First 100K Cylcing Race COMPLETE!

Image by HeroicLife via Flickr Wow, I'm not sure I ever actually thought this could be done. My wife and I, along with several friends, decided a few months back it would be a fun idea to plan, train for, and complete a 100k race, specifically the Hotter 'N Hell 100 in Wichita Falls, Texas. It just so happens that this particular race is THE LARGEST organized road race in the entire country! What a way to "break the ice!"

It started Saturday morning, bright and early at our hotel 50 miles away from the actual starting line. We stayed in Lawton, Oklahoma because that was the only hotel available three months before the race. It turns out you need to book your hotel stay a year in advance if you want to be close to the action! So, we get up at 4am to start the day. It's breakfast time, and based on everything I've learned about nutrition for training to date, we bust out some carbs. We eat bread and peanut butter, granola cereal, bananas, TONS of water, and some yogurt. Mind you, all of this was piled on top of the ridiculous mound of bread and pasta that we ate (at a GREAT little Italian restaurant named Luigi's in Lawton) at dinner the night before...ugh!

So, my wife and I collect all of our gear, run down the hotel hall to grab our training buddy (and great friend) that's racing too, and off we go. We drive to meet my wife's Uncle at his hotel in Wichita Falls. We throw the bikes together, hit the restroom one more time, dawn our racing numbers (on our jersey's, bikes, and helmets), and proceed to start our cycling adventure, which included a 2-mile short ride over to the starting line at about 6:15am in the dark.

O...M...G! I have NEVER seen so many people on bikes in all of my life! There were well over 14,000 registered riders for this year's event. We make our way through the hoards of people to the starting line, and wait for the start of the race. The National Anthem is played, four F-16 fighter jets fly directly over the long line of thousands of riders, and a canon goes off to signal the start of the race. And when I say canon, I mean an old-fashioned, loud as hell, shake your body and make you think you were in an explosion CANON! It definitely awoke the masses and off we went!

The pace was RIDICULOUS! While during training, we liked to maintain somewhere between 15-18mph, we were hitting over 20mph right from the start! That's a CRAZY pace for novice racers! To race along directly in the middle of a true peleton of cyclists going that fast was an awe-inspiring experience that I don't think any of us will ever forget. What a true joy!

The event was so well supported, and the hundreds of volunteers that gave their time this weekend were absolutely delightful and fun to be around. The camaraderie amongst our friends and the entire racing group was special. To train for and actually complete a race like this creates bonds that can't be explained to those that haven't experienced it themselves. I wish that anyone reading this will give serious consideration to finding a future event they wish to train for, and find a way to do it! It was well worth every pain-staking mile ridden to prepare ahead of time.

Thank you to my friends that participated and enjoyed it with us! A HUGE thank you to my wife as well for not only supporting the idea, but making the decision to take up the sport, start training, and complete her first race too! I'm serious, it was all GREAT!

What types of events have you done in the past? What activities, or sports have you tried that the rest of us may want to do to? My next goal is to run a half-marathon. After that, on to my first triathlon. Good luck to all! Until next time...

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Time to Shape Up Fat Boy!

Image by sinterbear via Flickr So I haven't paid much to the television show Family Guy...ever...until now. With the beauty of DVR, I now how enough episodes to take up approximately 76% of my available space. Do you realize how well written that show actually is? I mean, you can't have any kids around when you watch the show - I'm not even sure you should have young adults under 21 watching that show - But, it is funny!

Well, let's get straight to the point, minus any political correctness (you can thank the most recent episode of Family Guy I just watched for that). This country is getting ridiculously FAT! No, not "phat" as in an adjective describing something cool. I'm talking about freaking over-sized, super-sized, value-sized, plus-sized, huge-sized, uber-sized, nasty freaking FAT! There is something horrifically wrong with the FDA and their Food Pyramid with recommendations of a healthy and balanced lifestyle. What a crock of...well...FAT! And before you get all emotional on me and cry and whine about me discussing this issue, please understand I'm guilty with the majority of the rest of the country. I am in the process of losing 50+ pounds to get back down to my fighting weight, and it is a full-on, mental/physical, emotional war! The focus you have to maintain to lose weight has to be laser. It is sooooo difficult! Did I say it is hard to do? You get my point, and if you've ever had to lose weight, then I know you feel me.

Why do I bring this up? Well, more people in this country of alleged "free speech" need to start utilizing that freedom without restraint to start pulling things back into some semblance of order. Ever read The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire? Have you ever studied that? I know I could easily rattle off over 50 items that need immediate attention, but since I am focusing this blog on self-improvement, self-awareness, and a man's journey through this life, I'm sticking to the "elephant in the room!" Get it? Holy crap, THAT was funny! I'm sticking to the "fats!"

Find a friend, Google healthy eating, join an exercise group, join a gym...for goodness sake, do SOMETHING about the out of control, non-disciplined eating problem for yourself, and teach someone else how to lose weight too. I truly feel for the women in this country that are held to such a ridiculously high standard, but us men, yeah baby, us men get to look like the guys in the picture above and get away with it! Are you freakin' kidding me? I'm saying make a CHANGE, and push yourself to the limits to get in shape! Not only will you feel better, but you will live a longer, and no doubt happier life! I bet your significant others will enjoy the benefits too!

Let me know what you're doing to get in GREAT physical condition. Take a stand in what you believe in, and do SOMETHING/ANYTHING to start improving things; Not just the obesity problem, but focus on doing what you can to improve this great country, and the world our children are going to inherit! Until next time...

Starting the Week!

Image via Wikipedia Good morning!

Why is it that it's so hard for me to go to sleep at a decent time? This is one of the many questions I ask myself in my new quest to optimize my personal performance across all facets of my life.

Well, here's my reasoning. I think, because as a husband, father, employee, employer, soccer coach, volunteer, friend, relative, brother, uncle, pilot, son, etc., I WANT TIME FOR MYSELF TOO! I don't want to diminish ANY of the roles aforementioned, but as men, we are all held to certain societal standards that quite frankly are hard to keep up with at times. Is this an excuse? NO! But it is my reason for staying up so freakin' late! I feel much more productive as the kids finally go off to sleep, my wife settles into her book, and I just let my thoughts pour around my head until something finally comes out. It makes me wonder if I shouldn't open up some 24-hour facility, or a night-only facility. Maybe an after-hours restaurant??

This is another reason I think blogging is great for my psyche. I'm able to "journal" (if you will), and get my thoughts out into the infinite space of the Internet. Who knows who will eventually read this, but does it matter? Today, I don't know.

So, for those of you that are feeling some of the daily pressures of life in general, I would suggest blogging as a new pastime if you haven't ever done so. It's mentally stimulating, and it knocks the dust off the old English skills. Plus, you get the added benefit of dumping some potentially useful, but more than likely useless, information into an arena where like-minded individuals can either commiserate with you, or tell you where to go. Either way, start writing!

How are you trying to improve your life? What are some of the major mental obstacles you face either periodically or daily? I'd love to hear what's going on in your world too! Until next time...

Discomfort in My Daily Job

Image via Wikipedia

So here I go. Once again, I change course just a bit in an attempt to fine-tune exactly what I'm going to blog about on a daily basis. First of all, I guess I better get into a routine in order to come remotely close to daily blogging. Who wants to come to a blog where there are only one or two posts every few months, right?? Exactly! So, here is my promise to write on a much more consistent basis.

Today, I talk about conversations I've had over the last couple of years with GREAT friends of mine that all feel the same way about their daily lives. What do I hear almost daily? "I HATE my job!" If I had a dollar for every time I've heard this phrase...But, is that what's really causing your "pain," or is it a slue of other variables causing grief between your ears? \

I have GREAT news! Your job is NOT the problem! It's YOU!!! In fact, when you really start to dissect what's happening between your ears, you realize there are multiple variables going on in your life at any given time that give the ILLUSION of your job being the root cause of all of your problems. Even if it's not your job you point the finger at, I guarantee you are pointing it in some direction, and in a direction where there is no mirror in front of you! At any given point in time, if you are having these negative feelings, you can put a "stop-loss" on this train of thought, and start thinking positively. You know, I used to think this was a bunch of hogwash, but there is something very real about positive affirmation, and eliminating those negative thoughts that creep up in all of our minds the second they come up. In fact, if you don't stop the negative thoughts when they creep up into your conscience, you will definitively notice your day won't improve much, and by all means, your performance will suffer greatly!

For example, my performance lately has been lackluster, and my numbers are not on my planned trajectory for calendar year success. So, I've had to consider what the cause of this could be. Well, first of all, I've been in contact with other VERY NEGATIVE people in my company over the last few weeks. These people complain if it's raining, then they complain if the sun comes out, then it's too hot, or too cold. You get the picture. While I've always considered myself an optimist, these negative conversations greatly effect not only my mood, by my overall outlook on life. It's POISON!

So, what do we do? First of all, it is absolutely imperative you surround yourself with POSITIVE PEOPLE! Shorten those conversations with the negative people. If they call you on your cell phone, greet them and then politely ask them what they need because you are on a tight time schedule. This prevents them from taking that deep-dive into negative waters. Also, when you do this a few times, most people will get the hint that something bigger is going on, and they will either stop calling you "just to chat," and/or they will start thinking about their own performance. Secondly, be VERY AWARE of your thoughts as you move through the day. The second, and I mean THE SECOND a negative thought comes into your mind, squash it! Immediately tell yourself, "I'm going to perform at MY BEST today, and there is nothing or no one that can stop me!" Remember, you don't have to worry about outperforming someone else, as long as you perform to the best of your abilities.

I know this sounds simplistic, and maybe a bit quacky to some of you, but when you follow these two simple rules, you will notice that you begin to enjoy your job again; or maybe your spouse; or, even your life in general.

Try these things, and give me feedback on your thoughts! Do you use positive affirmation in your life now? What do you tell yourself when things start to go awry? I would love to hear your thoughts! Until next time...

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