HDLs Going Down

Summer planning is well underway and I'm starting to feel overwhelmed by it all.  While I've accomplished almost half of the events that I've set out to do already, the REAL feats come in August, September and October of this year.  The logistics of me going to Africa for Kili followed by NY with the family make me feel like I'm planning for my first State Dinner at the White House.

We just had our most recent conference call with all six of the Kili participants on the phone at the same time.  Pretty amazing given that we're juggling 12 times zones.  Our group essentially depicts all maturity phases of my life (Name purposely withheld); Starting with my friend from when I was 5 and we have done everything together our entire lives and he is now an ER doctor, two more friends from when I was 8 that coincidentally are both in health care at some of the highest levels, another friend that I met when I was 17 and decided to travel the world for a while instead of going to college and finally, a college friend who is now in Afghanistan serving his 23rd year in the Army. Its going to be a great trip.

In any case, I was called back to the doctor a couple of weeks ago to do a follow up on my cholesterol and believe it or not, my levels have gone went down.  While I still have to watch the diet, my pants seem to fit a little better these days and I can wear a tie for longer periods without being too uncomfortable.  Exercising is getting a little easier and I'm finding that I actually need it...if I dont get it, I get cranky.

All in all, there seems to be some positive effects to early mornings, early evenings, training time and family time.

The interviews are becoming more and more interesting.  Recently spoke to a woman in the Washington, DC area that has lost 60 pounds since she started exercises all while running her own business and experiencing the wrath of her verbally abusive husband for being overweight.  She completely impressed me with her honesty of how she feels about herself now and contrasting that with her self-image before the weight loss.

I love the fact that my friends and family are following this journey and, at the very least, entertaining me with an "at a boy" when I see them at different events.  I've received a lot of encouragement from total strangers and all seem to be simultaneously curious, envious and stupefied by my 40th year.  I appreciate the comments and look forward to reading and responding.  We'll see how this all plays out, one way or another.

If I had $5,000....(BNL Music)

Ring Ring Ring

Dave:  Hello
Slob:  Hey man, what's up?
Dave:  Nada mucho, y tu?
Slob: We got a hotel room for the race but wanted to coordinate with you and stuff
Dave:  What are you talking about?
Slob:  The race in two weeks, I'm bringing the family and we got a hotel room
Dave:  I have no idea what you are saying; what race?
Slob: The triathlon we signed up for six months ago.
Dave:  I signed up for a triathlon that's in two weeks?
Slob:  Yep, I'm sending you the link so you can see your name on the website.
Dave:  I have no desire to do a triathlon in two weeks, I'd rather you get a running start and kick me in the nuts as hard as you can
Slob:  I would if you had any nuts to kick
Dave:  Good one.  Well, as long as you're going to be here, just stay at our house so we can at least carpool to this so called race you think I'm signed up for.
Slob:  Cool, see you then....

And so it went, the Slobs came to visit us and actually proved that I signed up for a triathlon.  Over three thousand people registered and everyone but me was excited to be there.  I felt like a grumpy old man:
-The lines are too long
-I have to walk too far to get my bike
-I have to wait too long to start the race (The winner finished before I even started, no lie)

But as I watched wave after wave of people I began to notice a progression in age.  Like most races, you start with people that are at or near your ability level.  With over 3000 people, that meant that they had roughly 30 different waves that went off in 5 minute increments.  I got a good view of about 15 of those waves and saw men and women of different ages start their slumber towards justifying the t-shirt they received the day before.  I started noticing a lot of patterns too;

1.  Men in age groups from 20 - 30 years old have a lot of tattoos
2.  Men in age groups from 40 - 50 have a lot of body hair in weird places
3.  Women of all ages are more polite to each other as they begin the thrashing of a mass swim start
4.  Men seem a little less conscience of the weird shapes of their bodies as they get older
5.  It seems that you need to spend about $5,000 on a bike to feel good about yourself these days

As I got into the transition area where all the bikes await their owners like little puppies in the window of the pet shop, I couldn't help but notice that there was millions of dollars in leisure equipment just laying around.  There was so much expensive hardware there this weekend it made me a little sad that the average person had been convinced somewhere along the way that even though they are getting older now and had to "compete" in individual sports, the way to make themselves happier was to purchase an eighteen gram crotch rocket that slices through the air.  There I was, borrowed bike, running shorts (no spandex), and a great sense of urgency to run as fast as I could so my wife wouldn't be late for an appointment she had immediately following the race and I could stay in her good graces.  Hey, everyone has a different motivation.

The finish line is nearing and there is my family on the final turn, screaming and yelling for Daddy.  The scowl that I had for the previous three hours immediately changed to shear joy and I grabbed my daughter so we could run the last 100 yards together and cross the finish line holding hands and pumping our fists.  You want to know why I'm "clinging to my youth?," so I can experience that moment for as many years as possible.  I will remember the crowd's cheers for us and her face forever.

View 2100

I started this project with the simple understanding that I would try and find out what it would take to prove to my children that their Daddy still has "it."  Showing the kids, through text, what it was like when their father turned 40 ultimately came with the challenge of many athletic events and subsequent interviews with other people that may have done interesting things at roughly the same age.  With a little more than a quarter of the year complete, I've found out so much more.

I have found that I can find a toy to step on at any time of the day.  I have found that there is not a snotty nose in our house that can't find me, and ultimately my shirt, as I leave for work each morning.  I have found that the time I spend alone training in order to prove something to my children only makes me feel guilty for being alone and not being with them.  I have found that baby monitors can easily be turned off in the middle of the night.  I have found that I get cranky when I don't exercise and is a trait I'm not sure I want to pass down.  I have found that spandex is like the Adam Sandler of clothing; you just know its going to be funny especially the longer you watch.  I have found that the more I find interesting people to interview, the less interesting I become.  I have found that Facebook makes me wonder what will be available to our children when they are my age.  And I have finally found that there are over 2100 people that have read this blog since it was started; poor people, they should stick to Facebook.

Race number three is coming this weekend and the interview schedule is growing.  Wish me luck on all fronts and let me know if you have any comments for me.

Pleasantville and Morning Blow

Walking around Pleasantville (my neighborhood) this past weekend with both kids in tow (the three year old walking with me and the little one in the stroller), I had a very suburban moment when I saw a neighbor, who is probably in his late 30's or early 40's and fairly fit looking, blowing the grass off of his driveway after the obligatory Saturday mow.  He's wearing what all of us suburbanites wear; khaki shorts, an untucked, 15 year old polo shirt with an outdated insignia on the left chest and a baseball hat from when we were both much cooler than we are now.  As he noticed us approaching he slowed down the blowing speed from very slow to essentially an annoying noise maker to make himself look busy which subsequently lowered the decibel level to one that was manageable for conversation.  (Insert pleasantries here.)

After our brief conversation and encounter, one comment he made stuck with me..."just out getting some exercise."  Exercise!!!  Out Getting Some Exercise???!!!!  I just couldn't help think that I am killing myself to shed a pound or two to get off the US Government's obese scale and our neighborhood hair-dryer operator just has to go out for a morning blow.  Is that fair?!  It obviously doesn't matter if its fair; while he blows, I still have to trudge through the darkness, for hours at a time on most mornings, so I can feel less guilty about eating a bagel for breakfast.

This summer break from my planned events is actually making my time busier with logistics.  I'm still interviewing a lot of interesting people from all of the world and look forward to hearing stories of how work, family and life are balanced from places as far off as India.  Please let me know if you have anyone that you think would be a good candidate for an interview.

Also, I've been banned from more websites now.

I Can Hear Myself Getting Slower

Logic would make one think that with the running of a half Ironman triathlon, a few days in Lake Tahoe at altitude and plenty of rest, that I would feel like I was in pretty good shape.  On the contrary my brother, aka Au contraire mon frere.  I feel like I  have actually gained weight, I feel like I run slower and my dunlap (used in a sentenence and as defined on onlineslangdictionary.com as something to the effect of "My belly dunlapped my belt.") has become more pronounced.  


I interviewed Drew Barnes this week.  Drew is the famous mechanical engineer that works for Northrop Grumman and travels back and forth to CA from FL every week.  Drew was actually my first interview of someone that hasn't made a name for themselves completely in their athletic endeavors.  However, he has, as a 40 year old, accomplished many.  With 4 home-schooled kids between the ages of 19 and 3 and an obvious superstar wife, he works for one of the worlds most notable defense contractors where he commutes to CA every week, while also competing and training for endurance events.  It was amazing to hear how his quest for and attempts to engage in the unknown allowed him the motivation to complete so many of life's experiences without missing any time with his family.  


Where does that drive come from?  Drew told me but I'm going to wait until the end of this year to summarize my findings.  In the meantime, please see what I aspire to by the end of this year:

Two Big Weeks - One Tired Daddy

Its been a big couple of weeks as I have continued to explore my 40th year.  You may remember that in my "events" blog post of January 20, 2011 I highlight a half Ironman triathlon in Sarasota, FL that I must complete in less than seven hours in order to participate in another event on my list in September of this year.  The boring details of race day I will spare, but lets just say that this guy had twenty minutes to spare and the winner out-sprinted me at the finish by a mere two and half hours.  Event Number Two...check.

A couple of days later, I walk on a plane with my immovable tree trunk legs, more like a waddle with some zest, and fly to Boulder, CO, via Denver, to begin the interview phase of this year's project.  While I continue to seek interesting people that have accomplished so much by the age of 40 while balancing the rest of their lives, some of the initial interviewees are fairly notable in their pursuits.  Interview number one was almost a no-brainer; Dave Scott.  At the age of 40, in 1994, he got second place at the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon.  The layperson probably doesn't remember who got first that year, Greg Welch, but I'm sure that there is a large population of people who understand that a 40 year old was able to truly compete that day.  My hour with Dave was extremely informative of the challenges of competing with life, family, athletics and business.  If you don't know this story, here is a summary (video on blog, starts about 1:50) of Dave's efforts on one particular day.  Great guy but I should have asked about the mustache that he no longer has.

Not wanting to solely focus on one person on that trip, I also had the privilege to also meet with Joanna Zeiger Shenk.  Joanna, now 41 agreed to meet with me at a local Boulder Starbucks because I'm pretty sure its freaky when some wacko, no-name interview guy asks to speak with you about turning 40.  I would have chosen a public place myself.  Joanna is an Olympian, an Ironman winner and in her spare time earned a Ph.D. in Genetic Epidemiology from Johns Hopkins University.  Joanna was extremely gracious with her time even though, two days prior, she ran the LA Marathon in a torrential downpour for the entire race where she ultimately acquired hypothermia.  Did I mention that she was only 60 seconds slower than her lifetime fastest  marathon time (which was when she was 29), even with the conditions presented her.  She writes about it in her blog (fast at forty); or glob as my mother calls it.

After my day in Boulder, I got back on the plane where I then flew to Lake Tahoe for a week with my best friends.  There aren't too many things better than being with twenty people, all in one house, where you can be yourself with no ramifications...none.  Here is our driveway after a couple of days of being there.

Last note: I love the fact that I continue to receive endless ridicule from a small, but very "vocal" group about this project.  Its gotten to the point where people think that I am making this whole thing up.  To this group, its like I am writing that I woke up one day and decided to do 10,000 one arm push-ups while simultaneously reflecting, in Latin of course, on Reagan's response to the Iran Contra Affair.  I have now been banned by www.slowtwitch.com, www.beginnertriathlete.com and www.trifuel.com.  Its interesting to note that all other athletic forums have been genuinely interested and supportive.

Shark Bait

With my ultimate goal of not disrupting the family during my search of what happens on the road to 40, I usually have to have some semblance of exercise before everyone wakes up.  Seeing that my daughter is getting up earlier and earlier as she gets older, Daddy usually has to be mobile when there is a 3 on the clock.  Pretty soon I'm going to be eating breakfast the night before, lunch at 7a and dinner at noon.  Its kind of like living in Boca Raton when you're 80; all I need is a Cadillac with a Presidential Edition insignia in gold on the side.

With one week until my first half ironman, I thought it might be a good idea to try out the wetsuit that I haven't worn since 2002.  It has looked so cool in my closet this whole time; all black neoprene with wide shoulders and contoured waist dangling through several closet moves with memories of when I felt comfortable wearing a wetsuit in public.  Its really going to be a shame to actually have to put it on.

I went to the pool at 3.30a and entered the empty locker room that was surprisingly open at that hour.  The bench, where I normally change my clothes, is parallel to a full length mirror where I am forced to ultimately stare at how time has altered this wight.  But there I was, 3.30a, jumping up and down in an empty locker room trying to fit into a time capsule.  Once the leg hairs were completely removed as I was able to get the body cast up to my waist I was actually pretty impressed with what I saw.  Try to picture a cross of Dr. Bruce Banner when he gets angry with Fred Berry (See video) in his prime.

When reality set in is when I needed to get things over the middle.  Trying to figure out if I should put my arms in first or pull things over my gut, I went with arms in the sleeves, which seemed like boys size extra small at this point, and pulled things up over my chest.  With an enormous amount of zeal, I felt as if there should be a huge banner behind me reading "Mission Complete."  I'm now sweaty, alone, in a locker room (that in itself is always a bad connotation) and looking in the mirror at the sole reason why people are mistaken for seals while surfing.

Lets hope the race this weekend is well worth the self inflicted ridicule of why a 3.30a inflated wetsuit swim is a character building exercise.