“It’s our past that makes us who we are today, however it’s our today’s that shapes us into who we are to become tomorrow.”
It has been over a year since I last posted. And, boy has it been a year!
I took some time off from blogging, as I took some time to rethink, reevaluate, recharge, and reenergize. As some of us do, I fell into the doldrums of repetition and stagnation, and at times, I felt complacent. None of these are places I like to visit. I felt that even though I was moving a hundred miles per hour, I was still not getting anywhere, fast. Perhaps I thought, could be that I really had no idea where I wanted to go next.
And clearing my mind I did. I remapped my path, at least for the moment, going forward. Goals had to be reassessed and rewritten. I took a few steps back and revisited my roots. I took that step in order to be able to keep the journey going.
My life is not very different from that of others. The most important life in my life is my family life. Every decision I make must take into account how this will affect my wife, daughters, and grandson. There's never any justification, in my mind, to do something, or to work on becoming something or someone, that is not consistent with the values I want to share and pass on to them.
Equally important in my world is my state of mind. I work diligently on creating an environment that is conducive to maintaining a clear, clean and healthy state of conciousness. By doing this, I know that the decisions I am called to make will be made with the utmost of care.
My health and physical well being are of extreme importance to me. If I am to be available to those that may need me, I must be physically and mentally fit to be one they can depend on when depending on someone is what they need.
Working on all these so that they work together is a balancing act. When placing more importance than needed on one whilst ignoring the others, the equilibrium will tip and something or someone will suffer. This was the case for me prior to this (2018) year. I became obsessed with a certain race/time goal and everything else seemed to go to pot, specifically my physical and mental well being which in turn, as you can imagine, affected all other areas of my life. Things needed to change.
I took all of December 2017 off from any running. I had taken the previous three years off from triathlon training and racing. During those three years, my focus was my running speed. And as this effort stalled, my state of mind began to suffer, as did my body.
I took the advice of one of my physicians. Two years prior, he had told me not to stop cross training. He had said that I was not as young as I used to be and that my body would begin to rebel pretty soon. I did not want to hear that, at that time, so I paid no mind. This message came echoing after a tough November 2017 marathon. My body was in so much pain, for such a long period of time, that I knew something had to be reassessed.
I renewed my membership to the USAT (USA Triathlon) so that I could register for a couple of triathlons. I raced five of them this year. Three sprints, one Olympic and one 70.3 distance triathlon. So much for just "a couple".
Because I got back in the pool and dusted off my bike, my legs were not as heavy as they had been for some time. I registered for a couple of runs as well. My go to race at the beginning of the year has been the Hot Chocolate 15K. It's always cold, but it's always fun. After a very easy paced, early February Half Marathon, I ran for the Chocolate again, to assess my off-season training, and I PR’d the distance. A couple of weeks after that, I ran the Music City 5K. I PR'd the distance as well as winning the RRCA State Championship for that distance, in the Senior Grand Master Division. Old guys rule!
My running was also revamped somewhat. When I started several years ago, I ran just to get to the other end of my run. I had no expectations, no preconceived notion of what I was supposed to be doing. Good thing that was, for I really had no idea what I was doing. I ran by feel. I used my regular wrist watch to track time, but I wasn't sure what I was tracking any way.
As time passed and I became more serious about my running, I invested in my first (of many) training watches. Again, I had no clue. I had read somewhere about and I began to experiment with "pace". This was a huge improvement for I discovered that by stretching my pace, I could go further in the same amount of time I had been accustomed to running. My happy pace at that time was 10:00 minutes per mile.
Then came the introduction to running with heart rate. This showed me, as much as it taught me, that I was actually not pushing myself as much as I should be pushing. So I began to push. Again, my pace improved and my times as well, improved.
In the last couple of years I got stuck. I couldn't improve as much as I thought I should be improving. I began to think that I had hit my plateau, that this was as fast and as efficient as I could be running. So I became complacent.
I had been reading about this new (to me) technology, running with power. It intrigued me, so I dug deep into the subject. The more I learned, the more I liked. I bought me a Stryd and began to gather data.
I have seen tremendous amount of improvement in my time/pace this year. I PR'd every distance, except the marathon, for I didn't run any marathons this time around. Most of my runs this year found me on the podium. A few of them found me atop of the podium. My secret? Running with Power. There's so much data to analyze with the Stryd, that I haven't even begun to scratch the surface. There's so much more to learn. More on this later.
This past weekend I ran my last race of the year in San Antonio, TX. The Rock 'n Roll 10K on Saturday and the Half Marathon on Sunday. I had one more Half Marathon in my radar, this weekend, but my back had other plans. When it was all said and done, in 2018, I ran a total of 23 races of all distances and sizes; from 5K's to the 70.3 triathlon. And I've never felt better.
But this year has not been all about training and racing. I've stayed very busy in other areas of my life as well. I've added a new client (multiple units) to my business, one that has meant the world to me. I now serve as a business consultant to 17 different restaurants. I help them in all areas of their daily operations. Specifically, I ensure that they're all compliant with local, state and federal laws and regulations. This specific task has become extremely important to me. I am honored and blessed that they put their trust in me. Additionally, my clients have morphed into my friends. This is priceless.
Early on in the year, with the assistance of the Office of the Mayor of the City of Hendersonville and support of Sumner County Tourism, I launched a running series in our town. We grouped Hendersonville's four largest races for promotional purposes. The idea is to promote health and fitness in our community as well as promoting our city, and we're starting with these four events. Response to this effort has been more than anything we could have expected, so we created, again with the help of a few friends, a non-profit corporation, Run Hendersonville, which will be the driving force behind our efforts going forward. We have big plans for this. Stay tuned.
I love to read, and I love to write. There's always a story to learn from and a story to tell. My readings have prompted me to write more. This year, I have written like never before. Perhaps there's a project in there somewhere. Stay tuned.
Next year, will be my 65th year. I have plans. Big plans to make this coming 365 days epic. I have already registered for an event that even in my wildest dreams, I never thought I'd have the courage to attempt. Other plans are still brewing. Stay tuned.
I have also accepted an invitation to join one of the country's top endurance racing teams, Big Sexy Racing. This because a dear friend encouraged me to do so. Again, more to come. Stay tuned.
As 2018 nears its end, and as 2019 is right around the corner, I must say that at this point in my life, I'm definitely living the dream. If you have been involved in my ride, in any form, way or shape, or if you have made an impact in my life in one way or another, this year or at any time past, I thank you!
Now, hang on and join me. It's about to get EPIC!
