Activations: Microcosm Run

February 17, 2008

Crazy run out there today.

I had a 21-miler schedule on the marathon training program. The weather was potentially volatile. High winds and possible heavy downpours later in the morning. The temperature was OK, so I decided I would run the three miles toward the gym, thinking I could duck in and do some treadmill mileage if the weather turned. Or, if things looked OK, keep going, circle toward the park, run a few loops and head home.

First, I wondered if my knee was capable of going 21 miles. I had a boost of enthusiasm from the previous day's 5-mile race, but I had doubts as to whether I could cover that kind of mileage and what the weather had in store.

The fuel belt was loaded and I headed out. The knee was sore early on. I was already questioning myself. Do I turn back? No, it will loosen up. Man, it's windy. I'm getting blown backwards and sideways.

At mile 3 passing the gym, no signs of rain. I'll keep going. Hey, is that Activeness' John driving up toward the gym on this back street? It was. A short exchange on what we were up to and then I kept going.

Around mile 6, the rain started. Then it opened up. I don't know the definition of a monsoon, but that's what I'm calling it. I was soaked and the wind was ripping. I better turn back, this is crazy. I'll go back to the gym or home, this is not looking good. Less than two miles later it stopped monsooning and I eventually turned back toward the park again on a different parallel street.

By mile 10 I felt good and thought I could possibly go the distance if I could continue like this. I headed up the big hill in the park, waved to Dave heading in the opposite direction and started to feel more pain in the knee. I'll see if it feels better at the top of the hill, I thought to myself. It didn't. I had reached my pain threshhold and decided I better turn around and head for home, which was probably another 3 miles away. Halfway down the hill I see Dave and it looks like he wants to join me, but before he gets any ideas, I stop and tell him I'm hobbling. We jogged a little more and caught up on life (and our injuries) before he offered me a much needed ride home. Turns out he just had his fourth child two weeks ago. Wow.

I only got in 11.5 miles of my scheduled 21, but I was happy to be home in one piece. While frustrated with an unexplainable injury, I thought back on this crazy run as a microcosm of what life throws at you over time.

There was enthusiasm and confidence from Saturday's race result, mixed with doubts and questions. There were headwinds slowing me down. I unexpectedly saw a close friend when I least expected it, checking on my progress. The heavy storms came and forced me to regroup and head toward safety. The storms then let up and gave me new courage to keep going. Then another setback, telling me I should stop for the day, followed by a bail out and lift home from a helping friend. It hit me that the mind games, emotion and events of just that one run mirror life's twists and turns, peaks and valleys. It was simply a microcosm of life played out in an attempted Sunday long run.

Activations: Daily Masterpiece

Activation – noun: making active and effective

As time rolls forward into the new year, many of us set new goals, prepare to make changes, and make a fresh start toward a positive path.

Whether we’re looking back at the past year or a lifetime, one thing is certain: Time moves forward with or without us. Like an unstoppable offensive player who is impossible to defend, we can’t stop time — we can only hope to contain it.

By making the most of our time and really owning it rather than letting it steamroll us like helpless bystanders, “containing” time will give us much to feel good about. The other option is to give in to the SSDD (Same Stuff Different Day) mentality. No thanks.

With 10 NCAA Men's Basketball Championships to his name, retired UCLA coach John Wooden encourages us to, “Make each day your masterpiece.”

Each day really is a blank canvas lying in front of us, just waiting for our actions. This fresh canvas provides an opportunity to make that daily masterpiece possible. While true daily masterpieces may end up being few and far between, tomorrow always provides another opportunity. Just knowing there is another chance — what a gift!

In the movie Dumb & Dumber, Jim Carrey’s character, Lloyd, puts his heart in his hand and asks his dream woman to be honest and tell him what the chances are that they could be together. In an awkward moment of not knowing what to say without hurting Lloyd, she says the chances are roughly one in a million. Instead of being crushed by this news, Lloyd’s surprising reaction is enthusiastic and happy: “So you’re telling me there’s a chance!”

Each day we have a new chance to make the tough interval at masters swimming, squeeze in a run before work, eat healthy, or climb the big hill — twice. The canvas is wide open to make our own.

As long as there’s a chance, a daily opportunity, to make each day a masterpiece, we can move forward with time instead of letting it pass us by.

Here’s to many masterpieces in 2007. Happy New Year.

Respect,
JPD

This also appears in SwimBikeRun St. Louis Magazine.

Activations: Motivation

Activation – noun: making active and effective



Successful people have something in common: They are motivated. Motivation can come from parents, a boss, or a coach — anyone who wants you to perform to a certain standard. There’s no doubt these external stimuli can be good motivators.

To travel beyond this level, though — to hit goals that seemingly are out of reach — we also need to be self-motivated. We need to have something inside that makes us want it more than any outsider could make us believe. It’s the kind of motivation that occurs when everyone else says, “That’s good enough,” and our response is, “Not quite.”

But where does this type of motivation come from? And how can we tap into it?

Finding motivation can be tough. With busy schedules and competing demands on already hectic lives, what can motivate us to do something extra when often all we want is to keep our sanity?

As a triathlete or fitness enthusiast, the motivation to train and take care of our bodies needs to come from within. And to sustain our race results, training regimens, or healthy lifestyles, this motivation needs to be plentiful and constant.

Here are some motivation techniques I’ve witnessed, read about, or even used myself:

1) Start with the end in mind. Picturing your goal and how you would like to see yourself reach it can provide the motivation to ensure you take the necessary steps (i.e., do the training) to get there.

2) Use negative experiences or feelings as fuel to lead you in a positive direction. Running away from negativity (literally) — whether it’s a failed relationship, job, or streak of bad luck — can boost your mental outlook as you take charge of what is in your control.

3) Pick a theme song or use catch phrases. Words and music can inspire you. Tell yourself to, “Do your best,” “Raise the bar,” “Take it to another level,” “Unleash the champion,” or my latest: “Knock it out the box, kid!” It only has to make sense to you and give you the confidence you need to stay committed.

4) Look for inspiration in others. The world is full of stories of individuals overcoming tragedy and beating the odds. Use their examples to convince you that your goals are not unrealistic. Impossible is nothing.

5) Prove it. Prove to yourself or somebody who may doubt you that you can do it. The nice thing about triathlon is that the results are tangible. You achieve a certain time or ranking or complete a quantifiable distance. Nobody can take that away.

6) Imagine how it will make you feel. Think about the health benefits, the improved self-image, or the higher energy level that will make you a better partner, employee, or parent.

7) Use the gifts you’ve been given. If you know you have the talent or ability, use it.

The E! “True Hollywood Stories” and Fox Sports Net’s “Beyond the Glory” sports documentaries often follow rags to riches storylines of individuals overcoming major obstacles too difficult for most of us to comprehend. Often, with seemingly no alternatives, these individuals put all they have into that one thing. It’s life or death and they choose life.

Being a triathlete is not a life or death proposition for must of us, which means we must rely on other sources of motivation to keep moving forward.

Respect,
JPD

This also appears in SwimBikeRun St. Louis Magazine.

Activations: Survivor: Triathlon Island

Activation – noun: making active and effective

Sometimes I think of the “triathlon lifestyle” as a close relative of the TV show Survivor, with various aspects of our lives competing to stay in the game.

In this season’s version of Survivor: Triathlon Island, the contestants battle for the attention of a busy triathlete. The nine players are named:

• Sleep
• Diet
• Training
• Job
• Socializing
• Household
• Friends
• Financial
• Downtime

In the first immunity challenge, a cooking contest, Household wins easily. Downtime is voted off. Job summed it up by saying, “There’s no place on Triathlon Island for Downtime. That was painfully obvious by looking at the training plan.”

Alliances soon formed along natural lines between Financial and Job, as well as between Sleep and Diet. Training and Socializing quickly became enemies and Friends duped Socializing into thinking they were in alliance.

Next off the island was Household. Tribal Council made it close, with Socializing getting a couple votes — one of which was from Friends. Financial got immunity in a math puzzle of sorts. “He was draining all our energy with exhaustive cleaning chores,” said Training, referring to the exiled Household.

Friends proceeded to backstab Socializing and garner enough support to toss him off the island. Diet earned immunity since the contestants had to eat native plants and bugs.

The next immunity challenge involved staying awake all night, but host Jeff Probst changed it to a fitness challenge because he thought the vixen Sleep would boost ratings and allow his crush on her to blossom. Training won the challenge and Financial left on his own terms, saying, “I’m not responsible for going into debt on race fees and all this expensive equipment. I had to listen to my conscience.” The contestant known as Job was distraught, wondering, “How can I support this lifestyle on my own without Financial?”

Diet got kicked off the show for stealing food from the camera crew. There wasn’t enough time to plan, organize, and cook healthy meals on Triathlon Island anyway. Soon after, Sleep was lonely without Diet around, and could no longer contribute around camp. Since the rest of the contestants were fed up with his ironic excuse of being too tired, his days were numbered and he was next to go.

That left Training, Job, and Friends. Between these three, Triathlon Island was getting by with the bare minimum.

Training and Job formed an alliance to get rid of Friends, hoping that when the show was over, they could reconnect and apologize.

Realizing they needed each other to make it to the end of the show, which culminated in an actual sprint triathlon around the island, Training and Job protested, essentially going on strike and demanding that all the contestants be brought back to compete.

Training won the actual race and prize money, but in an unheard of show of generosity, split the money with all the others saying, “Every component is necessary for a triathlete to be successful. I didn’t want people out there to think that you could live the triathlon lifestyle on training alone. It just doesn’t work that way.”

Roll credits …

Respect,
JPD

This also appears in SwimBikeRun St. Louis Magazine.

Activations: Livin’ Right

Activation – noun: making active and effective

In the past five months I’ve been to nine different states — five for races and four for weddings or to visit friends. Throw in a trek to Newfoundland, Canada, (“North Siiiide!”) for the ITU World Championship Duathlon, and it has been a busy time. Through these experiences I’ve been fortunate to meet some quality people who I believe will become lifelong friends. I’ve also strengthened existing friendships and reconnected with old friends.

As active people, we spend lots of time fine-tuning our bodies, equipment, and schedules. We chase goals of a PR, podium finish, age-group medal, head-to-head victory, or simply finishing a challenging event or distance. And when we’re living our “real” lives — at the office or in the classroom, lab, shop, basement, or kitchen — we do our best to excel.

These worthy pursuits are the fiber of our being and day-to-day purpose. But in and of themselves, they aren’t enough. We’re human, not robots. Sure, it’s nice to earn a trophy or achieve success. We want to be viewed as being good at something that offers us personal fulfillment and an enjoyable lifestyle — however we define it. Yet when it’s all said and done, most of us won’t be remembered for an invention or have a long-lasting effect on the world.

Times change, technology evolves, our contributions and accolades fade into the horizon of time. The people around us may know a little about our accomplishments. But what they’re going to remember is what kind of people we were. They’ll remember whether we were honest and upbeat. They’ll never forget that we were there when it mattered most — at the wedding, birthday party, funeral, hospital or even on the other end of the phone.

The people I’ve trained and hung out with recently are what I call “livin’ right.” They’re good at what they do, generous, helpful, honest, grateful, positive, and health-conscious. They “exude clean-living,” as one friend describes it.

Are there things you’d like to address before you can honestly say you’re livin’ right? Can you make changes for the better? Boost your attitude? Say “thank you” more often? Have the opportunity to say “you’re welcome” more than you do now?

We’re all a work in progress. If we know what we need to work on, then why not try? Seeing so many people close to us who are livin’ right is inspiring. We’re drawn to these folks for their positivity and willingness to share their experiences.

Alternatively, as it says in 1 Corinthians 15:33, “Bad company corrupts good character.” And in Matthew 24:28, “Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.”

Live right, don’t gather with the vultures.

How you livin’?

Respect,
JPD

This also appears in the October issue of SwimBikeRun St. Louis Magazine.

Activations: Truth Be Told

This also appears in the September issue of SwimBikeRun St. Louis Magazine.

Activation – noun: making active and effective

The truth is good. Always. Sometimes it hurts. Sometimes it reveals tragedy, brings sadness, or leads to disappointment, but it’s always good. It needs to be known so we can react to reality.

Sometimes we fear truth because it might force us to change and that can be a scary prospect. But we must face it and be strong, no matter how monumentally painful the truth about something may be.

When a diagnosis is confirmed, it can be bad news. But it can’t be avoided and opportunities to cope or reverse conditions are better when dealt with rather than ignored.

Sometimes we avoid the truth in a relationship. We know it’s not working or that we’re unhappy but we’re not sure we can handle the difficulty in revealing and dealing with the truth.

You may be avoiding the truth about your career or co-worker relationships, knowing that they’re dragging you down but not acknowledging your need to fix the problem.

Maybe it’s the truth about an addiction or dependency. Denial is a comfortable place to be. But you don’t want to be a slave to it.

The time trial in the Tour de France often is referred to as the “Race of Truth.” It’s simple. Who can ride alone from here to there the fastest today? No excuses and nowhere to hide. The truth about each rider’s ability is exposed, on display for all to see.

Running, biking, or swimming truths take place every time we train or race. How far or fast can we go today under these conditions? It’s not just that the truth reveals who is the fastest. It provides us with knowledge about whether we’re making progress and meeting our individual goals.

Some put restrictions on themselves, saying, “I can’t” or “I could never do XYZ.” This might be accurate based on current circumstances, but have you tried or are you willing to adjust your goals so that “I can’t” eventually can become “I can”?

This summer I discovered the truth that I can’t compete at the level that I’d like on two hours of swimming per week. I need to taper, and to get more sleep, and might need to reprioritize some things in my life to reach my goals. It feels good to acknowledge these truths so I can try to improve.

Seek the truth — don’t just project what it is. Try going a certain speed or distance, or doing an activity that you are not an expert in. If the truth is you can’t do it, at least you know. That knowledge prepares you to aim for a more realistic goal.

If you say you can’t you’ll never try — and you’ll never really know the truth of what is out there and what you are capable of doing. In the end, the truth is all there is. I suggest you seek it out.

Respect,
JPD

Activations: Gettin’ to the Good Part

This column also appears in the July issue of SwimBikeRun St. Louis Magazine.

Activation – noun: making active and effective

With another birthday in the books and my lifelong journey of self-discovery benefiting from a current tailwind, each experience and human interaction offers clarity to what brings satisfaction, fulfillment, and peace as well as what is just clutter, distraction, and filler. There seems to be a sharpness and ability to recognize that “this is working” or “this is not.” With a good balance of exercise, attitude, and positive energy from the people in my world, the brain seems to be gripping the handlebars, steering me toward the activities and experiences aligned with my goals, persona, and lifestyle — and away from things that are not who I am or what I want to be.

A big part of this process in life is figuring out who “gets it” and who doesn’t. Of course there are our fellow triathletes or fitness enthusiasts who share our desire to set goals, be healthy, compete, sweat, and feel good about it. There are also friends, family, and co-workers who, although they may not participate in multisport, understand our passion — probably because they have that passion for something in their own lives.

It’s the family member who calls to ask how the event went even if they don’t understand the distances, the split times, or whether you did well or poorly in your own mind. They know that you care, so they care, and they respect your commitment. It’s the co-worker or boss who knows you raced over the weekend, then drove for hours to make it back home so you could do the presentation on Monday morning. They understand your passion and appreciate the extra effort. It’s the friend who knows to ask you well in advance if you can make it to a special event, knowing that the calendar is sprinkled with races and a structured training routine. Or the ones that know you aren’t going to stay out late, eat hot dogs, and drink the night away when you have a race, swim practice, or group ride in the morning. And those that understand injuries that keep you sidelined are difficult times to handle and NOT a welcome excuse to be lazy and “party.”

Simply put, these people “get it”, or at least they “get you” and they support your dreams in various ways. If you find yourself thinking “he or she gets it,” make sure you show them love and the same support they give you. They allow you to “Get to the Good Part” as I like to call it. The zones in which you are thinking, “This is what I was meant to do,” “This is who I was meant to be,” and “This is a person I am grateful for and meant to be around.”

The “Good Parts” are also the little things, like the email trying to figure out a plan for a ride for the weekend. Or the satisfaction of seeing your buddy’s car in the parking lot at the agreed upon early hour to start the workout. Yeah, he or she gets it. Thank God. The understanding friend who comprehends that you had a long day at work, still want to get a run in, but could meet a little later, if that’s OK. Word, no problem.

As I made the final descent after multiple loops at Babler State Park, I looked over at a training buddy while hitting speeds well over 30 MPH. Most people were probably still sleeping, but the sun was shining and we were laughing about some comment just exchanged, our muscles sore from the day before. This was the good part and he gets it.

One year in high school, our basketball team would enter the gym for warm-ups with hooded sweatshirts that read “Gettin’ to the Good Part” as rap group Whodini’s song with the same name pumped through the speakers:

“When we gonna get to the good part? Get down to the good part.”

Find the people that “get it,” show them love, put on your hooded sweatshirt, and get to the good part. It’s definitely out there. Get it.

Respect,
JPD

Activations: Sandcastles

This also appears in the June issue of SwimBikeRun St. Louis Magazine.

Activation – noun: making active and effective

As a reader of this magazine, you're probably interested in physical fitness. You may have goals to become more active, get faster, try something new, maintain your health, or pursue a limitless list of other life-enhancing possibilities.

You probably also have non-athletic goals. If you don’t, you should. These goals could involve career, education, relationships, family, spirituality, finance, or music — whatever lights the fire inside you and brings you satisfaction.

But what about those times when you don’t seem to be making any progress? You have nothing to show for your efforts. Your diligent consistency feels like it’s not paying off and you can’t seem to get any traction. The question we’ve all asked ourselves during these phases, whether they last for weeks or years, is, “Is this worth it?”

In a results-oriented society in which the false hope of overnight success is being pitched to us every waking hour — “buy now, stock poised to triple,” “guaranteed rock hard abs in 5 minutes,” “lose 20 pounds by this weekend” — it’s easy to think that small, incremental, almost unnoticeable progress isn’t enough.

Why should I work late again? Nobody seems to notice, anyway. Why should I keep going to masters swimming when I’ll never be good enough for the fast lane?

I hope you’ve also experienced stretches in which everything is clicking. Maybe you get a promotion, your training is injury-free, your race results show a nice blend of solid performances and PRs, and your relationships are deep and meaningful. This might call for a proclamation of being in ”the zone.” Using sand as a metaphor for achievement, during these times a dump truck is backing up to your front door and unloading around the clock.

In reality, however, that dump truck unloading sand isn’t how you got into the zone. Most likely you’ve been bringing home a few handfuls or maybe even a daily grain or two of sand over the years. The accumulation is starting to take shape, as if it has been compounding, and your own mini-sandcastle rises up, representing the efforts and progress you may not have realized you were making. The occasional harsh wave may wipe out what you’ve been building but the sand will still be there, waiting to be reshaped.

People are noticing what you are doing and saying. They're posting mental notes when you take action, come through in the clutch, do your job, lend a hand, or give an encouraging word. It might not always feel like it, but people are paying attention and your body is listening to how you are treating it. You'll reap the benefits in the long run.

I'm not naïve enough to think all the people of the world are cheering each other on or that the good guys and gals always win. The people paying attention include “the haters:” folks who want to see you struggle. They check the race results and feel better when they notice you still can’t beat their bike split. They stock their water bottles with endurance-formula “Haterade” and sip away while hoping no one reaps the rewards of hard work on the road or in the office. Biggie might tell you they have Ph.D.’s: player-hater degrees. Don’t mind ‘em. Deactivate them from your consciousness and go back to work on that sandcastle masterpiece you’ve been so diligently sculpting. It's starting to take shape, isn’t it?

Good luck building your sandcastles.

Respect,
JPD

Activations: From Big Wheels to Disc Wheels

Activation – noun: making active and effective





Growing up in St. Louis, I spent as much time as possible playing outside. My schoolmates, kids from the neighborhood, and I would entertain ourselves with variations on traditional sports, Big Wheeling, and biking.

I say “variations” because we rarely had the proper equipment, playing field, time, or number of participants to play a “regulation” game. But we always seemed to stay semi-organized, work up a sweat, and have fun as the daylight hours slipped away. Inevitably, Mom’s dinner call signaled the game-ending buzzer, regardless of the score.

We once organized a full baseball game with catcher’s equipment and all. Can you imagine scheduling 18 people to do anything these days?

But we usually resorted to playing corkball. The required equipment was only a thin bat and a tennis ball. Two strikes was an out, as was a foul tip. A squib was a “neutral” — didn’t count for or against. A hit past the pitcher was a single. To the fence on one bounce — double. To the fence on the fly — triple. And if you muscled one over the fence, well that was just the bomb — a home run, of course. Nothing felt more manly. Catch a ball on one bounce — you’re out. If the catcher caught a swinging second strike — double play. Where did we come up with this stuff?

My backyard had a cement patio with a brick barbecue pit. I discovered that if I threw a racquetball off the barbecue pit at the perfect angle, I could get the ball to pop up. If I was lucky it would fly just high and far enough to where I could jump up and rob my imaginary batter of a home run. I’d keep score with chalk.

I had a basketball hoop in my backyard. It wasn’t sturdy but it accommodated some shooting around and an occasional game. One day I discovered that if I took a log from Dad’s woodpile and set it in the perfect spot, I could build enough momentum, leap off the stump, and throw down a vicious dunk. Thanks to the perfect log, we soon were cradling Nerf balls and bending the rim with every attempt. The net got so tattered that it would shed fabric with a rim-rattling dunk on the 8-foot goal. The shedding fabric was soon dubbed “slam material” and if you didn’t cause any to come down, your stuff was weak. Over in the alley at a friend’s house we could even do a reverse jam by stepping off his garage door with just the right timing.

Our football games were either full-on games at the park or smaller versions in the street or backyard. We would “forget” to invite the guys who hit puberty before the rest of us, knowing they knocked the wind out of anything they ran into. Heaven forbid we’d be playing “kill the man with the ball” when one of them showed up. Suddenly everyone was fumbling.

Sometimes a guy would declare “all-time quarterback” (for both teams) and we’d all immediately see the logic. Good thing we had no play clock in those days, as some of our trick plays took five minute to draw up. “Run a few steps, bend down like you’re going to tie your shoe, and when he relaxes, sprint to the second tree after the station wagon and I’ll hit you there. Got it?”

We’d play hockey on the blacktop and make our own goalie masks and pads — out of cardboard! It didn’t matter if we couldn’t bend our knees because the stiff cardboard was duct-taped across our corduroy pant knees or that we really couldn’t see through the cut-out eye holes in the mask. With our baseball gloves and cardboard pads with logos drawn on with magic markers, we believed we were like real NHL goalies.

We even invented a game called “Hockey-Soccer-Football” with rules so obscure they’ve slipped my adult mind. We made up the rules as we went along during our regular recess games.

Sure, we had to deal with bad weather. That’s when we brought the hockey games indoors. All we needed was a good tapeball and a fireplace as the goal. A couple of Nerf balls bouncing off the wood paneling made for some wicked indoor soccer games. And don’t think we didn’t do some Nerf dunking on the rim that hangs from the door. No traveling violations, no fouls, no problem.

One Christmas I got a set of boxing gloves. Instead of working the speed bag, which was falling out of the basement wall, my friends and I would go toe to toe in some super-featherweight battles. I only had one set of gloves, though, and we were all right-handed, so the advantage was clear. To balance things out we’d use oven mitts for the other hand. Golden Rule: Absolutely no hitting to the head with the oven mitt!

Let’s not forget the Big Wheels and Green Machines and our steel tank bicycles with banana seats, thick tires, reflectors, chain guards, and fenders. Classic. I’m still not sure what made me think I could jump off ramps.

What amazes me about all these games and activities is that we played them, for the most part, without arguments. When conflicts arose, we’d quickly come up with a fair solution and just keep playing. If you didn’t like the decision, then you just had to crush the next pitch, drain the next shot, or crank the pedals harder to prove your point. An old fashioned, “I’ll show you what I’m made of” was the ultimate rebuttal.

If you’re “serious” about fitness or triathlons, then odds are you’re following a plan, tracking mileage, and measuring your results. You’re eating and drinking special foods. You’re monitoring your life in beats per minute, miles per hour, foot strikes per minute, strokes per length, calories per hour and per day, watts, cadence, breaths, and sweat rates. And all of this is measured with expensive gizmos and tracked with precision and neatly charted to tell you that you still are not fast enough to win your age group and, by the way, you better get some sleep to be effective at work tomorrow.

My trip back to my youth, which hopefully stirred some of your own memories, was a reminder to get out and do it. Do it because it’s fun. Don’t make it too complicated or confuse yourself with information overload.

I didn’t realize that my Big Wheel actually had a disc wheel and that a Green Machine had aerobars. I thought strawberry Kool-Aid was the ultimate thirst quencher. I didn’t think about recovery drinks or which zone my heart was in when I was playing. Cross-training happened naturally. Calories were burned as a byproduct of the great outdoors, the pursuit of laughter, and the imagination of a young heart and uncomplicated vigor to play and have fun.

We all know it’s important to have a plan to achieve goals. Technology, nutrition, and performance monitoring are components of success. But you’ll only make good use of those components if your enjoyment of training and racing can carry you to your dreams. Sacrifice and hard work — yes, absolutely. The willingness and desire to get out there — required. Finding pleasure and enjoyment in the activities that support your goals — that’s when your dreams have a chance of coming true.

Respect,
JPD

Activations: Worth Your Best Effort

This originally appeared in the March issue of SwimBikeRun St. Louis Magazine, the only triathlon magazine to officially agree with Three 6 Mafia that it really is hard out there for a pimp.

Activation – noun: making active and effective

Without the defined goals and window of time that the Olympics have provided elite area athletes like Steve Warner (rowing), Jackie Joyner-Kersee (track and field), Craig Virgin (10,000 meters), and 2008 hopeful Sarah Haskins (triathlon), how can amateur or recreational athletes establish their timelines or specific windows of opportunity to achieve their goals?

In the bigger picture and in context of the world’s history, an individual’s lifespan appears to be an insignificant blip. Historian E. H. Gombrich most eloquently described time as a river:

“But now let us quickly drop down in our plane towards the river. From close up, we can see it is a real river, with rippling waves like the sea. A strong wind is blowing and there are little crests of foam on the waves. Look carefully at the millions of shimmering white bubbles rising and then vanishing with each wave. Over and over again, new bubbles come to the surface and then vanish in time with the waves. For a brief instant they are lifted on the wave’s crest and then they sink down and are seen no more. We are like that. Each one of us no more than a tiny glimmering thing, a sparkling droplet on the waves of time which flow past beneath us into an unknown misty future. We leap up, look around us and, before we know it, we vanish again. We can hardly be seen in the great river of time. New drops keep rising to the surface. And what we call our fate is no more than a struggle in that great multitude of droplets in the rise and fall of one wave. But we must make use of that moment. It is worth the effort.”

It is worth the effort to do your best, to make your life — insignificant as it may seem in the river of time — worthwhile and purposeful in the goals you strive for, the work you do, and the relationships you develop.

Legendary distance runner Steve Prefontaine summed it up nicely: "To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift." I believe he was talking about the gift of time and abilities that go into giving everything you have to whatever you feel is worthwhile.

In my early twenties, I was chosen to play in an All-Star soccer game against a team of former pros from the United Kingdom. Their roster included George Best, then in his forties, but still a magician on the ball and known as one of the greatest players of all time, right up there with Pele. The irony of his last name being Best and his stature as one of the greatest “footballers” is regretfully footnoted by his struggles in life with alcoholism and recent death.

Both Pre and Best had achieved so much in their sports, inspiring the world in their greatness. Yet both, sadly, were unable to make full “use of that moment” as “sparkling droplets on the waves of time.”

You and I probably won’t be mentioned as one of the greatest of all time in anything. Yet I’m convinced that if you set a high bar for yourself and do your best to achieve that standard, then you will have made good use of the moment, that sparkling droplet — your life — and the aspects that you deem important, whether that means your athletics, career, family, or friendships.

Be warned, though, that as you “leap up” in the great river of time, your best may not always be accepted or recognized as such by others or by your toughest critic — yourself. Have faith that it matters that you are doing what you can. And don’t get discouraged.

Vietnam prisoner of war Captain Gerald Coffee said, “The decisions we make out of loneliness and pain, uncertainty and fear, can take us to the extremes of shame and pride. The turning point that changes adversity into opportunity, or defeat into victory comes when we are willing to forgive ourselves. Too often, our unreasonable expectations lead to self-judgment and guilt. Our best is the best we can do.”

So even when life is a struggle and the effort to be your best at the things that matter in your life feels overwhelming — and you question if your best even is good enough — take the advice of American Ironman champion Chris Lieto:

“Never stop fighting; it always pays off in the end if you give it your all.”

Respect,
JPD

Activations: “Game Recognize Game”

This column originally appeared in the February issue of SwimBikeRun St. Louis Magazine, the first publication to break the story of the Armstrong-Crow split.

Activation – noun: making active and effective

If you’re a hip-hop fan, you may be familiar with the expression, “Game recognize game.” At the risk of sounding like Tipper Gore explaining the ins and outs of explicit rap lyrics, the concept is this: If you “have game,” it means you’re proficient or skilled in something. And this means you’re more inclined to recognize others that have game. One can have game in a sport, skill, career, or judgment — just about anything.

Game is measured by your results, knowledge, commitment, improvement, contributions, and attitude. Recognition crosses fields. A molecular biologist can recognize a talented writer. Despite not being avid athletes, my parents — accomplished and well-respected in their professions — acknowledge the commitment I’ve made to sports and the active lifestyle.

Even in today’s impersonal, disposable world, you can find a well-designed product, a valuable service, or an employee who takes pride in doing the best possible job. That is game and it deserves to be recognized.

So what does this have to do with sport?

“Game recognize game” is the nod you give to the other runners on the trail, regardless of their speed. It’s the hand you raise off the bars to acknowledge the rider headed in the opposite direction. It’s the mutual understanding that shaved legs and a Speedo don’t make you a freak. It’s the encouraging words you give and receive during a race, from 5K to Ironman. These are the secret handshakes of the active lifestyle brotherhood and sisterhood that you’re likely part of if you’re reading this publication.

If your favorite Monsignor asks if you’ve considered the priesthood, you have game. If you honk at cyclists and give them the finger because you were forced to slow down for a moment, you have absolutely no game. And you probably have other issues.

If you’re invited to be on a committee, your review is requested, or a friend asks your opinion – these are signs you have it. That’s great, but it’s even more important to respect it in others. It needs to be given, too.

Whether it’s to the last-place finisher — new to the game but committed and improving — or to the elites who are in the hunt for the podium, we need to show our appreciation of our racing peers.

We all know how good it feels when someone we admire pays us a compliment or respects our effort. If you have game, you better recognize game.

Respect,
JPD

Activations: Breaking the Plane

This column originally appeared in the January issue of SwimBikeRun St. Louis Magazine.

Activation – noun: making active and effective

It’s first and goal. What are you going to do: Take a knee and let the clock run out or move forward and try to break the plane of the goal line?

The score doesn’t matter. Neither does your record. This is about you moving in a direction to better yourself. This is about challenging the status quo, the comfort zone, the resistance to change. This is about letting go of your fear of failure or unpredictability.

What are the planes you need to break in 2006?

In some cases it’s a physical barrier defined by spatial boundaries. Like the plane of a warm bed cover when the alarm to exercise goes off on a dark winter morning. For many Americans, it’s the confines of the couch in front of the TV. Some planes, such as the snack cupboard or liquor cabinet, are better left unbroken. Imagine an electric fence in your refrigerator doorway.

Mental planes are just as prevalent and often precede the physical. Finding the self-confidence to set a goal and believe in yourself enough to actually think you will accomplish it can be difficult, no doubt. It’s easier to hide backstage, behind life’s curtain, and criticize the performers. The catch is that your dreams may be on the other side.

Find the slit in the curtain and try stepping through. Show your boss that new design you’ve been tweaking for months. Submit your song to a record company. Send your poem to your parents who don’t know you write poetry. Get your screenplay into the hands of your cousin’s producer friend in L.A. Say hi to that friendly face on the elevator or at the gym. Break the self-imposed force field you’re lugging around. It may protect you from rejection or failure, but it’s just as likely to block you from your dreams.

Break the still surface of a quiet swimming pool. Hop on your bike at daybreak and go. Break the plane of your front door and put one foot in front of the other. The momentum of a streamlined push off the wall or a few pedal strokes will carry you further than you could have imagined. Possibilities exist, opportunities are created, connections are made, ideas are born. Journey to a new plane where promises to yourself are made and kept.

It’s first and goal and you’re in the huddle looking at all the pieces of your life staring back at you. It’s time to decide what to do. Don’t take a knee or get called for another delay of game. Run a play that moves you forward. It’s the only way to win.

Here’s hoping you break some planes in 2006. Break!

Respect,
JPD