2020 - Oct 11 to Sept 21 - Checkin' In Life

Went up to the "Hobbit Caves" in Logan Canyon.  We were rewarded with a family pic for our wanderings!

Checkin' IN!!!

Bear Lake Brawl Triathlon - Triathlon related - Volunteerism

I went and helped a Race Director friend of mine. I was a volunteer and I didn't seek retribution. I don't think so much it was the help rather we have come to respect each other in the last few years and enjoy each other's company. It was a brutal day for him and the athletes. Already dealing with and navigating the challenges and restrictions and barriers associated to Covid 19; Mother Nature decided to tip her hat and make things a little more entertaining.

Pros:
• A group of professional athletes approached the RD. Asked to allow them to participate and the RD obliged. The Pros were quite complimentary and I think the only chagrin was the issues associated with Mother Nature (buoy management, finish line issues)
• People wanted to race
• A race was happening during covid
• Athletes got to express fitness and play triathlon
• every participant I encountered was grateful - that is AMAZING!
• One participant quipped that is was like her 18th completed full distance - and she was just a gem from Golden Colorado, one of those types I wish more folks could emulate, her demeanor, her joy her perspective
• His small paid workers are excellent and great folks

Cons:
• During the swim winds caused a main buoy to drift. I don't know what all happened but it was stressful and the RD, safety and athletes all adapted during the event.
• Finishers chute with the wind
• Weather during bike/run - question was asked - should I cancel the race Shane, what does Ironman do. Well, speaking for Ironman --- that's me being funny. I shared what I have noticed and observed. I reminded the RD to be patient and trust his gut. All participants in the 140.6 completed or DNF'd according tot he Athlete's personal choices!

I showed up post all the stress and I communicated with the RD while en route. All was well. This Rd puts on solid events. I like to refer to him as the 'Steve DelMonte' of the west. It is truly a treat to be able to actively participate in his events, as an athlete or a volunteer. Here's the real reason. His ethics behind what he tries to accomplish are like the athletes that participate. It's about the journey and he wants to make sure his participants can have a venue to express their fitness in their own way. He tries to make it special from the sign up, to the completion of the course for all who choose to participate. It's not always perfect, but the efforts and intentions are sincere. It's a great production and along the way I have made a friend. This RD, his name is Joe and his events company is Onhillevents (Click here).

Running with my girls

You know, not sure where to go with this one.  Other than I have begun a routine with Astrid and Juniper this week.  I have been pushing them in the evenings near their bedtime on a local to us running route.  I have options, but I am able to run them up and near the Logan, Utah Temple.  One of the biggest things that I see when doing this is that I slow down.  Pushing an extra 70 -100 punds requires me to really be aware of what I am doing.  If I go too hard and go into the grey, its too tough.  I have noticed that , yes a year ago, I was running at a different pace.  However, I am not a car, and I must be very aware of how I am building my chassis.  It's not to say that I think my decent paced days are behind me, rather my approach to waht I am doing needs to be a bit more thought out so I ca be successful long term.  The big win is that the girls get to be with Dad, and they seem to enjoy it.  Side benefit, Astrid is falling asleep each run and its helping us through her 'wtiching hour'.

Church of Jesus Christ Logan Utah temple - Girls are loving this new routine

Church of Jesus Christ Logan Utah temple - look at these two cheese balls!

Zootsports blog post

Well my post for the Zootsports blog was finally published. Here is the link (click here). It was interesting to circle back and re-read this. i am by no means a great writer, I just hope any that fall across the article and the thoughts see some benefit in my approach and can use elements to create something that works for them. If not, it was good for me to get it all out and to see it in a focused message as a resource for me to circle back on from time to time as needed. It serves as a glance in the rear view to check in from time to time.

Instagram jail

This one was frustrating. I am not sure what I did but I had rather limited capabilities with my IG account. I could post a photo and it would carry whatever text I put on it into the connected service (Facebook and twitter) but IG only posted the photo. Then all other activity from likes, or tag reviews or following etc, I was presented with this lovely message:

Work Room Re-do - aka "Pain Cave"

Previous

Two major goals:

1. Refresh my space to be corporate and zoom ready and enabled.
2. I didn't want things perfect, as it reflects the journey of long course endurance sports like triathlon - the journey, the company, the consistent grind and opportunities for failure, lessons learned and ultimately growth.

I think I may have achieved both. This is what the eve of a cancelled full Ironman triathlon looks like (Sept 18 I did the taping and painting). I still need to find a way to hang my rear wheel when its on the trainer. A little bit better place for shoes and helmet. Overall I am pleased. 

My wife was skeptical of the wall stencil idea using vinyl, but I love the raw and imperfect elements and how it works for me. Ok, time for sleep. Cheers.  Circling back, there is a lot of stuff here for me.  A lot of different Ironman, and triathlon oriented elements and other things.  For me I am finding that it takes a library of coping skills when dealing with the equations of life and/or endurance sports.  In some regards you have to be both deep and wide, and wide and deep.  I notice in my observations from various contexts of life, its those that are apt in navigating what to apply and how -- and it doesn't have to be perfect, tend to be the ones that weather the various storms they must endure whether by choice or through things inflicted on them.  I feel this space represents all those things and fits for life, for my endurance oriented hobbies and especially easy for work.  I notice in work meetings from time to time folks looking beyond me to see what elements are behind me.  It's kinda cool.  I must admit.  I have even been asked to explain it to my immediate team.  Goober geek moment!

Completed

Recent Mindset Posts on the Socials

Facebook/Instagram

As memes were being defined and called memes, this little diddy of an inspiration was shared into my news feed (squirrels). Its an interesting and a remarkably straight forward quip. I've come to learn inaction and omission do qualify but if one takes a passive approach then the reward or perhaps lesson learned is also passively sought, ignored or missed. 

I'm a bit more cerebral and head space-y in my life and physical hobby approaches. One of the most interesting things i have noticed for me is coming to understand that "being still" also means "to be present". Liz and i have been blessed to have 3 children in the last 5 years (yes we are crazy) and along the way, those little tykes along with our now 14 y/o only child has taught us that being present has many definitions and looks. But, each look typically involves variations of laughter, smiles and at times the complete opposite - and at time horrifyingly shrill screams. But these moments, when liz and i make ourselves available are often where the most cherished glimpses into the future for our children are briefly seen.

So, when we find ourselves pancake flat like an indecisive squirrel, we introspectively look to how still and present we are. We are nowhere near perfect in this, but this is what we often do and seems to be a fairly positive pattern for us.

LinkedIN

This is me and my current workspace. I refreshed it and it serves as a working space for corporate work and also for physical work. I have taken a lot of time in the recent months to focus on head space and family. I think work/life/balance is a sham, and as the rebound of toxic effects of work place stress, unrealistic expectations and mismanaged time and focus are rapidly returning, l am grateful. Grateful for the skills that I have acquired throughout my career. Grateful for wisdom and empathy to feel and to understand others. I am grateful to have learned when to pause and focus on the humans behind the broken or disrupted process. To glean wonderful and insightful glimpses of culture, rich diversity and privileged to witness the greatness of humans struggling through uncertain conditions. I believe in life, family or your version of it, hobbies, personal enrichment, rest and recovery lead to balance and ultimately the opportunity for peak performance. This allows a fearless mind to be available to acknowledge and select the highest quality of things to center and focus on. This unprecedented time has allowed me space to re-calibrate, to sharpen my mind and to recall and remember what is most important. And be still.

 

 My Headspace

Overall, I would like to believe that I am in a good space. Work has been amping up a lot of stressors that I only have so much control over.  Liz and I have really been shallow on our sleep but we are trying to support each other through that.  We have been  mainly good with a few deadpan fireworks at times.  We aren't perfect that is FOR SURE!!!  

One of the things I think I have really come to appreciate in the recent months is how to stop, focus, re-calibrate and then just slow down.  Today taking my son to his local high school we were running late because, well it happens from time to time, and I noticed a few things.  One, People keep making u-turns out of the drop off zone and its a ridiculous place to do it with kids walking all over, hand fulls of cars depositing and dropping off kids, but dammit make your u-turn when you could just go 30 seconds and circle out a bit more safely.  Sure when no one is there, do the treat the stop sign like cyclists and I watch many local folks lose their proverbial 'minds' over this issue if I was on my bike doing something similar.

https://www.bicycling.com/news/a28208790/should-cyclists-yield-at-stop-signs/ (Click here for article on the topic)   

Another observation, this one is of the high school students driving, man they are in a hurry, skipping many of the reasonable precautions or at least things to notice.  Like the vectors and angles they use to make turns are highly creative.  I also see the parents bringing their highest prized crotch goblins doing similar in differening and unique layers of creativity.  The the thought slammed my brain, why are we so driven by time, by $$$ and things we have no control over.  It was a sobering thought, and well, it made me turn inward and reflect on me.  I have been doing that more and more and the thought of do we do this too, me and my family.  I notice my teenager get so ramped up about a time, but my wife and I have our own less than anxiety ridden approaches.  I think I am learning that my wife has surrendered more to this notion than I have as well.  As our guiding light, Liz, wife and mother of 4, often just says, hands up, we will do our best and get there when we arrive.  Lessons learned hun, thanks!  

On that note, it's my wife's birthday and she has dropped FB so comment on this post or let me know if I should drop her a message on your behalf.  So, yes, observations often push me to reflections now.   I guess I should start executing my nonchalant plans for operation make my wife happy at birthday times. 

I will admit I woke up a bit snarky today.  Further in some of my engagements with my customers I toed the line a bit but I also self-impose a limit of 3 well placed zingers of snark.  Then I retreat and rely on the following thought in meme format:

Family Trip/Adventure - Spiral Jetty at the Great Salt Lake

We took some time for a trip out tot he Spiral Jetty at The great SLC!  I hadn't taken pix with an SLR for some time and captured a few gems, but more importantly was the time with family.  It was a dedicated 90 minute drive there and back at a minimum and time together as a family unit there at the Jetty.  The flies on the way home were completely ABSURD.  I think Dennis and the girls really liked being able to be out of the house and free as it were together but not.  We let them go around and I grabbed pix along the way.  Here's some of the photos:

Training

Things are starting to come back and alive.  Mostly it has been running.  I have started to implement a technique to stay slow.  Pushing the girls has really slowed me down b/c they are about 70 lbs combined and then the stroller weight - so about 100 lbs on top of it!  This has done a great job slowing me down.  But what about straight runs.  When I think I am feeling good and I haven't told myself at first, it's OK to let it rip if I feel good.  I have been walking when I think I can go and just run --so I stop and walk!  Once the thought has fleeted and I can focus on staying slower and in control and aware of being in Zone 2.  That being said, I am enjoying the runs again too.  I have been keeping the base between a 5 k and a 10 k and not pushing it just yet as I build up my base.  

Last Saturday I also swam, I really felt like it was just comfortable!  Then it wasn't about distance or time it was about feel, the win?  It was that my times haven't slowed beyond anything that I am comfortable with.  

I have been neglecting the bike, I think its because I know I am going into the cooler season and I will be spending a lot of time on my indoor trainer.  That being said, also Rouvy my preferred platform changed to a subscription based model and that has bothered me.  Time to get back in the saddle in the near future.  The motivation wall is ready.  Now to figure out how and where to put something so I can do my trainer rides I guess I have options.

Activity Tracking and Stalking My Workouts - 

• Training Peaks
• Garmin Connect
• Strava

Relevant Pics

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