Fixed vs Growth Mindset

Great book by Dr Carol Dweck. Are you born with Talent? Are you born with Passion? Are you born with Confidence? Are you born with Mental Toughness? Do you have Free Will?

Depends on your Mindset.  

Lookout Mountain 50 Mile Run

My First Ultra-Marathon

All Smiles Before The Start

Race Start

Still Early, Wearing Gloves

Foolishly Ran Hills

Lula Falls, Beautiful

Getting the Gravel Out

Steep Climb That We Went Up & Down

Finished

Joy
Gorgeous day with no rain. Forecast called for 80% chance earlier in the week.
Friendly competitors. People loved my pink Camelbak.
Shoes dried quickly after running through streams.
No stomach issues. Ironman training forces you to learn how to eat while exercising.
Time: 9 hr 41 min. Most people I ran with had a goal of sub 10 hr for this course.
Finished before sunset and didn't have to worry about using a light
Huge sense of accomplishment. Cried at finish.
Magnificent excursion with Tiffany, Allison, TJ, Harvey, Abbey, & Breaden

Less Than Joyful
No mile markers made it mentally challenging.
Briefly became lightheaded from not consuming enough water.
60-70% of course covered with rocks and roots.
Quadriceps destroyed after 30 miles making it difficult to walk or run downhill.

What I Learned
Walk the hills from the start.
Consume plenty of water. It's easy to refill the bladder.
Get in and get out of the aid stations. I passed a lot of people loitering.
Next up: May 15 ThunderRock 100 mile run.

Our 6 Person Yurt

The Gang

Cherokee Falls at Cloudland Canyon Campsite

Choices

"Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you, and you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use. Once you learn that, you’ll never be the same again." 

- Steve Jobs

Jobs was telling us we have options. We may not like the options and our options may be limited, but we always have a choice. In psychology, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) posits that our options include:

1. Solve the problem

2. Change how you feel about it

3. Accept it

4. Stay the same

5. Make the situation worse

Sometimes the situation can be solved by a simple action or plan. Other times, the situation is more complex and is not able to be solved in the moment. From there we can change how we feel about it. I didn't win the lottery. "Oh well at least I won't have people harassing me for money." Sometimes that's easier said than done. Another option is to accept the current situation. It's painful, but we realize we can't do anything this very second or today. We're not giving up, but rather acknowledging the current reality. Maybe our flight is delayed and we're going to be late. We look into other flights/mode of transportation, but can't find anything acceptable. Therefore our only option is to accept the current situation and wait for an opportunity to change. Staying the same or making the situation worse, both result in misery. We can continue to complain, yell, get drunk, blame ourselves, but nothing changes for the better. 

In my marriage, I encounter several choices each day. I can comfort & support Tiffany or I can push for my agenda. It's a balancing act I often fail. A wise counselor once told us, "If you both go to the well for support, neither one of you is going to get water."  

The secret I've found is to pause, breath, and allow myself time to think. Sometimes I still push for my agenda, but pausing at least allows for the opportunity to think rationally.

Reversible

A recent report in CNN revealed a link between divorce and the amount spent on one's wedding. The more a couple spends on their wedding, the more likely they will divorce.

In another study on marriage, the authors suggest that happiness is based on delusions. If one believes their spouse is smart, funny, attractive, or unique, they are going to have a happier marriage.

Similar results were found by Dan Gilbert, Professor of Psychology at Harvard University. He discovered that happiness was higher when individuals saw situations as non-reversible. In his study, participants ranked a series of paintings on a scale of 1-10. They were then presented with a free print of a painting they ranked as average. Awhile later they were asked to re-rank the paintings. During the second evaluation, they ranked their free print as above average. Here is a video link to his TED Talk.

It seems like when we are denied the opportunity to change a situation, we resolve this tension by adjusting our views. It's a common mechanism used when our thoughts and behaviors do not align. In psychology terms it is called resolving cognitive dissonance. We create delusions or change our opinions so that we can feel consistent.

The first study about marriage and divorce, highlights the challenges that comes with wealth. When we have monetary wealth or wealth of opportunities, we can delay emotions or distract ourselves. In the short term there is some benefit to distractions, but just like credit cards, bills must eventually be paid.  We must eventually deal with emotions to be truly happy.

The second study uses the word delusions, but I believe the participants actually saw their spouses through a wider lens. They saw the unique gifts and talents that may be missed by the casual observer.

Dan Gilbert's studies reveal that happiness is synthesized not found. If we see outcomes as non-reversible, we're forced to see the positives instead of looking for ways to change the past or recreate the past in the future. After a dissappointing race, athletes will typically rush to enter another one. If we lose money on a stock, we hurry to buy another stock. However, by failing to process the reality of the moment, we're suppressing our emotions and missing growth opportunities. Seeing outcomes as non-reversible has the potential to be a powerful tool. The initial sting of being in an undesirable situation is painful, but through the pain we are able to grow.

I wasn't happy with my last race and I can't change that. I really wanted to go out and do another race or sign up for the same event next year, but I didn't. I've accepted the reality and slowly learned to appreciate the gift of that result. If seeing outcomes as non-reversible is painful, know that there will always be another decision looming that can alter one's path.

Lifelong Companion

"I have always completely understood that the one person with whom you will live every second of the rest of your life with, is yourself. Therefore, you better be happy with who you are and be proud of who you are so that you can look yourself in the mirror everyday and like what you see and be happy that you are your own lifelong companion." - Siri Lindley reflecting back on her life during the height of her triathlon career. She failed to make the 2000 Olympic team, but went on to win two World Cups and an ITU World Championship. In doing so she became the #1 ranked triathlete in 2001 and 2002.

The actor Brad Pitt also discussed the importance of loving yourself. “Man, I know all these things are supposed to seem important to us - the car, the condo, our version of success - but if that's the case, why is the general feeling out there reflecting more impotence and isolation and desperation and loneliness? The emphasis now is on success and personal gain. I'm sitting in it, and I'm telling you, that's not it. I'm the guy who's got everything. I know. But I'm telling you, once you've got everything, then you're just left with yourself. I've said it before and I'll say it again: it doesn't help you sleep any better, and you don't wake up any better because of it.”

Siri and Brad are both highly successful people who came to the same conclusion that there is more to life than awards. We are neither heroes nor failures because of our results. Things will neither add or subtract from our intrinsic value. Let go of the search for happiness and just live. Challenge yourself and explore, then at the end of the day give yourself grace knowing that you did the best you could under the circumstances. Once we love ourselves, success will be inevitable.

Benefits of Comparisons

I believe we are doing a huge disservice to ourselves and others by avoiding comparisons and competition. I understand the desire to protect self esteem, but in the process we are producing individuals who are deficient in coping with reality. Video link.

"A smooth sea never made a skillful sailor." - English Proverb

At the end of the day, the moments that are the most satisfying are the moments we do something outside of our comfort zone. This perseverance of effort/grit then serves as a driving force for future achievements.

Inspiration
Comparing ourselves to others can inspire us to new heights. Every year records provide individuals with goals to motivate and guide them.  

Why Not Me?

When faced with a challenge, gritty individuals ask themselves why not me? Seeing other teenagers go to the Olympic games, Katie Ledecky asked herself "Why not me?" She would go on to set world records in the 400, 800, & 1500 meter freestyle.

Change The Focus
Not everyone responds to a situation the same way. Learning from others, we can change our focus or our interpretation of a situation to make it more palatable. Victor Frankl coped with the German concentration camps by choosing to find meaning in even the most brutal situations and thus found a reason to continue living.

Hope

In Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), we often encourage individuals in distress to: Compare themselves to those less fortunate OR Think about people coping the same as you or less well than you. It helps reframe situations and provides hope.

Cope With Disappointment
Seeing other people struggle, helps us with our own struggles. I was recently disappointed with my triathlon performance and feeling inadequate. A few weeks later I saw the world record holder in the Ironman, and quite a few others, struggle with similar stomach issues and it made me feel better. I realized disappointment happens a lot, even to the best of us, but we are still amazing people.

Keep Your Eyes Wide Open
Not all comparisons are equal and some can be destructive. Make sure to create a team around you, to keep your eyes wide open to your true value. People to challenge you, support you, and guide you.

Mind Gym

Endurance sports reporter Bob Babbitt noted a few common post race comments by athletes at the 2014 Ironman World Championships: The importance of nutrition and the mental aspects of the race. It reminded me of the famous crawl by Wendy Ingram & Sian Welch at the IMWC 1997 that took a lot of mental fortitude. Below are a few highlights from a book I recently read on fortitude called Mind Gym by Gary Mack. 

Self Image
How do you see yourself? Confidence goes a long way in alleviating perceived pain. People that are more confident tend to endure discomfort longer than people with less confidence. Do you see yourself as a good runner, cyclist, musician, computer tech, or parent? One way to improve confidence is through affirmations. Not by trying to convince yourself of something you are not, but by acknowledging and routinely reminding yourself of your strengths. "I may not be a math wiz, but I know where to go to find help and I have great relationship skills." By habitually recognizing your strengths, it is like watering a young flower and seeing it grow bigger and bigger. 

Go To Your Mind Gym
In times of stress go to a safe place. Mack calls it going to your mind gym. Taking time to relax allows one to recoup and perform better. Sometimes we only have a few seconds, other times we may have several minutes, but try to develop a visual image, a short phrase, or a routine that allows you to feel safe. Often I will relax my shoulders, take a deep breath, visualize a person I admire, or repeat the phrase "I am Strong and Capable" to refocus my energy. 

Focus on Process
If you want to pitch a perfect game what do you have to do? One could focus on being perfect, throwing strikes, or getting outs, but those are things outside of a player's control. Step back and ask yourself what do you have to do to achieve those results. Maybe it's a high leg kick or intentionally following through with each throw. What have you noticed from the past when you performed well? Do those things and you will increase the likelihood of achieving your desired outcome.

90% effort
Gary Mack highlights research that exerting 90% effort produces better results than giving 100%. Sprinters were told to run at either 90% or 100%. The sprinters that ran at 90% ended up running faster. The problem with giving 100% is that we often tense up and tighten the muscles that need to relax in order to perform well. If we tighten our quads and hamstrings at the same time, we can't move. Throughout the body are similar muscle systems working in tandem with each other. Focusing on 90% effort also allows us to hear and see things that might otherwise be missed when focusing solely on an objective. 

Race Nutrition

Stomach cramps at Kona, Raleigh, and Chattanooga have taught me some invaluable lessons. They also forced me to seek out new ideas. One such source was Dr Tamsin Lewis, who is a pro triathlete, Medical Physician, and former Brett Sutton athlete. She discusses race day nutrition here, here, and here. The following are some of the ideas that I plan to trial in the future.

Decongestants should be avoided race week. I used them in Raleigh to help me overcome a cold, but they ended up causing dehydration. Being hydrated before a race is of upmost importance as I can race with a runny nose, but not cramps.

NSAIDs (Aspirin) should be avoided race day. Lots of athletes take them to reduce pain, but they increased gastrointestinal (GI) acidity and thus impair digestion.

Proton Pump Inhibitors (Omeprazole, Prilosec) may help reduce GI acidity and GI problems during a race. This is a supplement that Dr Lewis recommends on race morning, but not on a routine basis. On race day athletes typically consume a lot of simple sugars, which are very acidic and can cause GI problems. Lewis recommends 20 mg with breakfast.

Activated Charcoal may reduce bloating and nausea from too much sugar consumption. This is another supplement recommended by Dr Lewis. No matter how conservative one is with their calorie consumption, issues may arise due to heat, pace, or other circumstances. Dr Lewis says she always takes 4 capsules (280 mg each) on the bike for a 70.3 and up to 6 for an Ironman.

Mustard may reduce cramps on the run. Professional triathlete Meredith Kessler is a big fan of mustard and carries individual packages during a race. Mustard is hypothesized to stimulate the flow of gastric juices to aid digestion.

Sea Salt on the tongue may reduce cramps. Salt, along with sugar, is an addictive food substance that makes us happy and has been linked to enhanced performance even before reaching the blood stream. BASE Performance markets small vials of sea salt to place on your thumb then mouth. I tried it during my run with Tiffany and the taste of salt helped cut the sweetness of the Coke while providing me with a mental boost. I plan to consume 1,000 mg sodium per hour on the bike and run.

Ensure Plus I typically consume Kefir and Heavy Cream for breakfast, but they must be refrigerated and could potentially spoil. Moving forward, I plan to consume 2 bottles of Ensure Plus. They are shelf stable and an easy to digest balanced mixture of carbohydrates, protein, and fat, providing 350 kcal per bottle.

U-Can I plan to continue consuming one serving, 15- 30 minutes before the race. I like the product because it does not spike my insulin levels pre-race, causing fatigued from a drop in blood sugar.

Calories I plan to reduce my calories from 90 grams to 60 grams of carbohydrates per hour. Going from the upper estimated range to the lower estimated range allows me room to adjust during a race. Once you over-consume calories it's hard to correct. 60 grams per hour is a more conservative approach and being conservative has worked extremely well in other areas of training.

Water consumption may be the single biggest factor causing my issues. At Kona, volunteers lost my special needs bag and I became overly focused on calories neglecting water. At Raleigh, I tried to drink to thirst and ended up only consuming a minimal amount. At Chattanooga I planned to refill my water bottle 3 times at designated aid stations, unfortunately I neglected aid station #8 and thus missed out on 24 oz of water. It was just one too many things to think about during a race.

Keep It Simple Chris Borden, who was the overall amateur champion at IM Chattanooga has a simple approach to nutrition. He grabs water at each aid station. He doesn't have to remember when to grab water or fiddle with refilling his personal bottle, he just drinks at each aid station. Moving forward, I plan to have one bottle of plain water on the bike plus consume 8 oz at each aid station, which would provided me with the exact same 96 oz of plain water.

Coke I love my Chocolate Cherry Clif Bar Turbo Shots with 100 mg of caffeine, but I'm considering switching to Coke. It would be one less thing I had to carry or think about. Plus, Coke is already a liquid and therefore easier to digest than gels. It provides caffeine, it's readily available on the course, and seems to settle an upset stomach. My plan would be to consume Coke and water at each aid station along with an electrolyte supplement. I also plan to walk at each aid station from the Coke table to the last chance trash sign to save my legs for later in the race and help with calorie absorption.

Just wish I knew this before IM Chattanooga, but hopefully this will help others and me at future races. I take solace in knowing it took pro triathlete Meredith Kessler 40 Ironmans to fine tune her nutrition strategy. As always, practice in training before race day.

IM Chattanooga Race Report

Ironman Chattanooga 2014

Build Up & Training
2014 was to be the year of Tiffany's first Ironman. We discussed several races and finally decided on Chattanooga when it was announced the inaugural race would be on her birthday. My goals for the race were to break 9 hours and finish as the first amateur. After an up and down year where I became a little obsessed, I adjusted my goals to focus more on having fun while doing the best I could.

After my last race in Milwaukee, I had 7 weeks to focus on Chattanooga. I added an hour of steady cycling prior to my swim sessions and reduced my speed work & lifting to once a week. I was doing 2 higher intensity days with everything else being steady aerobic. I based my build up on Matt Dixon's new book and in conjunction with previous knowledge from Brett Sutton and Gordo Byrn. My big change was to do a 3 day taper. From what I read, it would keep me at peak fitness, while not losing the hard earned adaptations that typically decline during a traditional 2-3 week taper. With that said, one's weekly/monthly training has to account for the short taper. All in all it worked great. I never felt so strong and fast.  

Swim
Tiffany and I woke up at 4am (3.5 hr before race) and consumed our morning breakfast of Kefir, Heavy Whipping Cream, and Dextrose. Next we walked down to transition to put our nutrition on our bikes and in our run bags. Mike Reilly was already there greeting athletes and informing us that it would be a non-wetsuit swim. Tiffany and another athlete were happy, while everyone else was a little disappointed. From transition, shuttles were provided to transport athletes up the river for the swim start. It was very well organized and fast. Now came the waiting. It was 6 am and the race didn't start until ~7:30 am. Once the race started, the line moved pretty quick, but it was hard to know exactly how close you were to the start. The dock was a temporary platform that was assembled specifically for this race. It started in the grass and extended about 25 yards into the water. At 7:30 am I took one serving of U-Can to get me through the swim. Without much warning, at 7:45 am Tiffany and I were jumping into the water. We kissed and wished each other well. The water was comfortable and not too congested. I focused on sighting the buoys and turning over my arms. Before I knew it, I was finished. We had heard rumors of a current, but one never knows from hour to hour or day to day what the conditions will be. I looked at my watch and I had completed the swim in ~45 minutes (officially 44 minutes). I saw Holly, Val, and Cathy cheering, which helped fuel my competitive fire.

Bike
My transition was super smooth thanks to the non-wetsuit swim. I always have trouble getting those things off. The first section of the bike goes up a small climb, but I didn't even notice it as my legs felt great. I focused on breathing and staying steady. It was helpful knowing the course from our July expedition where we rode portions of the course twice. Soon there were several 35-45 year old athletes around me going about the same pace. I tried to stay in front and not draft. When a faster athlete passed, I picked up my speed and tried to stay with them without going anaerobic. Eventually I would usually pass them. There was one guy, on a black Dimond, that got away and I think he rode a 4:48 finishing as the top amateur. The course was fantastic, lots of small rollers, smooth roads, and scenic mountains in the distance. The town of Chickamauga, Ironman shuttled spectators out to this location, was hopping and I saw several Cincinnati folks. On the second loop, I slowly pulled away from others without increasing my speed too much. I really felt awesome. Coming home was a little lonely, but I had one age grouper and then one female pro in the distance to give me a carrot. My Castelli Free Tri shorts were the most comfortable shorts I've ever worn. I did not feel one ounce of discomfort throughout the whole race. After 116 miles, I finished with a time of 5:01 and an average of 23.1 mph.

Run
Transition went well and I was able to use the restroom prior to the run. The urge to pee was moderate, but once I started I couldn't stop. It felt like I was in there for 5 minutes. Once I started running, my stomach felt a little queasy, but I figured it would go away after a few miles. The course starts out on city roads before transitioning to a bike path along the river. It was pretty, but lonely. I did not see anyone until mile 5. Crossing the river, I was told I was 5th amateur and I soon passed another athlete. Then I passed a male pro, whom I congratulated on wearing my same awesome Asics Gel Hyperspeed 6 shoes. I could have run 100 miles in those 5.6 oz shoes. On this section of the course, there were a few small climbs and the pounding from the descents really upset my stomach. I tried slowing down on the calories and increasing the water, but nothing helped. I saw another athlete up ahead and focus on catching them. As I got closer and closer to mile 13.1, I thought about quitting. My stomach was in such pain that I didn't think I could continue. I didn't know if I was coming down with the cold my wife had earlier in the week or if I over-consumed calories on the bike. All I wanted to do was go to the medical tent. After the special needs bags I started to walk. I eventually sat down at the side of the road and tried to throw up. Nothing came up. I talked to a few friends, but nothing motivated me to continue. On the other side of the street, I saw Kevin Severs finishing mile 7 and decided to call it a day. He encouraged me to continue, sharing stories of friends who had quit and always regretting it. I also heard another friend was slowly approaching and I decided to walk thinking that I could chat with him for awhile. In a surprising twist, Tiffany caught me during her first loop. It was exciting to see her and I was relieved she was doing so well. We walked and eventually started a slow jog. I was feeling better and she encouraged me to go ahead. In total, I walked for about 4 miles at 18 mph pace, losing 70-90 minutes. I switched over to coke and water and walked the aid stations. With each mile, I felt better and better. Once I finished, I decided to go back out and run Tiffany's second loop with her. Run split was 4:20 with a finish time of 10:13.

Questions
At this time, I'm really not sure what happened. I prepared the same amount of calories I've trained with and used at IM Lake Placid. I was careful on the bike to consume enough water and even skipped a few calorie sessions when I felt the slightest discomfort. I stopped calories with 5-10 miles to go and focused on plain water. Maybe I need to be more conservative and consume fewer calories? Maybe I needed more water? Maybe I had a slight stomach virus? Maybe my dietary changes affected my ability to consume large amounts of simple sugars? It's really frustrated because I was in the best shape of my life and had the potential to break or come close to breaking 9 hr. Part of me wants to rationalize and block out the pain, but another part of me is saying experience the disappointment, that it's natural to mourn the loss of an opportunity.

Positives

• On the plus side, I was able to run with Tiffany for 13.1 miles during her second loop. She did amazing and I had fun experiencing it with her. At mile 23, I realized she could break 14 hr, which was in sharp contrast to her fears the day before of finishing within the 17 hr cut off. In true Tiffany fashion, she sprinted the final mile. Once I caught up, we held hands crossing the finish line. 
• It was nice to experience what other athletes go through when the sun goes down. There is such camaraderie among the athletes and volunteers. 
• I made the race recap video at minute 3:40. 
• My mother in law bought me a fantastic Patagonia trucker hat and these amazing light weight taupe Cushe slippers.
• I also learned a lot about ultra-running, gear, and races in Chattanooga during my visits to Rock Creek.  

Who's Voice Are You Listening To?

And God said, "Who told you you were naked?"

Erwin McManus highlighted this passage on 3/9/2014 in a sermon about Voices. It made me think about the voices I listen to. Voices in my head, my family, my friends, and voices in society.

In the Garden of Eden, the only voice Adam and Eve heard was God's, a voice of love. Unfortunately after that moment they started hearing other voices, voices of judgment.

What to do, what not to do, what's right, so many opinions. I guess that is the price of freedom, freedom to do, say, or think whatever we want. I find it extremely annoying when I allow myself to get caught up rehashing articles or comments others have made. I end up having trouble sleeping, working, or relaxing.    

Erwin reminded me that I have a choice. A choice on what I expose myself to and a choice on where I focus my attention. I can limit my interaction with certain individuals and I can limit what I read. When I find myself becoming emotionally charged by an issue, I can redirect and change my focus.

Whenever I want to adopt a new behavior, I try to pair it with a current habit such as eating, sleeping, or driving to/from work. It makes it easier to remember and more likely to occur. Meal time is one of my favorites because I usually have a few extra minutes. Recently I've chosen to close my eyes for 5 minutes, breath, and remind myself what's important to me. I've found that it helps quiet distracting thoughts, allowing me to stay on task and results in a much more pleasant day.

Age Group Nationals

USAT Olympic distance age group nationals was a new experience for me. I'm accustomed to racing for 4 to 10 hours were as this was going to be an intense 2 hour race.

Finding my Why
My goals for 2014 were to qualify for the 2015 ITU World Championships in Chicago and go sub 9 hr with a sub 3 hr run at IM Chattanooga. The goals provided me with motivation, but my level of attachment to these goals created a heavy burden. I took several risks and struggled to find my passion as my early season performance was subpar.

“If you know the why, you can live any how.” - Nietzsche 

Mark Allen was recently interviewed about triathlon and mentoring Peter Reid when he lost his passion for the sport in 2001. Allen encouraged Reid to find new sources to fuel his training. After a difficult year, Peter Reid regained his "why" finishing 2nd in 2002 and 1st in 2003 at the Ironman World Championships. I would also say it's important to remember why we started these journeys in the first place. The year I qualified for Kona, I remember being fed up with all the pressure I placed on myself to be "Elite" and beat other athletes. Shortly before IMLP, I shifted my focus to the personal challenge of testing my limits and soon found peace.

It's funny how I found myself back in the same place, learning the same lesson to once again reorient my focus on the personal challenge. This time I was hearing the "why" of local ultra-marathon runners, which led me to reexamine my reasons for doing triathlons. The idea of running through nature competing only against one's self seemed so peaceful. One of the greatest of all time is Yiannis Kouros, he says he runs these extreme distances to experience a sense of "exceeding." I like the idea of not comparing myself to others or trying to live up to someone else's expectations. Instead make the races about the personal challenge. Now that I am reconnected to the "why," I am hopeful it will help me live with any discomfort whether it be triathlon or other areas of life.

Focus and Perseverance
Although my finish time and place was not what I wanted in Milwaukee, I was really pleased with my performance. I was able to stay focused and relaxed throughout the race. I breathed easy, kept my shoulders loose, and just focused on what was in front of me. When I found myself attempting to predict the future, I shifted my focus to the space in front of me. All in all it was a success and much better than my most recent race, Rev 3 Knoxville.

Volume, Intensity, and Consistency
My initial training plans entailed shorter and faster workouts following Rev3 Knoxville. However, after such a poor performance I decided to re-tailor my training in an attempt to regain my speed. I decided to put in more hours on the bike (my rides went from 3 hrs to 4 hrs) and increased the frequency and duration of my speed sessions. I was drinking the Kool-Aid that long miles, tempo sessions, & speed workouts were the primary factors that make people fast. They're alluring because they make us feel good, like we're accomplished something, but too much can create a lot of Nervous System & tissue damage. In reality, it is the frequent short to medium distance zone 1 & 2 workouts that can be performed day-in and day-out that really build speed. Even 100m sprinters perform 70% of their training at z1 and z2. Triathletes need to spend 90% of their training in those zones. Luckily I have a great wife who constantly challenges my behaviors and I learned my lesson. I'm now doing short two a day bike sessions at an easy to moderate pace while limiting weights, tempo sessions, and speed workouts to once a week.

Carb loading
For age group nationals I decided to try some new carb loading foods. As my wife likes to say, "Bryan loves to tinker." This time I focused on fine tuning the foods I consume on the day before a race. I ate oatmeal with the following ingredients:

3 cups oatmeal
12 cups water

2 cans sweetened condensed milk

3 teaspoons salt

A touch of cinnamon

(For those counting their calories this make 4 servings of 875 calories each)

Before bed I also drank a 32 oz bottle of Kefir. The meal was filling, extremely simple to make, easy to transport, and made eating for the day stress free. I liked it so much that it's become my daily post bike/run meal.

Great City
Tiffany and I both really enjoyed the city of Milwaukee. It was clean, easy to navigate, and offered a variety of things to do and see. The city itself is a collection of Art Deco buildings that are truly a marvel to see. The night life is also quite phenomenal with a plethora of bars that offer both indoor and outdoor seating. We lucked out with a rooftop bar at our hotel that offered a view of the city and lake Michigan.

After the race we grabbed a bite to eat at Smoke Shack, enjoying candied bacon, pulled pork, and sweet potato fries. Best of all, they gave us a free cinnamon roll. Being connoisseurs of local breweries we decided to check out Lakefront Brewery. We were able to enjoy their award winning beer, Eastside Dark while watching people boating and canoeing on the Milwaukee river.

Why Not Flourish?

"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." – Walt Disney

I've always been a little curious, but with my renewed interest in reading my curiosity has gone into overdrive. A recent gem was a gift from my amazing wife, The Psychology Book. It explores the field of psychology from the founding fathers to modern psychologist in easy to understand language with relevance to everyday life. One of the psychologists featured was Martin Seligman and his book Flourish. His focus is on people's strengths rather than their weaknesses.

Here are a few of his exercises:


Use Your Strengths

• He suggests taking the VIA strengths questionnaire to assess your strengths and then to think of ways to use those strengths more in your daily life. There are several other assessment questionnaires on his website such as the Grit survey to measure perseverance. I took the VIA and my top strength was creativity. It was very enlightening and helped me better understand my current habits. I realized I have been tinkering with my triathlon training to satisfy my drive for discovering new and better ways to do things. Unfortunately it was my only creative outlet and led to too much tinkering. Since taking the questionnaire, I am now exploring other ways to satisfy my desire to be creative such as cooking and encouraging others (exercise #3).

Three Good Things

• Another exercise is to think of three good things, each evening, that happened and why you think they happened. In other words, what went well and why. I've done this exercise before, and I like the twist of exploring why. Research on the traditional Gratitude Exercise has shown improvements in sleep, happiness, illness, and a host of other benefits. The exercise forces me to view each day as a positive and reminds me of the small steps that lead to each accomplishment. I worry less and focus more on the controllable process.

Active Responding

• Exercise #3 is active-constructive responding. It is where you react in a visibly positive and enthusiastic way to good news from someone else. At least once a day, respond actively and constructively to someone you know. Celebrate with them. Ask them to relive the event. This is not an area of strength for me. My focus is typically on myself and making myself feel good. However, Seligman points out that emotions are contagious. When other people are happy and you celebrate with them, you can't help but feel better. It reminds me of Bandura and his research on confidence. Seeing other people achieve success helps you believe you can achieve success. Seligman also points out that being pessimistic is as bad for your health as smoking 2 packs per day of cigarettes. Luckily happiness is more powerful than sadness. So far this exercise is a work in progress, but has given me a distraction from my own worries.

Savoring

• Once a day, take the time to enjoy something that you usually hurry through (eating, showering, walking, etc.). When it's over think about what you did, how you did it differently, and how it felt compared to when you rush through it. This exercise of "living in the moment" has shown me that joy is all around. Sometimes I look for specific "things" to make me happy, but that ends up limiting my happiness to only a few moments in life. Plus those moments don't last forever. I wait and wait for the weekend, only to have it pass so fast. By slowing down I have also improved my patience and self control.

Make a Decision

Poop Or Get Off The Pot.

I have a tendency to over-analyze situations and delay decisions. Tiffany hates this about me and is routinely telling me to just pick something. On the flip side, I don't make the mistake of buying unsalted butter when I needed salted butter :)

In Anthony Robbins' Awaken the Giant Within, he describes life as just a series of decisions. Nothing is fixed. "You have the power right now to control how you think, how you feel, and what you do. Everything you could ever want, tangible or not, is all within you." In other words, we are not victims of circumstance. We have the power to change and shape our destiny.

Unfortunately we delay decisions to avoid pain or find the perfect solution, which ultimately makes the situation worse. We look for that perfect choice, but in reality every choice has pros and cons. Mike Rowe, from Dirty Jobs, answered a fan's request for help finding the perfect job with: "Stop looking for the right career..focus on what's available...you can always quit...happiness doesn't come from a job."

Blunt but true. The great entrepreneurs from John Jacob Astor, Andrew Carnegie, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Henry Ford, Mary Kay Ash, Ray Kroc, & Bill Gates all took risks and that is why they succeeded. Some decisions worked out, while others didn't. John Maxwell says, "The greatest mistake we make is living in constant fear that we will make one." John Jacob Astor, America's first multi-millionaire, initially came to America with the intent of selling musical instruments, once in America he sold fur, then opium to the Chinese, then invested in real estate in New York. He was flexible and moved forward.

This fear that we avoid is a concept, a prediction, that only resides in our mind. It keeps us from living in the real world and recognizing that life is not so bad. George Kohlrieser encourages us to "Put the fish on the table. It's smelly and cleaning it is messy work, but you get a good meal in the end." Decisions can be scary and intimidating, but in the end there's always benefits as well as the opportunity to make another decision. Have desires and dreams, but avoid fixations. "Suffering is the frustration of our desires and expectations." - Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha)

Challenge for the week: THINK, DECIDE, DO

What Makes People Great?

What makes people great, is it talent or effort? I've seen athletes who were carefree and seemed to get by with minimal training and I've seen athletes that appeared to need every minute of training. In Talent is Overrated, Geoffrey Colvin argues that it is neither.

• It's not IQ or Memory

Colvin says there are international chess masters who possess below average IQ. It's also not the result of an innately strong memory. Individuals with average IQs, who started out recalling 7-8 digits spoken aloud, have been taught to recall over 100 digits. In the realm of business, IQ is a decent predictor of performance on unfamiliar tasks but once a person has been at a job for a few years, IQ predicts little to nothing about performance.

• It's not Experience

Experienced Physicians were no better than Physicians with only a few years of experience at diagnosing problems. If fact, some of the older Physicians were worse. Just because someone has been working at the same company for decades does not mean they are any more an expert. One could simply find a comfortable routine and never challenge themselves or advance their skills. This is scary because the half life of knowledge is shrinking. Depending on the field, what we know today will be obsolete in 4-7 years.

• It's not Innate Ability

Mozart and Tiger Woods are poster children for innate ability. However, when one looks closer they both had fathers that went to painstaking lengths to teach them their crafts from a very young age.

The Answer is: Deliberate Practice
It's about taking specific steps to achieve a goal. It's not about doing everything well, but doing a few things really well. That's why IQ doesn't really matter. You're only focusing on a few small things. Jerry Rice, the Hall of Fame receiver, wasn't the best athlete, but he focused on a few keys areas to succeed. He didn't just play more football or watch more film, he studied the film using a specific protocol to better understand defenses. He also did specific uphill wind sprints to improve his explosive acceleration.

At the Music Academy of West Berlin. The good, better, and best violinists all practiced the same amount of total hours, but the best violinist committed more time to individual practice. It was the least popular form of practice, but it allowed them to focus on specific areas for improvement.

In a crazy story that could only happen in the 1960s, Laszlo Polgar advertised for a wife to help him prove that geniuses are made not born. He had 3 daughters and he taught them all to become internationally ranked chess champions. His daughter Judith reached the status of top female and top 10 overall.

Develop a Plan

Steve Martin regularly recorded his stand up routines and later listened to specific aspects of the shows to make adjustments. It's not a matter of just wanting something and trying really hard. It starts with having a belief/goal, that is broken down into specific steps, and adjusted through feedback. Panasonic developed a 500 year plan that has helped them over the years prepare for the future. Currently they are working with Tesla on a $5 billion factory to make next generation car batteries. On a personal note, I've added weekly feedback sessions with my wife to assist in writing my weekly plan. It's helping me stay on track, achieve my goals, and reduce stress. My next step is to develop a 90 day and 5 year plan.

Supportive Environment

Interestingly, Colvin noted that the great Einstein, Gardner, & Stravinsky all came from smaller cities. He hypothesized that being a big fish in a small pond helps develop confidence and future success. Malcolm Gladwell touches on this subject in David & Goliath. He found that some students become demoralized and lose passion when they go to a prestigious universities and compete in a bigger pond. I discussing this topic with a friend who attended MIT and he felt that social support plays a huge role in who succeeds and who quits. It makes me think that more people could be great if we just encouraged each other a little more and focused our feedback on specific behaviors rather than personal traits. 

Passion

Colvin concludes that greatest comes from Passion. However, in contrast to popular belief, passion is not fully formed at birth or sudden bestowed, it develops over time. It comes from the fulfillment of being good at something, being told your doing well, making progress, or receiving rewards. The rewards can be extrinsic at first, such as money or a trophy, but to maintain the passion one needs continuous intrinsic motivators.

My Take Aways
Praise someone/yourself today and see what passion is ignited. Even the most minute progress could eventually evolve into greatness. Secondly, ask yourself what do you want and what do you believe? If you don't believe something is possible, passion is not going to develop. In the end, "We may not become Mozart or Jack Welch, but we could become better." - Geoffrey Colvin

Takeru Kobayashi

Takeru Kobayashi revolutionized the Nathan's hot dog eating contest. In his first attempt at the famed contest in 2001 he ate 50 hot dogs in 12 minutes. The previous record was 25. Recently he was interviewed on the Freakonomics podcast sharing his tips on deliberate practice and creative ways to tackle obstacles. One of the most interesting comments was about how he handles defeat. He said, "Sometimes you win because the other person is having a bad day and sometimes you lose because you're having a bad day. Winning or losing doesn't mean you're the best. In the long run, you can't look at competing against others. All you can do is compare yourself to yourself and see how far you can go."

How PROFOUND!  You're really only competing against yourself.

All too often we compare ourselves to others and feel inadequate or develop a false sense of superiority. It reminds me of the banter between Richard Sherman & Michael Crabtree & Patrick Peterson. Who is better? Who is the best? Can we answer that? Does it matter? Some athletes talk trash to get in the heads of their opponents and throw them off their game. However, the athlete/person who stays focused on themselves will always succeed.

NFL legend Bill Walsh said the secret to his coaching success was staying focused on what mattered. Bill didn't worry about the other team or things outside his control. He focused on HIS job and what HE could do. He taught his athletes to live in the moment by moment processes that would lead to success. He won several games with this philosophy and even cherished some of the losses because he knew he did everything he could on that day.

If one can develop a similar attitude, there would be no limits. No more shame or doubt. No more distractors. Only Joy. 

IM Chattanooga Preview

This past weekend Tiffany I visited Chattanooga to scope out the city and ride the bike course for the upcoming September Ironman. From Cincinnati the trip is about 5 hours straight down 75.

Bike Course
The bike course is relatively flat with a few rollers and false flats going south. The return trip home has several fast downhill sections. Nowhere on the course are there technical turns. To compare it with other courses, I would rate the bike course as slightly easier than IM Louisville. During our training ride we saw several other riders and they said the course is very popular on Saturdays or Sundays with minimal car traffic. The roads were mostly smooth with a small 5 mile section of old cracked pavement when you first start the two loops. The course is also marked with orange paint to help with navigation, although in some spots it was faded.

The run course travels east along a pedestrian trail before transitioning to the road. From there it travels over a bridge then back over a wooden pedestrian bridge. The course is fairly flat with a small hill between mile 1 and 2 that zig zags up the pedestrian trail.

Adventures
Rock City - It is a beautiful natural trail through rock formations on the top of Lookout Mountain that leads to a waterfall. We would definitely go again. Plan 1.5 to 2 hr for your self guided tour.
Ruby Falls - It is a guided tour through a cave to an indoor waterfall. It takes about 1.5 hr with several unique stalagmite formations along the way. I really enjoyed it, but you have to be patient with the slow journey.

Incline - It is a train ride up the mountain. It's claim to fame is the fact that it is the steepest incline in the USA. A round trip takes about 1 hr. It was interesting, but not worth the money.
Hunter Museum - It is a museum that overlooks the Tennessee River with several historic works of art. It is on the run course and the area has several cute restaurants.
Cloudland Canyon State Park - This was our campsite. We rated it as our favorite campsite so far. It was on top of a mountain with breathtaking views, hikes, and two gorgeous waterfalls. They also have Yurts (wooden floors and walls with a canvas roof) and Cabins.
Hang Gliding - On our bucket list. Tandem trips cost $249 to $299. The instructor said it is the number one ranked hang gliding location in the world.
Train - There are several short train trips around the city. We plan to ride the train on our return trip during IM weekend.
Whitewater Rafting - It is advertised as the best whitewater rafting east of the Mississippi.

Food
Sugar's Ribs - Fabulous ribs at a local hole in the wall diner.
Terminal Brewhouse - This is where we watched the World Cup finale and enjoyed some homemade craft beers. They also have delightful pot roast nachos and a stout ice cream beer float.
Tremont Tavern - Huge beer selection and delicious sandwiches. It is located on the run course for potential spectators or thirsty athletes.
Cloudland Cavern - Near Cloudland Canyon State Park. It is supposedly the best steakhouse in Chattanooga, but only open Wed to Sunday.

Small Specific Steps to Greatness

Meredith Kessler completed 20 Ironmans before 2007 with a personal best of 11:28. She was training long hours, but not seeing any improvement. She went hard all of the time and was constantly fatigued. She made a few specific changes, is now training only 15-17 hr per week with more focus on recovery and posting low 9 hr finishes. If Meredith can do it, who else might be able to make such a huge transformation?

Mary Beth Ellis was diagnosed with osteoarthritis in 2005 and told she couldn't run marathons anymore. She made a few changes, switched to triathlon, and is now one of the top female triathletes.

Jack Welch showed no particular inclination towards business even into his mid twenties. He majored in chemical engineering and considered becoming a professor before he took a job at GE. He made a few specific changes and became the most influential business manager of his time.

John D Rockefeller grew up a poor, forgettable, and indistinguishable child. Classmates and tutors have no recollection of John excelling at anything. He made a few specific changes and became the business magnate we know today.

Steven Ballmer started at P&G where he played waste-bin basketball with wadded up memos and was voted least likely to succeed. He made a few specific changes and before the age of 50 became the CEO of Microsoft. He recently purchased the LA Clippers NBA basketball team for $2 billion.

Jerry Rice did not possess typical NFL speed and was not recruited by major universities. He focused on specific tasks to improve his game and became the greatest wide receiver in the history of the NFL.

Winston Churchill grew up with a lisp. He focused on specific tasks to improve his public speaking and became one of the greatest orators of the 20th century.

In 1978, a famous research participant with an average IQ went from struggling to repeat 9 digits spoken aloud to recalling 82 digits after 250 hr of deliberate training over 2 years.

Several chess grand masters have IQs that are below average.

Ben Hogan, one of the greatest golfers in the history of the sport, was uncoordinated and graceless as a child.

Darwin and Tolstoy were considered ordinary children. Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, and Lucille Ball were told they had little potential for their chosen fields.

Challenge: What's holding you back from making specific changes to unleash your potential? What one small step can you take today?

What I'm Learning Now

Delay Gratification

I've noticed that I have a tendency to go to extremes.  When I find a good book, I fill my days with reading it.  Unfortunately, this leads to a lot of angst trying to find the necessary free time. After a while I reach a point of saturation and become bored. I've seen the same thing happen with surfing ESPN.com, listening to podcasts, exploring recipes, and searching for new training techniques. With ESPN, I've purposely set boundaries to only visit the website during my third meal of the day.  As a result, I have something to look forward to and it maintains it's pleasure. I'm starting to do the same with my Podcasts and books.

Set Boundaries on Email and Social Media

I recently read a blog by Eric Baker on the daily activities of highly successful people. His number one tip is to stop checking email in the morning. He says checking email sets you up to react and gives your best hours to someone else’s goals. Your objectives become hijacked by others. Mr Baker referenced research that email: stresses you out, can turn you into a jerk, is more addictive than alcohol and tobacco, and checking email frequently may drop your IQ by 10 points. His suggestion is to wait one or two hours before viewing your email. For the past week, I've been delaying email until 4-7 pm and it's worked. I'm more focused on my priorities and not get distracted by others.

Recharge In The Evening Without TV or Internet

According to the American Psychological Association, the most effective stress-relief strategies are exercising or playing sports, praying or attending a religious service, reading, listening to music, spending time with friends or family, getting a massage, going outside for a walk, meditating or doing yoga, and spending time with a creative hobby. The least effective strategies are gambling, shopping, smoking, drinking, eating, playing video games, surfing the Internet, and watching TV or movies for more than two hours. Recently, I've stopped watching TV in the evening, which has opened up more time to read. No more flipping through channels trying to find something that is halfway decent to watch. Now I have more time for things that I want to do and are guaranteed to be rewarding.