Group Photo before SC 1/2

Group Photo before SC 1/2
Originally uploaded by lamlicke

Great pic before the SC 1/2 on Sept 30, 2007. Little did we know the pain that was waiting for us, or maybe we did.



After looking at this photo again I noticed that as you move out from the center of the photo people appear less excited.

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Breakthrough training?

How do you know if you have had a 'breakthrough' training session? What is a breakthrough training session? is there such a thing? Is it just a good day? I'm not sure. Anyway, I think I had a breakthrough training weekend if there is such a thing. 92 mile ride, felt like 30. 2:20 trail run at Kennesaw, felt like I could have run forever. Thoughts? Ideas? That's it. Just wondering....

Long time, no post!

Nobody's been posting on here lately... guess we've all been too busy training! So, there's finally a race this month... it's about time! I'm anxious to see how fast everyone goes. I thoroughly enjoyed my rest week... did 3 swims and a nice 25 mile ride on the Comet today. And I'm SO glad that I didn't sign up for Powerman... best of luck to Kristy and the Hammer!

All right, people. Long weekend behind us. First, on Saturday, I watched the Amlicke household put up a great showing at the Tundra TT. Very nice. I was a little angry at myself for being to embarrassed and not doing it, but it was a great learning experience. I was scared to do something new and that isn't very like me, so next time, I will remember it. Anyway, it was really fun to get to spectate as I love spectating any races! And, I got to see friends compete and I had a nice cup of coffee so I am certainly not complaining. Then went out to CB South to meet friends for a birthday and had a great time.
Sunday: Run, Swim, Run. The irony is I was just telling Patrick how I wish this was a race series...run, swim, run. Ok: I TAKE IT BACK. Ran Kennesaw for 2 hours, huffing and puffing to keep up with the Boss. He had a nice laugh when I bit it and ate dirt--I wasn't hurt at least. Had my laugh of the day watching Andy drink DMD and saying "aahhh...mother's milk." Then, Subway, then to swim. I TOTALLY would have not gone if Lee and Amy didn't make me go. It was actually fun! Lee could be a masters coach I think. Hit the sauna to get warm. Then, by the time I got home, it was time to get Coach P for second run of the day. Was anyone else as happy as I was that Carole had put a note up on TP saying how hard the 2nd run was going to be? It made me feel a LOT better knowing I was supposed to feel like I didn't want to do it. That Coach P was really nice to me when I was pretty crabby on our run. I think she has a superb perspective of training living with a husband as talented as he is in triathlon.
All in all, another week of thankfulness that I have. That's it. Oh, I dropped some stuff off at my friend Jamie's tonight. I think I was there for a total of 30 minutes. Didn't stop me from a full helping of lasagna, a beer and a homemade cookie with milk. Nice friend--eating and running, but really, it was the perfect end to a perfect day. I hope you all had as wonderful of an evening.

Gordo Byrn Talk

Last Night All3Sports Sponsored a talk by triathlon coach and author Gordo Byrn. Many local triathletes, in search of wisdom and knowledge showed up for the discussion. It was a packed house. Lee, Kristy, Andy, Alberto and myself were there as well as Coach Carole and other local notables.

True to his introduction, Gordo was a captivating speaker -- down-to-earth, knowledgable, witty, zen-like and fiesty to boot. He discussed his life as Venture Capitalist, his travels to various countries as well as his hiking trips up such notable places as Kilamanjaro. He spoke openly of the humble beginnings which set him on the path to becoming an elite triathlete -- his conversion to Ultraman World Champion and the challenge of Epic Camp.

It was comforting to to recognize that much of his sage advise was already well-worn and familiar, having been taught to us by our own wise coach Carole. It was validating to hear him speak of the challenges of training while being a working athlete. I especially felt grateful for his confession that it was difficult for him to train more than 20 hours consistently while working w/o things in his life starting to give and slip. He focussed on consistency, nutrition, and rest...and the need to learn to calm the "noise" that clutters our mind and our lives.

Important too, was his alarming recognition that few people ever challenge themselves enough to know what they are fully capable of becoming, as an athlete and a person...

He has a remarkable website with much great information. Two Posts really struck me Conversation on Fear http://www.byrn.org/write/convfear.htm and Fear and Love http://www.byrn.org/write/lovefear.htm and its link to personal acceptance and happiness.

Some particular passages I liked:

(1) Courage is admitting my fears. Once they are spoken of, their powers over me diminish or leave. Once they are identified and action is taken they are often rendered meaningless and become even humorous. But it takes some courage for me to come to grips with my fears...Sometimes we meet people with an aura of peace and calm..... compassion and serenity. They seem to have some cosmic kindness and a mature attitude

(2) Being able to see things is a gift but always remember that everything we see is an illusion. There is no reality. All situations are constantly changing, the world is a dynamic place. You may have an insight into another's situation (pain, loss, life) but that doesn't mean that you can "fix" anything. In fact, that insight may be given to you for YOUR benefit not the other party's. There are times to learn from observing and there are times to share those observations

(3) What I have been thinking about is a deep spiritual love. Accepting and not grasping. An appreciative love -- full of an appreciation of the magnificence of creation (be it trees, dogs, people, whatever). That seems a lot healthier and a lot less risky to me. It can also be very satisfying, once you get your head around the concept.

(4) OK, so the theory is fine and dandy but how do you implement it? Total acceptance. Totally accept the other, totally accept yourself and totally accept the current situation. This doesn't mean that you jettison your personal standards -- in fact, I think the highest ethical standards are essential for spiritual love. For me, acceptance does not imply complacency or tacit agreement. For me, acceptance implies non-resistance, most importantly non-resistance to our own hearts. When we listen to our hearts, we will find the right way to go. Listen inwards, and respect outwards. Non-resistance combined with a deep respect for others (that's where the ethics comes in). If the person is not worthy of respect then I guess you can lead by example or move on... My angers, fears, and jealousies all seem to stem from internal resistance. As I lower (and some day eliminate) my resistance to the present, everything gets so much easier

I am not NEMO

I had my first Masters Swim practice today with good old Tim. Not that I know the bloke, but I had heard a lot about him. Started by getting to Westminster around 5:30. I had never been in that School. Amazing. It's like Disneyland in there. No wonder my friend who is a teacher there laughs at the parent's complaint. Just for you all to get an idea... a mom came to him to tell him that his son was unhappy with the food in the cafeteria and that unhappy children could not study right. The mom wanted gourmet meal and requested for them to add a "professional chef" to the staff. Well, the point is that the school is beautiful. I met Tim and Bill and filled some forms out and got in the pool. Long story short... I sucked !!! I was dying, my arms, chest, shoulders, legs, back... everything felt weak. I was in the slow lane and I sucked !!!! So, we all predicted that I was going to get very good at swimming since I couldn't ride or run because of my stress fracture, well wrong. I was lazy and pathetic and now I am paying the consequences. BUT "I am not bitter" (don't ask me who said that phrase cause you'll laugh) and I will survive. All those little fish in the pool will know who the real Nemo is in a couple of month (maybe weeks). Even with my weak (for now) leg, I will kick ass. Just like Nemo with his weak arm (or whatever fish have).