Ironman is About What You Do Today, Not at the Starting Line.

“What you are is what you have been. What you’ll be is what you do now.” ~Buddha

If the training was easy, then anybody could be an Ironman.  The difference between the hopefuls and the world's endurance elite is in how far they'll go to get the job done.  The world will constantly throw roadblocks in your path.  If it isn't inconvenient training locations and late night parties, then it's amputated limbs, ALS, insulin dependent diabetes, even cancer.  We've seen it all and we've seen people beat those difficulties to get the job DONE.

I'm writing this after sweating like crazy on the 10th floor of a hot hotel room, after cranking out an hour on rollers while watching 300 - the movie about Spartan warriors.  They remind me of how you have to have a single-purpose focus, the dedication, the drive to win.  That's the drive that makes you drag your bike and trainer up the elevator and not give a sh*t about the looks the other people give you.  They're not Ironmen.  Except that one guy - he looked at me with a knowing smile and nod...  He's one of us.

It's not the getting up and throwing on the running shoes for the Saturday morning run after a nice breakfast that makes the difference.  That's easy, no matter how far you go.  It's the running in a cold rainstorm and heavy wind, barely making it to work on time that defines who you really are.  You did it because you said you would.  You did it because it's on your plan.  You did it because you are separating yourself from the zombie-world around you.  

This is what it takes.  This is what is revealed at the starting line.  Your Ironman race starts today.

Suunto M5 Arrives for Testing

We took delivery of Emily's new Suunto M5 last night, and it's looking pretty sweet!  It's their new model that uses a simplified approach to training, so that's always a good thing.

It's more sleek than the T6c I use, so Emily is already liking it.  It comes with an HR strap and the capability to talk to foot and GPS pods, and then you can download and upload your workouts to places like Suunto's social training platform, Movescount.

How to Create the Path to Wisdom using Value, Confidence, and Discernment

You see value if you have confidence in something.  For example, if you are confident that organic food is better for you than junk food, then you see organic food as much more valuable, regardless of the price.  When people question or try to mock you for it, you have no problem standing your ground and explaining exactly the value of eating organic. 

Confidence is a great attribute.  It can take you much farther than uncertainty.  When you have trouble defending your position or making a choice, look into what you really value about that issue.

Along those same lines, there is a strong connection between wisdom and discernment.  Wisdom sounds more like something you attain someday after you are all wrinkled and walking around wearing a wizard's hat.  Wisdom is actually more like a concept, while discernment is the action of applying wise choices.

You don't have to be a Zen master to be wise.  All it takes is seeing value and making a confident discernment between choices.

Who's up for some organic apples? 

Enjoy!

Get Better by Facing Your Fear Daily

Every day, you should decide what you fear most and take at least one step towards it.  The picture above is from when three friends and I did the Ragnar Relay, which actually requires a team of twelve.  Ragnar is a 200 mile non-stop relay run, and doing it with four people seemed like suicide.  To get it done, I became the best runner that I had ever become in my life and the guy in the background got into amazing shape after years of desk jockeying like most of us.  Attacking our fears made us the best we could be.

I was running this morning and thought, "What's my biggest fear right now?"  You should ask this daily because what you fear most is usually what you want to do most.  It wouldn't be a fear unless you are thinking about it constantly, and you're thinking about it because you want to do it.  Do it, and the sense of accomplishment will transform the rest of your day.  My biggest fear?  To run along the freeway in the dark.  Why was it a fear?  Because deep down, I wanted to break out of the boredom of running the same boring loop around my neighborhood again and again.  I needed adventure.

Happiness is the elimination of boredom.

I had a choice.  I could turn right and continue the loop or I could go straight and head out onto the highway.  

I went straight.

There's a part of the Ragnar relay where we had only half a lane coned off for safety and ran straight into oncoming traffic on a highway in the middle of the night.  Loaded up with Red Bull and Tylenol, that was probably the most awesome thing I've ever done.  And once you do something and learn that the risk is actually much less than you thought, it's not that risky after all.  

Running down the side of the highway near my house is actually pretty safe, with a huge shoulder and rumple strip to warn of cars drifting.  I could always escape danger by a good margin by listening and then getting off the road if needed.  This morning, I never even needed to.  My fear was completely unfounded.

Think about what you are afraid of most and take a step towards it.  You might be surprised at what you find.

Play Mario Kart on Your Bike

Idle hands are the Devil's playground, and it looks like the bikers in Portland have a lot of time to kill.  Mario Kart symbology appeared overnight on a stretch of bike lane, turning a daily dance with traffic into a video game.

Everyone starts assuming that the city will scrub the pavement of fun because, well, that's what bureaucracy is all about.  Actually, the first step of bureaucracy is to make the word "bureaucracy" so hard to spell, people give up fighting it before they really start.

The real gem is 27 seconds into the video, where a Too Awesome to be a Commuter Cyclist (or T.A.C.C.) shuns the bike lane entirely while dressed in full racing kit, undoubtedly using his ride to his shift at the Apple store as a TDF stage simulator.