little danois

After several days of  not feeling myself, my body and mind have taken a turn back in the positive direction this week.  Training is back to normal, feeling strong and more motivated every day.

This weekend Misha will be at “the lake” with some friends, while I stay home and “get the work done”.  Not that Misha is any type of distraction, but it will be nice to have a quite, focused weekend alone.  Mike and Marlene are out of town for a while also.  Although we don’t see each other every day, I still miss their presents when they are gone. 

Emma started swim lessons last week and is doing fantastic!!  In just one week she has learned to “use her arms”, dive and “flip” :)  She and Mathew are the type of kids that are not afraid to try new things, and have no fear of the water.  It is so fun and inspiring to watch them at the pool!

I was planning on racing an OD triathlon at the end of July, however, I recently found out the race has been cancelled.  That really puts things out of order for me, and anyone who knows me, knows how much I value order and routine.  So… time to find a July race.  If anyone has any ideas, I’m open to suggestions!!

Wow!  What a day of racing we had yesterday!!!

In short, Mike won the Tri-Rader Sprint triathlon, which was also the Texas qualifier for “Best of the U.S.”

Olaf was 5th place at Roth with a blistering 2:46 run split, he was only one place behind triathlon great Thomas Hellriegal.

Most notable performance of the day was Jodi’s 12:37 first Ironman in CDA!!!  If you know the sport, then you know how fast that is.  If you know Jodi, then you are not suprprised!!

Congratulations to all my friends!!!

I’m back….  Sorry for being “m.i.a.” for a while.  Two weeks ago, my home compter crashed, then the next day my office compter stoped working, so I’ve been without “technology” for a while.  After getting over the initial “lost” feeling, I kind of liked not having a computer.  Now if I could only do without a phone, that would be great!!

There is really only one word to describe this summer thus far, and  that is….BUSY!!  Summertime is really our time to shine at the pool.  Everyone wants a piece of the very small pie, but somehow we manage to keep everyone happy most of the time. 

Dominic stayed with me over this past weekend it was awesome!!  We had a blast skateboarding, watching movies, eating out, and hanging around the house!  It was really great to have him around, and I miss him already!

Got to keep this one short everyone!  It’s time to GET THE WORK DONE….

After one of the most challenging weeks of my life, I was not looking forward to the three day holiday.  However, the time spent with family and friends proved to be just what I needed to stay positive and productive.  Thanks to everyone for the prayers and support!!!

The weekend got off to a wonderful start when my parents, Beverlee and Dominic arrived into town on Friday.  I met them over at Carlos’ house.  Later that evening, I had the pleasure of talking on the telephone to my Aunt Diane, Uncle Eloy and Cousin Selina, who live in Mexico!  It is not often that we I have that opportunity, so it was a welcome and pleasant phone call!  My poor little cousin has been sick, but her spirits are high and she’s getting better with each passing day!!  If you have a chance please say a prayer for a speedy and full recovery for her!!!

After my bike ride on Saturday, Misha and I had a birthday lunch for Beverlee and my dad here in Mesilla at La Posta.  What a great lunch that was!  Carlos and Erica were able to attend, the food was yummy and the restaurant was not very busy.  Misha and I hung out at the house for most of the day, then headed over to my aunt’s house for Hope’s graduation party.  If you do not know my cousin Hope, then let me tell you a bit about this amazing young person.  She has graduated from a private cathololic high school in Tucson, where she is well respected and at the top of her class.  She plans on attending college in Austin where she’ll study bio-chemistry and forensic science.  Her goal is to attend medical school.  I am positive that she will attain all of her goals.  Hope is one of those people that have a “can do” attitude and the knowledge and work ethic to back it up!!  She is a joy to be around and a positive role model for our entire family!!! Everyone is so proud of her!!!

Sunday Mike, Marlene, Misha, Marlene’s parents and I went over to the wine festival!!  We had an AWESOME time!!  Good food, wine and great company made for a very fun afternoon!!

Monday turned into a “get the work done” day!  Workouts as scheduled and lots of chores around the house.  Paulo came over to help me dial in my position on the bike.  Since I got the new bike very close to Ironman Arizona, we did not want to make any drastic changes to my position right away.  The new position feels pretty good, but the true test will be out on the road the next several days.  I’ll keep you posted on the outcome.

Ironman Brazil was yesterday.  Sergio’s and Olaf’s race did not go as planned, and I know how that feels.  I’d like to let them know that my thoughts are with them as they reflect on the race and the rest of the season.  Both are true warriors and sportsman in every sense of the words.  They will be back wiser and stronger, I guarantee you that!!!!

Checking in after a great weekend!

Had some time to spend with the people that mean the most to me!  This always makes my life much more enjoyable and enables me to get through the tough times!  I know I say it often, but it really rings true…. my friends and family are my sole motivator for getting up each morning and trying my best at everything I do!!!

This weekend was also my father’s birthday!  I know everyone says it…. but I truly believe I have the greatest dad in the world.  He is kind, generous, hard working and one of the smartest people I know (and I know a lot of smart people) ;-)  Although I did not get to spend it with him, I hope his birthday was a special one!!

I’m making a small change in training and hitting the trails once or twice a week on the mountain bike!  I really enjoy the variety that mountain biking offers.  I’m not very good, but have a good time nonetheless!!!  It has been a goal of mine to do “The Double” one day.  That is, the Ironman World Championships followed by the X-Terra (triathlon with mountain bike) World Championships.  These two races are one week apart and both in Hawaii.  One day (not this year) I’ll do it!!! 

Before closing, I want to send out a very big CONGRATULATIONS to my friend Jodi.  She successfully defended her PhD!!!  Jodi is one of those people that succeeds in ANYTHING she attempts.  She is so inspring to be around!  A hard working, fun loving, classy girl!!!  I’m so humbled to call her my friend.

Thanks for reading, until next time!

Hasta!

Everything in your world is interconnected. Create value in one place, and that value casts its light in additional places as well.

Your positive thoughts and actions often have immediate and direct results. They also have indirect results that can continue far beyond the obvious.

A small kindness offered to just one person can end up benefiting countless others. The love you give will always, in ways that you may never even realize, come back to you.

Success and fulfillment do not occur in isolation. You’ll receive no great benefit from being positive about only a few things if you take a negative approach in other areas.

Instead, focus all your awareness and intention in a positive, fulfilling direction. Then, all the many connections will organize in such a way as to move you quickly forward.

– Ralph Marston

Schools out and it could not have come soon enough!  The weather around here is getting hotter; we reached the mid 90’s several times last week!  I LOVE the summer!!  For me, it’s lots of time with friends, family and fun!!!

The last several days have been a great start to the summer.  I spent Mother’s Day with one of my most respected and favorite mothers I know (besides my own), Marlene.  Mike, Marlene, Misha and I had a great time at, my favorite restaurant in Mesilla, St. Clair’s.  They’ve got great food, nice atmosphere and tasty wine!!!

I’m back on a regular training regimin, nothing too crazy or strenuous, but consistent nonetheless.  I’m really looking forward to doing some more races within the next three months.  Rocky Point got me excited about getting out there and going hard.  I know I’ve got a lot to work on to get where I want to be, in time, if I keep doing what I’m doing, I know I’ll be there.  Speaking of racing, Zach was THIRD OVERALL with a time of 4:09 at the Gulf Coast Half last weekend!  Good job bro!!!

Misha is doing awesome!  She’s working hard at accomplishing her goals, and it is great for me to be with someone who shares that level of commitment and focus!  I really admire her dedication.  For example, it is now 5:15am and she’s already at the gym “getting the work done”.

Thanks for reading everyone!!!

I know new pictures are always fun and interesting, so I’ll post them as soon as I can. 

Thanks to everyone for all the well wishes and continued support!!!