Archive for the ‘Motivation’ Category

5000 STAIRS

Monday, April 9th, 2012

Yes, that is the Week 4 Challenge!!! If you do 10 sets of the Capitol Hill Stairs on 10th AVE E and E Blaine St that would be 2930…..you’d be more than half way there!!! Seriously, Seattle is the stair city…..they are everywhere…..Queen Anne, Capitol Hill, Ravenna, Lake Washington, Leschi, UW, your house, your office building, school, your Reebok Step…..whatever it takes:) Teresa is doing them in Paris so vacation is no excuse! Keep going with your H20, Temple Crunches, Fruits and Veggies and now add the stairs in and you are GOLDEN! You have 6 more days to get your stairs in…..We will be at the Capitol Hill Stairs on Wed morning crankin em out:)

Tags: Stairs
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Chris Finishes Ironman Canada

Thursday, September 1st, 2011

Last Sunday I completed Ironman Canada with more than 2800 other athletes (70% male, 30% female). It took me 13 hours and 34 minutes to complete it….a long time to be doing anything.

We started off with the swim where I stayed at the back left to let all of the sharks go ahead. I felt really strong in the water maybe a little sharkish myself. I focused on staying relaxed in the water. It was definitely the most relaxed I have ever been in a swimming race situation. After 1: 25 of swimming I made it to the bike transition. Thank goodness for the wetsuit peelers!!! After changing in the transition tent I was off on the bike.

The first part of the bike was delightful…..then about 40 miles into it then you reach 6 miles of hill climb up Richter Pass. It wasn’t actually as bad as I thought! At the top of the pass I had my first of 3 bathroom stops on the rideL My digestive system was not happy eating all of the Gu and sports drinks…..too much caffeine and sugar. I have to admit at that point I was worried about dehydration as it was 96 degrees and athletes were dropping like flys! Then after going down the awesome downhill of Richter Pass there were more hills and at about 90 miles a 10 mile climb to Yellow Lake.

I tried to stay conservative on the bike for two reasons. First, I am new at triathlon so I wasn’t really sure if my legs would make it during the run and I knew I wanted to run the marathon. Secondly, my left knee has very little cartilage left and had been giving me problems for a couple of months leading up to the race. Luckily they had some great physios there who were able to kinesio tape my knee….felt a bit better!

My knee made it through the bike but was sore at the start of the run. After transitioning from bike to run I thought to myself….seriously I have to run a marathon now?! I tried to break it up into a half marathon and 2 10ks. Is my knee gonna make it, I thought??? It is amazing that the physical body wants to stop but even more amazing is our mind’s ability to keep the body going. In an event like this or with difficult life situations it is our mind that can often get in the way of working through tough times.

I’m sure my running (or should I say shuffling) stride was a little off but I managed to jog it and RUN the last couple of miles. The best part of the race is when I saw Shannon’s beautiful face and she said “you look suprisingly good!” She ran a mile or so with me (of course pushing the pace!!!) and there were crowds of cheering fans lining the streets as headed toward the finish.

I was so happy to see the finish line and thought well this is it……I am an ironman! When being interviewed at the end I said “this is it one and done….my one and only ironman. I think it took me about 15 minutes to realize…..with what I know now that I could do so much better….. next time…..who knows….. tbd

It doesn’t matter whether you complete an ironman, 5k, want to do a pull up or are coming back from injury…..set a goal for yourself, be disciplined enough to train for it and complete it. You will be amazed at what you learn in the process. Thanks for all of your support! Chris

If you are need for some inspiration check out the 2011 race day video http://www.ironman.ca/ – gpm1_2

My training partner, chris and I at the finish!

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The Race

Thursday, June 2nd, 2011

A lot has happened since returning from my trip abroad while adopting my daughter….I am finally back in a rhythm….feeling healthier and stronger after coming back from 3 months of living in Nepal.

My daughter Orion is the joy of my life, a chip off the old block. She loves the foam roller, walking up the stairs and a little baby yoga. Some of the many things we have in commonJ She is the best thing that has ever happened to our family!!! The 3 months in Nepal and nearly 3 years of waiting for her were more than worth it.

My Ironman is 3 months away and I am doing my best to balance family/work/ and training. The more I train the more I have realized that the ironman is a great metaphor for life…..I have had good training days and many hard ones. How will I know if I don’t try? And then there is a fear of the unknown. (What will it be like to start swimming with people kicking me? What will the ride up a mountain pass feel like? Will I actually be able to run?)

I do know one thing……. I will get out of the ironman what I put into it. The days of hard work, swimming in the freezing water, running and riding in the cold rain will pay off. Just as difficult situations in life teach us invaluable lessons…

I want to thank all of my clients and my family for all of your support through the last year!

Here is a great example of persevering through hardship……. The Race

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What I Learned

Monday, May 10th, 2010

Chris in Boston Well, it has been just 3 weeks since I completed the Boston Marathon, and it seems like just yesterday. What fun! Believe it or not I am just now feeling ‘normal’. In 2008 I decided to set a goal to qualify for the Boston Marathon…setting goals helps me stay disciplined, focused, and challenged. If there is one thing I enjoy, it is a good challenge!

Hard work is key

In the past, I have tried training for marathons but found myself riddled with injury and unable to complete the training. (Being a soccer player I actually thought it was weird to run without a ball). After my knee reconstruction, many told me that distance running might not be the best thing for me. Bull I said….

After 4 months of training, with a slightly battered body, I missed my qualifying time by less than a minute. I thought to myself “I can knock 51 seconds off!” So I got back on the horse and tried one last time at the Portland Marathon. At last, I did – Boston here I come.

People are good

There was an amazing community of runners in Boston and I was amazed that the entire city shut down to cheer everyone on. In many ways those around me supporting my every step resembled the amazing community of family, friends, and clients I have in my life. Appreciate the community around you, because you would be nowhere without them.

There are harder hills ahead

What is so hard about Boston is mile series 17-21, an accumulation of 4 hills – the last one affectionately known as “heart break hill.” In my mind I knew the hills were coming as my legs began to burn, but I vowed to keep my pace no matter what. Life is hard and with perseverance you will find our way no matter how hilly the course.

A Zen Experience

This experience has been more than just piling on miles or working out. There has been a bigger reward…where the mind and body connect. Find your bigger reward

Have fun

Trying not to take myself too seriously, along the way I found myself high-fiving a Wellesley student, getting some lemonade from a toddler, and afterwards laughing at the fact that I had to use the handicap railings to use the toilet. Enjoy the experience.

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Crossing the Finish Line

Sunday, December 6th, 2009

For those of you who have done camp before, I appreciate your dedication to come and work hard on ‘Assessment Friday”. It is not easy to do on a cold day like it was but it makes us stronger. For those of you who are new to camp or have been gone for a while it will be awesome to see your improvements week 3 ‘Assessment Friday’.

This was a great first week of camp….think about it- it is December and you ladies were out there in the frost, running your hearts out. As I was watching you make your way around the track (in my snow pants) I was impressed. For those of you that came to run the lake- Good job running the lake!

Speaking of running your hearts out, this last weekend we had 6 boot campers and boot camp alumni (that I know of) who participated in the Seattle Half Marathon. All of these ladies h

Gina Vega (bc alum), a college athlete returning to fitness from a hiatus after having two boys—she PR’d

Debbie Limon (bc alum) and Gina’s buddy cranked it out!

Ronnie Potter (bc alum) was running up the last hill while the majority of participants are hobbling to the finish, Ronnie was sprinting (yes it is true) —not easy after 13 miles

Michelle Burggraff (bc alum) has overcome many obstacles and I can remember her telling me how much she hated running (as I smiled and thought to myself “this woman is a runner!”) A leaner, stronger, healthier Michelle came across that finish line!

Ari (there is only one!) who was told by doctors that she can’t (bad wordL) run because of her injuries, was also running up the hill and of course SMILING!!!! (who does that?!) And she did BUST IT across the finish.

Whether you are a marathoner or not, these ladies are living proof that you CAN DO ANYTHING. They took the first step (the hardest step) toward becoming healthier, pushed through obstacles and they crossed the finish line!

Here some upcoming 2010 events for you to ponder:

Jingle Bell Dash

12/13/2009

http://www.seattlejinglebellrun.org/

Resolution Run 5k and (optional) Polar Bear Dive

January 1, 2010

http://www.promotionevents.com/ResoRun/default.htm

2010 New Years Paddling Challenge

January 10, 2010

http://www.paddlingdynamics.com/challenge/default.html

Washington Romp to Stomp

February 20, 2010