Hi folks, It is critical for your happiness that you develop a healthy relationship with your exercise or training program, and especially with your race performance if you race. If you don't know what a healthy relationship is, how are you supposed to do that? It took me many years to work it out, partly with the aid of two books (see figures). A propos this issue, I was recently reading a discussion group ... Read more
Overcome Your Roadblock Or You’ll Never Get Going
Hi folks, What is your roadblock or area of resistance to exercise and training? I have been a swimmer of sorts for over sixty years, but I still hate jumping into cold water. Nothing seems to improve the experience, including prolonged meditation upon my cold-water-phobia. I've tried every kind of mental trick to no avail. I just have to force myself each and every time. The zone of discomfort is ... Read more
Beware ‘Crazy Time’ That Comes In Many Guises, Including Barefoot Running
Hi folks, During life we have to overcome many challenges, including major life-changing relationship issues. The author is no exception in this regard. The good news is that you learn what to expect, how to protect yourself whilst attempting to be fair to others, and you know the pain will end and a new, exciting life will appear once you accept the loss and move on. The real danger comes during ... Read more
20 40 60, Don’t Walk, And Appreciate Your Absent Supporters
Hi folks, It is fascinating how interested humans are in what other humans are thinking about them. This clearly makes evolutionary sense, but can't we get over it? More accurately I should say, what they think other people are thinking about them, which reminds me of an old saying that I learned I don't know where: "When I was 20, I worried about what people thought about me. When I was 40 I didn't ... Read more
Inspiration And Memories From The Lake Placid Ironman
Hi folks, Each time I come to a race I meet inspiring people and take home some great memories. This year was no exception. My inspiration at this event (LPIM 2011) came from three guys, in a slightly younger age group, who chatted with me on the day after the race. One of them remembered my name and called me over to ask about how my race went. Then I noticed that one guy was covered in 'road pizza' (bike crash), ... Read more
Compromise? For Success, Fit Your Workout Schedule To Your Personality
Hi folks, Here we are in beautiful Lake Placid after the race, with a deadline for people to get back to North Carolina by Saturday (four days away). We are debating what to do next. There are two camps and an observer (myself - I have no deadlines right now). Camp one says, "lets go to Montreal for a day." This is one hundred miles in the wrong direction for getting back home. The other camp ... Read more
Your Competition May Not Be As Tough As They Look
Hi folks, Life is full of surprises, so don't let your competition psyche you out (it's not over 'till its over). When I was a youngster I joined a judo club. After only a few months of training our group of 15 to 16-year-old boys was asked to participate in a martial arts demonstration in a large auditorium in the center of town. We didn't know much, but then our role was to act as a backdrop for the ... Read more
Simple Pleasures And The Fluid Nature Of Memory
Hi folks, A life well lived is a balanced life. As I think back over my life so far, I remember some simple pleasures that cost little but left an indelible memory. The earliest is playing the ancient game of five stones as a kid in the street outside of our house in Bristol, England in the late 1940s. You find five nice small stones, just right to both throw in the air and pick up, and away you go. It ... Read more
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