Schmiller's World

Running, Sword Fights, Xbox Connects, and Rolled Ankles.

2012-01-23T18:08:00.000-08:00

Our fort was impenetrable, our weapons constructed by the finest Blacksmiths at Nerf, and our bodies cloaked in Chinese cotton armor. Not only was our castle under attack (AKA the bonus room) but our pride was at stake. My Strategy Coordinator was fervently coordinating the best strategy to not only to defend our base but to utterly scare the "fight" out of our assailants. My Front-man was clutching his prized battle axe, sitting, waiting, almost slobbering with enthusiasm for the perpetrators to make their move. Almost as if a lion sits and stalks his antelope with an overwhelming sense of hunger and anticipation.

Me, well, I'm the General. Years more experience than my comrades. Stories have been told about my tenacity, ferociousness, and bravery on the battle field. My weapon of choice, dual swords, why else would they call me "Sushi man Sam". On the brink of war my demeanor is calm, I'm confident in my men. Plus how else would the two middle schoolers break through our 4 foot thick bean bag walls, decline the 10 stares through a narrow hall way and manage to break into our fortress.

We heard them, tip toeing down the corridor, whispering like little mice. Silence. Stillness. AAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGG!!!!!!!! The bean bags flew down the hall like balloons, as if they had not a pound to their substance. The two warriors jumped down the hallway swords in the air and sprinted to the middle of the room. It was go time. Webb, the strategy specialist was keeping his distance. Who can blame him, his specialty is planning not hand to hand combat. Whit, my front-man, was getting double teamed by the warriors. I sat, waiting to see if the blossoming warrior could handle his own. I sensed his fear and saw he was getting swarmed. My gold Trojan helmet with red fur sprung up from behind the couch and at the site of my warrior face, the opponents fled. Not before we were able to get a couple good blows in to mark our dominance on the battlefield.

This was our night on the farm with my little cousins. For hours we fought, laughed, and spent quality time together just playing. We tried to master the XBox Connect, Jess is much better at dancing than I am. I wake up sore a lot from training but not the type of soreness that you get from this activity. Oh no...This is a whole different ball game.

So as I sit back and reflect, I laugh. Today was lack luster as I struggled to find my rhythm and managed to completely roll my ankle on a recovery run. A run where on training peaks it said to run zone 1, embarrassingly slow, in fact just run alone. I was excited to do the one thing that I know I am good at, train. Of course though, 15 minutes into the run I completely turn over my foot and fall to the ground in agonizing pain.

However, it's the memories like the one above that can bring a smile to your face any day.

Happy riding.

My First Blog....But what a Yummy one!

2012-01-10T19:56:00.000-08:00

Hi, it’s Jessica. So, I’ve never done a blog entry on my own but the Schmiller’s blog has been pretty sad lately with such long periods of time with no entries.
Lots of my friends and family members have been asking me to send them recipes of healthy, cheap and easy meals to make. So I thought I could just blog them :) Now, I must state that I’m no nutritionist or chef, I just know what works for Sam and I in conjunction with our active, fast pace, and somewhat frugal life style. For my future food blogs I’ll give dinner, lunch, breakfast and snack ideas.

Below is one of our new favorite dinner ideas.

Fish Tacos with Corn Salsa

Prep Time: 30 Min

Cook Time: 10 Min

Ready In: 40 Min

Yield approx. 6-8 servings

Ingredients

1 cup corn
1/2 cup diced red onion
1 cup chopped tomato
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
1 lime juiced
1/2 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons ground sea salt
6-8 (approx. 4 ounce) fillets of tilapia - you can use any kind of fish you prefer.
2 tablespoons olive oil, approx.
6-8 corn or flour tortillas, warmed - I use a low sodium tortillas like this one La Tortilla Factory. http://latortillafactory.com/product-5-overview.aspx this company also makes a gluten free tortillas.

Direction

Preheat grill for high heat or preheat the oven on HI broil.
In a medium bowl, mix together corn, red onion, tomato, red bell pepper, and cilantro. Stir in lime juice. Set aside, this is your yummy salsa. Keep this cover or it may be gone before the fish is even ready :)
In a small bowl, combine cayenne pepper, ground black pepper, and ground sea salt. Brush both sides of each fillet with olive oil. Then on one side sprinkle with spices. The more you put on the fish the more spicy it will be.
Arrange fillets on grill and cook for 3 minutes per side. For the oven, cook 5 minutes (no flipping). Cooking fish is a guessing game, checking it after 3-5 minutes (depending on size of fish) and then every 1-2 minutes until it flakes when you fork the thickest section. You’ll get the hang of it after a while, don’t give up fish is SOOO good for you.
Warm the tortillas on the grill or in the oven, add a fillet (I use small fish fillets so I put one fillet per tortilla), and top with lots of corn salsa. (no cheese needed!)
ENJOY!

Well this concludes my first blog, Peace out until next time :)

Purpose of my blog.

2011-12-22T20:50:00.000-08:00

The Schmillers started as Sam's world (Pre - Jessica) in 2006 as a race only blog. At the time I was in college, riding my bike A LOT, and social media was on a wild upswing. I love blogging. It allows me to document my life and shows people what I do with my time or what is on my mind. Now for the majority, that doesn't have any sort of value whatsoever. However, for my friend, family or random onlooker I hope that it invokes some thought, action and insight into another individuals life.

I ask myself a lot about what in the heck this blog is about. I mean most athletes like Jess and I have a blog that is solely dedicated to training and racing....BORING. Now let's not get it twisted because I do love to log our training and racing and maybe brag just a bit about our accomplishments. However, for the general public they don't care about heart rate, wattage or 10 x 100 meter repeats. I do think however, that the general public is amazed and in few cases inspired about reading about how far people can push their bodes. I know that we are and that is why we do what we do.

For those looking at the blog and thinking that they are only going to find training and racing related news and tips, they are going to be wildly disappointed. I do have a heavy focus on racing and training but you will also find entries about god, life, random activities, work, worries, and all that is involved in life. I am inspired by the people that write with their "heart on their sleeve" regardless of what people think. The ones that open up their life and thoughts to the ones that want to listen to hopefully have a meaningful message to at least one onlooker.

Maybe that is why my blog activity went down. I have so many friends and acquaintances with different opinions, beliefs, and lifestyles. I value each one of those aspects and though sometimes things may not align there are things to learn from any viewpoint. I think altering viewpoints and diverse backgrounds working together is the key to progression and knowledge.

So I am going to not think as much about what I write about. I hope that Jess and mines blog speaks to you and maybe event inspires you (Definitely not saying that Jess and I are an inspiration). I don't ever want our blog to offend you or make you feel uncomfortable. The opinions of others is always valued to please feel free to comment on any post that is written.

So what you are going to find is 2012 is going to be pretty cool from just everyday life, to training logs, to race updates, to gear reviews, and more. I wish all of you the best holiday and thanks for checking The Schmiller's World.

Being Renewed through Scripture.

2011-12-05T18:31:00.000-08:00

It’s Funny..I have been a believer since I was a very young child and was active in many church programs from choir to church league basketball. I have always felt a calling to something greater, to something more divine than the world it is that we live in. With that being said, like any believer, I have had times where I did (and still do) things that I shouldn’t; I didn’t turn to God when I most needed him, wasn’t thankful to God for all his blessings, relied on my own will and understanding instead of his, wasen’t patient in the Lord, and sometimes just blatantly ignored him for long periods of time.

Lately I have had a huge calling to start reading the bible and make living in his word part of my daily routine. It’s funny because the years spent at church I have had a huge foundation of religious faith and understanding yet never did my part to dive deeper into his word. Like most Christians I went to church, said thanks to him a couple times a week, tried to pray once a night and took satisfaction in that. Over the past couple years I have once again ignored a major calling to start reading the bible and it wasn’t until Kairos started focusing on this that I finally had a major revelation. I made a commitment to God that I would read every night, even if it was just a chapter, to gain a greater understanding of my faith.

I am now 180 pages into the old Testament and in the middle of Leviticus (EEK)(Note, get a good study bible comment, last paragraph). I am absolutely fascinated and have had so many of those Ah – ha moments of things that I have known for years but never have fully understood. Now the old Testament can be quite fatiguing so I have supplemented in John as well which is a breath of fresh air. I have already started to grow more intimate with God and find myself trying to talk to him throughout the day.

I write about this because I think so many of us are just like me and do not make reading a part of their daily life. I can already tell you that the promises that are laid out before us leave you feeling absolutely loved and encouraged.

I have one tip if and when you start your journey (which I hope you do). My tip is to get a good study bible, I have a great one called Quest. When reading you are going to come across MANY things that seem outlandish, harsh, unnecessary, and plain right crazy (which I think scare a lot of people away from Christianity). A good study bible will make the parallels between cultures and practices that we have no understanding of today.

I recommend that you take this lesson and turn it into practice. It will renew your faith, draw you closer to God, and give you time of reflection and peace.

We are IRONMEN..Well at least half of it. So we are Iron.

2011-11-07T21:09:00.000-08:00

So I was going to do an elaborate post about Jessica and mines Austin, Texas trip but it got to the point where I had almost written a book and it was just not going anywhere. I do want to give the highlights or cliff note version of the trip and tell everyone how much of a blast we had.

First of all Austin, Tx is a BLAST! We arrived on Thursday the 20th of October to warm weather and blue skies. After a quick pick up of the mini van (which Jess was SUPER pleased about) we headed to one of my big clients in Austin Called Bicycle Sport Shop. We ended up visiting two of their locations that Thursday and met some incredible staff and spending some quality time educating them a little more about Swiftwick. After all the traveling and talking our stomachs started to do some growling and we grabbed some food at a beautiful Sushi place nearby.

Friday Jess and I spent some time at Jack & Adams and Austin Tri Cyclist talking to both staffs and handing out some samples. At Jack and Adams we got our bikes and decided to go build them on the water front where our hotel was. Now shipping bikes always scares me but every time it all turns out fine...Not this time. Upon building our bikes both Jessica and My seat clamp had fallen out of each box making our bikes essentially not able to ride. Not only that but both of my arm pads had been left at home. The seat clamp on a speed concept is such a specialized piece that I had to no idea where I would get one in time for Sunday. Then it hit me...Mellow Johnnys. Sure enough, after a quick call, I was there picking up two new clamps. Then Jess had a brilliant idea to solve my arm bad dilemma which was to fold up two arm warmers, place them on the Velcro, and then put a small sock over it all to hold the arm warmers in place. Thank heaven which actually worked great. After dodging that bullet we finally rode our bikes for the first time in a week and promptly grabbed dinner after.

Saturday was the day when it finally hit me. We arrived at the venue at 10:00AM to a LONG line at registration. I think that is when it started to set in that we are doing this thing. The registration process didn't take as long as we would have imagined and after grabbing a couple souvenirs we headed to the lake where the swim was to take place. We had to do a little swim, bike, run warm up to loosen up the muscles and remind the body as to what it was supposed to do the next morning.

Looking at a 1.2 mile swim is daunting. As I sat at the entry of the swim I had to remind myself not to think of the swim as a whole. It's not like I was scared of the distance, as I swim more than that during one of my swim workouts each week but it was the first time I had seen that distance laid out in a lake. The water was the perfect temperature at 72 degrees. Naturally, as in any open water swim, I made Jessica start swimming first. The pre race run through allowed us to get a glimpse of what the conditions were going to be like. Two words for you..Hot and Windy. After the workout we grabbed some food at a great Italian restaurant and then went back to the room to relax.

4:25 A.M. I woke up in a panic thinking I had missed my alarm. I mean really, my alarm was set for 4:45 A.M, how in the HECK did I wake up before an alarm time like that? I quickly shut my eyes and before I knew it I was waking up again to the sound of my alarm. I hopped out of bed, started some coffee while simultaneously throwing some oatmeal in the microwave. I had the first swim start of the day after the pros so I needed to get there early. With that in mind, I rounded Jessica and Alex and hustled them out the door as quickly as possible.

When we parked at the race site the sun had not even come out to say goodmorning yet. It was like walking into the twilight zone as we approached transition two. We dropped off our run gear and set up our transition site. Jess told me that I could lay out my run shoes and visor instead of keeping it in the bag like the race bible told us to. So trustingly I laid out my stuff even though only about 15 other people had done the same. We then headed to the long line of people loading the buses to take us to the water.

The race site was madness with 2800 people scrambling to set up transition making last minute adjustments. I luckily met one of the guys in my age group who told me we swam at 8:30. What!? I couldn't believe that I had red the race schedule wrong and had an extra hour to spare. Jess was supposed to go off at 8:10 and before I knew it she was already lining up. There were around 140 people in her age group and her swim group looked huge. With a snap of the start gun they were all off and charging the water.

I lined up not to long after and wanted to make sure that I was the first one in the water. I figured that I would rather get swam over a few times than have to fight my way through the traffic. The gun went off and I swam as hard as I possibly could. My strategy was to get to the second buoy (300 meters) and start settling into my pace there. I only managed to get swam over about 5 or 6 times and before to long settled into my pace. 500 meters in I was swimming directly next to a guy that would not swim a straight line. He swam the exact same speed, directly beside, and ran into me every 20 meters or so. Before to long I get pretty mad and pushed him under water and swam over him to the other side. Didn't see him again. The rest of the swim was great. I hit some heavy traffic the last 400 meters but managed to fight through pretty well. It is hard to ever get into a rhythm during a swim like this because there are just SO many people. I was constantly having to maneuver and fight to stay in position.

I came out of the water disoriented but feeling really good. I was having problems unzipping my wetsuit and managed to finally get it undone as I ran up to my bike. I quickly stripped it off, took my bike stuff out of my Ironman sanctioned transition bag (stupid idea), stuffed my swim stuff in the bag, and ran with my bike out of transition. Before to long I was Clipped in and passing crowds of other riders.

When I started the bike I was in my zone. The course was an absolute blast that featured rolling hills, beat up roads, and loads of turns. For me it was pedal to the metal as I rode at upper zone 3 to lower zone 4. Maneuvering around all the people was almost as hard as ride itself. I felt great and didn't notice any form of fatigue until about 2 hours in. I actually passed Jess and seeing her during a race always makes me happy and turn a new gear. The last 15 miles in was tough as the whole time we faced a huge headwind. At about 5 miles a random trucked back onto the road from a drive way right in front of me. I had been riding with a speedy Guatemalan and he promptly passed the truck while yelling foreign obscenities and moving his hands erratically. I finished the bike and entered transition two pumped up to get my run on.

As I ran into transition I could not find my stuff that was laid out. In fact I ran up and down my row looking for my shoes laid out and could not find them. As panic sat in I realized that the officials probably put them back in the bag that we were supposed to keep them in. Sure enough, I just looked for my number in transition and when I got there they had packed everything up for me. I racked my bike and threw on my running shoes and left.

The run was a hilly, three loop course with absolutely no shade. Let me tell you that the course was HOT. I had brought a bottle with me because I knew that I would have to stay well hydrated. From the moment I started running I could tell that my body was in trouble. My stomach was feeling like it was on the verge of cramping, my legs were SO stiff and not three minutes into my run I was already burning up.

Naturally, the first aid station I grabbed some ice cold sponges and shoved them into my jersey and chugged along. The course had 3 pretty good rollers and my goal was to just keep running no matter how bad I felt. The first lap went by and I was struggling to find a rhythm. At the start of the second lap I knew I was in trouble and as I passed the 6 mile mark I was officially struggling. As I started up the long roller on my last half of the second lap I did what I never wanted to do...started walking. That point at which I started walking it finally hit me that this was going to be a longer day than expected.

As with anything you do you have to adapt your plan when something like this happens. I had some major pain in my right knee as I had hit it on something in T1 because it was bleeding on the bike (I didn't event feel it until the run). I decided to adapt my plan speed walk uphill and run downhill. As I was running one flat section I actually managed to see Jess again and she waved at me with the biggest smile like she was having the time of her life. She was prancing on the run like a freaking bunny. I was thrilled to see that she was having a great time even though I was feeling like cinder-blocks were tied to my feet.

That last 2 miles were excruciating. I walked the last major hill and ran the last mile into the arena where we finished. It was the first time that I had really celebrated the sheer fact of finishing. I finished in a time of 5:24:18 which landed me 25th in my age group out of 182. Jessica finished in 5:49:20 which put her 19th in her division with over 130 other participants. It is fascinating reviewing the times this year as opposed to last year. This year it seems like the conditions seemed to affect everyone as the top ten times were all slower than years prior.

With a great race under both of our belts we celebrated by chowing down on Mexican food and drinking some amazing margaritas. We actually took a nap until about 7:00 PM and then managed to go to 6th street to celebrate my birthday. We ended up staying downtown until about 12:30 listening to music at Chugging Monkey. Although I could barely walk and had to sit at every bar I had a blast. Jess was somehow dancing and bouncing around completely unaffected by the near 6 hour triathlon that she had done hours before.

We ended off the trip with a Monday visit to Bicycle Sport Shop's headquarters. This was a 20,000 square foot bicycle store with about 30 staff on hand. On Tuesday we swam at the Barton Springs outdoor swimming pool/spring. Talk about the best lap pool! This place was a natural spring that they had added a pool deck to that measured 220 meters in length. It was all natural rock and the middle of the spring was about 20 feet deep and had plants that almost reached to the surface. The water had both living plants, some of which reached almost 15 feet high, and plenty of fish to watch. Talk about getting over some open water fears.

I look forward to doing more as I know I have a lot to learn. I am so good at short distances and the half seems like the perfect distance to challenge myself and push my body to achieve greater heights.

Sorry for the delay on this but a combination of fatigue, a plethora of material to write, and trying to catch up at work gave me plenty of excuses to not update my blog.

Happy Reading!

P.S. sorry for typos or grammar errors as this project was long overdue. I just needed to post it!

There is an update brewing.

2011-10-27T19:17:00.000-07:00

I will have an update soon. In fact I am 58.4 percent done with one that recaps Austin. I am not just going to give you a race cap but I want to try and recap the whole trip. Austin is great and we had a blast!

The Death of a Legacy...

2011-10-03T20:07:00.000-07:00

First a recap. We ended with the race and I was supposed to tell you about Interbike. Interbike was AWESOME for Swiftwick and we were slammed. There is really nothing huge to update other than that we were one of the busiest booths and for once I just worked. Didn't really party or go out all that much because I was just dog tired after working the expo. Heck, it was the first year I didn't even walk around the show.

Second, I was supposed to tell you about Kentucky. As always visiting my other family is absolutely amazing and a complete blast. My parents joined me for the trip and we went to KY for Jess's brothers wedding reception. Great food, Great people, Lot's of beer, cornhole, laughs, dancing, all that you would want for a weekend. I love going there! Jess did manage to slip in the shower right when she got to KY and bit through her bottom lip completely when she face-planted. The Family then decided later that night that it was only right to create a shower helmet and wrap it up so she could open it later that night...Gotta love em!

Sad news to report on the weekend. My 2001 Toyota Camry decided to hit the hay and is no longer drive-able. At first I was somewhat excited because it finally gave me an excuse to buy a new car. However, it's starting to hit me now about what that car represents and how I am going to really miss Dune Buggy (it's nickname). I had a ton of memories in that car and a part of me thought it would never "die". It was the car that drove me back and forth from Murfreesboro to school for 4 years and allowed me to get a degree. It was the car that always made people think I was the police when I pulled up to house parties (was all white with a roof-rack, if you got the right angle looked like lights). It was the car I drove to all the races in and the one that people give a friendly honk to when they recognize. IT was the one I was driving when I won my first bicycle race and triathlon.

It was the car that I first snuggled up with Jessica against. The car that I took her on my first formal date with. The car I sat in as I asked Gary if I could marry his daughter. The car that I drove Jessica to my campsite dinner where I proposed to her. It carried us to some of the best trips and races like St. Louis, Athens (GA), Hilton Head, Kentucky (tons of times), Florida, Chattanooga, Huntsville, Birmingham...Well pretty much all over the Southeast.

Truth be told that car car has been a part of many significant memories and events. Ones that will always be cherished for the rest of my life. So I guess this is my tribe to Dune Buggy and a thank you for all you've carried me through.

The Schmillers are going to miss you!

Getting Lucky in Nashvegas

2011-09-28T20:48:00.000-07:00

There I was, trudging out of the water dizzy and disoriented. I managed to find my balance as I squinted at my watch and saw 27 minutes. Suddenly panic overtook my mind as I thought, CRAP, that is the slowest 1500 meter swim in history. Convinced that I was out of the top ten I told myself to keep on moving and to make up some ground on my strength, the bike.

As I entered T1 I heard someone yell, you’re fourth out of the water! What, I mean I know there was a current the last half of the swim directly against us, but how could 27 minutes be fourth out of the water? Shortly after the announcer screamed, and the pack will be ending the swim soon, which really put me in rush mode. With a new found sense of urgency and a jolt of renewed energy that would put that 5 hour stuff to shame; I threw off my wetsuit and ran with my bike out of transition.

When exiting transition I heard, your only 5 minutes down from the leader! I knew over the course of a 25 mile ride that I could make up that time if I put myself in a little deficit. So I rode, I rode like there wasn’t a run afterward, like I would ride in a Time Trial. I picked off 4^th place with in 3 minutes (I lost a spot in transition, hung up on wetsuit). I saw 3^rd up the road and at that moment 3^rd place turned into a rabbit. My fangs dripping with slobber and snot I powered forward. Mile 6, 3^rd place picked off. As my eyes scanned the horizon I scanned for 2^nd. He was up there but it was a stretch..Doesn’t matter I thought to myself, stay focused and spin perfect circles.

I could see him right in front of me, we were going up a climb. Must be around 11 miles I thought to myself (don’t ride with a computer). Next thing I know we are approaching the turn around and out of the turn I make my move. It’s FRANK!! A super strong triathlete that I knew was going to be my arch nemesis in this particular scenario. As I passed him I yelled “Don’t pass me on the run!” I knew that was his strong point so my focus at that particular moment was to just gain time. Not soon after I passed number 1 taking the lead of the race.

It’s weird being out in front. Nobody is there to pace off of and all you see is open road. I knew Frank was going to be biting at my heels on the run so I went full throttle. I didn’t care about the run at that particular moment, all I was concerned about was gaining time. I came into T2 about 2 minutes up on Frank. As I was running out of T2 he was coming in and had just overtaken 2^nd place. Knowing that he was right there I knew that I had to set a pace that could blow me up or lead to victory.

As my feet pounded the pavement all I could think about was the major discomfort my body was in. My pace was high (for me) and all I wanted to do was to survive to the end. The lead rider that was riding in front of me was superb. She would look back periodically to remind me that no one was there. At about mile 2 she told me that I had just run a 6:30 mile. INSANE, I thought to myself as I had never run that pace for a 10k before. Whatever, just dig I told myself. I rounded the half way point of the run and saw Craig Evans in first place for the half iron distance. I gave him a five as we passed and told him great job.

Not but a minute after I saw Frank. I yelled great job and he gave me a five reassuring that the day was mine. I thought to myself yeah right, I am just waiting to bonk. Sure enough I held it out and at the end, even managed to get somewhat lost as I did not know which way the finish ran. I crossed the line first overall and ecstatic that the day had panned out the way it did. Through all the hard work and training it was nice to put a victory on the scoreboard. Jessica even managed to place first in her age group after battling a very tough swim. The Schmillers racked up a couple golds and had a good day with great people.

Lucas I'm coming for you!

Holy Smokes.

2011-09-24T17:32:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, I need to get this blog thing updated. That is on the attack plan tomorrow. Here is what is to come.

-The last Olympic Race of the season

- Interbike

- Partying in Kentucky (with Jess's new "lip Piercing")

It's coming....Get ready.

Shelby Bottoms Shredding

2011-09-01T08:07:00.000-07:00

Was sick of the road this morning so I dusted off the mountain bike and embarked on a 2 hour Shelby Bottoms mountain bike ride this morning. The air was crisp, already humid, and the sun was just starting to wake up from its slumber. I took some groggy pedal strokes and soon my legs recognized the oh so familiar tasks of moving in circles. After an easy spin of about 15 minutes I proceeded to cut through some of the trails off the greenway, taking hundreds of fresh spun spider webs with me.

As much as I hated being coated with spider webs, it was refreshing to be the only person each particular trail section so early in the morning. It was just me, the bike, the sunrise, the dew, the trees, and no distractions. For two hours my mind was focused on hearing my gears click, the tires hitting different surfaces, my breath, and no thoughts about the tasks about the day even surfaced. I managed to get within 5 feet of an 8 point buck, saw some baby ducklings, some baby bunnies, and one of the largest spider webs I have ever seen (luckily dodged it at the last moment). There would be no other way that I would like to start each day.

Tonight, Jess and I embark on a new journey and are heading to Canada. More specifically her brother is getting married so we have the opportunity to stay in Algonquin Park which is a huge national park right outside Toronto. I am sure we will have some stories to share and some beautiful pictures to show when we return.

For now, I am going to sell some socks and always come back to the ride this morning when things get hectic. Crazy how therapeutic a bike can be.

Thanks for reading.

Living a meaningful life

2011-08-29T20:28:00.000-07:00

I wake up, I train, I go to work, I train, I come home, cook, Spend time with Jess, and then I go to sleep. For the most part this is my routine, sure it may waiver and some of my training is with Jess but 90 percent of the time this is it. So how in the heck do I expect my life to be meaningful? I ask myself that a lot. In fact I hear that question a lot.

We read about and see people like Matthew the disciple, John the Baptist, Billy Graham, Martin Luther King, and heck even Bono. They spend or have spent their life preaching a greater message and have impacted a multitude of people. For the most part though, we are all doing the same thing. We are working for a company, in a set time frame and each day goes by a little more quickly than it should. So how in the heck do we expect our lives to be meaningful?

I hear it played out all the time and stated, that I just can't spread the joy of God because of my schedule or because of my job. Like we think we are expected to be preachers, disciples or some other form of religious leader. I beg the differ. I think God knows perfectly clear the world that we live in now has molded itself into a working class civilization, where working majority of your life is expected and executed. So how am I supposed to impact other people and spread his word?

Actions always speak louder than words. I'll come clean, the other day I gave this jerk the bird as he deliberately sped up so I couldn't merge into his lane. I brake checked a driver on the way home today that was a foot away from my bumper. You know what; I was stupid. Not only did I negatively effect another person, I showed about 20 other people how cruel the world is. Evil is plentiful and love is scarce in our world.

That person you just cut off, that door you didn't hold, that person you didn't waive to, that creepy guy in the office that no one talks to, that phone call you didn't return, that time you didn't spend, that scripture you didn't read, that conversation you never had, that person you talked about all led to thrown away opportunities to do God's work. Recognizing and doing small things to spread the joy of heaven is exactly what we are called to do and you will find supreme joy in doing all those small things that lead to a life of ministry.

Sure I may slip, honk at that guy, say a few curse words but I am human and I am imperfect. I hope that all the things I did do in my life will out-shadow all the missed opportunities that I had to be better. That is what God calls us to do, to love, rise above worldly circumstances, recognize our shortcomings, and improve on ourselves every day.

So for you and me, let's stop making excuses. Let's start living a little better and do the little things that construct the bigger picture. I guarantee we will become happier and become closer to our Lord and Savior.

Good Night and thanks for reading.

Well that was a Dud.

2011-08-22T06:41:00.000-07:00

The workday on Friday ended with feelings of excitement and nervousness as Jessica and I began packing for our race in Fall Creek Falls State Park. Fall Creek Falls is a beautiful park with some major hills and gorgeous scenery that will be sure to leave you in awe. Friday we packed up and went to bed early in anticipation for our early departure on Saturday.

We opted to take the "camping" route as the weather was actually mild for once and the low was going to be in the upper 60's. Now by camping I mean we chose a drive up camp site, had a full size air mattress in our tent, and stainless steel pots and pans to go on our propane portable burners...We camp in style. We did the usual campsite thing which included collecting some firewood, lots of sitting and talking, and a short ride to pick up our packets to spin out the legs. We ended with a gourmet dinner cooked by Jessica which included turkey burgers, broccoli, sweet potatoes and Portabella mushrooms. Then we all went to bed, fat and happy. If I didn't mention it Lindsey from our team was staying on the same campground, that is why the phrase we all is used.

Race day is always an early start. We were up before the sun even thought about waking up. First order of business for myself was to use the embers from the fire the night before and get the fire started again....Mission was accomplished. Jessica made some oatmeal and coffee and we all sat around and talked about the race. Lindsey said something along the lines of I don't think it is supposed to rain today which was great reassurance for favorable conditions. Forecast was 30 percent chance of rain and high of 89; the water temp that morning was 80.

We arrived to the race site at 6:30, I was wearing lucky number seven so I was able to choose a fabulous transition location. After getting some water and getting our numbers on our bodies we went down to the lake to check out the conditions. I hopped in and swam about 300 meters to allow my body to familiarize itself with the swim motion and water conditions. The lake was smooth as glass. It was about start time when I got done warming up so I lined up with the other people in my wave and waited for the official to tell us to get into the water. Skies at this point looked pretty ominous as bad weather was starting to roll in.

Right at our start time the sky let out a massive lightning bolt followed by a clap of lightning...Crap..Delay. The thirty minute delay started which zaps some of your race energy right away. I was shivering because it was colder outside than being in the water. I found refuge in the men's bathroom where it shielded me from the winds. One thing led to another and they ended up cancelling the swim altogether. No one was really excited for a duathlon but I was going to just chalk it up as a training day.

The walk back to transition was about 300 meters (I know, really long). As we waited for the start of the Duathlon some monstrous storm clouds moved in and all of a sudden the perfect storm rolls in. About 200 racers scattered and found refuge under 2 tents and a pavilion. Finally, after being pounded by the storm the organizers decided to cancel the race as most of the racers had already decided to leave. So we went back packed up the tent and headed home.

We arrived at the homestead at about 11:30 A.M. and took a much needed nap. After a few house chores I decided to get a hard brick workout in and Jessica called it a day after all the excitement. I was able to manage a 24 mph average over a 21 mile time trial and finished it up with a 5.5 mile run. After, as you are supposed to do on any good training day, Jessica and I went and ate cheap mexican and enjoyed a massive margarita.

Happy Monday.

Those were the days...

2011-08-16T17:30:00.000-07:00

Last night a buddy tagged a photo of a Jersey with his name on the back. Simple photo that had about 8 names tagged to it, outsiders looking in probably would have no idea the significance of the photo, but to me it symbolized a family. You see all through High School I was part of a paintball team that was comprised of 8 - 15 members, usually the number fluctuated but the core group was about 8 players. We were all young, hot - headed, and wanted to tear up anything that walked on the field with us. That was the attitude and drive that allowed us to play some of the biggest tournaments, gather some sponsors, and play the best regional teams during our paintball career.

It wasn't necessarily the playing and tournaments that makes the team so memorable though (although we have some great stories). It was the times shared and lessons learned that came along with that period that will stick with each one of us. It symbolizes a group of young men who despite being immature at every chance possible, were able to come together as one and work as a unit to achieve and overcome. With different backgrounds, athletic abilities, schools, tempers, and attitudes we were able to form a network of friends that no matter how long its been since the last visit, will always be there for each other.

We learned how to work hard on our own, to push through pain, to sweat, to focus, and to work together to achieve a common goal. Lessons that I still apply to my life today to achieve and exceed my goals. We learned how to work out problems and maintain camaraderie despite having short fuses and stubborn opinions. I still use that today to live happily in a workplace and to be happily married because conflict will and always arises.

Those times we didn't have to work full time, we didn't have to worry about bills, all we had to do was play.When we couldn’ afford to play we built bunkers and flipped over furniture inside the house to mock the fields we played on. We scrimmaged each other without paint, making sounds with our mouths that mocked a paintball gun. All for sheer passion and dedication.

When one of our team mates went to the other side we learned how to deal with death and the severe grief that can consume ones soul. We learned how to reflect, to cry when we needed to cry, and to come together to find healing. Despite being such a tragic event the funeral brought us all together again and allowed us to share the memories that we all contributed to. All the teammates were in one room and we were laughing while we were reflecting because we just had a good damn time. Those were the days…

Long live CK…R.I.P SWC

Lessons from the ER

2011-08-12T09:06:00.000-07:00

As soon as I pulled into the driveway I was ready to grab a beer, grab some food, turn on the TV and do absolutely nothing. The morning started with a hard 40 mile ride into work and ended with a 20 mile (most direct route) ride back home. The work day was fatiguing as I am in one of those mid-season sales slumps and every effort has been turned into a no.

As I lay on the couch with a feeling of relief and twist off the top to my carbonated reward I notice someone in the front yard walking toward the house. Stunned, I continue to look at him through my living room mirror and give him the nod to make sure he knows that I see him. He then waves for me to come out and when I do he tells me he is suffering from severe chest pain and needs me to take him to the hospital. Well, without hesitation my body turns on its fight or flight system and I rush to put shorts on over the bibs I was still wearing, tried to find all my loose belongings, and to lock all the doors to rush this kid to the hospital. Let me tell you when Jess has a baby at some point we are screwed because I was a disaster trying to get out of the house.

On the way to the hospital I started to ask Nick (the kid), who ended up being my neighbors grandson, about what the pain felt like. I asked if he has been stressed or anything changed around the home recently that has made him anxious. I found out that he has had some major family issues and has been extremely mad all week; I instantly knew that he was having a panic attack. I still took him to Vanderbilt because I knew nothing of his history and wanted to make sure it was nothing. This is when I learned my first lesson: Always be willing to drop what your doing and help someone no matter how tired, occupied, busy, or complacent you are.

As Nick was getting his first exam I was waiting in the waiting room. That was when I was approached by a man who looked like a construction worker. He asked to use my phone and I of course let him dial a number. He told me it was going to be long distance to which I said no worries and to go right ahead. Upon hanging up I could tell that other people had said no because he started to tear and told me that I had no idea how much that meant. He told me his mother just died and his sister moved back to New York and no one even knew that he had been in and out of the hospital the past couple days. That taught be another lesson: Always use the resources you have to help someone in need.

Nick was then transferred to the children's hospital after we checked into the adult clinic because he was only 14. By this time he was in a wheelchair and I was driving him around. I have yet to mention that Nick is a black kid with some pretty sweet dreads and I am about as white as you can get. We entered the children's hospital in the waiting room and I wheeled him in to where I was instantly stared at by another family. They were probably wondering what these two guys were doing together. I began to get a little angered by the mean mug I was receiving from one of the family members so I made sure to stare right back at him. One of that gentleman's family members whispered in his ear to where he punched the wall and walked back into the hospital.

Later the family started talking to me and told me his child had been hit by a car when the driver ran a stop sign. His child was 11 and now had a broken foot, leg, wrist and arm. They said that the x-rays looked like everything on one side of his body was shattered. That is when I learned my third lesson: Be slow to judge but quick to lend a smile.

Through the two and a half hours we were there it was just Nick and I. I had never formally met him before but he started to open up to me. Told me about his broken family life, his aspirations to be a track or football star, his pressure that he is putting on himself to play for Oregon State (fav team), his overwhelming desire to live in another home, and his resentment toward his mom. I offered him what I could and tried to be supportive, lord knows I hope I said the right things. I really didn't say much at all because I figured that this time I probably needed to just listen. To lend him a non judgmental ear that he could just let his heart spill out. That was my last lesson: Always be willing to listen because you never know who needs to just let it all out.

Thanks for looking!

Oh the 2 for 1

2011-08-10T07:13:00.000-07:00

It gets you every time you know and not even on the days where you should be at a bar. Like last night, which was a Tuesday. Why in the heck would I go out on Tuesday..Oh yeah, because it's 2 for 1s, duh! In addition, I always start this familiar endeavor with the stupid statement of, I am only going to have a couple. Right. I mean when makeup is on sales does a woman only buy one thing of mascara or one color of lipstick...NO! Last time I had 2 for 1s at this particular spot I ended up finding a stretcher in the carport of a funeral home under some leaves and took it home. So, I am an expert 2 for 1er.

Yesterday after work I said I'd go but I would only have a couple. I met my dad and a good friend of mine to hit up the 50% discount. Of course my couple beers turned into three sets of couple beers and history was starting to repeat itself. Now I know your waiting for a climax to this story and to be honest with you I really don't know where this story is going. Amazingly, the night was just legitimate fun, good company, and stayed calm. We did meet the Nashville Roller Derby Girls last night and I found out an old friend of mine is making her debut appearance this weekend, DARN! Hate to miss that. Check out their Derby Video and go see them at the Municipal Auditorium if your ever in Nashville. Jess was much smarter and spent her girls night stretching out in Yoga and having some cheap Mexican food after. She was sound asleep when I walked into the house.

This morning I was feeling, well, less than spectacular. I swore the alarm went off as soon I had laid my head down. Jess and I did manage to get in a swim of 2700 meters. I was still a little woozy so the black line under water was moving back and forth. Hopefully some coffee will get me jump started this morning.

I did hear one interesting fact this morning and that is the average income of an Ironman triathlete is around 126k. 126k, HOLY COW. So next time your at a race just remember why you see so many nice bikes. These people have some serious play money!

Until next time!

Tired Monday..

2011-08-08T08:34:00.000-07:00

What a phenomenal weekend. I just feel so blessed sometimes to be able to do the things that Jess and I do, to experience things that we experience, and to somehow have the time to fit it all in. Last Friday could not have come soon enough as the week had taken its usual toll. Kicked off Friday evening with an after work beer to say goodbye to a Swiftwick Intern followed by an East Nashville muddy mountain bike ride. Friday night we were accompanied by some great friends and went on a scooter ride to dinner!

Saturday Jess and I woke up to a rainy morning so we decided to sideline the bikes and to get some shopping done during tax free weekend. After a trip to a couple clothing stores and Home Depot, we got some new clothes and our very first hose! Woot! Saturday evening we decided to go for a run as the roads were still fairly nasty. Knowing we had to get at least a good hour in we set off on our run. We actually managed to run for 90 minutes and covered 13 miles in the Nashville humidity. Furthermore, Jess was kicking my butt at the very end and managed to drop me on the final stretch. I know, pretty darn sexy! The run wore us out so we spent the night watching some TV and just relaxing with each other.

One unexpected thing that happened on Saturday was running into a local celeb. Jess and I were making our way out of Sam and Zoe's when a familiar face walked by. I did the super double take and managed to spit out, " Oh hey, What up Kesha." Of course I got the stone cold walk by but I thought it was pretty hilarious running into her (who I was in school with). We then met her manager Tessa who was super nice and a local as well. The funniest thing was that they were both rolling around in an old beat up Honda from the early 90's. Keeping it real I guess.

We started Sunday right by getting our butts out of bed and making it to church. After we enjoyed breakfast at The Perch where we had a magnificent omelet and Nutella crepe. I was a little cranky and needed a nap probably from the lingering effects of the run. After an afternoon snooze Jess went to the grocery and I hopped on the bike to try and muster up some strength for a long ride. I managed to get in a 3 hour ride and averaged 20.5 mph solo!! I was stoked that after the long run on Saturday I could come back and put in a huge ride like that beating the fatigue my body was experiencing. We ended the weekend with an awesome dinner that Jessica made and some company with great friends.

Now I am ready to tackle the week!

Thanks for reading.

Old Naked Guy

2011-08-05T07:07:00.000-07:00

Alarm Clock, hit snooze instead of dismiss, woke up frantically with that feeling of Oh S$#*. Luckily just twenty minutes had passed and I was still in the position to get my morning swim in. In the morning I function at a rate of 60 percent for the first hour so what should have taken me only ten minutes to get out of the house, took me twenty. For example, upon sitting in the car to leave I tried to plug my car phone charger into my ignition for at least 3 minutes before figuring out that the keys go there.

A twenty minute drive to Franklin would hopefully ensure that I would be fully functioning by the time I reached the pool by swiftwick.com. Indeed, the swim went well as I swam my 5 x 500 yard set, ending with a total swim set of 3100 yards. However, I didn't come here to talk about my swim. I came to talk about locker room etiquette and old naked men.

Now I am not a fan of the group shower, never have been but today I was feeling rather ganky and needed to rinse off. After my rinse I went over to my locker and was drying off, completely naked but facing my locker so my Netherlands wouldn't be on public display. Now let me add a diagram:

Ok, so it is just me and one old guy in the locker room who has no problem at all with putting his schnitzel on display. No problem I think, as the whole locker room is empty and there is plenty of room for him to dry off elsewhere. I have claimed my spot, this is my region, no one will intrude on my space...WRONG!! Before I know it old man is standing RIGHT behind me completely naked with his butt 1 foot away from touching my butt (we are represented by the circles in the diagram). I thought to myself, no problem his locker must be directly behind mine and he probably doesn't know where his body is ( I mean he is probably early 70's). Wrong again! He looks back at me, notices he is about a flank steaks distance from me and proceeds to go about his business. Finally, he goes to his locker which is a good 8 feet away!!! Weird.

What can we take away from this experience. A.) Men's locker rooms are truly a strange place; I never have understood them. I mean a bunch of guys, slinging their ape hangers around, chatting, like they have get-togethers in their birthday suits. B.) Always be aware of where you put your belongings. Luckily, I had a locker on the aisle. The last thing you want is the back corner because there is no escape and you could be cornered by 3 or 4 men with more than 280 years of experience. C.) Always have an escape plan. As in any extreme circumstance (flood, fire, robbery, medical, naked encounters, etc) an escape route is needed before somebody gets hurt.

Thanks for Tuning In.

SpeedWork in the AM.. And my Fav.

2011-08-04T07:37:00.000-07:00

Birds were chirping, the underground community of stray cats was up an' adam, and Jess and I were struggling to make it out of bed. It has been increasingly hard to wake up in the morning this week for some reason and with temperatures meeting the 100 degree mark, its wake up or don't work out for the day. So with the alarm ringing and a brief discussion of who was going to get out of bed first, we both got up for our morning speedwork.

The Time was 6:00 A.M. and it was already 80 degrees with 70 percent humidity. The workout called for a 10 minute warm up, 4 sets of 3 minute threshold interval with 1 minute recovery and then an easy jog totaling about 40 minutes. With the air the way it is in Nashville it is almost like doing those threashold intervals in a sauna. However, we pushed through and the workout went as planned. I have been running in the K Swiss Kwicky Blade Light. It has been a phenomenal shoe that has some mid support yet stays pretty neutral. I have a stride that breaks down after about 8 miles so this shoe has that little extra support on those longer runs.

One of my favorite things about ending a workout at such an early time in the morning is starting the day with that feeling of completion. In addition, and maybe even more importantly, it means I can enjoy some time with my snoopy mug. This mug is the BOMB. Maybe I will start doing some product reviews on this blog. I'll Start with the mug.

One of the initial qualities that sets this mug apart from all the other white porcelain mugs is the weight and balance. While you don't want a mug with too much weight as to overload your drinking arm, you also do not want a mug that feels to light or "unsubstantial". The Snoopy Mug was engineered to be that perfect balance of power and finesse, of weight and balance, of vulnerability and fortitude.

Even looking past the sheer genius construction, one can't overlook the story that the graphic displays. Starting off the morning with a relaxing image depicting Snoopy and the bird in such a relaxed, yet giving, state inspires one to start their day in both tranquility and generosity.

This is why I am giving this mug a 9/10. One point was deducted for the principal of perfection. For nothing is truly perfect.

Thanks for tuning in.

I finally broke down.

2011-08-03T08:06:00.000-07:00

I broke a cardinal rule today...Sleeveless Jersey.

I have been riding bikes on the road now for about seven years and in that time I have made sure to try and be as stylish as possible. Now, with that being said I made a vow to myself a vow to, A: never wear low cut socks and B: Never to wear a sleeveless jersey. Well today I folded and not only did I wear a sleeveless jersey but I also wore low cut socks.

I don't really know what this means to tell you the truth. I mean in my defense it is really hot and it felt quite nice having some more skin exposed but at the same rate I don't want to fall off the stylish bandwagon. I don't want to let myself go because before you know it I could be riding in no show socks, shorts not bibs and a helmet with a visor. That is what happens when you let yourself go.

So I am going to make a rule today and that is I never break the rule that I broke today. Or if I have to, to never combine low cut socks and a sleeveless jersey at the same time.

Why I train.

2011-08-02T07:23:00.000-07:00

Imagine that....Another blogging time lapse.

Lately I have been thinking about why I personally train for and participate in Triathlons. With a root in bicycle racing and a recent turn over to triathlon focused training, endurance is an integral part of my life. Why? I ask myself that quite a bit, especially on those mornings where swinging your leg over the bike is particularly difficult. Is it because I truly enjoy training ,desire to be on the podium, to be fit, escape from every day life, have some time alone with god, enjoy quality time with my wife, have some control over an activity, to keep from being like 90 percent of people that have a sedentary lifestyle?

What I have come to so far is Yes. Yes to all of the above. On any particular day I may not enjoy training, I may still have all that "other" stuff on my mind, may get frustrated training with my wife, may fail to be on the podium, but those days are anomalies. When I train and race, I have a time where thoughts melt away and I am left with the sound of my foot hitting the pavement, derailleurs clicking to another gear, wind howling in my ear, birds having conversations in the trees, I am...away. Away from the hustle and bustle of work, from deadlines, from bosses, from bills, from stress, from all the other things that occur in life.

Although I can't put a finger on exactly why I train and look forward to my workouts every single day, I do know the lessons that endurance sports have taught me. Through life you have to have perseverance to keep going no matter what obstacle gets in your way. Through life you have to stay focused on the tasks at hand. Through life you have to stay motivated to make the most of each moment and do your best. Lastly, you have to truly value your body and appreciate what your mind and body is capable of. Training and racing has taught me to do each of these things to the nth degree. I must say that each of those lessons is absolutely priceless.

So upon getting to the gym this morning to find the pool is closed for the month, I skipped my workout this morning. However, you can sure as hell bet that I am going to make up a doozy for the afternoon.

Homeowners!

2011-06-14T10:29:00.000-07:00

Well Jess and I made a huge leap and we bought a house! WHAT!? What started as a part time project to see what was on the market, lead to us seizing a great opportunity and snagging a house in East Nashville. The house is small at only 700 square feet but it has an enormous garage that can house a car, our scooter, and bike collection. The plan is to rent it out in a year or two because of the deal we got on it but we shall see if we are in the position to do so that quickly. Neither one of us want to spend a whole day house keeping or cleaning so a smaller house is best for now, we spend all that extra time outside.

Jessica also finished her first triathlon in Memphis a few weeks ago. She was 4th in her age group and a had a solid time of 1:16; she is definitely starting to come into some great training form. I am starting to heal up as I have two long runs under my belt and no foot pain, my first race is tomorrow night.

Hopefully more posts to come but without internet at home and how busy we are, usually results in no down time for blogging.

Corrections

2011-05-17T08:38:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I have some corrections to do on that last blog post. I may have gotten a little sloppy because I was trying to slam out a quick post without any proofreading. That is evident in the way the blog post was written and presented.

There was some humor in the first couple lines and those were supposed to be constructed in that way. Jessica wanted to make sure that I correct the fact that her adrenaline remained in tact during and after the construction problem as well. I may have told the story from my side because I slept most of the way!

Another correction, we did not sleep in Macon because the town at night seemed to be quite Po - Dunk, if you will.

There you have it.

Enjoy.

Son of a Beach

2011-05-13T14:23:00.000-07:00

What better way to cure a broken foot then head to the beach and the beach is where we went, beach. Jess and I drove the warrior wagon (the Camry) to Hilton Head Island, SC after work on Friday after work. Now starting a nine hour drive after a full work day is a little ostentatious but we had nothing but sand and waves on our mind..So what the hell, we tried it.

It was all smooth sailing until we hit some construction in Chattanooga that delayed us for TWO hours. Needless to say that wore off the adrenaline and we were barely able to get rolling again. We made it to Macon, GA where we frantically yet somewhat strategically tried to find a hotel to stay in. They all ended up being to expensive to stay in for 4 hours so we slept in the parking lot of a La Quinta Inn and got to rolling early in the AM. Then we finally got to this...

Hilton Head Island is great, all the bike paths that you could possibly dream of and great weather. We spent the time riding cruisers, hanging out with family, laying by the pool, playing some bocce ball and relaxing.

Now its back to the ol office grind. Have to try and stay of this foot that I broke while running ( go figure) in order for it to heal right. Jess is signed up for her first Triathlon in Memphis which is going to be a blast.

Oh, forgot to tell you, we got a freakin scooter! If you don't have a scooter you have got to check one out. With gas prices on the rise and me going through bike denial we decided to pull the trigger on a moped. Check it out baby, straight up VIP. 1 gallon tank that gets 80 mpg, what you think about that!

Also make sure to check out twitter.com/theschmiller and twitter.com/jschmiller.

Hello people!

2011-04-25T09:02:00.001-07:00

Don't really know if I can give you an update over the past three months because it has gone in a flash! Jess and I have been training, working, traveling, and whatever else we have been doing. It's looking like a stormy Monday so I thought I would start the day off with getting my blogging habits kick-started again. I really have fallen victim to Twitter (@theschmiller and @Jschmiller) because you only have to write so much. However, the blog has been calling my name and yet again here I return.

We kicked off the weekend with the purchase of a scooter! Now the scooter didn't run and I thought it would be a fun learning experience to tinker with the thing and get it running again. It's almost brand new but just had been sitting in the previous owners garage for a couple years so I knew the carburetter was probably just jammed up. Sure enough after working Friday night and Saturday afternoon I had the thing purring like a dream with a new battery, new spark plug, some new gas, and a cleaned carb. Excited to be a part of the scooter family!

Racing this year has been up and down. My first race was Tour de Tuscaloosa which was a Criterium and Road Race. I always go into this race knowing that I am out of race shape and my mission is to hold on to the guys that have an early start to the season. In the Criterium I did just that and finished mid pack and the road race I will just pretend I got a "flat" and dropped out. Really I just got dropped and rode back to the car.

Then there was Hell of the South which was a 96 mile Road Race here close to home. It was one of those races to where if you just hung in there you were probably going to do really well and that is exactly what I did. After about 5 hours of racing I crossed the line with a group of four and finishing 10th out of about 60 starters.

The next week, Sunny King Criterium followed by the Cheoha challenge (really don't know how to spell that). You can see the final laps of the race here, I am the really tall guy in bright green and yellow Sonic kit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UafZSOwNMAE

I managed an 8th place finish out of 140 riders by avoiding chaos and riding near the front! The next day Jess and I rode 66 miles and were the first finishers, it was a hard grind but she rode her butt off. We actually managed a short jog afterwards because I guess we are just gluttons for punishment.

My last race was Aaron Schafer memorial race where the whole team suffered bad luck and unfortunately we weren't there to help Travis at the end. He did manage a 5th place though which was a super strong finish!

The weird thing is that I have really taken a kin to running and the best results that I have had this year have been in running races. I have been trying to get at least 20 miles in a week of running with my cycling and can feel that I am getting much better. At the Tom King Classic 5k this year I was second in my age group at 19:41 and Jess was first with 22:36! Then at Race Judicata 10k which was a super hilly course I got 2nd in my age group at 43:35.

Jess and I both have some big challenges on the way one being the Austin 70.3 in October. In the direct future I have Athens Twilight this weekend and both of us are doing Memphis in May, Music City and a few other small races.

Will be updating soon!

Making a difference whilst riding.

2011-02-23T07:13:00.000-08:00

There is a plethora of reasons as to why Swiftwick is a great place to work. I talk to passionate business owners, endurance athletes, committed customers, brand evangelists, I ride to work, hear success stories, and develop long lasting relationships. However, one of the best perks is being able to participate in various and organizations.
As an endurance athlete, I always feel pressed for time, trying to squeeze one or two workouts into a day that is filled with other commitments and obligations. With days like these, that are busy from sun up to bed time, it is hard to find the time to make a difference in this world. I always struggle with how to take a rest, manage my time and possibly use my talents to help out my local community.
Friday, I got to do just that with Ride For Reading, whose mission is to promote literacy and healthy living through the distribution of books via bicycle to children from low-income neighborhoods. We take so much for granted and don't even recognize that their are kids in our communities who cannot read and don't get to take home any books...What!? I mean, it is so hard to believe that some children do not have the resources to take home a book and develop the foundation of education.

There were about 25 riders who showed up to make a delivery to Inglewood Elementary in East Nashville. We loaded up around 400 books and started the 14 mile round trip to deliver books to over 200 screaming children who greeted us with signs and an unmatched sense of appreciation and enthusiasm as we pulled into the parking lot. After, Matthew Portell, (founder of Ride For Reading) gave the children a speech that explained the difference between all the different bikes we were riding, stressed the importance of wearing a helmet, and most importantly explained why reading is so important.

We then were lead into the school and set up the books in the library so that the kids were able to look through and find a book that interested them. It was their book, one that they can take home, read, take ownership of and practice something so valuable. I left feeling inspired, joyful, and sense of yearning to do more.