Living High in Boulder Colorado

Tucson Camp

2012-01-23T15:51:00.003-07:00

Wanted to gauge interest in hosting a second week of camps in Tucson March 11th thru 18th. I already have the first week set up for my athletes but wanted to open up the possibility of hosting a second camp for those not currently in my squad. Overt emphasis will be on riding and swimming but also with insight into how an athlete holds themselves in and out of training and clues to how the non-training insights might better one overall as an athlete. Location is on the east side of Tucson with easy out the door trail run access and right at the base of Mount Lemmon. Please email me and let me know if you have interest in such a camp.

Opportunity

2011-12-25T10:18:00.000-07:00

All i want for christmas....is another chance at racing.

Loud Minds

2011-12-19T17:49:00.002-07:00

In my last post I referred to seeking out and gaining knowledge from folks with loud minds who are otherwise quite quiet. Here's one of those loud minds. Many good bits to be found in his interview.

http://www.slowtwitch.com/Interview/A_Joel_Filliol_update_2496.html

Quiet

2011-10-30T16:33:00.004-06:00

Sitting on the sidelines these last two year's has provided me with some time to observe and reflect on the qualities of good coaches. For one, the very best coaches are not the ones you may know of. You never hear of them yet you do hear of their athletes' exploits. Rather they motor along doing their own thing with no need to trumpet their own horn. I find these types to be the ones that I, as both athlete and coach, wish to learn from. Very rarely do they write articles even less so do they frequent internet boards. The really good coaches aren't in the limelight. Now time to go find these loud minds and to learn from them.

Got Bowl?

2011-10-12T04:24:00.004-06:00

I've been thinking of writing some little stories about a few of the MVA Racing athletes that had the chance to race Kona this year but seeing this photo from Steve really jump started that process. After only a few months of working together I put it out there that I thought that he could get on the podium in Kona in 2012. Fast forward to the day after Coure d'Alene this year and I get an email: "How about a wooden bowl." Referring to the umeke bowls that are given out for those in the top 5 in their respective age groups at Kona. My response: all my chips are in. He put it out there, he busted his ass, he got after it. This photo just sums up so much of what I've seen him work towards. But it's not just this goal and the successful accomplishment of it that has me inspired but rather I've been inspired to be a better coach when any of my athletes attack a goal in a similar way to Steve's attack on Kona. To see them set goals, then get after them and in the end conquer it inspires me to be a better coach. It drives me to want more out of myself as an instructor and guide. To keep setting the bar higher and to keep getting after it.

Nice work amigo.

Off season? There is no off season.

2011-09-22T12:19:00.001-06:00

Only "out of competition season."

A repost here from fellow coach and friend Chris Hauth.

I apologize for the format...blogger is not playing nice today.

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Offseason for those looking to achieve big goals? How is it athletes think that taking months off or with less training, unstructured etc. is preparing them for a better result/performance in the next season? How long does it take YOU to return to YOUR ideal fitness? How does an athlete improve if they get back to ideal fitness weeks/months later? Here is the frustration/observation of a coach: if we constantly return to the ideal fitness (par) at the beginning of the season, 12-16, even 20 weeks prior to the key event(s), and THEN focus/work really hard towards the event..how can the athlete improve? If we are always repeating the same training cycle, not the same training...the same training cycle/rhythm..then how do we expect to make significant improvements upon the Elite of the sport (whether AG or Pro?)...Athletes prepping for the Olympics typically work 18 months straight into the event. Sure, 2-3 weeks lighter, or more structured rest, or even 5 days off is a different story than 6-8 weeks off or unstructured. I know this sounds like a promo for coaching, but I am also the racer, athlete...and I know that my competitors are not getting slower...I know that to reach NEW plateaus of fitness and improvement, I can't stop training and making myself better.
What goals do YOU have for 2012? Do you think that re-engaging with them in January is going to make you that much better? Or do you want to start your 'in season' with a fitness level that helps you reach NEW levels, new results, new goals and faster times? Do you want to be the one that is treading water in one place or move up on the field while THEY are taking time off? Do you want to leapfrog your competition and reach your goals, or do you want to stay where you are with the same approach and structure as before? You can only move forward, progress, improve, get faster by.....moving forward - staying sharp, focused and executing your plan.

2012 Coaching. The New Year starts now.

2011-09-15T13:46:00.002-06:00

Seeing as the inquiries are starting to stream in I figured I'd better get this out. Above all else that I seek in an athlete is one that I will get along with well and be able to communicate with easily and on multiple levels and one that can talk to me about everything. As a coach I work better having walked a mile in your shoes and seen the world from your point of view.

I work exclusively in a one-on-one arrangement. I have only one rate and dont have any levels of coaching. Communication, being the most important thing for our success, does not come attached to various tiers. I need it to be open and unencumbered.

The door is open on this. I know that many of you do not turn your thoughts to the new season till after the new year but if sustainable improvement, addressing weaknesses and the accomplishment of tall goals are on your agenda it's better to get in touch with your future coach sooner so that you can start moving in the right direction now.

To get rolling: Just send me a note and we'll get the conversation started. I'm not into formal applications and the like but much prefer an organic discussion. I do like it if you could give me a good background on all things you and particularly your ambitions in sport. We'll see how things roll from there. Chat soon!

Thanks very much and I look forward to working toward a great 2012 season with you.

Per month: 295

Extra:

Also included are discounts on an upcoming camp in Spring of 2012.

Powermeter and a pace watch are required.

As a primer for all athletes it is strongly recommended that you read Doctor Skiba's booksScientific Training for Triathletes and The Triathletes Guide to Training with Power.

Found this tidbit in the archives of the blog that makes for quite a good read.

Cheers!

MVA

MVA Racing: Onward to Kona and Vegas

2011-09-08T18:34:00.005-06:00

I've been fortunate enough to work with a really great group of athletes this year. This weekend, and again in ~4 weeks time, we'll have a good crew taking on the respective world championship races. Two athletes in Vegas and nine in Kona (7 first timers). After some great "coaching" experiences making differences at races in Coure d'Alene, Boulder and Penticton I'll be attending Kona and cruising around on the run course taking stock of my peeps.

See you on the B.I.

Aloha

Growing Professionalism in Long Course Triathlon

2011-09-07T21:29:00.002-06:00

To play on Mr. Clinton's quote.... "It's the media stupid."

Non endemic interest in any event can loosely be attributed to the purse that is available. When the winning total for an event is less than what the amateurs in the event make in a month then outside attention is lagely going to be absent, but when that total ends up meaning something to the outside observer then they start paying attention to what is going on as do those that want the buying power of they.... the non endemic marketers and companies. It is rather a lame outlook if your only growth opportunities on the horizon are limited to the equipment needed to participate. I mean really, how many pairs of googles do you really need (I need around 20, not kidding).

"The recent 5150 Championship race in Hy Vee is a superb example of how a high prize purse attracts a high class field, and media/sponsor interest.". -Ms. C. Wellington

Read more here

Ironman Canada Bike Course "Secrets"

2011-08-23T05:54:00.001-06:00

A repost from last year. Lots of folks really enjoyed it so thought i'd put it back up to the top!

A friend asked me to send him a write up of my thoughts on the IMC bike course and as i was going about it I really started to get into it. Here's my $.02 on my favorite full course i've yet to do.

Also a reminder to come by Bike Barn and join us for the sherpa/taper rides. Leaving the shop at 8:30 every morning to give people time to swim before hand.

50% of the time there will be a north wind and 50% of the time you’ll get a south wind (HUGE valley walls to E and W so rarely can blow from those directions). When it’s the former (2009) just CTFO. No reason to push at all going south. When it’s the latter (2008....not really for me but for the AGrs it was) there may be a little something to be gained by staying steady on the gas as you head down to osoyoos knowing that you’ll get a nice tail kicker once you are over in the Similkameen Valley (after richter). Likewise the headwind you’ll get once over there in a north wind situation can be a bitch and you’ll bury your head trying to grind through it. Note the wind early on and make the decision on that. Richter can be a bit tougher with a north wind as it is exposed in that direction and you get a bit of a helper going up if it’s a south wind. Yellow lake can be tricky with a south wind and a deep dish front (808 in ‘08 for me) but you can REALLY carry your speed and haul ass you just gots to have your handling skillz about you. With a north wind you’ll be pedaling down the whole thing (‘09)...and with the absence of the high speeds skills aren’t as necessary. (I was white knuckling it in ‘08 but for some reason I guess I’m a good descender....put time on everyone in that section....i do take a lot of risks and was by myself so had the liberty to do so).

Leaving town it’s chill, don’t get caught up in whatever mess is going on about you and stick to your SRM. You go along the lake and then about 15-20min in or so you climb up mac clean creek road. It’s a bitch of a little tick up and I’ve stayed seated on the lower part of it and then do a VERY relaxed standing climb towards the top. I believe I’ve gone with 11-27 or 11-25 both years. The extra is always nice for spin-spin-spinning. Absolutely LIMIT! your time above FTP to as minimum as possible. You are now on top of the east “bench” and will cruise along up here for a little bit (flatish to slightly downhill) then a curvy descent down into OK Falls. Watch your speed on some of the turns but you should be able to carry it. Back down in the valley it’s largely flat as you pass vaseux lake and then into olive. You start to come out of the base of the valley here and start to meander on the side so it gets very low rolling here. Still can carry a lot of speed and again, CHILL OUT! As you approach Osoyoos there is a long false flat building in to the base of Richter. Then you’ll make a hard right turn off of 97 and onto hwy 3 and begin the richter climb. About 20-25min long (not including the false flat approach) stay upright and spin spin spin. There’s one or two false summits that might trick you into thinking “all done!” but keep patient and keep on pressing. The pass is very evident. You plummet off the back side of it and roll high speed down into the similkameen. The cathedrals will be on the opposite side of the valley as the road hugs the wall, makes for a pretty descent.

Once down you then have the 7 bitches. PUNCHY little hills. Spin up, stand-power over, coast down. That’s been my mantra for them.

Back into the flat of the valley it can be a long grind to Keremeos if north wind or smooth sailing with a south. Then....the out and back. This is where you if you are missing cals or focus it will bit you in the ass. It’s some short but steepish rollers on this section. At the apex of the turn around is special needs. Seriously, if you start to lag here, get some caffeine and cals in and snap yourself back together. It can cost you out here. In and out then back to Keremeos. STAY FOCUSED!

The climb to Yellow Lake starts out very unassumingly. Very false flatish and ever so gently increases it’s grade. There’s going to be a HUGE crowd where Green Mountain Road intersects and this will give the impression that either there is an aid station or you are close to the summit. Ignore it, neither is true. It gets pretty quiet after this section and the road continues to pitch up but never gets all that steep. You’ll want to spin out sitting up though. Finally you’ll hear the aid station and summit crowd before you get to the big right hand turn. The summit is pretty flat so after you pass the crowd you’ll be rolling along the lake before getting to the other side of the pass and then starting the drop down. See comments on descent in the wind section up top. The descent eventually flattens out and again will depend on the wind direction as to how you roll the last miles into town. If it’s a south wind the bike course is essentially 100 miles, if a north wind, you’re in for 112. With the north wind you’ll have to pedal a good bit on yellow lake and really have to push the last section on 97 and all the way back thru town. If a south wind you can really cruise on the 97 section and in town and shake the legs out for T2.

Okay, hope that’s helpful!

Testimonials

2011-08-22T17:39:00.003-06:00

Seeing as I'm still working on getting the new website up and running I figured I'd get some testimonials from the spring posted here.

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Mark knew when to push me, when to back things off and approached the whole process with an infinitely positive attitude. While I might have been able to do my first ironman without his coaching, I would not have done it as well and I certainly wouldn't have felt as confident at the starting line nor as good at the finish line. Mark managed my training schedule around the rigors of graduate school while I was 1200 miles away in Cincinnati just as effectively as when I was 12 blocks away in Boulder. More important than telling me what workouts to do, he taught me how to train and how to think about my training.

-Brendan Dillon

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Mark Van Akkeren is an awesome coach! I am very pleased with my results and the way Mark communicates with me frequently to tailor my schedule to fit my busy life. After a 15 year layoff from consistent training, in only a few short months Mark helped me earn some podium finishes and guided me to an age group win in my first long course race. In 2010, Mark coached me to several other age group wins and podium finishes including the 2010 Boulder 70.3, where I took nearly 14 minutes off my previous year’s time. Let’s just say I had several MAJOR life stressors and limited training time during the past two seasons, and Mark worked with me to create training schedules that would not overburden me during the stressful times while maximizing my fitness with the perfect balance of high-intensity workouts, endurance workouts, and recovery. Like most age group athletes, I have limited training time, but I also have complete confidence that every workout Mark prescribes will put me one step closer to achieving my lofty triathlon goals. Thanks Coach! You ROCK!

Gail Matherly

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When I first approached Mark about a training plan, I had already built up a somewhat impressive resume as an age group triathlete: several ITU Age Group World Championship top 10 finishes, two Ironman World Championship appearances and a couple of overall and age group wins at 70.3 events.

He asked me what I wanted from him and I basically said that I thought I was under-performing at the IM distance. So the goal was to not only re-qualify for Kona, but to cross the finish line there light years ahead of my past performances.

Mark analyzed my past training plans, my strengths, my weakness and formulated a plan to help me achieve my short-term goals listed above as a part of a longer term blueprint for reaching the Kona podium within the next couple of years.

My training plan was very specific and to the point and if I ever had any questions about the execution of a workout or a race, Mark was quick to provide an excellent response. In addition to this, Mark was also keeping tabs on how I was feeling throughout the season...feeling stong? Full steam ahead. Feeling a little tired and sluggish? Let's back off the volume and intensity for a few days. Traveling? The schedule was modified for the week depending on where I was headed and what equipment I would have at my disposal.

It was this responsiveness to me as an athlete and as a person with real-life responsibilities and commitments that made the training plan easy to execute.

Not only did I qualify for Kona, but I set personal best times all year long including a breakthrough at Kona: I negative split both the bike and the run, finished in the top 15 in my age group, top 100 overall and 36 minutes faster than my last performance on the Big Island. Thanks Coach!

Steve Johnson

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I benefited from two years of Mark Van Akkeren's coaching. Before going to Mark I spent a great deal of time, money, and energy coaching myself with moderate results to show for it. I was skeptical towards the idea of having someone else tell me how to train my body, but Mark is a great listener and allows for athlete input on a weekly, even daily basis. It was only after working with Mark that I began to see consistent improvement and major gains in my training and racing.

Dan McIntosh

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I started working with Mark in 2009 and I have not looked back since. The 2010 tri season was my most successful to date. I am a better athlete now than I have ever been. I really like the emphasis on sufficient recovery and quality over quantity. On average I now spend fewer hours per week training than what I did in the past. That said, what I appreciate the most is the sense of partnership. I feel that Mark is genuinely interested in me reaching my goals. Mark is just not writing my schedule but I also receive actual coaching. He monitors my progress and makes adjustments to the schedule as necessary. The coaching part might seem like a silly comment but I know athletes that receive semi-canned schedules and very little feedback. That is not what I receive from Mark.

Jon Moen

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During my first full season competing in triathlons I decided that working with a coach would be a great way for me to optimize my training time and I wanted to be a competitive half-iron distance triathlete. Throughout the spring and summer I worked an internship, took summer school classes and trained for triathlon. Needless to say, I thought Mark’s task was nothing short of impossible. Mark was able to develop a plan that integrated quality workouts that were doable with my hectic schedule. In addition, Mark was ALWAYS available and quick to respond when I had a conflict or was feeling tired/ run down during workouts. I cannot describe how valuable and helpful it was to have a coach who was responsive, attentive and truly invested in me as a person, not just a swim/bike/run machine. There are very few coaches that are as devoted to their athlete’s as Mark. I consider myself incredibly fortunate to have had such a leg-up on my triathlon career during my first season with Mark.

Leanne Miller

Sir George Mallory

2011-07-13T16:51:00.003-06:00

“The first question which you will ask and which I must try to answer is this, ‘What is the use of climbing Mount Everest?’ and my answer must at once be, ‘It is no use.’ There is not the slightest prospect of any gain whatsoever. Oh, we may learn a little about the behavior of the human body at high altitudes, and possibly medical men may turn our observation to some account for the purposes of aviation. But otherwise nothing will come of it. We shall not bring back a single bit of gold or silver, not a gem, nor any coal or iron. We shall not find a single foot of earth that can be planted with crops to raise food. It’s no use. So, if you cannot understand that there is something in man which responds to the challenge of this mountain and goes out to meet it, that the struggle is the struggle of life itself upward and forever upward, then you won’t see why we go. What we get from this adventure is just sheer joy. And joy is, after all, the end of life. We do not live to eat and make money. We eat and make money to be able to enjoy life. That is what life means and what life is for.”

Advice: patience

2011-06-27T17:47:00.003-06:00

Simply putting this here because it requires more than 140 characters :)

Our society has gotten used to the idea of "having it now" with most things in life. Much of the wants and desires of folks are easily acquirable items. Usually tangibles that can be picked up off a shelf or ordered over the 'net. As I was spectating IM CDA yesterday I overheard many the conversation by friends/family members about how they had come here for a shot at kona, or how that was the goal this year or next. On occasion it was easily discernable that this was either the family member's first year racing and in one case, their first race ever. Guess what, you CANT have it now. While you can buy the fancy bike and the nice wheels and the great wetsuit your hard earned buying power cannot buy you the fitness (well, sorta) that is required to get what you want now. It's paid for in sweat, tears, and most of all years. While desire and want are admirable traits, persistence and patience end up being far more fruitful in this endeavour.

When you seek out a coach do not think they will be able to aid you in a short time frame to get you what you want. Rather you need to view things in a very long mindset. It's hard for a coach to make a meaningful impact in a short time when big changes are what you want to happen. Commit to the relationship and to being open, and working with your advisor and making the communication very, very open. More than likely with a better perspective on your advancement you'll be more assured of your approach and the reality of your goals.....and that builds confidence.

White Man's Pemmican

2011-06-20T09:54:00.005-06:00

Easy to make and easy to carry energy bars.

3 cups oats

1-1.5 cups almond butter (or peanut butter)

2 cans sweetened condensed milk

2 lbs of a nut/chocolate trail mix assortment (i like almonds, walnuts, pecans, raisins and dark chocolate)

Optional extras: chia seeds, flattened dried banana, whey isolate (mix with a little water first so as not to clump), cinnamon and/or other spices, coconut and whatever else suits your fancy!

Bake at 350 till done (nice browning starts to form on the surface). Time depends a lot on size of pan and liquid.

Let it cool overnight and cut into neat little bars and take on rides, hikes or epic long car drives with you!

Mom!

2011-05-10T09:08:00.005-06:00

Okay, I know, it's a couple days late, but it's still worth posting!

My Mom (and Dad) are AWESOME, as I alluded to here. But I figured I'd post some pics from Mom and Mark's crazy adventures :)

WOW! Hello snowpack....and spring flooding

2011-04-28T09:47:00.001-06:00

FREE BIKES!

2011-04-14T14:36:00.007-06:00

Well, not what you may be thinking. It was recently announced (4/13) that Frontier Airlines (Colorado's HOME airline... and the talking tails :) would be offering bikes to be checked as a piece of luggage and would no longer be subjected to the oversize penalty. This is HUGE. In 2009 I flew 18 single legs with my bike. That year I was normally flying Southwest or Frontier (huge thanks to Matt) because of the $50 fee and also they flew to most all the destinations I was headed to (do NOT get me started on the fools that think 225 one way for a bike is normal). Enter the new Frontier announcement. Cyclists and triathletes and any bike case toting athlete now have a big friend in the skies (not that we didn't already love Jack, Larry and Griz). An additional bonus of sorts... at the economy level it is 20 for the first checked bag and more for the second but if you upgrade to Classic you'll get two free bags. And Classic usually is about $25 more per round trip!

Can't wait to race and travel again just so that when I go to the airport I can experience traveling with a bike without feeling like I'm being punished for being a cyclist or that I won't have to lie to them about "what's in the case"!

Read the Frontier release here.

Tri - Babe (maker of awesome hats) is back in business!

2011-04-05T04:57:00.002-06:00

Thanks Erica!

www.tribabe.com/

Theme of the hat....NEVER GIVE UP!

Comeback, Interrupted

2011-04-04T07:53:00.003-06:00

I hate speed bumps.

While I may have written hopefully in the past few entries, the reality is that those writings were more of my same global point of view, happy and thankful, rather than a realistic view of the acute task and challenge ahead. At the tail end of my training while in California, it became apparent that I needed to step back from the manner in which I was ramping up my training. My passion for getting back after it was blinding me to the reality of what my body could handle. I was falling back into the same old style of "just doing" and not thinking. For many people such advice is pertinent, for me, with my recent experiences as well as back ground as a swimmer (read: infinite ability to punish, abuse and inflict insane amounts of pain and stress upon one's self) this was/is NOT the track I should be taking.

The particular day in question had been a hard day of training but I was satisfied with the restraint I had shown and the efforts still given. That night I couldn't sleep, the next day my hair started falling out again and I couldn't perceive an appetite or when to eat to stay fueled up. Everything that I'd had in late 2009 and early 2010 was now back.

I'd asked others who had been down this road what a relapse feels like, and how they could tell. At the time I had the thought that being normal and being fried were very close to the same feeling. This likely was due to the fact that I had been living and training for years in a depressed adrenal state. Now it is even more apparent to me that 1) what the juxtaposition between tired and fresh is and 2) I'm still quite a ways away from getting there.

This was all confirmed when I returned to see my Doc earlier this week. I had already preemptively truncated my program down to one ride, one swim and 3-4 short runs a week. The visit was telling. Despite having taken the cortisol tests when I had felt like my days had run a course of "normal".....they were anything but normal. Slightly high in the morning and then very high throughout the day compared to the standard range. As my profile mirrored the average it was referred to as "adapted to stress". To put it another way, I'd grown accustomed to the high levels of cortisol and the overall stressed out state had become a "new normal". Sadly, given the sleep disruptions, etc, it's likely even higher and more askew now. I can only hope that at the end of this healing process that I'll be able to return to what I can only recall last feeling in 2007. Do hard work, get tired. Take a nap/eat food, get energized. The normal ebb and flow of how things should feel. At this point I crave that.

And so here I am again. One year removed from the crushing realization that I was not okay, and desperately needed to take a step back from that which I knew to be my daily routine. While I'm not nearly in the hell that I was in a year ago mentally nor physically I still very much need to take some time away from the training that is required of me to compete at the level that I wish to race at. I have ZERO intentions of ever toeing the start line till I am at a level that far exceeds that which I was at in 2009. Given how over trained I was at the time, as well as vast body of knowledge I've been acquiring, I have a very sound understanding of what I need to do to get myself there. My mind is still chomping at the bit to get after this. I need only the healthy body to allow me to accomplish my tasks.

Perseverance.

The medical synopsis

2011-03-22T09:39:00.001-06:00

Seeing as I never got around to that "4th post" about what was going on I figured I might as well do it now. And even now, 12 months later, I'm still in search of a few last answers.

I know that a number of readers have either experienced, are experiencing or are just curious about what's gone on in the last 2 years. In having gone through this, I now know what happens when an athlete that you might hear a little bit about suddently disappears. Well, at least where some of them might go. I've heard countless stories of athletes, both amateur and professional, that when things got tough, and they got slower that the only answer was harder, harder, harder....then you just never heard from them again. The reasons abound. Lost interest, burnt out. Just couldn't do it anymore. Wasn't having fun. Got slower. While they all sound different they are all identifying the same thing. Chronic/adrenal fatigue....or any number of health issues that are associated with or dervied from such a diagnosis. And, from what I've found, that's a very WESTERN diagnosis. i.e. ...they dont really know what's wrong with you and they really dont know how to fix you. As I've an insatiable desire to "know" I don't particularly like it when i run into road blocks, especially when it has to do with my health. Thus I am determined to find out.

I wrote out last April what I was going through and how I arrived at that position. You can see those here and here. I've spent much of the last year simply sitting on the couch or playing in the mountains. Allowing both body and mind to recover. The first thing I had performed was a series of blood panels. The specialist I was seeing was shocked at how out of place many of the metrics were. He suggested full rest and taking a host of supplements. Fearing there was something more going on I sought out a endocrinologist....only to have the doctor I visited suggest that I was imagining my condition (yeah, not kidding). Also suggesting that rest was the only cure. This was about the time that I started giving "conventional medicine/thinking" the bird. Granted this practice was mostly used to seeing diabetics, who had given themselves an insulin roller coaster a few too many times, but what upset me was the quick dismissal and reluctance to dig further. To want to know more. To work with me to solve the problem. I was disgusted with what I felt was a lazy doctor so quick to slot the patient into a hole.

I had also, since the spring, been chatting with Tyler Stewart. As I knew she had been through some ordeals as it pertained to her thyroid. After some back and forth emails and talking at Lake Stevens I signed up to visit her doc in San Francisco. While in time I've found that he's been unable to help he was excellent in working with me and also not taking the objective over the subjective. I came armed with research and we discussed and debated for 2hours at his office. Very engaging. He was my style....alwasy wanting to know why and how. Digging until he knew more.

Fast forward to January and February. While I had been given the okay to proceed with training (really nothing more than, "you're mentally okay, physically alright (not great) so give it a whirl and see what happens") I still had doubts about everything as I started into my training. Something STILL wasn't right. At the quiet persistence of my better half (thank you!!!) I signed up for a visit with one helluvan outta-the-box thinker. An Aryuvedic practice run by an MD endocrinologist from Harvard med.

Okay... I'm listening.

Our initial visit proved quite fruitful and I'm following through on many of her suggestions and recommendations. There's no way I can convey what she said to me Aryuvedically :) ....however her western diagnosis was a disrupted HPA-Axis (hypothalamus, pituitary, adrenal). Basically the feedback loop that exists between these glands that have them working in concert and instructing the body what to do. The H and P for all intents and purposes run the show known as "normal bodily function" (with the thyroid then acting as the accelerator). While we are awaiting the results of some tests and I'll be back at her office in two weeks time for more discussions, she had some hesitations as to whether I was ready for the heavy training again. This reaction has given me pause and seeded some serious doubt and fear. Why do I still feel not quite right, the sleep isn't perfect, the hair re-growth has ceased and the weight isn't exactly flying off. Why why why!?!!! Am I coming back too soon? Need I take more time. I really do not want to play this game again. To lose another season. But if I have to.... I will. In the long run it's what is necessary.

Aside from that (and I admit that'd be a BIG "aside") the training has been going okay. Things are progressing back to where they were in the spring of 2009, but it is infinitely easier to attain what you once had then to power into new territory...and new territory is what I am after. The bike is coming along and the swim as well but the run is just a REAL struggle right now. The extra kilos DO NOT help.

And while much of what has been discussed here are physical ailments they so quickly migrate to becoming mental ailments. Doubts, fears, questions. I do not want to become one of those athletes that you never hear of again. And I think that's where I distance myself. Throughout this entire ordeal the feeling/notion/belief that has stayed so resolute with me has been my relentless perseverance.

There has never been a doubt that I _will_ be back.

Identity Lost. Identity......

2011-03-18T16:03:00.001-06:00

The long journey back begins slowly....

This journal has gone silent for too long. I don't exactly know why i suddenly stopped writing. It really needn't take too much introspection though to find that, starting with the crash in Kona a little over a year ago, the rate of posting has fallen off dramatically. The funk that I slipped into over the winter last year is something I hope to never visit again. While I maintained my appreciation for life and love of the outdoors I lost all initiative and willingness to do anything. I lacked the spirit that I am so known for. An unending and bottomless desire and happiness for life.

I have written here about some of that which I found to be wrong and if you follow along on twitter (@markyv) you'll know that while this forum has remained nearly silent I have not. But I've been dwelling on this a bit more over the last couple of days. Why is it that I have avoided this medium? It offers a much more indepth and richer form of communication then pictures and a few 140 character thoughts. I don't believe to be stuck in that same mode that a year ago found me in. I do, in fact, enjoy writing. But I feel that I cannot produce an entry unless I have some passion behind it. In fact I can't do ANYTHING unless I have a passion behind it. Which brings me to my training....and, by extension, my identity. (and for what it is worth.... I'm committing to blog and make videos MUCH more often than the last 4 months)

Back in May, I had several conversations with Matt Dixon. The most key piece of advice that was passed along was to "lose your identity". "You cannot fully heal till you become someone else for awhile." For the first 6 weeks after realizing that I should not be training, this was quite impossible to wrap my head around. I had no idea what to do. So I lost myself....in mountains. Throughout the summer and autumn I did whatever I felt like, no agenda. However, when it came time to start training again I was confused, perplexed. That's when I realized that I had successfully lost my identity. Now how was I going to get it back?

As the new year rolled in I struggled to get going again. It really wasn't so much the physical (though the physical at times had me taking 2 hour naps after the easiest of 1 hour rides), but rather the mental. I was having to reprogram my thought approach to how my entire day/week transpired! Funny how what used to be status quo from week to week to week was now an immense obstacle. It was as if I'd never done this before. Very slowly though, I've been coming around. Getting back into the groove. Since January I've taken a two week camp to Tucson and just wrapped up a two week camp in Southern California. Going into the Tucson camp I can recall not wanting to go. I was scared. I didn't know how to train anymore, so what was the point. That camp served as a nice kick start reminder to "this is what I do". That said, I also fried myself in the process (NOT what i want to be doing given how i spent the last year) and paid the price my first week back in Colorado. This second camp in Redlands has taken my training enlightenment up another notch still. I did not fry myself, I was smart about running consistency and stayed within myself on the bike. I'm returning home ready to build on it and prepare for the next stage of training.

At this point I'm still "training to train", as any racing is still a long ways off, but while there remain some lingering doubts (and hope to have these quieted or answered within the next few weeks) I'm optimistic about the road ahead.

Identity.....found?

Becasue I couldn't leave FEB without a post :)

2011-02-28T19:26:00.000-07:00

Hermit or........

2011-01-30T23:52:00.000-07:00

Trying to figure out why this blog has gone so quiet as of late. It's not like i've been ignoring it. In fact i've got two dozen pieces drafted that need only some clean up prior to posting. Bummer! I'll get there. :) I need to finish what I start.

Hmmmm sounds kinda like my determination for getting back after it!

A quick update on further cookie research

2010-12-30T12:16:00.003-07:00

I've been able to make a few more batches of these and have been playing with the primary flour each time. I've used Pamela's Baking Mix, Bob's Red Mill GF Flour and King Arthur GF Flour. I've kept everything the same between all the batches save for the 3 cups of ______. Without a doubt the batches produced with Pamela's come out by far the best. The others are brittle and dry while the Pamela's ones are moist chewy and spongey. Great texture and pull apart like a wheat flour cookie (perhaps even a bit more gooey so *that's a good thing*). The only thing that I can surmise is that there is something about the sorghum flour that makes it this way. The other mixes are primarily bean or rice flours and dont have nearly the same moisture hold or integrated texture.

I will continue to experiment! ;-)

CJW's IM Florida Race Report

2010-12-22T07:59:00.001-07:00

In his own words.....

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In late 2005 I was interested in purchasing a power meter. After reviewing dozens of post on ST, I sent an email to MarkyV. We continued to chat after the purchase and he would provide me with thoughts on using the power meter correctly. As I began to progress in the HIM, he would review my training plans and adjust bike workouts. I had raced enough to have a good idea of what I needed to do to be successful at the HIM. I learned through trial and error mostly. MarkyV corrected my errors on the bike training and the effort culminated in a great race at Clearwater 2006.
I had competed in IMAZ 2005 and was ready for another IM. I would train my self. Injury & surgery in September kept me from IMFL 07. I trained for Gulf Coast in 08 and had a great race. IMFL here I come. Err, broken pelvis…..twice. Missed IMFL again. Didn’t sign up for 2009, but got injured anyway. Get the picture?
For 2010, things would be different. MarkyV and I started discussing things and I signed up to be one of his athletes. After a great year of training and a couple of excellent results, this is my RR.

2010 Ironman Florida Race Report

Swim – 1:02:42 (40th in AG)
Equipment – Xterra Vector Pro2 Full; TYR Socket Rocket 2.0 blue metallic

Swam early Friday morning in Xterra V 0.02 and notice strong right to left current. It was freezing standing on the beach. I wore socks to try and keep my feet a little warm. Special thanks to Boardwalk for running their sprinklers and ruining any potential of relief for the feet.Given that swimming is my weakest link, I wanted to have as clean a swim as I could and avoid the WWF match that usually is mass start swimming, so I, along with a friend, started well right of the buoy line. I figured I had made a good decision when I saw “the” Joe Bonness out on the edge with us. I’ve had my best triathlon swims, except for Clearwater, when I’ve avoided the melee. Cannon fired and we were off. Ran as far as I could, took a couple dives, and I was clear. Pushed for a couple 100 yards and settled in to a nice rhythm. I could see the pack about 20 or so yards to my left and angled toward the first turn buoy. The first turn buoy was my first point of combat/contact. The remainder of the first lap was good, except for two guys about half way in after the second turn buoy. I’ve seen drunks on a slick track hold a straighter line. The second loop had more contact, but it was much less contact than my 2005 IMAZ effort and much less than the Clearwater slugfest in 2006. I was under my swim projection by a couple minutes and very pleased with the swim.
T1 - Skipped the wetsuit strippers and ran for the transition. It was a nightmare. PACKED house. The volunteers were awesome.

Bike – 4:57:45 (19th in AG)

Equipment:
2010 Cannondale Slice (56), HED Aerobars, Quarq SRAM, Garmin Edge 500, Rudy Project Syton Open TT Helmet.
Nutrition:
1 Bottle of Cytomax/CarboPro and 1 bottle of Water. 3 PowerBars; 1 Vanilla PowerGel and 2 caffeinated PowerGels.
The bike was my biggest concern. I had not progressed through the year as I had thought I should. In early October my bike began to really come around. Given that I had been training in 90 to 105 temps on the bike, and it was going to be near 40 when I got on the bike, MarkyV and I decided to use 2 cages for fluid and 1 cage to hold my spare and PitStop. Smart move. I ordered a long sleeve jersey and had it overnighted for the race. Wore the long sleeve on top of my Craft jersey. Purchased running gloves at one of the outlaw expos, wore PI shoe covers and SmartWool socks. Not sure which was the smartest idea, but I’m leaning toward the borrowing of a friend’s ear/headband. I never got cold. Headwind with shade was a little cool, but otherwise I was perfect.
Had discussed my race plan with MarkyV and stuck to it. Joe Bonness passed me as we were approaching the right onto 79. Someone needs to tell him we were into a headwind or we need to question the laws of nature as they apply to Joe. I was passing a good number of stronger swimmers and was watching my watts closely. The plan was to ride the first 10 to 15 strong and then settle in. About 2 miles from Ebro the first peloton engulfed me. Probably 15 to 20. Nice time to eat half a PowerBar as the pack eased by. Got back into the aerobars after the R turn in Ebro and stayed 20 to 30 yards behind the pack. Marshal dinged one rider in the pack. About halfway to 77 the second pack came by and joined the first. Great time to eat the remainder of that PowerBar. By the time I got to 77, they were a half mile down the road. 77 and out 388 were as expected. Stopped at special needs 2 boxes to far, but the Awesome volunteer ran my bag down. Big Thanks! Switched out my 1st bottle of Cytomax Grape/CarboPro for a bottle of Tangy Orange/CarboPro. This bottle was not as strong as the first. I also took a flask of First Endurance PreRace mixed with Gatorade. After my snafu and stop, I was out to regain some ground.

I knew Hwy 20 back to Ebro was going to be into a headwind and had some early rollers. Any incline is not friendly. The plan, assuming all things had gone according to plan up to this point, was to up the watts and try to make a move. I looked at my watt avg after I turned on Hwy 20 going back to Ebro. This was the 25+ mile stretch into the wind. I was at 199 at that point and KNEW I could push the hills and headwind. I was in a loose group of about 6. Unbelievably, I gained ground on everyone going up the first roller. After I led the group up the next roller, I decided to up the watts and go (see excellent race plan strategy). For the next 22 or so miles, I was simply trying to catch the guy/Fpro in front of me.
Sidenote: One complete jacka$$ on a new P4 with wireless SRM, Zipps, etc, etc, did not appreciate my effort. As I pulled up next to him, he starts hammering. He slides up, while I was at 250, and then starts coming back to me. I start the pass again and pulled the same BS. Luckily a logging truck comes by and I get a free tow. It was like he was in reverse.

After that I thought I was all alone for 17 or so miles. Didn’t hear anyone or see shadows. Marshals would zip past. About 3 miles from Ebro, marshal comes by. Then there is a guy next to me. I had carried him for 17 miles. Never knew he was there. He was letting me know he got dinged sitting on my wheel. Coming out of Ebro we had a tailwind for the first time in a couple hours. I hit 30 and held it for several minutes. At this point I started sipping on the PreRace/Gatorade mix. Awful. Find something else to mix PreRace with. Almost undrinkable, but got what I wanted down. The turn onto Steelfield road for the out and back was terrible and really played with my confidence. Back into a headwind or cross wind. I began to wonder if my effort on Hwy 20 was too much. I saw the peloton about half way in, while they were cruising out, and knew I had made up some ground. I was ready to get off the bike. Remainder of bike was uneventful. Hit caffeinated gel about 5 miles out to prep for the run. Big thanks to Roger Hawkes at Higher Ground for the bike and bike fit. Awesome guy and I highly recommend.
I was very pleased with the effort and the result. Unfortunately I forgot to stop the Garmin or press lap, so I don’t know my numbers. I know I was better than I had anticipated by a couple minutes and I felt good.

T2 – Grabbed bag quickly, my volunteer was nothing short of fantastic. Enthusiastic, positive, put everything back in my bag. Thanks mate! I on the other hand was in a hurry. First, I learned I can’t urinate when it is that cold and I’m on a bike. Find me a porto-let. Second, I was anxious to see if my legs were ready. I changed one sock, but not the other. Sweeeet move.

Run – 3:10:08 (2nd in AG)
Equipment: Saucony Kinvara. Nutrition: PowerGel every 3 miles. Water every aid station. Start the Coke at mile 15.
Finally, my discipline. Our plan had been to run a 7:20, or slower, first mile and then settle in. MarkyV wanted 7:15. I wanted 7:10. I have a tendency to run a little fast the first couple of miles off the bike. Exit onto S. Thomas and all feels good. MarkyV had threatened me, spoke of untold horrors that may be inflicted and otherwise screamed at me to show some iota of restraint and not blow a great race plan and all the training. No problem. Ran past the family and hi-fived the kids. I was cruising along….6:28. I didn’t want to seem that stupid, so when I saw a friend on his MTB about 1.5 in I told him 6:40. I kept slowing down for 4 miles. All the way down to 6:45. By that point the damage was done and I had to go with whatever I had. My heart rate remained excellent despite my stupidity. Focused on one mile at a time. I had missed a gel at Clearwater and paid, so I was very focused on my nutrition. I had 3x3 flavors. The 40-44 AG winner passed me about mile 4. He was the only person to pass me on the run all day. I didn’t know what AG he was in because of the compression socks. Didn’t matter, he was getting after it. All was going good and I settled into my pace.
Hit the turn around and it was time to go to work. My training had focused on improving my swim and bike to put me into a position to use my run. The second half was where we would see if all the work paid off. MarkyV’s plan had accomplished exactly what we wanted. I was on the second loop, I felt good, I knew I was having a good day and I knew I was still running well. Time to go to work.
The problem was I didn’t know where I was in my AG. All I could do was catch the person in front of me and remain focused on my nutrition. The course was much more crowded. Last time by family and friends, except for the MTB friend who I saw every mile or 2 except for the park. Upped the pace back to the park. On the back side of St. Andrews, I knew I had a chance and I had 6.2 miles to achieve my goal. I stayed focused and ran strong. After mile 24 I started feeling the effort, but there were still people in front of me. I didn’t know what lap they were on and it didn’t matter. I was going to catch them. The last guy I remember passing in my AG was just before we turned onto Thomas Drive. Like a horse headed for the barn, I was all in. Regardless of whether I had earned a slot, I knew I had put everything I had into 2010 IMFL. The finish line was great and I saw my family in the stands as I approached. A friend, who did IMH in 2009, was volunteering and led me through the corral. Now the wait…. About an hour after I finished the results were updated. 2nd in AG. Hello Kona.
I can’t say enough positive things about MarkyV (unless you are in the 40-44 AG, because then he is a total tool that gets his triathlon plans from a mass production plant in China). I’ve witnessed MarkyV’s approach and philosophy change over the years. His plan was not cookie cutter. He forced me to think about things differently, to work with him to create my plan, and to trust him. When I questioned him because I didn’t understand the purpose of a workout or a week, he explained. When I complained that my bike wasn’t progressing, he gave me confidence that it would come. 2 weeks later, the improve arrived in a big way. When life got in the way, he altered the program, stayed positive and kept things on track. When I wanted to push, he taught me to Rest Hard! When I wanted to push higher volume, he told me to be patient. When the time came, he unleashed and got me ready for IMFL. MarkyV, YEEEEAAAHHH baby!

Repost: Giving Thanks: A reflection on my first year in Boulder

2010-12-14T23:41:00.006-07:00

I wrote this 3 years ago after my first full year in Boulder.....still holds true :)

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I am writing this from the bus on my way to DIA for the flight to Kona. As the bus was pulling out of Boulder and up the turnpike headed for the Denver area I sat glued to the window as I watched the Flatirons and the colors of fall beneath them slip by. Heading up Davidson Mesa I stole one last glance back at Boulder Valley, the Front Range foothills, the divide and the crystal blue sky framing it all. It got me to thinking how very lucky I am to live here.

I arrived in Boulder just over a year ago looking to start anew in a place known as Mecca to many the outdoor enthusiast. In that time there has not been one_ day_ where I have regretted my decision. Everyday brings with it a whole new experience and a chance to find and try something new. In a way the move has caused me to be true to myself. It has allowed to surface my true desires, goals and aspirations in life and has given me the courage to follow through with these impulses.

Read the rest, with pics, here: http://bit.ly/boulderreflections

Happy Farm

2010-12-10T14:54:00.003-07:00

File this under "had to share".

Stole this from Herbert's Marketing blog and figured it was pretty apt to the way I shop :)

http://bit.ly/happyanimalshappyfood

Enjoy!

The power of the mind

2010-12-08T10:39:00.001-07:00

I got to thinking this morning, as I am preparing to head out for my first road bike ride since April, about the power of "I can". I have spent the last seven months largely doing nothing. At least nothing athletic. Sure I've done some hiking and some mountain biking but not with any regularity that could be contrived as training. Despite having no fitness I dont even second guess going after a peak, or skinning up the side of a mountain, or going for a fun dirt bike ride. The only thing that stopped me from summiting Mt Baker and Mt Rainier this summer was lack of equipment for the task at hand. Not because I couldn't do it. I popped right up the side of those hills happy as a clam, never once giving thought to what I couldn't do.

Now we come to the return of training. It wasn't until today that I came to realize the juxtaposition in my thinking. When facing a mountain I don't give it a second thought about whether or not I'll be able to conquer it. But faced with the daunting prospect of my return to training I was not immediately filled with thoughts of victory but rather doubts of my ability and what I could do. Could I even complete Neva loop? Should I even try for Nelson loop? I'm probably going to bonk. As I've gotten back into riding a bike I've largely been hiding from this personal confrontation with myself by choosing to ride the CX bike on trails or the MTB up in the mountains. There I have no boundaries, no hesitations, no known limits of what I can do. But on the road I know at what rate the grass on the shoulder should be zipping by me at. I know how long it should take me to get from Broadway and 36 to Lefthand Canyon and because I know these things I fear seeing what today will bring. But! in finally coming to this point I've exposed my fear, a completely irrational one and, as simple as taking a different attitude towards this first pedal stroke back, I WILL be having a good ride today.

Funny how my approach to the training can be laced with doubts yet deep in my mind all along I have KNOWN and have ABSOLUTE CONFIDENCE in my return to racing and the way I'll be going about it.

For now.... I'm off to ride my bike.

Back in Business

2010-12-07T08:30:00.001-07:00

Just a heads up about some of the troubles I've been having with my computer (and eyes). Over the Thanksgiving holiday my hard drive crashed and then last week I had elective eye surgery (PRK) performed. The recovery from eye surgery has taken a bit longer than I had expected and I finally got around to installing the new hard drive today. I've lost a good bit of information and am doing my best to recover it (my last hard drive time machine image was from 2.5 weeks prior to the crash, alas, a lot of things happened in those two weeks). I will be working to recover as much as I can in the coming days and getting caught up on EVERYTHING.

Bulumu Granola

2010-11-22T07:33:00.002-07:00

While this post might differ greatly from those that I've been putting up of late (save the cookie recipe!) I thought it still would fit in quite well here.

My very good friends Jaz and Brandon have started Bulumu Granola. It stands for "buckle up, love you, miss you", a saying Jaz and her Mom would swap out when parting ways. Jaz and B have been going through many of the same things that I've been dealing with this season. In my spare time I've visited mountains and really honed my coaching skills, research and studies. With their down time they worked on perfecting their granola and the business structure behind it. Now it's launch time. Similar to my work with UCAN they are learning how to get into shops and who to be carried by. New things for both of us to learn and to share our experiences. They've got two flavors out and I just love the subtle vanilla undertones in the Red White and Blueberry granola.

Check them out! :)

Why Master Swimming isn't always the best training for a Triathlete (reprint)

2010-11-19T07:03:00.000-07:00

Wrote this article for several of the Competitor Group online sites a couple years ago. Just stumbled across it and figured it was a very worthwhile reprint. Enjoy!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

“Whoa!” You might be thinking. “Hang on a second. Where does one get off coming to that conclusion?” Having swum, and coached, in and out of masters groups I can say with certainty that in getting ready for your big event it’s best to do what you need to do.

Let’s first start with why masters swim workouts are good. There’s the group atmosphere, the social commitment of “having to be there”, the presence of a coach on deck who will be able to point out inaccuracies with your stroke, have all the workouts written for you and hopefully a highly motivating and positive enforcer for you. For the beginner triathlete/swimmer these are all huge positives, but let’s take this one step further.

In a typical masters group it’s possible that you might get any of the following: Too much drill work and not enough aerobic stress, too short of swim durations and too long of rest intervals, not to mention swimming IM sets! Think of it this way… when you first started running… did you go to the track for every workout? When you go for bike rides… do you stop every 3 minutes?

You are now into your 2nd, 3rd or more season of swimming and racing. You are not as concerned with your technique as you are with your fitness. Getting faster is your focus and a faster swim split your goal. You’ve spent the latter half of fall and all winter going to the pool 5 days a week with your masters swim squad. You’ve done the drills and you’ve done the hard sets. You’ve put in the work and you’re beginning to see the reward. But now spring is approaching and with it that first race of the season. Your swim squad presses on with more 50’s and 300’s but you begin to wonder about that 1900m half Ironman swim you have coming up. Here’s where getting out and swimming on your own trumps traditional masters swimming.

To become good at a anything, in this case swimming a 1900m open water swim very efficiently, it’s imperative that your training mimic the race or the endurance and intensities slightly above it. So around 2 months out from your event you begin following a race specific program. Rather than continue with the general, it’s time you got specific. Extend this thinking to the bike and run and you’ll do great!

Once a week you get in for a longer easy straight swim. Think of this like your long bike ride. Insert small spurts of steady efforts into the middle after you have warmed up but just keep swimming. If it’s warm enough you can make this an open water swim.

Also, once a week, insert a set that totals around 2000m in length using longer distances and shorter intervals. For example 4x500’s on :15-:20 rest. Your effort should be about tempo/L3. This would be the equivalent of your race pace tempo run.

If you are looking to get more swims in per week then head back to your masters group and swim a lane or two down. Use it as a recovery swim, for a little extra quickness, or to get more feedback on your evolving technique.

As the race season progresses continue to follow your race specific workouts. If there is a long time before your next “specific prep” phase go back to your speed work (e.g. 6-10x100’s on very limited rest), return to some more focused drill work or revisit the masters group and seek out that same boost that your focused winter work gave you.

Masters swimming can be a useful tool, but in the interest of preparing yourself specifically for the longer durations that you will face in triathlon racing it’s best to get outside the box and start doing specifically what you need to be doing.

Autumn

2010-11-17T07:06:00.002-07:00

Since moving to Colorado I have, for the first time, truly gotten to experience (and appreciate) four (and possibly five) distinct and incredible seasons. My favorite of these, if I did have to choose, would be Autumn. The crystal clear, dry air. The cool air in the mornings and lack of peak heat of the day. The brillant colors of the trees on the plains as well as the mountains. Getting our first dose of the color up high in the mountains early in September and having those last thru to early October. The Elk Mountains at this time of year are an incredible sight to behold. The aspen groves are expansive and when they turn to a brilliant electric yellow and one has the chance to view them in the fading light of the evening with a blue bird sky above, it is awe inspiring. To stand in the Slate River Valley in Crested Butte and look up at dry brown fields, yellow aspens, green spruce and firs, snow capped mountains and crystal clear blue skies. Once the colors have reached their peak in the mountains and begun to fade it's time for the multitude of trees in the cities on the plains to burst out. The maples, cottonwoods and ash. These start early in October and even now in the middle of November as I sit here composing this and looking out the window there still are trees full of crisp yellow leaves.

But it's not just the sights of autumn that have me so in love with this season. The dry air, the lack of smoking afternoon heat, the cooler mornings, no more afternoon thunderstorm threats. These all lead to perfect opportunities for great trail running, mountain climbing, track workouts, rides high into the foothills, tours of the local single track atop the fat tire. And always, always, with that glorious autumn sunshine beaming down upon you through deep blue skies.

But just as the daylight wanes, so do the colors and before too long autumn has turned to fall. The days are cold and the leaves gone, but the snow is not here just yet. And just when we are getting sick of the dreary landscape we again transition to yet another season, with white all about and in between the occasional storm the ever present blue sky and glorious sun above.

Oatmeal Pecan Walnut Chocolate Chip Gluten Free Cookies

2010-11-16T07:40:00.003-07:00

While the title is a mouthful, the cookies are a mouthful of AWESOMENESS. I'm constantly disappointed with the commercial gluten free cookies that are available (not that I eat a lot of them), as they tend to be dry, dense or both. These turned out really fantasically. Light fluffy, chewy, great texture and body. The oatmeal was a perfect addition to add umphf to the cookie and the peanut flour gives it hints of a peanut butter cookie. Of course, you can't go wrong with chocolate, pecans, walnuts and coconut. I'll be demoing this recipe with other flour mixes besides Pamela's but have really found that the sorghum base in that flour lends itself to a great chewy cookie (or any bake good for that matter).

Blend

1.5 cups packed brown sugar

3/4 cup butter softened

4 medium ripe bananas

2 eggs

Mix together the dry ingredients:

1.5 cups peanut flour

1.5 cups almond meal

3 cups pamela's baking mix

1.5 tsp baking soda

1T cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp salt

Add dry to wet and combine then add the following a bit at a time. Use a splash of almond milk should the mix be a tad dry.

1.5 c dark chocolate chips

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup coconut

3 cups oatmeal

(almond milk)

Scoop by heaping tablespoonfuls onto lightly greased cooking sheet with some good spacing.

Bake at 375 for 14 minutes.

ENJOY!!!

(As I made rather large cookies and baked at 5500 feet be mindful to watch them while cooking)

Tasting competition

2010-11-15T07:22:00.003-07:00

In writing this post I could not help but think about my friend Jaz and her adventures racing Brandon up 13th street here in Boulder back over the summer. They also happen to be ski buddies of mine and granola entrepreneurs. Oh, and Jaz is one helluva fast racer.

I was up at Breckenridge skiing on Friday, their opening day, and the snow, for this early in the season, was phenomenal. But the real powder stashes were to be found higher up. Away from where the lift lines carried your average snowboarder and skier. Those who live the motto "it's all about the down" do not venture up to these far regions, or, if they do, suffer horribly. Then there are those of us that have no problem suffering to earn our turns.

As I exited the back gate, I looked up to see a long line of skiers boot packing it toward the top of peak 8, and I couldn't help but feeling of wanting to run ALL of them down. My desire for competition unprovoked had reignited. The race was on.

As I pushed upward I was dropping people left and right. Despite having done nothing for 7 months, I was fired up and motivation and confidence were the only fuels I needed to drive this push. I was on the move. This was my race to win. Steady pacing, deftly making lane changes to keep from being slowed. And then, I saw him. A ski patroller. The type of guy you'd expect would be in shape and know how to move quickly about the mountain. I noticed that I was only barely gaining on him. Determined I started to push harder. If there was anyone on this hill that could keep pace with me it would be him. I started to close the gap and just as I came up behind him I slowed my pace and rested for a bit, waiting for a moment to gather my energy for a strong surge around him. Then I went for it, always being careful to monitor the breathing so it wouldn't sound like I was suffering. I came around him and he was going hard, breathing heavy. He simply applauded my effort with a "nice work dude". I kept pressing till I felt I was out of ear shot before letting my breathing become audible. I then found my place where I wanted to ski, pulled off the trail, clicked in, and schussed down thru the glade in powder up to my knees.

Ski season is on, but the competetive fire is back. Let the racing begin.

Art vs. Science

2010-11-02T09:51:00.007-06:00

The science of coaching is relatively easy to acquire and easy to prescribe. The art of coaching is understanding the personality behind the athlete and finding the best way for the science to fit and is infinitely more difficult to understand and work with.

Photo Credit

Accepting/Seeking New Athletes for 2011

2010-10-29T08:13:00.000-06:00

Just wanted to post a notice that I am very interested in discussing the 2011 season with new athletes. For the last year I've been too silent with this journal in this area.

My approach to coaching has changed quite a bit. With the time off I've spent my hours digging and pouring over studies and discussing and debating and learning from others. I've spent time studying the successes of other coaches and parsing from their teachings what I like best and altering it and applying it to my "cocktail". I have a very holistic approach. One that fully encompasses all elements of one's life. The new key question is not how much time can you train but rather how much recovery time do you have. Without the latter the former cannot happen. To fully realize the adaptations you gain from training you have to fully recover from the hard bouts you've been through. We all have an enormous capacity for work and stress but within that we seem to always take ourselves too far. A happy medium needs to be found.

I also feel that if you like long distances that it is imperative that you also race sprints, and get good at them. If you want to go long it's best that you be fast (relative term) because if you go long before you are fast what are you going long at.......... Proper and full development of an athlete involves training all of your systems at all times. But training hard also means resting hard. I've personally found that hard work is easy, recovering properly is hard.

Since beginning to employ these ideas I've been very happy with my current stock of athlete performances. While last year's life events compromised my ability to handle a larger stable, those that I had the chance to work with this year have all turned in great performances. I'm stoked to have two individuals competing this weekend in Kona and have had a whole host of personal bests and podium finishes throughout the season. Happy Coach :)

Please contact me if you'd like to discuss options for the new season. Now is the time to do it not March! :)

Thanks everyone!

An athlete's Kona Race Report and ensuing discussion

2010-10-20T19:15:00.003-06:00

Thought that I would post this here. I felt that the discussion and dialogue that ensued well outlined some of the things that I execute in my coaching. Follow the link HERE to read the post on the slowtwitch forum. Steve's website is http://tristevejohnson.blogspot.com/

NICE JOB STEVE!

Maroon Bells

2010-10-07T07:20:00.003-06:00

Mom's in town so we went up to explore the high countr

y and see what was left of the aspens. We drove up to Kenosha Pass only to be sorely disappointed as ALL the trees had lost their leaves. A coffee and ice cream stop in Fairplay (south park) had us sugared up for the drive over Weston Pass. A graded gravel road on the east side took us up high into the tundra before sending us down a (fun, for me) 4x4 road on the west side. The subie handled it like a champ! Down to Twin Lakes before popping up and over Independence pass. Spent the night in Aspen and had some rocky mountain trout for dinner. Very good.

Next morning we hoofed it up to the Maroon Bells. Easily the most photographed mountain in the state. The colors were a little past peak and it was cloudy but mother nature still put on a nice show. We then headed to south down to Mc Clure and then Kebler Passes. Both of which were ablaze with color! I thought of booking it right to Telluride from there but Mom suggested going into CB. Knowing me, given the chance to hit up CB, I will NOT pass it up! :) Stopped in for coffee and snacks at Camp4 and the natural grocer (I did contemplate a quadruple bypass from the conoco grill*yummy!* but decided to pass). We made a be line for the San Juans at that point so that we could time the evening shots right for perfect color. The forests did not disappoint and they were lit up by the setting sun. An exhausting day of leaf peeping with Mom was great and we topped it off with nachos and beers at the local brew pub and then took the gondola up the mountain and went out to check out the stars. Mom lives in Houston so anytime she gets a chance to take in the Milky Way she's alllll for it.

Final day in the mountains did not start out as we would have hoped. Our plans were to hike to the very top of the resort but we awoke to mist, fog and a light drizzle. While the high base clouds made for some great shots down at the base of the canyon our hopes for views on the climb were fading. However as we rode the gondola up the skies began to part and as we started the hike, on the aptly named See Forever Trail, we could see for miles in every direction (over 100 miles to the La Sals in Utah in fact!). Got to the top of the ski resort (just shy of 13,000) and had a very euro mtn lunch. Hard boiled egg, fruit, cheese and chocolate. :) The views of the terrain from the top were spectacular. The dramatic cliffs and huge elevation changes and massive amounts of above tree line hiking (or biking!) has me only wanting more (not to mention a week of hiking around Lauterbruen!). Mom had an awesome time and we'll hit up some more high country fun this next weekend.

As for now, my inbox has exploded and I need to get caught up. Not to mention lots of phone calls!!!

Enjoy the pics!!!

(click to view larger)

Weston Pass

Swimmers take your mark's.

A nice drive

McClure Pass

Neat shot of a rain shower over Ohio pass as shot from Gunnison Valley

Telluride Sunset

A little blurry but it really shows how the setting sun enhances the light on the leaves. An incredible time to view and shoot the leaves!

'nuff said

Wet Telluride morning

speechless

Lizard Head Peak, The Wilsons, El Diente

Box Canyon

Palmyra Peak (?)

Pika! Wish I could keep one for a pet! :)

A long way up and down. The last pitch was really steep!

End of the hike, back down the mountain.

Generation UCAN

2010-09-30T07:52:00.000-06:00

It was about a year ago that I first got to meet the folks from Generation UCAN while they were out here for a visit to Colorado. We had a great evening of conversation and for the past year I've really enjoyed working with them and contributing some input into the direction of the company. Well it appears we'll be working a bit more closely in the near future. :)

I will be reping for them here in Colorado as well as other locales where I have strong connections to retail locations. We'll firstly be working with triathlon, running, cycling and nordic shops and clubs before moving to work on relationships with team sport clubs and stores. A hall mark of the expansion is an endemic organic and community centered growth.

This is a product that has a rather science-y understanding that is needed to be conveyed to fully get across the superiority of the Super Starch as well as it's applicability to the athlete. To put it simply there is NO other carbohydrate on the sports nutrition market that can compare to this. Other products, including so called 'complex carb' products, raise both insulin and blood glucose levels when consumed (pre). This is due to the fact that the carbohydrate molecule in many of these products is so small (maltodextrin is 40 chains long), this can also lead to higher osmolality and greater GI distress, whereas the carb in super starch is upwards of 700,000 chains long. I have a number of my athletes using it and even if you want to stick with your ___________ product for "during" training it makes for an excellent "pre" drink given it's characteristics. Not to mention the recovery options make yummy "post" shakes. Mocha frappe anyone?

You can find out more about it by visiting their website or by contacting me. The consumer site is not quite up, but you can still put in web orders. Use my code for 10% off -- 'markyv'.

Give me a holler if you are interested in it or have questions about it. Or if you are a store proprietor who would be interested in learning more and how to best to convey that to customers. Really looking forward to this endeavour. The people there are fantastic folks and I'm very excited for this product to help me once I return to racing full time.

MVA

Twitching

2010-09-29T10:24:00.002-06:00

Twitching was what I did when I was following a path other than my own. It's the reaction I had when I went off and did things that were dictated to me by something other than my internal compass. While it took me a long time to come to the mind set that had the confidence to cast off the lines that tied me to a "normal" life I was always underneath the surface of that former life twitching. Deep down the "me" knew what it wanted. It was just time before it got to come out and live honestly. Say what you think, do what you want, LIVE a LIFE, not a death. The following repost (original: here) verbalizes many of the feelings that were going thru my mind and which I could not put sufficient words to my thoughts. While it's pretty blunt (I like!) it aptly describes the mindset I was in (and to a degree still am). The want to live true.

This line was probably the one that resonated the most

"When you live honestly, you can not separate your mind from your body, or your thoughts from your actions."

Live who you be. Be who you be. You don't need a facade or a public persona. What you think is who you are. Be truthful and honest. Be one.

I mention these things and this essay because of one of the classes I am currently in. A career development course. In the last 4 weeks we've delved into the psychological components of who we are. Why we do what we do. Many individuals in the class are looking for guidance. What to do next. I'm looking for insight into why I do what I do and to help with the plethora of options that sit before me. I've only been further emboldened in what I do. Maximize strengths. This has given me further resolve to stay the course and keep fighting for what I know I want to do. While I never got around to it (writing about 'outliers') this echos the hallmarks of success. While the hiccups have been many they only serve to strengthen my resolve and my determination. Perseverance.

As a kid I never wanted to be normal. I wanted to be extraordinary. Different then everyone else. Not in a "weird way" but primarily in an athletically and academically successful way. To do things that no one else could do. Somewhere along that path I mellowed a bit, perhaps from my swim burnout but this latest setback and pause has given me time to reflect and remember the original reasons I do sport, why I compete, why I want to win and why I want to succeed.

I approach life as a constant and evolving adventure and damn, if it's not one helluva ride. :)

What's your problem? I think I know. You see it in the mirror every morning: temptation and doubt hip to hip inside your head. You know it's not supposed to be like this. But you drank the Kool-Aid and dressed yourself up in someone else's life.

You're haunted because you remember having something more. With each drag of the razor you ask yourself why you piss your blood into another man's cup. Working at the job he offered, your future is between his thumb and forefinger. And the necessary accessories, the proclamations of success you thought gave you stability provide your boss security. Your debt encourages acquiescence, the heavy mortgage makes you polite.

Aren't you sick of being tempted by an alternative lifestyle, but bound by chains of your own choosing? Of the gnawing doubt that the college graduate, path of least resistance is the right way for you - for ever? Each weekend you prepare for the two weeks each summer when you wake up each day and really ride, or climb; the only imperative being to go to bed tired. When booming thermals shoot you full of juice and your Vario shrieks 7m/sec, you wonder if the lines will pop. The risk pares away life's trivia. Up there, sucking down the thin cumulus, the earth looks small, the boss even smaller, and you wish it could go on forever. But a wish is all it will ever be.

Because the ground is hard. Monday morning is harsh. You wear the hangover of your weekend rush under a strict and proper suit and tie. You listen to NPR because it's inoffensive, PFC: Politically Fucking Correct. Where's the counter-cultural righteousness that had you flirting with Bad Religion and the vintage Pistols tape over the weekend? On Monday you eat frozen food and live the homogenized city experience. But Sunday you thought about cutting your hair very short. You wanted a little more volume and wondered how out of place you looked in the Sub Pop Music Store. Flipping through the import section, you didn't recognize any of the bands. KMFDM? It stands for Kill Mother Fucking Depeche Mode. Didn't you know? How could you not?

Tuesday you look at the face in the mirror again. It stares back, accusing. How can you get by on that one weekly dose? How can you be satisfied by the artifice of these experiences? Why should your words mean anything? They aren't learned by heart and written in blood. If you cannot grasp the consciousness-altering experience that real mastery of these disciplines proposes, of what value is your participation? The truth is pointless when it is shallow. Do you have the courage to live with the integrity that stabs deep?

Use the mirror to cut to the heart of things and uncover your true self. Use the razor to cut away what you don't need. The life you want to live has no recipe. Following the recipe got you here in the first place:

Mix one high school diploma with an undergrad degree and a college sweetheart. With a whisk (or a whip) blend two cars, a poorly built house in a cul de sac, and fifty hours a week working for a board that doesn't give a shit about you. Reproduce once. Then again. Place all ingredients in a rut, or a grave. One is a bit longer than the other. Bake thoroughly until the resulting life is set. Rigid. With no way out. Serve and enjoy.

"You see your face reflected there in a sweating brow, you hate what you see, but what can be done when there's no way out, no way out?"
The Chameleons, "Intrigue in Tangiers"

But there is a way out. Live the lifestyle instead of paying lip service to the lifestyle. Live with commitment. With emotional content. Live whatever life you choose honestly. Give up this renaissance man, dilettante bullshit of doing a lot of different things (and none of them very well by real standards). Get to the guts of one thing; accept, without reservation or rationalization, the responsibility of making a choice. When you live honestly, you can not separate your mind from your body, or your thoughts from your actions.

"If you really want to hurt them and their children not yet born tell them the truth always".
Henry Rollins, from the book See a Grown Man Cry

Tell the truth. First, to yourself. Say it until it hurts. Learn the reality of your own selfishness. Quit living for other people at the expense of your own self, you're not really alive. You live in the land of denial - and they say the view is pretty a long as you remain asleep.

Well it's time to WAKE THE FUCK UP!

So do it. Wake up. When you drink the coffee tomorrow, take it black and notice it. Feel the caffeine surge through you. Don't take it for granted. Use it for something. Burn the Grisham books. Sell the bad CDs. Mariah Carey, Dave Mathews and N Sync aren't part of the soundtrack where you're going.

Cut your hair. Don't worry about the gray. If you're good at what you do, no one cares what you look like. Go to the weight room. Learn the difference between actually working out and what you've been doing. Live for the Iron and the fresh air. Punish your body to perfect your soul. Kick the habit of being nice to everyone you meet. Do they deserve it? Say "no" more often.

Quit posturing at the weekly parties. Your high pulse rate, your 5.12s and quick time on the Slickrock Trail don't mean shit to anybody else. These numbers are the measuring sticks of your own progress; show, don't tell. Don't react to the itch with a scratch. Instead, learn it. Honor the necessity of both the itch and the scratch. But a haircut and a new soundtrack do not a modern man make. As long as you have a safety net you act without commitment. You'll go back to your old habits once you meet a little resistance. You need the samurai's desperateness and his insanity.

Burn the bridge. Nuke the foundation. Back yourself up against a wall. Have an opinion one way or the other, get off the fence and rip it up. Cut yourself off so there is no going back. Once you're committed the truth will come out. You ask about security? What you need is uncertainty. What you need is confusion; something that forces you to reinvent yourself, a whip to drive you harder.

"I never try anything - I just do it. Want to try me?
White Zombie, "Thunder Kiss"

In Dune, Frank Herbert called it "the attitude of the knife," cut off what's incomplete and say "now it has finished, for it has ended there." So finish it, and walk away, forward. Only acts undertaken with commitment have meaning. Only your best effort matters. Life is a Meritocracy, with death as the auditor. Inconsistency, incompetence and lies are all cut short by that final word. Death will change you if you can't change yourself.

"If I can change one, then I can change two. If I can change two, then I can change four. If I can change four, then I can change eight. If I can change eight, then I can change."
One Minute Silence, "If I Can Change"

Ironman Canada Bike Course "Secrets"

2010-08-22T11:04:00.003-06:00

Mountain West Pics

2010-08-09T10:06:00.000-06:00

You can see a collection of this first week of mountain travel here.

I just GOTTA share...

2010-08-08T18:31:00.005-06:00

My good friend Khai Lee has been riding across Canada for the last 7 weeks. Working his way east from Vancouver he wound his way through the Rockies and across the prairies. While at the outset of his journey he said that he wasn't accustomed to writing a blog and was unsure of how well he'd upkeep it he's done a fantastic job chronicling his daily activities in intimate detail. Perhaps in even more detail is the culinary aspects of his cross country excursion (practically serving as a guide no less for a southern canadian foodie road trip!). Hell, if you're going to be burning (and consuming) that many calories, might as well make it taste good!

His stories are here: http://kractour.blogspot.com/

Khai, you are awesome, congratulations.

*The above screen shot is from the page for Khai's SPOT tracker that has been keeping us up to date on he whereabouts throughout his journey

Follow Up on the two mile high sprint mile

2010-07-27T17:32:00.002-06:00

A month ago I wrote about my adventures up high at Arapaho Pass and the misfortune of losing a crampon in the frantic full on sprint descent to escape the storm that had rapidly moved in. I sent my little story to the awesome folks at Kahtoola (makers of the microspikes) and they sent me a new crampon! Sweet! Just in time for exploring Glacier, the Wind Rivers and the Canadian Rockies.

#hasnothingtodowithtriathlon

...unless of course you consider that i run in them in the snow during winter.

Jen Voigt is my hero

2010-07-21T14:20:00.005-06:00

The below MUST be read in "jens speak" if you dont know what "jens speak" is just find an interview with him on youtube and listen, then read the below. It adds to the theme.

Why Jens today?

http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/21/refusing-to-quit-the-tour-de-france/?src=tptw

Sometimes you can hear your body start talking to you ... 'Oh, I can't do it anymore, I can't do it anymore,' and your mind goes 'shutup body and do what I tell you' and your body is almost like ...

revolting against you and saying 'I can't do it, leave me alone, Ican't do it, I want to pull over now,' and the mind goes, and the brain goes 'no, no, no, you keep going, you keep going because I want

you to do what I tell you to do' and you know, your lungs are burning and you have the little taste of blood in your mouth and your legs are burning, and they don't want to turn around anymore and you know if someone now attacks you will be blown out of the water but you go 'no, I just keep going' and you just keep going and ... you make it happen."

I get paid to hurt other people. How good is that? How good is that?

I get paid to make other people suffer on my wheel, that's good."

Guest Post: Jasmine Oeinck

2010-07-20T10:01:00.000-06:00

Jasmine and I have largely shared a very similar experience these last few months. Saddled with the burden of being unable to do our jobs we've shared in the torture of sitting on the sidelines and watching the season pass. I was impressed with her write up here as it articulated many of the same thoughts that i've had about my own return to training and racing. I had breakfast yesterday with my coach and we casually discussed how to approach both my gradual return to activity and then training. We also talked about what kind of racing I'd move into once I get back after it. Many of the sentiments that Jasmine touches upon came up in our chat. In the last week I have finally started to notice a slow turn around in my health and well being. Even if it's just a very subtle uptick my hopes are buoyed that this is the beginning of the end as I begin the final steps of the climb out of this hole. I cannot wait to return. But for now I still need some more patience. Almost there.

Jasmine Oeinck: Who, what, where, when and...

----------------------------------------------------------

Why?

‘Why’ is a simple question, but definitely provokes a great deal of thought. All children seem to go through the why phase, and for them, it’s quite amusing. Why, Why, why?

Well, I feel like playing that game- it’s been a while. Why do I do triathlon? Why do people do sport? Why do other’s do sport? Why do I care so much about what other’s think? Why has my season unfolded the way it has?

Why do I do sport? Hmmm, sometimes the answering part isn’t as ‘fun’ as the ‘why’ game. It forces us to really evaluate our reasoning behind what we do.

For myself, the “why” is simply for the purity and enjoyment. Sport is an opportunity for me to just be myself . It provides the greatest opportunity for self reflection, brainstorming, or just ‘shutting off’ the mind and simply being. When I shut off my mind, and run, swim, or bike, there are no judgements, social pressures, or timelines that need to be met. The silly worries that creep in my head can just dissapear, and the only thing I need to listen to is the rhythm of my breathing.

I began to realize, that when you reach a certain level, money, fame, popularity, sponsorships, media, attention, and results, start to run the show, and somehow that initial enjoyment and purity take the back seat. Other forces enter the picture, and start to pollute the tranquility of the mind. Instead of no judgments or biases, the ego starts to show up during each traning session, and you find yourself trying to prove something to a non-existant someone.

I have to get back to the original enjoyment of why I do sport. It’s not for the popularity or attention. It’s not for the status. It’s not to use twitter, facebook, or any other type of social media to tell the world about the latest workout I did, how great I am, or fish for compliments.

I’ve got to bring back the old school approach. Back to simplicity – before all of the added information of mind games, mental strength, specific nutrition, other’s opinions of your athletic potential/acheivements, and climbing the social status ladder within the sport. Some basic knowledge is needed and extremely useful, and I will continue to use this to grow as an athlete. The rest is just noise.

Those that support me because I am who I am as a person, and believe in me (sometimes more than I beleive in myself), are my greatest assets as an athlete. They are the people that I hear cheering for me when the going gets tuff, the shoulders that I can cry on when it’s been a bad day, and the most understanding when the season has been less than ideal (thank you to my sponsors).

No body likes a back seat driver. It’s time to get the noise out, and get back to racing and training because of the purity and enjoyment. Time for other (once non-existent) factors to take the back seat. Other’s opinions/actions, money, popularity, social status, and other factors will continue to always be present. Why? I guess because these are things that start to come with sport at a certain level, but they are not going to run the show.

Mountains...more love...a bit ambitious though, eh?

2010-07-05T11:44:00.002-06:00

Plotting out July and August. Thinking I'll need to hoof it back to Boulder though by September. Pre reqs may be calling my name.

http://bit.ly/94eDXx

Chocolate Walnut Pecan Buckwheat Banana Bread

2010-06-25T17:57:00.004-06:00

Why....'cause LC asked me to.

2/3 - 3/4 c. Sugar

3/4 c. melted butter

1/2 c. oil

5 SUPER RIPE bananas

3 extra large eggs

16 oz sour cream

2t. cinnamon

Mix that all up very well

3/4 c. whey protein powder

2 1/3 c. Buckwheat

1 1/3 c. Coconut Flour

1 1/4 c. Almond meal

1 3/4 c. Pamela's Gluten Free Baking mix

1.5 t. salt

4-5 t. baking soda

1 bag of dark chocolate chips/mini-chunks

1.5 c. chopped walnuts

1.5 c. chopped pecans

I actually just 'arfed' these amounts when I was making it this morning but i think those proportions are about right. I'm not into precise recipes....I'm into ideas and creating.

Add dry to wet ingredients. Stir just till moist.

Bake 375-400 till tops are golden brown and centers just barely firm. I made both bread and muffins from this.

Straight out of the oven they were AMAZING. Spongey texture...and dark chocolate really never hurts.

Enjoy!

The potential pink kits. Also, t-shirts? Tri kits?

2010-06-23T12:23:00.004-06:00

So here are the pink kits that I'm mulling over. Sort of depends upon how many inquiries I get and whether it's feasible to have a run of them done. Please email me or post a comment below. I know there was a fair amount of attention on these last year when we were voting on favorites.

Also I've had some inquiries about t-shirts as well as TRI kits. I'm still on the fence about this (the TRI kits), but t-shirts are easy. I'll see what I can do about getting some tech T's like this from verge but on the TRI kits i'd likely go with Champ-Sys. They produce a very nice one piece with hydrophobic properties that would be a good all purpose race suit.

Please express any interest in either of these options! Thanks!

Another run of MVA Racing cycling kits

2010-06-18T11:14:00.003-06:00

Round 2!!!

So of the 50+ kits in the first round of orders from last year I've been left with just two mens medium bibs/tops (let me know if you might like one). I've been getting some inquiries of late as to whether i will do another order run so figured I would post up a note to see who might be interested in getting in on another batch. Please let me know!

Note: These are produced by verge and I've been very happy with the quality and durability of the kits. I wear and wash mine a lot and they've stood up well.

Some of the old posts...

http://trimarkyv.blogspot.com/2009/01/mva-racing-jerseys-final-cut.html

http://trimarkyv.blogspot.com/2009/03/mva-racing-kits-cost.html

http://trimarkyv.blogspot.com/2009/03/mva-racing-kits-taking-orders.html

If life was boring you'd never have great stories to tell.

2010-06-16T06:48:00.000-06:00

This is an oft-quoted phrase of mine when referring to my choice of lifestyle or things I like to mix myself up in. In this particular case my outings into the mountains.

While any sort of aerobic stress (i.e. training) is frowned upon in my road to recovery and repair I have been green lighted to occasionally head up into the mountains and enjoy the sheer awesomeness that Colorado has to offer. The last place I was able to get endorphins to kick in was up here so it's likely the first place that it'll come back.

On this particular occasion I'd chosen Arapho Pass as my destination. A relatively easy 3 mile out and back hike (walk). Start down in the valley and slowly (and in my case very slowly) gain elevation up above treeline, into the tundra, and onto the pass. I started out amongst snow showers (yes, this is june but this is also 11,ooo feet and Colorado. I got snowed on whilst on the bike last July), but before too long the clouds broke and I found myself with bright sunny skies and beautiful vistas to take in. The fresh late spring dusting on the otherwise rotting snow made for an incredible view.

I made way higher and encountered a bit more snow but it wasn't all that bad. With the trail on the north side of the valley (south facing) it was largely free of any large snow banks. The melt water run off was quite massive though. Despite it being in the 30s, with no wind to speak of and bright bright 2+ mile high sun beating down i was cooking in a cool max shirt alone. Nearer to the pass I had to navigate some snow fields, i didn't think much of this aside from pondering the use of some crampons, but the snow was soft and i just pressed through.

Everyone has heard the story from some climber somewhere about "how fast the weather moved in"... I now have my own story to add to that. Within what seemed like 10 minutes it went from bright and sunny to dumping snow. "WHOA! Where'd that come from!?" Given that the storms that we'd been having for the few days prior had all be sans-lightning I was kind of in winter mode, where lightning doesn't happen, just lots of snow. Not more than a minute or so from the apex of the hike I hear a very low, soft, barely audible rumble. I stop to see if it's a jet or a rock fall. Nothing. I decide to not press any further till I was somewhat assured that I'd be okay.

About 60 seconds passes.

I begin getting this warm, fuzzy, tingly, electric feeling. While it was actually pretty cool I knew immediately what it was and hit the deck! Flash BANG! While it wasn't right on top of me i didn't need any reminder that I needed to get down NOW!!! Prescriptions to chill out to the max be damned, i was going to test my 12000 foot high vo2 max on this descent! I was likely over a mile above the nearest treeline protection. I proceeded to haul ass down hill as-fast-as-I-f*&%ing-could!!!! I surprised myself at the eye-foot coordination I exhibited as I covered the rocky, snowy, glaciated trail in a 4th of the time that it took me to ascend. As soon as I got down into the krumholtz i thought i could take a break. Huffing, pufffing, wheezing I realized that I'd lost one of my crampons somewhere along the trail in my scurry downhill. Just as I was pondering the thought of maaaaybe back tracking a little bit another flash and boom hits and I'm back up and running across the tundra in search of really big trees. Finally after 10-15 minutes of scamper and scramble and duck and weave I make my way into the forest. SMOKED! And in this case thankful it's figurative and not literal!

I slowly made my way back down to the car and by the time i'd arrived the snow had ceased and it was once again bright, sunny, warm, and, of course, awesome.

Live to love the mountains another day. Whew!

What sacrifices for success are you willing to make?

2010-06-14T09:04:00.003-06:00

With the recent setbacks and health problems I've faced there have been questions forced upon me that I otherwise would likely have not confronted for years to come. These questions revolve around the progression of my career in athletics and what I would then segue into. Having prematurely been thrown into pondering this topic I've also had to contemplate the idea of what it will take to attain these goals as well as the possible sacrifices that might have to be made. To that end I've been contemplating further education and pursuing a career field in line with athletics but something that blends my passions of teaching, coaching, helping and entrepreneurial spirit. But what will it take to accomplish these tasks and succeed? What sacrifices need to be made? Are they in fact worth it?

I've been slowly following "The Season" a video blog on outdoor athletes from the Pacific Northwest about their efforts throughout their respective seasons. Connect some dots and I ended up at one of the producers podcasts, Dirtbag Diaries. The podcast A Successful Life hit home and resonated very strongly with me. You can listen to it here (~25min). As I am faced with making decisions about where to go and what to do and how much to give in order to get, I've come to realize that one thing must remain true for me to be at peace in my pursuits. I have to love my HOME and for me that means living in the mountains.

It should have been telling that all throughout elementary, junior and senior highs and in university that whenever faced with a social, geological or geographical assignment that I would always select mountainous countries. Switzerland, New Zealand (South Island), Canada (Rockies). Such that in my moving from Austin to Boulder nearly four years ago I finally felt like I'd truly "come HOME". My sense of place was complete.

Home may not forever be Boulder or Colorado but it's the sense of place that I get when I'm "at home in the mountains" that is the feeling that I will continually seek out. In facing the questions about my future as of late and knowing that some sacrifices or adjustments might have to be made I am certain of one thing, home will always be a place that inspires me to get out and do. For me, that is mountains. What is it for you?

Photos: (top) Aspens in the morning along Kebler Pass outside of Crested Butte, (bottom) panorama from Irwin, CO (ghost town)

Cute. File this under: #had_to_share

2010-05-24T17:19:00.004-06:00

As found on the back of my 3rd party replacement Mac Book battery in very very very tiny font.

"Dispose of properly (or Mother Nature is gonna whack us all!!!) This battery contains no Mercury, Mars or Venus. Each battery is tested before shipping. No animals were harmed during testing - unless you consider Paul in QA ;-) Warning: To reduce the risk of fire or burns avoid ********** ************ ********* ********** ********** ********** *********** ********** ********* ********* ********. If you have read this far please consider applying for a job in our legal department."

First Vacation in quite awhile. WOW did i see a lot. :)

2010-05-21T13:07:00.006-06:00

Much more to come but for now the map of the travels. Docs orders to "get lost" and in turn "find myself". Things are improving but still not where they of course SHOULD BE but I can see progress which has me stoked. Good to see friends and do some fun stuff. I was so focused and driven that I never allowed myself much of any break. Always.pushing.harder. Mentally this trip was very much welcome.

Still coming is part 4: the mental ramifications.

(click on pic to enlarge)

The route: http://bit.ly/9amQSr

Postcard from a Hermit

2010-05-18T10:59:00.006-06:00

Thanks to Annabel for a very well articulated write up on the hollow that we athletes crawl into during times of pain. Despite a good awareness and perspective it's still easy to end up in such a place.

http://luxford-annabel.blogspot.com/

I came across something interesting on Twitter the other day. It wasn’t one of the shock tweets by Australian comedian and recently dismissed columnist form The Age, Catherine Deveny, nor was it words of wisdom from the Dalai Lama. It was a tweet from American triathlete Kevin Collington, courtesy of Simon Whitfield’s brilliant re-tweeting skills.

Kevin proposed that “the amount of time since an athlete’s last blog post is directly proportional to the probability that he/she is injured.” This got me thinking, something that I have had ample time to do lately due to my injury status. As suggested by Kevin, it seems that a large number of athletes go MIA from the world of blogging and other communication mediums when they are injured. I know that this is true for me. In dealing with being injured, my natural tendency is too close off. My close friends will say that I am harder to get in touch with and have even gone so far as to say that I become a hermit. While I don’t entirely cut myself off from the outside world and hole up in a remote bush cabin, I do indeed have to fight the urge to distance myself from communication with people in the triathlon world. For me it is probably akin to denial. If I don’t talk about it and if people don’t know about it, I’m not injured. I would bet this is the case for quite a few athletes. This has both positives and negatives. No one wants to listen to, or read, dreary tales of injury and self wallowing, when in the grand scheme of human suffering and hardship, an athletic injury is equivalent to a paper-cut. In saying that, I think some of the most interesting stories about athletes are their tales of adversity and perseverance.

From a personal point of view, I think it is important to appreciate all the little things that go part and parcel with being an athlete, including times of injury. The endless hours spent at the physio; the hope that you will wake up in the morning and the injury will be healed; the disappointment at the end of the day when the realisation sets in that this injury may be around for a while; the hidden tears of frustration; the ridiculous haircut you get because you are so incredibly bored; the hours of creative cooking and baking; the sore fingers you develop from throwing yourself into your university studies, forgetting that your hands are not conditioned to typing incredibly long essays; the taking up of a hobby, or some other sport, to get an adrenalin rush. I once had the very short lived idea of taking up rollerblading to keep fit and get my endorphin rush. I went into an inline skate store, boldly told the shop assistant that I was quite athletic and was going to be doing a lot of rollerblading and would need top notch skates. Whilst I still looked relatively fit, he promptly got me some skates. I had in fact exaggerated my skating ability and as soon as I put the skates on for a test run, I stayed upright for about 2 metres before I lost control and skated my way into a shop display. I quickly hurried out, head held high but ears pricked to the quiet laughter from the shop assistants. I have never again entertained the idea of rollerblading!

When you’re a little bit discouraged, it’s the kind and supportive words from a friend or family member, or even the odd stranger that lifts your spirits. Once I was in the supermarket struggling with crutches when a dear old man told me to keep my chin up and I’d be back on the netball court in no time. I’m not sure why he thought I played netball (anyone who has witnessed my lack of hand eye coordination would never make this mistake) but it was the kindness of a stranger that touched me. At the end of the day, it is the love and passion for what you do and knowing that no matter how far or hard the journey seems you will keep going. Where all else fails, perseverance prevails.

So back to blogging and being injured. It may seem easier to ignore being injured and pretend it isn’t happening, by communicating less with your peers or by not posting a blog; however, I think that if you take the time to appreciate the highs and lows of the journey whether that is by keeping a diary, writing a blog or sharing your tales with friends, you will enjoy the view from the top so much more. All too often people forget to get out the camera along the way. When you hang up your shoes at the end of a career I bet the snapshots of the climb are just as meaningful as the ones where you are triumphant at the top.

It's not always "all good" it does in fact "SUCK" sometimes.

2010-04-23T15:31:00.003-06:00

A little something more to mull over given my situation. Originally from McMillan Running at: http://mcmillanelite.com/coachsblog.html

Thanks to Coach PS for the post

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that running [triathlon] is not a straight line of improvement and happy times. It has periods that are dark and troubling. But, and here is the message, you have to live through it. It's part of the deal. You have to buckle down and do the things you need to do to get through it. Sometimes that means taking a break and starting over. Sometimes that means focusing more on the non-running [triathlon] activities and sometimes it just means keeping on keeping on. Whatever your situation, just hang in there. We have so many great stories about how athletes come back from adversity. You can do it too."

Part 3: “Why am I slower, it must mean I need to work harder.”

2010-04-22T15:09:00.001-06:00

Upon my return home I had surgery and totally disappeared into a black hole. Days would go by without leaving home. I put off friends requests to get involved “nah, I’m good” I would state. I knew I needed to get out to feel the Indian Summer sun’s warmth and go for a walk and my mental state knew that that was the right thing to do, but getting myself to go through the physical motions to enact what my root psyche wanted to accomplish just would/could not happen. My global outlook on life is one of appreciation and thankfulness with the perspective that I am so happy to be doing something every day that has me waking up to pursue it with everything I’ve got such that I’m driven by this happiness to the point of... it clouding my ability to see what each day, and the drudgery that comes with it, brings. I was depressed. Badly. Normal daily functions and activities were a chore. It’s times like these that I reflect upon and know that I need to tap into my network of “family” here in Boulder. It is communal love and friendship that can much more quickly restore your health than you attempting to go it alone.

Throughout December and January I eased back into training. In the back of my mind something was still not right,

“Why are my numbers lower, why am I still getting heavier, why can I not sleep, shit, more hair is falling out. I know! I need to get fitter, let’s go train some more. Yep, that’s the solution.”

Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

February becomes March and suddenly the writing on the wall has become too blatant to further ignore. The more I work, the worse things get, the slower I become. I still am able to get up everyday and go out and do the work but it is a terrible chore, my macro view of life and appreciation for all this opportunity is and my desire to simply “go outside” have blinded me to any realization of what is going on. I have some blood work done but even before my consultation we begin to back off. I am asked to wipe away my positive macro view of life and think about how the day-to-day is going. It dawns on me. Things are not good. Forced to really look inside and see what’s been going on is a crushing blow. Even though I was getting up and going out the door each day I wasn’t feeling anything, all my senses were mute, never felt hungry, sleepy or tired. Then the revelation hits and I pause for a moment. Everything hurts. I get home to Colorado and hardly do anything for a week. The “funk” has returned as well. Something is seriously amiss when the sight of the snow capped continental divide, high above the spring green foothills and valleys below, does not elicit an endorphin rush from me.

One of the manifestations of Adrenal Fatigue/Exhaustion is the lack of primal drivers. The concept of listening to one’s body and doing what it asks of you. I don’t feel these any more. My first consultation with the specialist takes place. I’m one very messed up puppy. A second round of tests is ordered but it’s fairly evident we know what is going on. My body is broken, badly. Hormones drive much of the processes that go on in us each and every day. To train any more would only further damage an already long ago destroyed system.

I had discussed, prior to the specialist chat, with my coach and friends/co-workers the prospect of not racing this season. Despite weighing the evidence that we had at the time it still seemed preposterous, but really there was no other action that I logically could have taken to make this better. During the consult I was advised that, “you might want to strongly consider taking the year off so as to take the proper measures to get yourself healthy and operating correctly once again.” Despite this being what one doesn’t want to hear the entire conversation actually ended up being what I DID want to hear. If I had been told, “oh, you’re fine, just go train harder.” I think I would have completely lost it. But to hear that no, I was not in fact crazy and there was a reason for my lack of improvement despite my extremely dedicated efforts was such an enormous RELIEF! A huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders. No longer was I burdened with the thought that despite my work ethic perhaps I just sucked.

Given that the second round has yet to come back we can only postulate as to what we believe is going on. It is largely believed that I have a combination of being in a chronically over reached state (largely referred to as chronic fatigue) resulting from my over dedication and over intensity efforts in my training as well as adrenal fatigue/exhaustion. While I know and have spoken with a good number of people who have gotten into the former I have yet to find many that have fallen into the pit of the latter (encompassed within the latter is thyroid, adrenal, testosterone, etc). Symptoms of this mess include, inability to sleep, inability to come out of sleep, weight gain (and mostly muscle at that), hair loss, never feeling hungry, lack of appetite, glucose and insulin regulation and many more. Basically when you train there is a bodily response to that something that is largely hormonally driven. Without the proper call and response of a normally functioning system repair doesn’t happen, there is no rebuilding, there is no advancement. Nothing works.

This isn’t going to fix itself. Simply resting and taking time off may address the over training component but it does not tackle the much, much larger issue of proper hormone regulation.

Part 4.1 where we go from here…

The Pacific and Inland NorthWest : a road trip story

2010-04-22T09:19:00.000-06:00

Kind funny the things you find in the draft section of your blog.... :)

From last summer.....

Man, what a rush! Which I guess after nearly a year of feeling mute, off, down, unmotivated, stuck was just what was needed.

I can trace the start of my slow reawakening to my initial west coast "fun" swing back in May. I'll get to more of a sum up of the mental ramifications, a continuation or post #4 of the series from the spring, soon. (edit: find it here)

Presented with the window of opportunity to shove off, see friends and just touch upon the exploration the mountains of the inland and pacific northwest for a full 5 weeks I knew I could not pass it up. When else (in summer time) was I going to have the chance to spend that kind of time ambling about without much of a schedule to adhere to and seeing all that there was to see (just so long as I was online Sunday evenings for schedule distribution!).

It's a pretty crazy loop I made, but once drove the same road (a small section near Bozeman) twice.

Just a few sample pics from the journey...

Edit: given the additional year of required hiatus I've got some more adventures in the works. :)

Deep Fried Triathlete : An over training story (Act II) : How did I get myself into this mess?

2010-04-21T01:51:00.004-06:00

How did I get myself into this mess?

The answer to that rather simple question, when viewed through the omniscient lens of hindsight, likely lies in my swim upbringing. Growing up we (swimmers) would perform countless hours in the pool, everyday thrashing ourselves and then coming back for more later in the afternoon or the next day. A work ethic is ground into you at such an early age that rather than it being something that you do; it is something that you become. Countless numbers of youth across the country do this everyday. Up early to swim before school, classes, and then back in the water in the evening. Freaks, straw-heads, chlorine brains, and yet many are also the best students sitting in the class. It is a culture of excellence and anything less than perfection in either arena is to fall short of expectations. Sure this sounds cliché, but unless you’ve lived this life day in and day out for ten or more years you cannot begin to grasp how entrenched in your psyche this behaviour becomes.

Fast forward to my leap into racing triathlon at the professional level (2008). Having been removed from high performance sport by six years of athletic drifter-dom, I needed a kicker and found it with my full and absolute commitment to sport (once again). Prior to turning professional my training was haphazard. Doing what I felt like doing and if I was tired I would rest till I felt good to go again. Simple, right? The results that I wanted (needed?) were going to require far more dedication, pain and commitment than that which I had thus far given. I dove in head first to the training plan doing everything I received exactly as it was dictated, but more than likely at intensity zones one notch above, always. Greedy for more I maxed out every session. Even when I felt bad I still went out and did. Improvement in one’s abilities requires the feeling of death, no?

I got a little faster, and mostly more durable at the longer tests. I lead Ironman Canada for six-and-a-half hours, cracked 4 hours at Longhorn 70.3 and knocked 35min off my Ironman run split from the year before… progress. All good. I continued to bury myself with each session, full and absolute thrashing was the order of business every time I set out on the bike. I had my spate of unfortunate events and crashes. I took the punches and rolled with it.

In May and June of last year I had an absolutely incredible string of training weeks. I also raced 6 times in the span of 6 weeks with the culminating 3 races taking place in a span of seven days, the best of all performances coming in the final event. As July became August and Canada again drew nearer, I was beginning to lose it under the gun of more of the same over-zone training, unfailing dedication to feeling like death every day and knowing that that’s what it took. Wash, rinse, repeat. I also had a new adversary in the form of life events. I needed to move, find a new place, be happy and ready for my brother’s most awesome wedding plus all the family associated with it. The pressure cooker was coming up to steam. IMC came and went. I did not have my best day but did secure a position in Kona. The trip itself was a huge relief given everything I had been though, my travel mates were awesome and I had a great time.

Back home and back on the gas. Kona swim course record and TIMEX bike prime the goal. I fell back into my routine and quickly found myself overwhelmed again, but determined that this was the way it was done.

It should also be noted that in all this time I was continually trying to be that 165 pound athlete that I’d been in Kona 2007 (and in prior years before). Skimp on food on long rides, pass on extras, eat less carbs, salads only for dinner, etc. In the end it was this cocktail of no recovery, constant bodily stress (cortisol demand overload) and excessive training for the conditions that had me primed and ready for the final death knell.

Kona. Ali’i. September 28^th. Motorcycle vs. Bike. I lose. Broken hand. Trauma. Mental and physical overload. This is the type of event that nails the coffin shut on what can be termed an adrenal episode. Your system has become so fragile but is still hanging on by a thread when along comes such an event of this magnitude and destroys everything. You spiral. Everything feels off, a very twighlight zone existence.

Tomorrow… “from then to now” and the diagnosis I have been saddled with.

Are you proud of your home?

2010-04-15T13:29:00.003-06:00

http://xtri.com/features_display.aspx?riIDReport=6403&CAT=21&xref=xx

Article up on XTRI this morning...

Text here...

After being away from home for two months I could not contain my excitement as I drove the 1100 miles back from Texas to Boulder just a couple weeks ago. I was giddy with the anticipation of coming in from the east and seeing the high peaks of the Rocky Mountains rise up to greet me just as the sun was setting (getting chills writing this). I have that same feeling every time I come home from any travel and make sure that if it’s a clear day that I make the walk across the sky bridge to the terminal at DIA so that I can soak in the panoramic view of the high country to the west. A deep breath of mile high air and the expression of “I’m home” usually accompanied by an ear-to-ear grin spread across my face.

I have a lot of pride in my home. Prior to moving to Colorado I had never experienced such a strong sense of place. Upon arrival here in the summer of 2006 I can still recall my very first ride and coming over the ridge on US 36 and peering down into Estes Park and across to the high peaks of Rocky Mountain National Park, and despite feeling as though I was breathing through a straw proclaimed that, “This.Was.Home.” Since then my sense of place and pride for my home state has only grown.

When our governor stands with cyclists as an example to other states for riding safety I boast. When statistics are released showing us as the leanest state in the country get published, I grin. When I wake up every morning and look west and see the snow capped Continental Divide in the Indian Peaks Wilderness I can’t wipe the grin off my face. When a Frontier Airlines commercial with the talking tails comes on I can say, “That’s my home state airline!”

But my pride in my home is more than 14,000-foot peaks and a playground that has people utilizing their garages for their kayaking, skiing, hiking, climbing, cycling, running, camping, boarding, snowshoeing, skating equipment. It’s also a pride in the people who are here. The people I get to interact with each and everyday. Whether it’s my co-workers in the professional field of triathlon as we circle endless laps, pound out miles on the beautiful trails or cycle through the farmland and countryside or the folks that I meet out in the backcountry on the way up the trail. The personalities that I come across are just as warm and inviting as the sunshine that beams down upon us so frequently.

I love to share and tell everyone about where I live. I am so thankful for this place and that which I get to pursue here. I am a walking, talking resource on all things Colorado (west of I-25 for that matter). It is a joy when I come across a “counterpart” so to speak from some place else, say New York City. While I do not like big cities, if this messenger is articulate, eloquent and passionate in their conveyance of their love and pride in their home than I can truly appreciate what they are getting at.

When someone asks you where you are from do you blurt out your home, eager to tell the questioner all about it? What makes you proud of where you live?

A taste of what's to come (part 1)

2010-04-12T20:16:00.003-06:00

I know that I have been remiss in the maintenance of this journal but over the next few days I've tasked myself in laying out what has been going on and why I will not be racing this year. I'll lay it out as to how this came to be and what has transpired since. Eventually I will lay out what we (my team and I) have in mind for the treatment and next course of action that will allow me to return to the racing scene.

Sorry to everyone that I told that I'd have a post up on this tonight. While quite cathartic, the brain dump that I produced also resulted in about eight pages of incredible detail... and also snooze inducing boredom. So rather we'll go in three or four parts.

Thanks,

MVA

Stuff for SALE! (and it's not mine! :)

2010-03-13T21:12:00.004-07:00

So yes, despite having not posted ANYTHING in a month I will break this silence with none other than a classified of which I have no part in.

I'll get to it, I'll get to it. :)

And so with no further delay....

Photos of all can be found here: http://muffintop.imgur.com/p3c

P3C 51cm

SRAM Rival cranks

OE shimano wheels

vision base bar

oval clip ons

specialized toupe

saddle

shimano or ritchey pedals.

$2500

Two travel cases, an All 3 Sports and a Trico iron case,

A pair of pro 3 race tires with latex tubes.

Note from seller: "I'll include either case, and the tires and tubes, and a spare chain, with the bike."

SRM Pro Dura Ace

PC V, wired,

comes with both 50/34 and 53/39 chainrings for it,

Note from seller: "plus the asinine $60 mounting bracket that lets it mount to the rounded BB shell of the P3 by bolting underneath the BB cable guide."

$1500

Leader TT bike 54cm

now built up as a single speed TT bike,

easton carbon TT fork on it.

$450....$400 if they promise to race on it at least once.

MLK Quote

2010-02-04T10:44:00.003-07:00

....and one that ties in with a movement that I will be announcing my partnership with shortly...

"Life's most urgent question is, what are you doing for others?"

-Doctor Martin Luther King

As seen on the video here...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53xa5DHwvG4

What to do with My Life

2010-01-26T20:39:00.005-07:00

It's been awhile since I have mused/posted on the subject of career/life direction and I haven't much personally to go into depth with here but wanted to post a story that was on NPR this morning that I really latched onto. Link: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=896041 The following is what resonated most with me...

Bronson: Most attempt to answer it with one eye open, one eye closed. We let our fears govern our decisions; rather than challenging the validity of those fears, we accept the boundaries set by those fears, and end up confining our search to a narrow range of possibilities, like the guy looking for his car keys under the streetlight because he’s afraid of the dark. Some broad examples: we confine ourselves to a range that is acceptable to our parents or our spouse; we confine ourselves to places inhabited only by people "like us," meaning of our class and education level; we place too much emphasis on being respected by an imaginary audience; we shy away from avocations that take a long time to mature and pay off.

I was inspired by people who had overcome these fears to look beyond the obvious choices. It wasn’t easy for them, but in a way that hard journey made the result even sweeter. It wasn’t just a matter of finding the right puzzle piece to match their skills; they had to grow as a person first...

Recently I have found myself doing just that. Two and a half years ago I thought I was bucking the trend but over the subsequent years have found myself back to being stuck and constrained by those same fears (societal expectations/norms) that were blocking my mind/movements earlier. With the realization of this I am taking another step away from those "needs". It's part of my effort to be the best athlete that I can be but also part of the larger life picture. One in which sport is only the first stepping stone for many things to come afterwards. However I feel that the key to the dominos falling the way I'd like them to is to excel and reach the pinacle of sport. So for now (and another 10 years) the physical toil for the top of the podium will continue. And I will enjoy every step of the way and continue to whittle away at those fears that I feel continue to try and reign me in.

I got it, I got it....

2010-01-18T23:13:00.004-07:00

Lots of balls up in the air right now (on various fronts as well) and waiting for them to start dropping so that I can lock down what I'll be doing in the very near future. Can't really make a move just yet or state what I'm up to (cause frankly i don't know), but stay tuned in to find out. Really hoping that in a week's time I'll be rolling in the direction that I'd like to!

Just hanging out now trying to get underneath 'em! I'm ready with my mit!

Life would really suck if it was placid and boring....

2010-01-17T13:34:00.004-07:00

Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, champagne in one hand - strawberries in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming WOOOOHOOOO!!!! - What a ride!!!

-Mavis Leyrer

Quote for the near term road ahead.

2010-01-15T13:31:00.000-07:00

"I knew exactly where I wanted to go. In order to be the best player in the world, tennis has to be your life. It’s a sacrifice, and something I was willing to do.... consistently I was willing to sacrifice more than many. You can’t have it both ways. I did it my way, and I have no regrets when I look back on my career that sacrifice was just a big focus for me.”

-Pete Sampras

(thanks SQW)

MVA Racing Kits

2010-01-13T21:51:00.002-07:00

I have 2 Men's Medium Kits remaining and 1 Men's small kit.

$145 plus ship for the kit.

Design can be seen here.

http://trimarkyv.blogspot.com/2009/01/mva-racing-jerseys-final-cut.html

Two more items! :)

2010-01-10T14:53:00.002-07:00

Shimano Tri Shoes TR-02

http://forum

.slowtwitch.com/gforum.cgi?post=2656961;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread

Bicycle Colorado "Share The Road Jersey"

It's just a HAIR too small for me (brand is primal) I'm super bummed as I bet the 'L' is way too big. It fits right but my torso is just too long.

$65

Selling stuff....have a look!

2010-01-10T13:16:00.003-07:00

TYR Tracer Tri Top "M" Black

TYR Tracer Tri Short "s" 1-Royal and 1-navy

TYR Splice "L" Top Wht/Red

Re: 2008 Zipp 808 Clinchers (w/extras) [MarkyV]

Re: FS: SRM D/A Wireless w/PCVI controller [MarkyV]

Ritchey Torquey

SRAM Rival 11-28

DS Trainer sz13

Selle Italia Cervelo OEM Saddle (SLR T1)

65 Powergels!!!!

Fizik Arione Tri II

AVI-Lite II sz13 brand new, stil in box

Shimano TR-51 Silver/Blue Tri Shoes

Really Good Gluten Free Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies

2010-01-08T11:45:00.006-07:00

...and the battle is on. You know who you are. ;-)

I have high standards for the cookies I make. The bar has been set MOM and her Almost-Good-For-You-Banana-Oatmeal-Chocolate-Chip-Raisin-Walnut Cookies (of which these are an alteration of).

So therefore if I'm going to go out on a limb and go so far as to make the title of this read "Really Good" then I'm not bluffing. I'm not a fan of GF breads that make cardboard look appealing. Neither am I fond of GF cookies that rival such taste. With these the kicker is the super ripe bananas. They lend a load of moisture to the cookie. Also, in my attempt to eliminate flours/grains from my diet, you'll notice the almond meal/flour utilized as the primary body/binder of the cookie (well, that and the oatmeal). It's mostly fat and worked very well. The buckwheat is added for a little bit of a flavor kick (adds a nice nutty flavor) as well as being a finely ground flour helps in the cookie holding together. Just like my Mom's cookies these are fabulous right out of the freezer or even left to warm up a bit for a few minutes to return to a nice chewy texture. Being cold the dark chocolate explodes in your mouth with each bite.

ENJOY!

1c butter
1/2 c sugar + a bunch of splenda packets
-mix

Add in....

2 eggs
3 super over ripe bananas
-mix

In separate bowl combine...
1c almond meal
1c almond flour
1/2 c buckwheat flour
3c oatmeal
1T cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1t ginger
1/2 t cloves
1 t salt
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder

-add this all to the butter mixture once that is combined with eggs/bananas

Lastly, beat these in with the flour mixture...
3c dark chocolate chips
3c chopped walnuts

My oven is finicky and I live at 5400 feet so adjust this accordingly.

Bake at 375-390 for 8-12 minutes depending upon size of cookie and preference for degree of done-ness.

I used a stand mixer (yes, I admit it, I have a kitchen aid, and despite my current selling off of my possessions... that is one item that will be staying with me!) for this as the extra wattage (and who doesn't love extra wattage) comes in handy as the batter can be quite thick.

When i baked them (and i like to under bake everything) I had to let them cool for a bit on the cookie sheet (yes, I own these as well) then stuck them in the freezer (whilst still on sheet) so to keep them in a single piece as they were a bit brittle (even while underbaked) right out of the oven. After chilling in the freezer and subsequent storage there they loose the brittleness and retain a well bonded form.

Boulder Running Company

2010-01-07T16:31:00.002-07:00

Starting to release some confirmations of new and renewed sponsorships for the year ahead. Hope to announce some more in the coming days/weeks.

For the third year "running" ;-) I will be running, training and racing in footwear from Boulder Running Company. I was presented with an opportunity to go with a single shoe sponsor but really enjoy running for a local team and one where I can choose from a large variety of shoes. If one particular brand doesn't fit I simply slide over to another option. And you really can't beat getting the chance to represent Boulder nationally!!!

Dura Ace SRM Wireless with PCVI Controller

2010-01-05T16:00:00.002-07:00

2009 SRM Dura Ace Wireless system.
175mm crank arms
54x39 DA chainrings,
Suunto ANT Skewer speed sensor as well as Suunto Pod Speed Sensor, spoke magnet
PC VI black
26.0 PC handlebar clamp
USB download/recharging cable, USB wall mount 110v power adapter (and all international adapters as well)
SRM software disk and manuals.

Just back from CO Springs and has new battery and full check up, slope and new screen on PCVI.

About 7 months of riding on it.

Can post pics upon request. All in original packaging and boxes. Very well maintained (duh...look who's posting this :)
Asking $3300 shipped.

OBO

2008 Zipp 808 Clincher Set

2010-01-05T16:00:00.001-07:00

Very lightly used (i borrowed more than i used these) 808 clincher set hand built by Rich Sawiris at Wheelbuilder.com

Includes ceramics in the front and rear hubs.
3 low Crr tires
2-3 latex tubes
Wheelbuilder.com Disc cover for making them even faster!

I'll likely throw some other stuff in as well.

Pics upon request

Asking 1750 shipped.

Quote

2010-01-02T10:48:00.001-07:00

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and to see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not when I had come to die, to discover that I had not lived

-Henry David Thoreau

More Mtn Family Fun

2009-12-21T21:02:00.004-07:00

Another long and beautiful day up high. Back home tomorrow. Hope the link works.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2801890&id=7936007&l=12e22126a

Pics from Summit County with the Fam

2009-12-19T18:45:00.005-07:00

Pics from yesterday

2009-12-16T20:03:00.000-07:00

The Entrepreneur (...at all cost)

2009-12-15T20:01:00.002-07:00

Original found here: http://brandripple.com/

Ghandi once said,”Be the change you want to see in the world.” As a man driven by passion, Ghandi’s drive is not unlike the motivation that spurs many passionate entrepreneurs to pursue their business ideas. To clarify, there is a delineation of entrepreneurs; those that are driven by money and those driven by passion. Let’s forget about those driven by money for a moment.

Ghandi staked his life for what he believed in to the point of starvation and I can say many bootstrapping startups experience this starvation period. While it is arguably less life threatening, the countless nights and weekends spent away from home, our families and warm meals is testament to our commitment. We forget many of our foundational Maslow’s needs with a prioritization of our company’s needs. We become selfishly, self-less in search of the salvation that only fulfillment of the end goal can break us away from. Yes I know that is an oxymoron so let me explain.

Selflessness is the quality I believe good entrepreneurs have, after all without it the company is at risk. Selfishness stems from the understanding that without you the company will be at risk. Similar ideas, but on two different sides of the coin, one as a member of a company and the other as the company (remember we’re bootstrapping so to begin with YOU are the company).

The Money Driven Entrepreneurs – There will always be the money driven entrepreneurs but the likelihood of success for those driven by passion I argue to be higher (that’s a whole ‘nother debate stay tuned….), but the underlying idea is the same – do everything you can to make change happen.

Social entrepreneurism or not, what drives entrepreneurs to push innovation into the world is the same – “be the change you want to see in the world.”

Moving Forward

2009-12-11T11:49:00.002-07:00

I keep thinking...

Am I doing all that I can, and ONLY that, to be the best athlete that I can be? ...right now that answer is no. I’ve found myself back doing too much. Many of these undertakings counteractive to the objectives that I need to accomplish to meet my goals. I've not been focused and have allowed for other ‘things’ to occupy my pursuits. What I am now focused on is getting to the point where the answer to that question is yes.”

Step 1

2009-12-07T22:42:00.002-07:00

Find a storage unit/conduct sale.

Winter.....is here.

2009-12-02T15:34:00.004-07:00

Tready run and trainer ride today. Around eight inches of light & fluffy powder on the ground outside and with the forecast to come it looks like the trails will be of limits for a bit while more.

I wouldn't have it any other way. A nice dose of winter to pretty up the landscape and dust the mountains.

Bike is getting there. Swim is getting there. Run form is getting worked on and I'm finally not gasping in a 20-25minute run.

Slowly but surely.....

LIVE

2009-11-27T06:54:00.000-07:00

"Let us live so that when we come to die, even the undertaker will be sorry."

-Samuel Clemens

Reason #1,030,457 as to why my Mom is awesome

2009-11-25T21:54:00.005-07:00

Her Blueberry Pie!!!!

Sure it's not a Thanksgivingy type of dessert but anytime I can showcase Mom's most awesome combo of pie crust and great filling I take to it like triathletes at a compression sock sale.

Step one... homemade pie crust dough. Family recipe... and totally NOT in line with my nutrition plans. Ha... SO WHAT! :)

Step two... chill the dough. *chillin'*

Step three... roll out and fit to pie plate

Step four... make fruit filling *mix and stir*

Step five... fill pie plate and roll out top crust

Step six... all prepped and ready for the oven

Step seven... PERFECTION!!!

Step eight... tomorrow night with friends.... enjoying it!

Give Back

2009-11-23T08:14:00.000-07:00

"Life is precious. Do something that is optimistic—that is good for society. Don't sit on the couch."

-Meb Keflezighi

Health and Training status report

2009-11-18T08:00:00.003-07:00

Just a quick little update on the health of the hand.

Pins (skewers in the human shishkebab) got pulled late last week and I started running just a little bit every day. Last nights tour of the res at sunset was beautiful. So great to be back outside! Got my ITU bike built back up and rode it (on the trainer) for the first time yesterday, but only ~20 minutes. Aside from not having my cute little wattage numbers to stare at my wrist was very uncomfortable. Sitting up right just feels really awkward and as I'm about to hop back on for another go of it here in a few will need to devise some method of wrist relief. Grasping is still a difficult task and not much strength associated with it either. I still got my pincers tho! (index & thumb) Went in to Altitude Physical Therapy yesterday and had Em seemingly beat my hand to death in an effort to flush out all the crud and scar tissue, etc. that's in place. Dexterity jumped a ton! Still a long ways to go and the green light for water time is Monday. That'll be fun. ;)

Off to Phoenix for a quick trip to Ironman Arizona this weekend for a bit of work then back here for the holidays. Getting antsy about doing more "real" training but have to be patient for now. Plotting an extended trip to Tucson in January to get this engine up and running and the season kicked off. Still working on solidifying some sponsorships for the next year as well as locking in a more definitive schedule. Looking forward to some big changes. :)

See ya!

Taubes and low carb

2009-11-17T19:56:00.001-07:00

Another short preamble to the still coming "food as i see it" post. Some little tidbits that came up today courtesy of Chris.

Gary Taubes, author of "Good Calories, Bad Calories", in the video link below discusses some high level science (or rather his collation of it) with regard to human physiology and obesity. Just a warning, it's over an hour. If you do not know much on this topic pass it up but if you are beginning to understand the relationship with how the human body stores, or does not store energy, it would be a good watch. I've only skimmed around his book but now feel compelled to give it a solid go. Despite going though Pollan a second time. :)
http://www.dhslides.org/mgr/mgr060509f/f.htm

Ten new hypothesis...after he debunked all sorts of hypothesis from the last 50+ years.

Dietary fat, whether saturated or not, is not a cause of obesity, heart disease, or any other chronic disease of civilization.
The problem is the carbohydrates in the diet, their effect on insulin secretion, and thus the hormonal regulation of homeostasis—the entire harmonic ensemble of the human body. The more easily digestible and refined the carbohydrates, the greater the effect on our health, weight, and well-being.
Sugars—sucrose and high-fructose corn syrup specifically—are particularly harmful, probably because of the combination of fructose and glucose simultaneously elevates insulin levels while overloading the liver with carbohydrates.
Through their direct effect on insulin and blood sugar, refined carbohydrates, starches, and sugars are the dietary cause of coronary heart disease and diabetes. They are the most likely dietary causes of cancer, Alzheimer's diseases, and the other chronic diseases of civilization.
Obesity is a disorder of excess fat accumulation, not overeating, and not sedentary behavior.
Consuming excess calories does not cause us to grow fatter, any more than it causes a child of grow taller. Expending more energy than we consume does not lead to long-term weight loss; it leads to hunger.
Fattening and obesity are caused by an imbalance—a disequilibrium—in the hormonal regulation of adipose tissue and fat metabolism. Fat synthesis and storage exceed the mobilization of fat from the adipose tissue and its subsequent oxidation. We become leaner when the hormonal regulation of the fat tissue reverses the balance.
Insulin is the primary regulator of fat storage. When insulin levels are elevated—either chronically of after a meal—we accumulate fat in our fat tissue. When insulin levels fall, we release fat from our fat tissue and use it for fuel.
By stimulating insulin secretion, carbohydrates make us fat and ultimately cause obesity. The fewer carbohydrates we consume, the leaner we will be.
By driving fat accumulation, carbohydrates also increase hunger and decrease the amount of energy we expend in metabolism and physical activity.

Arriving at this...

A low-calorie, high-carbohydrate diet will make you lethargic as chronically high insulin levels will try to convert glucose to fat while not leaving sufficient calories for the remainder of your basal metabolism.

This final conclusion having been summed up by this review here.

If you have the time and, again, already have a bit of insight into this view have a look at that summary. I'll go back to my write up and see if i can't throw more endurance sport anecdotals into the mix. :)

Next up... "the low insulin diet". :)

Potential Race Schedule?

2009-11-14T12:36:00.001-07:00

Ya gotta start with a rough draft right???

January
1/-- ARG CC Oly-d-legal
1/-- CHL CC Oly-d-legal
1/-- Pucon Half

February
2/27 Ed/Bronwyn Wedding

March
3/28 Mooloolaba WC Oly-d-legal

April
4/11 Sydney WCS Oly-d-legal
4/18 New Orleans Half
4/25 St.A's Oly
4/25 Galveston Half

May
5/9 Rev3-Knox Oly
5/29 Pelican Fest Sprint
5/31 BB 10k

June
6/6 Oliver Half
6/6 Rev3-CT Half
6/12 Boise Half
6/20 CDA IM
6/20 5430 Sprint
6/26 L2L Oly-ish

July
7/11 Peak Oly
7/11 LTF-Minn Oly
7/18 LTF-NYC Oly
7/18 Racine Half

August
8/1 Calgary Half
8/7 Hansen Wedding
8/15 L. Stevens Half
8/30 LTF-Chi Oly
8/30 Canada IM

September
9/12 Rev3-Cleveland IM

October
10/10 Kona IM

Pursuits

2009-11-13T16:07:00.001-07:00

“The supreme accomplishment is to blur the line between work and play.”
- Arnold Toynbee

"Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life."
- Confucius

Where _does_ it all come from and what does it all mean? My trip to the grocery this evening.

2009-11-10T20:05:00.009-07:00

*This is something of a precursor post to my still coming (and currently drafted but still cleaning up) post on nutrition and what I've learned throughout the year.

After a weekend in Seattle with some good friends and evenings and talks filled with the hot topic of food sourcing, quality, transportation and it's connection to our athletic performance I arrived home to an empty fridge. So with a day of work behind me I begin to head home but need to fill up on my necessities.

I think I walked around in the store for 45 minutes to an hour. And it's not even that large a store. Suddenly my head is now filled with all sorts of dilemmas.

So why the consternation. I have been reading (and re-reading) several of Michael Pollan's works over the last few months (holistic, properly sourced sustainable practices...summed up with healthy earth, healthy body). I have supplemented this with some of Taubes (no carbs) and then capped it off with viewing "Food Inc." while in Seattle. The movie hardly touches upon what they could have shown but i guess when you are walking around a sketchy organization with cameras and microphones and a journalistic attitude you likely are not going to be granted much access. Also whilst in Seattle I had many a debate (on all areas expressed here) with my friend Chris, with whom I was staying and also who jump started me on my own research in this area. Finally wrap it all up with what I have been learning from Bob (low carb but w/a sports angle to it) with regard to metabolic efficiency in aerobic activity and you've got one world of a storm swirling around in my head!

So now that I've prefaced my mindset as I was getting out of the car....let's go shopping.

First I set foot into the prepared foods section. As this stuff tends to be pricey over raw product I skip it without a thought 19 times out of 20. But since I've been feeling more saited on meat and fat alone and feel no need for carbs i thought that just maybe the turkey and pork carnitas would be calling my name. Darn...they were there (top right of pic). As I reach for them I begin to think....how was the pig/turkey raised? What did it eat? What did it live in? How far did it come to reach my store? Whatever... toss a couple in the basket... it tastes good.

Next... produce. Fruit....oh so lovely fruit. Hmmmm wait... you are filled with sugar and carbs and right now while in the midst of minimal activity i am trying to teach my body (by way of what i eat) that sourcing fat is the way to go. So nope...you aren't a part of the game plan...for now...i'll visit you again come training season. Now onto the veggies... mushrooms.... well... they are from the awesomeness of Colorado so they haven't traveled too far but man do we gotta put them in a styrofoam tub? Adds three to basket. Greens... bulk spring and bagged spinach. I know where this is going. When in California it blows my mind how much cheaper any salad green is there. I come home and boom...double the price. So i can only think that that price increase comes in the form of petroleum. Grrrrrreat. Hey "i need my greens" so toss them in.

Meats....since reading the Pollan chapter on the life cycle of a beef cow and what it eats, how it lives, etc. I have not touched beef save for some grass fed, organic, free range that I got in Kona for the whopping price of 2.09 a pound. Now I can't look at any meat product without the images from the book and elsewhere floating through my head. You really have to read the books/see the movie to get this. Needless to say no meat went into the bin here. Wild fish from the freezer it would be.

Onto Eggs: I think I spent 8-10 minutes staring at the eggs alone. All this talk about veggie fed, organic, free range, blah blah blah. The mind begins to spin. Then you stop and think... "why the hell are birds eating veggies?" Last I checked birds eat things like bugs and worms and grubs and scavenge for food. Not veggies. Oh well.... so i gambled and went with the nearest egg producer since they all basically said the same thing. The packing plant is 30 miles away....done.

Dairy.... this about falls in line with the industrial meat production. The industrial organic is not much different except for the cows maaaaybe getting a hair more room to move around and the consumption of organic corn. My patience with the store and all the thoughts rolling though my head was wearing thin, I hedge my bets and go with what i feel might be okay. I can only imagine what grass fed milk tastes like. As for the almond milk.... i have no idea... i just like it's taste. (note: normally i dont eat dairy (what mammal continues to consume dairy once weaned from mother's milk?) but have been persuaded by the docs that it's a good idea for the busted bones)

In the end I can't dwell on it all too much or my head would just explode. I'll do my part to try and be a local-vore and promote sustainable practices as best I can. I'm a realist and know that I'll continue to buy my (relatively) cheap salad greens from California rather than close by (economies of scale). I'll still eat the organic corn fed dairy products (but really do desire to taste some grass fed butter) and try not to think about the fuel going into transporting organic produce from China or Chile.

Funny.... time for some more T.Roosevelt.... "do what you can, with what you have, where you are"

....and dark chocolate ALWAYS has it's place.

Another good one from Teddy Roosevelt

2009-11-09T23:32:00.000-07:00

"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat."

-T. Roosevelt

Seattle Bound

2009-11-04T22:24:00.001-07:00

Well.... it is seattle after all *sigh*

30+ days there over the past decade and only one has been sunny. Keep going at the wrong time of year! :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VlK2BOhmvU

Nov 5

Rain / Wind

57°
47°

100%

From the South

18mph

Fri
Nov 6

T-Showers

51°
44°

90%

From the South Southwest

16mph

Sat
Nov 7

Rain

48°
43°

90%

From the South Southwest

16mph

Sun
Nov 8

Few Showers

49°
43°

30%

From the South Southeast

6mph

Mon
Nov 9

Showers

49°
43°

40%

From the South Southeast

7mph

A good summation on my coaching

2009-11-01T13:50:00.000-07:00

Can't really direct the credit for this as it was simply a post on the wattage list but i felt that it describes my style. I think it goes nicely with my assertion that I coach people and that I "read" people quite well, always have.

*************************************

In my opinion, every athlete I coach is an uncontrolled experiment. There are basic instructions I can give them, basic data I can collect, and basic parameters I can identify and tweak, but I will not get the same results using the exact same inputs for each athlete.

Coaching is both a science and an art.

Marc Genberg put it very well when he identified what are also for me  the top 3 reasons why someone works with a coach, and it has nothing  really, in my opinion, to do with whether they are a "leader" or a  "follower" (these are simplistic terms used by people who want to  merely divide the human race up into camps, in my opinion) but more to  do with why people want to be the best they can be:

1. Structure  
2. Accountability  
3. Collaboration

#1 provides a framework within which an athlete can work. Most people  can't and don't do professional work at home because they need to have  the structure of going to work to earn a living, for example. The  same is true for most athletes. No structure, no work. Some people  are good at developing their own structure, others less so.

 #2 is related to #1: we can't all be our own bosses at all times. All  of us need to have someone else to report to, who can give us feedback  on whether they believe we are doing a good job and/or are working to  the best of our ability, based on a careful examination of the work  performed. Some people don't need another person for that. I for one  am not divinely inspired. Wish I could be, but we all have our  limitations....

 #3 is also a natural extension of #2: most people work better when  they work with someone else. If you prefer just following orders and  doing what you are told, collaboration may not work for you. For me,  I need dialog and feedback: "Why should I do this? What's the point  here? How is this going to help me?" The athletes who I have worked  with who asked those sort of questions, and provided that sort of  feedback, are those who -- most of the time, but not always -- get the  best results and show the greatest improvements.

Everyone has their own personal constraints and limitations. Working  hard to address these three core elements is what good coaches do, in  my opinion. People are not simple machines. There's a big,  complicated CPU sitting on top of the engine with 16 quadrillion  interconnects. Coaching is far more complicated than just pushing  some buttons, or writing a little bit of simple software. It takes  knowledge -- both academic and empirical kowledge, experience,  judgment, and wisdom. It also takes the ability to see each athlete  as an individual, requiring individual attention, consideration, and  counsel.

If you don't need any of these things, and are comfortable and  successful working on your own to achieve your own goals, you don't  need a coach.

Being a good example to others

2009-10-29T13:47:00.000-06:00

Found this little excerpt from Mags here...

The key point being presented in the last paragraph...

Why do sad things happen to good people? Probably because they are the ones strong enough to make the whole world smile and dream. They are examples to all of us, they are there to show how strong a positive mind can be. I remember the way his interview ended: With a huge smile on his face, he said: -When it goes well, I smile, when it doesn't go well, I smile too!- he then laughed. It sounds so simple! I guess that is the secret to becoming a champion.

Good stuff. :)

BikesBelong....Boulder Bike Story

2009-10-27T04:15:00.001-06:00

Boulder Bike Story from Bikes Belong on Vimeo.

The Breakfast Ride : Adrenaline Trisport Saturday Mornings 10am

2009-10-26T16:44:00.004-06:00

What: The Breakfast Ride

When: every Saturday (rain/snow/shine) at 10a (first one rolls on November 7th)

Where: leaving from Adrenaline Trisport in Niwot/Boulder

Route/Details: A, B & C groups with a 7-8 mile neutral roll out from the shop to Hygiene along 75th street for socializing and catching up. Route then continues on Hwy 66 to Lyons for "fruit loops" before returning back to the shop for....

Breakfast: Free coffee from Winot/Folsom St. Coffee Co. will be available as well as a yet to be decided local breakfast yummy. We are working on promoting local companies so some items you may see from week to week are Auntie Kay's Baked Goods, walnut cafe, Garden Cafe, and more. If you have a fav that you think would be a good fit, let us know!

How things have been going

2009-10-24T19:39:00.004-06:00

It only just occurred to me that, despite a few posts since the event, none of them touched upon how things have gone since. No wonder seemingly EVERY email i get finishes with, "how's the hand?" I've fallen into twitter only mode as it's far easier to do. Not to mention that every time i have even the slightest motivation to put a thought to key that the prospect of doing so must over come the fact that i'd be typing out said lengthy note with but a single finger manning the responsibilities for the entire left side of the key board. Whooosh!!! That's the sound of any and all desire as well as endorphins getting flushed away. More on that in a bit. Little bit of catch up for now.

I remained in Kona for another two weeks post crash. In retrospect I probably should have just split. At the same time I did very much enjoy my last three days on the island. The days between those two points....mmmmm not so much. At first I had planned on surgery in Kona the following monday but then after consulting with my Boulder docs it was concluded that I should have the surgery here. This finality didn't come around till Sunday and by then i thought that i just might as well stick for the race. Race day was fun as I got to do some spotting work for IMlive during the swim before then holing up in the IMlive office to watch and take some more splits from the cars and scooters on the bike and run courses. Had dinner with Mr. Graves at the awards and then more after party fun at Hugo's. Hit the red eye home (geez i wish there was a non-red eye option for denver) popped off the plane to the bus, to the car, to the doc's and off to dinner and grabbed Mom from Bro'ski. After being up for 34 hours i then slept 14.5 barely waking in time to make it to surgery. This massive sleeping would be (and still is) the post Kona theme. After months of 5-6-7 hour nights the long zzzz’s are welcomed. Mom was absolutely AWESOME (although i was a bit begrudging of her assistance whilst she was here) and helped with all sorts of things a one handed dude cannot attend to with the home.

So nearly a week has passed since she left, going on two from surgery and four from the date of the accident. I think everything is going well but have been impressed with the need I still have for ibuprofen on a regular schedule, the still swollen fingers, pain that comes with no warning or stimulous, and maaaaaaaan i can feel those pins constantly. :)

When faced with the prospect of "forced down time" I had all these visions of "what I would do". I was going to hike, take trips, get social again after a summer of devotion to training and work on new sponsors for the coming year. The reality is staring at mounting medical bills, dwelling on very little income, sleeping for 12+ hours on many days, waning focus, no drive and the odd feelings of depression. I say odd because it's like there are two me's. There's this rational thinking mental me that says gogogogogogogogo, do stuff, do things, be proactive, get your work done but it's up against this physical me that's just really bogged down. Okay, so depressed really is a bit strong wording, but I've been deep enough in the physical/hormonal dumps that no amount of mental fortitude can pull me up out of it. When I’m “stuck” in this rut it feels as though it isn’t me. I definitely have a greater appreciation for those who deal with this constantly. Lucky for me the cure is right there... just look outside and GO OUTSIDE!!! but the action to do so is quite daunting. So that's kind of where i've been…. stuck. The deadline for getting "new business proposals" (sponsorship work) out is this week and the fear of a deadline WILL BE more than enough to motivate me to "get my shit done". Or at least it had better!!! :)

It’s most definitely a trying time and so many people have sent words of encouragement as well as suggestions for how to make my way through it without being regretful on the tail end of the ordeal for what I could have done. The top suggestion seems to be “no matter how bad you feel GET OUT!” I’ll know more about the course the next 5 weeks will take and what I will and wont be able to do in the mean time after I meet with the docs this week. I frankly have no idea what to expect. I will however be looking forward to the new cast I’ll be getting… the current one smells HORRIBLE!

So this probably has got to rank (wrank? ;-) up there as the most negative post of the year. Don’t read me wrong, I’m accepting reality and not sugar coating things thus the transparent account here. I’ve mellowed out a bit and frankly can really see no other option than…. Get healthy, build back up, get faster, go race, compete, dominate, win.

…it’s what I do.

Using sport to spread a message

2009-10-16T09:50:00.002-06:00

When you look at elite sport (as opposed to the big TV leagues that are largely entertainment) as only a snapshot in time it can appear to be an incredibly selfish endeavour. This static view is a bit short sighted depending upon whom it is you are viewing. Some folks simply are in it for the racing. Other athletes understand their value as a marketing vehicle and are in it for the racing and the promotion of a sponsor's message, be it an endemic or non-endemic sponsor. Then there are those individuals that are in it for more. They use sport as a platform for a greater message. A message of goodwill, or to be a lightening rod for change. To be a source of inspiration for others to follow. To lead by example. All of these require a certain level of notoriety earned through sporting excellence within one's chosen sport as well as beyond the boundaries (the non endemic) of one's chosen field such that the message reaches a larger audience. I have my own aspirations/agenda with regard to a message beyond sport that I'd love to convey to a wider audience but know that I'll have to bide my time until i get my "medals".

Just my thoughts after watching Simon's video below.

my "how do you go lite" submission

2009-10-14T18:56:00.000-06:00

This was a contest to find the most intrepid new "mod-lete" for the new golite website. Just sharing more Colorado love. I'll know on 10/15 if it clicked with them!

To most awesome folks at golite,

To fully understand and appreciate where I am now you have to look back. My headline is quite apropos to where I’ve been, where I am and where I’m going. So first a little background.

Like any suburbanite kid in a bustling city of 7 million you are pushed to go-go-go and fall in line with the rest of society and sign up for the rat race and start working on the “checklist”. High School all A’s and a load of AP courses, Olympic Trials Swim qualifier, University, business school, working corporate finance. All checked off. But what wasn’t checked off was a feeling of fulfillment or purpose. I lived the life that the “checklist” told me to live and yet I got no satisfaction from it. I always felt as though I was living on someone else’s agenda, not mine. Things were not right. Something that I couldn’t quite put my finger on was missing. In the summer of 2006, after a layoff, I moved to Boulder. I had never lived in the mountains and yet on that first day, as I rode higher and higher and higher, up into the thin air I became more alive. I was inspired by all the beauty that was around me. I recall cresting the pass on Hwy 36 into Estes Park early that morning and gazing down into the valley and then beyond it to the high peaks of Rocky Mountain National Park. I still remember the thoughts that floated through my mind that day. “I am never leaving.... I have finally come HOME.” Eventually my new home inspired me to throw away society’s check list, quit my roll in the traditional work force and set out to create a new life. One where I charted my own path and along the way would and am using my life and my experiences to influence others to realize, immerse and, above all, appreciate the beauty that is a life lived outside.

Now into my fourth year in Colorado and I am still finding myself into new and amazing ways to further enjoy and explore all that we have. Whether it be on two feet, two wheels, or two skis I look for every opportunity to get out and enjoy this most amazing environment.

In the winter no amount of white can get this multisporter down. All you gotta do to keep enjoying the outdoors is just change the medium with which you use to play in it! I have this thing about getting high...seriously. When I set out in the summer, my goal is mountain tops or traversing high passes. It’s no different in winter. Instead of boots or trail runners the tools of the trade become snow shoes and AT gear. High peaks and ridgelines are still the goal. For me the going UP and the effort it takes to do so is much more rewarding then the free ride down. In fact I like the ride down to be as fast as possible so I can get back to the UP as soon as I can! If I’m not looking for vertical then you can find me skating on the horizontal in the Fraser Valley. It’s something I’m looking forward to doing more of this coming season and I’m sure to get a boost after going to watch the Nordic events in Vancouver/Whistler.

In the summer, whether it’s sticking to the trails at the foot of the Flatirons or pounding out miles on the dirt roads up in the high country I can’t help but be thankful for every moment that I get to be outside. Vernal mornings on the Switzerland Trail are truly special. The air up high is exceptionally cool, making you forget the heat that will come later in the day down low. As you head out from the lot the grade is steep and your lungs burn as the 9000 foot air deprives you right from the start. So much for a warm up! As you make your way out to the west you are greeted with occasional turnouts with clears views to the Continental divide. The morning summer sun playing on the rock and still existent snow fields of the Indian Peaks.

When it comes to autumn and the two wheeled variety of outdoor-gateway-vehicle-of-choice it’s hard to beat the looong and steady journey up South St. Vrain Canyon out of Lyons all the way to Brainard Lake. As you turn away from the plains and begin to follow the creek up you are still in quite an arid environment with cottonwood and ash along the water, irrigated hay fields and nearly desert like vegetation. Further in the canyon walls close and the cottonwoods begin to give way to more willows. As you climb higher still the flora has now given way to alpine varieties, having been transported down by the water and taken root in the hospitable environs of the cooler canyon. Whereas the surrounding forest may be one of lodgepole or ponderosa pine, near the clear flowing water, it is Fir, Spruce and Aspen that thrive. All of the green and fall color back lit by the most beautiful bluebird fall skies. Up, up, up you go. Passing thru Peaceful Valley and on to Brainard Lake. Welcome to the Alpine. Tundra, glacial lakes, forests, wetlands and streams. This is what my life was missing all along.

Many of my friends think I’m a bit of a nut. One went so far as to say of my constant love of all that is the mountains.... “you should really get the Colorado Board of Tourism to sponsor/hire you”. At first I may come off as a bit hyper and gregarious when speaking of my experiences but once given the chance to settle down I’m incredibly talented at graphically articulating WHY I so dearly love my time and experiences in the outdoors, thereby giving folks a story to remember and build from as I plant the seed of their own outdoor desires. It is this “planting” that I believe my friends would say is my most amiable “outdoor infection” that I spread and thus why they would say I would be the most awesomest mod-lete!

I see my life as one of opportunity and thankfulness. It is my desire that thru my interactions with members of the local multisport community, my blog <>, my twitter <> and my photo-blog <> that I can convey a sense of appreciation and love for the outdoors to others so that they too may set foot outside four walls, ditch the checklist and... Go!(lite) ...of course! :)

Life.Is.Good.

Quote for my road ahead

2009-10-12T21:21:00.002-06:00

There's no scarcity of opportunity to make a living at what you love. There's only a scarcity of resolve to make it happen.
-Wayne Dyer