On May 15, 2012,
in Certainly, you’ve heard of the bucket list. Or at least the concept of a bucket list. It’s a list of things that you’d like to accomplish before you die. Or turn 40. (To some, those milestones are one and the same).
Of course, The Bucket List was a movie back in 2007 starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. This is not so much about the movie but more about the concept.
So many of us have lists of things we’d like to accomplish during our lifetime. Some folk’s lists are more altruistic than others. For example, you could want to “rescue a dog or cat from a shelter”, “make a tangible difference in someone’s life”, “find a cure to cancer” or just “be happy”. Other folk’s list are more selfish, and could include things like: “earn a million dollars”, “own a Ferrari”, “Find a beautiful wife/husband”.
Multisport athletes are no exception to the rule. We love to have lists of things we either want to do, things we want to buy, or things we’d love to accomplish.
For the longest time, my bucket list included (1) do a marathon and (2) become an Ironman. My list wasn’t a “do it before I die” list, but rather a “do it for my 40th” list. I set out in 2009 to do both of these things, and lo and behold, I did. In February 2009 I ran my first marathon (26.2 with Donna, The National Marathon to End Breast Cancer) and… Read the rest
It’s spring in the United States. Kids everywhere are playing sports.
Of course, most kid’s sports fall in the “traditional” variety: soccer, football, basketball, baseball, softball. In the part of Florida where I live, lacrosse is a huge, and growing, sport for both boys and girls. Then there’s the “fringe” sports: crew, golf, triathlon, fencing. Wait….did I just say TRIATHLON?
Absolutely! Triathlon is a big-time sport in Jacksonville.
Photo: The Florida Times-Union, Will Dickey
As evidence, the fourth annual First Coast Kids’s Triathlon – held yesterday on the campus of the University of North Florida. More than 1800 kids, aged 6-15, finished their race yesterday. There’s no telling how many (if any) participated but didn’t finish. The organizers call this the largest kids triathlon in the country.
While we know triathlon is an individual sport, the cool thing about the First Coast Kid’s Triathlon is how kids trained for the race – often as teams. Many local elementary schools formed training teams who prepped for months in advance of the race.
None of my kids raced this year, but one of our daughter’s good friends did (and she rode my daughter’s bike). She completed the 200 meter swim, 6 mile bike and 1 mile run in a total of 51:19…good enough for 24th out of 119 kids in her age group!
Pretty dang exciting that kids have a chance to enjoy the sport that we love with their very own race!
On April 4, 2012,
in Gonna make this short but here are two new motivations to swim more!
Here we go…
Folks have hobbies. Some are gardeners. Others collect stamps. Some people collect Beanie Babies. Others play golf.
What do we do? We do triathlon.
Why?
Have you ever really thought about why we do this sport? What about this sport floats our boat? Is it the thrill of victory? The self-inflicted pain? The concept of being outside? What makes triathlon “it” for us – versus any other thing that could be our hobby-of-choice?
What about swimming, biking and running makes this sport fun? What drives us to do this?
It’s a tough question for me to answer. Frankly, I’m not sure why I like triathlon. Perhaps it just “feels” right. I’m certainly not going to ever win a race, so standing on a podium isn’t my motivation. I think I like the endorphins I get from exercise. I know I like going fast on my bike.
But – what makes really me interested in this sport? Why am I not interested in bowling or woodworking or sailing? Why am I not a fisherman? I wonder if this drive to tri is something embedded in my subconscious. A reptilian need for exercise, perhaps. Or maybe, the root is a desire to test myself. It could be, perhaps, that because others tri, so must I.
I don’t think I have an answer, fully. All I know is that I enjoy, therefore I do, triathlon.
What about you? Why do you tri?
About The Fifth Element
On January 13, 2012,
in Blogs,
by Mauricio
from Motivation and Inspiration Beyond the Ironman Journey
Many say that triathlons have four disciplines: Swim, Bike, Run and Nutrition. I’d like to add Mental Strength as the Fifth Element, specially if you’re involved in long distance triathlons.
It is without a doubt that an Ironman event is the ultimate test of speed, strength and endurance; a physical test like no other. However, it is very possible that the triathletes mental strength will be tested to an even higher degree.
Making it through one of the world’s most grueling events is not a matter of chance. No doubt you will come, as most do, physically prepared to endure the challenge. You will be ready to swim the 2.4 miles, to ride for 112 miles on your bike and to run a marathon (26.2 miles) because you have done your work. And all this, you’re asking your body to do in less than 17 hours.
But making it through the event is the easy part. Getting there is another story.
At this moment you could be in the honeymoon phase of training. You’re just getting started. Maybe you just returned to the pool and are getting a feel back for the water. After your session you still have a smile on your face. If the weather has been nice, you have a few rides and/or runs under your belt. Nothing long, nothing hard. You’re just getting your legs ready. You still have a smile on your face.
A little further down the road, a month of so (depending… Read the rest
About Mistakes
On January 9, 2012,
in Blogs,
by Mauricio
from Motivation and Inspiration Beyond the Ironman Journey
“If you’re making mistakes, it means you’re learning. If you’re making lots of mistakes, it means you’re learning a lot.”
There are two kinds of people who never make mistakes, the dead and the unborn. The rest of us should strive to one day look back and consider all our mistakes as lessons, for this is what they truly are.
Everyone makes mistakes. Accepting that fact is easier said than done. We are all taught at an early age and reinforced through our entire life not to make mistakes. Additionally, we are trained to react negatively when we do make a mistake. Perfection seems to be a target of most people in their work, relationships and in life. But there’s big danger in that; perfection is not a place where we can ever be.
The bottom line is that we all make mistakes. The key here is to understand that when we do make a mistake, there’s a lesson to be learned; most, if not all mistakes, are gifts. They offer us the opportunity to explore an area where perhaps we are deficient, need additional training or simply just need to reevaluate our approach; perhaps we were rushing. Whatever the reason, we need to take time to explore what happened. We can learn what we need to, to correct the situation and to put systems in place so that this mistake doesn’t happen again.
I have made my share of mistakes. So many so, that following the above mentioned… Read the rest
About Risks
On December 19, 2011,
in Blogs,
by Mauricio
from Mauricio's Triathlon, Running, Fitness, Motivation & Inspiration Blog
The word “risk” has always had a negative connotation attached to it. Depending on your point of view it could represent anything from failure and loss to danger, tension and stress.
But risk also has a positive side and it takes a special individual to see the chance of a big pay off, a big win.
Every time we make a decision, we’re taking a risk. Sometimes well calculated, sometimes not. Everyone knows and understands that it’s a pretty bad idea to take dumb, miscalculated risks; those that you expect to have no positive result in the short or long term. On the other hand, it’s equally foolish to pass the opportunity at an intelligent, well calculated risk; one which you expect to yield a positive result.
Most of us have learned to, and become pretty good at avoiding dumb risks. But we are equally bad at taking the intelligent ones. This is what separates the most successful folks from those who end up wondering what could have been.
Successful folks are willing to take those risks. They’re willing to stick their necks out because they know that the potential benefits totally outweigh the potential setbacks.
Usually the long term benefits of a risk well taken outnumber the consequence of a potential failure.
I have always been a risk taker. Always. Sometimes to the dismay of family and friends. I have failed more often than I have succeeded, but I dare not think of what could have been had I… Read the rest
About "Passion"
On December 8, 2011,
in Blogs,
by Mauricio
from Mauricio's Triathlon, Running, Fitness, Motivation & Inspiration Blog
“Passion is the fuel that keeps us going in good times, bad times and all in between times. Passion is the fire in the belly, the driving force or energy source that takes us to our destination… and beyond.”
“Passion drives us to unimaginable places by helping us overcome unimaginable resistance”
Passion touches the depth of the soul and speaks to the spirit. Passion can be so profound that trying to explain the feeling is like trying to speak a foreign language. Although once felt, the need for explanation fades away and the experience takes precedence.
It wasn’t until I met my wife that I discovered the true meaning of “passion”, in more ways than one. Up until that point, I had no “fire”, there was no purpose, very little meaning to what I did and how I did it. I went through the motions and very slowly, I was getting no where in a hurry!
I had always been afraid of the “fire” because I didn’t want to get “burned”, so I was always very careful as to not let the spark fly. I stayed away from pushing and taking risks because previous results had taught me that failure was not pleasant. I had not realized, at that point, that each failure was a learning experience.
Fast forward 20 years.
Slowly I began to discover and fully enjoy newly discovered passions. A new fire was added with the birth of each daughter, and later that of my grandson. Amazing… Read the rest
About Attitude
On November 29, 2011,
in Blogs,
by Mauricio
from Mauricio's Triathlon, Running, Fitness, Motivation & Inspiration Blog
In this, the second post in our series on “Positioning Yourself For Success“, we begin by reviewing our first post’s message on “Responsibility”, or rather stating the awesome fact that if you are here reading on, you have taken the first step towards helping yourself achieve your goals; you have declared yourself “responsible” for your own actions.
So, we move on. Today we will discuss: Attitude.
“Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.” ~ Lou Holtz.
Everyone has an attitude. Good, bad, positive, negative or indifferent. We carry it with us wherever we go. We let it guide us, bring us up or tear us down. There’s no escaping it. We have it. It’s ours. In most cases, our perception of said attitude is somewhat different than the perception others have of it. But it’s our, and that’s what matters. We must live with it.
Or do we? Can we change it? Should we change it? Well, that’s a question only you can answer. But let me help you take a good look at yourself to help you decide.
When you look in the mirror, are you happy with what you see? Is the person looking back at you someone you would be happy to hang around with? To call your friend? Do you see a smile? A frown? Is there a happy face staring back at you?
I don’t remember when, I don’t remember why… Read the rest
About Positioning Yourself For Success
On November 23, 2011,
in Blogs,
by Mauricio
from Mauricio's Triathlon, Running, Fitness, Motivation & Inspiration Blog
What is Success Positioning?
It’s an ongoing strategic process. It is compared to carefully constructing a building. It begins with a strong foundation. The stronger and deeper the foundation, the stronger and taller the building will be.
Success in life comes to those who are committed, serious and determined about achieving their goals. I have been able to accomplish some amazing things only because I have followed this simple rule. But it hasn’t always been easy.
It all begins simply and innocently. For me it was the desire to loose weight and get off the couch, which evolved in time into a desire to become an Ironman. Again, it hasn’t always been easy.
And because it really has not always been easy, I had to Position Myself For Success.
I took to this the same approach I had been following in business. I figured, if it worked there, it should work here. And it is my estimate, that it has.
Through trial and error, I have identified 15 elements that when put to work together, create a solid foundation in which to build our future, pursue our dreams or simply perform at a higher level. Not any one element is unreachable by anyone; they’re all within your grasp with a little effort and dedication.
No element is more important than the other, therefore I will presented them in no particular order… except for No.1 and No. 15. I will explain each in detail and how I adapt it to my fitness,… Read the rest
