"I'm Going to Jackson ..."

Sweet Victory ...

I'm done training for the year and I'm ready to party and relax.

Life is good and I have exceeded my goals for the year. 

I'm heading to Jackson ... look out Jackson Town.

In these crazy times, remember the simple things are the most important.

The good things in life are free...

I want to say thank you to Kelli and my boys especially for supporting me this year on my mighty adventure. Thank you, thank you, Thank you.

I will continue posting once a week about what's going on in Kelli, the boys and my life if you want to stay connected.

Thank you for all your support and remember, keep triing ...

Happy Holidays and I love you all and miss you all.

Eric

Ironman Arizona November 23, 2008 Moving Pictures ...

The swim start. It was a pretty brutal swim this year. 

I describe the Ironman swim start as a bar fight but in the water.

That's what it was this year for me.

Swim time: 59:40

At the turnaround heading out for lap 2 of the bike.

Bike Time: 5:43:01

Heading out on lap 2 ... pretty good pace.

Run Time: 4:21:52

Running to the finish line. 

Overall time: 11:13:08

Ironman Arizona Finisher Pictures

Running down the finisher's chute. My supporters are wearing the green shirts.

It was awesome!!!

The family (Support Team!!!) congratulating me.

Ironman Arizona Nov. 23rd Race Results

I had a very good day!!!
Lost about 30 minutes on the run with some GI distress at mile 11-13, but got over it and finished strong.

ERIC JELINEK

BIB	AGE	STATE/COUNTRY	PROFESSION
632	36	GILBERT AZ USA	ART DIRECTOR

SWIM	BIKE	RUN	OVERALL	RANK	DIV.POS.
59:40	5:43:01	4:21:52	11:13:08	495 of 2189	98 of 369

LEG	DISTANCE	PACE	RANK	DIV.POS.
TOTAL SWIM	2.4 mi. (59:40)	1:34/100m	196	36
FIRST BIKE SEGMENT	37 mi. (3:01:00)	19.27 mph
SECOND BIKE SEGMENT	37 mi. (4:53:14)	19.78 mph
FINAL BIKE SEGMENT	38 mi. (6:48:49)	19.73 mph
TOTAL BIKE	112 mi. (5:43:01)	19.59 mph	484	101
FIRST RUN SEGMENT	3.5 mi. (7:20:11)	8:15/mile
SECOND RUN SEGMENT	8.6 mi. (8:45:57)	9:58/mile
THIRD RUN SEGMENT	8.3 mi. (10:16:59)	10:58/mile
RUN FINISH	5.9 mi. (11:13:08)	9:31/mile
TOTAL RUN	26.2 mi. (4:21:52)	9:59/mile	495	98
TRANSITION TIME				TIME
T1: SWIM-TO-BIKE: 6:08				6:08
T2: BIKE-TO-RUN: 2:27				2:27
I'll post some pictures and my race report after I heal up in a day or two. I'm going to sleep NOW!!! Goodnight. Eric

42 Hours to go ...

Here's a few pics from the practice swim and registration yesterday.

Cozy and warm after the practice swim in Tempe Town Lake.

Andy Potts (in black beanie) was 8th this year at Ironman Hawaii. It was his first Ironman ever. He was giving a swim clinic before the start of the practice swim. 

WHAT, I've been doing it all wrong ....

Signing my life away in case I die!

Taking care of "business."

Inspiration: Why I Tri ...

(This is a re-post of my blog from early July. It is still pertinent.)


I got into racing triathlons for two reasons.

First, I saw an article about Robert McKeague, a 77-year-old man who finished the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii (he just finished last years at 80.) I thought, man, if he can do it at 77, I should be able to do it now. There's really no excuse.

Second, my boys, then 4, 2 and 1 were already starting to run circles around me and I wanted to be in good shape to keep up with them.

So, my journey started.

My inspiration for doing triathlons continued as did my quest.

Ed, my friend who is doing the Ironman with me in November (his blog is HERE), and myself signed up for the "Fat Tire Off-Road" Triathlon. We only had three months to train but we made the effort. While in line to pick up our race packets three days before the triathlon, we were behind this forty-ish looking gentleman. We started talking to him and found out he was in his mid-fifties. He was solid like a rock and the coolest, chillin' dude you'd ever want to meet. I made a vow to myself right then and there that this is how I wanted to age. That was inspiration number three.

Inspiration number four came to me about 12 weeks into training for my first Ironman. If you've never heard of Dick and Rick Hoyt, you need to watch this. Then this. Then go here. If you can watch these without crying, you're not human. Or, you lie. Whenever I don't want to train or am feeling sorry for myself, I watch those video clips. Works every time. That first video got me through 18 weeks of insane training and scheduling nightmares. No excuses.

Inspiration number five came about 18 miles into the marathon of my first Ironman. As I was crossing the Mill avenue bridge en route to the third and final loop of the marathon, I noticed a man in a wheelchair cheering like crazy. It hit me like a load of bricks, "I bet that man would love to feel the pain I am feeling in my legs right now." I could just tell that he yearned to be out there with the rest of us pushing our limits. Instantly the pain in my legs dissipated and I picked up my pace. I started to feel really good. If you look at my run splits you'll see that I ran the last loop almost as fast as the first loop. Inspiration.

As I enter the 11th week (Now 30th week!!!) of training for Ironman Arizona on November 23rd, I continue to be inspired by all the stories in the world about people overcoming to realize their dreams. Each one helps me move closer to my dreams and helps me realize that you truly can do whatever you dream if you work hard for it.

With that, I challenge you to examine your own dreams. What can you do today, right now, to further yourself along the path to your dreams? If your not chasing your dreams, why not? As I wrote in my first blog, were all running with the dead. Our time here is so minimal. What are you waiting for? Who can you inspire? Go, Now ...

Be well,

E

Again, my friend Ed is running the Ironman with me and is raising money for a local charity called the Tempe Community Action Agency. If you can help in anyway, that would be awesome. Here is the link:

http://edtheironman.blogspot.com/

9 More Days ...

9 more days until I will do this, again.

I can't wait.

Eric

Ode to My Family

Ode To My Family

Understand the things I say, don't turn away from me,
'Cause I've spent half my life out there, you wouldn't disagree.
Do you see me? Do you see? Do you like me?
Do you like me standing there? Do you notice?
Do you know? Do you see me? Do you see me?
Does anyone care?

Unhappiness where's when I was young,
And we didn't give a damn,
'Cause we were raised,
To see life as fun and take it if we can.
My mother, my mother,
She hold me, she hold me, when I was out there.
My father, my father,
He liked me, oh, he liked me. Does anyone care?

Understand what I've become, it wasn't my desing.
And people ev'rywhere think, something better than I am.
But I miss you, I miss, 'cause I liked it,
'Cause I liked it, when I was out there. Do you know this?
Do you know you did not find me. You did not find.
Does anyone care?

Unhappiness where's when I was young,
And we didn't give a damn,
'Cause we were raised,
To see life as fun and take it if we can.
My mother, my mother,
She hold me, she hold me, when I was out there.
My father, my father,
He liked me, oh, he liked me.

Does anyone care?... [X9]

--------------------------------

So, I just want to thank everyone who is supporting me on this Mighty Adventure, especially my family. (Especially you, Kelli. And the boys.)

THANK YOU!

To my extended family ... Remember the days when we just laughed and played in the sun, having unchained, glorious fun?

I do.

I have been thinking about that kind of stuff on my runs lately.
I miss the freedom that being a young child had. The security of not having serious responsibilities, not caring about the 'details' that seem to make us angry and anxious as we age.
I am on a mission to become like a child again, and to help my children enjoy 'their moment in bliss.'

The Cranberries song I posted above emotes the feeling I have for you all. Sometimes I wish we could get together more often, and were a 'real' family again.
For some reason I have been missing you all lately. For now I soak in the memories of Grandpas funeral. But, I hope we can get together in the next few years, or earlier. Until then. ;)

Only 17 more days until the Ironman. Send your good vibes my way.


Mantra for today: "Be like a child, have reckless fun."

I love you all.
Eric

Big and Long ...

So I finished my biggest and longest week of training for the Ironman.
The taper has officially started.

Here were my numbers:

Thursday: 1:30 bike, 1:30 run
Friday: 6:00 bike, 1:00 run
Saturday: 1:30 Bike
Sunday: 3:00 run, 1:00 bike

I'm wiped. I had a great long bike ride and run which means my nutrition is spot on. It was very hot on Friday (I took the day off work and rode with my friend Ed) which means I nailed my nutrition even better.

But ... my long run on Sunday went horribly wrong around 2:10-2:15. My stomach shut down and I got really bloated. I think I was taking in too much nutrition. I was washing down my hammer gels with a highly concentrated Gatorade mixture. Then, I wasn't washing it down with enough water. (It was also very hot Sunday.) I still finished my run in 3:03, but I was hurting. My stomach still hasn't recovered as I write this.

So, now it is really all downhill from this point.
I'll write again soon.

The pic is of Dane as Wall-E for Halloween.

Keep Tri-ing,
Eric

Elevation and Big Week Training ...

So, It's been a while.

Last weekend the family and I went up to Flagstaff to visit some friends.
(pic is us on San Francisco Peaks.)

I had an opportunity to do my training at elevation (8000 ft.)
Whew ... wiped me out.

Although, I had a wondrously serene 10-mile-run in the forest by Munds Park, running towards Mormon Lake. I saw a huge Elk run across the road in front of me. Awesome.

This weekend, training was crazy.
On Friday, I ran 10 miles, then swam 2+ miles, then rode 30 miles.
On Saturday, I rode for 6-and-a-half hours.
On Sunday I went down to Tempe Town Lake, where the Ironman is held, and watched the SOMA Half-Ironman. Well, actually, I ran 18-and-a-half miles around the lake and watched the race as I ran. I finished the run with two laps up and down A-mountain. Ouch. My legs still haven't recovered. Then I watched the pros fininsh the race. Chris McDonald won and set a new course record of 3:48.

WOW.
A Half-Ironman in 3:48. Crazy!

After the race, I went home and rode my bike for an hour-and -a-half...
.. fell asleep at 7 p.m.
Completely wiped out. Exhausted .. and loving it.

This coming weekend is the hardest and longest of the training period. After this, its taper time. I'm running on empty. Every training session is pushed to the max and i'm waiting for the wheels to come off. I just need to hold it together this last week and all will be well.

Now is the time to focus, hone the mantra and have faith in the training process. I am a machine and I will conquer.

Have a good week. I will be in touch again after this crazy week.
Wish me good vibes and much energy.

Mantra for the week: "Finish Strong."


FYI - my friend Ed is running the Ironman with me and is raising money for a local charity called the Tempe Community Action Agency. If you can help in anyway, that would be awesome. Here is the link:

edtheironman.blogspot.com

Be The Sage

The sage is one who can say "Yes" to Life - under all conditions.
The sage is one who can say "Life is good" - under all circumstances.
The sage is one who is always at home.
The sage is one who needs nothing more or other from Life.
The sage is one who:
sees only Truth,
knows only the Real,
and lives only Now.

With all the craziness happening in the world right now, Focus is of supreme importance. We can choose to see negative or we can choose to be positive.

I will:
Swim to swim.
Bike to bike.
Run to run. To better myself and be positive.

Mantra for today: "Be the Sage. Let life consume you."



FYI - my friend Ed is running the Ironman with me and is raising money for a local charity called the Tempe Community Action Agency. If you can help in anyway, that would be awesome. Here is the link:

edtheironman.blogspot.com

Be Aware!

“Someone once inquired of a Far Eastern Zen master, who had a great serenity and peace about him no matter what pressures he faced:

“How do you maintain that serenity and peace?”
He replied, “I never leave my place of meditation.”

He meditated early in the morning and for the rest of the day, he carried the peace of those moments with him in his mind and heart.”

~ Stephen R. Covey from “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People”

Do you meditate?

If not, you should seriously consider sitting quietly for 5-10-20+ minutes a day—connecting with the peace and stillness of your deepest nature and that of the universe.

Let’s remember that the only reason we meditate is to make our LIFE a meditation.

What good is it if we meditate x minutes a day x times per week and we’re an *sshole?

Not very much.

Meditate. Every moment.

Sharpen your focus. Repeat your mantra.

Be Aware. Beware.

Mantra for today: "Slow Down, Be Aware, BUT Keep Moving Forward."

FYI - my friend Ed is running the Ironman with me and is raising money for a local charity called the Tempe Community Action Agency. If you can help in anyway, that would be awesome. Here is the link:

edtheironman.blogspot.com

We Owe it to the Moment: No Reason to be Here at all ...

Energy flows where attention goes
For the gift of the present we owe it to the moment
as above so let it be below
For the grace of the presence we owe it to the moment

No reason no rhyme
Not even to be grateful
No reason to be here at all
The more I learn the less I know for sure
I am reminded
Each new belief is a limit itself to be transcended

Many signals many signs
Appear in sure succession,leaving such impression
So many signals many cycles many constellations
Signs of the times align in infinite progression
Take a slice out of life
Everybodys got to own their own little piece of it
Well hell I've got mine
And now its true I wonder could I really ever do without it?
No victim no crime
So how come they can still call we criminal
So many people doing time
It's easy to get cynical
When there just is not enough justice
There will be those who try to deny and oppose you
There will be others still whose aim is but to use you
Don't let them bring you down, don't let them disappoint thee
Their eyes shall never see the coming of the glory
Sunrise no surprise another spectral morning
Open my eyes to find a brand new day is dawning
Must be the season or the silence
That gives my lovers whispered words the innocence of song birds

Moment, Axis Mutatis, The Shamen

I am grateful to be here now.
All I really need is:

clean air to breath,
clean water to drink,
fresh food to eat,
and my family to love.
Everything else is a distraction/illusion.

Remember what is really important in these perilous times.

Mantra for today: "Keep Moving Forward, One Step at a Time. Don't Stop."


FYI - my friend Ed is running the Ironman with me and is raising money for a local charity called the Tempe Community Action Agency. If you can help in anyway, that would be awesome. Here is the link:

edtheironman.blogspot.com

Be Here Now ...

“Today we come across an individual who behaves like an automaton, who does not know or understand himself, and the only person that he knows is the person that he is supposed to be, whose meaningless chatter has replaced communicative speech, whose synthetic smile has replaced genuine laughter, and whose sense of dull despair has taken the place of genuine pain.
Two statements may be said concerning this individual. One is that he suffers from defects of spontaneity and individuality which may seem to be incurable. At the same time it may be said of him he does not differ essentially from the millions of the rest of us who walk upon this earth.”

~ Erich Fromm

Are you authentically showing up in your life?
Or pretending to be something you’re not?

FYI - my friend Ed is running the Ironman with me and is raising money for a local charity called the Tempe Community Action Agency. If you can help in anyway, that would be awesome. here is the link:

http://edtheironman.blogspot.com/

Focus

Your daily life - with all its opportunities, challenges and dilemmas - is a composite reflection of your recent focus of attention. Shift this focus, and you will begin to realize new dimensions of unmanifest potential. Watch and learn as this energy moves. Whatever you focus on expands.

So, be vigilant on what your focus is.

My friend Ed is running the Ironman with me and is raising money for a local charity called the Tempe Community Action Agency. If you can help in anyway, that would be awesome. Here is the link:

http://edtheironman.blogspot.com/

Moving Pictures and the Control Machine ... or the Politics of "Reality"

Before you read this put on your glasses

As I was running this morning, I was thinking about reality.
What exactly is "reality?"

According to wikipedia it means "the state of things as they actually exist." As with 'Truth," "Reality is a subjective thing. Some schools of Buddhism hold that reality is something void of description, the formless which forms all illusions or maya. Buddhists hold that we can only discuss objects which are not reality itself and that nothing can be said of reality which is true in any absolute sense. Carlos Castenadas' Don Juan has a more active view on "reality." His view stated that almost all humans live their day to day lives in a dream world where they are influenced by invisible forces and powers, including sorcerers and spirits. Only by transcending this dream state could one know the "unknown realm" outside the realm of normal everyday consciousness. These people (Nagual) were called "seers." Castaneda often referred to this unknown realm as nonordinary reality, which indicated that it was indeed a reality, but radically different from the ordinary reality experienced by human beings who are well engaged in everyday activities as part of their social conditioning. It's the part of perception which is in the arena of the unknown yet still reachable by man. 

Hmmm ... I don't know, its all so confusing.

Sometimes, I have this yearning to distill my "bought - and paid for" reality down to the natural, true reality of my life. I want to see things as they exist in their most natural, primal state. As I run through the fiber optic - cable TV planned neighborhoods and dirty chemical oozing warehouse districts, on paved streets with carefully manicured landscapes, I slowly realize that this is harder to accomplish than I thought. One must actually go farther out into the wilderness to commune with this rare solitude of a moment than one thinks.

Away from the omnipotent buzzing of the umbilical cord power lines and the beamed in telescreen messages of shame, fear and control. Away from the kamikaze car wheels and the subsidized back door street deals. Away from the moving pictures of artificially inseminated flat, dead pixels telling me who and what I am or should be. Away from the control machine spewing it's propaganda 24/7 from the power grid and the uber comsumptive mega-convenience store bulimia banquets of greed and gluttony. AWAY.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a hater. I like excess as much as the next person, but in my wiser?, older years, it has been tempered; sometimes I need to peer outside of the bounds of my present "reality" to see the bigger picture. By getting away from these artificial voices in my head I find I slowly start to hear a faint, but strong voice. That voice is MY voice. My true voice. My true self speaking to my perceived self.

Perhaps the reason that mystics, hermits, or the wilderness recluse seem so crazy is that they are actually thinking their own thoughts. So, to those of us still plugged into our "realities" in the control grid, they seem insane. What if we are OK the way we are. What if we don't need a Playstation 3, an Xbox, a cellphone, a blog (what?), MTV, makeup or the latest hairdo or fashion trend? What if there is, gasp, no god or diety? No heaven or hell? What if we make mistakes and look foolish, but it's OK because it just who we are? What if all we really have is right now, this very moment?

No eternal reward can forgive us now for wasting the dawn.

These questions open up a whole new "reality" of unlimited possibilities.

Is it really that easy? Can a question change my life?
I think questions leading to action can change a life.

Ahhhh ... enter the politics of reality.

Peer pressure and social acceptance are powerful, subtle influences. I tend to view what happens to people who think for themselves (in extreme cases) and are in the public eye with caution. They usually end up six feet high on a cross or six feet down in the ground. Balance seems to be the key.

Anyway, when I run I feel like I tend to disconnect from everything for a little bit. My mind wanders in and out of itself and I seem to unite with a purer level of thinking, like an unconscious consciousness, if that makes any sense. Like I am joining the collective consciousness of the world, a sort of universal consciousness. This morning was one of those runs. It's funny, too, that runs where this happens seem like they're over sooo quick. It is almost like I'm on auto pilot, in a deep meditative state, aware of my surroundings, but completely in the zone.

As usual, I finished my run through the cemetery, which always grounds, or amplifies, my experience.

Some people run towards death. Some people wait. Some people worry.

I think death is a friend, whispering into my ear compelling me to tempt it.

Hmmmm, some heavy thought for a Wednesday. I don't know ...

Live free, die well.
Eric

My friend Ed is running the Ironman with me and is raising money for a local charity called the Tempe Community Action Agency. If you can help in anyway, that would be awesome. Here is the link:

http://edtheironman.blogspot.com/

Inspiration: Why I Tri

I got into racing triathlons for two reasons.

First, I saw an article about Robert McKeague, a 77-year-old man who finished the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii (he just finished last years at 80.) I thought, man, if he can do it at 77, I should be able to do it now. There's really no excuse.

Second, my boys, then 4, 2 and 1 were already starting to run circles around me and I wanted to be in good shape to keep up with them. 

So, my journey started. 

My inspiration for doing triathlons continued as did my quest.

Ed, my friend who is doing the Ironman with me in November (his blog is HERE), and myself signed up for the "Fat Tire Off-Road" Triathlon. We only had three months to train but we made the effort. While in line to pick up our race packets three days before the triathlon, we were behind this forty-ish looking gentleman. We started talking to him and found out he was in his mid-fifties. He was solid like a rock and the coolest, chillin' dude you'd ever want to meet. I made a vow to myself right then and there that this is how I wanted to age. That was inspiration number three.

Inspiration number four came to me about 12 weeks into training for my first Ironman. If you've never heard of Dick and Rick Hoyt, you need to watch this.  Then this. Then go here. If you can watch these without crying, you're not human. Or, you lie. Whenever I don't want to train or am feeling sorry for myself, I watch those video clips. Works every time. That first video got me through 18 weeks of insane training and scheduling nightmares. No excuses.

Inspiration number five came about 18 miles into the marathon of my first Ironman. As I was crossing the Mill avenue bridge en route to the third and final loop of the marathon, I noticed a man in a wheelchair cheering like crazy. It hit me like a load of bricks, "I bet that man would love to feel the pain I am feeling in my legs right now." I could just tell that he yearned to be out there with the rest of us pushing our limits. Instantly the pain in my legs dissipated and I picked up my pace. I started to feel really good. If you look at my run splits you'll see that I ran the last loop almost as fast as the first loop. Inspiration. 

As I enter the 11th week of training for Ironman Arizona on November 23rd, I continue to be inspired by all the stories in the world about people overcoming to realize their dreams. Each one helps me move closer to my dreams and helps me realize that you truly can do whatever you dream if you work hard for it.

With that, I challenge you to examine your own dreams. What can you do today, right now, to further yourself along the path to your dreams? If your not chasing your dreams, why not? As I wrote in my first blog, were all running with the dead. Our time here is so minimal. What are you waiting for? Who can you inspire? Go, Now ...

Be well,

E

Again, my friend Ed is running the Ironman with me and is raising money for a local charity called the Tempe Community Action Agency. If you can help in anyway, that would be awesome. Here is the link:

http://edtheironman.blogspot.com/