Addicted?!

I've heard it said that Ironman is addictive. In some cases even comparing it to a drug. I have to admit, that after reaching the finish line I found a voice inside that wanted travel the 140.6 mile journey again.

Since completing Ironman Wisconsin in 2005, I have pushed the little voice to the side and tried to ignore it. It was easy at first, between finishing my Master's degree and on and off injuries, Ironman was not a possibility. However, this year I stepped up my training and pushed harder than before. My reward; for every athletic success the voice has been getting louder. Whether it was completing the Palos Bank Southwest Half Marathon in 1:40 and change or completing three triathlons in two day at the Chicago Triple Challenge, the voice is there asking me "What are your limits?"

Better Every Day

Ask most people what their favorite baseball/basketball/football/hockey team is and a majority of people will respond with a hometown/regional team. However, ask most people who is their favorite drum corps, assuming they have heard of drum corps, and it probably isn't so black and white. Most people who have heard of drum corps will probably respond with a corps that has been featured in the top 12 over the past years: Blue Devils, The Cadets, The Cavaliers, etc. but my recent experience has taught me that maybe we should dig deeper into the corps we choose to follow. Maybe we should look at the ideals they try to instill in their members.

If you read the mission statement of any drum corps you will find words like: discipline, dedication, leadership, hard-work, and musical development. At the Festival of Brass in Oswego, IL, I heard something that struck a chord with me and made me want to understand more of what the corps stood for:

Thank you, Lord, for the togetherness and friendship we share. For the hard working members of this corps and the corps itself. Instill in us the true spirit of competition. Taking the pain of losing and the joy of winning and all with a smile. Remind us, Lord, that by doing the very best we can at all times we will have a winning corps.

Further research on this corps showed that they place an emphasis on moral character, family environment, personal and religious growth, citizenship, and an endeavor to be "Better Every Day." This is a corps that strives to develop the whole person into the best that they can be, these are qualities I expect to find in a winner, this is Pioneer Drum and Bugle Corps. The summer tour season is still young and I can't tell you where Pioneer will finish at the DCI World Championship this August, but what I do know is everyone one of these young men and women will leave the field a winner, and should celebrate in the joy of winning.

10 Years?!

The other day I started thinking about when I first started running, turns out my running career started ten years ago. Pretty amazing when you think about it. I starting thinking about what else I have been doing/done for ten years and realized that the list isn't that long. In fact, once you toss out the ridiculous like brushing my teeth, taking showers, or driving a car, I realized that there were only two things that fell into this category: working with the Boy Scout of America and playing music.

Examining the three, I realized that they all provided different opportunities to learn/push myself. Although I am no longer able to earn merit badges or advance in rank, I am able to continue developing my leadership skills and learn how to be a mentor and help scouts reach their goals. Playing music has allowed me to express my creative side and at times provides a challenge tougher than any of my classes have ever been. Running is probably the most selfish of the activities that I participate in, but at the same time allows me the most introspective time, to better understand who I am.

A Place for my Thoughts

I used to have a personal blog that I updated on a semi-regular basis until I realized that I'm just not that interesting. However, lately I've wanted to have a place to jot down my thoughts during/about my training. Since I do most of my training alone I spend a lot of time thinking. One of the cool things about training like this is you never know were you thoughts are going to drift that day, some days my thoughts are extremely philosophical, other days I think about my training, and still other times I can't seem to think about anything other than what I'm going eating once I finish. Many times it seems as if my best thoughts happen while I'm training. Sometimes it feels like I can almost answer the question "What is the meaning of life?" If you came here looking for a clever and witty blog you are certainly in the wrong place. Don't get me wrong, some days my commentary may be clever and witty but other days it might be as interesting as watching a test pattern on TV. If you want to come along for the ride, welcome aboard but don't say I didn't warn you.