Spence Smith

Ben Davis does life… very well these days.

I saw this video when it came out a couple of years ago and saw it again this past weekend. When I watched the first time, I teared up at the end when I realized the Ironman finish line Ben Davis was crossing was Ironman Louisville, which I had raced the year before in 2009. I haven’t had to lose 120lbs but I know the journey to Ironman all to well.

I see videos like this and I’m continually inspired to do more and go farther than I’ve ever gone.

I watch this video and think the same thing about Ben that I do about me when it comes to change.

If I can do it, you can do it.

Don’t ever think life can’t change for you.

Don’t ever think you can’t put your mind to something and accomplish something bigger.

Don’t ever think you have to settle for a life you don’t want or one that’s not healthy.

God gives us the ability to go beyond what we think we are capable of.

When you watch this video, don’t think to yourself… I’ll never be able to do that.

If Ben Davis can do it, you can do it.

You have to want to do it.

Since this video, Ben has been running like crazy and doing well. You can follow his progress on his blog Ben Does Life and follow him on twitter. @bendoeslife

Enjoy.

I’ve always felt like I’ve struggled with my weight or struggled with my confidence of what I think I looked like. It wasn’t until I got into running in 2004 that I really started to feel more confident about who I was and where I was going and how I perceived myself.

Since coming off the road in 2000 from playing 200 shows a year, my life took a better turn in some respects but health wise, I actually got worse. In a four year period I gained 45lbs and it wasn’t 45lbs of muscle either. I was traveling still, but not as much, eating out constantly and sitting in meetings at Starbucks a few times a week. Today I’m healthier than I’ve ever been and still about 20lbs away from where I want to be to race well. The difference is I have a lot more lean muscle mass and a lot more endurance than the average person.

The difference for me came when I decided that diets weren’t for me and trying to attain a certain weight wasn’t my thing.

Why?

I always quit to early or if I hit a certain goal I slowly went back to old habits. It was as if I was saying to myself… “ok, you are here now. You met a goal. Now what?”

Ah! Good question! Now what? Heck if I know! Let’s EAT!

That’s when I started to figured out that if I want to be healthy, feel healthy and look healthy then I need to change my lifestyle, not just my diet.

So I did.

Slowly.

I’m still not the healthiest eater but it’s under control now more than ever. Most of our meals are made at home and there are certain foods I tend to stay away from. Foods I don’t need, don’t make me feel well.

I’ve placed myself in a situation that holds me accountable by association. Does that make sense? I am surrounded by those who are very aware of what’s going into their bodies and that inspires me to treat myself better.

Also, I found a way to have an active lifestyle in a sport I love. Triathlon. I can go run when I want, bike when I want or jump in the pool. For some of you it might just be one of those… or it might be hiking, golfing, racketball or tennis. Whatever it is… it’s active and gets the heart pumping.

This way, if I want to be better at the sports I love to be active in, then it’s worth it for me to take care of my body in way that I can enjoy it’s benefits even more.

It’s a lifestyle now… not just a diet… not just a fad… and not even close to being an escape from life’s normal responsibilities.

It’s my responsibility to be as healthy as I can be for my wife and kids. For my job performance and the people I work with. For the relationship I have with my friends and family… and for those I want to inspire to get off the couch and do what seems to be the impossible.

It’s the clear mind I love having and the ability to feel grounded in who I am now.

Knowing that I am confident with who I am and how I perceive myself.

Who cares if I’m a little heavier than I was 10 years ago…

I feel better than I’ve ever felt and my outlook on life is healthy.

So the question for you is this.

What will it take for you to change your lifestyle to be a healthy one? What are the benefits you experience from living a healthy lifestyle?

After a few years of weekend training behind me, I’ve come to realize that a big weekend of training is just as much a mental challenge as it is a physical challenge.

If you are training for a half marathon or a full marathon, each and every weekend, your long runs continue to increase in mileage. To the point that you know… these miles are going to take a while so I better be prepared.

As I got ready for Ironman, my Saturdays and Sundays were consumed with training. A 100 mile ride on a Saturday could take 6-7 hours for me then a 15 mile run the next day followed by an hour and half swim. Easily another 4-5 hours gone from my Sunday.

That’s a lot in anyone’s book for one weekend not to mention having to do this for weeks on end and if you aren’t prepared mentally, it’s going to be even harder than it sounds.

This weekend I’m headed into some heavy training to kick off my 2012 triathlon season and just like learning to pace myself on a run or on a bike ride, mentally pacing myself is just as important.

Here are a few things I do mentally to get ready.

1. I prepare my gear ahead of time. I get together every piece of clothing or gadget I’m going to need for my training ready. I clean my bike, check the tires, lube the chain, charge up the bike computer and get my on-the-bike nutrition ready to go. I also get my running clothes, shoes and swim gear laid out. The less I have to think about my gear being ready, the more I focus on the training ahead of me.

2. I plan out my weekend of time spent with friends or family so that I can get in bed at a decent hour. Training for most of us takes place at an early hour and we need all the sleep we can get. I’ve been guilty of over doing it to the point that you would think I wasn’t training for anything and find myself worn out from a late night out.

3. Before I go out for dinner I get an idea of what i want to eat before I get there. What I eat today, fuels my body for tomorrow. It’s hard eating healthy when you aren’t eating at home. I usually look at the soups and a salad first then see if there is anything on the menu with fish and veggies. That’s my go-to. Yours might be different.

4. Plan Your Training Routes. Whether it’s running or cycling. Know where you are going and if at all possible plan some stops along the way in case you run out of liquids of food or need to go to the bathroom. There’s nothing more frustrating than running out of nutrition or needing to go have a little alone time in a clean bathroom.

5. Take your phone and a little extra cash. If you get stranded from exhaustion (hopefully not) or you get a flat and forgot your spare tube. It never hurts to be able to call someone to come pick you up. I’ve had to do it and it’s no fun. But sometimes it’s needed. Also… you never know when you need to buy an extra bottle of go juice or a snack. Take some cash. When I’m on my bike, I put my phone and cash in a zip-lock bag in case it rains or I spill liquid on it.

6. I think through the mileage I’m about to do. The miles might seem overwhelming but the more I break them down in my head to smaller chunks of miles, the easier it is for me mentally. Remember, training is a process.

When I think about this process, I find myself applying this to basic parts of my life. Traveling, Focused time with my wife, A weekend with the family.

In short, I think it pays to be prepared and ready and it’s honestly more of a load off my brain when I know I’m going into something more prepared.

Knowing what’s ahead of you and knowing how you will get there is half the battle.

The other half is just doing it.

If you aren’t new to this, how do you prepare for a weekend of training? Anything to add?

In 2005, I went through a divorce. It was heartbreaking… tough… and painful… for both of us. Today, as I look back over the years, knowing that we are on good terms and are very proud of where each other have come through life over the past seven years, I’m realizing I’ve changed a lot.

There was a moment when everything changed.

That moment that allowed me to become the better man I needed to be.

I realize the man that I should have been is now the man that I am.

It all started with a decision. A decision to not be that guy who lives in the past and pain, but a guy who acknowledges the past, works through the pain of loss, learns from it and figures out how to make the present a better story for tomorrow.

There was a moment when I decided to take a baby step that I never knew would actually change my entire outlook on life and cause me to live life in away that held no regrets. Even if I had made a bad decision… I owned that decision as mine and no one else’s.

This small step for me was simple at the time.

• Find a group to run with.
• Commit to a schedule.
• Live everyday… fully alive.

I had no intension of doing any triathlons and would have laughed at you if you had asked me if I would ever attempt one.

But here I sit today. One Ironman, One marathon, Six half marathons and over 20 Olympic and Sprint distance triathlons later… a changed man.

Am I changed because of the races? NO.

I am changed because the process taught me many lessons about my life as it relates to determination and living in the moment of each day so that I can clearly look ahead at tomorrow.

I am changed because the simple act of running… even starting out with a couple of miles at a time, keep me from going into a deep, dark depression.

I am changed because the simple act of running gave me time to think through my life.

I am changed because the simple act of running gave me time to pray and to recognize what was going on around me. That which I had been missing… Life.

I am changed because moments like this come in small packages and snowball into passion, focus and determination to make life count.

These small steps have led me to be a better husband, a better man and a better friend.

So when you see me write about running, cycling and swimming… it’s not just about the fact that I love triathlon. It’s because I know you might be like me. You might need to do something that seems completely impossible to you. You might need to get out of your comfort zone and take a chance. You might need to get off the couch and do something… for you.

Want to be in a healthy place in life? Physically? Spiritually? Mentally?

Get outside. Go for a walk. Breathe in the fresh air. Notice the sounds around you. Think about those things you want to do and start with the first one.

You can’t take care of others or be in a healthy place in life if YOU aren’t healthy. But you can be… I wasn’t… but now I am. Seven years later.

It’s possible.

Want to know why?

Because if I can do it… You can do it.

One step at a time, One mile at a time.

Is there a moment in your life where it all changed or do you need to set that moment in motion? Talk to me.

Every time I race in a triathlon, I learn something new about myself. Sometimes it’s a revelation about my character, sometimes I learn lessons about how I perceive people I don’t know, but most times I learn there’s always opportunity for improvement.

Even though a triathlon is made up of three sports (Swim,Bike,Run – in that order), there’s actually two other parts to the race we don’t consider often and yet every little decision we make in these two parts make a world of difference. It’s called the transition and there are two of them.
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I’ve been living in Colorado since June 1. The transition process has been fun, exciting and completely exhausting all at the same time.

But it’s what I’ve expected. My schedule is out of whack, time is a commodity and there’s always something else to work on.

In order to keep a little sanity in my head I’ve been trying to figure out a new training schedule so I signed up for my only triathlon of the summer, The Denver Triathlon on July 24, 2011 and the Denver Rock N Roll Half Marathon on October 9, 2011 to give me a goal to keep in my sights. With the move and a wedding just around the corner, I decided maybe this summer shouldn’t be so focused on triathlon like it has been in the past. (20 triathlon races in the past 3 years including Ironman)
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I’ve learned a lot over the past few years training for triathlons. Possibly the greatest lesson I’ve learned is life is like an endurance sport. The process of everyday life and endurance training are like twin sons of different mothers. They may look different but who they are on the inside is completely the same.

Endurance is about getting to the finish line no matter what. However, endurance is not about getting to the finish line in the best shape of your life in the fastest time possible.

With Endurance Sports…

• The finish line is the celebration of getting to the starting line.
• I get on a weekly training routine. I set goals and train on certain days in specific ways.
• I’m focused on the training plan.
• I prepare today for tomorrow’s training.
• I train in community so that others will push me.
• I know there are going to be days I don’t want to train. So sometimes I rest or modify the training.
• Some days I’m going to be sluggish and tired. I train anyway even, if I know it’s going to hurt. I’ll be glad I did when it’s over.
• I might even get injured, so I have to take a time out and heal so I can come back stronger and more focused.
• Sometimes I have to train while nursing an injury because the race is still on so I need to be able to battle the tough spots.
• There are going to be days when I feel the best I’ve ever felt. When all the training seems to be paying off.
• I will train at my peak performance.
• I will feel like I’m in the best shape of my life.
• However, I’m never in the shape I want to be in. There’s always another mile to conquer.
• I will emotionally go through highs and lows.
• I will train beyond what my mind thinks is possible.
• My attitude changes, my body changes… my character changes.
• I am determined, not driven.
• If I can do it, you can do it… I will never be the fastest, but I’ll have fun in the process.
• The huge win isn’t the race, the win is getting to the race to celebrate all of the time, energy, discipline, great days and bad days of training by crossing the finish line.

With Life…

• Finishing well is the celebration of living life fully alive.
• I get on a weekly routine. I set goals, appointments and time with friends on certain days for specific reasons.
• I’m intentional about being present with whoever is in the room.
• I prepare my mind today for what tomorrow might give me.
• I live within a community of friends I can learn from and who will keep my accountable.
• I know there are going to be days I don’t want to get out of bed. So sometimes I modify my day so that I don’t give up.
• Some days I’m going to be sluggish and tired but I get through my day anyway. It might not be pretty, but I’ll be glad when it’s over.
• I might even get hurt by someone or by my own actions, so I have to take a time out and heal so I can come back stronger and more focused and having learned a lesson or two.
• Sometimes I have to push through life while nursing a broken heart or getting over a loss because life is still happening, so I need to be able to battle the tough spots.
• There are going to be days when I feel the best I’ve ever felt. When all is right in my world.
• I will live every day I can at my fullest.
• I will feel like I’m in the best place of my life.
• However, I’m never in the settled place I really want to be in. There’s always more improvement on me to do.
• I will emotionally go through highs and lows.
• I will dream the impossible, then do the impossible.
• My attitude changes, my body changes… my character changes.
• I am determined, not driven.
• If can do it, you can do it… I am far from perfect, but I’ll give life my best shot.
• The huge win isn’t all about just finishing life, the win is all about enjoying life well, in such a way to celebrate the finer things in life, the good times and the bad, the family time and friend time, a great meal, a beautiful sunset and the perfectly aged wine. It’s about bruises and scars that each have a story of physical accident and recovery or broken heart and healing. It’s about influencing others for good… the good of others and for themselves. It’s about living life, FULLY ALIVE, so that when I get to the end of my life, I will have no regrets and my family and friends will say… He lived life… every ounce of it. He gave it all he had and finished… well.

This is all why life is like an endurance sport. It’s not always easy… and it’s not always hard, but I can wake up knowing what it takes to go the distance… and finish well.

Thoughts?
With Life I…

Compassion International has finally launched Team Compassion. If you have ever wanted to run a 5k, 10k, Half Marathon, Marathon, Triathlon or a long bike ride and raise money for a great cause, then now is your chance. ( www.team.compassion.com)

This has been a long time coming for Compassion and I’m really excited to see this happen. You see, I got into running through Team in Training. The experience TNT gave me while training for my first half marathon set something in motion for me that I never knew was really there. I just thought… I’ll do something I thought I would never attempt and at the same time raise money for a great cause and mark it off my bucket list. Sounds good right? Change my life to change someone else’s life.

What I didn’t count on was that I would love it as much as I do. Since then I have gone on to get involved in triathlons and participated in an Ironman race which I would have never guessed I would ever do such a thing! Much less want to do it again.

So here we are… For those of you who love Compassion and want to do something for yourself and for others, now is the time.

Why do I keep saying for yourself?

I truly believe we have been given our bodies as a temple to be taken care of. For most people, running a race is a huge accomplishment… a mile stone in their lives. It was for me… and what a better way to take on this journey than by raising money that will impact the lives of children all over the world in major ways.

You see. Around 470,000 people completed a marathon in 2009 in the United States. Imagine that. Imagine how many of those marathoner’s ran in support of someone else. I don’t have that number but I can tell you one organization raised 80 million dollars last year for their efforts.

Now that changed a few lives don’t you think?

I will leave you with this.

The journey to the starting life is where it’s at. Once you get to the starting line, you are now celebrating all the time effort and money you put into changing your life to change someone else’s. Crossing the finish line is just icing on the cake that you will eat tons of after the race!

The community, the support, the pain and the excitement you go through while training will teach more about yourself than you will ever imagine.

So go for it. Join a few of my friends who are training for the San Diego Half Marathon in June 5, 2011. Or sign up for your own race, create your own team and have a blast doing it with Team Compassion.

Feel free to email me with any questions as we get Team Compassion off the ground.

Question: Have you ever done anything like this? If so, what was it like for you?

Question: If you have never done anything like this, what would it take for you to get off the couch and lace up some running shoes?

For the past few years I’ve been racing in triathlons, my first Ironman, 5k’s, 10k’s, half marathons and the like.

Needless to say I love endurance racing, but the greatest joy I get from it besides crossing the finish line is watching my friends catch the bug for it.

I have a few friends who have ventured into triathlons or running races because some how I infected them with the endurance sport go juice and I think they realized.. “well heck! If Spence can do it, I can do it!”

But now it’s time to go to another level. For the longest time, most of my racing has been about two things… Me and Getting other people to get off the couch to do something good for their body, mind and soul.

Now I’m going to add number 3.

Ready for it?

It’s time to start raising money that will help change someone else’s life while I’m improving my own health and well-being.

I have chosen to raise money for my two favorite charities who are both on the front lines of a huge battle. I haven’t quite figured out what the process is going to be as far as picking the races and which races I will tie to which charity, but I’m pretty sure I will have that piece figured out shortly.

Here they are…

1. Team LIVESTRONG… I have too many friends right now dealing with cancer or have died from it and frankly… I passionately hate cancer and think it has no place here on earth. Anything I can do to help find a cure is absolutely the least I could do.

2. Team Compassion… If you have been following my blog, you know I love Compassion International. Compassion is about ready to go live with an online fundraising tool and team building community for those wanting to raise money for Compassion through endurance racing. (5k, 10k, half marathons, full marathons & triathlons) This is a brand new effort for Compassion and I’m really excited to be working with a great group of people to see this dream come to life.

Here’s where I could use your help.

1. Donate when the time comes. That’s a given.
2. Help keep me accountable once I lay out the race schedule and fundraising needs – I will be posting updates on training, fundraising and stories from each organization through out the process.
3. Join me. If you have never done anything like this before, you can do this. It’s how I first got into my first half marathon never knowing I would ever complete an Ironman. If you have questions email me. I will show you how I got started.

Let’s make a difference… not just in our own health but let’s raise money for people who need the support and love from people they don’t even know.

OK… so what do you think?

Are you in? Who’s with me…

Anytime I go for a run, I take my iPod shuffle so I can listen to my favorite up beat tunes for that extra motivation I seem to need. Up beat songs seem to keep my legs moving a little faster.

I read this article in Runner’s World recently. It made me think about some of my friends who are running the Country Music Half Marathon with Powered By Hope. I love articles like this because they give me a little more motivation to get out there and run.

The article is called Musical Motivation For Runners – Gonna Fly Now. It’s very interesting how music has such power over our ability to perform. It also leads me to think about how powerful of a role music plays in our lives everyday no matter where in the world we live. Every culture on earth has music at its core. Pretty amazing when you stop to think about it.

Music takes me different places when I run. It keeps me motivated, focused, and energized. It helps me to think clearly through thoughts I’m trying to figure out and it helps me to problem solve. Music also helps me to be creative and it throws me into a mind set of brainstorming that sets me on a path I would never really take otherwise.

The other side of this is I’ve been running with Randy Elrod for almost two years now. When we run together we never listen to music. The whole run consists of us catching up, tackling some new ideas and problem solving others. It’s very productive for our friendship and by the end of it we are excited we finished and that we accomplished more than a just run.

What helps you stay motivated while you run? Music? Conversation? Listening to the cars fly by you?

When I started training for Ironman Louisville in early 2009, many people asked me why I was going to try such a seemingly impossible race. The answer… I’m just determined to finish.

Sure, I love the sport of triathlon and I love the community that surrounds the sport. My friends I train with are all one of a kind and a blast to be with. But most of all… It was my next big challenge in life. Something I never though I would do in a million years. But determination set in…

Over the course of 9 months of training I logged in over 2,000 miles on my bike, a few hundred miles of running, and some where in the ball park of 200 miles of swimming. It was a daunting task to say the least but I was determined to do it.

My challenges? Staying injury free for one, staying focused on relationships and work, but the biggest challenge? My travel schedule. From January to June I went overseas for work 7 times for at least 5 days at a time. That takes a bite out of the training schedule, but I was determined to do it.

There was even more travel domestically, but I was determined to do it.

Add in the normal challenges in personal and professional life and you find yourself in a very tight spot on free time and energy to function as a normal human being. In bed by 10pm and up early in the morning to ride, run and swim then work a full day or travel all day… but I was determined to do it.

The weekends… even earlier and longer days training, sometimes up to 8 hours of training in one day… but I was determined to do it.

Then it hit me.(I kept seeing this word determined pop up in my thoughts and conversations with people.) I had never once considered this to be something that driven people do. In fact, I would dare say that most driven people would not be able to finish such a challenge.

Why?

Driven people seem to plow right on ahead no matter the cost to themselves or those around them. One definition I found says this about the word Driven ~ having a compulsive or urgent quality.

Let me tell you… there’s no room for urgency in training for a triathlon. If you rush it, you’ll get hurt.

Life is much the same way.

Most fiercely driven people I know urgently race through their careers and sometimes their relationships leaving damage in their wake while burning out before they finish meeting their goals. If you rush through life and aren’t aware of what’s happening around you then most likely you will fly right by the sweetest parts in life or hurt someone in the process.

The determined ones finish what they start but they might be nursing an injury along the way, a set back in their plans, or they have to start all over just to get a fresh-start.

In the end I learned this about myself, determination comes with some sweat. Not just physically, but mentally as well. It comes with knowing the cost of the road ahead and knowing when to change course in order finish well.

This might be you. You might be struggling to get to your finish line or to reach your goal, but just because it’s challenging doesn’t mean you won’t get there. It just means you have to keep going even if you fall on your face a few times getting there.

Don’t worry, it’s ok. Your friends will still love you and support you.

I have the greatest friends and family and I have an amazing coach. I have surrounded myself with several close friends who will pick me up when I fall and push me back out there when I need encouragement or a kick in the pants.

I can’t stress enough how hard this training was and what a hard day Ironman Louisville really was, but I was determined to do it.

I had to change my strategy all through out the day…

But I did it.

It wasn’t pretty.

But I did it.

The support from family and friends to get through it was amazing and at times was the only thing that got me through.

But I did it… and you can too.

All it takes… is a little Determination.

Ahhh…in the midst of family, work, travel, friends and training for triathlons-life at times can seem just a hair out of balance or slightly crazy. I’d like to think of it as slightly crazy. But whatever you call it, there is always a need for true balance in life and to make sure the things we do in life are for the right reasons.

Living a healthy life is very important to me, but it’s not just about physical health. It’s mental, spiritual and social. It’s a very holistic approach but when it’s all working right, the balanced life is sweet. But know this… I’m not always living a balanced life… why? Because life sometimes is Slight Crazy.(see first paragraph)

One of the guys I swim with is Richard Baker. Richard is an encourager, motivator and triathlon coach under the name of TriSwami. What you will read below is an article he wrote that has balance written all over it. This can really be applied to life in general…not just the physical side of being fit or healthy. I read it in an email update from our swim coach Ashley Whitney and it’s such a great reminder for me. I’m hoping you will be able to learn from it as well.

Being Fit vs. Being Healthy:
Recognizing when you have crossed the line.
Richard Baker, aka Triswami