Never a boring day in the life of Alex Endo

We are the change we wish to see in the world

2011-10-31T09:34:00.000-07:00

People make complaints of how Ironman races have been cutting back. Every year it seems that Ironman takes away from the competitor's experience, both from the amateur and pro perspective.

Ultimately, we as the consumers choose what survives and what doesn't survive in the market. If we do not support (i.e. do not purchase) a product it won't survive. If we support a product (i.e. purchase a product) than we help it survive in the market place. Some how Ironman has so effectively branded itself that even though people aren't happy with the races, they still support the series. For awhile, there really wasn't much competition in the longer race distances.

Now there are races like the Rev3 Series.

Support races that support the athletes. I just did the Olympic distance race at Rev3 South Carolina. During the pre-race swim and at the swim start there were people wiping goggles with Foggle and spraying athletes down with TriSlide to prevent chafing and ease with wetsuit removal. I not only got two free t-shirts, a visor, and a hot air balloon ride, but we had Muscle Milk, Panera Bread Sandwich lunch bags, Recovery Pump, and more at the finish line. When you cross the finish line your picture comes up on the megatron. All the awards were hand made by a mother of one of the Team Trakkers team members. There are people from the race who analyze your race with you in front of flat screen tv's.

Regardless of what industry, you can affect change in companies you don't like or support the companies you do with the good ole' dollar. Support companies whose corporate philosophies that align with your beliefs. I buy my produce from a local market or farmer's market because I support organic farming practices. I try to support companies that support their communities. Ultimately we as consumer direct the business of the world (with our wallets). Now it's your time to start directing change toward a world you want to see.

Triathlete's Christmas

2011-02-02T18:33:00.000-08:00

So even though my family is Jewish, my Japanese grandmother who lived with us practically until her passing in '09 was Episcopalian. For her, we celebrated Christmas every year for her. It turned into such a great holiday for family gathering, that my Jewish grandparents looked forward to Christmas every year. So this is how the Christmas tradition went in my family. When we woke up Christmas morning, we could only open one present from an out of town relative. We had to wait until after Christmas dinner was finished and the table was cleared before we could open presents. My dad makes a gastronomic feast, he flies in a 3 month aged prime prime rib from NY, stone crabs, a turkey from a Mennonite farm in Pennsylvania, and more. As a child, I would rush through this amazing dinner, just to be able to open my presents.

Now, I feel like it's a triathlete's Christmas waiting for all this amazing stuff from all the Team Trakkers sponsors, except the day and dinner seem to last forever. I just want to open my presents (my packages of TRISLIDE, AVIA, CANARI, TYR, FIRST ENDURANCE...ETC)

MERRY TRICHRISTMAS to all my Team Trakkers Teammates!!!

This Season

2011-01-18T11:41:00.000-08:00

...So this season started of amazingly...being accepted on to TEAM TRAKKERS 2011!!!!

Then things took a slight change of direction. Because of a variety of reasons (primarily family...and a little bit of lack of motivation). My goal for the month of January is to really just get back into a regimen. I am currently enroute (probably over Wyoming right now) for a very very quick trip to NYC, and then next Tuesday I head to FL for a couple days to tend to some family stuff. Regardless of what I have going on, work, travel, issues, etc., I need to stick to a schedule (especially in relation to physical fitness). First off, the schedule helps organize my life. Irregardless how much I have going on, sticking to a routine simplifies my life and makes it so much more manageable. Secondly, the effect of endorphins, does wonders with minimizing the effects of stress and my ADHD, thus making a huge difference on my day-to-day operations.

Being accepted to Team Trakkers has brought on an additional responsibility to represent them well. This source of motivation combined with the previous sources, has compelled me to get back on track. I am so excited for this race season (exclusively racing REV3 Races!!!-triathlon wise), and to meet all my fellow Team Trakkers Teammates.

I am cheesy when it comes to quotes and adages...

Here's one to end this post...

"Be thankful for each new challenge,
because it will build your strength and character."
-unknown

Remember when finishing an Ironman was a big deal..?

2009-10-16T14:23:00.001-07:00

I had an interesting conversation with Vicki Scates, a triathlete here in CDA, this afternoon at a coffee shop. Amidst a conversation she said, "What happened to finishing an Ironman being a big deal." I thought to myself, how true. Regardless of their finish time, people put in months of training to complete an Ironman. We were discussing various people's finish times at Kona including that of my coach Michael. She said that she had so much respect for him because he finished even if his race didn't go according to plan, as so many pros drop out of races because they know they aren't going to win or podium. He went from placing 9th in Kona last year to 538th place this year. He forced himself to shift his mentality as he hit "the wall", so that he could enjoy the rest of the race to his 10th finish in Kona.

So what happened to finishing an Ironman being a big deal...and what happened to having FUN?

We are human beings and cannot control every variable in the equation of race day. We all can get caught up in our race times and our place in a race. Especially at the amateur level, this is (should be) a hobby, and I know so many people who lose the fun and enjoyment in racing triathlons, as they get caught in the moment... Everyone, remember to have fun, as we spend a lot of money to do triathlons (as very few actually make money to do them).

I know that I diminished the sense of accomplishment that came with my first Ironman finish. I remember that two days after Ironman CDA that the whole Ironman village was gone. I wasn't ready to go back to regualr life. I still wanted to live in the incredible sense of accomplishment that made the many months of training worthwile. But once the village was gone, I think I let the sense of accomplishment go away. I remember thinking about the next harder goal to pursue. Doing another Ironman almost began to seem paltry, as I "had been there done that." For the guy that hadn't run a 5k as of last year, that was pretty crazy! I definitely needed some grounding!

Finishing an Ironman is a big deal, as it is the culmination as months of hard work and determination. An extremely small percentage of the population can proclaim themselves an ironman. We need to live in the successes of our hard work and that of our friends. Who cares if your bike split was fifteen minutes off of your goal, or if you had to walk a couple miles in the marathon. Making it to Kona or making it to the podium shouldn't be your sole focus. Have fun and enjoy what you do!

Congratulationsto Greg, Molly, & Michael on great races. You endured the tough elements of Kona to finish yet another Ironman.

Shout Outs

2009-08-03T19:59:00.000-07:00

So I decided that I needed to give some very deserving shout outs to some people that I wouldn't be able to train and race without...

First, Jim at Cyclemetrix has been invaluable to me. First off he is hands down the best mechanic in town. He owns his business and is the only person that will work on your bike. He knows all of his clients by name and genuinely cares about each person. He doesn't hold your bike for a week during peak season. He stays up routinely until the wee hours so that we, his clients, never have to be without our bikes. I get almost all of my accessories, apparel, and nutrition from him too as his prices are far superior to the other shops in town. Whenever I need him, no matter the hour or day of the week, he is always there.

Secondly, my coach Michael, has to put up with my many calls and my incessant needs. He doesn't accept my bs excuses and always pushes me to be the best I can be. He has an incredible wealth of knowledge about the sport and can effectively convey that knowledge. He has hooked me up with lots of apparel and accessories that got me through Ironman. I would not have had the incredible Ironman race I had without him. His carefully devised schedules have helped me to develop myself into a 10x better athlete than I ever was or thought I could be. Quite simply, if you need a coach he is the best that exists.

Thirdly, Brian Sanders, my "rolfer", "massage therapist", or whatever he wants to be called, is the best sports massage guy you could ever meet. He works on a huge population of the triathlete community and all who use him can vouch that he is essential to effective training. He is always available whenever I need, and is extremely flexible. He cured me as well as many of my friends of many of our physical conditions, like plantar fascitis.

Fourthly, my swim coaches Lynne Pullizi and Mike Hamm. I came to Lynne wanting to learn how to swim, and she helped me so much get through my first triathlon swim. I owe Mike Hamm for my Ironman swim. His vast knowledge for the sport combined with his incredible approach to teaching makes him the best coach out there if you want to be the best.

Lastly, but not least, my family and friends have been such great support throughout my training. I have also created invaluable friendships through the sport. You know who you are so I don't have to list all of you...but you all are great and I appreciate all you do. With my family at first it was a struggle to gain their support. So many times I started things that I never finished. Through my training my m.o. has changed. I will never be a quitter, ever again. And that my family has come to realize, and as I proved myself to them, they became my greatest fans. I never thought that my mother would have her facebook status all about my triathlons.

First Post...

2009-08-02T22:41:00.000-07:00

So i decided to get a blogspot account...and here is my first posting...

So yesterday was the Hayden View Sprint Triathlon. While much shorter than any races I have done recently it was definitely a different kind of race for me. During Ironman I had trained much for distance than for speed. After Ironman was over, and Michael, my coach, and I were discussing my future goals. I told him first and foremost that I wanted to qualify for the Boston Marathon and that I knew I had to get my run faster. So since Ironman, Michael, has had me do lots of speed work and hill repeats on the bike and run. I have noticed both coming along very well.

So I decided to the Hayden View Triathlon to put my work to the test. Michael said that in these shorter races you basically redline the entire race and that if I blow up take it slower for a few seconds and then attack again. There pretty much is no reprecussion for pushing too hard in these shorter races.

So feeling good, my buddy Nate and I arrived at Honeysuckle Beach and set up our transition area. Nate definitely prepped me well mentally for the race. So at 7:00 am the race began. I had a great swim and got out of the water...and as I entered T1, I tore a huge hole in my Helix Wetsuit as I tried to take it off. I think I should have taken it as a sign of what was next to come. So I transitioned to the bike and took off...and fast for me... My heartrate on the bike never went below 175. I was pushing hard...and was breathing heavily the entire way...that was until about mile 6.2 ish I guess.

So to rewind for a minute...Nate and I did an easy ride the day before to preview the course. I remember going around a turn and telling Nate that it was a tight turn with lots of gravel on the ground and that I needed to take that turn carefully.

So back to race day...The way to the turn around was all uphill and the way back was all downhill. I had just come around the turn around on the bike course for maybe a tenth of a mile or so and approached that turn I mentioned earlier. I hit the turn hard and two people in front of me decided to brake so in trying to miss them, I tried to brake and lost control at about 35 miles per hour. After talking to people who witnessed the crash, I actually heard what had happened. It happened so fast that I couldn't really remember what happened, all I could remember was losing control, seeing the ditch, and laying in the ditch with my bike laying probably twenty feet or so away. People said it was a really hard crash and they were shocked that I came out as unscathed as I did. So as I applied the brakes i started to skid and then I was thrown from the bike with my feet clipped in. My left foot unclipped and then in air the right foot unclipped sending the bike off to the right. I landed in the ditch and then all these people came to help me. Travis who is a EMT that I met on the beach during a lake swim I think, happened to have been behind me. He is awesome and I owe him so much thanks...as he got me out of the bees nest that I landed in. My right leg ahd locked up and he lifted me out. He offered to stay with me...but I decided that I needed to finish the race. My time didn't matter, what mattered to me is that I finished. DNF is not in my vocabulary.

So off I went on my bike. My bike was not to messed up from a quick glance, other than some surface scratches and my seat being tilted straight up. So I had to ride back standing up leaning forward because of the seat, but I finished. I came into T2 got my shoes on and ran. I wasn't sure what I was going to be capable of, but I knew I had to finish. So after the first mile, I knew I had what it took to have a great run, despite the stings, the road rash, and the pain. I continued, and I started allowing the crash to become an crutch so that I didn't have to push as hard. My time is not even as close to as important to me as my level of effort I exert. Who cares how fast you go...what matter is that when its all said in done, you can look back and say I gave it all I got. As Roger Thompson, a local triathlete in Spokane says on his blogspot (roger-thompson.blogspot.com) "So no matter what place you get, we all have a race within that we have as well. And for me, that is the one I am trying to win." I did finish but I didn't give it all I had. Since I ran 8:20's I had what I needed to be able to run 7:00-7:20's. That was more frustrating than crashing. We cannot control certain things, like my crash, but I could control how hard I pushed. The point of this race was to learn how to push through pain, and that I did, just not through the pain of pushing hard. I am happy that I finished, just not happy that I didn't give it all that I could of. I am seeing an orthopedist tomorrow and hopefully will be able to do the Coeur d'Alene Triathlon on Saturday. Now off to sleep as the flexeril is kicking in.