Spence Smith

Any time I receive a tour schedule from a manager I work with there’s always a line at the bottom that reads… “Schedule Subject To Change”. Which means… The schedule you see before you might change… so be willing to change dates or cancel if need be… or simply put…

Sometimes Plan A turns into Plan B…

Well… that’s kind of where I am right now.

As I have come into 2011, I’ve realized that 2011 is going to be a really busy year in my personal life and professional life. As I look at the bigger picture, it has become very clear that an attempt at Ironman race number 2 would be a too much to handle. Training for Ironman requires a significant amount of time, which is turning out to be something I’m running short on.

However, I do plan on running a couple of half marathons and a few Olympic distance and sprint triathlons and will be in decent shape to do a Half Ironman race. All of which are just fine for me and won’t take a huge toll on my time. This will allow me to focus on my personal life as well as my professional life this year and feed my passion for triathlon.

I think the lesson for me here is – knowing when to say “not now… maybe later or next year” or “knowing when it’s time to get more focused and shore up some important parts of life”…. Or sometimes just saying… “No.”

So… Here’s my question…

When it’s time to step up to the plate in life, how do you do it?

How do you focus on what you know is important and walk it out?

What are you willing to give up in order to do what you know you need to do?

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?

When it comes to triathlons, my worst of the three sports is running. For those of you who know me, you must be wondering why it’s my worst of the three when I run so often. Well… Let’s just say it’s always been a struggle for me. Which is one of the reasons I got into triathlons in the first place.

Over the past year, I decided to focus more on running so I could one day love it as much as biking and swimming. I have to say… I’m getting there. I love to run… But I want to be a faster and stronger.

I read a great book called Born To Run by Christopher McDougall right after my first Ironman and was completely inspired to change the way I run. Rather than go the barefoot or Vibram running route, I opted for the next best thing in natural running… my new favorite running shoes made by Newton Running Company which I bought at the Newton headquarters in Boulder, CO.

I’m using the Sir Isaac Neutral Guidance Trainer by Newton and they are perfect for the new way I’m learning to run.

What is this new way?

These shoes are made to help change my running posture so that I land on the midfoot/forefoot area instead of my heel first, which is not good for your knees or your posture. The new way feels more natural and the stride is easier to maintain. I ran 13 miles in them last week and loved every step.

Here’s the thing though.

I’m always looking for areas to improve. Always. Whether it’s in the triathlon sport or my life in general. I’m always looking.

Why?

Because change helps us to move forward.

If I’m not challenging myself to change my bad habits, then I don’t grow into the person I know I’m capable of being. The same goes for sports…. or anything else for that matter.

I’ve been a bad habit runner. Poor form. But I know I’m capable of running faster and more efficiently. I can do it if I apply myself and am patient with the process.

Now that I’m learning a new way, I’m getting faster and stronger.

Funny how life tends to be the same way right?

Have any habits you are in process of changing into good habits?

Remember… Change is good. It will show you a different way to run through life.

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…

Since spring is here and summer is shortly to follow, I’m in the planning stages of what my triathlon race schedule might look like. I say might because these are the races I would like to do, but if my travel schedule gets crazy, then there will be few I can’t do.

Also… any time I post my race intentions online it’s another layer of added accountability so you folks can help keep me on track and motivated. I mean… that’s what friends are for right?

When I started doing triathlons I never imagined I would love it as much as I do. I truly do learn something new at every race. I either learn something about myself or something about the way my body works in a race, but most times I wish it worked a little faster. So doing this many races in a summer is completely fun for me.

For those of you who don’t do triathlons, you might look at this and think it’s entirely nuts. But for those of you who do triathlons you will notice how they are spaced out in days or weeks before the next race and whether or not it’s a Sprint, Olympic or Half Ironman Distance.

I think it looks like a fun schedule with a few races I’ve never done before with a couple of running races thrown in for some fun times.

Spectators are always welcome as we love to have people cheer us on.

Race Schedule

• Country Music Half Marathon 4/24
• Memphis in May Sprint 5/22
• Memphis in May Olympic 5/23
• McMinnville Sprint 5/29
• Bolder Boulder 10K 5/31
• Mach Tenn Sprint 6/5
• Knoxville Tri Olympic 6/20
• Music City Olympic 7/25
• Vineman 70.3 Half Ironman 7/18
• Tri Fall Creek Falls Olympic 8/15
• Augusta 70.3 Half Ironman 9/26
• *Race Schedule Subject To Change

So… Are you doing anything fun this summer?

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?

I was given 50 Ways To Identify Triathlon Obsession a while back and thought a few of you would really get a kick out it. I can’t tell you how true all 50 of these really are!

50. You are over 30 and there is still someone in your life that you refer to as “coach”.
49. Your last bike cost more than your first car.
48. You have peed outdoors more times in the last year than you did in your first year of university.
47. You think of mowing the lawn as a form of cross-training.
46. You’ve worn a heart-rate monitor to bed.
45. And it wasn’t when you were sleeping.
44. You refer to the front hall of your house as the “transition area”.
43. When you get home from a training session at the pool, the newspaper is just being delivered to your house.
42. You have changed more flat tires this year than light bulbs.
41. The most frequently used software program on your computer is the one that keeps track of your workouts.
40. You have no idea why they call Cal Ripken Jr. “Iron Man” when, after all, he was a baseball player.
39. The first three items on your grocery list are Gatorade, power bars, and gels.
38. When you floss at night, it’s to get the bugs out of your teeth.
37. Your legs move in a cycling motion while you are asleep.
36. When you see a drop of blood, your first reaction is that you spilled some red Gatorade.
35. You know how far you biked and ran last year, to one-tenth of a kilometre.
34. You think the ultimate form of wallpaper is about 64 racing bibs.
33. A 19-year old kid who works in a bicycle shop know more about you than your next-door neighbour.
32. Your children are more likely to recognize you if you put your bicycle helmet.
31. You have a vanity licence plate with the word “Kona” in it.
30. About half the shirts you own have at least a dozen logos on the back of them.
29. You don’t find the word “fartlek” in the least bit amusing.
28. When you refer to your “partner”, you mean neither your spouse nor the co-owner of your business but the person you run or bike with three times a week.
27. You shave your legs more often than your wife.
26. The closest you came to punching somebody was when they disagreed with your position on whether wearing a wetsuit amounts to cheating.
25. It doesn’t feel right that you can’t “clip “ in and out of the pedals in your car.
24. There is a group of people in your life about whom you are more likely to know how fast they can swim 100 metres than their surnames or occupations.
23. Some of the shorts you wear today are tighter than the ones you wore in high school.
22. You are frustrated with the latest Garmin Forerunner because its live readings have a margin of error of approximately three per cent.
21. There’s a separate load of laundry every week that is just your workout clothes.
20. One of your goals this year is to be faster at getting out of your wetsuit.
19. You failed high school chemistry but you could teach a course on lactic acid.
18. All you want for Christmas is something called a carbon crank set.
17. You wore a digital watch to your wedding.
16. You have to have completely separate meals from your spouse because he or she is on a low-carb diet.
15. Your bicycle is in your living room.
14. You have stocked up on a brand of cereal because it has a coupon that will save you money on your next two pairs of running shoes.
13. In order to establish a new personal best, you considered peeing without getting off your bike.
12. One of your proudest moments is when you lost a toenail.
11. When a car follows too closely behind you, you accuse the driver of “drafting”.
10. When you went for a job interview, you wrote your social insurance number on your arm in black marker.
9. Your spouse cried during Terms of Endearment; you cried during the television coverage of the Hawaii Ironman.
8. You are comfortable discussing the sensitivity of your nipples with other guys.
7. Your spouse is looking forward to the day when you will slow down and just run marathons.
6. You have paused in front of the mirror in your wetsuit and thought, “Hey, I look like Spiderman.”
5. You see no issue with talking about treatments for chafing or saddle rash at the dinner table.
4. You recently asked your spouse out for dinner by asking if he or she wanted to “fuel up” together.
3. For you, “bonking” no longer has a sexual connotation.
2. The magazine secretly tucked under your mattress has pictures of really expensive bicycles in it.
And the No. 1 sign you’re obsessed:
1. Most of this list doesn’t seem like a joke to you.

Here’s a subject that has a wide variety of opinions. Mine of course, is just
that…an opinion. I know that I don’t always eat the best, but about 90% of the time I eat great.

I’ve read a lot on the subject and have come to this conclusion. If
you are looking to get into better shape whether it’s for something athletic like running or triathlons or if you are just wanting to loose
some pounds to look better, the simple fact is this…it’s a neat little formula that has worked for centuries on end! Ready?

EAT LESS…MOVE MORE.

We live in a society, especially in the US, where more is more…not less is more. Big portions, big drinks, big everything.

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

Through out all my training for triathlons, the one question I get the most is I’d like to start running… What do I do?

Ahhh… well, let me tell you…

1. Set a goal…. Start with a 5k, which is 3.1 miles or a 1/2 marathon which is 13.1 miles.

2. Buy the right running shoes for you. Not just any shoe… but the right shoe. This means a visit to my favorite running store like, Fleet Feet, Endurance Sports, or ACME Multisport. If you aren’t in the Nashville area then ask around for a RUNNING store staffed by runners. Getting a proper fit for shoes is critical to your training and preventing unwanted injuries. If I catch you walking into Foot Locker or the Finish Line then I will come hunt you down… and make you buy me dinner at a really expensive restaurant!

You want to buy shoes from runners who know shoes. Its that simple.

3. Train with a friend, a group of friends, or a training program like Powered By Hope. Learning from each other helps, not to mention the accountability from your friends and the community you will build in the process is priceless.

For those who are looking to run in the Country Music 1/2 Marathon, Powered By Hope is building a community of runners (beginners to seasoned athletes) to support a great cause. Their training plan is easy to get into and well worth the effort. Training officially starts January 16, 2010 at Fleet Feet in Brentwood, TN

4. Find the right training plan for you. I use the Jeff Galloway system quite a bit to help me build my running endurance. It’s easy to get into and it’s not overwhelming. No one expects you to run far for very long when you are a beginner and there’s nothing wrong with a little walking. The goal is to finish.

5. Have fun with it! Take your time and learn to enjoy the benefits from your training and the people you meet along the way. The encouragement I got as a beginner was what made me want to keep going and eventually encourage others to experience the same joy and benefits I got from running with a group of people.

Benefits? Oh yes… You can lose weight.. That’s always a plus… but what most people don’t realize is how much your mind gets in better shape. Your moods level out, you tend to think more clearly and it’s a great way to relieve a bit of stress and bring focus to your day.

Take it from me. I went through a really big change in my life that was stressful, hurtful, and just down right sad…they call it a divorce. My counselor wanted me to keep running because it was helping me get through the really tough times.

I have to say… I’m much better for it. And now, all of this training I do – Swimming, biking and running… is now just apart of my lifestyle. It’s something I love to do… not something I feel like I have to do as if it were a burden.

So… You wanna learn to run? Go for it!! and if you have any questions about the your first running steps, shoot me an email. I can’t give you all the answers but I will tell you how I got started and few things I’ve learned along the way.

Before Christmas gets here, make a decision to do something for yourself while helping others. Go sign up with Powered By Hope and run the Country Music 1/2 Marathon. You will thank me later for it!

And while you’re read Born To Run… it changed my running life!

Triathlon is fast growing sport right now. I know in the Nashville area the tri community is growing like crazy. People are catching the tri bug and it’s really fun getting to see so many people take the plunge.

But with triathlon being such a new sport still for most people, there’s a lot of confusion as to the lingo surrounding triathlons.

The question I get asked is what the distance of a FULL triathlon is. Kind of a funny question and yet a logical question in it’s inaccuracy.

Because Ironman Championship in Kona, Hawaii is on TV, most people think this particular race is the only triathlon race there is or that it is what all triathlon races are made of. This isn’t the case. In order to go to Ironman in Kona, you have to qualify in the top three spots of your age group. There are just over 30 Ironman races in the world each year and all are qualifying races for Kona.

On with the race…

A triathlon is three sports. Swimming, Biking and Running. In that order. So when a person asks… “is it a full triathlon?” Yes… all triathlons are full because they have three sports. What people are really asking… “are you doing the ironman?”

The answer is not every triathlon is an ironman.

Ironman is just the longest of the triathlon races.

There are four different triathlon distances. The longest and toughest being the Ironman (2.4 mile Swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run) then there is a Half Ironman (half of the Ironman distance) then there is the Olympic distance (1 mile swim, 25 mile bike, 6 mile run). The shortest triathlon is called a Sprint which is roughly half the distance of an olympic distance triathlon. Truth be told. If you are a strong triathlete, sprints can be really tough. Because they are really short, you have no time to make up ground on who is ahead of you and not room to slack off to beat those who are behind you. Long distance race give you a little breathing room to make up time and to pace your self well.

Also, Olympics and Sprints will vary in distance by a mile or two on the bike and run and vary a little on the swim.

So… I’m hoping you are getting a mental picture. For those of you who know marathons and half marathons. There is only a marathon (26.2 miles) then the half marathon(13.1 miles). Then 10k’s (6 miles) and 5k’s(3 miles) typically. But if your friend says…”I’m running a 10k this weekend.” You probably aren’t going to say… “is that a full 10k?”

And there you have it… a simple little explanation from dear ole me…

Make sense?

Wanna tri with me?