Pieces of a Puzzle

Two girlfriends and myself leave on Wednesday, May 31st for the Honu 70.3 Ironman on the Big Island of Hawaii. As usual, it seems an overwhelming task to pack, especially when there is a plane involved.

The heat and humidity will be a shock to our system.  Warm clothing is not what is filling our suitcases. Stuff is. What stuff? And why does it feel like a puzzle to pull it all together? Assembling the pieces that will all fit together on Saturday (and the days leading up to Saturday) is a challenge in and of itself. Isn't the race enough of a challenge? I must admit, however, it is a cathartic process since things get sorted, purged and re-organized for the remainder of the season. Let’s hope.

Walk through this with me.

Let's start with the Garage puzzle. Out must come all the "race gear". Tools are a must especially the ones you think you might not ever need like scissors, zapstraps and really good electrical tape. Race wheels and a spare tire are located. Is the spare fresh, glued and useable? Next, is the time trial helmet still with last year's number glued to the forehead. Also must come my regular helmet since I refuse to ride around town in my TT helmet prior to race day. It’s a thing I have - we look like we are from Mars as it is and I try to lessen this image by at least wearing a regular joe helmet until time matters.

The pieces starts to build as I locate my race belt, flasks, elastic bands, markers, ankle chip bands, cycling shoes, runners and racing flats (both must come), wetsuit or speed suit, goggles x 2, swim cap, race kit x 2, visor x 2, sunglasses x 2, flip flops, water bottles x 2, sunscreen, Vaseline and compression socks. Amazingly, these are only what goes into my bike box. Oh and where is my bike box?

Onto my suitcase - an entirely different masterpiece of misassembled and out of season paraphernalia. Truth be told, I pack a ton of fueling and nutritional products. It gives me comfort to know I need not shop for gels and electrolytes before a race. Vitamins, protein powders and whole food bars are stowed in Ziploc Baggies. Salt tablets, Motivators and Chlorella are succinctly separated and sorted into containers. This process gets started a week out from travel day because more pieces will complete this section of the puzzle.

Clothing is a crap shoot. It's the blue sky and white puffy clouds of the puzzle. Casual or semi-non-casual is all I own so pack what I hope will fit the occasions. Shorts, tank tops and flip-flops are staples. In case we do some little training sessions before race day, I need to look the part.

Moving on - technology. Heart rate monitors and all the associated chargers must be carefully stowed in a protected pocket. Blackberry, Cell phones, IPod, IPad and laptop are coming and so do the cords for such essential obsessions. I'll spare you my cosmetic bag only because it contains the least of my worries. I could leave it behind and might not notice. This is a very different attitude for my bike tools and running shoes. My passport, boarding pass, car rental confirmation and race schedule are printed and waiting to be tucked on the top where I can easily find it along the route. Let's refer to travel documents as the bottom of puzzle, the foundation, since without them I am not going anywhere.

With all these pieces in place, the perimeter of the puzzle is complete. It’s those last few pieces in the centre that will come after a restful sleep and clarity of mind. It’s the small things that make a big difference like leaving two pieces out of a puzzle then framing it. Do you think anyone will notice? If they don’t, you will.

I love a good puzzle. My family would sit for hours working away at fitting pieces into a puzzle with only the odd mutter of satisfaction or frustration. Getting ready for race day right through to the finish line is putting all the pieces together. You may try a few misfits and close encounters only to eventually find the perfect fit. The result is the pure fulfillment of completing a true masterpiece.

Christine

0.25 Hours

Have you seen the biographical adventure film 127 Hours starring James Franco? If not, see it. With nothing but determination to live and embodying a bit of insanity, he cuts off his right arm to free his life from being wedged by a boulder to the side of a canyon wall. This mere act of survival takes place after 127 hours without food, 250 ml's of water and hallucinations that would have left anyone else dead. I was moved by this film. I felt invincible on the one hand yet weak and soft on the other from all the times life has thrown me a curve ball and I buckled. The real life character, Aron Ralston, goes on to survive this experience, savouring precious moments with his family, falls in love and has a family of his own. Nothing was amiss except his right forearm. His heart, mind and soul were/are still intact.


Was this freak of nature the result of overcoming the mental battle? I should say it was indeed. His hallucinations were coupled with powerful visualizations that kept him motivated to live. During the 5 days he is trapped, we see Aron experience passion, excitement, happiness and yearned for human interaction again someday. Through severe blood loss, dehydration and fatigue his mind transported him to new places - swimming with friends, making love, sipping a cold beer, re-enacting a Game Show. This mental transportation seemingly numbed the current reality and sensations that could have prevented another breath.

The day after seeing this film, I had dental surgery. "Ha," I said to my dentist of 35 years, "no need to freeze my gums, pain doesn't scare me." Dr Kay obviously didn't believe me and went on to poke a dagger size needle in my upper left gum. I was weepy and sore for a week.

Come the Oliver Olympic distance triathlon last weekend, I was (as all athletes were) faced with another major challenge: the temperature of the lake water. Nevermind the race itself, it was the glacial temperatures of the water that had me running for the hills. Even writing this makes me feel like a wuss but standing at the race start on Sunday morning, I may have almost opted for a boulder on my arm than to enter the 14 degrees water of little Tuc El Nuit Lake. Spring had not sprung and the algae were floating popsicles.

Damned and determined to stay warm, I wore three bathing caps (including a neoprene) and refused to even dip my toes in the water prior to the Start Gun. A parka, gloves and beanie were waiting for me after the swim (assuming I survived). My plan was to yank, pull and struggle these dry clothes onto my wet body for the bike leg of the race. The race organizer hardly seemed to care that the water was below "normal" temperatures. He was readying the field for the start and giving the last minutes safety tips (was this a joke?). Before my mind would buckle my knees, we were off. The last thing I remember was a friend saying to me, "hope you don't hyperventilate." Yep, okay then.

While I never did warm up, I had the good sense to make light of my petty insecurity about submerging my body in cold water. Was this the worst thing in the world? If Aron Ralston can be stuck in a canyon for 127 hours prior to removing his own arm, I think I can handle 0.25 hours of uncomfortable water flowing through my wetsuit. I think I can.

Once into transition, I had a momentary lapse of reason when I considered riding without my parka, gloves and beanie. I forced myself to stick to my plan and dress accordingly. This did take an additional eternity no matter how swiftly I struggled. I choose warmth over T1 speed and knew it would pay off. I reasoned that a warm body is a fast body.

The rest of the race unfolded as I had hoped. I hunkered into an aero position and never came up for a breather until T2 was in sight. In the lead position and just about to break a sweat (that was how cold the air was), I disrobed to my race suit. Another moment of comedy struck when everyone leaving transition yelled, "I can't feel my feet." Surely 10 km run would take care of that.

With a two loop run course, athletes were able to share in the candy pain and feel the support from the spectators. Tara Lee Marshall and her husband Sean Clarke were hosting a CMS Coaching Training Camp for a handful of their talented athletes. Tara Lee's vocal projection of encouragement went unmatched and she had a serious contingent of athletes to cheer for.

As the finish line neared, feelings of excitement crept in knowing the triathlon season was truly open for play. The swim felt like a distant past. The weather seemed almost pleasant. Thoughts of, "when can we do this again?" jogged around in my imagination. The finish line creates perspective. Accomplishment creates belief.

Aron Ralston's innate capacity to use mental creativity and unwavering determination was/is astounding. He would mock my fear of cold water, as do I (in hindsight).

May we all thrive in our pursuits and seek to find opportunity when initially "it" was an obstacle. Sport gives us the arena to overcome, be great and rise to the challenge. Use your arena today, tomorrow and the day after that.

Next up, Honu 70.3 on June 4th. Shall I rant about the heat next time?

release the brake

Jasper Blake, my coach and mentor, emailed me yesterday as I ready myself for the Oliver Olympic Distance Triathlon on May 15th. He says, "racing is about releasing the brakes and red lining your effort." Racing is supposed to hurt - candy pain I call it or just another way to say, Let It All Hang Out.

What's amazing is that our bodies do what we tell it to. If we say to ourselves go for it, we always do. If we say, take it easy, we always do. Sometimes when en route to a quality session or key event, I wonder with uncertainty if I can muster energy to reach the upper levels of my fitness. Unless suffering from a virus or under very unusual circumstances, I always find the power, strength and effort. When the session or race is over, I often pause for a moment to remind myself that my fitness and ability was there all along. Our bodies are amazing machines when we let go and let it happen with the mind engaged and the heart's soaring passion.

Tomorrow's race will bring out fitness, endurance, strength, speed and fun. Whether swimming in the lake (just shy of glacial temperatures), pumping the legs past glorious vineyards or jaunting through the back roads of Oliver's neighbourhood, the brakes will be off and the uncomfortable effort will dissipate when all is said and done.

The 7 Success Principles of Steve Jobs

When listening to an interview with Carmine Gallo, author of The Innovative Secrets of Steve Jobs, I was overwhelmed with hope, motivation and amazement.

Here is a link to an summary of Steve Jobs 7 Success Principles:
http://blogs.forbes.com/carminegallo/2011/01/04/the-7-success-principles-of-steve-jobs/

Enjoy.

exaggerated compliments

My dearest friend Deanna Wigmore is the maestro behind a blog called A Mother's Tonic www.motherstonic.com. Through her writing and wonderful entries, her followers read about her inner most thoughts - often insightful, sometimes funny, occasionally sentimental but always articulate and intelligent. While educated as a journalist, Deanna has been busy bringing up three beautiful girls and managing her family life for the past 10 years. Thankfully for all of us following her blog she started writing again this year.

Monday's mark the day of the week Deanna features others. This week happens to be me. I am not sure how she convinced me to agree to this or whether her comments are warranted but since it is out there on cyberspace, I will share. http://motherstonic.com/2011/05/09/christine-fletcher-modesty-is-everything-to-this-triathlete/

Figure Out What You Want and Learn How to Ask for It

I heard someone say this quote today. It struck a cord. It relates to anything - career, wealth, relationships, athletic goals, the list is endless. It was in the context of answering "if you had one piece of advice to give someone, what would it be?" The reply was simple, "Figure out what you want and learn how to ask for it."

For some people, myself included, it's a hard thing to do. Ask for help. Ask for what you want. Put your self first. Fulfill your needs. Be clear about what you want. We are notoriously putting ourselves last in line, second guessing our abilities or our value as individuals. It shouldn't be so. Not because we should all be selfishly thinking of ourselves before others but rather so that when we are authentic, confident and clear on who we are, we can better serve and help others as siblings, partners, parents, friends and work colleagues. I find this insight a powerful reminder and clear the way for positive thoughts and human potential.

My feeling confident and energized in and for sport is a living entity in my life. I yearn for days when energy supply for the demand is ample and the mental focus is sharp and unwavering. When my mind forgets the unanswered emails, laundry to be folded or promises to follow through on, a breakthrough workout inevitably takes place. Amazingly, I return to work, life and responsibilities with more clarity and calmness. There is no magic formula for when and how those moments arise but I'm pretty sure they revolve around times when I am rested, well nourished and have recently shared good times with friends and family. Sunshine doesn't hurt either...

There are a few people in my life that are role models for living a life on purpose because they simply know what they want and are going after it. I welcome their vibrancy and company. On the flip side, I want to send this message to a few others that could be bubbling over with potential and opportunity yet are choosing to build barriers and resentments. May this same message get to them someway, somehow. Figure Out What You Want and Learn How to Ask for It.