some of the progress that's been made and the hurdles that have been crossed. The documentation of this multi-faceted journey has been therapeutic for me in so many ways. I'm thankful that God has put this on my heart to do for myself and for my children down the road at such a pivotal time in our collective lives.

This morning started with all three of my girls and me going to church. I love it when I have the opportunity to take my little ladies with me to worship. It means so much to me. This morning the message was about Jacob and ultimately his name being changed to Israel. Initially, Jacob's life consisted of being selfish, deception, conniving, and everything else that was temporarily fulfilling. In fact, his name itself meant sup planter or to prey on others. In essence, he resisted God's hand for many years even though he was considered a chosen one. Ultimately he wrestled with God and lost (of course). But in this entanglement, he finally came to a loving conversion. It's a wonderful biblical story that truly spoke volumes to me personally. I've wrestled with God and "religion" for far too long and I want to be used fully by Him. I've been broken and I, like Jacob, want to be a blessed but broken man with a constant reminder of where I've been. I'm so thankful that the Lord uses misfits because, in that, I know He can use me!

Jacob sold out in order to receive a birthright what was not rightfully his. I, in turn, have sold out in the past for things done in all the wrong ways. God is turning those thing into glory for Him in ways that I can't describe. I can see it with my own two eyes and I know that He's got some amazing things in my future. For that, I'm grateful yet undeserving so I'm humbled. Thank you Lord.

For lack of making this post too long, I had a wonderful workout today that was much needed after the debacle of last week and the weather. The above video explains it all.

Thanks to all friends, family, and on-lookers who stop by occasionally to check out what's going on after 200 of these needless things. I appreciate the support and emails. Please keep them coming. Even after 200 posts, I still feel new at this. Any feedback is welcome. Any questions on training is also welcome. If I don't know the answer, I've got a great coach who undoubtedly does.

Compete Life - because life is competitive in different ways.

No Outside Workouts!

As you can see from the picture, the Nashville area is in the middle of bad weather for the 3rd straight day! It's hideous, and I'm completely sick of the winter, cold weather, and rain. I'm overly ready for spring and good training weather non-stop!

Today, the only thing that I really did and felt like doing was some indoor training that consisted of:

- 3 sets of 15 swiss ball push-ups with the Perfect Push-ups.
- 3 sets of 20. 10 lbs. dumbbell swiss ball crunches.
- 3 sets of 10 Turkish get-ups.
- 3 sets of 20 (w/10 lbs. curls) - Because I don't have heavier dumbbells.

My calf soreness has subsided from Tuesday after thinking that I may have slightly injured my Achilles or something to that effect. However, with the soreness now gone, I'm highly ready to be outside and doing my proper workouts on the road - be it running or cycling. The weather obviously has a whole other agenda, and it's quite discouraging.

At any rate, I'll be back at it soon and tomorrow is a tri swim team workout. It should be fun and tough at the same time.

Video soon to follow.

A Triswami Run Analysis

This morning I had to wake up at 6:00 am to meet with my triathlon coach Richard Baker at 7:00. His job is to make me better in the three disciplines and today was a run analysis. He was to take a look at my stride and running gait and make it more efficient and comfortable. Being from a quick twitch sports background, I figured that my long distance running form would be way out of whack. This was my thought due to the fact that when I run distance runs, I usually get some calf and Achilles soreness. I figured I was a mess. However, after doing some warming up and listening to the teaching of the Triswami guru himself, he told me that I had very good natural running form. Needless to say, I was a bit shocked, happy, and encouraged. During the workout session, he did however do some very minor tweaks to my arm placements and swing motion that ended up making quite a big difference over a long period. I could tell at the end of the workout after we had run hill repeats, run drills, tempo runs, etc. In all, we clocked in about 5 to 5.5 miles over the period of our workout and it didn't feel like we had done that much in that period of time. I was very pleasantly surprised because I was going into this coaching thing thinking that my run was by far the thing that needed the most work. That's still somewhat true. I just have to get in the miles now that I know the proper technique and form thanks to the Schwam!

Unfortunately, no video today because there's been no time. Between training, work, taxiing kids, and other things, I haven't been able to take the time to shoot some video. However, I'll get it in when I can and keep this updated as much as possible.

I'm having a great time training and learning a new competitive sport and I feel that I can be pretty good at this and accomplish my goals in the meantime. The Lord willing, we shall see.

Beatdown After 2 Workouts

Today was a though physical day, but rewarding nonetheless. I've gotta say, I'm tired but feeling good and optimistic. Tired mainly because, for the last 3 nights, I've had some trouble sleeping and I don't know why. Maybe it's stress. That's certainly the reason for my afternoon run and it was well worth the release. I felt better than I figured that I would since my coach (Triswami) kicked my butt this morning for our first official "evaluation" strength workout. I'll tell ya; he's certainly seriously knowledgeable and enormously fit. . . for any age. I'm excited about the sheer Hell that he's probably going to inflict. He's a beast.

During the run, I was feeling a bit energetic due to the music and due to feeling like I had some bounce in my legs. That was surprising to me considering the onslaught of pain I received this morning. I had a good alone time on the run to relieve some stress and just focus on my life situations both good and bad. I find a lot of solace and peace from the Lord out on these runs and bikes. I truly feel the Lord has my undivided attention and He speaks to me the most clearly.

My run was:
45 minutes with 6 - 30 second intervals at a 5k pace (which means, not an all out sprint but a pretty solid pace). The non-interval running sections were to be run in zone 2 which is a slow methodical comfortable pace. And so the journey continues.

The Presidental Address

Today was one of those days that wasn't exactly a good day and with no particular reason. It was just a day that loomed a bit darkly. As I sit here in my home, alone with my thoughts, I watch the Presidential address to congress on television and all I can think about is this: Whether you agree with our newly elected President or not, I find myself not really being concerned with the serious crisis that our country is in. I find that I have a certain peace about my personal situation. A peace that has been afforded me by my Lord and Savior. I feel that my God is bigger than any depression or national deficit. He's also personal enough to look out for my individual well-being and one that knows the future that He holds for me in His hands.

Yes, I've been through some major struggles and yes, I still have a way to go. However, I have hope. Hope in my future and hope for tomorrow. Have I suffered? YES! But God has allowed these trials to sharpen me and to make me a better man, father, and spiritual leader to my children. I've learned that every human will experience a certain amount of suffering in their lifetime, and I've certainly experienced my fair share to this point. For that, I'm thankful because this has obviously been in the Lord's plan for me and I accept that. I've realized that it's not IF suffering will happen, but how we navigate waters of suffering victoriously. It's inevitable.

God knows the greater outcome, which is why He allows the painful present.

What does all of this have to do with triathlon and training? Here's the bottom line for me. There's a certain connection between the physical suffering that goes along with training and the suffering that is inevitable that goes along with life. I've learned to embrace both and praise the Lord for it.

Now practically, this morning was a nice 4.5 mile run for about 38 minutes this morning before work in the cold weather. I'm truly ready for the chill in the air to be overtaken by the warmer spring weather. I'm ready to really push myself with my new coach to see how far I can take myself, better myself physically and mentally, and continue down the road to redemption.

Monday Morning Short Run

The video pretty much speaks for itself. Feeling good in getting my running legs somewhat back in order. Pressing on toward tomorrow.

Sunday Drama

Okay yes, this is a video-less post. Reason being is because I just haven't felt like filming anything today. You see, today started early by getting the twins from their mother's house and taking them to church to see their cousin Elizabeth (Mini) be baptized. This was quite a joyous occasion by every account. After church, I took the girls to a nice restaurant for a birthday lunch in which we had a lovely time talking, eating, and I gave them their birthday gift. We had a great time over lunch. Once lunch was over, we headed home to just spend some quality time together and watch a movie. That's when the drama started. Let's just say that fathering high school girls garners high school drama. We had a dramatic afternoon that pretty much derailed the nice afternoon that I had planned. However, I guess that goes with the territory of having teenagers. These events caused me to need to take a run, so I did! I ran a total of just under 25 minutes. I would've run longer but, quite honestly, it was extremely cold and a bit miserable outside but I was willing to endure the elements over the attitudes and heat that was going on inside. I felt much better afterward.

This run was also a first in running in a new pair of Lunaracer running flats. These sneakers are supposed to be the lightest running shoes ever made. I certainly believe it! They're amazingly light and extremely comfortable. However, the jury is still out on whether I like them better than the beloved Vomero 3's that I've been wearing for the past 2 years. I'll update on that after a few more intermediate and long runs. I'm hoping that they'll aid in my continued improvement on my gait. We'll see.

Run-Drill-Walk Day

It's been almost a full week since I've actually been able to get in some training. Due to the cold weather, my work schedule, and mostly my car being serviced, I haven't gotten in a run since Sunday of last week. Today, I ran for 55 minutes and at the end I could certainly tell that I've had a long lay off. However, it felt good to be out there and to have something to be working toward. That being me having a new coach! Thanks to my good childhood friend Karen Berry and her new found love for the sport of endurance athletics, she afforded me the opportunity to be able to work with my new certified triathlon coach - Triswami (check out his website).He's a wonderfully funny and knowledgeable man and coach in the three disciplines. I'm very much looking forward to learning, being pushed, and getting better at this new affinity. It should be good and very informative.

As for today's run, it wasn't my best by a long shot. Be that as it may, I did some beginning and ending drills that were given to me by my coach and some run/walking in between. All total, it amounted to right at 55 minutes and it felt good to get back out there after the layoff. Tomorrow is another day and weather permitting, I'll be out on the road again.

I needed this run to clear the stress-filled cobwebs out of my head. This weekend is my twins' 16th birthday and for me, it's been bitter sweet for many reasons. There's been much to think about, contemplate, pray about, and hope for. Happy sweet 16 Shelby and Taylor! You are the life blood that keeps me going and I can't express how much I dearly love you! May God continue to watch over you and keep you safe.

A Bit Too Cold

Since I'm currently "car-less," last night I decided to wake up and put on my running gear and get a run in before I watched and listened to the service via online. So, I woke up and donned the running gear and set out in the cold weather. It was tough to say the least but at least it was sunny and clear. I ended up running just short of 25 minutes but it was a relatively intense run. The first couple of miles were right around a 7:30 mile but substantially slowed due to some calf fatigue and some brisk walking mixed in. I guess I just wasn't "feeling it" today. At any rate, I was glad that I at least got out there and did it. I would've loved to have mixed in a bike ride additionally, but the cold was just too unbearable. Those days are right around the corner I'm sure.

During my run, I had a great alone time with my thoughts, with the Lord, and to just clear my head. These time are precious to me. Then after getting back from the run, I turned on my computer to tune into my church service in which our pastor Steve was speaking on the book of Job and the beauty in suffering. This message was geared directly at me! It was so convicting and encouraging at the same time. The main thing (for me) that I got out of it was; God loves me so much that He will allow me to suffer in some of my humanity in order to draw me closer to Him. There have been days where I've asked Him to turn His back on me and leave me alone, but God has been merciful and has seen my heart and through my suffering in this life has indeed continued to draw me closer to Him through allowing me to see just how gross I am in my humanity. The older I get, the more I want to be like Christ and leave a Godly legacy. Everything else will pass away and doesn't matter. Through my adversity and challenges in life, I want the Lord to use this to help others to draw people to Him. It's just that simple.

Thank you Lord for the blessing of suffering in You. Like Job, I know this is temporary and you are growing me to be closer to you for a greater purpose. Thank you for loving me that much. Thank you for my family and friends in which you speak to me through. I know you're real and I love you with my life. Thank you for drawing me closer to You. Amen.

A Windy Wednesday

When I say windy on a run today - I mean windy! It was crazy out there as I tried to quickly get in a run before the storms rolled in. The wind was so rough that a few times it was hitting me dead in the face and almost completely standing me up on the run. I had to forcably lean forward to keep my momentum going in the right direction. I don't ever remember running in wind this severe. It was a beast!

However, I had a wonderful one-on-one time with the Lord and my thoughts today on a run. He seemed to impress on my heart that no matter what I do in life, He is a gracious forgiving and merciful God. I feel that He has given me the strength to continue to make it through a dark period in my life and because of that, I feel He's given me a new lease on life. He spoke to me through a song this morning by an artist named Howard Hewitt. The name of the song is, "Say Amen" and the chorus says;

"I wanna thank you God for giving me one more chance, to raise my voice and to sing your praise. I'll sing it out loud. I'll sing it all day. This song is my prayer I give to only you. I know this can't compare to the gifts from you."

For some reason, that really spoke to me and impacted me in a major way. I think it was the Lord's way of speaking to me and saying, "I'm going to give you another chance. This time, use it to further MY kingdom rather than your own." And that's exactly what I intend to do.

As for my run - I went just below 25 minutes and was trying to beat the impending storms that are currently rolling in. I'm glad I made it and glad I got a run in for the day. . . even though it was short.

Training Coach

Finally, I was able to get in a solid long 5+ mile run and it felt good because the day was picture perfect! It's, by far, the nicest day of '09 and I ended up running in shorts and a light long sleeve due to it being in the mid to upper 60's. What a gorgeous day. Now if I could only get my bike cleaned up and tweaked out for spring I could get on it and start rolling! However, I'll settle for the long run with the nice weather any day.

I received a wonderful email today from a triathlon coach that I was referred to by Dan at Endurance Sports and Rec here in Franklin. The coach's name is Richard Baker, and judging by his email, he seems to be a wonderful and kind man. He graciously took my initial email and returned it back in far more detail than was necessary for a busy professional. I was humbled by that. In a nutshell, he said that he would love to sit down and meet with me face to face and see if there's any way that he can help me. At this moment, I can't afford a "for real" coach due to my circumstances and he totally understood that. He did however mention that it doesn't cost anything to sit down and discuss some things and even spark up a friendship. So that's exactly what I'm going to do. I'd love to be able to hire a coach to help me better my training and abilities, but for now, it may have to wait. Until then, I plan to get to know this nice guy and see where a training relationship and friendship may take us. I'm leaving this all in God's hands. . . which is where it belongs.

If you're interested in checking out the Triswami's blog, click here. He's very knowledgeable and just an all-around nice guy.

Easy Like Sunday

Today's weather was unbelievably great compared to recent days past! I went for a 40 minute easy run and today was the first day I've been able to actually wear shorts since I can't remember.

It's Super Bowl Sunday. A day for tons of eating (which Americans seemingly do so well on any occasion) and fellowship with friends and family. I, however, will be spending the day alone watching the game by myself and not over indulging in junk food. I don't say that for any sympathy but because I'm actually looking forward to it. It'll be quiet and I'll be able to concentrate on what's happening in the game. Should be fun and relaxing.

Today the girls and I slept in on Super Bowl Sunday because we all had a good time staying up last night and watching movies until wee hours of the morning. We woke up and I made sure that we all huddled around the computer and watched the service streamed live from Grace Chapel. Steve Berger's message was, once again, on point and convicting for me personally as he talked about pride before a fall and restoration in the love of Christ. I can certainly identify, and it was nice to be able to sit and watch the sermon with the girls as they soak it in and then we be able to discuss it. These are always times that I cherish and I love seeing how they take in what's being said. Discussions always prove to be interesting and insightful, and I'm always amazed at how smart they've become. I thank the Lord for them daily.

The thing that stuck out to me from this morning's sermon was the question:

"What have you done with the grace and blessings that God has given you? Are you humble? Have you glorified God or glorified self?"

In my constant effort to pray and expect God to do big things with me and through me, these are questions that I want to keep constantly in the forefront of my mind. I want to be a vessel for Christ and use my blessings and gifts for His kingdom and not myself. I've done too much of that already!

What big things are you believing and praying for?

Go Cardinals!

Track Saturday

I'm seriously getting the Spring Fever! Yesterday and today I really felt compelled to do some serious training for long periods but I'm truly trying to be attentive to what my body is telling me and to not take things too fast in order to prevent any injuries down the road.

Today was another track and interval running day in the cold weather. The saving grace was the fact that it was gorgeous outside. . . for a change. I'm really trying to work hard on my running which is the one thing that I hate out of the three disciplines and the one thing that I'm the least proficient at. Therefore, I feel I need to spend the most time working in that area. I REALLY miss the biking though. I'm so ready for the warm weather to roll back around so I can get back on and get going. I'm really longing to find a group of riders that can push me and I can learn from on a regular basis. Hopefully in the Spring, I can find some of those people.

Great day running today and being alone with my thoughts. I touched on some these musings in the video so I'll keep the written portion to a minimum.

Super Bowl Sunday tomorrow! It should be a national holiday!

Hope you enjoy the videos. I'm getting a crash course in Final Cut and loving it! I'm getting pretty good at this editing thing! Could be my new career - ya never know! :-)

The Centennial Park/Swim Meet Run

Today was a day spent all day in downtown Nashville. Shelby and Taylor had a regional high school swim meet, and I happily took them to the Sportsplex to watch them and spend the day there. Those types of meets and days are extremely long, arduous, and time consuming. However, I'd do it for the girls every day if I had to. After their teams warm-ups in the morning while waiting for the actual meet to start, I decided to walk across the street to do some running in the beautiful Centennial Park. The weather was in the low 30's which made for a very cold run but it was sunny and clear. I bundled up in my cold weather running gear and off I ran. It was a beautiful day and after the hour of running I felt pretty good considering I haven't run in almost a week. I must admit however, I'm a bit sore now after running 6 miles. It's a good sore though.

Not much "spiritual connection" today as I listened to a bunch of podcasts on my head phones. It was a nice diversion and escape.

Looking forward to doing some training this weekend if the weather permits. One can only hope!

A Sore Calf Running Day

Have had a bit of a frustrating day after my morning run. What has gone from, what I thought was a cramp, has morphed in to a minor injury or slight muscle pull. It's now extremely sore and instead of being able to run tomorrow, now I have to spin on the recumbent bike and I'm not too thrilled about that. I would've loved to have taken a long ride tomorrow but the weather is supposed to not get above 40 degrees. This weather is brutal and I'm ready to move to a tropical region where I belong!

Today's run was actually not that bad aside from the so-called cramp that I thought I had. I felt good otherwise and the injury or pull just shows me how much I still need to work on the running portion of my training.

Heard a great podcast from Everyman Endurance that talked about making it through adversity from the perspective of Todd Crandell. It was very inspiring in many ways and in fact somewhat spiritual. Check out the link. Very cool.