Success is in the Journey - The Multisport Life

A new Lens!

2009-02-25T12:24:00.004-06:00

Discipline, perseverance, work-ethic, passion - all words that describe things that you cannot buy at the corner market, your on-line e-store, even in the mega-stores that have taken over America. These things all people are exposed to throughout life. Some pick them up early, some later and still some - well it just never sticks. For me - by God's grace alone I picked up these character traits in my late teens and they have been growing ever sense. I know this because of my best friend and wife and her continual affirmation over the last 18 (almost 19) years. There are many contributing factors to this, but for this writing, I am focusing on Endurance Sports. I have included an article that was written by Oliver Blanchard and I give him full credit for his work. You can go directly to his article here http://thebrandbuilder.wordpress.com/2009/02/21/why-runners-usually-make-great-employees/

I immediately connected with his message and his thoughts. But for me it fell a bit short! And I think that is because of the lens that I have for achievement. I have a deep rooted conviction that it is only by God's grace that we can really do anything. From being a 'good' husband or father to being an effective employee or endurance athlete. All benefit from God's grace or what is called 'common grace'. Humanity was created in God's image and people that claim not to know him still benefit from this common grace. Oliver make several great points about how endurance athletes develop discipline that crosses over to work. I know that is his point and he makes it well. But it all starts with the people doing the work! My point is that we would not be even attempting the work, if there was not something inherent to us that would make us want to achieve. There is a common tread here to why some many people get stuck in a more religious view of the world and not a 'Gospel' view of the world. You may be thinking - hold up here, aren't religion and gospel the same? NO they are not, it is night and day, but most people have been lulled to thinking they are the same. Religion is all about rules and laws and about doing more and more and more. The Gospel is all about Christ, doing all the work and empowering his people/believers/disciples to do 'good' even as sinful people. So it is really not the 'endurance sports' that are doing the hard work of change, it is God working in us so that he would get the glory.

All of this coming from a regular, sinful man, that loves Jesus and prays daily for a deeper sense of faith and repentance. For many years as I pursed Ironman Triathlon dreams (I raced in 14) it was mostly about me. But God was working in me the entire time. It did have a huge impact on my work in corporate America and had left an imprint in me for life. Even over the last 10 years of endurance coaching and running my own coaching business, I benefit from all those experiences. But the Glory is to God. From the Ironman PR to the DNF at mile 20 of and Ironman in 2003! He was training and teaching things into me that I could not buy! I pray that this helps you process how you interact with the idea of achievement in sport and in life!

Coach Kevin

I was forwarded this message from a buddy of mine that thought I would pass this on

Why runners usually make great employees.

February 21, 2009 by Olivier Blanchard
When you have a goal that is as huge as the marathon-it will “keep you honest.” It’s not like a smaller goal that you can announce and then put off or fake your way through. Once you sign up, commit months to training, and take your first step on race day-you better have done your homework.

The beauty of this is that it goes against 99% of the natural tendencies of our culture that favors gratification without effort or devotion. But is that kind of achievement ever as satisfying? Linda Hill once told me she loved the quote, “There is no glory in training, but there is no glory without training.” In no way is this more true than in running.

And business.

One thing I’ve found over the years is that many of the folks I train with (and race against) are for the most part as devoted to their jobs (if not more) as they are to running or cycling or triathlon.

Unlike participation in say, golf or softball or basketball - no offense to club/league sports - the type of determination, discipline and emotional focus that comes with training day in, day out for extremely challenging endurance events (often by yourself) tends to bleed over into people’s 9-5’s.

Whether you’re training for a marathon, a century or the Ironman triathlon, one thing you quickly find out is that there’s no room for bullshit out there on the pavement. You either do the work or you’re screwed. Politics won’t get you to the finish line. It doesn’t matter who you know or how well you can work the system. When you’re out there, every weakness bubbles up to the surface and stares you in the eye. Lack of preparation, lack of motivation, lack of dedication will all come back to bite you in the ass. there’s nowhere to hide. They will all find you and jump up on your back to stop you dead in your tracks. The choice becomes this: Do you let them stop you, or do you accept them and keep going?

You learn a lot about yourself, training for that type of event.

You learn a lot about how to break thresholds and get past your own little ego, training for events like these. When you’re tired and sore and hungry but you still have four miles to go, guess what? You still have four miles to go. How you get through these last four miles is entirely up to you. Nobody cares whether you walk those last four miles or run, or hail a cab. Nobody made you set 26.2 miles as a goal. Or 100 miles. Or 144+.

Once you’ve broken past your lack of will and learned to keep going, you are transformed. A similar thing happens to Marines during training. At some point, who you used to be before you went beyond what you thought your limitations were, before you kissed excuses goodbye, before you left all of the bullshit that stood in your mind’s way ceases to exist. You become someone else.

That someone else, the marathoner, the long distance cyclist, the triathlete, the Ironman, he or she walks into your place of work with you every morning.

We all work with two types of people: Partisans of the least amount of effort, and dedicated professionals.

The latter aren’t all marathoners or triathletes, but I have yet to meet an Ironman or marathoner who didn’t take his or her intensity and dedication to their job.

Not that there’s anything wrong with drinking a case of beer and watching sports on TV all weekend, but who you are outside of your work does have parallels with who you are when you are at work.

Something to think about.

Megan as a driver

2009-02-11T16:02:00.004-06:00

Who said it was time for my teenage daughter to start driving? More proof that our lives are but a dot or a dash between the start date and the end date. So this week we (Megan and I) will embark on a whole new adventure together, another building block in her independence. Do I have to be OK with it? As I tell Meg, I am not that worried about you, it is everybody else that scares me to death :-) I have found memories of being taught to drive by my father. He is the most patient man that I know. I hope to continue that legacy with Megan. I was fortunate to be taught to drive using a manual transmission (stick shift). So my desire is to pass that on to Megan. Through God's grace, I have a brother that has an old truck that we will be using for training that is a stick shift. Meg is not that excited about learning on a manual, but she is so ready to learn, she is all game. We have a weekly driving date set up for Saturday afternoons as I teach her some basics. We will be staring in a parking lot and eventually moving to the streets! I am honestly looking forward to the adventure!

Be on the lookout!

The Holy Spirit

2009-02-06T18:09:00.001-06:00

I am taking a distance class called: "The Spirit, Church, and Last Things" in which I write a short paper on several books that are part of the required reading list. Enjoy!!

Ferguson Paperette
Describe how having read Ferguson will help you be a better servant for Christ in your various contexts

The Holy Spirit affects all aspects of a Christians life. That would be my executive summary of Sinclair B. Ferguson's book “The Holy Spirt”. But, that is really just the big idea. There were several topics and explanations that provided clarity into some dimly lit / darker rooms in my thoughts on several subjects.

I am currently reading the bible, chronologically in one year, and am in the midst of the Old Testament. The historical books have a way of drawing you into the story-line, but there always seems to be a dark shroud over the people and leaders. As I studied this book I was reminded that the story of the Spirit is an incomplete one when limited to the pages of the Old Testament. It was with the coming of Jesus that the day of the Spirit finally arrived!

In the many context's that I find myself in from being a disciple of Christ, a husband, father, church leader, coach, I am increasingly aware of the Holy Spirit, his power and the many effects it has in those areas. I am reminded that “If Christ is in me, my body is dead because of sin, yet my spirit is alive because of Christ's righteousness.” Not to have the spirit of Christ is to lack Christ.

I was reminded that the central function of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Christian believer as stated in 2 Cor 3:17-18, is to be transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory. And also of the role of the Spirit coming in John 16:7-11, that he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgement.

In the context of my leadership role with-in my local church community. I am renewed in this recent study of the Spirit's role to reveal Christ and to unite us to him and to all those who participate in his body. Without a solid foundation of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit people can easily fall on their own strength and will to unite themselves to Christ. I find that this is the struggle that I see God revealing more and more to me each day. I continue to repent to of my performance based faith and my need to rely on him for my righteousness.

I found great encouragement in hearing Ferguson explain that believers are chosen in Christ before the creation of the world in order that we are blessed in covenant union with him, that we might be for the praise of his glory Eph 1:3-4, 11-12. And to be in Christ is to enter a new creation 2 Cor 5:17. I have had many opportunities to discuss what conversion is, and to counsel people in being able to articulate what this 'new creation' looks like to them. So this study has given me a greater foundation as I continue to engage in those discussions.

Being a husband and father, I get the front row seat in witnessing the on-going regeneration that is enabled through the power of the Holy Spirt. The outward expression is different, yet the inward change is similar and powerful. We are all born as sinners, so we all start from the same place, we are in bondage dominated by sin. By God's grace I can see regeneration happening all around me; in myself, my wife, kids, friends, small group. That is not to say that I see it everywhere within the church or outside of my gospel centered community. But I do witness the liberation of the will in many people from their bondage to sin.

About a year ago I heard a sermon on faith and the small group I lead had an opportunity to dive into this subject. Ferguson nailed it on the head when he wrote “The saving power of faith does not lie in itself but in the object of its trust.” I am reminded of the number of people that I come in contact with that understand faith, but have faith in all the wrong things of the world.

At my local church 'Coram Deo' we believe and preach that the Christian life is a continuos cycle of faith and repentance. These are words that even non-christians are familiar with but I have found that most people do not really understand their meaning. For Christians in the midst of regeneration they are not just the beginning aspects of the Christian life, but fuller characteristics and fruits of the spirits continual ministry. Ferguson puts it well when he says: “Indeed, the entire progress of sanctification is but regeneration coming into its own, and faith and repentance becoming more and more the dominant notes of life in the Spirit.”

I have had many conversions with different people on Spiritual Gifts. How to assess you have them, what you are supposed to do with them, etc. Ferguson explains: “the gifts of the Spirit are given essentially to the individual for the edification of others rather than for himself or herself.” Essentially Spiritual Gifts are given to enable the recipients to minister to others. He goes on to indicate: “Spiritual gifts reflect more about the grace of the Giver than they reveal about the gracious condition of the recipient.” I found this to be a healthy reminder of what the focus spiritual gifts are for. They are not for us, they are to edify (build up) others. And it says little about our standing or ability but magnifies God's grace even more!

In summary – Ferguson's book will be a solid resource in my growing theological library. I am thankful for his work in explaining the Holy Spirit and giving me a broader stroke on the subject increasing the size of my theological understanding and the importance of a solid foundational understanding of the Holy Spirit in the life of a disciple of Christ.

I delight in Weaknesses

2009-02-06T11:59:00.004-06:00

Our bodies are not meant to last forever :-)

Mine has treated me well and by God's grace I have endured many miles. I pray he provides for many more!

I have been training for a marathon in Birmingham Alabama, with my friend Darin, in mid-February using my regular protocol and getting in the training and making some nice gains. The problem - my hip was not recovering and getting more and more painful. To the point it hurts to put weight on it, to sit, to lie down is the worst. The joys of getting old!!!

Some history - when I lived in Valentine, NE in the 5th grade, I sustained permanent damage to my hip by the fall I took at the pool. Recently taken X-rays show a very deformed hip (femoral head, stem and socket). This is all not new. The many doctors that I have had the opportunity to examine my hip over the last 20 years have all told me the same thing .... my hip will not last as long as a normal one due to progressive arthritis. The fact that I have run marathons / ultra-marathons & Ironman's is very challenging to doctors (the power of God). My most recent doctor Joshua Urban (Nebraska Orthopedics) is impressed with how my hip 'arthritis' looks. It is not showing the wear that he thought he would see with being active as I am. He did confirm that I will need a hip-replacement, but now is not the time. That's good news - praise Jesus!

I had an MRI last week to see why I am in so much pain. Dr. Urban was specifically looking for a stress fracture, a 'liberal tear' (sp) in the hip cartilage or a muscular tear. The results of the MRI all came back negative. That is all good news too!

The doctor says that with arthritis there comes pain, tell me something I don't know. So with people that have hips in my condition but are not ready for total hips they give an injection of a steroid right into the hip. They do this in a surgical environment and is pretty common. Good results will be to be pain free in about a week and back to my regular activity level (swim, bike, run).

This whole experience is a reminder of what I put my faith in (my health) and how I need to repent of not putting my faith in Jesus. He has lead me to some rich reading in scripture of how I tend to pray for deliverance rather than for a deeper relationship with God, his son and spirit :-)

In my on-line research of Total Hip Replacements (THR) in the last couple of weeks, I came across some new procedures (since 2000) that is called Hip Re-surfacing (HR). In HR's they re-surface the femoral head and put a metal ball on it, maintaining its normal size, and put in a metal cup in the hip bone to receive the ball. HR's have allowed younger / active people with hip issues to resume their full activity level and wear much longer than THR's.

I made it through the 'injection' procedure with flying colors! Couldn't have done it without my beautiful wife taking care of me! And many thanks 'dad' for taking Cam and Meg to school in the morning :-)

Time will only tell on the success of the injection, but Dr. Urban is very optimistic. They have me on some pain meds, which I am trying not to take unless absolutely necessary. So I still have some pain in the hip / lower back but it should go away potentially by tomorrow! I have been given the go-ahead to start exercising as soon as I want to :-) I will admit part of me wants to jump back in, but some wise coach 'inner voice' is telling me to be smart and ease back in. So no Feb, marathon for me :-( Actually the doctor is telling me that I could continue to do marathons but to do so would greatly shorten the life of my hip. Time to be wise and not foolish!!! So for now, or at least the next few years I am going to retire from the long running 'marathons' and stick with shorter runs 5K, 10K, 1/2 marathons. And get more focused on my cycling (road & MTB), swimming and strength training. I will be honest, with all that being said, the thing I look forward to the most is being able to chase my children and wrestle with them. Cameron has had the upper hand the last few weeks :-) Its time for a come back! I praise Christ for his providence during the last couple of weeks (as always) and for the many reminders of his greatness!

Here is a passage of scripture that I have been praying through in the last few weeks:
2 Cor 12:9-10
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

For His Glory - Kev

A Theology of the City

2009-02-02T10:52:00.002-06:00

At Coram Deo (my local church community) we are in the middle of a series called "A Theology of the City". This week we are studying how the 'church' today is the visible expression of the invisible. Just as the city of Jerusalem was the visible place where God was present, the church is the place (people) where God resides. Check out these passages and notes from the sermon:

1 Peter 2:9 (light)
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

2 Corinthians 6:16 (temple)
What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, "I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Luke 17:21 (kingdom)
nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or 'There!' for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you."

The church in America creates isolation by creating a parallel world (Christian subculture) so that we can be “safe” from the culture. This often leads to moralistic religion.

The church in America also creates syncretism because Christians functionally live like the world. There is very little distinction morally between Christians and non-Christians. This often leads to irrelevant spirituality because there is not personal transformation. There is very little distinction morally between Christians and non-Christians.

What happened? We quit preaching the gospel. The gospel calls all people to repent (Christians and non Christians), which would keep us from isolationism and moralism. The gospel also provides the power to change and transform us, which would keep us from syncretism and irrelevance.

I am in the midst of a biblical reading plan that takes me through the bible 'chronologically' in one year. I am in the book of Judges and studying about the continual struggle that the people of Isreal (God's choosen people) have with following God, even though they experience his power and authority, at every turn. I was reminded how I fall into the same error by seeking God for deliverence through repentence, rather than having the motive of a heart that desires 'true' service of him. Read the following of an example of this:

Judges 10:10-16
10And the people of Israel cried out to the LORD, saying, "We have sinned against you, because we have forsaken our God and have served the Baals." 11And the LORD said to the people of Israel, "Did I not save you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites, from the Ammonites and from the Philistines? 12The Sidonians also, and the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you, and you cried out to me, and I saved you out of their hand. 13Yet you have forsaken me and served other gods; therefore I will save you no more. 14Go and cry out to the gods whom you have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress." 15And the people of Israel said to the LORD, "We have sinned; do to us whatever seems good to you. Only please deliver us this day." 16So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD, and he became impatient over the misery of Israel.

Life in the day of a Painter

2009-01-31T18:05:00.002-06:00

My son and a few friends spent the afternoon painting the basement of another friend of mine today. Anybody that knows me has heard the stories of my painting struggles. It is not that I can't paint, it is just that there is a right way to paint and a wrong way. I seem to paint naturally the wrong way. So if you need a painter of the quality kind, you might need to look else where. But if you don't mind some paint splatter and the increased possibility of having to do a second coat - I am your man. Actually my son Cameron and I make a good team - he lays down a thick coat of paint about 4 feet from the floor and I come through and even it out :-)

Here's to messiness!!!

The Story of Christianity

2009-01-31T09:01:00.004-06:00

I am currently reading a book "The Story of Christianity" by Justo Gonzolez. It is a historical book of Christianity starting with the Reformation of the church to Present day. I am reminded in the reading that the church and christian faith continually experiences changes that in some ways have been experienced before, but in others have a whole new expression. Here is a quote that caught my eye this week:
"An old world was passing away, and a new one was being born in its place. It was unavoidable that the church too would feel the impact of the new times that, just as new forms of being human were emerging, new forms of being Christian would also emerge."
I am gaining a whole new appreciation of where Christianity is at today, buy understanding how we actually got here!

Kevin

It's a New Year!!

2009-01-01T20:16:00.002-06:00

The last couple of weeks are usually a time of reflection for me and my family. Just something about nearing the end of the year and also beginning a new one. My wife and I were having dinner last night a few hours before the ball dropped and were reflecting on the year. I think we summed it up as a trying year for us. From the death of a parent, much uncertainty on my own health and some major financial stress. But as we look back, we have been blessed with a deeper sense of peace than we have ever had. And with that peace is great hope! I have discovered that with trial comes a greater awareness of who we really are and what is really important to us.

That being relationships and more importantly our walk with Christ. Christ provides the framework for us to live our lives. We cannot and do not accomplish anything without his willing it for us. And going along with that, the struggles I mentioned above are more about our growth towards Christ than anything else. It is in times of adversity that we have the greatest growth.

My prayer as I begin a New Year - that I would love God with all my heart, and that I would love those in my life that are hard to love. That Christ would continue to convict me of sin, and that I would run to the cross as I live a lifestyle of repentance!

With great peace and hope -

Kevin

New Newton's

2008-12-18T16:00:00.009-06:00

You have to love the smell of new running shoes!!! Yes - I will admit, a bit of an off the wall post, but man these shoes smell good!!! Don't go around thinking that I smell my shoes once I run in them, but fresh out of the box, they are wonderful.

I started wearing Newton running shoes about a year ago. I was a hard sell in the beginning as the price of the shoes are outrageous. But a then client / friend of mine suggested I give them a try and he gave me an introductory price. The shoes promote a bio-mechanical fore-foot push off and also are know to reduce leg fatigue caused by heel-strike running. I found that the shoes really helped my running mechanics and also improved my recovery. I tried to switch back to my staple running shoes 'Asics', but my legs would not have it. Last winter, while I was training for a January marathon I experienced extreme frost bite while running in the Newton's, due to the very light mess upper out-sole of the shoe. This winter the shoe manufacturer came out with an all-terrain version and those are ones in the picture. I am preparing for a February marathon and I confident that I won't freeze off my dogs this winter!

Run Smart -

Kevin

How the Newton's work:

Cameron has the Moves

2008-11-13T10:43:00.002-06:00

A couple of weeks ago the family and I went to a wedding. I have to tell you the best thing about weddings for me is the party afterwards. It has always been that way, at least for as long as I can remember! My son Cameron loves to dance, what kid doesn't? He has always been drawn to break-dancing. Here is a couple photos of him tearing it up!

Enjoy!

Warrior Challenge Adventure Race

2008-10-24T16:43:00.002-05:00

Adventure what?

I suggested to Ironman legend Darin A and my Missional Community sister L. Asher (an accomplished kayaker that we form a team for an 8 hour Adventure Race that started and finished in Platte River State Park near Springfield Nebraska on October 18th 2009. They actually were excited about the challenge and demands of finding up to 30 check points that spanned 3 Nebraska State Parks, three cities and a river.

The event included lots of mountain biking both on single track trails (think technical) and roads, trail running, canoeing and lots and lots of navigation. The navigation is where the challenge for this type of even lies. No GPS equipment allowed, just a map, UTM coordinates and the technical know how to position a point on a map given both an eastern and norther set of coordinate. You locate the point in the wrong location, you are hunting for a check point that doesn't exist.

I did some of this kind of racing about 10 years ago, so I was exposed to the technical aspects that are required for this kind of event, but this was my first race where I was directing this effort. My hat off to Darin for picking up the skill and also reading the map way better than I could (contours and such).

I think the team agreed that the most challenging aspect next to the navigation was the canoe section on the Platte River. Lets just say we are all still great friends, but there was some flames coming out of Darin's ears as he has steering the boat!

We finished in 7:54 (yes 7 hours 54 mins) but were assessed a penalty for skipping a check point. We were not the fastest, and not the slowest, but the overall goal going into the event was a finish!

Success!!

Live for the Adventure - Kev

One God in Trinity

2008-10-17T09:19:00.002-05:00

I came across some clarifying content in a book I was reading titled "The Doctrine of God". Some pretty heady stuff, but the particular info that helped me in one chapter was the background on Judaism or the Jewish religion. This was of particular interest as a new friend of mine is married to person that grew up in a Jewish home and claims to be a practicing Jew. As I grow in my relationship with Christ and process life in that lens, there has been a growing desire for me to understand the 'religious movements' in the world. So the following has helped me shape those thoughts!

"In Judaism God is one and personal, but although these characteristics are fundamental to his being, they are not the most important element in Jewish worship of him. Jews tend to be preoccupied with the holiness of God, and especially of the divine name, an attitude which is inculcated by the covenant law of Israel. The main purpose of this law is to keep Jews clean, pure and undefiled, so as to make them worthy of their calling as God's chosen people. But the restrictive legalism which this has entailed is not regarded by those who uphold it as a fetter on their spiritual liberty. On the contrary, it appears to them to be the main basis of their spiritual assurance and freedom, since only within the narrow confines of the law can Jews be assured that they are living according to God's will. The law, supplemented by the interpretations of later generations, is revered as the voice of God, through which the nation enters into a living experience of its covenant relationship with him."

"In principle, Christianity subscribes to the Jewish covenant, and the belief in a holy God which that entails. It accepts the law of Moses as a revelation of God's holiness, but argues that it cannot be used as a means of salvation. In Christian eyes, nobody can keep the law in every respect, because at the bottom the problem of human sin is that of a broken relationship with God. Only when that is put right can the spiritual character of the law begin to make sense, and become applicable to us. In putting that broken relationship right, Christians agree with traditional Jews that the atoning sacrifice provided for in the law is fundamental, but they insist that this sacrifice was made once for all by Jesus Christ."

"Jews may recognize God's existence and know his law, but without Christ, they cannot penetrate the mystery of that divine fellowship which Christians call the Holy Trinity."

Athlete Question "How to go 10 hours at Ironman Louisville KY?"

2008-10-10T17:22:00.002-05:00

A question from my buddy Brian in Alabama:

So Kevin - so what do I do now to get to 10 hrs in Louisville?!?

This is a huge question Brian. At its core is your ability to recover. Given your performance in WI you are doing the right type of training. For a 10 hr time you will need to be able to increasingly recover from long and intense sessions on a frequent basis. This is the 'core' limiter for most endurance athletes. Most have a hard time recovering given the demanding schedules that we have (marriages, family, work, and rest / sleep). So one of the questions that I have been encouraging the athletes I coach, more and more frequently, is to take a realistic look at goals and count the cost. There are several costs in pursuing Ironman / endurance dreams and as athletes set higher and higher goals the demands for recovery become paramount.

Hope this helps as I know it is kind of vague. That is why I like my initial response of Beer and Tacos - way simplier! Remember if you go this route - enjoy in moderation :-)

Kevin

Who are the enemies of Christians now?

2008-10-08T13:45:00.002-05:00

The following is an excerpt from a lecture that one of the professors of a class I am talking gave related to Psalms & Wisdom Literature - V. Philips Long & Covenant Theological Seminary

"We struggle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, spiritual forces
of darkness in high places. How are we to fight this battle? By praying for conversions and by actively
seeking to advance God’s kingdom here on earth. We do not want to spiritualize it entirely, because the
judgment day is really coming. There will come a day when the weeds and the wheat will be divided.
The weeds are still among the wheat and thus we cannot really go about uprooting the weeds without
danger of uprooting the wheat. From our perspective, how do we know which is which? We cannot. We
do not know until the end of the story is told at the end of each individual life. What if Christian
militants had killed Saul of Tarsus because he stood by while Christians were martyred? They would
have been attempting to destroy the wheat and not the weed. Right now we simply do not know about
people’s souls, and we are called upon to pray that God will draw to Himself those who at this point are
very far from Him. In 2 Peter 3:9, we read that important verse about God’s patience: “The Lord is not
slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone
to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” We live in a time of common grace in which the rain
falls on the just and unjust alike. But the Day of Judgment is coming, and we do our contemporaries no
favor if we obscure the fundamental truth that judgment is coming. Read Luke 13 and discover how
Jesus responded to natural disasters and public criminal acts. He pointed to them as reminders that
judgment was coming and a reason to repent. Therefore I think we do our contemporaries a favor to say,
when bad things happen, “Judgment is coming. As bad as this is, this is only a foretaste of what awaits
the world outside of Christ.” As we see with horror what is happening in this world, that should
encourage us to seek to be those instruments of God’s love who have an opportunity to see people come
to know Him."

“Judgment is coming. As bad as this is, this is only a foretaste of what awaits
the world outside of Christ.” - This is my favorite line in the whole piece! For those that live life outside of a unity with Christ, this life is as good as it will ever be. The brokenness and pain that those who do not have Christ, is just a foretaste of what waits them! Drives me in humility and prayer to those in my life that are living willfully against God and his son!

In Christ Alone - Kevin

Reading the Bible to Hear God Speak

2008-10-08T13:32:00.001-05:00

The last paragraph in a book that I just read, really spoke to me as a man who desires to hear God's voice in the 'all' of life. Enjoy :-)

"It takes time to read the Bible to hear God speak. The bible is not a fast-food outlet. One has to pay attention to the written text, pore over it, learn the languages or consult several translations, deepened oneself into the original historical circumstances, piece out the literary features to catch the nuances, check a wide diversity of commentary readings on the particular text under scrutiny. Reading the Bible to hear God speak is not a one-person show -- it happens best in a believing communion of attuned reading saints often found in books. Once prepared -- led into a reading by those who know in faith better than yourself how to listen to the Bible -- a person waits on the Lord, wrestles with the God-speaking text, and finally hears the Holy Spirit's voice of the text which humbles you to your knees with an oracle of tough love and rough comfort, and a mission of redemptive service. One never need say, "My prayers are not answered; God never talks to me," if you learn to read the Bible to hear God speak. God speaks through the holy scriptures with mysterious clarity and empowering wisdom in a way that engenders faith-fullness, patience, joy, trust, love, and hope."

Taken from the book "How to Read the Bible to Hear God Speak, a study in Numbers 22-24", by Calvin Seerveld

Hearing better all the time :-)

Preparation Canyon State Park

2008-09-23T13:40:00.002-05:00

Not only do I enjoy the human powered form of cycling! I also enjoy the power-generation of my electronically fuel injected 800cc motorcycle. This photo was taken by my buddy Chris during a stop at Preparation Canyon State Park in western Iowa a couple weeks ago!

Ride Strong -

Kevin

Objections to Christianity - Exclusivity

2008-09-23T11:28:00.002-05:00

Was listening to Tim Keller (Redeemer Presbyterian Church - NYC) teach on an objection to Christianity "exclusivity" that was so convicting that I sent these notes a friend of mine. This is long but well worth the read. Based on 1 John 4:1-10. Enjoy :-)

Exclusivity: (1 John 4:1-10)
Problem that people have with all religions. How can you claim that you have the only truth. 40, 30, 20 years ago the barrier to peace was the cold war. But now it is religion. Agree that religion generally speaking has a strong tendency to divide people. Creates a slippery slope for people. Religion erodes peace between people. What do you do when you realize this. 2 ways that don't work as you address this divisiveness and one way that does work

Two Ways that Don't Work -
1) - People are hoping for or helping that religion would weaken and go away. Religion used to help us a adapt to our world, but now people think that it doesn't relate. But that is not what is happening in the world. Africa in the last 100 years has gone for 10% to 50% Christian, China over the next 100 years will be more Christian. Governments have taken control over religion, but Christianity continues to grow rapidly. Why is it that religion doesn't go away. It only gets stronger. 1 John 4 1 - John is talking about teachers. Commentaries - don't make the assumption that he is talking about religious views, there is a spiritual realm that people sense. People will worship something. That is not all good. You could worship something that can enslave you. Rather than free you. Worship is not a just an intellectual thing. Stamping religion out will not work.
2) - Confine religion to the private realm. People say - "We are not against religion - but keep it in the private realm". People say that we need to agree on 2 things 1) That all paths to God are equal and 2) Faith / religion gives you strength in private live, but never bring it into public life. Neither of these things hold water. 1 John 4:5 - they = critics of Christianity. They are coming from a religious faith view point, even as they are criticizing ours (1) all way are paths to God - why? Fact is that we all have truth and use an illustration = Group of blind men that come up to an elephant. All grab hold of it, and say what it is like - elephant is long, elephant is short and stiff, elephant is huge and flat. They begin to argue. Everyone of them is right and everyone is wrong. The are see part of reality, but not all. So they conclude that religion is the same. That is how we need to view religion. Book - "Gospel of a Pluralist Society" - only way you could know that the blind man didn't have the true reality, is if you could see the whole elephant. In religion - you say you are the one that knows the whole truth about religion. An arrogance that you know that all religion is equal. (only an appearance of humility) What is that absolute vantage point that you claim to relativize all scripture claims? When you say that no one has a spiritual take on reality, that is a spiritual take on reality. 2) Keep religion private - leave truth and reality at the door when you come to the public square. Simply look for strategies that work, not ones that are in line with religion and spirituality. We live in a society that tries to enforce this. Totally impracticable - what is religion? Not institutional! Religion is a set of answers to the big questions, Why are we here? What is right and wrong? What should we be spending our time doing? Those things can't be answered in a lab. It is a faith assumption. You cannot leave faith at the door when you go into public. Example - divorce. Lets just decide on divorce laws that work for people. Depend on your view / purpose of marriage. But impossible - individualist western societies - the needs of the individual more important than the group. You will make the divorce easy, but people in a traditional society - the family is more important than the individual. You are going to make divorce hard. You can't come to any conclusion of what will work in divorce with out deeply held belief about human flourishing. To say religions reasoning should be kept out-of the public square because it is faith based is on its own a faith based reasoning that should be thrown out.

So everybody has a set of exclusive beliefs, therefore what matters is which set of exclusive beliefs that can produce loving, exclusive reconciling peaceful behavior. Every body has exclusive beliefs! Even when you don;t think you do, you do.

One way that does work -
1) Strategy that deals with the divisiveness of religion - look at the things about the christian gospel that are unique to Christianity that are different from all other religions. Most people don't like that, the say "don't stress what is different, but what is in common." But those (similarities) are not the features that will lead you into the reconciliation and peace in the world. It is counter-intuitive, but turns you into an agent of peace. This text show us how unique Christianity is from other religions.
1) Origin of Jesus salvation - 1 John 4:2 Jesus Christ has 'come' means that he was somewhere before he came into the world. Every other religion in the world is that the leaders founder is a human being only, but God came into the world, in the flesh. Why is it like that? Because that is a reason why Christianity is different from other religions.
"GOD CAME INTO THE WORLD" = origin of Jesus Salvation
2) Purpose of Jesus salvation - Eastern religions = to liberate you from the flesh. That is the problem - the 'physical world'. Western religions = flesh is real but it is bad, and through an spiritual experience you can get out and go to heaven. All other religions the goal is to escape the world and go to heaven. But Christianity - God received a body in Jesus Christ, and at the resurrection of Jesus - the body experiences redemption. Not an escape from the world, but a redemption of the world. Getting rid of death, disease, poverty in the world. Christian salvation means a transformation of the world, not an escape. If some one says there is salvation in other faiths, "What kind of salvation are you talking about?" No other religion holds out the salvation of the world like Christianity. The resurrection - If religion says that the only thing that matters is heaven, the next life. Then what happens is that you are interested in converting people to your tribe and getting more people converted to it and the hell with the rest of the world. But if you believe the gospel you are working to make this a good world. Making the city a good city. Serve the city, make it a great place for all people. To make a new heaven and new earth.
"RESTORATION OF MATERIAL WORLD" = purpose of Jesus Salvation
3) Method of Grace - in all other religions, if you want to be saved you have to perform the truth, you have to love god, your neighbor, your family and if God sees you doing that he will save you. But that is not what the Gospel says at all. 1 John 4:10 - ...This is love not that we loved God.... God comes and sacrificially pours himself out for those that don't love him, others. Jesus is not mainly a teacher comes to die in our place, he dies for those that are not performing the truth that could be saved by his grace. The gospel says you are not saved by performance. If you are a performer you believe you have to be better than people - that creates a slippery slope - that you are saved by what you do, that is not what the Gospel says. The gospel is the only faith system that leads you to expect that people that don't believe as you believe are better than you (more disciplined, more self controlled, etc). Your not saved by performance - you cannot experience grace unless you admit you are not as good as those around you. If you believe the gospel you will see people that don't believe as you do, as better than you, the gospel humbles you. No other system does that! Jesus - he is not just a good person. He is God in the flesh. People say that leads to self righteousness. It didn't! When Christianity began to grow initially - it seemed to be inclusive. Christians proclaimed Jesus lord of all (seemed exclusive). Christianity created the most inclusive community in the history of the world up to that time. Greek and Romans didn't mix the rich and poor - Christians did. Jews didn't mix races - Christians did. Christianity ended up being the most inclusive community - because Jesus isn't just a great guy but God! Ultimate reality of a Christian is that you see a man on a cross loving people who don't love him. Forgiving people who abused him. Sacrificially serving people that oppose him.

Summary Statement -
Everybody has exclusive beliefs - Christianity is no different. Which set of exclusive beliefs leads you to the most inclusive behaviors? Take the Gospel into your life and you will live in the humility and see how people who don't believe what you believe are better than you are.

1 John 4 (NIV)

Test the Spirits

1Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
4You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. 6We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.
God's Love and Ours

7Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

What is Sin?

2008-09-22T19:58:00.002-05:00

"Basing your identity on anything other than God!"

Some real simplicity to that! Identity - it is what we find that defines us. Family, education, fitness, marriage, kids, work, and on and on and on. There are so many things that we identify with. The world trains us in this way from the very begging of our understanding. We are called to look out for #1, capitalize on our natural abilities and if you work hard, make the right decisions and with a little luck, you will be noticed, be successful, arrive!! But what is the end in that? Where is God in all of that? None of those things above are bad in themselves, but when we find our identity in those things, when we leave God out of the picture and do those things independent of him. We sin! I think many people Christians alike, me included, try their hardest to manage there sin. But it is impossible! I think that is why I really was struck by the simplicity of this definition. It has caused me to a deeper repentance that has and will continue to drive me to a deeper faith!

What do you find your identity in?

Doctrine of the Conviction of the Holy Spirit

2008-09-12T11:29:00.002-05:00

Defined by John Calvin -

"The testimony of the Spirit is more excellent than all reason. For as God alone is a fit witness of himself in his Word, so also the Word will not find acceptance in men's hearts before it is sealed by the inward testimony of the Spirit. The same Spirit, therefore, who has spoken through the mouths of the prophets must penetrate into our hearts to persuade us that they faithfully proclaimed what had been divinely commanded."

"Even if it wins reverence for itself by its own majesty; it seriously affects us only when it is sealed upon our hears through the Spirit. Therefore, illuminated by his power, we believe neither by our own nor by anyone else's judgment that Scripture is from God; but above human judgement we affirm with utter certainty. . . that it has flowed to us from the very mouth of God by the ministry of men."

I was reflecting on a discussion I had this morning about how our tongue's are an extension of our hearts. How it reveals what we believe and how we strive to either put people in their place or come across as being better. I pray that the Spirit penetrates my heart with the consistent reminder that my identity is in Christ alone, based on Scripture Alone.

"sola Scriptura"

The Omniscient Man?!?!?

2008-09-11T14:52:00.002-05:00

Truth? What is it? How do you define it? Who ultimately decides it?

I started reading "Let the Reader Understand" - A guide to interpreting and applying the Bible

by Dan McCartney and Charles Clayton. In the introduction of this book I came across this profound statement, at least I think it is -

"If humans claim to be the ones who ultimately decide what is true, they are claiming to be able to make an absolute judgement. But to make an absolute judgement, man will.....have to seek to make a system for himself that will relate all the facts of his environment to one another in such a a way as well enable him to see exhaustively all the relations that obtain between them. In other words, the system that the non-Christian has to seek on his assumption is one in which he himself virtually occupies the place that God occupies in Christian theology. Man must, in short, be virtually omniscient."

This is hugely relevant in the American culture and society. I have had numerous conversations when the topic of truth comes up. The society as a whole rests on the whole idea of truth being individualistic. Each person is entitles to define his own truth. But if that is the reality then what people are saying is that they are omniscient as God is. Do people really believe that? Or do they really know what they believe?

A Gem of Reality

2008-09-05T14:16:00.002-05:00

OK - I get easily excited :-)

Doing some very heavy reading today in a chapter titled -

"Philosophical Presuppositions of Biblical Errancy" and came across this phrase:

"The Bible is a personal love letter from the personal God to persons He loves. We are not confronted in Scripture with the choice between God's revelation and the God of that revelation. All we know about God comes through His revelation. There are indeed times when one revelational command of God conflicts with another (as obeying God over parents [Matt. 10:37],..... There is no way to know that God is giving the command unless we have some revelational knowledge about who it is that is commanding us."

Revelational knowledge comes from a personal relationship with God! Without that relationship we are leaves blowing in the wind! The whole idea of the Bible being a personal love letter helps drive my dependency on it completely.

Kev

Scripture Memory

2008-09-05T12:35:00.002-05:00

I have to be totally honest, scripture memory is one of the spiritual disciplines that I have been very convicted of not putting my heart and literally my mind into. I am very bent towards structure. Sometimes that can be a good thing, but in the past I have let the structure get in the way, and instead of it being a healthy thing, it becomes un-healthy. Funny how, if we do not use it we lose it, and that is very clear in the usage of the brain. I was never a great student, but by God's grace alone, he is allowing me to delight in the Lord and trust in him with all my heart!

Here are a few verses that I have been focusing on in the last couple of weeks -

Psalm 37:4

Delight yourself in the Lord

And he will grant you the desires of your heart

Psalm 46:10

Be still and know that I am God

I will be exalted among the Nations

I will be exalted in the earth

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the lord with all your heart

and lead not on your own understanding

In all you ways acknowledge him

and he will make your path straight

Proverbs 3:11-12

My son, do not despise the Lords discipline

and do not resent his rebuke

Because the lord disciplines those he loves

As the father, the son he delights in.

The Gospel Changes Everything -

Kevin

Joy

2008-09-05T12:12:00.003-05:00

Isaiah 59:2

But your iniquities have separated
you from your God;
your sins have hidden his face from you,
so that he will not hear. (NIV)

I met with a few men this morning and the question was asked "How do you define Joy?" Some healthy discussion on what is Joy, but mainly where does it come from. I think this passage from Isaiah relates really well to this topic. A truth of the bible is that if we are separated from God we can never be happy or experience a deep sense of Joy in your lives. How often do we approach God with your wants and needs, and never really come to him in deep repentance of our sin (iniquities). Here is the punch line: Sin hides us from him, provides a barrier to him, so that we cannot really experience the joy that he offers.

Rock Solid from the OT - Kevin

What defines our identity?

2008-09-04T14:06:00.003-05:00

Many athletes that I coach are very driven 'achievers'. But what happens if the goal is missed, or something doesn't go as planned? I am no different in that I fall into the temptation of finding my identity in the result or lack of.

I spent 4 years of my life in pursuit of qualifying for the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon World Championship held each October. Putting all my worth into qualifying. In all of that, I sacrificed so much - relationships, time, money. And during the journey I did not cherish the internal growth, the teaching and the impact it had on me as a person. All the athletes I work with get a sense of my passion for the 'Journey' and it really came out of that experience. It is not that we cannot have goals that push us. But the real success is in the process not the destination. There are so many parallels with this sport metaphor and with life. But also in answering the really big question ''What is the chief end in life?'' Is it to be the best athlete we can be? That is not a bad end, and it could be a small part of a triathletes story, but I think there is a much bigger end to our personal story.

As a disciple of Jesus I pray for a deep desire of my heart and mind in the fulfilment the greater end - ''The chief end of man is to Glorify God and enjoy him for ever.''

One of my on-going prayers is that athletes & (people that I interact with) would be driven to a deep reality that their identity is in Christ and not in the outcome. That by enjoying the sport of triathlon, work, family, hobbies - all of life, they would be glorifying God and not themselves. Here is the reality - I struggle with this in a deep way. I have to repent often of my selfish desire and how that drives me to a 'performance' based relationship with God. When I feel that I am 'doing' good performing well not only in sport but in life, I have a sense that God is pleased with me. But when I feel I am not 'doing' enough or performing poorly, I feel that I am letting God down. But here is the truth - his love is not defined by how we feel about ourselves. And he is not concerned about what we 'do', but 'who we are'. This leads to a great question - "What kind of person are you becoming?" And is that person you are becoming defined by a true identity or a false one?

We all need to reminded of what our identity is really in, yes that includes me as well!

Kevin

The Meaning of 'Biblical' Inerrancy

2008-09-04T12:01:00.004-05:00

Learning to appreciate 'heavy reading' in a significant way. I never really grasped the need for reading that really challenges you. I am getting my fill of that kind of reading now as I take a class titled "God and His Word". The class lays out some foundations for further study of theology and doctrine. Just spent a few hours reading a chapter in the book "Inerrancy" by Norman Geisler, a chapter titled 'The Meaning of Inerrancy' by Paul D. Feinberg. I found this definition of inerrancy:

"Inerrancy means that when all facts are known, the Scriptures in their original autographs and properly interpreted will be shown to be wholly true in everything that they affirm, whether that has to do with doctrine or morality or with the social, physical, or life sciences."

I agree a mouth full! I am gaining a new found appreciation for the depth of scripture as the Word of God and how securely we can depend on it as ultimate truth. Although the chapter was a challenging read - it listed at length observations, qualifications, and misunderstandings that can and are made on the topic of inerrancy.

One realization that came out of this reading was how much people are culturally affected by certain words. We you see words like inerrancy or truth, many people already right off that there is none (of either) left in the world. That 'truth' is what we each define it as. And then when a christian says - no, the only truth is the bible. How did we as a culture and society get to that point? There is no truth? As I come to grip with what the Bible says and who Jesus is, there is a confirmation that I experience, its the only thing that makes sense, the only system that one can truly rest upon. Just one great example of how I experience God's grace :-)

Read Strong - Kevin

Why do I run?

2008-08-27T10:35:00.005-05:00

I get asked this question often. I wish there was just one answer or at least a 'simple' answer to this question. Sometimes I find myself asking this question when the alarm goes off way before the sun comes up. The answer can and does vary a bit, but the foundation is always based on "Because I can!" It was not always that way. Heck for the first few years of my running 'career' it was a deep love / hate relationship. It is that way when you are carrying around 50 extra pounds on a pretty small frame. But over time it began to change. I actually started to enjoy the feeling, the transformation, the "pain" of it all. God gave me this great gift or perseverance. I didn't always think it was a gift. More like the ever present reality that I was born at the shallow end of the gene pool. Growing up with 3 brothers that were academic and sport all-stars. I was the black sheep who was challenged in school and in sports. So in the midst of that I had to work harder at things, even things that I enjoyed - nothing came easy. During that time God was already at work shaping me for his mission, I just thought it was to discourage me :-) But now as I reflect on this hard years, I realize that it prepared me for life as a husband, father, disciple, coach, friend, business owner, etc. God gave me the ability to find the comfort in discomfort. I experienced that in a physical way through sport, that allowed me to reflect on how I experience in a powerful way in life. Running is all about perseverance, about a willingness to enjoy the ability to run.

I am in the midst of transformation that I can sense in a powerful way. For a long time running was all about the destination, the race, the podium. But even in that I was always driven to train and the 'event' was just part of how I was kept focused. Now - I am driven increasingly by the journey not the hardware. I am currently training for a 40 mile ultra-marathon that doesn't exist on paper. I guess if it had a name it would be '40 miles - because I can'. I run because I can and because it reminds me of how great life is :-)

Run for Life -

Kevin

What is Legalism?

2008-08-22T11:03:00.002-05:00

I was sharing some dinner with a group of friends of mine a few days ago and we were circling around the subject of prayer. What we as Christ's disciples like or dislike about prayer. Some of the ways we practice this discipline or don't. The fact is that the problem is not that we don't pray, it is that we are not consumed with God's mission on a day-to-day level in our lives. Being a part of God's mission will drive us to living a life of prayer. But how do we engage in the practice of prayer and not become Legalists? There are plenty of those out there even in christian circles. Following our discussion this week, as the group was processing the area of 'spiritual discipline' this question was asked "Where do you draw the line between a spiritual discipline and legalism? What I mean is I know I should be praying but if I do it only because I know I am supposed to does that make it legalistic? As I processed this in a deeper way I came across this great article "What is Legalism?" It is a great reminder of the self-effort that we are prone to rely on for our salvation and requires our repentance and awareness. My personal prayer is that my default mode would automatically be "Salvation is of the Lord" and not "I have to work harder, and do more!" Through God's grace he is revealing this to me at an ever increasing frequency. Deep down I realize it is "What I am" that is most important, not what I do!

What is Legalism?

Legalism could be defined as any attempt to rely on self-effort to either attain or maintain our justification before God. In Paul's Epistle to the Galatians he warned them sternly about such false understandings of the gospel when he asked the offenders: "After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?" (Gal.3:3). Legalism always seems to have one thing in common: it's theology denies that Christ is sufficient for salvation. That some additional element of self-effort, merit or faithfulness on our part is necessary. As an example, those who erroneously teach that a Christian can lose his or her salvation are, in essence, denying the sufficiency of Christ to save to the utmost. They believe sin to be greater than Christ's grace. But Christ's righteousness which he counts toward us is not only efficient for our salvation, but sufficient. His once for all sacrifice put away sin for all time in those He has united to Himself. His salvation also means that he not only saves at the beginning but preserves us to the end, sealing us in His perfect righteousness whose blood "reminds the covenant God" not to treat us as our sins deserve. Any attempt to add our covenant faithfulness as part of the price of redemption after regeneration is an "attempt to attain our goal by human effort" and thus a complete misapprehension of the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We must, therefore, reject any and all attempts to maintain a judicial standing before God by any act on our part. Salvation is of the Lord.

Kevin

Proverbs

2008-08-15T11:14:00.005-05:00

I am auditing a couple of classes this fall, one of the classes is on the Psalms and Wisdom books in the Bible. Auditing = you do all the work, reading, and assignments without actually be registered for the class. Yes - mind boggling, but richly rewarding :-)

I was reading some lecture notes (yes - doing this all from a distance - online) and came across these comments of the class instructor (Dr. V. Philips Long) on practical wisdom of proverbs. My prayer is that I allow the Proverbs and Wisdom books of the Old Testament to really permeate who I am that that I would live by them!!

Kevin

Coach Kevin Athlete Chad Holderbaum - Web Article

2008-08-15T10:48:00.004-05:00

Here's to Chad for an outstanding Ironman Triathlon PR! Like he says, it was a bittersweet day setting a 18 min personal record, but not earning a coveted spot to compete in the 2008 Ironman World Championships in Kona Hawaii!!

Chin up Chad! Motivation comes in some strange forms :-)

You Rock -

Kevin

Chad's Web Article

Current Reading List

2008-08-13T22:07:00.003-05:00

Never thought that I would ever have a reading list, but one of my favorite past times is reading. I am definitely a slow reader and I take a more academic approach of under-lining, highlighting and making notes in the margin, but to each his own right? Here is a current list of active reads:

In no particular Order -

"The Reason for God" by Timothy Keller

"Vintage Jesus" by Mark Driscoll & Gary Breshears

"Ephesians - Inductive Bible Study"

"The Heidelberg Catechism"

Xterra Spearfish South Dakota and my face plant!

2008-08-12T11:28:00.005-05:00

Xterra Spearfish SD – 7/12/08

How much fun can you have in the Black Hills of South Dakota? I found out on Saturday July 12th. As a veteran multisport athlete and coach, I had yet to experience competition of the off-road Xterra kind. I did one mountain bike race back in 2000 down in Lawrence Kansas, but focused my time and resources in recent years on getting faster on the road. For years I have enjoyed the break from road riding on my TT bike, doing one ride a week on my mountain bike. Alright – eastern Nebraska is not known for their technical off road riding, but there are some short trains that will challenge you. One of the things that kept me away from going off road was the likelihoods of crashing and injury that can and does happen off road. But, finally I wanted to experience the thrill that many athletes are talking about, thus me signing up for the Spearfish Xterra. I will be honest, I was a wee bit under prepared for this event. The summer is a very cherished time that I have with my 2 children Megan and Cameron. They and their activities keep me hopping and I try hard at keeping them in the correct priority. The summer of 2008 will be a memorable one for my children and I. The Xterra fell at the end of a 10 day road trip that took us to the Seattle WA in the Northwest. During our trip, I was really on cruise mode. We did some activities, but got real used to driving for long hours and chilling with my children.

We arrived at the race site on Friday afternoon around 4pm, enough time to set up our camp site and tents and for me to get in a short pre-ride of a portion of the course. Kind of wish I would have punted on the pre-ride as the I found out that the course was very technical in spots. The technical sections included some gnarly rocky downhill sections. I made it back to the camp site, got my gear ready, had dinner and slept great on a un-seasonably cool evening/night (got down to the low 50's). I woke up around 5:45am, had I soft food breakfast of ensure (I have learned to love that stuff) and oatmeal and went back to bed. I made it down to the transition area, about a 2 min walk from my tent, readied my gear and headed to the lake.

The swim was a 2 lap (exit on land after the first lap) course. The race started at 9am sharp with ~100 athletes. I had decent swim, my swimming times in the last few races I have done, had been solid, given my lack of consistent time in the pool.

I headed out on the bike for the real fun. The ride included 14 miles of technical single, and double track. About 15 mins into the ride and had an 'EPIC' over the handle bars face plant crash. Let me explain.... at the end of a fire road there was a wash out area about 12 feet across, that included a 1.5 foot drop or edge on both edges. The surface of the wash out was thick mud and some standing water in places. On my pre-ride, I knew that this obstacle was there, but knew that if I hit the edge at a solid speed, I could ride across the mud water. So as I headed to this obstacle during the race, I was cruising at t pretty solid speed. My error ..... I did not get my center of gravity far enough back on my bike and as I approached the far edge of the washout, my front tire sank into the mud and I preceded over the handle bars at a pretty good velocity that did not allow me to get my hands out in front of me. So I stopped myself with my face / head :-) Luckily, the mud was soft!!!! A few cyclists behind we applauded the fall and made sure I was OK. I mounted my ride and was taking off when I realized that one of the lens from my glasses had popped out. So I went back to retrieve the lens. I finished the rest of the race with only one lens in my glasses!!! I got some great remarks during the duration of the race, due to the mud caked on my face and left side of my body!!! About 9 miles into the ride, on an up-hill climb I thought I dropped my chain, but when I dis-mounted I found out that my chain had broke. I hiked my bike to the top of the hill and turned my bike upside down to do the maintenance required. I found out that the multi-tool that I had brought, did not have a chain break. One of the first riders that saw me asked me if he could help “Roy from Corpus Christi Texas” had a chain break tool. Thanks Roy not only for the tool, but also for your assistance in fixing my chain! It would had been a long hike without your assistance. Once I had the chain fixed the ride was pretty uneventful! Other than a serious technical decent,with rocks and major roots! It was a very challenging ride and I loved every bit of it. Oh – did I mention the climbing! I think the course included a 20 min climb!!!!

The 4 mile (2 loop) run started with a long climb on a fire road, that looped around the lake that we swam in. The run was pretty uneventful, other than a serious climbing up a steep rock / scree trail. There were many opportunities for a twisted ankle and fall, but some how I made it without either. I finished unofficially in 2:56, 5th place 40-44 AG. Makes me think how much time I lost on the chain issue?!?

Overall I feel good about the day given all the hurdles that I had to overcome. I have to be honest here, just being out there was a ton of fun. The competition part of the day was really minor in my mind. I was pushing hard and having fun and in all that I was praising God. He is the only reason that I or anybody can go out there in do stuff like this. And to be in his creation in the backwoods of the Black Hills. He gets all the glory! It is so easy to lose track of that! To make it all about me and my abilities. I continually pray that he would get the glory for my efforts in sport and in life. I know that my sinful flesh wants to be noticed by others, to get the lime light, be the one that gets noticed. It takes intention and discipline to be aware of this. I am finding after 17 years of multisport racing that “THE JOURNEY” was instituted by God, not by me. I like to think that I came up with the idea to start doing triathlon back in 1991. That I was the one that was disciplined enough, focused enough, had the work ethic required. But it was God's plan for me!! I am so thankful for the many opportunities that this journey had provided for me. From traveling coast to coast and even Canada doing what I love. But in hind sight, it was not about me at all, it was about God developing me as a man, husband, father, and more importantly as a disciple of Jesus Christ. The many relationships that I have with athletes through coaching and sport has allowed me to share my faith in Christ in ways that are very contextual. As Matthew 28:18-20 indicates : 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go an make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.' NIV Live life as it is your last day - Kevin

I am back!!!

2008-08-12T11:10:00.003-05:00

To my many supporters - my deepest apologies for my neglect of this blog. Yes, I am still alive, yes, I am still kicking, and yes I am experiencing growth in some significant ways. I am not going to lay out a bunch of lame excuses. But over the next days and weeks, you may learn some things about change, growth, endurance, perserverence of the deepest kind. I leave it at that!

I am back!!

Kevin

Blue Springs 50 Mile Ultra Marathon

2006-11-02T19:09:00.000-06:00

Hello Fans -

First my apologies for the long absence from posts. Life is just crazy with busyness. Many great things going on in life and not enough time to get them all down in this forum.

Well I made it - yes 50 miles of running under my own power! After 9:10 mins I made it to the finish line of my first official 50 mile ultra marathon!!!! My overall goal was to beat the 11 hour barrier so that I could qualify for the Western States 100 in late June of 2007. So I met that goal. But being the competitive athlete that I am I was hoping to break the 8 hour mark. I was in that range until the 26 mile mark and I knew my second half was going to be slower. Hey - that's what goals are for - right?!?! Makes you push your ability!!

So here is my race recap:
Many thanks to Jeff Shannon for his support during the adventure. Jeff is a local Omaha athlete who I coached to his first triathlon season in 2006. He joined me on a few of my long training runs and made the 50 mile event much more enjoyable!!!

Jeff and I headed down to Blue Springs (just east of Kansas City) the day before the event. Arriving in time to register and get to the event site with enough daylight to ride a portion of the course and check out the lay of the land. After getting some dinner at locating the hotel, organizing all the gear for the morning I finally hit the sheets at 10pm. A bit later than planned, but it was only 50 miles ..... correct.

I planned to get started at 5am. The official start was at 6am, but the race director allowed for a start time earlier on the honor system. I wanted to start early for a couple of reasons - 1) it was going to get warm in the afternoon and 2) I wanted to get back for a concert that evening in Omaha.

So - I woke up at 2am to fuel for the day 3 Ensures and some oatmeal. Went back to bed and got up at 3:30, took a shower and we headed to the event site. Yes - the first to arrive, but only by 10 mins or so. Jeff was my official pacer, race director had him register. Jeff and I headed out on the first 13+ mile out and back in pitch darkness and fog. Thanks to Jeff (on mountain bike with headlamp) I could see the trail. He took some great video of me, which I hope to have up on my site soon. I have to tell you those first couple of hours were the best! Even thought the view changed little, it was very pleasant. My goal for pacing was to keep my heart rate limited at zone 2 with a pace no slower than 9:30. I under estimated the first out and back with fuel, but felt I did well and adequately modified my hydration / nutrition plan to accommodate. My body felt good.

After the first 13+ mile out and back I was back at my vehicle, for refueling and then off on short 4 mile out and back. Once back to the vehicle I was off on my second 13+ mile out and back (same course as the first), but this time on my own. Even with the sun up, the scenery passed by slowly. It was a gorgeous day with some great fall colors, but the mental challenge started to set in. I made it to the 26 mile mark at about 10 mins slower than my recent training runs, but I took that as a good sign in that I was not overdoing it. As I came in for my last major stop at the vehicle, I changed shorts, top, socks and shoes. Jeff road and ran parts of the last 13 mile out and back. I felt real solid up to about 43 miles than the wheels came off, legs trashed, feet hurt, stomach a little crampy. I was ready to be done. The last 7 miles I was reduced to a run / walk combo! Jeff was real encouraging at this point and knew when to be quiet.

Those last 10 miles were actually my favorite. When it hurt just to exist. Hurt, to walk, hurt to run, hurt to stop! Money can't buy that feeling!! So after 9 hours and 10 mins the finish approached. No fan fair, very few people and one nice work runner and it was over almost as silently as it begun. The difference - was all on the inside. As most athlete's will tell you it is mostly mental. And this was no different. I trained for, started and finished this event knowing that I would complete the task. I never once considered not finishing. Just keep moving, little by little, nice and easy, enjoy the suffering. It will be over as quick as it started. That is the mentality it takes. Believe that it is possible and it is.

So as I put together my application for the Western States 100 ultra! That is the view I have! With Gods grace and solid belief in that it is possible - I will experience the pain, suffering, joy, sadness that only 100 miles of running can offer!

Live the Journey!!!

Ultra Marathon Kevin

Coach Kevin and the Black Squirrel Triathlon

2006-08-28T23:05:00.000-05:00

I added the Black Squirrel Triathlon (BST) (1000 yard swim, 21 mile bike, 6.2 mile run) to my race schedule a month or so ago to cap of my multisport season. The BST was held at Lake Manawa in Council Bluffs Iowa, just across the Missouri River. There are very few legitimate triathlons in the Omaha area and I wanted to support this first year event. My brother Dave and I just competed in a 1/2 Ironman on 8/20 just one week prior to this event and I was literally doing the race for the love of the game. Don't get me wrong, when I go do a race, I go race hard and have fun at the same time. I realized the night before the event that the bike portion of the race was going to be held on a running / cycling path and not on the road. I was a bit nervous about this because the path is not very wide and it was an out and back course. On the bright side I was very familiar with the path and course as I have done multiple long training runs in the area.

The race was directed by a volunteer of the Council Bluffs YMCA. I went to pick up my packet the night before the race and there was a mix up with my packet and my brother Daves. Basically, Dave received my packet not his and they didn't even have Dave as registered. The staff at the Y felt awful about the situation and just told them we could work it out in the morning. Just more confirmation that I was just going to have fun at this event.

Race day turned out to be cool for late August, and the sky was showing some signs of possible rain. I arrived an hour and a half before the race was to start, got my missing packet and set up my transision spot. I noticed a few local triathletes that I usually race against and was looking forward to some fun. I started my warmup about 45 mins before the race was to start. For sprint races like this I like to do a 5 - 10 min warm-up in each sport (run, then bike, then swim) before the race starts. During my bike portion of the warm-up I realized how technical the bike was going to be because of the trail. I road the first couple miles and was glad I did as there were a few turns I missed and had to back track. Once back to my transisiton spot, I readied my equipment and made my way down to the water for the start. The water was warm but I decided to wear my wetsuit as I feel it gives me a competitive advantage. There were a total of 130 athletes racing in the event (78 individuals). I did my warm-up in the water and talked with a few local tri-geeks that I know. I was excited to race, but was just goofing around.

The race started a 7:30am. We started (mass start - all at once) from the beach and ran into the water. The water was shallow for ways out into the lake. I ran until it got difficult and then did a series of dolphin (shallow dives) until it was deep enough for me to take a stroke with out touching bottom. I headed out very hard and could feel the fingers of another triathlete on my feet. I later found out that it was Gerald K, a fellow tri-geek. It is always hard to tell where you stand during the swim. I thought I was in the top 3 - 5 but wasn't sure. I do remember a female swimmer blowing by me on the way back (out and back swim). The swim was good, felt like I usually do, taxed and ready for the ride. I remember hearing I was in 5th place coming out of the water. Coming out of the water I always remove my top of the wetsuit. It is a two piece style that is supposed to come off quicker, but I think it is the same as other suits. I passed two athletes in transision. All those years of experience is paying off. Once on the bike I caught one rider with in the first mile then the lead rider with in the first 3 miles. I don't think it really registered with me that I was in the lead on the bike until the turn around (about 10.5 miles into the ride). I kept thinking, man the guy leading the race must be stinking fast, and I worked a bit harder each time I thought this!! Once I got to the turn around and realized that I was the leader, I picked up the pace. We had the wind at our back on the way back. At the turn around I had a about a 30 sec - 1 min lead on the second place rider. With 1 mile to go on the bike I came up on a pack of 10 wild turkeys that were scattered on the path. As soon as I saw them (I was going about 24 mph) I started yelling to get there attention. At first they could careless, then they started to run, walk and fly out of my path. I caught a wing on my helmet as I blew through the pack. That was my first encounter with Wild Turkeys during a triathlon :-)

I returned to the transistion area to a cheering crowd! That was way cool and headed out for the 6.2 mile run. This was going to be the test. I am a solid runner, but there were other athletes at this race that were faster. I had about 1 min on the second place athlete as I started my run. Running off the bike is always a challenge, but even more so with 80 athletes chasing you. My plan was to try to establish a rhythm early in the run. As I stared my run I just asked God to give me strength and focus. This is when a motorcycle cop got in front of me and paced me. I was running on the side of traffic and he was my personal escort. Probably the coolest moment of my triathlon career. Leading a race and my own escort. I used the motorcycle to focus on and pace and I settled into a 10 mph (6min/mile) pace. *I found this out after the race when I talked to the motorcycle cop. At about the 2 mile mark he peeled off as I started to run on a trail. I was feeling pretty good, just enjoying the run and asking God to help me dig deep. If they were going to catch me they were going to have to hurt just as much as me :-) When I am racing I make a habit of never looking behind me, I like keeping the race mine. I kept thinking "Holy Cow, I am leading the race", then I would just have this peace come over me and a big smile and savored the moments. At the ~4 mile mark with 2.2 miles to go I was back on the road and the motorcycle cop comes up next to me and says "Great work runner - you have a runner :30 back!" Now it was crunch time. I still never looked back, but I knew if the athlete was :30 back after 4 miles they were most likely a strong runner, so I dug deep thinking about all my conversations with my 2 children Megan and Cameron, about how life is full of challenges and sometimes you have to work harder than the next person to get the same results. So I ran those last couple of miles for my kids and for my God. I still can't really believe it is true. But as I turned to come down the finishers chute the cop in front of me sires and lights flashing, I crossed the finish line in 1st Place overall. The first time in my Triathlon Career, heck sporting career. 1st place out of everyone there!!! I beat the second place finisher by 40 seconds, putting 10 seconds on him in the last 2.2 miles. The second place finisher paid me a huge compliment after the race when he said that he just could not catch me after I upped the pace those last couple of miles. This is from an athlete I really respect and admire!! Thanks Gerald!!!

As I was talking with people and athletes after the race, people where coming up to me and saying "Great Job" or saying "How do you do it?" As I reflect on it and process the whole experience it really comes down to this - my relationship with Jesus Christ. He is the one that gets all the glory for this. He has gifted me in ways that enable me to stay focused, work hard, train consistently, provides a huge support network of my wife Cindy and children Megan and Cameron not to mention my greater family of parents and brothers Dave, Jason, Luke and friends like Gavin and JD. I accepted the trophy for 1st place very humbly but with some pride and warriors heart. As I was driving home I started to cry, you see God granted a wish of mine that I have had since I was a young boy. I was never really that good at sports or anything else. I was told when I was 12 that I should not run because of a hip injury. I was told as a young man that I didn't have the competitive spirit that athletes needed to succeed. God allowed me to win that race because he knew that I could appreciate it for what it is. Yes - it was an accomplishment in athletics, but it was more of a right of passage for me. Those tears of joy felt so good. I really felt so humble in the presence of God and could feel him embrace me!

That is my wish for each of you that has read this posting! That you would dream big dreams and that you would desire to feel God's presence in your life no matter where you are at in your Spiritual Formation!

Life's a Journey - Enjoy the surprises each day brings!

In His Grip -

Kevin

The art of Racing

2006-08-11T08:30:00.000-05:00

I was talking with a client of mine last night about my racing strategy's. Believe me, I have come along way in this area. At the beginning of my multisport career it was all about finishing and having something left when I was done. As I gained experience it became less about the finishing part and more about how hard I could go and how long I could last. I think many people are looking fo that (one-size-fits-all) approach to a racing strategy and I am sorry to tell you it just doesn't exist. There are way to many variables in the type of athlete and in the events themselves. But many lessons can be learned from plain old experience that can prepare each athlete to have a shot at a new PR (personal record).

I have trained, participated and raced in events ranging from 5K runs to Ironman triathlons and the most valuable advice I can give to the reading endurance athlete is this: Do not expect your body to do something that you haven't done in training!!!! Sounds basic doesn't it! But you would be suprised at the number of athletes that expect to be able to do something they could never do, even on their best training day. You may have heard of this phenominon called "Goal Creep". You train diligently for a specific goal then as the race approaches, you taper and then something inside you says "You could go faster, you can ride 20 mph (even though you trained for a sustained 19 mph). The use of common sense is very valuable.

The athletes that I work with all are required to use some useful tools that help me track their progression, but also teach them about their own capabilities. Heart Rate, GPS (pacing), RPE (rate of perceived exertion) and Power based cycling are all tools that provide feedback throughout the training cycle on what an athlete is capable of. So that when race day comes the athlete and I are together on what realisitic expectation and goals for the event should be. Once that information is known there are strategy's using the above tools to help the athlete pace themselves and have a shot at the day they were hoping for.

Back to my own personal racing experiences and strategy's. Being a veteran of multisports of vertually all distances, I have tried a variety of strategy's looking for the secret to suceess. Some have worked, some have failed miserably. But more often than not, it was when I set realistic goals based in my current fitness level that defined my record setting days. Being in the coaching business, I have had many opportunituies to be the subject of some physciological tests that enable athletes to gain a better understanding on how th body burns fat and sugar (carbs) and what events/distances an athlete would be naturally good at. To give you an example: For many years I was pursuing an Ironman PR or sub 10:30. The best I ever finsihed was 11:39. Based on my athetic performance in marathons and 1/2 Ironmans, text book wise, the 10:30 was a realistic goal. In my training I would have very successful training cycles that would indicated that everything was pointing to me reaching my goal. The problem was not that I wasn't training hard / smart enough, it was that my body was designed by my creator to burn suger more than fat, which meant that I would be a more natural short course athlete. This is not to say that I can't develop my fat buring capacity, it just solved a piece of the puzzle. With this new information and my past racing data, it became clear to me that my racing strategy for events upto 5 hours was to sustain my heart rate within 2 bpm of my anaerobic threshold for the duration. Before I had this information I was always concerned about blowing-up before the race was over, but I knew if I kept my HR in check I would be fine. This is not to say that it didn't involve a level of discomfort or pain. In most cases that was my limiter. How much did I want to hurt? So now when I am racing in triathlons up to the 1/2 Ironman distance, it is all about embracing the pain and finding a certain level of comfort in it. Many factors play into this, but I will tell you that the factor that plays the largest role on race day is your ability to focus on the present. This is something that takes practice. Your mental ability to stay on point and focused will impact your race in profound ways!

A little rambling there! So when you are approaching a goal event or race, be realistic about your strategy. Talk to your coach on helping you come up with a plan and then execute, execute, execute!!! Remember always enjoy the process and the JOURNEY, that is the essence of endurance sports!

Race Smart & Set your goals high -

Kevin

I/2 Ironman Fueling and Preparation

2006-08-09T16:22:00.000-05:00

Here is some information for you 1/2 Ironman athletes that are wondering how to fuel for a 1/2 Ironman and some suggestions for the contains of your gear bag. *Please note that you should experiment with your pre-race, during race, and post race nutrition during your training and not for the first time during an event. Also - the information on fueling may or may not work for you and I encourage you experiment with the amount of calories per hours, the type of calories, and the amount of water you hydrate with each hour. Nutrition is something that needs to be practiced and dialed in, so do not neglect this very important part of your preparation.

Competitive Ironman (athlete) Nutrition Planning
*This is some great information that can be used for other distance events such as 1/2 ironings and distance running! I have had great success with this pre-race nutrition prior to marathons, 1/2 Ironmans & marathons.

The following is a suggested guideline for reducing the likelihood of an in-race stomach “shutdown while eating prior to, during, and immediately following an Ironman-distance race for experienced athletes who are focused on fast times or race placement. If your goal is to finish the race then the pacing instructions here will be too aggressive, but the refueling suggestions may still be effective.

You may need to modify this plan to fit your body size, previous race-nutrition experience, and personal food likes and dislikes. The plan you adopt should be refined starting weeks and months ahead of your Ironman race by experimenting in workouts, especially bricks and long sessions, in C-priority races, and, finally, in B-priority races. Don'’t do anything on race day that you have not done successfully many times before.

Determine how many Calories you will take in during the race and the strategy for doing so. As points of reference, an 11- to 12-hour Ironman burns roughly 6,500 to 7,000 Calories and a 9-hour Ironman uses about 8,000 Calories. Approximately half of these Calories come from glycogen (storage form of carbohydrate) and most must be replaced during the race.
Gastric problems are a leading cause of poor performances and DNFs (did not finish) in Ironman-distance races. If your stomach shuts down during the race you either 1) went out too fast, poor pacing strategy/control, 2) ate too much solid food, 3) did not take in enough water, or 4) are becoming hyponatremic (low blood sodium level). The following is intended to prevent these occurrences.

Prior to Race Day
Reduce food intake as your training volume tapers down (late Peak and Race periods).
Eat normal” foods during this period. Do not “experiment.

Day Before Race
View the swim course at race time (from water, if possible).
Eat a large breakfast with an emphasis on moderate to low glycemic index carbohydrate (see list in Triathletes Training Bible, page 272).
Eat a large lunch when next hungry, again emphasizing moderate-low GI foods.
Have a moderately sized dinner that is normal food for you but with limited fiber intake. Moderate to low GI foods.
Stay well hydrated throughout the day.
Use extra salt on food.

Race Day Breakfast
Take in 1000-1500 Calories from moderate to low glycemic index foods 4 to 5 hours prior to the start. This should be rehearsed before bricks and long workouts and before C- and B-priority races.
For nervous stomach use liquid or semi-solid foods.
Options may include Ensure, Ultracal, or Boost (approx. 250 Cal/8-ounce can); 1 medium banana (100 Cal); bagel with 1 tablespoon nut butter (250 Cal); 1 cup unsweetened applesauce mixed with 1 ounce protein powder (200 Cal); 1 jar baby food (~100-200 Cal); 1 packet instant oatmeal (~100-200 Cal); 1 cup instant pudding (~100-300 Cal); 1 can tomato soup (200 Cal).
Example: 4 cans of Ensure, banana, bagel with nut butter (1350 Cal).
Either go back to bed after breakfast or relax with some light stretching (focus on hips, glutes, and low back).

Pre-Race
Snack but eat no more than 200 Calories/hour in the last 3 hours. Stay with liquid or semi-solid foods.
Think calming thoughts or listen to calming music, —do not stress yourself out. When apprehensions appear recall previous successes in training and racing.
1-1.5 hours before —eat something such as a sports bar and sports drink.
Eat/drink nothing in the last hour except water (prevents exercise-induced hypoglycemia early in race).
10 minutes beforeÂ—take in as much sports drink as you feel comfortable with.

Race Day Triathlon Packing List
*This list is not inclusive but a starting point. Feel free to add or subtract!
swim suit
race # and Info
wetsuit
heart rate monitor
swim cap
water bottles
Fuel for the bike
goggles (and extra set of goggles)
aero drink system
ear plugs
gel flasks (or gel packets)
sun screen
electrolyte caps
towel
AdvilÂ
PAM cooking spray
Vaseline / lubricants
race # holder
cycling shoes
cycling helmet
cycling gloves
change of clothes
bike pump
sandals
2 spare tubes
2 C02 cartridges
bike tools
running socks
running shorts
running shoes
racing singlet
running hat
sunglasses

I hope this helps! Please post a reponse if you have something to add or a suggestion!

Train Smart -

Coach Kevin

Vacation Update

2006-08-09T15:33:00.000-05:00

Its ben way to long since I have updated the blog. Many happenings worthy of commenting about.

I made a 3-week road trip with my wife and 2 children (Megan & Cameron) to the southwest. The main goal of the trip was to spend some time with my brother and his family that relocated to Peoria, AZ (northwest Burb of Phoenix), in July 2005. It was an EPIC trip for my family and some real growth was experienced by everyone (me, my wife Cindy, Meg and Cam). When a family travels 5,000 miles in a car over 3-weeks, growth is bound to happen. My children have a typical sibling (sister - brother) relationship. Including lots of arguing, fighting and with a dash of selfishness. So I knew that a trip like this was going to put some stress on our relationships, but that this tension needed to be worked through. As I am sure many of have experienced in life, road trips provide a great opportunity to connect with your spouse or significant other. Cindy and I have always enjoyed road trips because of the focused time together. On one of the longest days / drives of the entire trip, my family really came together, enjoyed each other for the who we are and had a major break through. I wish I could say it was something major or an specific event, but it wasn't. I believe the catalyst was the time we spent together! As a father I have become aware of how loud my actions speak, not so much as the words. The action of spending a huge amount of time with my family "together" spoke to my family in a huge way. In the daily busyness of life, I loose focus on how important it is for my family to be together and getting to a point in our relationship that we appreciate each other. So the trip really helped me experience this and the importance of this. Praise God for allowing me to be humble enough to recognize this truth and desire a change of heart.

A recap of some of the highlights of this 3-week Epic Paladino road trip includes:
- Racing a 1/2 Ironman Triathlon, not having the day I hoped for but having the peace to know that I did my best on that day, taking the time to kiss my kids at the beginning of the run and running down the finish chute with my daughter Megan!
- Spending some great quality time with my family in the car
- Experiencing the Grand Canyon "South Rim" in person and appreciating it as a wonderful example God's creation
- Re-connecting with my brother and his family
- Experiencing Sadona, AZ and the rock hopping and mini-cliff jumping (Wild and Heart)
- The 3 EPIC mountain bike rides in the wild desert of AZ with my bro Jason and his neighbor Chris. Including one the ended in the last 3 miles ridden on a flat front tire.
- A 2 day trip to San Diego and an opportunity for my kids to experience the Pacific Ocean and body surfing
- 2 hikes to the summit of Camel Back mountain (one with my wife, brother and sister-in-law and one with my daughter Megan.
- Experiencing the heat of the desert in the summer and realizing that it can be oppressive.
- Riding my road bike in the heat of the day (107 degrees) and feeling the furnace heat, what they call a breeze!
- Forced to take break from my training and realizing that I wasn't going to die from the lack of training
- A 2 hour run in the heat of the day and feeling like my heart was going to explode
- Spending the better part of 2 days in the car with Megan and Cameron and growing closer to them than I could ever have imagined
- Visiting with my good friend John and his wife Carrie in Denver and experiencing the foothills of the Rockies on a mountain bike.

A ton of activity in a short amount of time and a very memorable trip for all of us! I am thankful to recognize the growth not only in myself but in my family that this trip facilitated. Also - I am excited about future trips with my family and the challenges and growth that they create.

Kevin

Race Recap – Buffalo Springs Lake Triathlon ½ Ironman 6/25/06

2006-06-25T17:46:00.000-05:00

Relaxing a bit before we head to dinner after playing in the pool (post race) with Meg and Cam and thought I would recap todays race. Overall the day went well for me. Finished just under 5 hours with a time of 4:57!!! With an overall possition of 135 out of 837 athletes.

I was hoping to go 4:30 or better, but it just wasn't part of the plan today. The weather started cooler than normal with some wind and cloud cover. The swim went so fast, I was amazed as I turned at the last buoy that the finish was there. I felt real strong during the swim and came out of the water at :27 mins. The bike was very challenging even thought it didn't warm up until the last 17 mile of the 56 mile ride. There were a total of 8 serious climbs on the bike course. All of them were steep enough to keep me in my granny gear and my pace under 10 mph. I really noticed the wind as well on the course. It really zapped my power. I was hoping to be off the bike around 2:30, but finished the ride at 2:44. Still not bad for the conditions and the course. My fueling worked great on the ride and I was pleased at my hydration / nutrition strategy something that I really have struggled with in the past, so that was a break through for me (YIPPIE!!!!) Hey – you have to look at these things as half full!!! I came off the bike feeling great, I mean it was an awesome feeling to run as if I hadn't even road. OK – that might be stretching it a bit, but I was feeling solid, very solid. I came off the bike in 180th position and after the run I was in 135th. So you do the math – I passed a ton of people on the run a total of 45. That is a great feeling given that this race drew some huge competition. I ran the 1st mile easy getting my legs and my rythum and then set a pace that was sub-threshold but very do able for the 13.1 miles. I felt solid through out. There were a total of three very challenging hills on the run. My strategy for hilly ½ Ironman runs is to stick to my pace until my Heart Rate hits my threshold, then I walk until my HR drops 5 beats below. I did this on the 1st and 2nd hills then on the last hill at mile 10, I decided to charge up the hill but managed to stay at my threshold. I felt great about how I faired on the run. A little part of me, a very little part feels that I didn't hit the run hard enough, but I feel very good about my ½ marathon split of 1:41 on such a demanding course. During the run the temperature rose and I definitely felt the old core temp rise. But I have suffered through much worse. It was a very mild day for this race that usually experiences temperatures in the triple digits. I previewed the run yesterday and was excited about the layout of the course. I look forward to coming back and giving it another shot someday.

The best thing about this race was having my wife and kids there with me. Their support and encouragement is everything. I could not continue to compete if it wasn't for their commitment and sacrifice. I especially love to run down the finish shoot with my children Megan and Cameron. Cam missed out on this one, I think he was playing in the dirt :-)

Overall – God is good, very good. I have a great peace about this race and how it went. I have done 100's of endurance events, but this was the first race that my #1 goal was to #GLORIFY GOD and enjoy him. I really felt that today! I also really felt the presence of prayer during my 5 hour race. I give thanks to my Lord and King for the many relationships that he has blessed me with and as hard as this may seem to understand, a piece of them were with me today!

So there you have it! Another race in the life of Kevin! I look forward to a restful / active recovery week traveling with my family to the Grand Canyon then to the Valley of the Sun to see my brother Jason and Family!

Loving the Suffering of Life and Sport -

Kevin

HERE ARE MY SPLITS FROM THE RACE!!!

SWIM 27:41
BIKE 2:44:43
RUN 1:41:34
OVERALL 4:57:32
POSITION 135

RACE LEG SWIM
DISTANCE 1.2 mi.
PACE 1:27/100m
POSITION144
TOTAL (27:41)

TOTAL BIKE
DISTANCE 56 mi.
PACE 20.40 mph
POSITION 180
TOTAL (2:44:43)

TOTAL RUN
DISTANCE 13.1 mi.
PACE 7:45/mile
POSITION 135
TOTAL (1:41:34)

Hydration / Fueling for Endurance

2006-06-23T21:46:00.000-05:00

Hydration is an area that all endurance athletes struggle with. No matter what your background or distance you are traing for you will run into an issue. The following is some feedback that I recently gave to one of my athletes that ran into some hydration issues at his first 1/2 Ironman triathlon.

I really felt for you during your 1/2 IM experience. I, like most long course triathletes, have and do struggle with hydration and nutrition during, so it really breaks me when I hear of my athletes that experience this as well. Nutrition is an aspect that we all neglect to often and can, will and does get in the way of our goals.

A few questions for you to think about as I review some problem areas related to nutrition and hydration for ultra distance competition (anything over 3 hours)
1) How well are you hydrated before, during & after training / racing?
2) What kind of calories are you taking in (carb / protein) during your training practice and racing?
3) What duration are you taking in those calories?
4) Do you simulate 'effectively' the intensity during training that you wish to accomplish during a competition?
5) What kind of electrolyte supplementation do you do?

1) A rule of thumb for daily life is to consume 1 oz of water per lb of body weight 'daily'. If you are not getting this in (or at least close to it) you are effectively beginning your training and potentially your competition in a de-hydrated state. During competition I recommend approx 24 oz of water (no more) per hour to maintain hydration. This is a rule of thumb but have found it to be effective in keeping athletes body functioning and maintaining hydration levels. I have found many newer / less experienced athletes have problems tracking how much water / sports drink they are consuming during an hour, or have a hard time drinking, especially during competition at higher levels of intensity. In greater than 90% of nutrition related problems the source of the problem is really not what food or amount of calories taken in, it is poor hydration practices. Here is an exerp from your post race report that tells me your hydration during the bike was not satisfactory

..I started jogging again to the second sag.. During this same time I felt my stomach was full of water that I drank just getting off the bike. I remembered reading something about the stomach shutting down and hydration becoming a problem when something isn't done right..I don't know but it took several miles for the full stomach to empty. I didn't feel like eating anything so I took was water and very little of it..I just didn't feel that thirsty.

You indicate that your stomach felt full, and felt like it had shut down. That is exactly what happens when athletes get behind on hydration. When that does happen, the only thing you can do is wait it out, which you did. Thus the reason why you started to feel better late in the run.

2) In order to simulate competition as close as possible you have to use in training what you plan on for the race. Some concentration, same fueling intervals and same calorie content. In my experience taking in calories that are a 4/1 ratio of carbs & protein, is the best combination to fuel your body for ultra distance training and racing. With that being said, if taking in protein does not work for you during competition "DO NOT DO IT". This is the greatest error that endurance athletes make. We think to our selves "Tim DeBoom is an incredible athlete and he uses GU, so if I want to be as fast as Tim I need to eat and drink what he does!!!" Sorry - but we are all too different to make such a statement. What works for Tim or me, may not work for you, so you have to experiment. I have been doing triathlons for 16 years and I am still experimenting.

3) I recommend you take in calories every 15 mins during training / and competition both during the bike and run. If you have to set a timer to go off very 15 mins then do it. By taking in calories at a regular interval you maintain your calorie needs on a consistent basis and diminish the chances of upsetting your stomach by taking in to many calories at one time. Also - I highly recommend 'liquid' calories as much as possible on the bike and run. This will assist in a quicker digestion of the food and help keep your blood volume in the areas needed most and out of your stomach.

4) During specific training sessions that simulate racing intensities you need to practice what nutrition / hydration plan you will be using during the race. This is your opportunity to make sure that your body will tolerate the plan and then if things go wrong you adjust and try again. Many athletes do not put there body / mind into this position to see how their body reacts, then wonder why their is issues on race day. Your body will most likely react differently at race intensity than at your regular training intensity. In my coaching of 1/2 Ironman and Ironman athletes I have them do multiple 'Brick" (bike / run) sessions that push their intensity up to a sub threshold intensity for long durations, just as in high intensity racing. These are the sessions that you need to focus your nutrition needs and dial in what is and what is not working. Now - I realize that there are factors that you cannot control during these sessions such as weather, heat, humidity, hills, but as I say "focus on what you have control over and nothing else".

5) During ultra distance training and competition athletes put there bodies under a huge amount of stress. One area that can be very harmful to your body, unless you are proactive in keeping up with it is electrolyte imbalance. Through the process of cooling itself (sweating), the human body losses electolytes. The main element that is lost in sweat is what we refer to as salt. But it is actually sodium chloride, magnesium and potassium. The main electrolye lost is sodium chloride. So in order to maintain the proper level of sodium, athletes need to supplement each hour with some kind of replacement. I recommend 300 mg or sodium chloride per hour as a starting point, but based on your body, heat, duration of training you could need up to 1000 mg per hour. A product that I use for this is endurolytes from Hammer nutrition. It is relatively inexpensive and comes in powder (you can mix it in with your sports drink and capsule form.

If it makes you feel any better - all endurance athletes will struggle with hydration / nutrition at some point. I encourage you to process all of this and set into practice some of the theory's I have outlined. One of the biggest steps you can make is in being intentional about your nutrition. In doing so you will be doing better than most :-) Hope all this helps!

Let me know what you think!

Train Smart - Race Hard - Coach Kevin

Learning to Breathe while Swimming

2006-06-17T15:59:00.000-05:00

Here is some Q&A that I had with an athlete that was struggling with breathing while swimming --

Athletes Question/observation about swimming/breathing: What I am finding out is as I take a breath during the stroke cycle, I begin with plenty of air, but as I continue the breathing/stroking rhythm I start getting short of breath. It seems like I am still inhailing the same amount, but it doesn't seem to last as long. I flip over on my back to catch some additional breaths and then return to stroking/breathing.

Coach Kevin Response: What I have experienced with swimmers, is that durating training their breathing pattern is a bit more relaxed than when in a race / open water, due to intensity and some anxiety. Not sure what your breathing pattern is during your training, but I would suggest breathing more often such as every other stroke. This will allow you to get more oxygen than if every 3rd or 4th stroke. The other suggestion for you is to slow down your swimming intensity early in the race. Most athletes start a triathlon swim at a much too high intensity and end up in oxygen debt real early in the swim and spend the rest of the swim and beyond just trying to make up. Like you mentioned your issue could be more complex, but these are my thoughts.

Again all my best with the racing this weekend!

Coach

Paladino's Take the Gold at Norfolk YMCA Triathlon

2006-06-14T20:52:00.000-05:00

My daugher Megan and I traveled to Nofolk Nebraka (where I went to Junior and Senior high) to participate in the annual super sprint triathlon on June 10 2006. This was Megans 6th triathlon and is a great venue for her to experiece the trill of the sport. She swam 150 yrds, biked 3 miles and run mile. She took home the gold in her age group with a great performance. It was awesome to see her have fun and build her confidence.

I raced in the longer race, but still a mini by most athletes standards, consisting of 500 yrd swim, 10 mile bike, 3 mile run. I raced in what the organizers call the head-to-head heat, in which competitive athletes are put with athletes of similar expected finish times. I was lucky to be choosen to race in the frist head-to-head heat. After pperforming some brief warming-up. I jumped into my lane and as I was getting ready for the start, fellow Omaha triathlete Jim K jumped into the lane next to me. Oh - I knew it was going to be a fast race. Jim and I have a great relationship and are both seasoned athletes. I have much respect for Jim and his accomplishments and we see each other at many local races each season. I should back up and tell you that this tri was more for my daughter than for me. But HEY, I like to think I am a competitive guy so, seeing Jim I wanted to see how I matched up with the "BIG DOGS". The 500 swim was going to be a great Thresold test for me and as we started Jim and I were neck and neck. My self assesment is that Jim is a better swimmer than me. Has very solid techniqu. We were head to head to the 300+ yrd mark. I was really feeling the lactic juice at this point but focused on my technique and worked hard to hol my position. At the 400 mark I noticed that I had gained a second or two on Jim and ended up first out of the water by this margin. As I made my way to T1, I felt good and looked forward to pushing it on the bike. Over the years I have developed some speed and efficientcy in transistions and blasted through TI beating my competition by 10 - 20 seconds. The bike was an out and back with a few false flats. We were headed into the wind on the way out. My intensity was at an 8, and I was avging 23 mph on the way out. At the turn around I was still #1 and noticed Jim and 2 others close behind. I really through the hammer done on the way back averging 25+ mph and thought that someone would catch me, but I was able to hold them off. I had another fast transition and made it on the run first. As many of you triathletes know, running of the bike, especially an intense bike is a brutal sensation. I felt I was crawling, but my actual pace was 6:27/mile. I made it to the 3/4 mile mark before Jim finally caught me. I held on but his running was incredible. I was able to maintain sight of him and actually felt I was ganing on him in the 3rd mile, but he ended up putting a total of :45 seconds on me. He took 1st overall with me taking second. I placed 1st in my age group beating my closest competitor by over 11 mins. I felt good about my overall perfomance given that this race was not even a low priority race for me. I had a tough week of training going into the tri and still had 6 hours of weekend training to do following this race. But as Jim and I were talking during our 2 mile cool down after the race, we really pushed each other out there and that is what competition is all about.

If you ever have an opportunity to do this race. I highly recommend it as a low key, grass roots event. One that is great for new triathletes and even children!

Life is a Journey - Enjoy it!

Coach Kevin

Mental Aspect of Multisport and Importance of Recovery

2006-06-06T17:37:00.000-05:00

This is a reply to one of my athletes who was looking for some feedback on the mental aspect of multisport and the importance of recovery.

As you indicated, my background as an athlete and also as a coach / motivator leans towards the mental aspects of multisport. I am in no way an expert, but my experience(s) in life and in sport point in this direction. Let me explain -- All people are passed on certain physical genetic traits through their parents. These traits are what they are and as athletes we can mold them and train them to reflect what we desire them to be. But there is a limit to how trainable these traits are. Me for example -- there is no recordable history on either side of my family's history that would indicate that any ancestor had outstanding athletic gifts or a typical endurance athlete's physique. My father is a large full blooded Italian. My mother an Irish / German. I have a broad / muscular body type, one that is not typical for elite triathletes, but that is what I have trained my body into. When racing at a triathlon, you would not pick me out of a crowd as being higly competitive, yet that is what I have become. I am not saying I the overall winner, but a notable fierce competitor. My genetics are a limiter for me in the fact that I train smart and seriously but there is only so much I can do on the physical side. This is where then mental aspects come in. I found early on that I was more willing than most to suffer when it came to my training and racing. And when I applied this willingness with smart / cutting edge training principles it allowed me to succeed in a sport that my body type and genetic traits were not designed to do. God designed me with a solid work ethic with a tendency for structure (got to check off the to do list). So in my training that I execute week in week out, I apply my mental tenacity, willingness to suffer and in the end this has moved me to a higher level of competition. In the process I have found that racing at this higher level is much more painful (which I love) and more fun. I do some brutal training that really hurts, but in this pain, I know that it is where my growth as an athlete really happens. As a man of faith and one that is intentionally working on his spiritual formation, this pain and suffering is where I feel most alive. I realize that is may sound strange to most people, but I realize that the warrior inside of me, loves the battle.

In contrast to this, I sometimes struggle with being hard, very hard on myself. Workouts or races that do not go well. DNFing in a race because of poor hydration or just plain being stupid. But what I have realized in those situtations was that it was Christ's way of developing my character and helping me be humble. And that is what my advice is to you. We all take ourselves way to seriously and lose focus on what we have and are accomplishing. Your race at the D2D was very successful. And you may or may not have left some out there. What I encourage you to do is to process the feeling that you experienced those last couple of miles and make a commitment to mentally prepare for that same point in your next race. Once you identify with what you can learn from the experience, let it go. There is nothing to gain by constantly breaking yourself down about where you feel you fell short.

Your second concern is highly related to the first. You had a great BT race last weekend. And that even took a toll on your body and your mind. We, as athletes, tend to feel indistructable. But in reality we all need to allow for recovery. In my experience as an athlete and coach we are all in a stage of recovery and we need to be thinking more about how to recover better. Based on our training and personal weaknesses, we need to focus on different areas of recovery. Just as you mentioned hydration, diet, sleep and your long winter of Ironman training all affects your recovery. So - lighten up on the pressure you are putting on yourself and learn to enjoy the JOURNEY more. Also do not expect yourself to bounce bace after a hard event or training effort right away. One thing that I have realized is that I always recover better by doing something light the day following a hard effort. I feel worse by doing nothing and sleeping longer than usual. An athletes body actually gets used to a certain amount of stress and by taking to much time off, we actually delay the recovery process.

I appreciate your thought process and desire to improve. You are on a great journey of improvment and understanding your body. I encourage you to keep the attitude positive. I also encourage you as a man of faith to connect your training and racing as an act of worship. God has given you a passion for multisport for a purpose. Make it about him and his will and you are on your way to some serious growth. I am living in that tension myself, as I realize my athletic and coaching gifts. I pray each day that it would be HIS will not mine that is done and that the Spirit comes alive in me each day.

Hope all this helps!

In his Grip -

Coach Kevin

American Triple T Triathlon

2006-05-31T23:45:00.000-05:00

I approached the Triple T as a training weekend not an all out racing effort. I am preparing for my “A” race the Buffalo Springs Lake Triathlon (1/2 Ironman) in Lubbock, TX on June 25th 2006. I was invited to travel with a client of mine to the Triple T and have always wanted to give the 4 race 3 day event a shot. This was Ben’s 4ht trip to the Triple T and felt I was in good hands and was able to get the inside scope on the event. Ben indicated that it was the hardest racing he has ever done. This coming from a guy who has raced several Ironman triathlons and has racing in the Ironman World Championship in Kona Hawaii a few times. Oh – was Ben right about it being tough. The race was held in the Shawnee State Forest near Portsmouth, Ohio. There was easily 20,000’ + of climbing in the 4 races put together. Went for a run today (a few days post event) and it felt like I have never run before. The following is a brief breakdown of how the races went for me!

Race #1: Prologue
Friday, May 26, 5:00 PM
250m Swim - 5 mi Bike - 1 mi Run
Finish Time = 26:08
As this race indicates, it was a sprint triathlon. I held back on the three legs knowing the racing I had ahead of me. Was able to post a 6:27 mile even with my HR under control! It was mild and a bit of rain fell on us just before the start. The water in the lake was unusually warm, but I still chose to wear my wet-suit.

Race #2: Individual Time Trial
Saturday, May 27, 7:30 AM
1500m Swim - 24.8 mi Bike - 6.55 mi Run
Finish Time = 2:45
Slept well the night before this event! Ben and I roomed with an athlete from Racine Wisconsin “Jim” at the host hotel with in Shawnee State Park. We started all the events in a time trial format meaning the person with the #1 went first then #2 5 seconds after and so on. I was #385 so I was way in the back. But they utilized chip timing. I had a decent swim, but nothing spectactular, very comfortable and passed many athletes. The bike very challenging with several long climbs and very steep and scary descents. The roads were rough. About 20 mins into the bike I flatted on my rear wheel, requiring me to stop and replace the tire. This through me off a bit and I lost at least 8 mins, but it made me take a break. Made it through the rest of the ride with out a hitch. The run was brutal. 3.25 miles out, mostly uphill and on fire roads (unpaved) then 3.25 miles back. Again – unseasonably warm during this event. Felt very under control during this race and was able to keep my HR down even with all the climbing. Overall the body was holding up well.

Race #3: Team Triathlon
Saturday, May 27, 3:00pm Start
24.8 mi Bike - 1500m Swim - 6.55 mi Run
Finish Time = 2:44
Was able to get in a short ‘cat’ nap between this race and the earlier one. This race was when I could tell the racing start to take its toll. In this event we biked, then swam, then ran. The bike was brutal, a bit different course than earlier in the day. There as a brutal 12 min steep climb that really took it out of me. I was using a 12 – 25 rear cog and I could of used a 27. I was ironic that I had just a 1 min faster time in this second race with out a flat. The run was the same fire road course and the temps rose to the mid 80’s in the afternoon. After the race my quads were telling me that I did some racing that day!!!!

Race #4: Team Time Trial
Sunday, May 28, 7:00am Start
1.2 mi Swim - 55.5 mi Bike - 13.1 mi Run
Total Time = 5:53
Tried my best to get some solid sleep and recovery before this event, but I slept like crap during the night. I hydrated and fueled well as I woke up at 3:30am to eat my pre-race meal of ensure and oatmeal and went back to bed. Legs were very tight in the morning, but loosened up on the bike (sort of). My swim was about what I expected given my tired / fatigued nature. My bike was so starting slow it was hard to deal with. This course was brutal, several 25+ min climbs and descents to steep you had your breaks on the whole time. It was a 2 loop course that was unsupported meaning you had to carry your own fuel / water and the only time to refuel was at the transition area after the first loop. It got into the 90’s during the race, but I managed to hydrate and fuel well during the ride. The run was double what we had done in the previous day’s races. I knew the run was going to be brutal and I threw out my open ½ Ironman race ‘run’ pace and made it about survival. I made a promise to myself that I would not walk during the run, not matter how slow my job would be. It was tough but I made it thought the entire run with no walking. My run time was very slow, but I was pleased that I made it over the mental barrier. There were athletes coming unglued all around me, but I just kept on moving forward. I was very pleased how my nutrition plan worked for me during the run. I drank water at every aid station (every mile) and took a gel every 20 mins. At every opportunity I got a cup of ice and dumped it down the front of my shorts to aid in keeping my core temp cool. It works like a charm!

Total Racing Time for 4 races = 11:49

So – some hard course racing in just a few days! I look forward to going back to this great event and giving it a another shot. I know better what to expect the next time! If you are interested in knowing what an Ironman Triathlon feels like, but are not ready for the Iron distance all at one time, this event is for you!

Train Smart and Learn to Suffer –

Coach Kevin

Wild at Heart

2006-05-18T19:31:00.000-05:00

I am reading the book “Wild at Heart” with my good friend JD. I asked JD if he would be interested in investing in me on deeper level as a mentor. Have you ever met someone that you just clicked with right off the bat? That is the way it was with JD and I. JD played football at Trinity College just outside Chicago. As athletes, even though from different perspectives, we really hit it off. The thing that really drew me to JD was his spiritual leadership. JD and I meet for an hour or so each week and discuss life, struggles, and our spiritual formation. JD suggested that we read the book 'Wild at Heart' as a way to lead our discussion. I have read the book or at least part of it a few years ago, but reading it with JD and being intentional about discussing it has made a huge impact on my spiritual life and the relationships in my life. The book really calls out to men and the re-discovery of their heart.

Although we are only half way through our reading, I have been challenged in the way I view my role in life as a man. As a believer in Jesus Christ, I am a seeker of the truth. And as a disciple of Christ, I have a willingness to be active in my pursuit of this truth. Thus my relationship with JD. What most often happens during my pursuit of the truth is that I am confronted with my sin nature that requires a response from me in some way.

In his grip -

Kevin

Survival

2006-05-18T17:35:00.000-05:00

My friend Gavin was married last weekend and his best man and friends planned a survival weekend instead of the traditional Bach Party. The plan was to camp two nights on the Buffalo river while canoing during the day, We would not be allowed to bring food or a tent, but would be allowed to bring fishing poles, sleeping bags and one change of cloths.

A Journey of Survival:
As we met up to make the trip down to the Buffalo river in Northern Arkansas, the forecast for the weekend was 90 – 100% chance of ran. But, being the testosterone filled men that were are, the 12 brave soles loaded up 6 canoes and the limited provisions the made the trek down south, an 8 hour drive..

On arriving at our first camp site, there were sprinkles but the rain had note moved in yet. I volunteered to drive the pick up vehicle to our take out point a 3 hour round trip, while most of the group stayed and setup camp. On our return to camp is started to rain, and on our return is was raining pretty good. The group set up a communal tent, for all of us to sleep under, the problem was it was not big enough the the 4 of us that drove vehicles to the take out point, so we had to make shift and addition in the rain. I actually sleep well in the conditions and only woke at 6:30am the next morning when I noticed my feet were wet, then noticed that my sleeping bag was soaked. I quickly exited the tent and got my rain gear on as it was pouring outside. The rain gear I brought was not very adequate, so I was thoroughly soaked with in a few mins. But the temp was good, a solid 50+ degrees. After we readied the canoes and broke camp, we set out down the Buffalo river.

The plan was to travel a total of 23 miles on the river, 11.5 the first day, then camp, then 5-10 the second day then camp then the last 2 – 3 miles the morning we would drive back to Nebraska. As we headed out the first day, it was miserable conditions, huge down pours and cool. We had 6 canoes and one capsized with in the first 10 mins on some pretty solid rapids. We tried fishing from the canoes, but had very little luck. It rained on us for much of the 3.5 hour canoe and we were ready to set up out second camp. We spotted a nice flat area that was river bed but was a bit higher to set up camp. It was about 12:30pm when we went ashore. We started the task of build a fire which took about 3 hours to get going (I choose to spend my time doing this as I was cold and had little interest in finishing or hunting). The rest of the group either started to build shelters out of tarps or other natural structures (trees), or fishing / hunting for game. Several of the men caught some small bluegill / sun fish and one guy – Travis caught a nice small mouth bass. We had no luck at catching the Trout (on trout lines) that the area was famous for.

It was a pretty quiet group all afternoon as the group was pretty miserable. But I also realized that this is what I was expecting on a “Survival Trip” It was going to be uncomfortable. I told the men during the trip down that ATTITUDE was going to make or break the weekend and that they were all going to need to find comfort in dis-comfort. During the afternoon of the first day, the ran stopped and it actually got warm enough to dry out some of out wet clothes and sleeping bags. I kept myself busy all afternoon with the fire and enjoyed keeping it going. After the fish were fried from the days catch, we noticed that the river was starting to rise at a solid rate, but nothing to alarming. We moved the canoes higher up the bank and it started to rain again. During the day I made a very primitive “A” frame shelter with a tarp as the roof and a tarp as the base right next to the fire that we got going. As the rain started to come down Travis and I took cover in the shelter. My sleeping bag was pretty moist from the rain but I crawled in with all my clothes on. I was freezing cold and the only way I could stay warm was to seal the bag and breath heavy inside the bag to elevate the inside “climate” of the bag. It worked and although I was wet I was warm. We took shelter around 6:30pm.

I woke up several times that night to relieve myself and each time I noticed that the water level was rising. At 12:00 midnight, I noticed that we (Travis and I) would most likely need to move our shelter, and at 3:00am I woke to see the water level only 12” from out shelter. I woke Travis and told him we needed to move. The rain had broke and the sky was clear then. I could see thousands of stars and the Milky Way! It was amazing. The most enjoyable moment of the trip as I took time to appreciate the vastness of God's creation. As I was accessing the situation I noticed the the canoes that we had moved were ½ submerged (we had them upside down). Three other guys Frock, Brandon, and Brent had set up their shelter at the same level as ours so I woke them up. Travis and I took down our shelter, moved the canoes to higher ground and then spent a couple of hours trying to make a fire as we were cold to the bone. At about 5:45am, I woke the rest of the group up and informed them of the situation. As they got up and got going the water was still rising, as we pushed off, the water was now at the level of the fire we had tried to start.

We pushed off at 6:30am, in a dense fog. The water level was amazingly high with a ton of dabree in the watter. We could tell there was clear sky and we all were anxiously awaiting the sun. The temp was cool but not cold and a bit windy, There was a strong current and were making good time. Gavin and I were canoe mates and I finally figured out the steering on the second day. The group was debating on what to do, do we bag the trip and go directly to the take out point, or do we find another camp site for another night of “SURVIVAL”? We stopped to take a break after 1:45 mins of canoing to enjoy the sun and determine out move. I think were were split 50/50 on the decision, but made the decision to continue down stream and access where we were at on the map. It was very hard to determine our exact location. We new we had to get on the White River and paddle up stream to get to the take out point. We approached a junction in the river and almost missed the White river. But we took it to be safe and it turned out to be exactly where we were supposed to go. As we were loading the canoes, we discovered that the river had been shut down yesterday because the water table had risen 16' over the last 24 hours and was considered to dangerous by the Game and Parks Commission. There was an additional 4' of water rise still expected in the next few hours. Park Rangers were actually looking for us!

We stopped for lunch my first meal in 40 hours. Yes – I fasted during the trip. Best Sonic chicken sandwich I have tasted. It was quite the site. 12 men pulling up to a Sonic fast food. We stopped in a town called Fricken, AK. Yes – you read that right. We got some great laughs out of the Fricken Police car that drove by many times.

All in all a great trip with a bunch of guys, my most memorable bachelor trip. Best thing about the trip was to see how people handle stress and discomfort. It is easy to think that a trip like this will be a blast and we tend to identify with the GLORY of it all, but after it has been raining on you for 24 hours you get broken down and it becomes a challenge.

Life is Survival -

Kevin

Training Easy Makes You Fast!?!?!?

2006-04-15T20:51:00.000-05:00

I received the below email from an athlete that I coach:

Athlete:
I thought I was well hydrated and most of the high hr is drift toward the end. I ran yesterday (outside) and kept hr in 150's for first three miles and then it went into 170's after a few hills and did not go down much. Interval times were similar across all 6 miles (have not downloaded that workout yet). My rpe was low except for a couple long hills. Can a person compete over a long period of time with higher heart rates? Do I need more base work?

Here was my response:
**FYI - this athlete has an ATHR (anaerobic threshold heart rate) of 174 beats per min. Zone 1 = <148, Zone 2 = 148 - 157

I hear what you are saying. And you are not going to like what I have to say. You need to slow down your running so that you are in zone 1 - 2 for most of your training. By running in zone 3 and higher consistantly you are not training your body aerobicly, more anaerobicly. You will not improve your fitness by training in zone 3 and above all the time. All you will be doing is making yourself fatigued, overtrained and increase your chances of injury. It will take you having a ton of self discipline to train slower, this will require you to walk once your HR leaves zone 2 and climbs into zone 3. Training in zone 3 and above should be done in short durations and used to specificially develop your anaerbic (threhold, endurance) and muscular endurance. I am very confident that if you can hold back the reigns staying in zone 1 -2, your pace will eventually drop. If you chose to train in zone 3 and above you will not experience any gains in the endurance.

So to answer your question - yes, you need more base work in zone 1 - 2, that is the key. Now for your other question - can a person compete over a long period of time with higher heart rates? YES - but only after a base is laid. This base depends on the person. Take me for an example - when I race anything up to 1/2 Ironman distance or 5 hours and under, I am racing within 5 beats of my anaerobic threshold of 170 bpm - the whole time. This is what it takes if I want to be competitive in my age group. I do 95% of my training in zone 1 - 2. When I go hard during my training it is very, very hard. There is a huge difference for me when I go easy its very easy so that when I go hard its going to hurt.

Training easy makes you faster!!

Coach

Wind

2006-04-15T17:24:00.000-05:00

Recovery is key! That is what I always tell my athletes. We are always at a stage or recovery - before, during, after training, it includes all areas of life. So I am sitting at my Ibook G4 recovering from my day in the wind. I set out today, woke up at 5am to prepare and load, met up with my SAG driver 'Scott' and 'Darin' who was crazy enough to ride with me (both clients of mine).

Yes, I spent the day in the wind on my bicycle, the plan was to ride from western Iowa near the Missouri river to my brothers house in south/east - central Iowa. I had the route mapped and estimated the distance at 142 miles. A solid ride on any day. As soon as we stepped out of the van I knew it was going to a brutally long and hard day. A 25 mile per hour head wind coming out of the south / east the direction we were going to travel all day. It was actually comical at times - Darin and I, both solid cyclists with training rides usually at 19 - 21 mph avg speeds. We would be riding on the flats at about 14 mph, then 7-9 mph on the hills, only to descend the hill at 10-11 mph. It was what I call a FORCE training session. Like being in the weight room on the bike. I had estimated that it would most likely take Darin and I 10 hours to make the 142 mile trek, including all the stops and refueling. Well at the 56 mile mark we were at 4 hours and 30 mins. We were trashed. So we decided to ride a bit with the wind at our backs. We made it to approx 70 miles but the toll on our legs was done. We stopped to refuel, met up with my brother Dave who was averaging 5 mph and the clouds came in, thunder rolled and rain started. You have to be able to say when, and the last straw was the clouds rotating just above us, no formal twister, but when you live in the mid west, you just know. So we loaded up and started the return trip, this time as passengers.

It was an incredible sight all those endless rolling hills that we had ridden, some damn long ones too. Miles and miles of them! One thing you experience when riding in the wind is the noise, relentless noise that never gives up. Makes your brain go numb! In the van on the way home is was soo quiet. The plan was to stop on the way back and take our driver Scott out to lunch for Taco's in Minneola, IA. As we were just about to drive through town Darin spotted a couple of MTN bikers that were riding on what is called a 'Trace', an old rail road bed that has been converted to a biking path (it runs from Council Bluffs to the Missouri border). Darin noticed that one person was down on her back and could see blood on her body / close. I immediately turned around and we went to their aid. She had gone over her bars and had deep cut just above her eye and road rash on her upper arm and bummed her hip. We her and her husband in the ran and put the bike on the rack and brought them to their car, about 10 miles down the road.

Then just as we were rolling into Omaha my van broke down, we managed to make it off the interstate and into a gas station lot. Some kind of fuel, alternator issue. I found a ride for Scott back to his vehicle at my house and Darin and I road to his truck then we returned to meet the tow truck and to retrieve our gear. We finished the day with a late lunch at Qdoba for some well deserved burritos.

So the day turned out to be much different than planned, but I know that Gods hand was in it all. If we would have continued to ride we would not have been there to assist those 2 mountain bikers and would most likely be stranded in central Iowa with a van that would not go!

I am off to work on my recovery as I prepare for my 4 hour brick work out that will start at 5am!

Cheers -

Kevin

The Passion of Christ!

2006-04-14T22:20:00.000-05:00

Just returned from a late night ride on my Honda Interceptor. I am fairly new to being on a bike that has an engine. Sometimes it makes me feel guilty that it doesn't require effort. I attened my community of faiths (church) "Coram Deo" ((latin for = In the presence of God)) Good Friday service. A reminder of what injustice and justice was required by God so that I might have eternal life in Jesus Christ. Tonight as we were meditating on the Passion of Christ in the book of Matthew, it was humbling to know what Jesus had to suffer through in order for me to be redeemmed. It makes the little discomforts of life seem so small. It makes the suffering that I subject myself to during my training for triathlons a bit easier to handle. I have often felt that if I am feeling comforable, that is not where Christ wants me. Yes - this is easy to say, but when you are living through some hard times, it makes it hard to grasp. Honestly - the harder more demanding, more painful my training is - the more I like it. Something in me desires to find comfort in discomfort. You could call that my motto. I know that in a very small way, this pain develops my character and brings me closer to Christ.

Thank you Jesus for sacrificing yourself so that I may live! Off to bed as I prepare for a 150 mile road trip (bicycle) tomorrow!

In his Grip -
Kevin

Introduction

2006-04-14T19:48:00.000-05:00

Welcome to The Multisport Life Blog

I desired a place to record my experiences in life. Although I am social and have a vast support network, I tend to keep my thoughts deep in my head. So my posts might not make sense to you, but I encourage dialog as it will help me process. I do not claim to be a typist and know that my grammer is below my 12yr old daughters ability. So if I offend any english grammer perfectionists --- sorry!!

A little about me - I am a husband, father, son, brother, friend, endurance coach, triathlete, Ironman, marathoner, Adventure Racer, snowboarder, snowshoer, mountaineer, wake boarder and motorcyclist (VFR Baby!!!!). As you can see I love adventure with a sprinkle of risk! Hey I'm a man and am learning that God gave men a heart for adventure.

The list above is non-conclusive, especially given that I live each day developing my relationship with Jesus. I know by coming out of this closet and indicating that I am developing my Christain Spirituality (I am getting away from using christianaity as it has so many negative conotations in the current culture), that you may lose interest in reading more. It will be your loss, but it is also your right. I fully acknowlege that I am a broken guy. Man I got sin in my life. And every new day brings more awareness of how much I need Gods grace. It is not that I am out there breaking the law, taking lives or cheating on my wife. But I acknowlege that my heart is not pure. I value peoples love and acceptence over my Savior Jesus'. I am selfish like nobody's business. Money controls me in ways that I am embarrased about. So you get the picture, I got issues just like everybody else. The difference ......... I know truth. I consider myself blessed. I heard Gods voice and truth and accepted this by faith. It is so hard to explain, but I hope to share my fiath, my story, my Journey within the bounderies of the Blog world! Visit often - post your comments!

Kevin