The James Cunnama Interview

I wanted to do some interviews leading into IMSA and James is a good mate, so wanted to start with him, as he is also graciously allowing me back into his space before IMSA this year. Here we go.

IM Hawaii 2009

1. It had been quite a year for you. Give us a quick run-down where you were a year ago and the year that followed you to here.

It was quite a year! I can hardly believe it has been only 12 months with the amount that has changed and how far my career has gone in a year. A little over a year ago I was what I guess you could call a ‘wanna-be’ pro, training almost full-time, but making little to no money out of the sport. I was then introduced to Brett Sutton and invited to a try-out camp in the Philippines, where I secured a spot on TeamTBB. The year that followed was exceptional and a lot of dreams started turning into reality. Briefly, it consisted of another camp in the Philippines and a subsequent 6th at IMSA, then a breakthrough summer in Europe with multiple podium places in big races such as Challenge France and Germany, Alpe D-Huez triathlon, Embrunman and of course Ironman Austria. I also made my first trip to Kona and that was a good experience, if not a great race for me.

I am no longer a ‘wanna-be’ pro and am now making a living from the sport I love! Living the dream!

2. Training hours are quite the debate in training. Won’t you give us a typical breakdown in hours, of a base week, a peak week, and a taper week for yourself.

Whether I tell you 20hrs or 40hrs a week, it means little unless you know what was done in those hours (and that would be telling!). Actually it probably varies somewhere between those two numbers, depending on many factors. Within a camp environment, where there are no distractions and all we do is eat, sleep and train, 40hrs is not that hard to hit. But normally it is around 30hrs I think.

As for base/peak/taper numbers, we don’t really follow a normal periodisation. Generally it is more like ‘at home’, ‘at camp’ and ‘off-season’ mileage. Ironman doesn’t really have a season, so although we work towards specific races we generally try to simply build up our training performance. If you can hit your goal numbers in training, the races take care of themselves.

It’s important to remember that your mileage or hours done in a week plays a very limited role in performance improvement.
The secret: If you can push your body enough that it is stress beyond normal and recover enough that it adapts to the stress, you will get stronger and faster.

Period.

Whether you achieve that with more hours, higher intensity or new and varied challenges is up to you, your lifestyle and your goals.

3. How do you find balance as a pro athlete – surely it can be all consuming to eat, sleep & train ALL day.

The previous year was my first as a full-time Pro, and finding the balance took some time. Having a good coach made a big difference and I can certainly see why so many new pro’s burn themselves out in their first year or two. It is VERY difficult to spend enough time recovering when you have nothing else to do! After 2-3 hours of couch-sitting you feel completely recovered and ready for another session, but of course your body is barely beginning the recovery process!

Finding ways to keep yourself busy with other things is important, and trying to keep those things limited to non-physical and non-triathlon related as much as possible is the challenge. I think that focusing on triathlon 24-7 also is a major factor in newbie-pro burnout. I spend a lot of time watching TV and movies, and when in SA I try to spend time with mates who are not into triathlon as often as possible.

4. There surely is enough training advice out there, but what were they key adaptations you made to move from being an age grouper to a pro in terms of your training?

As alluded to in the previous answer, the biggest difference is probably not so much training related, as it is recovery related. Having the time to sleep or just veg out between sessions allows for the sessions to be that much more effective.

This improved recovery also allows me to do more high-intensity work and sessions that drain me completely more often – 1-2 days of real recovery and I can be back at it, where it would previously have taken 3-5 days to recover.

5. Who is supporting your cause this year in terms of sponsors?

In 2010 I will again be in the colours of TeamTBB, and the team is my main support providing a salary, coaching and training camps to attend. The team itself is sponsored this year by The Bike Boutique, Cervelo (new P4 next week!), Avia shoes, 3T, blueseventy, Louis Garneau and Scody clothing.

Oakley has also come on board and have given me some awesome eyewear!

IMAT2009

6. Your view on the new professional license from the WTC?

Urm… Well, it is a tough question and I am not yet too sure of my answer.

On the one hand it seems like a big positive step in the direction of getting Ironman professionals and the sport as a whole organised, something that is badly needed. Improved drug-testing protocols have been needed for a while and having an official body providing pro-licenses helps to give the sport a professional face.

On the other hand, I can’t help but feel it is another money-making ploy by WTC. WTC promotes the system by saying that it will save me many entry fees as they are now all free with the license, but in my last 2 years as a pro I have never paid for an entry fee (except to WTC at Kona). Now I am forced to pay $750 and still have to pay Kona entry fee, meaning I will be paying upwards of $1350 to WTC this year, compared to the $500 paid last year for Kona. That extra money should be covering better drug testing, but we already see that failing as no-one was tested at Ironman 70.3 in East London this year!

What I really hope is that this system provides the catalyst for forming some sort of Pro union that can stand up to WTC and its monopoly on the sport, demanding bigger prize purses, better testing and giving the athletes themselves some say in the running of their sport – something that is badly lacking with WTC’s current dictatorship.

7. Who are your biggest competitors for IMSA in April and why specifically?

Honestly, I have no idea who will be racing Ironman SA yet! And probably won’t until I get to the press conference before the race. If Marino Vanhoenacker returns, he will be the hot favourite, and obviously Raynard Tissink is always a contender. I will be focusing on having my best possible race on the day, and we’ll just have to see who can keep up…

8. Is there anything specific you want to show us? I heard you got a new bike this week.

Unfortunately I don’t yet have my new Cervelo P4, but will be getting it on Tuesday. I fly out to Singapore on Monday (22nd) and pick up my new P4, kitted out with SRAM Red and 3T bars, before heading on the Krabi, Thailand for a 7 week training camp with the team before I return for IMSA in April. (I will send you photos of my new toy as soon as I have it!)

9. If people wanted to follow your movements, what are your blog addresses, facebook pages, etc?

• Facebook: www.facebook.com/jamescunnama
• Blog: http://blogs.teamtbb.com/jamescunnama/
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/JamesCunnama

10. Are there any secrets to the IMSA course that you feel make your day just that little bit easier because you know about it? Local knowledge is often the most powerful thing.

Having some local knowledge certainly helps, and I live on the course so I know every pothole personally. But the IMSA course is not technical at all so the advantage is limited. Perhaps the only thing you can learn is where there are ‘false flats’ as there are a few areas of the course where things suddenly feel tough despite being on seemingly flat road. Knowing where these are and how to push through them helps a bit.

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Sani2C in pictures & words

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Trying to describe the emotions of a race like Sani2C would be impossible just in words, no matter how good your lyrical skills are. The race is a beaut, lived up to more than what I expected and I will be back, year after year.

It was a test on so many levels for the Multisport Team element of Team Fairbairn Private Bank. My partner turned out to be a beast, more than I ever remember. I turned out to be hugely impressed with our team morale and even impressed myself a little, which I am quite stoked about. To grasp what happened, we need to go back a few steps, to August last year. I was fat, unfit and wanted to revamp my riding. I was a strong triathlete, but probably the weakest cyclist in my peer group.

I was determined to change this, and went on a new program, a new outlook, a new body type, etc. I went all in on the biking. I committed to multisport events, which were new to me, and to pure mountain biking events, which was weird considering that until November, 3 months later, I would not ride a mountain bike.

Events went well until now (barring Xterra), and I was pleased but not really sure how I would go against the pure MTB’ers, who are world class in this country.

The start of Day 1 was a nervous one, and reconfirmed that I take a while to warm up, something I need to work on for next season. Our first 30min on each day were spent with Brett looking back at me and me internally shouting at my body to go faster. After 30min we were in about 40th team overall, but we were catching guys continuously, slowly, with purpose.

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The technical sections at Sani are totally unlike the Cape and are smooth and fast. I went through a particularly tough patch from 40-50km in the day. When I came right I wanted to go go go, and totally miscalculated a really tough corner, and paid for it in the worst way. At roughly 50km/h, I went down onto my left hip and shoulder, knocked my wind out completely and left me with an instant thought of “what the hell have I just done”. I slowly got up and back onto the bike, but the entire left side of my body was locked up and my hip hurt like hell. I was SO SO mad at myself. I had put the entire experience at risk, put my partner at risk too, all for a few seconds on a sharp downhill. Total talent failure.

The adrenaline of the fall ran out and I was left with a slight hunger knock of sorts, but moved on, Brett having to push a little on the hills for me. I remember going up this huge climb, thinking that it has to be the last hill. It was misty, muddy and I was tired. I even confirmed my case with a team we had caught, but as I said it, the actual climb marker was noted, and we had 2km of hills to go. You can tell by my face here that I am glad that day 1 was over. I was sore, tired, hungry, but happy. We were told top 20, which I could almost not believe.

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I hobbled around, got my hip checked out, and struggled to sleep into day 2. I woke up worried as the day promised to be longer, muddier and with twice the climbing of day 1, with a hip I could hardly stand on. I put my game face on, sucked up the first 30min, consolidated our position and tried to repeat our efforts of day 1.

The first hour was spent going 50km/h down a long hill in the rain, with mud pouring into your eyes, other riders switching track all the time, reconnecting with God to confirm you would make it out of this and calling for your partner as everyone looked the same at this point, with our kit being totally covered in soft, slick mud.

By halfway we were finding our engines to be running hot and the Nandos stop was great. The walk around trying to fix Brett’s gears was hard on the hip and I seemed to lose some power after this. My engine felt stronger, but the variable power coming from left and right hips was a disappointment of note, as we lost a few places from there towards the end.

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Convinced we had lost quite a few spots, I was amazed that we made it to 20th overall again. I got my hip treated, my eyes flushed and a massage to help the cause. My back was now totally locked up from the effort of stabilizing the bike with my hips and I lay down for quite a bit of the afternoon. I was determined to have a better day 3.

We were prepared to race hard at the start of day 3 and I was committed to going beyond my usual slow start, and 83km/h through a muddy downhill confirmed just how committed the entire bunch was for this. Great day however and we were smoking it with no technical issues, riding in a group of guys who had beaten us on each day. My hip felt about 50% better than the previous day and I was over the moon to get an 18th on the day and an 18th overall. We had a few laughs on day 3 and were quite disappointed to be done, finally seeming to settle into a groove, which boats well for Cape Epic in only 13 days time.

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The organization cannot be praised enough, the local commitment from farmers applauded loudly enough and the passion of the riders for riding shouted from the rooftops enough.

A great adventure, which has given me huge energy for the next few weeks, which are set to drain it totally. On a personal level I cannot thank my partner Brett enough for being patient at the start of each day, putting up with a sub par Ninja on day 2 and making the experience one to never forget.

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A few notes:

1. Our Morewood bikes were incredible. Seriously. WOW.
2. Our nutrition from Whasp and Sport-X, also perfect.
3. To our support crew in Biosport, thanks for looking after my broken body.
4. To our pro cycling team, well done on finishing 11th. You hung tough boys!
5. Rockets compression rocked our recovery. Slept in them every night.
6. Continental tires are the bomb!
7. It should be noted that we had zero punctures between 6 of us. Thank you Sludge!

That’s it. Time to get back to the real world. Mad love.

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The Bolt Bus at Two Oceans Half Marathon 2010

So I am going to stick my neck out there. I wanted to do something cool, and I guess I don’t care if there are 2 or 200 of us, but I want to create a special bus for the Two Oceans Half Marathon. Bus = group of people running together at a determined pace.

Puma are the headline sponsor for the event, and one of my sponsors too. Their focus this year is to run with JOY, to make running a total JOY, so I am going to put together the Bolt JOY bus. I am swopping my sleek aero outfit and heart rate zones for a day to be a part of the masses who finish around 2 hours for the race. We (possibly just me at this point) will depart en masse from the start, with music, lights and vibes. I will be donning the Bolt arms in the picture here:

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We’ll have a dedicated photographer (also probably myself but I promise to work on it), a dedicated refreshment stand at the top of the big hill of the day and some great laughs guaranteed on the day.

Joining the Runners World 2 hour bus, we`ll create what the Two Oceans & Puma’s vibe is all about – that the JOY of running is whats important, not the overall time. Yes, some among us want to race for 2 hours, but we may as well have a laugh along the way, listen to some music, pose with the Bolt Arms (will do my best to get a few more sets organised – mail me if you want to wear them) a few times and cheer on the crowds as we go. 2 hours seems an arb number but its a milestone for a lot of runners.

If you are at all keen on this, please drop me a mail on the contact page HERE to let me know you want to be a part of this.

Now copy the page address from this, and send it out on an email, tweet it, put it in your facebook profiles, and lets get the ball rolling on this.

Let’s experience the JOY of running, have some fun and just generally rock out!

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The Cape Town Mile is coming…

CharityRun

I got a mail from an old friend about a new event she is highly involved in. It’s possibly the easiest challenge ever, and the zar raised goes to a charitable cause: Child welfare.

Background

Created in 2002 by British charity Comic Relief and BBC Sport, Sport Relief is a charity event which brings together the worlds of sport and entertainment to raise money and support vulnerable people from all over the World.

At the heart of the campaign is the Sport Relief Mile, an event open to everyone regardless of their athletic prowess or mobility. This year South Africa will join the cause as the first Sport Relief Cape Town Mile takes place on 21 March, at the V & A Waterfront.

The Event

The event is open to everyone and you get to choose your distance – 1, 3 or 6 miles (in Cape Town talk that is 1.6km, 4.8km and 8km) – which ever’s a challenge for you.  That means, from teeny-tots with their mums and dads, to super sprinters up against the clock, there’s something for everyone on the big day. The scenic course goes through the Cape Town Stadium, Granger Bay & Green Point.

UK celebs presenting on the day will be Alan Shearer (legend of British football) and Dame Kelly Holmes (Olympic Gold medalist in 800 & 1500m).

SA celebs and patrons of Child Welfare who will be supporting the event include:

Aaron Mokoena (Bafana Bafana Captain)

Bruce Fordyce (Comrades Legend)

George Meiring (Singer – winner of “Supersterre”)

Mavis Hutchinson (W80+ master records holder, first women to run across the USA in 70 days in 1978)

Mara Louw (Idols judge)

Doreen Morris (TV presenter)

Nataniel (Singer/songwriter & entertainer)

Tanya Visser (DSTV garden show host)

Cathy Del Mei (Musician)

Vernie Peterson (Director General of Sport and Recreation South Africa)

Please let me know if you need more information? Most of it is easy to access on the website www.sportrelief.co.za

How much will it cost:

The entry fees are R35 until 14 March. Late entries will be taken at The V&A Waterfront from 19-21 March at a cost of R40.

The route:

Starting from and finishing at The Lookout at the V&A Waterfront, the route will take in the magnificent beachfront Promenade and will give walkers/runners an upfront look at the glorious new Cape Town soccer stadium.

Who can enter:

The Sport Relief Mile is open to all. It’s much more fun to do it with your family and friends, so why not enter a team? Inspire your family, your friends, teachers, and colleagues and together you can make a whole lot of difference while having a great time. Give us a call and we will pay you a visit to personally present to your school, club or company the details of the event, to supply you with entry forms and Mile Welcome Kits.

go on…

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Learn about wine

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Not a particularly sports orientated post, but I love wine and these guys do a better job of explaining it to me than anyone else I have ever come across. Check out their tasting events calendar and make sure you attend in your city.

We have sat and ruminated on what tastings to bring out in the next six months and here they are (from April onwards). More details on each will be posted in the next few weeks, in addition to an exciting chauffeur drive opportunity for the first ten Guests to book any of our tastings in Joburg and Cape Town. Incredible wine, great people, beautiful venues, luxury vehicles. Why the hell not!

Here we go!

  • 7 April | Cape Town | Under the Influence of Flavour | A mini wine course exploring South Africa’s leading wines
  • 14 April | Cape Town – Roundhouse | Under the Influence of Italy | An exploration of beautiful Italian wines
  • 20 April | Joburg | Under the Influence of Italy | An exploration of beautiful Italian wines
  • 21 April | Cape Town | Deconstructing Cabernet Sauvignon | An exploration of South Africa’s leading Cabernets
  • 21 April | Joburg | Deconstructing Cabernet Sauvignon | An exploration of South Africa’s leading Cabernets
  • 22 April | Joburg – Campbell House | Under the Influence of Soil | Exploring leading wines from different soil types
  • 23 April | Durban | Deconstructing Cabernet Sauvignon | An exploration of South Africa’s leading Cabernets
  • 28 April | Cape Town – Roundhouse | Deconstructing Pinotage | An exploration of leading Pinotages
  • 5 May | Joburg | Deconstructing Pinotage | An exploration of leading Pinotages
  • 12 May | Cape Town – Roundhouse | Under the Influence of Bottle Age | Exploring older vintage wines
  • 19 May | Cape Town | Smaller is better | Discover small and unknown wine Estates
  • 25 May | Joburg – Campbell House | Smaller is better | Discover small and unknown wine Estates
  • 26 May | Cape Town – Roundhouse | Eben Sadie | A tasting of Eben’s South African and Spanish wines
  • 26 May | Joburg | Deconstructing Shiraz | A journey through leading Shiraz wines in South Africa
  • 27 May | Durban | Deconstructing Shiraz | A journey through leading Shiraz wines in South Africa
  • 1 June | Joburg | SA vs the World | A tasting of international and South African wines against each other
  • 2 June | Cape Town | Deconstructing Shiraz | A journey through leading Shiraz wines in South Africa
  • 2 June | Joburg | Under the Influence of Bottle Age | Exploring older vintage wines
  • 3 June | Joburg – Campbell House | France vs SA bubbly | A comparitive tasting of French and South African sparkling wines
  • 9 June | Cape Town | France vs SA bubbly | A comparitive tasting of French and South African sparkling wines
  • 16 June | Cape Town – Roundhouse | SA vs the World | A tasting of international and South African wines against each other
  • 23 June | Cape Town | The Rhone in South Africa | A tasting of the beautiful wines of the Swartland region
  • 30 June | Cape Town – The Roundhouse | De Toren tasting | A journey through various vintages of De Toren wines
  • 7 July | Cape Town | Bordeaux in South Africa | A journey through leading Bordeaux blends in South Africa
  • 14 July | Cape Town – Roundhouse | Burgundy in South Africa | A tasting of leading Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in South Africa
  • 21 July | Cape Town | Under the Influence of Stellenbosch | An exploration of the leading wines of the region
  • 27 July | Joburg | Blind vs Sighted Wine Tasting | Learning how to judge wine, unsighted and sighted
  • 28 July | Cape Town – Roundhouse | Jordan tasting | Exploring the wines of Jordan, both new and old vintages
  • 28 July | Joburg | Burgundy in South Africa | A tasting of leading Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in South Africa
  • 29 July | Joburg – Campbell House | Jordan tasting | Exploring the wines of Jordan, both new and old vintages
  • 2 August | Durban | Bordeaux in South Africa | A journey through leading Bordeaux blends in South Africa
  • 4 August | Cape Town | Deconstructing Pinot Noir | Exploring leading Pinot Noir in South Africa
  • 11 August | Cape Town – Roundhouse | Under the Influence of Heaven and Earth | A tasting of the incredible wines of the Hemel en Aarde Valley
  • 18 August | Cape Town | Raats tasting | An exploration of new and older vintages of Raats wines
  • 24 August | Joburg | Deconstructing Pinot Noir | Exploring leading Pinot Noir in South Africa
  • 25 August | Cape Town – Roundhouse | Under the Influence of the South | A journey through the wines of Elim and surrounds
  • 26 August | Joburg | Raats tasting | An exploration of new and older vintages of Raats wines
  • 27 August | Joburg – Campbell House | Under the Influence of the South | A journey through the wines of Elim and surrounds
  • 1 September | Cape Town | Grangehurst vertical tasting | A tasting of the incredible vintage wines of Grangehurst
  • 8 September | Cape Town – Roundhouse | Smaller is better | Discover small and unknown wine Estates
  • 15 September | Cape Town | Under the Influence of Elgin | A journey through the beautiful wines of Elgin
  • 22 September | Cape Town – Roundhouse |  Bordeaux in South Africa | A journey through leading Bordeaux blends in South Africa
  • 28 September | Joburg | Grangehurst vertical tasting | A tasting of the incredible vintage wines of Grangehurst
  • 29 September | Cape Town | Deconstructing Shiraz | A journey through leading Shiraz wines in South Africa
  • 29 September | Joburg | Under the Influence of Elgin | A journey through the beautiful wines of Elgin
  • 30 September | Joburg – Campbell House | Bordeaux in South Africa | A journey through leading Bordeaux blends in South Africa

wowzers! get onto it. contact details:

Web link here.

Telephone (021) 438 4391

Email: info@undertheinfluence.co.za

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5 time saving tips for working athletes.

As a working athlete myself, my time is supremely limited during the day and at current, a source is irritation to me. Lately I have been working on some ways to save time whilst still being able to see mates, get through training, eat correctly, sleep enough and get in a full day’s work.

Some of these require some planning, but the time planning outweighs the time wasted by not doing these things:

1. Pack the night before: Make sure you have your training gear out for your morning session. Save time by showering at the gym and pack your breakfast in with you. Getting up earlier is far worse than going to bed a little later. Time saved: 60 min per week.

2. Food tips: Pack breakfast and eat it while your mail is downloading in the morning. Keep healthy snacks with you, rather than walking to the shops twice a day. Time saved: 60 min per week.

3. Mobile email: If I absolutely have to, I take my phone with me for a lunchtime spin (indoors at the gym). I can bash out 10-15 replies whilst still getting in a great 45min session in my lunch hour. This leaves me with time to do proper work when back at the office. Time saved: 20-30min per week.

4. Find a regular deli. Making lunch at home is often not condusive to time saving. I have a regular deli where I can get a warm take out lunch for more or less the same cost as what I could make it at home. Worth having twice a week at least. Time saved: 40min per week.

5. Take it easy. We rush and push and never take a moment to breathe and relax. Stopping what you are doing when you are in a tizz is often condusive to collecting yourself and working better after an hour out. If you are too tired, close your door and power nap for 30min on the floor. You might come back and what would have taken you 3 hours to do would now, with a fresh mind, take you 2 hours. Time saved: up to 120 min per week

I`ll continue with this post next week, as I find I lose people after point 5 anyway…. but more on that next week.

have a great weekend.

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Super Sport TV Ads

I don’t know who is responsible for making these, but I love them. Granted, I am a sport nut, but they amp me up, give me goose bumps and often get me out the door when I am being lazy. Thank you, whoever you are…

groovy.

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5 Clicks for a Phuza Thursday

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So you`re milling about your office, not sure what to do. You already had a singing session with yesterdays post, and after you`re 14th cup of coffee you certainly aren’t working. Your F.O.M.O behaviour last night has you left with a seriaas case of L.C and the P.P.S is off the chain today. The aircon is up full and you resemble a Turkish Bath right about now…

What to do? Have to look busy for the boss. Make these 5 clicks and you will have stuff to talk about across a platform of stuff today, in case somebody cares.

1. Deadly Sins are on topic. There is only one when it comes to changing habits.

2. Is there truly a mental edge to professional athletes, or is it all in the numbers? What makes the real difference?

3. We Love Real Beeris a cause close to heart, and the reason for a slightly fuzzy head this morning. Comment, follow, tweet, blog it. Get involved. It’s time for us to stop drinking chemical plastic beer.

4. Jackets are a personal favorite. This one I want in particular. Phew…

5. Creating Ultra Loyal Customers is something you could definitely talk about in the office today. So read this and look smart.

That’s it for today. Sports, Fashion, CRM, Beer, Balance all covered in 5 easy clicks. You will seem smarter to people, even if you have a head full of #realbeer. Have a great day!

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Time to take 10 minutes to rock out…

Ok…

Click the video and get it to load fully. Turn the volume up full and plug in any speakers lying around. Now do the following:

Close your door.

Pull the curtains together.

Take off your jacket/tie/loosen your top button.

Take 5 deep breaths….prepare to sing your lungs out without a freaking care in the world! Throw your arms out, bang your head in all directions, cry if you feel like it. Throw away your inhibitions and forget the world exists. For the next 6 minutes you are the king of the moment, the master of the now, and you are going to go beyond yourself to a moment where nothing else matters.

Now go… FULL VOLUME.

You’re beautiful.

Into the night
Desperate and broken
The sound of a fight
Father has spoken

We were the kings and queens of promise
We were the victims of ourselves
Maybe the children of a lesser God
Between Heaven and Hell
Heaven and Hell

Into your eyes
Hopeless and taken
We stole our new lives
Through blood and
In defense of our dreams
In defense of our dreams

We were the Kings and Queens of promise
We were the victims of ourselves
Maybe the Children of a lesser God
Between Heaven and Hell
Heaven and Hell

The age of man is over
A darkness comes at dawn
These lessons that we learned here
Have only just begun

We were the Kings and Queens of promise
We were the victims of ourselves
Maybe the Children of a Lesser God
Between Heaven and Hell

We are the Kings
We are the Queens
We are the Kings
We are the Queens

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Tirelessly

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So I am struggling in the last week, officially. I figure its better to put it out there, rather than do the typical athlete thing and keep it to myself. My experience on the weekend was just a manifestation of this “kidding myself” process in the last few weeks.

It all started with a big fall. Yes, my leg was pretty heavily cut up, but the real damage was not in the blood, infection and swelling. It was hidden in my back. I spent the week after the fall nursing my leg and arm back to health, all the while ignoring the tell tale signs. The headaches, the return of the sore right knee in the first 20min of running, the nerve under my right elbow twitching.

Lighthouse to Lighthouse went amazingly, my legs felt amazing, my head was in a great space, my hands dealt well with all the work, but there was a nag in my back, like a T-rex with a itchy bum, it was there. By tuesday morning I was in serious trouble, the “sinkplaatpad” had turned the niggle into an official problem. Massage on Wed confirmed that I was misaligned and needed to get back to Rob, my chiro guru.

He fixed me up, but it was the longest, most painful session of alignment and releasing I have ever had. My body completely skewed and my tireless ambition getting the better of me.

Stupid athlete. Tirelessly telling yourself you are ok, that its just a niggle. I should be better adjusted to listening and seeing the signs.

Anyway, we did what we could, but it was too little, too late. Friday I had the most amazing session of activation with Line, but the results were yet to show by yesterday. Xterra was a mare. 3 hours of frustration as I couldn’t find the strength to pedal, to run, no matter how hard my mind tried to push.

The alignment and the activation are two things which really take it out of me. My body was still in shock, even though my mind was roaring to kick ass and take victims, this being SA Champs and all. Disappointment in myself is without a doubt the thing I deal with worst.

Am I all better? NO. I reckon one more adjustment should do it, along with a session with a fitting expert. I need to work on some minor tweaks here and there. It’s all very tiring and emotional, but tirelessly I have to go about the healing process.

Silly fall. At the time, shock and adrenaline kept me going. I hope to have learned this lesson now. I gave out some advice regarding this exact subject to a pro a while ago, and there I was, not listening to my own advice. Silly athlete.

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