Tucson Pics

gotta love Chipolte
coming down Phoneline Trail in Sabino Canyon

cactus everywhere, including my shin

Terrific in Tucson

Pictured at right is the view from Windy Point up Mt. Lemmon (14 mile mark & approx. 6,400 ft). This past weekend was fantastic in being part of the 4th annual ICTN training camp. God is simply amazing! I was part of the pro panel which included Jamie Whitmore, Kirk Nelson & John Shelp. This was my first time at the camp it was an incredible opportunity for personal growth physically, emotionally, intellecutally & most importantly spiritually. We had athletes from Canada and throughout the United States in attendance with a wide range of experience & ability. The camp structure included big group sessions, smaller break out sessions and several training sessions. I spoke on the topics of mental toughness - traithlon's fourth discipline and going long - 140.6 opportunities to glorify God. The group training sessions were great and I really enjoyed swimming, biking and running with the other athletes. I found the messages given by the pastoral team to be freakin' awesome. For those of you reading this who are not Christian, understand this camp is not about sitting around and singing kumbaya for three days, but rather coming together for fellowship, sport-specific seminars on various topics and some group training. It was incredible to see the transparency of others in the sport sharing their strugges and experiences from sport and life. My calendar is marked for next year's camp and I highly recommend making it part of your winter base training in 2009!

Kirk and I entertained the group at times as we threw zingers at one another in jest with our smack talk. We capped a wonderful weekend with a competitive round of min-golf with Jamie, her husband Courtney & Brian Grasky who was one of the camp's organizer. I took home the cup with a solid round of 46.

Our friend Kathryn has been a wonderful host. She is a Cat 1 cyclist who I first met a few years ago in Boulder and we were teammates for a couple of years on Team Sport Beans/NTTC. She is super witty and a damn good cyclist. Check out her regular column titled "So You Want to Be an Olympian at ESPN. Just type her name "Kathryn Bertine" in the search engine. At the moment she and Kirk are engaging in a bit of smack talk of their own which is pure entertainment for me...Kirk just doesn't know when to quit...more brawn than brains.

Keep it smooth...

Brad

Road Kill Seasons

As I was enjoying a super ride today in the surprisingly still winds I noticed a lot of road kill of the shishka-bunny variety. Having been educated on wildlife behavior via an annual subscription to Ranger Rick from my grandmother when I was a kid, here's my highly trained observation on seasonal road kill in Boulder:

Spring - prarie dogs
Summer - snakes
Fall/Winter - rabbit

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I am hooking up with my brother this weekend for some fun in the mountains. He has one of those cushy orthopaedic "medical conferences" in Vail...should be fun times with a bit of cross training in the mix.

Next week I am heading down to Tucson for a week of training and the ICTN annual camp. This is my first go with this training camp and I am excited to be part of it. I will be giving two presentations on mental toughness and 70.3/IM training & racing in addition to leading a few training sessions. My buddy Kirk & I will get in a couple of days training on our own pre & post the weekend camp. I have never trained in Tucson and I am looking forward to it!

Keep it smooth...

Brad

People of Influence

While riding today I saw a cow knawing on a plastic bottle and another enjoying the fine taste of some black plastic construction tarp. Hmm, what gives?? Well, I started thinking why would those cows be eating such unflavorable items when they could be grazing on lip-licking greens of the vast pasture?!? Did something or someone influence their decision...a lame attempt at some kind of intro to this post...

The other day I was thinking about all the incredible people in my life who have had some kind of positive influence. Perhaps you too have pondered such thoughts. Here are a few who came to my mind:

God - He has been smacking me upside my head for quite some time and I trust He will continue to be with me even when I stumble or choose not to listen :)

Mrs. Reutnik - my kindergarten teacher; she had the coolest toys in her class

Lona & Albert Ingraham - my grandparents on my mom's side of the family; Maine dairy farmers who had a work ethic like nobody's business; Granddad had a typical New Englander sense of humor and Grandmother could make a wicked tasting molasses cookie (along with so many other things - she was a freaking incredible cook :)

Maggie Zidar - 9th grade English teacher; she was one of my favorite high school teachers, inspired me to eventually teach high school English & she was a runner (still running as far as I know)

Tim Kring - kid on my high school soccer team; hearing impaired but that did not limit his ability to be one hell of a soccer player

Rob Mackle - he was summer swim team stud when I was knee-high to a grasshopper; saw him on tv one day racing IM and thought, damn I want to do that!

Barry Sanders - being a Detroit Lions' fan, Barry was pure entertainment when he would make opposing players look silly trying to tackle him; most importantly though I admired his humility and the way he carried himself on the field; the guy scored boat loads of td's and never once did you see him pound his chest, dance, etc. he would simply hand the ref the ball

Just a few of the folks who have left a mark with me.

Keep it smooth...

Brad

Happy New Year

2009 New Year Resolutions

Get my bum down to Denver (via bus as it adds to the adventure & eco-friendly:) more often to visit museums, art galleries, clubs for live music & out-of-the-way eateries.

Take a cooking class or experiment in my own kitchen using variety of unfamiliar ingredients, foods, etc.

Make a three to four day retreat at St. Benedict's Trappist Monastery in Snowmass, CO to "hone my chi".

Organize a training weekend at altitude and out of the Boulder "bubble".

Go camping, fishing & horseback riding. (not at the same time :)

Answer my phone when it rings while I am eating supper.

Continue to strive to be a good person and all that personal growth mumbo-jumbo.

May you enjoy a healthy happy & peaceful 2009!

Keep it smooth...

Brad