I really enjoy Chuckie’s blog. If you don’t read it already, I suggest you do. You can find it here

This piece of wisdom came through this morning. Check it out…

“Training is principally an act of faith.” –Franz Stampfl (1955)

I’ve finally figured out why I’m not filthy rich or famous. I coach triathletes. (Oh, and you’ll note there’s no comma between filthy and rich). Anyway, it’s a brutal reality and I’m forced to face facts: Hollywood would never throw together a movie about a triathlon coach, especially one who hasn’t maimed anyone (or been caught maiming anyone, anyway). You see, Hollywood wants characters that are in possession of big loud firearms or really fast cars that can leave the ground, neither of which I possess (or care to). A chase scene involving a multisport coach having to push-start his old Datsun pick-up truck just wouldn’t have the same effect, even if really speedy music (Kenny G or Yanni, for example) were blasting through the Surround Sound speakers. Yes, the best one could hope for as a multi-sport coach is that an athlete of his might achieve his or her goals.

And this is the thing about coaching. No matter what any other coach tries to tell/sell you, much of your relationship with him/her is based on HOPE. And while my hopes of becoming a movie star grow fainter with each passing triathlon season I still cling to the hope that when race day arrives the athletes I guide NAIL IT. There are no guarantees in coaching or racing (or in life) of course, and it makes for a tough occupation to choose. For example, you can write the best script (training program) imaginable, but then have Tom Cruise act it out. (No offense to Tom, but my guess is he’d be a better triathlete than he is an actor, but then again, that’s not saying much…)
So why do coaches coach?

Well, because there are hordes of athletes out there who haven’t a clue as to what they’re doing, and they could use the help. (Unfortunately, this also applies to many of the coaches themselves, but let’s pay no heed to that for now.) To boot, loads of these athletes have money to burn; paying someone to assist you in achieving a hard-to-reach goal is as good as any other way to spend it (and is, in my estimation, a far superior disbursement of funds than purchasing a pricey bicycle might be, depending on the coach chosen of course) and coaches are sure to advertise this to prospective athletes.

But if hope is such a big part of it all, then what good is a coach?

Because hope beats the alternative.

Now of course it’s implicitly understood that hope is not an effective strategy in life (or, for that matter, in triathlon). And while your training must certainly instill hope, you still need to know you’re far better off whether your hope has increased or not. You need to know that while your coach may not drive a fast car that can leave the ground, he or she possesses the tools that can help bring out your best. And you should see it occurring, maybe not during every single workout, but little by little. There needs to be a trend revealed that proves you’re better now than you were then, whenever then was and now is (ideally then is before coach and now is after coach). And if it’s not your race results themselves, that trend must also relate to your final destination, your goal. If, for example, training shows progress in your slam-dunking skills but you’re training for a triathlon, it’s not really the right kind of training, I’m afraid. But back to the then and now thing for a second. A wise old coach once told me that while it takes time to bring out your absolute best you can also do it at this very moment, along with the next moment and the next one and the next. To be your best then, all you’ve got to do is be your best now and up until then. How easy is that?!

great piece. thanks Chuckie.

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post written by Albert van Zyl , a dude I would like to spend some time with.

We often blame our jobs, families or the traffic for our stressful lives. To cope with it we visit doctors, buy self-help books and read blogs. But the truth is that a lot of us value our stress.

In Elle of June 2005 a reader comes to the amazing conclusion that “On some level, I equate stress with success, so, irrational as it may be, without it I feel aimless.” In a 2006 Financial Times one corporate animal confesses: “We are aiming always for the medal of achievement… Being stressed and overwhelmed by your workload is part of the validation of having an important job.”

The reason many people are attached to their stress and busy-ness is that our society sees it as an outward sign of ‘success’. A membership badge of the inner circle of people who are ‘in demand’. And by the same token doing nothing while others are working is generally taken as a sign of failure or having ‘dropped out’. Even Tim Ferris seems to be busy these days! Just look at the blogs, revisions of the 4HWW and public speaking engagements that his name is connected with.

This is why Tom Lutz saw that our society is not really about actually being busy, but being seen to be busy. Being busy is not enough – other people must see how busy you are, ask you about it and allow you to talk about it. That is where the satisfaction lies. Do the experiment of asking one of your friends how they are. It would be rare for them not to refer to how busy or stressed they are when they answer you.

So the striving to be busy and stressed has as much to do with how other people see us as; with what we ourselves are trying to achieve. The existentialist philosophers would have called it the ‘gaze of the other’.

A large part of managing stress is therefore to manage the way in which other people see you. The good news is that you can wear the badge of being busy without actually being busy. Our society does still allow some idleness, but then only if it is masked by something apparently useful like waiting for something to download or for a taxi to arrive.

The challenge is to not fill these moments of bliss up with multi-tasking madness. When we get to the point where we don’t have anything pressing to do or we are waiting for someone else, we make a phone call, send a text message, check email or generally fidget around with whatever we can lay our hands on. Sometimes the best thing that you can do is nothing at all. Just enjoy them. Gather your senses. Enjoy the present. If you must, an iPod or a paperback hidden in your coat are premitted props.

My strategy is to seek out, nay volunteer for, these ‘permitted idlenesses’. Here follows a list of my six favourites:

* Waiting for your PC to boot up. This can often give you a minute or two of staring out the window with your first cup of coffee warming the palms of your hand

* Waiting for your partner & children to get ready to leave the house. You don’t need to stress because you are going to be late. Let them do the running. Just take a book, sit on the couch and relax.

* Smoking a cigarette on the pavement of your smoke-free office-block. The little cloud of smokers is one of the few remaining social centers in our beehive offices. Their good company justifies the harm done to your lungs. (Urban Ninja obviously cant advocate smoking, but I see the point)

* Waiting for elevators to arrive. Rather than avoiding the gazes of the guy in the trench coat and wondering when the elevator will ever arrive, you can listen to some music or grab a page or two of that amazing book that you started reading last night. The same strategy can be followed when waiting in lines.

* Waiting for the kettle to boil. You don’t need to click the button and rush off to do something else. You may wait there with the kettle and enjoy a few minutes of quiet contemplation.Tom Hodgkinson recommends making your tea with leaves rather than bags. This not only makes better tasting tea, but allows you the pleasure of walking into the garden afterwards to tip out the used leaves.

* Dropping the kids off at school. With a little practice, dropping the kids at school can also become a wonderfully relaxing activity. Take time to chat with other parents, let your kids show you their classroom and see that drawing that they have been talking about all week. This surely beats dropping them off at the front gate so that you can get stuck in traffic a little earlier.

These are just a few examples of ways to gather your senses and enjoy the moment in small bits every day. With a some thought and imagination, it’s easy to find many more ways. Go ahead, give it a whirl.

Little bits of relaxation in your day add up exponentially.

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I can see it already…

Friday night, some fresh cold Draft Beer from Jack Black at HQ. I’ve heard we might be doing something after, but I am most likely to retire earlier as tomorrow morning is trail run time.

Gotta pack in…

Suunto Red Arrow…

Puma Trail Fox…

and one of these…

Ok.. maybe more than 1.

Then back home for the rugger. The fridge will be looking something like this…

the weekend, in one pure word… bliss!

To all my partners, who make my weekends that much easier… thank you!

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Have you ever been in a situation – facing a conflict with a client, struggling to break through a challenge on a new project, or finding it difficult to market yourself – when you wish you had someone to give you the right answers? A mentor may be what you need. While a mentor doesn’t exactly solve all of your problems, he or she can provide advice when you need it, support you through problems, and help you become better at what you do.

I have had many mentors in my life, from sports mentors, to business mentors, and back to mentors who taught me how to live with balance, how to love without being selfish, how to accept without understanding, etc. They are all important concepts and I could not have gotten through any of them without some help from a mentor. I suggest you dissect your problem and find a mentor to help you solve it.

What to Look for in a Mentor

The qualities that make a mentor a good fit for you are likely going to be very specific to your situation. But there are some general qualities you should look for in someone you are considering as a mentor. Your mentor should be:

* Available and willing to share their time with you
* Respected by their colleagues
* A good listener
* A positive role model
* Honest and straightforward
* Willing to share their knowledge and experience
* Respectful towards you
* Inspiring and enthusiastic

And last, but not least – a mentor is generally someone smarter than you are.

And yes, there are loads of those people around, even for someone as smart as you are ;-)

ciao.

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Cape Town, South Africa, 18 June 2009 –Scott Woodwiss of Wymondham has been selected as the UK representative for the Global PUMA Motorsport Fan Reporter Program. Fans from around the world were asked to submit a feature about motorsport, with the strongest entries from selected countries being given a once-in-a-lifetime behind the scenes experience at a Grand Prix event. Scott’s intelligent and compelling perspective was a cut above the rest, and means he will be given a mouth-watering experience at the British Grand Prix this weekend.

Scott’s Fan Reporter experience will include a tour of the ING Renault F1 garage; interviews with BMW Sauber drivers Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld; and a chat with PUMA Ambassador and ex F1 driver Anthony Davidson. Scott will also have Grandstand access to the qualifying on Saturday and race on Sunday. As the official UK PUMA Fan Reporter, Scott will produce an audio-visual summary of his experience, which will feature on the homepage of www.pumamotorsport.com next week.

Scott who has been an F1 fan since the age of two, says: “My passion for Formula 1 is unbridled. I never miss a session, whether it is practice, qualifying or indeed the race. I’m always making sure I am up to date with the latest news and goings-on in the paddock and pitlane, and am really excited and delighted to have been given this opportunity by PUMA.”

PUMA launched its Access All Areas Motorsport campaign in celebration of its 10th anniversary in motorsport. Capitalising on professional associations with Scuderia Ferrari, BMW Sauber F1, ING Renault F1, Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso within Formula One, and Ducati in Moto GP and SBKs; PUMA Motorsport puts fans at the centre of the sport and gives them the opportunity to gain an inside perspective on Formula One. www.pumamotorsport.com is also a central hub for news, opinion and experiences from all over the world, also featuring regular columns from Formula One driver Anthony Davidson, MotoGP driver Alex Hoffman and former F1 driver David Coulthard.

If you like F1 – that’s a wet dream happening, right there. I have some kif Torro Rosso gear lying at home, which I pull out on special occasions only.

Well done Puma – taking it back to the people. I love being involved with you.

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I get alot of questions about swimming, and it certainly is an intimidating thing to most people. I see so many mistakes being made in the pool and I realise that a bit of practise on technique will change so much to many triathletes. I am currently overhauling my own stroke and trying to get into a technique called Front Quadrant Swimming. Sounds like a really fancy term and there is certainly alot of misconception on the wwwonderful internet out there. For me, from what I can tell technically, it simply relates to both your hands being in the front quadrant of your freestyle stroke at a given point in your stroke cycle.

If you look at the picture above, that’s what it means. watch the awesome video here to get a full idea of the awesomeness of Monsieur Phelps.

In order to achieve this, I have had to:

1. Drop the height of my arms in the water – shoulder is the highest point, then elbow slightly below, and hand slightly below elbow.

2. A high elbow in the “catch” phase is vital, and the elbow only moves once the forearm reaches a 90 degree angle (well that’s I’m aiming for – I didn’t say I was there just yet).

3. The hips need to be still, and the upper body rotating, at the same time. The head should be still, and breathing as low to the water as possible. No checking the birds and the clouds in the sky.

4. A constant, balanced kick at the back, straight out the hip, with a straight leg to the knee, and some flex in the foot and calf. You’ll see it in Mr Phelps’s kick. Most tri heads kick out of their knees, and that slows you down.

Ok, so I am going to put this video up here again, because I believe its the best show of what you should be aiming to look like under the water. If you can get 50% of the way to this – you are doing well. 80% of the way there, and you will be out the water in the front pack.

Swimming is so hard as it is for the new guys, I am hoping this basic advice will help you in your sessions. Keep it up!

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Original here

* When you love the work you do and the people you do it with, you matter.
* When you are so gracious and generous and aware that you think of other people before yourself, you matter.
* When you leave the world a better place than you found it, you matter.
* When you continue to raise the bar on what you do and how you do it, you matter.
* When you teach and forgive and teach more before you rush to judge and demean, you matter.
* When you touch the people in your life through your actions (and your words), you matter.
* When kids grow up wanting to be you, you matter.
* When you see the world as it is, but insist on making it more like it could be, you matter.
* When you inspire a Nobel prize winner or a slum dweller, you matter.
* When the room brightens when you walk in, you matter.
* And when the legacy you leave behind lasts for hours, days or a lifetime, you matter.

do you matter?

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you guys might remember this guy.

He was in a sprint finish with another one of the worlds best athletes over the weekend, in a half Ironman. For the un-ironman people out there, thats a 1.9km swim, followed by a 90km bike ride, and to finish the event off (its continuous) a 21.2km run.

Its almost flat out the whole way, and in this race, it ended up in a sprint finish. Click the link to check out the rest of the pictures. they are beautiful.

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David, the famous email dude, who created the spider emails, is baaaaaaaaaaaaack…enjoy y`ulle

From: David Thorne
Date: Thursday 21 May 2009 10.16am
To: Helen Bailey
Subject: Pets in the building

Dear Helen,

Thankyou for your letter concerning pets in my apartment. I understand that having dogs in the apartment is a violation of the agreement due to the comfort and wellbeing of my neighbours and I am currently soundproofing my apartment with egg cartons as I realise my dogs can cause quite a bit of noise. Especially during feeding time when I release live rabbits.

Regards, David. (more…)

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One of the main dudes in my life once told me about the most empowering thing in the world. I hope he is still doing it, seeing as he is the busiest guy I know. He told me once, that to improve my mood, all day, I needed to walk slowly. Even when I was late for a meeting, and especially if I was late for a meeting, I should walk slowly.

His theory was that even though you know you are late, take a moment, walk a bit slower, and clear your mind before your next meeting, where you may need to make calculated decisions. A rushed approach brings rushed decisions, and by rushing, you could be making really bad decisions that really influence your day.

So, taking that cue, I came across a great article this morning, from, as you should have realised by now, one of my favorite guys, Zenhabits

here it goes. Enjoy the holiday. To something unusual, and positive, and random. Make it count… (more…)

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