Welcome to the re-tooled version of the zentriathlete blog.

Thoughts I am currently working through in my headspace

First thing. I am back. Welcome to The Re-tooled version of the #zentriathlete blog. After a bit of a break and a hiatus from journaling and blogging, I finally landed on choosing WordPress. Liz and I are working into a space under happyinthehills.com. Should be fun! Let’s do this!

Concerning the concept of Peak performance.

The tough thing is there truly are so many approaches.   The difficulty is navigating what perception of peak performance you are searching for – the ability o be honest with oneself is often the hardest. The reality is if the person is seeking something that is reasonable, a stretch or something completely different. Below is a great title that helped me understand multiple vectors for consideration.

I used to be of the mind that it was all about a formula. Well often that formula leads to a problem often riddled with injury and unrealistic expectations. I am grateful that I have come across material such as the title above that helped me recalibrate and learn more. I subscribe to this thought:

As a youth I was often naïve and believed the assumption that a coach knows everything. WRONG!!! I have a great local friend that has truly pushed this envelope outside of triathlon. His philosophy has been fun to watch mature and he really is nailing it. If you are a soccer player in the Greater Cache Valley – please look his program up here: https://northernutahunited.com/#/home (Jeff Ginn, Director of Coaching).

I think the most important thing that I have learned in my journey is that it’s just not always the same formula. So, many variables are constantly changing, especially in the following vectors:

• Life
• Family
• Work
• Hobbies
• Health
• Mindset

I guess the biggest thing I have learned is flexibility, but being consistent is vital and necessary. Also an accurate framing of the reality that is being encountered. Too often when signing up for a triathlon event for example, I am in the moment and like, YESSSSS! I can conquer the world. I am a ‘prisoner of the moment’ and discard the realities I should be considering:

• Life circumstance
• Fitness today to day of event
• Timing of the even
  • School schedules
  • Holidays
  • Other key events of the year
• Cost
• Accumulated stressors
• Planned vacations

Those are just a few factors that aren’t in my face when I am like, and Ironman in St. George – where do I sign up. Thanks heavens that Ironman doesn’t have a sign up booth at finish line. Many sign ups that could lead to free monies (DNS – Did Not Start) type scenarios as an example. All these things lead to either successfully navigating what leads to Peak Performance or injury and worse – burn out. Time after time I watch single discipline sport hobbyist that land in injury or burnout. In 2015 at my first 70.3 triathlon I was almost that person too – (Read here should you choose). So I follow something that a stoic philosopher once said:

“Some things are in our control and others not. Things in our control are opinion, pursuit, desire, aversion, and, in a word, whatever are our own actions. Things not in our control are body, property, reputation, command, and, in one word, whatever are not our actions. The things in our control are by nature free, unrestrained, unhindered; but those not in our control are weak, slavish, restrained, belonging to others. Remember, then, that if you suppose that things which are slavish by nature are also free, and that what belongs to others is your own, then you will be hindered. You will lament, you will be disturbed, and you will find fault both with gods and men. But if you suppose that only to be your own which is your own, and what belongs to others such as it really is, then no one will ever compel you or restrain you. Further, you will find fault with no one or accuse no one. You will do nothing against your will. No one will hurt you, you will have no enemies, and you not be harmed.”https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/58325124

Where am I at with things – ABOUT LIZ AND HER NEEDED BACK SURGERY

Priority 1 – Currently and the most important thing at this point is my wife Liz’s upcoming back surgery in Germany.

Back surgery campaign for Liz — for those interested its open thru Aug 11 – So please go order a shirt!!!!. So, in November, Liz is going to Germany for a pretty cool but frustratingly needed back surgery. The info can be found here, so folks know that we aren’t in kahootz with the newest cyber phishing scheme. We are currently working through the details. Like my primary insurance provider doesn’t cover this ‘supposedly’ experimental surgery and it will be out of pocket. we will most likely bring Lucas with us as he is still under 2. For context if you didn’t know, when Dennis , now 15, was about 7 months old, Liz decided it would be fun to fall down the stairs in our townhouse we were renting at the time. What’s more, she did everything to protect little Dennis and inured herself pretty good. She has been a trooper through the years and was slated to do fusion, but it didn’t feel right. So we punted both times and a distant friend of mine did this exact procedure. So, watching the experience of my friend gave Liz hope and she really dug in and researched. So here we are en route to hoping to provide her the best option to get 65 + years restored to her back and hopefully less pain and more options for her to pursue more running and yoga. (copied from a previous post on august 03, 2021 – https://happyinthehills.com/zentriathlete/2021-august-3-head-space-triathlon-and-more/

He’s growing up too darned fast and will soon be ready to take on the world, we as parents hope. You can find some of his current hobbies – most important a streaming affinity and his hope to ‘go big’ on the twitch platform at:

https://www.twitch.tv/hyliangamer01

Happy almost birthday dood! his birthday is on Thanksgiving this week and we will enjoy time before we leave for Germany.

Headspace thoughts

So I ask the universe – can we slow the need for growth at times? I mean I have learned and grown so much in my career footings (since this original post) – mainly in just having the courage to uphold healthy Master/servant oriented relationships, expectations and more. The paradox with trust is that the more consistent and even keel and balanced I find myself, many external actors are not familiar with the required discipline nor understanding of the efforts necessary to arrive where I have. So, when the storms appear, as they often do, choosing to cheerfully weather the storm and interact with the uncontrollable actors is fatiguing and I only have so much energy to offer, and that tank gets depleted faster and faster as Liz and I prepare for her back surgery in Germany. So here we are, and life is grand. plenty to be grateful for, especially a gleaned perspective I never allowed myself to believe I could achieve. Getting my my own way has often been a fault I didn’t know how to grow through, and looking back even on the past year, I am just grateful. Cheers folks!”

Team Zoot – The let me back again! Mwahahahaha

Many won’t understand my affinity to this ambassadorship and my affiliation, but they aren’t part of the team. To be honest, I have found a place that I just belong. In triathlon I have found a hive of like minded good humans. Many seek a growth mindset in their own ways, and we often do our own things. But at events and our meet ups, there is just so much Ohana and synergy and – good humans! From our reginal team captain and all the other members up to the leader at Team Zoot headquarters and their overall awesome brand of goods and services (Zoot Sports). In 2019 I completed 70.3 St. George and my buddy Cevan said I had to join and then I found out and old friend from my mission days was also on the regional team. I was hooked. Then last year, we got Liz to join and we are both back on the team this year. We are ready and stoked for post surgery adventures in triathlon.

2022 and Triathlon

I am keeping this simple and short as it is way late and I need to finish this up. I chose to pull the plug on participating in 2021 IM California, as luck would have it, Mother nature came in and caused a cancellation of the event. Many notable world class pros were there and made light of the cancellation but many agreed that the cancellation was the correct choice, it still sucks. However, I did defer so now all attention is on October 23rd where I will participate in IM California in my hometown of Sacramento. I am equal parts stoked and nervous and in my own head and I am sure my wife’s too – WTF are you thinking? Our family stress is out of control, not too bad, but to keep up with things, we are often on the ledge. That is an accurate representation. We have a great circus of dragons. Each one of our children are different parts of wonderful, exciting, a handful, difficult, strong, amazing and a mix of Livingston and Hubbs genes. We love our children, but stress is stress is stress. There is no way to parse and compartmentalize it. It just compounds and I have to find ways to navigate training and needs of training toward a target of 140 miles in a day across 3 disciplines of Swim, Bike and Run. not to mention the nutrition, the headspace and all the other factors to get there. But giddy up, that is the plan and we will see If I can navigate the space and see what Liz can do post surgery. That is a variable we will yet to see if we can control that.

Well folks, that’s going to have to do for now. My goal is at least a weekly triathlon oriented post and one post on life/mindfulness/family oriented. I find that the triathlon will be mostly for me and those friends of triathlon that happen across my ramblings and probably more important is navigating and journaling its impacts and ebbs and flows on family life adventures and dynamics. Thanks for reading through to this point if you did, I appreciate your time and am grateful.

Leave a comment if you feel so inclined!