This is one of the most inspiring videos I've seen in a while and it's not an ad for Nike, Ironman or some company, which makes it even better in my book. Check it out.
For anyone who doesn't already know, I DNF'd my first Ironman race in 2006. Thanks to SpokaneAl and Michelle Sidles for posting it.
Showing posts with label Inspiration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Inspiration. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Monday, June 08, 2009
Keeping Things Fun
My Ego: So another good race! Maybe we should start eyeing a Kona slot, try winning some races, looking for sponsorships or somehow turning this hobby into a job someday?
My Sensible Side: WHOA! We've been down this road before. Life becomes really ugly when we focus on things too much. Keep it fun. Your best is NOT trying to be the best all the time.
What???
Yes, it's true. I was raised to try to excel in everything I did. Until my mid-30's I worked relentlessly and my health and other aspects of life invariably suffered. My "problem" was that I was good at a lot of things (or so it seemed, for I didn't pursue things I sucked at) and was willing to do what it took to succeed. And once I got rolling on something, I didn't know the words quit, slow down or balance. I was pretty much all or nothing.
Which is why that DNF at Ironman Florida 2006 was so meaningful to me. Yes, meaningful. Until age 45, I'd never experienced a major failure before.
It would have been easy to say, well, I really hate swimming anyway and tris are just not for me, and go back to running marathons. Or, turn around and try again next year hoping the water won't be as rough (and then probably walk away from tris because I still hated swimming).
Instead, for the first time in my life, I stuck with something I was not really good at. It's taken me 3 years to become a swimmer and a real triathlete (in my eyes, someone who embraces and loves the variety and challenge of all three sports). I now have a coach telling what to do and, perhaps more importantly, what NOT to do. I've got two relatively new sports with lots of room for growth (compared to running/jogging which I've been doing off and on for over 30 years, though competitively only the last 7 yrs). Plus, I'm spending more quality time with hubby Dave who likes to ride bikes too. Life is good!
Yet, the last thing I want to do is make training and racing a job, or become obsessed with competing, setting PRs and trying to be the absolute best I can be all the time. I'm happy for every swim stroke, pedal stroke and footstep I take. And if I can get out there and want to do it again, I've won. I think that's a large part of why I signed up for two irons two weeks apart, to make sure I take my training seriously but not too seriously. There's no way in hell I'm doing another iron tri event so soon if I hated the first one :-)
Keep it fun, everyone!
Last week's recovery workouts:
Swimming (2) 4300 yds
Cycling (3) 112 mi
Running (2) 15 mi
Strength training (3)
My Sensible Side: WHOA! We've been down this road before. Life becomes really ugly when we focus on things too much. Keep it fun. Your best is NOT trying to be the best all the time.
What???
Yes, it's true. I was raised to try to excel in everything I did. Until my mid-30's I worked relentlessly and my health and other aspects of life invariably suffered. My "problem" was that I was good at a lot of things (or so it seemed, for I didn't pursue things I sucked at) and was willing to do what it took to succeed. And once I got rolling on something, I didn't know the words quit, slow down or balance. I was pretty much all or nothing.
Which is why that DNF at Ironman Florida 2006 was so meaningful to me. Yes, meaningful. Until age 45, I'd never experienced a major failure before.
It would have been easy to say, well, I really hate swimming anyway and tris are just not for me, and go back to running marathons. Or, turn around and try again next year hoping the water won't be as rough (and then probably walk away from tris because I still hated swimming).
Instead, for the first time in my life, I stuck with something I was not really good at. It's taken me 3 years to become a swimmer and a real triathlete (in my eyes, someone who embraces and loves the variety and challenge of all three sports). I now have a coach telling what to do and, perhaps more importantly, what NOT to do. I've got two relatively new sports with lots of room for growth (compared to running/jogging which I've been doing off and on for over 30 years, though competitively only the last 7 yrs). Plus, I'm spending more quality time with hubby Dave who likes to ride bikes too. Life is good!
Yet, the last thing I want to do is make training and racing a job, or become obsessed with competing, setting PRs and trying to be the absolute best I can be all the time. I'm happy for every swim stroke, pedal stroke and footstep I take. And if I can get out there and want to do it again, I've won. I think that's a large part of why I signed up for two irons two weeks apart, to make sure I take my training seriously but not too seriously. There's no way in hell I'm doing another iron tri event so soon if I hated the first one :-)
Keep it fun, everyone!
Last week's recovery workouts:
Swimming (2) 4300 yds
Cycling (3) 112 mi
Running (2) 15 mi
Strength training (3)
Thursday, May 22, 2008
My Biggest Fear???
I had a pretty sheltered upbringing. As a young kid, most of my time was spent studying, playing piano, playing with a few girlfriends, doing various art projects, helping around the house or fishing, which my dad enjoyed. I was discouraged from doing much sports or anything that might be considered dangerous or physically uncomfortable, especially since I started wearing glasses in 4th grade. We were constantly battling bugs and germs by washing things, cleaning things, closing things, spraying things and wrapping things. On family vacations or outings, we never drove more than a couple hours, never went on an airplane, never went camping and never saw snow. One time we stayed in some rustic cabins that had no electricity after a certain time at night, my mom couldn't stand it and so we soon went to another place that was more "civilized."
It's no wonder I grew up with a lot of fears. And I know my sister, Jade Lady, has a lot of them too.
On my own in college, however, I lucked out to meet friends and boyfriends who were very different from me. I got to do a lot of things my parents would never have condoned (so I didn't tell them :-): skiing, hiking, camping, backpacking, rock climbing, mountain biking, windsurfing and skydiving. Looking at that list alone, you might have thought I was quite the adventurous type -- HA!
The truth is I didn't want to miss out on activities my friends were doing and would be talking about so I went along to be part of the group. And I was always glad I did, even though I wasn't very good at doing most of that stuff. In the case of boyfriends, well, I also didn't want them to find someone else to go with since I'm the jealous type >:)
Now, so many years later, though, I have very fond memories of all of those adventures. I don't have an inner passion to go off and do those things on my own, but I am willing to do them with others if the opportunity arises. What I do have from those experiences, however, is a drive to not to let my many fears stop me from doing "risky" or uncomfortable things, something that I definitely did not get from my parents.
1. Running outdoors, even though I've been nearly attacked twice and know that a serial rapist who preys on joggers/walkers in my area has never been caught. What worked/works for me: 6 years of martial arts training, always carry pepper spray and a cell phone, wear a rear view mirror on sunglasses (most attacks have been from behind), constant awareness of my surroundings, various running routes and times, running with others.
2. Swimming, despite lots of struggles with form, frequent headaches & nauseousness, boredom swimming laps, no masters group to train with, and a huge fear of gators & sharks in open water. What worked/works for me: Swim lessons from 3 different instructors until I found a stroke that worked for me (took me about 2 years but I now finally like swimming!), silicon swim cap, better fitting and tinted goggles, SwiMP3 player (thanks to SimplyStu!), book of swim workouts, and swimming at least 2-3 times a week. In open water, I close my eyes most of the time except to sight (better I not see any creatures if they happen to be there). If the water is rough, I use ear plugs and take ginger pills and motion sickness medicine (Bonine).
3. Riding a bike on roads, though initially terrified of cars hitting me, getting yelled at by drivers and having had a beer bottle thrown at me once while out riding. What worked/works for me: Wearing a rear view mirror on sunglasses (seeing vehicles coming up from behind and not having to turn my head as much when going across traffic is a big comfort to me!), wearing BRIGHT colored jerseys, riding with a more experienced rider (my husband) and occasionally in a group. As far as rude drivers, I usually don't let them get to me and, in fact, I often smile and wave at them instead to make them think I mistook their nastiness for friendliness.
Because my biggest fear now is missing out on things that might make my life more enjoyable or give me an opportunity to better myself. And more rewarding to me than crossing a finish line, achieving a certain goal race time, getting a medal or a label is just the fact that I'm out there, still. I haven't let myself get in the way of becoming a triathlete.
What are some things you've done to manage or overcome your fears and struggles? What drives you to do things that may be against your better judgment or unnatural for you?
It's no wonder I grew up with a lot of fears. And I know my sister, Jade Lady, has a lot of them too.
On my own in college, however, I lucked out to meet friends and boyfriends who were very different from me. I got to do a lot of things my parents would never have condoned (so I didn't tell them :-): skiing, hiking, camping, backpacking, rock climbing, mountain biking, windsurfing and skydiving. Looking at that list alone, you might have thought I was quite the adventurous type -- HA!
The truth is I didn't want to miss out on activities my friends were doing and would be talking about so I went along to be part of the group. And I was always glad I did, even though I wasn't very good at doing most of that stuff. In the case of boyfriends, well, I also didn't want them to find someone else to go with since I'm the jealous type >:)
Now, so many years later, though, I have very fond memories of all of those adventures. I don't have an inner passion to go off and do those things on my own, but I am willing to do them with others if the opportunity arises. What I do have from those experiences, however, is a drive to not to let my many fears stop me from doing "risky" or uncomfortable things, something that I definitely did not get from my parents.
1. Running outdoors, even though I've been nearly attacked twice and know that a serial rapist who preys on joggers/walkers in my area has never been caught. What worked/works for me: 6 years of martial arts training, always carry pepper spray and a cell phone, wear a rear view mirror on sunglasses (most attacks have been from behind), constant awareness of my surroundings, various running routes and times, running with others.
2. Swimming, despite lots of struggles with form, frequent headaches & nauseousness, boredom swimming laps, no masters group to train with, and a huge fear of gators & sharks in open water. What worked/works for me: Swim lessons from 3 different instructors until I found a stroke that worked for me (took me about 2 years but I now finally like swimming!), silicon swim cap, better fitting and tinted goggles, SwiMP3 player (thanks to SimplyStu!), book of swim workouts, and swimming at least 2-3 times a week. In open water, I close my eyes most of the time except to sight (better I not see any creatures if they happen to be there). If the water is rough, I use ear plugs and take ginger pills and motion sickness medicine (Bonine).
3. Riding a bike on roads, though initially terrified of cars hitting me, getting yelled at by drivers and having had a beer bottle thrown at me once while out riding. What worked/works for me: Wearing a rear view mirror on sunglasses (seeing vehicles coming up from behind and not having to turn my head as much when going across traffic is a big comfort to me!), wearing BRIGHT colored jerseys, riding with a more experienced rider (my husband) and occasionally in a group. As far as rude drivers, I usually don't let them get to me and, in fact, I often smile and wave at them instead to make them think I mistook their nastiness for friendliness.
Because my biggest fear now is missing out on things that might make my life more enjoyable or give me an opportunity to better myself. And more rewarding to me than crossing a finish line, achieving a certain goal race time, getting a medal or a label is just the fact that I'm out there, still. I haven't let myself get in the way of becoming a triathlete.
What are some things you've done to manage or overcome your fears and struggles? What drives you to do things that may be against your better judgment or unnatural for you?
Monday, April 07, 2008
Dare to Dream Big
Did anyone see the latest issue of Parade Magazine in their Sunday paper?
Usually the most useful thing to me in the Sunday paper are the coupons but this week's Parade front page story caught my eye. It was about Carnegie Mellon University professor Randy Pausch's last lecture. He'd been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and was told he only had months to live.
Why'd it draw my attention? Because Randy, Dave and I used to all work in the same field of computer graphics and virtual reality research many years ago. I'd read a number of papers he wrote, attended conferences he was at and I think he was one of the referees on a journal paper Dave and I co-authored. I remember him being one of the good guys, brilliant but very approachable. He is also our age (late 40's) and there's nothing like seeing it happen to one of your own to make yourself feel mortal ...
I loved many of Randy's last lecture points because they were nearly the same as those I adopted after my dad died of kidney cancer back in 1992:
Always Have Fun ... Dream Big ... Ask For What You Want ... Dare To Take a Risk ... Look for the Best in Everybody ... Make Time for What Matters ... Let Kids Be Themselves
Before then, I was a stubborn workaholic and a control freak who was destined to be miserable and probably dead from stress by age 40. It took seeing someone like myself (my dad) taken away by cancer for me to realize how short life was and that I needed to make some changes to mine. I used running to deal with my grief and have used endurance sports over and over again to build a new, much healthier and happier me.
And so I hope to pass on torch by creating a new website that will feature everyday athletes and their stories to provide daily inspiration and motivation for others:
The bar's vault is now OPEN and accepting contributions from YOU, the community. To add a link to it in your side bar, just copy and paste the following HTML code:
BTW, Randy is still with us and still fighting for his life. His latest entry in his journal, dated April 2, 2008, said "I hope to be back on the bike in a week or so." Way to go, Randy.
Usually the most useful thing to me in the Sunday paper are the coupons but this week's Parade front page story caught my eye. It was about Carnegie Mellon University professor Randy Pausch's last lecture. He'd been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and was told he only had months to live.
Why'd it draw my attention? Because Randy, Dave and I used to all work in the same field of computer graphics and virtual reality research many years ago. I'd read a number of papers he wrote, attended conferences he was at and I think he was one of the referees on a journal paper Dave and I co-authored. I remember him being one of the good guys, brilliant but very approachable. He is also our age (late 40's) and there's nothing like seeing it happen to one of your own to make yourself feel mortal ...
I loved many of Randy's last lecture points because they were nearly the same as those I adopted after my dad died of kidney cancer back in 1992:
Always Have Fun ... Dream Big ... Ask For What You Want ... Dare To Take a Risk ... Look for the Best in Everybody ... Make Time for What Matters ... Let Kids Be Themselves
Before then, I was a stubborn workaholic and a control freak who was destined to be miserable and probably dead from stress by age 40. It took seeing someone like myself (my dad) taken away by cancer for me to realize how short life was and that I needed to make some changes to mine. I used running to deal with my grief and have used endurance sports over and over again to build a new, much healthier and happier me.
And so I hope to pass on torch by creating a new website that will feature everyday athletes and their stories to provide daily inspiration and motivation for others:
The bar's vault is now OPEN and accepting contributions from YOU, the community. To add a link to it in your side bar, just copy and paste the following HTML code:
<a href="http://www.endurancesportsbar.com/" target="_blank">
<img width="180"
src="http://lh6.google.com/prattshirley/R_pSSdnODaI/AAAAAAAAAF8/w8bcqqeV6cQ/s288/esb_logo.jpg">
</a>Bar operations will begin on Memorial Day, Monday, May 26, 2008. I hope all of you will be a part of it. Mostly, I hope all of you will dream big and not let anything stop you from achieving them.BTW, Randy is still with us and still fighting for his life. His latest entry in his journal, dated April 2, 2008, said "I hope to be back on the bike in a week or so." Way to go, Randy.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Care Package
A good friend of mine in the Marine Corps recently left for her third tour in Iraq. Several years ago, she was the one who first brought me to a step aerobics class. I'd never gone to a gym class before and was so awkward and uncoordinated that I almost fell many times. Still, she kept bugging me to come with her and I started enjoying the workouts, mainly because of the group atmosphere and the music. It was so different than when I jogged/ran on my own. Something new and challenging. My first venture into cross-training although I didn't know it at the time.In the past when my friend had said she was going to Iraq, I told her to let me know if she ever needed anything. She never asked for anything. So this time I told her I'd send her something from Hawaii.
I just did. I placed the order online at Hilo Hattie and since they were offering free shipping for orders over $100, the care package will have enough Kona coffee, Hawaiian cookies, Macadamia nuts and other island goodies for her to share with others in her unit.
And next time I feel myself wanting to complain about heat, stress, being tired, in pain or whatever, I'll think of her and other troops who are in harm's way. Hell, I've got it soooo easy. Thank you, my friend, for serving our country.
PS - In case you haven't heard, the Post Office is now offering a discount on shipping care packages to the military. Click here for more details.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Courage
I'll never forget the first time I went skydiving. This was way back in grad school with some friends of mine who were a lot more adventurous than I. But I went along with them. We went through something like 4 hours of ground school learning what to do, what not to do, what to expect, etc. At its conclusion, just before we went up into the airplane, we were given 2-way radios so we could ask for help or advice from the instructor if we needed it. Then were told the radios only worked 50% of the time!Great.
Fortunately, I was one of the last to jump since I was one of the lighter ones in our group. Seeing fear in the eyes of my guy friends who went before me actually made me laugh and gave me courage. Hey, if they could do it, so could I and if we all die together, that's cool. God, was I stupid back then.
It was a static line jump, meaning the chute was pulled for you when you left the plane. All we had to do was guide ourselves down some 3,000 feet, find the skydiving school and then the gravel pit where we'd practiced how to fall while in ground school. Wait a minute, where the hell did the school go?
But once out of the plane I had something more pressing to worry about. My lines were twisted and my chute hadn't deployed completely. This often happens too, we were told, and the usual solution is to just kick out your legs and try to untwist the lines, which I did as calmly as I could in a state of near panic. I tried once, nothing happened. Holy sh*t.
I knew if I couldn't get the chute fully deployed I could try flying it as is with a couple closed end cells, if SSS (S-S-Say what? I'd forgotten the acronym). Or, cut away and use the emergency chute, which was a round chute that would drop me faster and produce a much harder landing. At least I probably wouldn't die.
I tried kicking out again, much harder this time, and the second time, thank goodness, it worked. WHEW!!
My colorful ram-air chute filled as it should and I began gliding downwards gracefully with a near-max heartrate. I could see others going back and forth and spiraling below me. It was a gorgeous blue sky day and the wind was tickling my face. Never have I felt more alive in my life.
This is cool! This is so totally cool!! THIS IS SO TOTALLY F*CKING COOL!!!
I floated for a lot longer than some of my friends who I could now see were already on the ground. I could also see the gravel landing pit, which looked a lot smaller from the air than it did on the ground. I clicked the radio on to get some last minute encouragement from the instructor.
Static. Of course.
OK, it was all up to me now. I'd gone through the motions in ground school and knew what to do, but had I ever come close to doing anything like this before, say, from even just 30 feet? Nope. GULP.
Carefully, I steered myself in for the approach. If I was too high, I'd have to come around and attempt the landing again, if possible, or land elsewhere guaranteed to be harder. And if I was too low, well, prepare for some hurt too.
It looked like I was coming in at about the right angle and at the right height but hard to tell being my first time. I pushed aside thoughts of how I sucked at things involving alignment and aim, like bowling, golf, basketball ... What have they got to do with skydiving anyway?
Steady, steady ... I seemed to be going in slow motion though I knew I had to be moving quite fast. Really weird disconnect. Maybe because my heart was about to explode?
Then about 10 feet from the gravel pit, I flared my chute which slowed me down and allowed me to land right in it with a near perfect tip-toe landing.
I'd done it!
But even with this experience, and many more that I've made some analogies with to this, I still have difficulty going outside my comfort zone. It's a constant battle, I must admit, and sometimes it can seem there are just too many obstacles or too many fears. But with each step I take, I become the person I want to be.
Thank you, RunningGeezer26.2, for the T.S. Eliot quote: "Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go."
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