Times Change

10 years ago tonight, I was in San Francisco, partying on the beach all night and into the next day. It was among the wildest of nights.

Tonight, 10 years later, I'm at my parents' home. Just them, some family friends, and me. It is among the mildest of nights.

Yet I'm content. It's an interesting measuring stick of where I've been the past decade. Whether it's perspective, experience, wisdom and even some financial security, I've definitely gained a lot. And whether it's the loss of some good friends (Brian and Jason immediately come to mind), a girlfriend (OK, a few) a family member (grandpa), some naivete or innocence, I've definitely lost, too.

I cycled in the wind for a couple hours today with Frank (before I dropped a refrigerator on him helping him move, but that's another story for another time), and this is what I thought about.

What did I learn this past decade? How would I categorize the last 10 years of my life?

After much introspection, I think years 25-35 can be categorized as the decade where I asserted my independence. I found my own voice. I became my own person. I accepted myself for me.

It has been a hard road to find that voice and become this person. I haven't always liked what I've seen. And changing can be a real bitch. But the journey sure as hell has been worth it.

I wonder what the next 10 years will bring? Will triathlons continue to be a centerpiece in my life or a fad, like kart racing, martial arts and tennis? Will I finally settle down with the person I'm supposed to marry? Will I marry at all? Raise a family? Travel the world?

I have no idea.

What I do know is that for the next 11 months, I will train for Ironman Arizona. I will spend an inordinate amount of time in the pool, running on trails, and cycling all over the Southland. And since most of that time will be spent without iPods and much conversation, I will have plenty of time to think. To grow. To learn. To comprehend. To appreciate.

Right now, I need that.

So, I enter 2010 with many more questions than answers.

But I'm excited to see what happens next. What's around the corner. What the next lap will bring. What's on the other side of the hill.

328 days and counting.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Today between training sessions (swim and run in the misty rain), I went to the Annenberg Space for Photography in Century City for an exhibit of sports photography (which I highly recommend, btw). Two of the greatest sports photographers of our time had their works on display, Walter Iooss and Neil Leifer. You've seen their work. Ali standing over Liston? Leifer. Jordan's signature free-throw line dunk in the '88 Slam Dunk Contest? Iooss. And the list goes on and on.

As I walked past the gallery of the most famous and memorable sports images of the past 50 years, I couldn't help but wonder what would the image look like when I cross the finish line at the Ironman this coming November. Would I have a look of exuberance like Sandy Koufax when he won the final game of the 1963 World Series against the Yankees? Would I look defeated, like one of the grass-stained, mud-soaked NFL players from the 1960s? Would there be a steely look of focus on my face like Jackie Joyner-Kersee from the 1992 Olympics?

Hopefully we won't see a look of tortured anguish like Mary Decker from the 1984 Olympics.

Then, after thinking about all that, I realized something as I walked back to my car. I was thinking when i finish the Ironman. Not if.

329 days and counting.

Ruuuudy...Ruuuudy...Ruuuudy

I fell in love just a little bit more with my favorite movie today.

I was on the trainer for an hour and to kill the time, I called up my DVR list of recorded programs and saw an old friend in the queue.

Rudy.

Perfect.

It was a poignant reminder of a message I will need to keep in my head every day through November 21, 2010: Never give up.

Despite the intensity of the trainer session, highlighted by 30 minutes of HR zone 3 riding in a bigger gear than usual, time flew by. Rudy always gets to me. Yep, I always get weepy at two parts: First, when Rudy shows his dad the acceptance letter to Notre Dame, and second, when Rudy gets knocked on his ass in the Irish football team tryout and then barks at the coaches to give him another shot to bust through the defenders. And does it. Bloodied and battered. But undaunted. Guts and grit personified.

When watching Rudy, I am him, and he is me (bonus points here for the Beatles song and follow-up lyrics). I've had several Rudy-esque experiences over my life, but the most vivid (and closest to the movie) was the one that occurred when I was a member of my ninth grade basketball team. I was cut two years in a row prior on the seventh and eighth grade squads, made the frosh team as the final roster spot but sat on the bench most of the year. However, a small fan club demanding my playing time increase turned into a big fan club, my coach relented a bit, I got more playing time, and bedlam ensued.

To this day, the memories of ninth grade basketball are among the happiest of my life.

The lessons learned from that year are every bit as valuable.

Work hard. Work late. Work early. Put in the time. Dream a little. Enjoy the moment.

Never, ever give up.

Training for the Ironman has been much more than I expected. The commitment, the intensity, the expenses... it's overwhelming. But, this blog (along with the friendships I've made via Valley Coach and the LA Tri Club) has helped me organize my thoughts, keep them in check, learn some perspective, and stay focused on the day-to-day work that goes into becoming an Ironman.

And today, my favorite movie reminded me the most important message of all.

330 days and counting.

Musical Laps

For Hanukkah, I got a waterproof iPod holder and earbuds for the pool.

I used them for the first time today during my afternoon swim. For five minutes.

Let me tell you about about two H20 Audio products, the Amphibx iPod holder and Surge earbuds. First, the Amphibx armband. It wraps around your arm like a kid's floaty. It's bulky and awkward. The more common-sense way to wear it would be on your back, so it doesn't affect your balance with each stroke. But wearing the holder on your back requires an extension wrap. For more money.

Of course. Like all other things in this sport!

Then, you've got the wired earbuds. These are great, when they're not falling out of your ears. So, then you place them inside your swim cap, where they rub. Awesome. And on top of that, the wires can get a little jumbled around your neck or arms during strokes. Brilliant!

Who did the engineering for this product? Did they ever swim a lap in their life?

Folks, there's probably a reason why most people in the pool don't listen to music. Guess I'm learning that the hard way. I'll try it again on the next swim, but so far, definitely two "empty water bottles" for me on the H20 Audio products. Swim with them at your own risk.

Unfortunately, the swim itself was not so hot either. Forty-five minutes of "easy" laps and cadence work felt harder than expected. I was off my normal pace, feeling the effects from soreness over the weekend and a poor night's sleep. Coach Gerardo took the weight training off the schedule for today, which was much appreciated. My fuel tank is low at the moment. I'll try to fit in some gentle yoga later today or tonight to help further revitalize.

Just no music.

331 days and counting.

Quick Post

It's late. I'm sore. I'm tired.

Long day of training today. It started with a frigid 50-mile Valley Coach group ride from Calabasas to Newbury Park and back. It was so cold that I had to stop at a convenience store to pick up a pair of mittens because I couldn't feel my fingers for the first 15 minutes of the ride! I didn't even care they were ladies mittens so long as they were warm. Which they were. The ride featured some decent climbs, and despite my lower heart-rate zone re-calibrations I was able to lead the pack for most of the major ones. Of course, I'm suffering the consequences as we speak, laid up in bed hardly able to move. My quads are shredded. But I loved every minute of it...for one day, I earned the coveted metaphorical polka-dot jersey on my team.

Following the ride (and a quick shower), I high-tailed it over to Black Dog Yoga for a basic flow session. While the stretching helped, the quads and abs work pushed me over the edge. The rest of the day was spent trying to will my body to finish it without keeling over on the spot. Definitely will feel the weekend workouts for the next couple days.

Fortunately, tomorrow is a recovery day, with weights and a light swim being the only activities of the day. I can handle that.

Wish I had more to offer. I'm just too pooped to think of anything clever.

332 days and counting.

Master of My Fate?

I watched Invictus today, in between training sessions. (More on that below.)

Invictus is an average movie but I'd still call it a must-see. Not because of the acting or the story, but because of the message.

And when I say message, I really mean one line of one poem. The poem that bears the movie's name. The line is from Mandela's favorite poem, Invictus. The quote: "Master of my fate... captain of my soul."

That line is deeply inspirational, but I wonder if it's truly attainable.

Everyone wants to captain a piece of your soul, or thinks they have a right to own it. Your family. Your friends. Your co-workers. Your boss. The tax man. And more.

But do they? Who's in charge, really? Whose ship is it? Whose fate?

Are you the captain of your soul or master of your fate? Have you always been? If so, I salute you, because that is hard work. I've had moments in my life where I've exerted that control, including Ironman training. But each of these watershed moments for me came or is coming at a great cost. Even when you win, you lose. Either in relationships, lost time, or letting down someone's expectations.

Yet I don't regret any of it. Not in my Ironman training. Not in other aspects of my life. My only real regret is not being a more steadfast captain of my soul more often.

***

Today's Valley Coach group training kicked my ass. Plain and simple. It started with a 13-mile Boney Mountain trail run (pictured) in Pt. Mugu State Park near Newbury Park. If you're looking for a challenging trail run, this is it. In fact, if you like running hills, this is really it. But the scenery is stunning and ranks high on my list of sights to see in my ever-growing list of "Hidden Awesome in SoCal."

Complicating matters were the new heart rate zones Coach Gerardo re-arranged for me. I wasn't sure how they'd affect my training, but in short, they've slowed me down. Apparently, I was working too hard on my Griffith Park run last week, and this did the trick in keeping me in check. Though the hills made that more difficult and forced me to walk more than I'm used to or comfortable doing. But this is how base training works, so I played along.

Fortunately, no soreness to report during the run. Not as fortunate following the run, and my subsequent swim after the movie (1,450 yards in a shortened 35-minute workout as the pool was closing for the night). I'm sprawled out on the couch writing this, with hardly any energy left to even get up. I'm totally cooked.

Too bad though, because tomorrow calls for a 50-mile group ride and an hour of yoga after.

Master of my fate? Captain of my ship?

While I may be the master, Ironman is the captain. No doubt about that.

333 days and counting.

My X-Mas Tale

Well, my Christmas tale is pretty straightforward. No workout? No problem!

I slept in until 9. Apparently, Trudy and Bam-Bam were feeling benevolent.

I cooked myself breakfast. Yep, I really did. Three eggs and turkey bacon. Ahhh, yeah.

I jumped into Borderlands on Xbox 360. My thoughts? So far, it feels a little like Wild Arms on PlayStation 2 but with much cooler weapons. Art style is kinda cool too with the cel-shading. One might say Borderlands is a cross between Ratchet & Clank (upgradeable outrageous weapons) and Wild Arms (desolate pseudo-steam punk, pseudo-western), if there ever was such a thing. So far, I'm a level 11 hunter. I'm probably going to move onto another game (most likely Halo: ODST at this point) but can't quite put the controller down on Borderlands. I'm a little surprised by that since I'm not a huge RPG guy. But since this is cleverly called an RPS (my initials, and a "role-playing shooter"), I'm a little more patient. Plus, this is probably the most accessible RPG experience I've played in a while. Kudos for that.

After some extra stretching and a soothing hot tub bath, I plopped down to watch the Lakers pathetic performance against the Cavs. Forget the (horrible) referees for a moment, and consider how bad the Lakers' bench looked. Totally outclassed. It's definitely been a concern of mine all season (paging Sasha Vujacic, Josh Powell, etc. ...). And, I think what the Cavs did by playing Ilgauskus and O'Neal at the same time against the Lakers' big lineup was very smart. It took the Lakers out of their game. Something they're not used to seeing, and for one game, that Shaq signing looks like it may pay dividends. IF the Cavs come out of the East. That's a big if.

(By the way, speaking of LeBron and Kobe, have y'all seen those Nike "Most Valuable Puppets" ads? I gotta say, those are among the catchiest and coolest spots I've seen in a long time. They've outdone themselves compared to the Kobe-LeBron spots during last season's playoffs. And the NBA spots with the "defense" hip-hop remixes are strong too. No other sports league is marketed as well as the NBA, and the League has raised the bar further for the likes of sports brand juggernauts like Gatorade and Adidas.)

All in all, today has been a solid day. I haven't left the house (for a change), and I'm refreshed for another week of training, which starts tomorrow with a trail run in Pt. Mugu State Park, Boney Mountain Wilderness. I'm also to swim for an hour after the 13-mile trail course, which will have to occur after I visit with my long-time friend Jeff. We're going to see Invictus. I hope Morgan Freeman doesn't mail in another performance. He's been quite average lately, IMO.

Well, gotta go. The couch is calling to me again.

334 days and counting.

PS: If you haven't already, this LA Times column about a local triathlete couple whose husband has battled back from a coma is inspirational and heartwarming. I definitely recommend taking a few minutes to read it.

A Christmas Test

For most normal folks, Christmas time means relaxing and celebrating with friends and family.

Guess this is another reason I'm not exactly what you'd call normal.

Today marked the four-week mark of my training with Valley Coach, which means it's a test week to re-calibrate heart rate zones. I checked off running and swimming earlier, so today was about the bike. My favorite.

The assignment was to work my heart-rate up to 153 bpm and then maintain a 90-100 pedal stroke per minute cadence for 20 minutes. Distance, cadence, heart-rate and average speed would all factor into the equation. Of course, the equation became muddied since my ever-finicky speedometer wasn't working. This required using some dreaded (and dreadful) math and my car's odometer to figure out my average speed. I wasn't thrilled with the result, not because of my performance but precisely the opposite...I could've sworn I was moving faster! At least the average 154 bpm was encouraging.

Once I posted my results, Coach Gerardo changed my HR settings ever so slightly lower. I'm curious to see how much of a difference this makes in my training. He reassured me that this isn't a "bad or a good thing", it's more of a statement on where I'm at fitness-wise. I suppose only the next four weeks will tell if I'm making real progress. It's too soon to say right now. With all this training, I really hope so. I'm not quite sure what I'd do if I didn't see any progress for all this time, training and money invested.

Let's hope it doesn't come to that.

The highlight of the morning was once again discovering a new part of SoCal. This time, I explored the nature trails at the Sepulveda Dam in Balboa Park. This was part of a very slow and leisurely 45-minute jog prior to the cycling test. I saw all sorts of birds throughout the run, usually nestled together on small man-made islands on the lake. It almost looked like they, too, were celebrating the holidays in their own quiet way. Peaceful. Calm. Happy. Graceful.

Tomorrow I have the day off from training. I'm not sure how I'll spend the holiday just yet. But there are five NBA games on (including Lakers-Cavs) TV so I'll start there. I also bought groceries to cook myself breakfast, which I haven't done in a long time.

To the people who actually read this blog (and have read this far), I hope you have a terrific holiday. I hope it's filled with family, happiness and harmony. My personal gift will be a day off from training!

335 days and counting.

Merry Christmas to all.

Yoga-ta Be Kiddin' Me!

Until this point of training with Valley Coach, I thought my hardest workout would be in the pool, trails or on the road cycling. Maybe even the weight room.

How wrong I was.

After a fairly decent swim test this morning (20:50 for 1,000 yards) at 8 in 53-degree Calabasas, I got a reprieve. Or so I thought. All I had to do was an hour of strength training or yoga. No running or trainer exercises? Noooo prob!

Several months ago, my co-worker Brian and his wife Jenny bought me a gift certificate for two weeks of unlimited yoga at Black Dog Yoga in Sherman Oaks. (BTW, in the spirit of my recent restaurant and movie reviews, two full water bottles for Black Dog. Spacious facility, warm, experienced staff, affordable classes and many of them.) I purposely saved the certificate for my holiday break, when I'd be most able to take advantage of truly "unlimited" classes. My first session was today, a "basic flow" class for all levels. Noobs included.

I've had a fair amount of yoga experience over the years, be it Hatha or Ashtonga. We had yoga class at my current job a few years ago, which I practiced for several months. I've also taken individual classes over the past couple years, so my practice ranks somewhere between "novice" and "novice-plus."

Today it ranked as "kick my ass." The session lasted 90 minutes but at points it felt like three days. My body is getting pretty darn hard from all the training, but where I'm gaining in strength and tone I'm losing in flexibility and suppleness. I needed the blocks more than I can remember in the past, and even a rolled blanket for some poses. And pigeon pose? I'll be feeling that one for a few days. Surprisingly, I felt weak.

Despite being annoyed at my "performance", I accepted it as the aspiring enlightened yoga practitioner I'm trying to become. I'm looking forward to more in the coming days (next class on Christmas!) and months.

Overall, returning to yoga was like meeting an old friend you haven't seen in a long time. Everything seems the same, except you feel a little stiffer, slower and more awkward than you'd like. There's an adjustment period. It's not quite like riding a bike, metaphorically speaking. But you're still damn glad to see that friend again. And Shavasana was about the only thing to calm my jumpy mind today. Five minutes of clarity.

Who would have thought that my toughest workout would be the one I figured would be the easiest? And perhaps the most rewarding?

336 days and counting.

Namaste.

The Wind & Avatar Blew Me Away

I woke up in Los Angeles this morning but could have sworn it was Chicago.

The wind swirled and gusted well before 8 this morning, and I knew it would be a chilly morning of training. Fortunately, the first 45 minutes were spent on my trainer indoors watching Sportscenter (how 'bout that Arizona hoops buzzer-beater!?) and The Dan Patrick Show. Then, since I'm on vacation, I was able to complete both workouts back-to-back. A rare mid-week brick.

My second workout was a time trial run to determine my tempo pace for the next four weeks. The mission: run two miles as close as possible to baseline zone 3 heart rate (152) and record the time. The challenge: a nasty head-wind that raised my bpm three-four beats each time I ran against the wind on the park track near where I live. The gusts made it a little tougher to accurately gauge the test. Still, I think I did pretty well, turning in a decent 17:44 for two miles, which would still put me under a four-hour marathon pace. Of course, the goal is to drop down closer to a 3:40 marathon, so I have lots of work to do.

All that said, the workouts were overshadowed by a far more impactful experience: Avatar. In IMAX 3D. To borrow one of my favorite geek phrases, "OMGWTFBBQPWN3D!"

Translation: "Wow, that movie sure was spectacular. I found it astoundingly enjoyable."

For me, Avatar will now occupy the rarest of spaces: it captured my imagination and sense of wonder on the same level as when I first saw the original Star Wars as a kid in the late

'70s. No other original universe movie (not taken from a book) that I can recall since Episode 4 immersed me into an alien world better or more convincingly. Yes, I attribute a lot of that to watching the movie in IMAX 3D, which is how director James Cameron told my co-worker and friend James Stevenson at Comic-Con that Avatar must be experienced. I'm glad I complied. I've never seen a movie quite as visually stunning. I also thought the use of 3D was smoothly integrated throughout and not incorporated as a cheap gimmick. Perhaps most surprising though, I truly found myself caring for the characters and the native culture on Pandora. Their plight felt real, and I found myself comparing Avatar to Dances with Wolves meets Braveheart... in space. (Jake Sully didn't have to paint himself blue like William Wallace since he already was that color.)

If you have yet to see Avatar, even if you're not a huge sci-fi fan, you must find time. And if you can, treat yourself to watching it in IMAX 3D. Overall, Avatar raised the bar for a movie-going experience, almost the same way Uncharted 2 did with videogames spectacle.

(When I started this blog, I didn't anticipate writing restaurant or movie reviews. But I'm kinda rollin' with it at the moment. Thanks for indulging me.)

337 days and counting.