New Year Reflections

I usually post this time of year reflecting on the year that just passed. I've logged the majority of my highlights in this space of the internet already so it seems a bit redundant. Also a bit self absorbed, especially considering everything else going on in the world right now. The one focus I strive for is to make each year stand out - so I sit here at this time each December and think, man, that was quite a year! If this was the case for anyone else that may be reading, congratulations! Take the same approach and set some high standards for 2009. If the year passed and all's that you are focused on is the negatives, than it's time to rethink your approach and get on a new path. That's the cool thing about a new year - you are starting with a clean slate.

Here are some of my tips to make this coming year a special one:

1. Stop watching the news. Stay up to date with current events through periodicals instead of the screen. What's portrayed on the news is usually a sensationalized view of the reality. Funny, I talk with many different business people daily. Very educated people who have interesting and powerful career positions. Each one I talk to gives me a totally different view of the current economic crisis, and what they foresee in the future. What I've come to conclude is that each persons view is based solely on their personal situation instead of looking at the global situation, even if they think they are looking globally. This is regardless of whether they are optimistic or pessimistic. My point is that A. I don't think anyone really knows what the hell is going on, and B. we need to be more proactive instead of following the news and advice of people we think are in the know.


2. Start each day by asking yourself what you are going to do that day that puts you ahead - that separates you from the ordinary. OK, I know this is hokey, but get in the habit of looking in the mirror each morning, telling yourself it's going to be a great day (even if it is a grey Monday in February and -2 degrees outside), and asking yourself this question. Instead of rolling your eyes, just try it for two weeks. What have you got to lose?


3. Don't accept routine, normalcy, or complacency. Easier said than done. Many have fallen into the habit of doing the same things each day, week, year. Those racing endurance events feel they are putting themselves out there, but the truth is that many of them are doing the same exact things they have done for the last five years. Switch it up. Stretch your goals a bit. Decide that this year, you are going to throw in one off the wall or bizarre or out of routine training session each week. The Tue night MTB ride reintroduced to me the fact that as much as I love swimming, biking, and running, I had become to routine. When was the last time you finished a day feeling re-invigorated and full of new energy that you couldn't sleep? This happened to me after the first few night rides. Something new and exciting to switch up the schedule a bit.


4. Get out and train with others at least once a month. For some, that's a not a common thing. If you typically train with the same people, aim to train with some other athletes as well at least once per month. I have this Sunday morning run and it's been mostly just Ken and I. We do different courses, throw in hill repeats, trails, ... Most don't want to drive to run, and do the same long run each week. I've watched Ken go from a 7 min/mi racer to a 6 min/mi racer. Good stuff.
5. Don't accept what others say. Being told that you are not capable of doing something that you truly believe in should just fuel you. People in life, for some reason, are constantly offering their unasked for advice to others in the form of negativity. If you believe what they tell you, then it will come true. If you have your sights set high and people tell you that maybe you should lower them, you can believe them and not even try, or you can defy them and prove to them and more importantly, yourself, that you are capable.
6. Smile more. Ok, once again, a bit hokey. But studies prove that those who smile more have more energy and carry through on things.
7. Surround yourself with influential, positive people, and dismiss those who drag you down. As we age, time becomes more and more precious and why waste it with those who don't contribute anything positive at all?

That's enough for now. Sure, we've all heard these things but how many of us are following all of them? If you are one of the few who is, then you are way ahead of the game and will have a brilliant 2009, congrats. If you are one of the many who is stuck in a rut, the choice is yours right now. You don't want to reflect back on a year, or worse, twenty years, thinking I coulda, shoulda, woulda.

Cheers,

EH

Is age getting the best of me?

December 28th and I ran in shorts and short sleeves this morning! The trails were a mess so I ran a very hilly road course and my legs felt great, unexpectedly. I keep overthinking this whole age thing. There are some days that remind me that I'm supposedly on the downward slope. This isn't a depressing thing, just the factuality that I started racing in my 20's and I'm now in my 40's. These are the days when I feel a bit more stiff than usual. When my gait seems three inches shorter than it used to and when I don't have that spring up the hills that I remember. I'm not looking for sympathy, trust me. I'm just jotting down my thoughts. I know that this is a bit self consuming and that's the one battle I continuously have with keeping a blog anyways, but maybe there is something of value in here. If not, then you just wasted a minute of your time reading this. (Straz, that's five minutes of your time - I know your reading level.)

I perform a lot of self analysis tests - tests that I have been using for years to compare and evaluate where my present fitness is. I recommend often that my athletes come up with a solid run course and bike course where they themselves can perform such tests. As much as these tests give me an idea of my present fitness AND health (you can have one and not the other), I also know that lab results and tests aren't always accurate in depicting certain information. Trust me, I've been doing this for over twenty years and have studied the analytical as well as the actual.


The main obstacle when evaluating ones form and fitness and health is in not lying to oneself. Lying in general is something that really bothers the hell out of me. I know it bothers most, but I really get overly irritated with it for some reason. It's the main thing I stress constantly to my kids. "we never lie", "be humble" and "always think about yourself in someone elses shoes" are the lessons that I hope become ingrained in them from my constant reminding(nagging). We all have some ability to lie to ourselves. Justifying is a form of this. This is a self-defense mechanism set up so that we don't get ourselves in to much trouble physically. Now I'm not talking about justifying or lying with non-physical things. There is a difference and it has to do with ethics. Convincing lots of people to invest their life savings with you and screwing them out of that money is a bit different than convincing yourself that you gave it your all and did the best race you could, don't you think? OK, I'm getting off topic.

I don't want to lie to myself, telling myself that I'm as fit as I was maybe two or ten years ago and convincing myself that I'm not on that downward slope. If I feel I can't run as fast as I once was able to, I'll deal with it. That brings me to today.

As I was out on my run, feeling good and thinking about the upcoming year and goals (I recently sent all my athletes a specific goal sheet asking them about their realistic goals and their dream or reach goals), I thought about whether I was setting the bar to high or to low. And with all the HR, wattage and time tests that I performed this past year, the one test that puts a smile on my face and proves to me that I can still put out my best times (this is if I had the amount of time I would need to put into training) is the Vermont Ride I did with Baker and Molson in August. After doing this ride since 97 every year, sometimes twice per year, I averaged my fastest time to date and felt strong the whole way there AND back. Reflecting on this gives me a lot of confidence knowing that this coming year is going to be an exciting one and one where I definitely reach!

Cheers,

EH

Boxing Day

I'm sitting here procrastinating. I want to get a run in, but I guess not that bad, as I'm wasting time instead of getting dressed to go. That's what a foodfest, sugar-filled, too-much-wine couple of days will do to ya. Up until Wednesday, I have been quite disciplined in regards to my nutrition the last month - something not so easy in December. I have a good routine that works for me that I'll share, out of boredom and the fact that strangely, I have been getting a bunch of inquiries about what I eat. Just keep in mind that this works for me.

4:45 am: Yoplait Vanilla Yogurt
8 oz of H2O w/ 2 teaspoons of organic apple cider vinegar
2 salmon oil supplements
2 packets of emergen-c
2 probiotic capsules

6am: coffee (black)

9 am: shake (frozen bananas, soy milk, peanut butter, whey protein, flax seed)

sometime during the day: apple w/ almond butter

Some other time during the day: hand full of honey oat pretzels

Dinner: something protein related w/ veggies and a glass of wine
2 more salmon oil supplements

Yesterday, I had none of the stuff on my routine menu really. I'm not going to search for the nutrition in what I ate and make any justifications. I did have a piece of coconut cream pie, a piece of chocolate cream pie, a bunch of cookies and chocolate chip biscotti. OK, now I feel gross again. I guess I just needed this reminder - time to go run. Maybe I'll even tack on a few extra miles. Tonight, I'm making home made pizza.

Cheers,

EH

Run Playlist Today

Ran 9 miles with some pick-ups thrown in at the 20 min and 40 min mark. I had a cool playlist rolling - at least I dig it. Here it is in order:

Malibu - Hole (great warm up song)
99 Problems - Jay-Z (but a bitch aint one)
Timebomb - Beck (good tempo to this song - helps you find the right pace)
Sex On Fire - Kings Of Leon (These guys are good, check em out if you havent yet)
When The World Is Running Down - Police (old school - great beat to run to)
Hello/Goodbye - Lupe Fiasco (just a cool song, period)
Something Is Not Right With Me - Cold War Kids (Lisa thinks the title is fitting for me)
Control - Puddle Of Mudd (try running easy to this one)
Times Like These - Foo Fighters (classic song, makes me feel good for some reason)
I’m Not Over - Carolina Liar (another good beat to run to. Duh, this is a run playlist)
Can’t Stop - Red Hot Chili Peppers (Again, the title is fitting. The end of this song is just to cool)
Daft Punk Is Playing In My House - LCD Soundsystem (stupid song, but great to run to)
L.E.S. Artistes - Santogold (tempo of this song starts to ease my effort)
Lucky Man - The Verve (just a great, fitting song. A good one to get stuck in your head)

Cheers,

EH

Snow Running

Who needs snowshoes? Ken and I met at 7am this morning for our Sunday long run as usual. There were a lot less cars in the trail parking lot this morning. That's a shame - it was a beautiful morning to run. Connecticut got hammered with snow yesterday - a fluffy, yet thick snow. This is great to run in and makes for a different workout. It's definitely a strength run. The first thing most ask when they find I'm running in the trails in the snow is "don't your feet get wet and cold?" Once your feet are wet, they're wet. And they rarely get cold as long as your moving.

I hope others got a chance to get outside and run in this. it's amazingly peaceful in the woods and the white snow is unbelievably picturesque. It'd be a shame to be stuck indoors on a treadmill and miss out on these days that are few and far between.

Cheers,

EH

December Blues?

One year ago, I wrote about the lack of motivation many athletes experience during December. You can read it here: http://http//hodska.blogspot.com/2007/12/off-season-blues.html (I am not great on the computer and don't know how to make just the word "here" the link, so bare with me.)

I feel it's worth revisiting. In this post, I want to discuss mental attitude a bit more.


I always try to be dead honest with myself. I get nervous going into big events and experience self doubt sometimes. I remind myself of all the hard work I put in towards the upcoming event, and ask myself these questions: A) why am I doing this and B) what are my expectations? I then break B down a bit further asking myself what result will I truly be content with? Sometimes this can add to the nerves, but the main thing I try to avoid is making any pre-race excuses in case something goes wrong. Once we start doing this, we begin to set ourselves up for a disappointing race before we even get to the starting line. It's easy to feel outside expectations besides the ones that we place on ourselves. I feel them. The key thing is not try to justify anything before or after races. I remember posting a race journal and a friend and athlete I coached commented that I was awfully hard on myself. I went back and re-read my journal and found that I was being honest, given my expectations. When I was younger and first began racing, I had some good results in local races quickly and started placing race pressure on myself. If I had any set backs in training, something we all encounter throughout the season, I'd begin to make excuses in my head in case I didn't finish where I wanted to. My ego was getting the best of me which happens easily when you are young and naive - or stupid. I caught this quickly and thought that this negativism and focus on petting my ego was not only silly, but that it was going to sap the enjoyment and learning process out of racing. Another young friend of mine couldn't let this go and dropped out of triathlons back in the mid 90's. I saw him a few years ago, fat and bloated and regretting that he ever fell out of the sport.


After spilling all that out, the only thing that truly matters when I break it down is that I'm enjoying the process, testing myself, learning, and making friends. It's great to have high expectations. I certainly do and I think that setting high expectations, one's that we really need to reach for, is the way we'll learn the most about who we are. Remember that the higher the expectations, the higher the pressure will be that you place upon yourself and the more you will feel pre-race nerves and question yourself as to why you are doing this in the first place. But this is where, if we follow through, we take big chances and maybe reap big rewards in self discovery and fulfilment.

I recently asked the athletes I coach to complete some written homework in the form of listing their top ten limiters (a nice term for weaknesses). I have a few who listed mental toughness as their strength, where as I had listed mental toughness as one of their limiters in my personal notes/files on them. After thinking more about this, I realize that many of them are mentally tough in the fact that they won't give up or quit when the going gets tough in a race. When you are testing yourself by racing and being tested in that race by that little devil on your shoulder convincing you to quit or ease up or walk or lie down, not giving in exudes mental toughness. So after re-evaluating their mental toughness, I changed my notes to "lack of belief" for these individuals. They are very talented physically, yet train and race at a level that is within their safety zone. They are capable of racing at a higher level and yet don't believe they belong at that higher level. Guess what? The body follows the mind. You gotta believe!

I know it's only mid December and motivation may be a bit low right now. Re-evaluate your 2009 goals, or begin evaluating them. Write them down, set high standards and begin to believe that these standards are where you belong. Then get your ass out of the couch and out the door.

Cheers,

EH

The Plunge 2009

December 15, 2008

Hi All,

It’s, once again, that time of year. No, it’s not the holiday season I’m talking about. It’s that time of year when I attempt to recruit a number of you to join me in January in jumping into Long Island Sound. “Why would you do something that stupid?” you may ask if you have never done this. If you have, you are probably thinking right now “I was dreading this letter!” Let’s start with a brief history of the event. In 2005 when the Tsunami hit the south pacific, I thought that we could use the Plunge as a way to raise charitable funds for the American Red Cross, which we did quite well. In fact, that year, we organized simultaneous Plunges in Cleveland, New Mexico, and California. In 2006, we continued this terrific annual event, but decided to make it beneficial to someone closer to home. I wanted those that donated to see directly where their generous funds were going. We raised money for a young boy battling cystic fibrosis. The funds we raised helped offset some of his extensive hospital bills and paid for a well needed vacation to Disney. How cool is that! In 2006, we continued the trend of helping children directly in need by donating funds to a family with overwhelming hospital bills due to testing and procedures with their two autistic kids. The money this time paid for the kids to attend a leading autism medical specialist in Boston, one that their insurance wouldn’t pick up. Last year, we raised funds for a Stratford single mother and her child who is battling a very rare illness called Kawasaki’s Disease. So that leads to this year.

Pam Morrow contacted me about having the Plunge for her neighbors Bob and Christine Greif. On May 11, 1997, Christine was hit by a drunk driver while on her bicycle preparing for a local triathlon. Christine sustained a traumatic brain injury that has left her with limited ability to walk, eat, speak or otherwise engage in normal daily activities.

Christine was a scholar athlete at Avon High School and then at Dickinson College where she majored in English. Christine was the recipient of the Trinity Club Book Award in her junior year for her scholastic achievement and service to the community.

More than ten years since her injury, Christine continues to suffer the severe effects of the brain injury which have made daily functioning incredibly difficult. Christine has persevered with the help and generosity of family, friends, church and community. Insurance companies have given up on Christine making funding of her care extremely challenging.

Our goal is to raise awareness and to generate some charitable funds to help offset some of the expenses that Christine has incurred. The thought of asking people to donate money is difficult enough without considering this financial crisis we are all undergoing. This is also a time of year where it’s important for us all to realize just how fortunate we are in the big picture.

In the four years that we have done the Plunge, we have raised quite a bit of cash, thanks to all of you who have contributed and/or participated. One of my favorite things about the Plunge is the way that it makes those attending smile – even those of us that are stupid enough to Plunge.

Here is the official information on the upcoming Plunge for Christine Grief’s fight against her severe debilitating injuries:

When: January 3, 2009

Time: 2:30 pm!!! High tide is predicted at 3:44pm so we are plunging in the afternoon this year. I will provide coffee and hot chocolate.

Where: Southport Beach on Pequot/Beachside Avenue (Exit 18 or 19 off i95)

Even if you are not plunging, please come down, support the event and watch us plunge, even if it’s only me.

Please e-mail me at ehods@earthlink.net if you are planning on being there so I have an idea of a head count.

Each plunger should make an effort to raise $100 to be donated to “Team Christine Greif Fund”. You can send checks to me, bring them with you to the plunge, or donate through paypal at http://www.hodska.com/ . If you donate through paypal, please send me an email informing me of this so I can then keep track of each individual donation for Christine.

Please forward this on to family, friends or any one you think you can sucker into plunging.

***The beach could be rocky and/or have sharp shells. I advise you to wear an old pair of sneakers during the plunge.

***Those plunging are doing so at their own risk. If you have any physical ailments such as an existing cardiac condition, asthma, weak immune system, or anything else that may be effected by this event, please come to watch, but its best that you do not plunge.

Thanks everyone! What better way to start the New Year than doing something good for others, and waking up the system!

Happy Holidays and here’s to an exciting and adventurous New Year! See you at the Beach January 3rd.

Cheers,

EH
www.Hodska.com

Hawaii on TV

The Hawaii Ironman is on NBC today from 2:30pm et to 4pm. Go out and run first before plopping yourself down on the couch.

Doom and Gloom

Today is a tough day. Yes, in this current global economic situation, when there are soldiers still fighting that will not be home with their families for the holidays, it gets worse... Oprah has regained her weight and is back up to 200 lbs. I can't believe this has happened. I mean, what is this world coming to? I'm devastated and at a loss for words.

Getting Hungry

We had 12 show up for the Tuesday night ride this past week, including a 12 year old on a cross bike! The ride went close to two hours and stayed mainly on the rail trail, however, we did do some single track - nothing too technical. I rode the new 29'er - what a great ride! One ride and I'm already sold on this tech. My light battery died about 90 minutes in, making things very interesting. When I was with the group, it was no problem. When alone, I couldn't see the trail under me, making the ride dangerous and bizarre. I came out unscathed though. This ride has been a blast and a nice change of pace.

Wednesday night, I attended the kick off meeting for the Bethel Cycle Club for next season. Greg has really done a great job with this club. He has the right people heading things up and they have done nothing but grown. Megan S. heads up the tri-club and they currently have more members than the cyclists! Greg introduced me at one point and asked me to say a few words, so I spontaneously discussed motivation during this time of year. One of the things I mentioned was the African runners and how they are studied and observed to see why they are so good. Many books and magazines have covered their theories as to why the Africans excel in distance running - the common theories are; they all train together at altitude and that they have been running long distances since they were young kids. I think it's more simple than that. The pure reason they are so good is because they are hungry - both literally and mentally! In a country where their annual individual salary is less than $100/year, this is their ticket out. We have it very nice over here in the US, even during this recession, and this makes us soft, plain and simple. The point was that now is a great time of year to "get hungry", instead of being a lethargic, excuse making, over partied, over hor douerved, typical December American.

Prime 16

Man, I had a great run today! It's been awhile since I felt "springy", so this was unexpected. I always remind athletes that when you have one of those great training runs where you are just flying, that's an indication of your potential - not a fluke thing. Today was one of those runs where you know it's going to be a good one after taking your first ten strides. Bonus was that the weather was perfect here in CT for running - I wore shorts and a long sleeve jersey and was comfortable. As I ran, I had a desire to get back on the track and do some interval work. I know many of the closet coaches would feel this is stupid to do in the wintertime, but if you do the "right" session (in regards to length and effort) this is not only not stupid but it can take you to a new level.

Nostalgia entered my mind, as I thought about the early 90's when I used to drive up to Yale in the winter and do indoor track sessions at Cox Cage with Margit McDougall, Ron Meneo, Scott Roth and Emmitt Hibson. We were preparing for the first race of the Connecticut Series. Man, I wish someone (hint - Mandy) would bring back this cool series. The series consisted of sprint races like the Milford Tri, The Orange Biathlon, The Derby Biathlon, The Hartford Tri, and Griskus. They even had an awards banquet at the end of the year. The competition was fierce and I'd run these sessions at Cox Cage thinking about going up against L.J. Briggs, Chuck Sperraza, and Dick Korby to name a few. One of these winter days this year, I'm going to have Margit (here that?) help me round up Ron, Scott and Emmitt and do a track session then go drink some beers and catch up.

Speaking of drinking some beers, I was up in New Haven last week with some friends at Farbers (The Mexican) new bar and restaurant Prime 16. He opened up right near the corner of Temple Street and the green and the place is great, but I expected nothing less from Farber. It's a microbrew bar with something like 30 microbrews on tap from all over the place and another 60 in bottles. His menu consists of some really cool appetizers and some amazing burgers - there's even a few vegetarian ones. As much as i like The Bar, Prime 16 will replace it as our destination the night of The Plunge, January 3rd. Hopefully, a bunch of you can make it. My athletes will be beginning my Cleanse Plan on January 4th, so you may as well join us for some fun the night before.

Tonight is the night Rail Trail ride. I'm anxious to try out my new Cannondale 29'er. If people are feeling adventurous, I may take them on some single track.

Cheers,

EH

Blogs, shoe review, ...

I just added a "Followers to this blog" section in the upper right hand corner that you may noticed. Alan and Sean, thanks for jumping on board and thanks for reading. I added this option because I know that I have a dynamic group of athletes and friends that may be reading this and it's an opportunity for others to check out some other blogs as well. I don't know what it is but I have issues with the word blog that I need to get over. "Blog" seems like such a passe doofish word and the whole thing, as I've written about, seems quite self absorbed. Having said that, it's a great journal that I wouldnt keep otherwise, and also a nice opportunity to communicate, vent, whatever. That is assuming that a few may be reading. By eliminating the word "blog" from my title, I'm certainly not kidding anyone including myself as to what this little page is. - Baker was fooled for a bit but that probably had more to do with the T-bone/Coco thing. Anyway, if you happen to read this and also keep a blog, please post your tag in the "follows" section. I'd be curious to read them.

I have been testing out a pair of Nike Lunar Trainers.

This is a very light weight shoe that offers quite a bit of cushioning. To give you an idea of what I like in running shoes, the past couple of years I've run mainly in Newtons, Nike Frees, Zoot, and Nike Marathon racers. The Lunar's are as light as any of these, but with much more cushioning. The upper is a lightweight mesh which I love. The toe box is wide wich suits my fat feet. These shoes would be perfect if it werent for the fact that the heel tab comes up a bit high and is rigid, thus cutting into my skin on both feet. I have blood on the shoes to prove it. No matter how great the shoes may be, this absolutely sucks. So this morning, before my run, I took out a pair of scissors and did some remodeling.

Problem solved, this worked perfect. I thought I was going to have to do some sewing, but the glue and stiching in back seemed to hold in place fine. We'll see how this lasts. I had a great run in these shoes this morning with no issues, and what made it even better was that 10 minutes into my run, it started to snow and I ran the majority of the run with fresh, white snow falling.

Hopefully the snow will fall up in Foxboro as the Patriots beat up on the Steelers (How did you end up becoming a Steelers fan anyways Straz?).

Cheers,

EH

Thanksgiving Day and all is well

I just finished my traditional Thanksgiving Day calorie burner run here in Pennsylvania at my in-laws. Three things are guaranteed here in PA when you run; One, it'll be overcast, Two, you'll get yelled at by some disgruntled driver, and three, you'll get chased by at least two dogs. I rolled out of the driveway into the grey day and not more than ten minutes later, I hear the growling of an angry animal. I turn to see some type of inbred shepard charging my way, gums showing and spit flying out of the corner of it's mouth. This dog was hauling and it was just a matter of time before he were to lock his jaws on my hamstring at this pace. Thankfully, the owner let out a loud whistle that stopped him dead in his tracks about 5 feet away. You know of course that for the owners own entertainment, he probably waited until the last minute before calling his predator off. My heart is finally starting to settle down as well as coincidentally my fast pace when a guy lays on his horn and flips me the bird for running as close to the edge of the road I possibly could. Thank you - have a nice Thanksgiving! I was having a good run nonetheless, and as I made my way 50 minutes in, down a dirt road, dog number dos come charging out of his yard. This dog was smaller though and I pushed him off as he tried to nip at me. It was still a great run - my philosophy is that any finished run is a great one.

We are about to head out for the family football game - my son has the teams all set up. Lisa's not on my team but I'll have to go easier on her since it's her birthday today. Or hopefully she'll go easier on me.

In these interesting economic times, it's easy to internalize more. Everyone is rightfully concerned about what's in their immediate future. The majority of us certainly have a lot to be thankful for though, and today is the day to put your own worries aside, become a bit more optimistic, and realize in the big picture just how fortunate we are and think about the many who are so much less fortunate. In fact, it's a great day to think about what we all may be able to do to help out at least someone who could really use it in some way. This is often said, not so often done. Have a great Thanksgiving everyone! Time to go play.

Cheers,

EH

Morning Run

6:09am... That's when my alarm went off this morning. I lied there for a few minutes beginning to justify staying in bed. At the top of the list was; you only got about five and a half hours of sleep, and you had one to many glasses of red wine last night. Before thinking to much, I dragged myself out of bed, splashed some cold water on my face, brushed my teeth, put in my contacts, pulled on some shorts, and lethargically made my way downstairs to the coffee machine. As the machine heated up, I checked out my inbox. Ken left a note saying he was running five minutes behind - no going back to bed now. I went to weather.com which showed the current temperature at 12 degrees, feeling like 6 degrees. I rethunk the shorts and put on some running tights (even though my eight year old son wore shorts in his soccer game yesterday - Lisa went to NYC for the day or she would have killed me for allowing him to wear shorts. I overheard a few soccer moms saying "look, they let that kid wear shorts today!" to which I wanted to reply "that's my son and he's fine so f' off", but instead I just kept my mouth shut.) A double shot of espresso, and I stepped out into the exceptionally cold November morning. Ken was there at 7:04am and we didn't say much as we headed out. Five minutes in, I took him up a long, steep trail climb, partly to warm-up, mostly to wake-up. Ten minutes in, I felt alive and clear. It was a beautiful morning and we clipped off a solid 1 hr 40 min run before heading over to The Last Drop to get some more coffee and shoot the shit some more.

As I showered this morning after my run, I thought about how my morning and day may have been different had I stayed in bed. I know that personally, I would have felt off all day, functioning in third gear instead of fifth. It's easy to justify skipping these morning runs in the winter, yet, if you dress right, there's no excuses. And as much as they pay off physically, they do so ten fold mentally. Even if you have to run with Ken. Plus, I know that the Patriots would have lost today had I slept in.

Cheers,

EH

Setting Goals

OK, trying to post something here every few days, so here goes;

I never want to force anything here, so I do believe this is poignant. I'm the type that takes a down week that I call an off-season and then I start getting very antsy and feel like I have no direction, so I compensate by mapping out all my goals for the next year, including off-season goals, pre-season goals, race goals, life goals, lots o' goals. Mapping and planning all this out feels constructive. Plus, I believe in S. Covey's habit that when you write something down, you are like 80% more likely to accomplish it.

I now have my athletes working on some homework. I gave them an assignment to list ten things they want to work on in the off and pre-season - that they believe may be limiters. I asked them to list them in order of importance, 1 being the most. I also told them that I write up my ideas of what I think they should be focused on and keep it in their files. If they'd like to compare it to their list, that would be cool. I warned that I'm very candid in this write-up. It's in my personal files on each client and it's what I'd like to help them with based on evaluating them.

So, in an effort to organize your athletic pursuits, take some time and jot down your own top ten list. Then, write down your goal sheet, listing your A race goals, B and C race goals, and be specific. Don't just write in your goal sheet that your A race is, say, Wildflower, for example. Write down what exactly you want to do at Wildflower. Keep your training easy now though. It was a busy season I'm sure and you physically and mentally need a break if you want to perform at your best in 2009. And don't be overly paranoid about your diet. Try to keep it somewhat clean, and no, you are not gaining a ton of weight daily. Although Megan had the best line this week in one of the emails she sent me. Very funny, but I don't want to post it since I consider the emails I receive confidential, so instead I'll just tease.

I've been running with the new Oakley Thumps and I have to say that they really kick ass.

Cheers,

EH

First Tuesday Night Ride

Awesome!

People all day were asking me if we were still going to ride considering the temperature and wind. I thought that these people really don't know me that well by now. My sister Laura said she was talking to a guy who was planning on attending and she relayed a story about when I used to have the summer track sessions. One of the days of these sessions it was 100 degrees and many were asking her if I was still going to have the track workout, so she called to tell me that many wanted to know what was going on and all I said was "bring extra gatorade".

Standing around in the parking area, waiting to begin, yes, it was quite cold. However, once we headed out and started turning the legs, I was fine. The rail trail was the perfect introduction for this first night ride and we kept a steady yet social pace. On the way back from Trumbull, I took everyone around Great hollow Lake - closed to bikes during the day.

What a cool ride! You get such a different perspective and experience riding at night. This was a lot of fun, and those who attended last night all said they'd be back next Tuesday. Many of them headed over to Senor panchos for some food and beer. Maybe we'll even get a few more next week (for the ride - not just the food and beer).

Cheers,

EH

Thank you!

While I was in California, by chance, I had the opportunity to run with Ed. Ed is a great guy who's company I really enjoy. It made me think about the people I "work" with. I'm extremely fortunate. I have a group that I truly enjoy working with and more importantly, calling friends. Running with Ken on Sundays, riding with Gus in AZ, riding with Jeff to VT, training with Pam in LP - these are some of my best memories of the 2008 season. Thank you all of you for a memorable year. I know it's not over yet and there are too many names to list here in terms of thanks and memories, but please know that I feel fortunate to be associated with such classy company. Thankfully Baker pulls me back down to the reality of where I belong. Him and Straz's texts.

Tomorrow night is the first winter night ride. This is a low key, easy trail ride beginning at 7pm (be there by 6:45pm) at the Monroe Rail Trail parking area on Pepper Street. Lights are a necessity, but don't be intimidated if you are local - This ride will be a blast (and maybe just the motivation some can use). All are welcome.

Cheers,

EH

Back in CT

Congratulations Jeff J. and his new wife Elizabeth! Hope you two had an amazing wedding day yesterday.



Lisa and I spent the perfect amount of time in Southern California - long enough to see and do what we wanted to, yet quick enough so that we could get back home to the kids and not miss anything of what's going on with their busy lives.



When I was in college, I often heard that, based on my lifestyle, I should be living in Southern California. I have to say that many of the people that live there lead very healthy and energized lives. The amount of surfers, runners, cyclists, walkers and in shape people there is amazing. Driving route 101, you'd be hard pressed to find a moment where you don't see some one running or cycling. I like that. The weather is obviously the conducive factor - it's sunny and 70 degrees daily. I say though that when we as people are given a gifted or idyllic scenario daily, we take it for granted. You need a few of those February gray zero degree days to appreciate those first few sunny 60 degree days here in CT that much more.



On Thursday evening, we attended a discussion given by Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple. He's a very interesting guy, and hearing his story is certainly inspiring. He's the "guts" man behind Apple, where as Steve Jobs would be considered the "appearance and marketing guru". The guy is a true engineer and tech geek who loves to tinker. He's such a tech geek that he drives a seguay everywhere. The sad thing is that he's easily 100 pounds overweight, so the seguay is not helping him at all on the health front - here's a brilliant guy who is neglecting his health to the point that he's about to encounter some serious issues judging by his appearance, age and lifestyle. Such a waste. I was still inspired by his knowledge and entrepreneurialship (I think I just made up a word). It made me think more about the training schedules I send out to my coaching clientele, and how I can better them. I have tried using a few of the training and scheduling logs out there such as Training Peaks. Training Peaks is actually extremely popular with coaches and athletes and i find it a great log for tracking your training. The problem I have with using it in scheduling is that I find it loses the personalness - it's too generic. They claim that you can really personalize it, but it's still a drag and paste type schedule or drop down schedule and what they claim is personalizing, I see as bs. It certainly looks professional and it allows coaches to work with a bunch more clients, but, in a time when there is an overabundance of unqualified coaches claiming personalized training plans yet giving out generic plans or plans that work for them personally, I have chosen to stick with simple emailing and phone calling. Seeing Steve though has given me renewed vigor to develop or find a scheduling and logging plan that is personalized and offers what I'm looking for.

Lisa and I enjoyed a nice run along the beach before heading to the airport to catch our flight. Her and I never run together, so this was definitely a highlight of the trip. I'm procrastinating my Sunday run at this very moment, enjoying another cup of espresso. At least the rain is gone. I am anxious too try out the new Oakley Thump Pro's though! I'll post a review after using them for a bit.

Cheers,

EH

Torrey Pines State Park

It's a challenge, being here in the sunny 75 degree weather. I'm tough though and I'm up for it.

Lisa and I went out for an easy 40 minute run yesterday first thing in the morning, then we hit the fitness center for some strength work. After quick showers, we got in the piece o' crap rental car and headed south on rt. 101 from Carlsbad, hugging the pacific coast. The amount of surfers in the water is simply amazing. People certainly live for the lifestyle here. We stopped off at a small place in Del Mar and had an amazing breakfast of omelette's (mine with jalapenos and jack cheese) potatoes and homemade sour dough bread. Oh, and lots of coffee.

Soon after breakfast, while driving further south through Torrey pines, famous for it's legendary golf course, I noticed a road winding up along the bluffs from the Torrey Pine beach. This road was the entrance to a state park. We paid our entrance fee and made the one mile drive up to the parking area.

One of the things I love about Lisa is that she is always up for an adventure, even while wearing a skirt and dress shoes. There are over 10K of trails in this national park and I was dragging Lisa out to explore some with me, looking for a fun spot to run with Ed the next day. The trails were amazing, going up and down the bluffs, hugging cliff sides and one that took us down 150 make shift stairs to the water.

After this little adventure, we spent some time walking around La Jolla before driving north back to Carlsbad. We stopped at Nitro, the infamous bike shop, along the way. This shop has nothing on Bethel Cycle!

I, for kicks, looked back in the archives of this blog to see what I was up to two years ago. I posted about bad luck in threes and me getting closed in a barb wired fenced area while running, having my dentist drill my tooth with the Novocain not working, and losing a toenail.

I just finished running with Ed through the park Lisa and I explored yesterday. We ran for 80 minutes, starting at the beach and running the 1 mile uphill that gains 265 feet of elevation before hitting all the trails. It was an amazing run with some great conversation - some of the stuff we discussed would be a cool future post. My IT band has still been sore since the marathon, so yesterday after hobbling on the run with Lisa, I stretched it out quite a bit and also spent time stretching my posterior muscles and tendons and you know what? No ITB pain today!

What a great way to start a day.

Cheers,

EH

Going back to Cali

I'm in San Diego - About to go out for an easy run in the nice high 60 degree morning sun. Ran into Ed Sparkowski at the airport last night - small world. I'm in Carlsbad and he's attending a work conference in San Diego but we are going to try and meet up tomorrow morning for a run. Anyone who may read this and knows the area, any good run route suggestions would be very welcome.

Check out the AOTM on my home page. I thought many might want to learn more about what makes Big Rocks tick. I think the AOTM is a cool way to learn about like minded people in our endurance world community. If there is anyone you'd like to represent the AOTM in the future, please email me your suggestions. If you have any specific questions you'd like added to the interview, include that as well. I'm looking for suggestions actually. I want to expand and represent people that we may or may not know but would like to know.

OK, just a quick report.

Cheers,

EH