My Aching Back

Ok, so that's not me in the picture. But that picture pretty much explains my aching back. I went to the Wolf Studios (http://www.beachwalkwolf.com/) to get a total body assessment. I figured I'd been treating the pain long enough. Time to figure it all out again. You see this is not new to me. Ever since I had a major bike crash in the late 80's I've been dealing off and on with low back pain. This recent flair up is due to stress of life and a car accident. So off to the Wolf Studio to get to the bottom of this. When I mean total body assessment I'm not talking about Dr. Type. No these folks spent 2 hours watching me perform tasks, stand on scales, and tried to see what kind of base strength or weakness I had. My results are the following:

The Good

1. I can train 8 hours a week and live through it.

2. My upper ab strength is outstanding.

3. My overall leg strength is outstanding.

4. It's a good thing I do what I do or this problem would be a major problem. Here's to a healthy overly active lifestyle.

The Bad

1. 18% body fat - Not bad in fact really good for the average guy but I'm not average and I shouldn't have that much.

2. Protruding belly - It's not natural and it's being caused by the protection mechanism in the back.

3. Rotated Hips

4. Right hip raised and rotated.

5. Weak or not engaged internal back muscles. Again Pain protection.

6. 155.5lbs Heaviest of my life.

7. This is the BIG ONE - I load 20 more lbs on my left side than on my right. There is a reason that everything happens to my left side. The BIG ONE.

So next up is some soft tissue work to see if they can relieve that 20lb difference. I know a little secret, yes they will be able to relieve it temporarily but then it's up to some really isolated core work to keep it balanced. That's what they will teach me. I know some of it, that's how I manage to get 8 hours in a week. But they will then teach me more of it. Oh and get the 18% down, and the 155.5 lbs down and a few other things.

The folks at Wolf are fairly new to the San Diego area. They are exceptional at what they do. If you are hurting and can't figure it out go see them. Mention my name and you'll get the evaluation and a group of one on one sessions with them free.

It's a good life...

Dave

2 Sheets to the Wind

My Itunes was playing the other day and Public Image Limited came on. Johnny Rotten in his Post Punk (Sexpistols) days. A line in the song struck a cord. The line goes like this:

"2 Sheets to the Wind, 3 Sheets to set sail"

Johnny may have been talking about heavy drinking. When your 2 sheets to the wind, you are one hurting drunk. But by the 3rd sheet you just might be ready to set sail again. Or as I like to look at it, don't give up. Just because you hit that barrier, keep going. The other side just might have you flying again.

It's a good life...

Dave

10 Mile Wednesday

I tried a new run group today and loved it. The same group that I swam with on Monday only larger. It's called 10 mile Wednesday. We started out slow which was good. At the 30 minute point just at the end of the San Elijo Lagoon Trail we stopped and waited for everyone. Or I should say they stopped and waited for me. I started extra slow so I was second to last. The the group split up, those running short turned around. Those going the full 10 soldiered on. At this point the pace picked up a bit but so did the hills. It's Rancho Santa Fe so you knew hills were involved. We looped around and made it back to the trail head. Stopped and then hit the final section. At this point either the pace picked up or the legs got heavy. I stayed with the front the hole time but it sure felt hard. 1:20 on the nose. With a 30 minute first 3 miles it made for a quick run coming back.

The best part is that my Keys fell off the the back tire and got stuck somewhere above the road. As I was cooling down, two of the guys were under my car fishing the keys out for me. Now that's just pure class if you ask me. The entire spirt of the 10mw group.

My favorite quote and there is always someone right:

"I'm going to run with you guys some day with Fresh Legs." and then very quietly he said "that's assuming you were on fresh legs today"

It's a good life...

Dave

Much Love and Respect

Recently I've gotten comments from people reading this blog. Dave, are you ok? Let me know what I can do. This is not the Dave I knew from Road Runner Sports. I fully appreciate the concern and let me explain. I have always tried to be open an honest about my life. I have 6 priorities in life and when they gel I am the most content person in the world but when one doesn't it tends to be a spiral affect.

Those 6 are:

Mary and Marco

Family

Work - Zoot

Recreation - Triathlon

Financial

Spiritual

So where did the current spiral start - probably Financial but I'll start with work. Was I told up front that I'd make 6 trips to China in one year, 2 trips to Germany, an estimated 15 other trips already this year to retailers, events and more. No. I was not told that would be the case and so I did not prep Mary and Marco, my Recreation and my Financial status for it. I'm also not blaming those who did not tell me. But because I am who I am, I put my head down and got it done. Now that I have time to reflect in this blog, I did not and am not doing it well or right. So that is why I have to fix my World. I have to fix my world with at least Two more trips to China this year, one trip to Germany and market trips that will put me out another 2+ weeks. If you add that up it's at least 5 total weeks on the road in hotels, on planes away from Mary and Marco between now and December 1st. I can and I will make this a better experience. This is why we call it life. This is why I get up every day with energy and endorphins to tackle it. It's never going to be perfect but if those 6 things are all headed in the right direction they sure can feel perfect to me and everyone I come in contact with.

Thanks to everyone who has reached out. I love all of you.

It's a good life....

Dave

Dawn Patrol

Today I met a group at the Cove in La Jolla for a Dawn Patrol swim. I'm totally out of swimming shape again but I figured what better way to get back in shape. I've swum at the cove many times before but never at Dawn. Two things stood out on this day. Flat water and a view of the bottom. Generally the water is not flat. There is usually a good size roll to the water given that the shore is not far off. Clarity is hit or miss. When it's clear like today, it's really clear. Other times you can barely see you hand in front of you.

There were 7 of us on the swim. We started out easy to buoy #1. Instantly I realized the organizer is a swimmer. He says water polo but darn he can swim. He sat waiting at the buoy for what seemed like forever. On the swim to the next buoy I fought hard to stay with Mr. Water Polo. I managed to stay much closer but he still dropped me. The final stretch to the turn around was to the shore. I held strong but could now feel the Kayak adventure with Marco in my arms. The return back to the cove was the longest section and my arms gave way. This gave me the perfect opportunity to search the world below.

Lots of Clown Fish and a good number of Rays not sure which kind. There were some bigger fish down deeper and the entire swim back was to a chorus of barks from the Seals on the rocks. Not one complaint from me even though my arms felt like they would fall off.

It's a good life....

Dave

Word of the Day

Karma

It's a good life...
Dave

Junior Boys Workout

Since my buddies Craig and Paul execute the Big Boy Workout each Wednesday in the Herzogenaruach, area of Germany I couldn't steal that. So today I did the Junior Boys workout. It was a scheduled run for Marco and his Cross Country team. Today it was around Lake Miramar. 5 miles of twisting-turning-undulating paved path around the lake. The workout was to run to the 2.5 mile mark at an easy effort and throw in 2 X 5 minutes of Tempo with 5 minutes at that easy pace in between each effort. The group of 10 started together but within the first 200 meters two boys went off the front at a fairly good clip. I was comfortable with Marco running with his buddy Nelson. After all, running should be fun and if you can run with a best buddy even better. So I left Marco and headed for the boys up front. It took a good while to catch them. Their "Easy" was fairly steady. It was fairly hot for 7:30am and sweat was already rolling off my visor. The boys began counting down by the 1/4 mile. At 2.5 miles they were off. 1 minute into the 5 minutes the thought crossed my head that this is more than I care to do but then what the heck. I stuck it out and it wasn't that bad. We were back to "Easy". 5 minutes later we were on and the first 2 minutes was up a slight grade the entire way. The boys were hanging tough and even picked it up off the top of the hill. By this point I could see the finish area. We finished the 5 minutes and I made the suggestion that we would run out of space to finish this easy 5 minutes and that we should go past the finish area and add on to get the 5 minutes. The response I got was what I thought o.k. As we approached the finish area I was checking my watch to determine how much extra we would be adding and then bam "This is where we started" came from one of them and they stopped. 37:04. It took me 20 minutes to understand. They wanted that time so they could compare it to everyone else. Running 40 minutes wasn't the workout to them. Running one lap and timing it was they're workout. Now I know the Junior Boys Workout.

It's a good life...

Dave

My World #2

Today marks exactly one year since I left my life in the 3 stripes. I know this because my friend Paul posted this picture on Facebook and it was those mugs that put me under on the 15th of July 2009. I ended up sleeping off the beer in my car. Better to do that than drive home.

As posted earlier this week My World is in a shambles and it's up to me to fix it. Nobody else is going to fix it for me. Any time I'm feeling this way I always happen upon a book. Not because I'm looking for one but because I think it finds me. The book this time is Always Looking Up by Michael J. Fox. Family ties was one of my favorite shows and it's only fitting that I buy his books. But why now, why a year after the book was published? Again, I think the book found me.

I read a statement today in the book that actually hit hard. We look up to guys like Lance Armstrong and Michael J. Fox because they turned a negative into an extreme positive. Lance was a great athlete before cancer and he proved you can come back. Michael was a hilarious actor and used his fame and desire to build one of the largest foundations in the world. The subject of the quote is being Heroic. We think of Lance and Michael as heroes. It's only natural. But Michael puts it this way "I didn't choose to have Parkinson's. I agree that if I took on the condition and everything that comes with it just to become an advocate on behalf of others so afflicted well yeah, that would be historically heroic. But in a way, I'm just rolling with the punches" That's powerful when you really think about it.

It's a good life....

Dave

Calgary

Where the biggest thing in the Summer months is the Stampede. Cowboys descend on Calgary to ride bulls, rope pony's and drive their ford trucks. The entire town is dressed and ready to go! Hopefully they accept a runner for an hour on their roads.

It's a good life..

Dave

My World

It's a disaster right now. But as they say, it has to hit the bottom to get to the top. The only thing really good right now is that I'm typing this at 4:15 in the morning and the Tour De France is on TV. Here you go, out in the open.

1. I'm traveling way too much.

2. Because of my travel and my attitude and my work focus and my idiocy my wife is pissed at me.

3. My company was 11 people in September when I started, it's 8 today. You'd think the 8 got along I mean it's 8 people right. Well not exactly. There seems to be the happy group and the pissed off group. The only thing I know is the Happy group reads this blog. Hmm!

4. I can't sleep. For 4 weeks now, I'm up at 1 am and maybe back asleep by 3. It's 4:15am so you put the math together.

5. Marco is mad at me because I travel too much.

6. Training sucks. My body hurts most days, because I can't sleep, nothing feels good. The strange thing is the only time I truly feel good is when I'm sweating like crazy. Go figure. Nothing hurts, My mind goes blank and I feel good.

7. I weigh 156lbs. Are you kidding me, I've never weighed that much.

8. My dog is so mad at me the other day when I was traveling she peed on the carpet. She didn't do that as a puppy and she has feelings. She follows me around like a lost dog and right now she sees my bag packed and I know Mary is going to text me with something that says Scout.....

8. I called my mom the other day. I know she's sick and doesn't always know what's going on around her but it's still really hard

9. My Dad passed away in November and he's the guy I'd unload all this stuff on in the past and he'd find a way to fix it or at least make it feel better.

This is My World, and only I can fix it. I'm not depressed I'm pissed. I'm pissed that My world sucks like this. I know in reality this is nothing. I don't have cancer, my son is a great kid, my wife is stunningly beautiful, smart and on my side, my dog is simply the greatest dog a person could ask for and I do running shoes and talk running and triathlon for a living. I can run, ride and swim with the best athletes in the world. Still! I mean really!

My World, I'm aiming to fix you!

It's a good life....

Dave

No Wonder

No wonder I had trouble getting up Double Peak. I stepped on the scale today and it read 156lbs. The most I've ever weighed, ever. Not by a pound or two but four pounds heavier than ever before and a full 14lbs heavier than true racing weight.

It's a good life....

Dave

Cross Country Starts and Death on Double Peak

It's fun to start a run with a group of 12 and 13 year olds. There is no easing into it. No vision of what lies ahead. The sign said 2.7 miles at the start. To them 2.7 miles is an easy one, why not just go hard. And hard is what they did at the start. Straight up hill as hard as they could. By the time we got to the top all you could hear was this gasping for air. Marco the deep thinker that he is tried to tell me a story of when he and Papi tried to cross the damn but he could barely get, "Me "breath, breath, breath "and Papi," breath breath breath "were right" breath breath breath.... They never settled down. They just ran hard the entire way. Kids and their sense of nothing in the future. It's just right now.

Later in the afternoon, I took a spin up Double Peak. It was my first road ride in three weeks. This was going to be a test. Although the marine layer has socked the coast in with very little sun the last couple weeks (or so I've heard), the sun was blazing on the slopes of DP. With the breeze at my back and the hot sun beating down I started climbing. The early part of the climb is not easy but the energy level is always there. 20 minutes later and the pitch goes to some estimated pitch of 18%. By the time I got to that point, I couldn't hold the handlebars with much grip. There was so much sweat pouring off my head, my arms and everywhere else on my body, that the handlebars were now ultra slick. This created a problem because I could barely turn the pedals. In fact there was a point when I though walking would be the best option. Luckily nobody was with me so speech was not part of the climb. If I had to talk it would have been much like the story from Marco. One word lots of breaths. I dug deep and continued on. Just 3 more minutes and I'd be at the top. The view from the top of DP is worth the ride up. Deep valleys, the grand Pacific Ocean and everything between the two. When you are at the highest point along the costal range you have the advantage. Then it was time of the ride down and that's where the 3 week break showed up the most. My down hill bravado just wasn't there. Luckily within 30 seconds all the sweat was gone.

It's good to be home.

It's a good life...
Dave

Random Notes

That was a 3 week stint I hope to not repeat in the future. Week 1 was the Fleet Feet Conference. It was here in SD but it might as well have been someplace else. I think the work was harder and I still wasn't home. Week 2 was factory visit and fixing shoes in China. Just the sheer magnitude of flying there is enough to wipe you out. Week 3 was Market Visits in Chicago and Boston. That last trip paid for the last two weeks but by the time I got on the last plane for home I was done.

I read a great book yesterday. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future .... Michael J. Fox.

The book was written for teenagers just heading for college. It's not a bad book for adults figuring life out too!

It's a good life....
Dave

Let the Competition Begin

Yesterday I was called out in an email. Since Dave is so fond of my competitiveness"

Obviously my reactions to things have caused this statement. Why else would I be singled out in the email. Maybe it's because I was willing to stand up to the competition and not write it off at "Oh, it's just you being you."

I have no problem with competition. Competition requires a competitor. Someone who you are competing against and who is competing against you. That in fact may be you against you. But when you compete against somebody who is not competing it's called ugly. It's ugly when a team doesn't mentally show up to play the game. It's uglier when you compete against someone (and display your competitiveness vocally) when there isn't a competition to be had. That's what I'm not fond of.

It's a good life.....

Dave

Are You a Member

My time at Road Runner Sports was a great learning in the world of Loyalty. Build a loyal customer treat them better than you treat yourself and they will be your customer for life. The Run America Club was just that.

Yesterday I stopped for Water at a Sir Speedy Gas Station. The guy behind the counter in a really hard to understand accent (and yes his first language is English) asked me if I wanted to join the rewards program. Here's what I can tell you NO! I'm not joining any more rewards programs. I'm done. My loyalty is stretched. Here is my list:

United - Because they fly direct to Hong Kong from California and their Economy seats are much more comfortable and the people nicer than Cathay Pacific.

Delta - Because they've been my partner since I can remember and they are on my Credit Card. So every one of my expense dollars at work give me a mile on Delta. I have lots and lots of miles on Delta.

Hilton - They have Hampton Inn and it's the best deal on the road.

Seaside Market - The local Market in Cardiff. I'm loyal to the locals.

Barnes and Noble - Yes, I still read books. I like going to the book store to shop. Mary and I can actually turn that into a date. If there was a local book store I'd drop this one in a second but there aren't any.

Road Runner Sports VIP Club - I buy lots of shoes to make sure I am up on everything that is running shoes. I better get the best discount on that.

That's it. Don't ask me anymore. My loyalty is complete. I can't be loyal to you Sir Speedy!

It's a good life....

Dave

Thought of the Day

Decision

I'm sitting here deciding whether to nap or tough it out.

This morning after 6 hours of sleep broken into two 3 hour segments separated by a 2 hour break between 12 and 2 the decision was to run. Good decision in the end but a hard one.

At breakfast the young woman about 20lbs heavy for her body type had a decision to make. Her breakfast done she reached into the container for a donut. Did she really need it? Her decision was yes.

Listen Retailer the Decision on which shoes is not that hard, let me help. You bought too many last time and got stuck with them. Choose these three and put the inventory and your money on our back. Sell one, buy one, sell one, buy one. It's that simple.

It's a good life....

Dave

Motivation

Moses Tanui

I was sitting around feeling a bit sorry for myself today. Last week I was pushing hard in China fixing shoes, making friends and just trying to keep pace. It's impossible to sleep soundly when you travel that far for that short of time. So knowing this I kept my promise to myself to do something physically each day. Today though I was struggling. Friday I swam in Guangzhou, Saturday after very little sleep I ran and then got on a plane for 24 hours of travel home. Sunday I fell asleep on the beach. Today I flew to Chicago and at 5:00 it was time to run. I couldn't get my butt out. That is until I read the blog by my friend Craig. Craig is at times very funny and is just as passionate about running product as I am. His story brought back memories that got me out the door and carried me through my run.

In 2001 not long after that dual on the track in Sydney I was in Eldoret Kenya. I got the opportunity to meet and talk to two legends of distance running. The first was Paul Tergat. The topic of Craigs post. Tergat is a small unassuming runner. Humble as they come. I met him at the Military Cross Country Championships. It was like Walter Payton showing up. Everyone wanted to touch Paul. He was humble and gracious in every way.

The very next day I met Moses Tanui. Moses is the legend of legends. If you ask Paul who he looked up to it's probably Moses. Moses won the 10,000 meters at the World Championships in 1991. He won the 1995 World Marathon Championships, the 1996 and 1998 Boston Marathon. He's the first runner under 60 minutes in the 1/2 marathon. Just one of those makes you a legend. All of them makes you the legend of legends. Moses was as humble and gracious as Paul. He invited us into his house and fed us a monumental lunch. We talked running, Kenyan runners, Boston and just about everything else. He held a conversation like a professional. When I work with Athletes today. I get to work with lots of them, I think back to this one week. I don't think anything will surpass this one week and these two athletes.

I smiled the entire run today.

It's a good life...

Dave