Talent and hard work.

When I was young(er) and dreaming of standing there at the top of the podium with a medal in my hand, I had no understanding for people who said: "I don't have time to workout". After having 2 kids and job, I still don't understand it. The hardest part is just getting started, finding that plan to follow. My wife is a prime example, she has a lot less flexible job than I do and injuries that I have been spared, yet she finds the time to run, bike and exercise more than I do. There are amazing people out there that make things look easy. How do they do it? I remember when people said that I was talented, and I thought to myself: you have no idea how hard I have worked to become this talented. I have met huge talents that didn't do anything to develope their gift, and those with less talent who have gone far beyond probabilities. This one person (who was better than Carl Lewis at the same age), decided that partying and girls were more rewarding. He trained 3 days a week when everyone else did 6 or 7. After a few years of living on his talent he started to have injury problems and finally became nothing. On the other hand, I have a friend who I have seen throughout the years, and he had very little talent but a great determination. When I first saw him I laughed and said, "that guy is never going anywhere". After years of hard work he ended up with a medal at the Swedish Championships and a spot on the national team.

The common denominator is, hard work! Find ways to make it fun, and don't put it off until tomorrow.

The summer is over and schools are starting again. Now is the time to start reaching for that new years goal! (In this case, the after-summer goal.)

What is it with waiting to start to get serious and work out? Why is now not good enough? For as long as I have been a trainer, people have avoided the most obvious thing when it comes to working out: if you don't start, nothing will happen! Today is always the best day to start reaching for that goal!

First, you should find out what your goal is.

Second, set some partial goals that you can enjoy along the way. This will keep you motivated and accountable.

Thirdly, make a realistic workout plan. With realistic I mean: don't look at a professional and mimic what they do. There is a reason we call them professional, they do this all day every day.

Finally, find friends with similar goals and team up. It's much easier if you have someone to share your stories of pain and grit with.

Short and "Fast".

I'm driving to my second triathlon for the year, the Santa Cruz Sprint Triathlon, with temperatures dropping to 49 and it's drizzling. I can't help but wonder: why did I choose another "thlon" sport? I remember my decathlon in Finland, 39 F. and rain, and the 100 F in France. Why am I doing this to myself again? For you who have never felt the fantastic sensation of completing one of the hardest events in Track & Field, a Decathlon, it can never be justified. However, I will always look for that high you get from pushing yourself to, and beyond, the limit of your capacity.

As I got closer to Santa Cruz the weather got much better. In fact, the cooler weather was much better than the 80+ F. I had at my last triathlon. Everything went smoothly in setting up for the transition, and the warmup felt good. After my last swim workout a couple of days before, I felt confident that I would have a good swim. Having had some goggle trouble last time I had now switched to my old ones to avoid the same mishap this time around.

We are all lined up on the beach, and the gun goes off! It was my first start from land, and it was mayhem. I ran to the water as if I was Usain Bolt and dove in. The cold water didn't faze me and I started to wave my arms like a true swimmer. This lasted for the next 50m, then reality set in (worry) and I started to look for the surf boards around me. "I'm not going to make it" I thought. Finally I calmed down and started my usual slow and steady pace. That was the most eventful part of the whole triathlon. I got back to the beach, and after that horrible swim I started my fight back into the race again. I passed several people on the run back to the transition area, and even more on the bike. The ride was pretty eventless. I made one wrong turn and had to turn around and ride back for a bit, but nothing too bad.

I have always thought that my running would be my best event, but it turns out that most people are good at that. In other words, I'm not as good as I thought. This time, however, I had a good run and it turned out to be my best event for the day. I finished the 5k in 23.07, and got 11th place in my age group.

Now I look forward to the "Big Kahuna" September 12th! My endurance is coming along, and I believe that I'm ready. Follow my blog, and my quest to conquer the Iron Man!!!

Sprint tri this weekend!!

After my triathlon on July 18th I have been training really well and the body is feeling great. This coming Sunday I'm doing a sprint triathlon in Santa Cruz. I have not done much speed training, so this will be interesting. However, I did a 22 mile ride the other day and had my fastest average to date, 20.4 m/hr. I also managed to get a good 1500 yard swim in today at 27 min., and 8x400m running with 90 sec. rest at 81-83 sec. this past Monday. However, my big test will come in September when I will do the The Big Kahuna (half IM). I know that it's a big committment to train for triathlon, and Rowe has been so supportive the whole time, THANKS!!!

I have already started to look for possible Iron Man races for next year. The thought of doing a full IM sounds so far away at this time, but time flies. I never thought that I would enjoy this whole long distance thing, but it's growing on me. I find myself looking around while I'm riding my bike mesmorized at the beauty around me. I have found that you have to find things to do to make time pass. After all, 2-3 hours of sitting on a bike can be a bit boring. I can only imagine what it will be like to train for the real thing. I will be an Iron Man!!