Luckiest Man on the Planet

-Mirror Lake, Lake Placid - Here's the starting line where over 2,500 people will be waiting to unleash hell on the IMLP 2010 Course. It's going to be a hell of a day and I can't wait to share it will my family, my teammates, and about 2,500 of my newest freinds!


It is so hard for me to relax and just let go. Being the type of person I am, my mind is constantly working, constantly thinking about something, while this is a good thing it is also a huge crutch as I have a hard time just de-compressing and "letting go". I tend to over-think and make certain things harder than the should be. So that is a little background, a little reasoning as to why its hard for me to fall asleep most nights, why its hard to really zone in and focus on something when my full interests remain un-engaged. Mind you, if something has my full attention, like triathlon I'll be so focused on it that I won't think about anything else, which makes other things in everyday life become harder to really remain on the forefront of my importance scale.

Now that I think about it, I really must say that I am just a very OCD type person who gets locked into whatever takes my interest. I am not one to spread my dedication, my efforts, my persistence over many facets or to many projects. I tend to be singularly focused on ONE item, on ONE plan. Yes, their are pluses and minuses to this. In terms of sport and of course triathlon in particular, I believe it to be a good thing for me as it allows for dedication and focus while training at a high volume. On the other hand, in the work world it makes it very hard to remain super focused and dedicated to the job when all interest is lost. When certain things about a job make it un-appealing this makes it harder to stay driven. It's just one of those things.... I guess when I want something, I WANT IT..and I am going to find anyway I can obtain it. I think as a boss in the job world and as a coach in the athletic world that this statement is the MOST IMPORTANT ONE AND THE MOST APPLICABLE TOWARDS ACHIEVING SUCCESS in their respective field. Just think, if you are a Boss in the Corporate world and you can make each and every employee of your company want to achieve greatness, have every employee want to do their part so that the overall company succeeds...well right their is a recipe for immense prosperity and not to mention a great work environment. When everyone on a team, being athletic or work is on the same page and working towards the same goal you then have all the pieces to the pie. The employee that wants to learn and wants to do better will ALWAYS yield the greatest benefits, even more so than the higher qualified, Harvard Business School Graduate who has 10 amazing recommendations from former presidents, Fortune 500 CEO's, etc...Because when push comes to shove the person that wants to be doing the job they are doing will always put forth the best effort. And to tie this in with athletics and triathlon in particular is as easy as just realizing that the best athletes, the ones that achieve the most success, be it personal achievement or overall podium placements are the ones that are internally driven and motivated to get up at 4am and hop in that icey cold lake...or drive in the pitch black to the local Y pool and get an hour of swimming in before a 45 min run..all before they get dressed up and head to their "second-life" aka their job. These people are the ones that love the sport, love the life, and love the feeling it brings them. These are the people that will succeed, I have no doubt about that. I am not to sure where I was going with these thoughts but before I move onto other things that are rambling away in my head I will try to summarize what I was thinking. For me personally my goal is to obtain in my personal, work, and athletic life the type of drive and determination that I feel when I am racing or training. The high that I feel when I am swimming, biking, or running. Heck, even the high that I get when I finish a long work project. (Yes, even dating back to high-school and college I have felt a certain "high" when a long paper, or long accounting problem was solved). I am lucky because my new job will be providing me the opportunity to work on the things that I am interested in. The work is going to give me the chance to tackle problem, but problems that have answers..so all I have to do is think and search for the answers. I like that! I am very very excited to take on these tasks and prove to not only my co-workers but to myself that I am capable and I am an important beneficial asset. And one cannot forget about the personal aspect. In my life athletic and personal pretty much go hand in hand. Always has and always will be in my opinion. I do not mean to get mushy on all of you but I really can't stress how amazing the past year has been for me in this regards. Before I started this Triathlon business last June I was a different person, I was beat down from studying for tests and didn't really have to many friends surrounding me in Rochester (Thank God for my family as they have and always will be their for me). But ever since I began integrating myself into the multisport community I have had nothing but happiness and have made some amazing friendships. To many to detail in words. But since I am currently in Lake Placid about to being some IM specific training I just wanted to mention a couple people in particular that have become real friends of mine.

My coach Mary, hired as my coach. I did not previously know her but she came highly recommended. I can honestly say that this was a very good decision. She has been an extremely awesome coach for a beginner like me. She has integrated me into the world of Ironman Training and has my best interest in mind when making my training plans. She knows that I am young..and eager and that sometimes I needed to be restrained from over taxing myself. So in terms of coaching, I wouldn't want it any other way. The future is not yet written and every person is different, so I can't say what will happen next but in the Zen world its all about the "NOW" and right now I have the RIGHT coach for ME...and that's important. If you can't trust in your coach and the plan they have for you then you are not playing will a full deck. But hey that's just the coaching side of it, Mary has always become a real friend of mine. I mean she had to deal with me all week when we were in Texas, haha. I may not have known all the songs she was singing on the radio...haha. So thanks Mary.

And to continue the Bromance that my team keeps eluding to. I must say that Cusetri and his whole family have really taken me under their wing over these past few months. They have been generous enough on multiple occasions to just allow me to sleep over at their place and feed me too! It was just the natural thing to do...it just fit. It's been really cool to be able to become friends with Mike since we train really well together, I think that's hard to find. Two people, cyclists in particular are really hard to match, its not everyday that two cyclist can just meet up and be even matched right from the get-go. Yet as I say this I must confess that Mike blistered the bike portion of the last race down in Keuka Lake..averaging something like 23mph on a HILLY course..so I've got some work to do to get even with him..but hey once I heal up I think I can still shuffle the feet a little quicker..for now, so that may be my only saving grace, haha. Just kidding man...well kinda I have to have something to catch up to you when you drop the hammer on the bike. But seriously, Mike, his wife Jen, his kids Cameron, Carson, and Ashton, and even his newly-met brother Joe have all just been super cool. I always had to intrude on their lives when I come to their house (usually on a Friday night before our long Saturday ride that usually begins before college kids have come home from the bars). But they always make me feel welcome and I can honestly tell or at least I think I can tell that they genuinely enjoy having me come over. I know that I eat up their food and mess up their sheets but I guess keeping Mike company on a 6hr ride departing at 4am lets Jen feel better about his safety...yet that thought has to be taken with a grain of salt since we both had our first crash together during a 6hr ride last month..ha! So yeah, I could go on and on but I'll just say that I am thankful for this friendship...this "bromance" as my teammates call it. It's just really nice to have a good training buddy to keep you motivated to keep you on your toes, and to keep you getting faster. With that said...Mikey's coming up with his family to Lake Placid today! Mike and Jen are going to be getting some good training in and I am going to be able to tag along with Mike and hammer out some good IMLP specific training. Swimming in Mirror Lake, Biking the course, and possibly a little running on the course..while dodging the Lake Placid Marathon athletes that are up here this weekend. Maybe I will just pretend to be in the marathon and do one-loop as everyone else is on their second loop..I'd still probably get 4th or something :)

Yep, I wouldn't want it any other way. Its 7AM, I'm at the Lake Placid Starbucks on Main Street and I am BLOGGING AWAY! Its just great...if I can borrow from the award winning movie Happy Gilmore, it's my "Happy Place". It's the spot where my mind becomes clear and I can really visualize my goals and think about what I need to do to accomplish them. I have lofty goals and plans in mind and I WILL achieve them..I have the amazing support of my family!..my friends!..and myself. Not only will my external support system always be their for me but my internal support system WILL stay strong, because when push comes to shove I know I will have to dig deep..an to really tie it all in together what will allow me to dig deep internally and obtain the necessary motivation to keep the feet moving is thinking about all the external support that I have from my family and friends. I think Craig Alexander mentioned this in a recent Triathlete magazine, he said that when he really needs to dig deep he thinks about all the people that believe in him, all the people that have put their trust in his abilities and he really starts to do it for them...yet at the same time he's doing it for himself..he's just using his external support system as a tool for mustering up the internal motivation to keep his own feet moving. We are all humans and we all need support!

I had meant to write some more about my Lake Placid thoughts but I will leave those for another post. I will say that as I sit here about to hop in Mirror Lake to stretch out the swimming arms and legs before Cusetri arrives, I must say that I am ecstatic to begin what will be 3 weeks of Triathlon Training Bliss. Two weekends in Lake Placid and one weekend in Vermont. It's going to be a heck of a month and I can't wait to tackle it all. I just ask for the power that be to keep my freinds, family, teammates, and myself all happy and healthy so we can reach our full potential, because in the end isn't that what its all about? Realizing one's full potential. I think so...

Alright...time to get wet...YESYESYES!