Congratulations

Congratulations to those of you who successfully accomplished Cane Creek.  You did it!  It was great to see everyone out there on Saturday.  If this was your first event I hope you were sold and are ready to sign up for another.  

What a day on Saturday!  As some of you know I was unable to finish the race.  I knew I was going to send you an email this week and I have been thinking about what words I wanted to leave with you as we close this triathlon training group.  I had some time to think about it while I was waiting to get picked up at mile 10 of the bike.  It was actually rather funny but as I sat on the side of the road the movie Forest Gump came to mind and the infamous quote, "Life is like a box of chocolates.  You never know what your gonna get."  I must say that triathlons are the same.  You can be trained, prepared, and ready to go for a triathlon but you never know what is going to happen the day of the race.  In my case, my derailer broke on mile 10, in some other cases your body just gives out, you get injured, your goggles fog up, etc.  The point is you never know what you're going to get the day of an event and you have to roll with the punches.  

In the end, it is your attitude that determines your success when unfortunate events happen.  I had no control over my bike but I did have control over my outlook.  I had to quickly get out of my funk and start cheering for those folks who were riding past me.  Most importantly, I had to congratulate my husband on his first triathlon.  I didn't want to steal his thunder because of my broken derailer.  I had to put my disappointment aside and celebrate his success.  Don't we often have to put our feelings aside for someone else's in other areas of our lives too?  

Even though I was unable to finish, I had to change my definition of success to one that meant having a good attitude regardless of the circumstances.  Today, my attitude is still a positive one and I'm ready to go after the next tri.  This will hopefully be soon.  I refuse to end my triathlon season on this note so I am currently looking for another one to do this year.  If you have any suggestions or want to join me, let me know.  

I am very excited for each of you and congratulate you on your hard work and dedication over these last 9 weeks.  Email me and let me know what you have learned from your experience and what your favorite part of the race was?  I want to hear from YOU!  

P.S This photo is of our very own Jen Teipen at the Asheville Triathon.  Way to go Jen!

Do The Best You Can Do!

The moment is upon us.  The Cane Creek Triathlon is this Saturday. Here are my last minute tips: 

 

1.  Get excited.  You will be in a fantastic environment on Saturday morning.  Tons of people will be cheering and motivating you to do your best. 

2.  Go over your checklist.  Make sure you have all of your essentials and if not, get to TrySports. 

3.  Plan out what you are going to eat on Friday and make sure you drink plenty of water.  

4.  Relax.  You have done the best you could to get to this point.  Now just enjoy the ride.  

5.  Do what you need to do to get pumped up.  Do you need to listen to a specific song, do you need to read a certain quote, do you need to watch a certain movie, etc.? (For me, my movie would be Rocky IV)    

6.  Go out there Saturday and do your best.  

Please let Aubrey, Josh, or myself know if there is anything we can do for you before Saturday.  

Good Luck and see you out there!  

7 Days and Counting

One week until Cane Creek.  This is probably one of the most crucial weeks of your training.  No matter how your training has been, the day is coming.  There are a number of emotions that you could be feeling at this point in the game:  anxious, nervous, excited, pumped, energized, scared, fearful, and indecisive.  No matter what your level is, I want you to reconnect with why you decided to join the training group.  

Was it to complete your first triathlon?  

Was it to increase your time?  

Was it because a friend or family member dragged you into it?  

Regardless of your answer the end result is the same and it doesn't change the fact that you have a triathlon in 7 days.  Here is some advice to think about in your last week of training:

1.  Be confident in the training that you have done and the work you put into this goal.  No matter how much or how little.  

2.  Re-evaluate what you would like to accomplish on Saturday.  Do you want to focus on time, the run, bike, or swim portion, or just getting through it?   

3.  As your wrap up your training, take some time this week while you are doing a run, swim, or bike to clearly envision your success on Saturday.  Picture yourself at each transition and especially at the finish line.  

4.  Go out there and do your best.  You can't change the would of, could of, or should of's.  

 

5.  Lastly, I leave you with this one quote:  

"The only one who can tell you 'you can't' is you.  And you don't have to listen." --Nike

Go For It!  

The One Thing!

Life can be overwhelming, from work to relationships to your personal life, and of course, throw training for a triathlon in there as well.  There is a lot to do in a day and if your like me you don't stop until you put your head on your pillow at night.  Often our busy lives can make life feel daunting and down right overwhelming.  So what do you do to get things done?  What do you do to balance you life?  Sometimes it seems like there is a big secret of how to create balance in our lives and everyone has figured it out but us, right?  

Luckily, there is no secret.  Just do that One Thing!  Pick one thing you know you need to accomplish or change today, this week, this month, etc and begin tackling it.  Pick that one idea that you have been thinking about and start working on it.  Make it happen!  You can always wait until life slows down but in your experience has that ever happened? 

You have heard the phrase "it only takes one to make a difference."  What is your One Thing?  

15 Days and counting until Cane Creek.  Stay focused on the goal!  

The Business of Training

The USA Today had a fantastic article this summer about Starwood's CEO, Frits Van Paasschen, titled "Starwood's CEO takes an idea and runs with it: Like running, business is about setting high goals, conquering fears."  Frits had many successful jobs before he came to Starwood, such as Nike, Disney, and Coors.  When interviewing for the Starwood position the board interviewed 60 candidates before deciding on Mr. Van Paasschen.  So, why Frits?  Of course he had a great resume but according the chair of the board, Bruce Duncan, his passion to stay physically fit through running contributed to his hiring.  Bruce Duncan stated '"That shows someone who's tenacious, someone who has a plan and gets it done....  It shows he'll do whatever it takes."' This is called The Business of Training, using your training to your advantage not only during a competition but during the business hours as well.  

What makes you different from the candidate or employee next to you?  Right now, a difference might be that you are training for a triathlon.  You are balancing work, training, family, friends, etc to reach a goal, a triathlon.  Don't you do this various times throughout the week, even day, at work?  Your boss tells you that you have a new quota or a new responsibility, what do you have to do?  Balance, work hard, and reach the goal that is set in front of you.  Like Bruce Duncan stated you are "someone who has a plan and gets it done."  

I encourage you to let your boss/employees know that you are training for a triathlon outside of work.  They might become some of your biggest supporters and it could also add to the qualifications for your next promotion.  

Go Get 'Um!

To view the original article copy and paste the link below: 

http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/management/2008-06-22-starwood-ceo-paasschen_N.htm

DO IT NOW!

This week's message is short and simple:  

"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now." Goethe, Johann Wolfgang VonWHAT DO YOU NEED TO BEGIN THIS WEEK?  DO IT NOW!

Let The Games Begin

This is a great time to be training for a triathlon.  If you turn to NBC, USA, MSNBC, or CNBC at almost any hour of the day you could find pure inspiration, whether it is seeing an actual event or even watching the commercials with the Go World slogan from Visa.  And to your training benefit, swimming has been one of the most watched events as Micheal Phelps looks to be decorated with the most Olympic gold medals in history.  

But I want to take this time to highlight another Olympic swimmer that has made the news.  One of the most inspiring comments I have heard watching the Olympics has been when Dara Torres, the most "mature" of the Olympians competing, was interviewed about her age.  She made a fantastic comment that "the water knows no age."  As I was thinking about that I realized neither does the road.  Thus, what you are doing while training for a triathlon, the bike, the swim, and the run, are all things that you can continue to do throughout your life.  This does not have to be a one time event.  You are creating a lifestyle of exercise and inspiration.  As I said before, not many people attempt to do a triathlon.  You are an elite group of individuals.   

Thus, I ask you to let the Olympics inspire you.  As you are swimming, picture yourself being as graceful as Michael Phelps.  As your cycling, picture yourself as Gold Medalist Samuel Sanchez.  And as your are running, picture yourself as Britain's marathoner Paula Radcliffe.  That little piece of visualization may just help you advance even more in your training, especially during the brick workouts.  

Until next week, find the inspiration around you,

Kathy Ramirez Ramsbottom

Business/Personal Coach

Point of Motivation

www.pointofmotivation.com

(P)704.817.9985

(M)843.424.1231

"Every journey has a secret destination of which the traveler is unaware."

-Martin Buber