Love the Hurt: Physical Achievement

Our summer garden. Watching it grow

There's something about accomplishing something through physical means. Sure, getting a promotion/raise at work, acing a test or having a successful career are definitely achievements that should never be overlooked. The thing is, often times those things have money tied to them and are money driven. If you detach the money completely from them - are you still satisfied?? I think physical achievement is catching on. Never has running, triathlon, extreme sports and outdoor sports (list goes on) ever been so popular. I think people are seeing the importance of health, exercise and the deep down satisfaction of accomplishing something that you never thought you could do. Then you get that "bug" for the sport and it becomes a lifestyle, it rubs off on your kids and you realize that you just set a foundation for future generations in your family to live an active lifestyle. Pretty powerful. I think it's no coincidence that often times the career, money and success follows suit of an active lifestyle because you think more clear, have more energy and never give up until you reach your goal!

Over the past two years or so I've surrounded myself with people that fuel my passion, inspire me and make me want to be a better person and a better athlete. On the flip side, avoiding people that are negative, bring drama to the table and leave me depressed after hanging out. I think often times we overlook who we hang out with, what we listen to, what we read and what we watch. It's what feeds our minds. Input, output. Or what my mom used to say, "Garbage in, Garbage Out." Recognizing this and doing something about it can really change your life as a person and as an athlete.

Kendra after destroying the field!

I've been so inspired by brand new triathletes at the Temecula Valley Tri Club. Some came from a zero training background, or a running background, maybe swimming and even motocross! They just decided to take it up and watching the dedication and commitment to a goal is amazing. Even Rick, The Bike Shop owner is getting on the podium in triathlons and he barely knows how to swim!! ha...Then you have my wife Amy who with two kids and the difficult job of being a stay at home mom has been on a training terror lately. She is a machine! I think she's going to do some Dirt Dog Cross Country races with me this year, so I'm excited for that. And of course you have my two sister -in-laws. Traci and Jessica. They both decided to train/race the AFC Half Marathon and both did awesome, very cool to see! My buddy Eric who was training for SOMA, got hit by a car cycling - but has such a great positive attitude about it all and is slowly getting back on his feet. There are so many others that amaze me - too many to list, including my Wattie Teamates!!! It's been very inspiring. And speaking of inspiration, my friend Kendra whom I ran with (different teams) in high school started training for triathlon about two years ago and just CRUSHED it at the inaugural Ironman New York City triathlon finishing the #1 Female Amateur OVERALL! Check out her BLOG and read about it. So amazing, and so so excited for her. It's rare that I take the time and track athletes during crazy weekends with training and family activities but watching Kendra work her way up to the top spot was very cool to watch. Makes me want to try an Ironman....hmmm.

Find what inspires you, latch on to it and don't let it go.

This Saturday I race the Santa Barbara Long Course Triathlon. It's a 1 mile swim, 35 mile bike and a 10 mile run. Looking at past results it looks like a pretty big race and some big names have shown up in the past, so I'm excited to see what I can do in the OVERALL results. I haven't raced since late June and although this little break from racing has done wonders for my form, I can't wait to toe the line and race hard. I want to personally thank Kim for setting Amy and I up with a home stay up in Santa Barbara. We didn't have the money that these fancy Santa Barbara hotels charge so now we'll be comfortable at her friend's Kirk facility. Thanks Kim and Kirk! Amy is going to be roaming around on the course taking pictures and tweeting out my results. If you haven't already, follow me on twitter, info on the left side of my page.

Here's a bunch of pictures. The blog is definitely getting an upgrade since I just got an iPhone. Takes such good pictures and easier to post. Never going back!