The Competitive Spirit

(Maybe... but not at speling spelling!)

My 10-year-old son (the devilish "Kai Blankner" scribbled at the top) planted this lovely letter in my briefcase a few days ago.  I found it while in a big meeting, making me bust out laughing and getting a few weird looks from the room.

The human spirit loves challenges.  It gives us something to work for, and that work makes us happy.  But it has to be the right amount of challenge.  Too much or too little leads to frustration or boredom.  The sweet spot in between is also known as "The Zone" or "Flow."

With a little bit of careful planning, you can create this competitive spirit in others that is constructive and fun.  You make it a game, so it isn't taken too seriously.  You let the other person win some, see the finish line, and tell them about how others have succeded with hard and smart work.  The great thing is that this also works on yourself.

When Kai tells me that he is going to beat me at something, I tell him, "I hope so! That would be cool!  But I'm not going down without a fight!"  He loves that.  That means that there's a possibility, but it will take work.  Over time, that working to win becomes a habit. 

Remember to add a little bit of humor in the mix for when it doesn't go your way.  There is always somebody better, faster, stronger, younger, older, better looking, more graceful, richer, and smarter than you out there.  Just hope they don't show up on race day.  Those other features are great, but the one statistic that is true for every winner is that they were present to win.

How to Save Well Over 5 Minutes in an Ironman with Just a Couple Simple Tricks

(Black is the fastest color)

The gang over at the Specialized Wind Tunnel released a video about how moving your bottles and gear to smarter locations can save some substantial time in a race.

They calculated that their recommendations can save you 76 to 77 seconds over a 40k time trial. Ok, but what does that mean in an Ironman?

I did some quick math and figured out this adds up to nearly 6 minutes over 112 miles.  5:42 to be exact.  That's like skipping T2 entirely.  Or imagine crossing the finish line completely exhausted, then Mike Reilly says, "Just another 5 minutes to go!"  

It sure would be better to be finished, right?

Trainer Video - Kona 2012 with Crazy Subtitles

I found this hour-long jewel while trying to ride intervals on the trainer this morning. I say "trying" because I eventually had to turn off the bizarre subtitles because they were too distracting.

I wondered if it was just me, but the comments verified that the subtitling must have been created by Japanese teenagers shouting out Amazon Prime orders translated from English to Brazilian at a Dutch fish market.  It's definitely a must-see.

If you find you can't stand the captioning anymore, just click the "cc" symbol at the bottom of the video.

With captions on or off, the 2012 racing of Kona is full of great moments to watch for, including:

• Andy Potts knocking a volunteer completely off her feet in T1.
• Is Leanda Cave wearing her goggles upside down?
• A female volunteer gushing over the opportunity to touch Chris McCormack while putting on his numbers.
• Derailleur-gate, where Macca collides into Marino Vanhoenacker coming out of T1, screwing up his front derailleur and eventually leading to his DNF. 
• Great footage of the bikers overtaking eachother with huge efforts, only to implode later on.

Zen Chat Office Hours

I get a lot of requests for phone consultations, so I think setting up an easy method to schedule time will help a lot of people (me included!)  Below is a calendar of when I am available to talk with you to help solve your problems, triathlon or otherwise.

For a full hour, we get to work together on your issues for only $75.  Getting your training, work, nutrition, or general problems sorted out could easily be the best $75 you ever spent.

After many years of getting help from others, learning how to make life more "Zen", graceful, and purposeful, I believe I am in a great position to give back, especially with the tools of modern technology.  We can work on your problems, find your solutions, and move you towards a happier and healthier life, all while using time-proven methods taught for thousands of years.

Drop me an email at Texafornia at Gmail dot com with which time slot you want to get started!

ZenTri 574 - 70.3 Worlds Companion

Tawnee Prazak and I watch 70.3 Worlds coverage on NBC while we talk on Skype.  Good stuff.