Ebb & Flow

All systems ebb and flow.  I found my flow in running when training for Surf City marathon 2016.  Nailing my pace, my race weight, my weekly volume, etc. just flowed from week to week as I trained with friends for my race goal.   However, one is not always in peak form and ebb is a natural process.  Today, I am at my ebb or low point to restart my running routine.  The first step to turn the pendulum is to allow yourself to become absorbed in your running passion.  The more you distant yourself from running the more it will feel like a chore so the goal is to get that daily routine & habit in place regardless of the actual workout.   The second step is to avoid negative self talk that stiffens running passion.  Its ok to be humbled by the current pace you’ve got or the small daily mileage you can absorb in your current shape.  Start small with each days run and the more energy you put into it the more energy you get out.  Before sharing the challenges you are facing with a friend, start with how much you cherish the ability to run injury free and how any challenge you face will erode by the consistent work you can now put into it.  I’m going to do Surf City marathon 2017 and find my flow.

Fitness

Fitness should not be extrinsically valued like we are socially taught with magazine covers.  Fitness should be intrinsically valued to love the training, the gift to experience how going fast or long makes you feel alive, the time you spend with friends training or the mood & energy boost post workout.  Daily fitness is essential behavior to perform in life and have a good day so that we have more energy to give to others.  Fall in love the process and results will follow.

Stay the course

Vineman 70.3

Taking on a major project at work coupled with a booked family summer schedule resulted in placing training on the back burner leading up to this race.  Given lack of training I sill managed to grind out a good race finishing in 5 hours 32 minutes for the 70.3

Time to look ahead with pressing determination to conquer.  The clear objective and stake in the ground remains, sub 5.  To achieve this objective I must press on with focus on efficiency where time is spent leading up to my next race, Santa Cruz 70.3

There are three specifications & sacrifices that must measure up for this performance:
- Race weight
- Consistent execution
- Stress vs Recovery balance

I can and I will.

Half way into 2016

Thoughts drive action and build habits to solidify new circumstances.  Your circumstances reveal you to yourself.    You are where you are so that you learn how to grow.  Take the reigns to improve your circumstances and create it for yourself.   Plant thoughts with positive seeds to focus on, remove weeds hindering growth and re-focus where time/money/attention is needed to align your goals to come to fruition.

Filter

For just a moment, I want you cover your ears with the palm of your hands.  Look away from the screen at something beautiful and feel the elevation in your pulse.  When your focused, you have the ability to heighten your sense of awareness on what you take in visually and with this focus you have the choice to apply a filter.  Filter in and give your energy to what truly makes you happy.  Filter out and take energy away from what is not true.  




Intrinsic Goals actually make you happy.  Intrinsic Goals make us happy by pursuing them.  Pursuit of Intrinsic Goals fulfills the self actualization need of being authentic to your true self in pursuit of Community, Health, Family and Spirituality.  Intrinsic goals make us more generous toward the world and want to help others pursue those same goals.   




Extrinsic Goals don't make you happy.  Extrinsic goals only make you happy when you achieve them but your pursuit for material & popularity excess will never be quenched.  Pursuit of extrinsic goals takes time away from pursuit of intrinsic goals.  Materially inclined friends are too busy and invest less in friendship with you because they care more about their materialistic goals.

Breathe

For one moment, close your eyes and take in a deep breath.  Relax and listen deeply to the heightened sense of sounds around you. 


The practice of being in the moment is a heightened state of consciousness and well being.  If you learn to master your breathing it's your pathway into your heightened senses.  When you recognize tightening in your breath, think of it as a trigger to let what ever it is you are overthinking about go and take a deep breathe to come back to embrace the present.  This condition is a skill to learn & practice in order to be fully engaged in the moment with all of your heightened senses.


Be present for what ever life presents.  Obstacles are your allies that exercise your strength to overcome.  Recognize them but don't be afraid of them, just let them be and move past them.  This is a mindset to see your circumstances in a different way, replacing fear with flow.  Show up for life with all your vulnerability and passion to experience it instead of thinking about it in fear of those things you cannot control. 


When the wave comes in and crashes you down, replace struggle with ease and experience that current rather than fear it which helps your breath go a lot further.  Let go and let it move through you.  Fear is here but I'm not afraid.  Obstacles are here but I'm not struggling.  Be here now to live life, fully engaged in the present unhooked from the minds struggles that will eventually come to pass as you breath deep and let them flow right through.

Positive Vibes

People and places on earth put off an energy vibration and the vibe you put out is the vibe you attract.   Learn to find balance with energy transmitted from natural elements:


Earth - the notion that durable metals come from the earth.  Welcome to the machine by Pink Floyd comes to mind as I become one with my Carbon Fiber bike transcending the earths landscape.  The constriction of life's material possessions during our time on earth vs. the legacy we leave behind.


Water - the notion we live in a water world, water is the source of life and you have to accept the tides rather than fight them.  I need to spend more time immersed in water.  The sound of water in my backyard is calming.  I need to taste the fountain of youth at 11K feet at Rae Lakes this year drinking water at the source.


Air - the motion of air is needed where we live in the valley.  My collapsed lung and continued asthma is a health issue tied to where I live.  I need to go to the mountains and the beach where the air is pure.  I need to hear wind climbs indicating when I can breathe deep on an outside run. 


Fire - the stories to be told when gathered with friend by the fire.  The destruction to our wilderness and the rebirth of new.  A great story can be told like the phoenix rising from the fires ashes.


Space - the void of clutter aka Aether.  The wide open country roads we train on.  The places we go to seek solitude away from the overpopulation epidemic.  The weight lifted from us when the clutter is cleared.  The beauty of simplicity.

All in

Lean forward, step into the world & seek that experience that makes you feel connected.

Let your brain go down the rabbit hole

The Social Hive

The voice in your head is on a path of not being excited, pursuing things with lack of passion. So much opportunity in this world, but to lazy.  Its a fear of standing out or failing when trying to exceed society norms.  There is so much opposition pushing back to emulated behavior and patterns of average society, like a bee in the hive.

The Wolf Pack

The voice in your head discovers a spark.  Motivation gets you going.  A decision to push yourself and feel what your capable of.  Stepping up to accepting the challenge to go further than you have in the past.  This is the momentum you take ownership to improvement your discipline.  You seek others to emulated behavior and patterns of successful members of this new community, like a pack of wolves with an alpha male.

The Rabbit Hole

The voice in your head is on a path of being obsessed.  Continuously working to improve.  If motivation got you going, commitment keeps you going.  You are authentic and honest about differences between your mindset and their mindset, your current state and your future state and the new behavior and patterns required to beat the odds.  Your self-awareness has increased to new levels of mindfulness for correct patterns, rhythm, cadence to perfect your craft.  Social distractions are inevitable but you stick to your goals getting deeper with intensity and focus in your discipline.

The Hat Trick

The voice in your head knows it’s the day of execution.  You’ve done everything you can to get to this moment, it’s a defining moment. When you work hard at something, its rewarding when its over.  Victories are sweeter because you've pushed through adversity to get there.  In this moment, you are in your element.  One of life's strongest imprints is to know you've controlled yourself in the situation using that hat trick you have mastered.

Race Weight

My new challenge is to get to race weight.  This week's approach:


5am - Coffee, Oat Meal, Berries & Nuts
7am - 2nd cup of Coffee, Eggs w Coconut Oil, Avocado & Banana
9am - Detox Tea & Apple
Lunch - Tuna with Mustard or Peanut Butter Coconut shake
Dinner - Fish or Chicken, Rice and Veggie
Bedtime - Night Night Tea, Olives, Coconut Oil on Popcorn

Surf City 26.2

The Surf City Marathon was on February 7, 2016.  Leading up to the race I had a solid 20 week training program consisting of 50 miles per week.  Spending two days a week on the track going fast, my run form definitely improved as I move away from my ultra shuffle.  My pacing also improved as I held a solid 7:20 avg. through mile 14 in my attempt to qualify for Boston.  Mile 14 on the course is headed back on the PCH before turning around to do another out & back on the beach trail.  This section of the course gets dehydrating from the ocean sun and my engine went redline with my heart rate spiking, my legs cramping and my pace taking a nose dive as I started to unfold hitting the wall at mile 18.  After this occurred, it was no mans land until the 3:30 pace group picked me up to bring it home for a brutal 3:29 finish.  Looking back on my training log, you get what your trained for.  My long runs were perfect 16-18 milers at pace but I lacked inserting the 20-22 milers in the build up.  My other item was diet, I ate healthy but weighed in at 175 where as my ideal marathon race weight would have been 160.   In summary, building into that longer 20 mile marathon pace long run & achieving race weight are the two key improvements I will pursue to succeed at my next Boston attempt.  The back third of the race is all about efficiency so coming in lighter is definitely more efficient and with diet just as important as training, I think that is the side of the equation where my next change will be.  Looking at the Strava results, I had a lot of company with other people going for 3:15 hitting the wall at the same time and finishing with the 3:30 so this is a common stepping stone in getting to that next level.
http://www.strava.com/running-races/2016-surf-city-marathon