Tuesday, July 31, 2018

I spent 24 years in the military, several of those years found me in the role of First Sergeant. My final duty before retirement was as First Sergeant of the 474th Medical Group. I had general supervision over 450 medical and support personnel. The commander was a doctor and a fighter pilot so I pretty much ran the place. He and I would meet every Monday morning and I would tell him about anything going on and what I was planning on doing about it. That way he could either give me blanket approval for the weeks administrative actions or we could discuss anything he had a concern about.
One of the reasons the commander wanted me in the position was because of my passion for promoting personal fitness and my belief in the power of self esteem. When someone asked one of my troops “What’s happening”, which was a popular phrase back in the day, you could tell if they were one of mine if they answered, “I am”. Anyone who follows my writing or been around me very much knows I still feel the same way, even now 23 years later.
My personal philosophy is this: We must feel good about ourselves because of what we do not because of something we have that another does not. Our actions should be the source of our pride not our material wealth. Time is never wasted if it’s spent in motion, either mentally or physically. Can a life be lived based on those principles? I think so, they have served me well.

Dave.

Friday, June 15, 2018

Many of us live with self doubt, we make excuses, we have fears of failure and ridicule. Mental roadblocks which convince us that we can never be good enough or strong enough. They hold us back when we really could be stronger and more confident. They keep us from over coming temptations. Each of us must break those mental chains if we are ever to be all we are capable of. Most people never know how great they could be, but courageous people who can beat back their fears and break their cruel hold, will become champions. Working harder than we believe possible. Going just a little bit further after feeling tired. Sprinting forward, when there is nothing left. All these are ways to build confidence and readjust our thinking. Finding the courage to free the mind of those self imposed bonds will be life changing.

Dave

Saturday, March 31, 2018

The road to our personal destiny doesn’t have signs pointing the way and there are many crossroads. The map is already within each of us but we have to want to see it. The secret is to trust our dreams and keep going. If we wait for directions or permission from others we are just delaying what must ultimately be our decision and ours alone.
As adult athletes we have already made some of those decisions and started on our journey. Where it takes us is up to us. A warm spring day, the miles flowing smoothly beneath our feet, the fresh clean air energizing our whole being. It’s easy to say “Yeah this is what I was meant to be doing today”.
Dave

Wednesday, March 28, 2018

My mind is chaos, my body stressed to the breaking point, every fiber of my being inflexible and tight. The warm-up begins but I really just want a nap, maybe a second cup of coffee. Lap one is past and I’m hating every minute, I’m cold, my It band hurts. Lap two is behind me, one shoe feels to tight the other to loose. Lap three, I might just survive this. Lap four, the first mile is done, I start feeling a light sweat. My jacket is thrown to the side of the track and my arm swing is finally in sync with my stride. My thoughts have evolved from whine to Grrrrrrr. I’m at peace and all is right in my world.
It’s not just a step, it’s a start.
Dave

Tuesday, March 27, 2018

What are our dreams worth, sacrifice, compromise, conflict, secretly we do know the price of success. Doing without to achieve an envisioned goal is difficult since each day needs and desires arise that we feel must be satisfied if we are to continue on. Funny thing about those needs and desires is that we have trained ourselves to depend on them. We can train ourselves to use less of our resources and still thrive. Whether it’s losing a pound, saving a dollar or winning a national championship, when the decision is made that the dream is worth the price, all things are possible.
It’s not just a step, it’s a start.
Dave

Saturday, March 17, 2018

Only the Brave
There is a children’s story about Lambert the lion cub that was raised by sheep. Lambert grew up believing he was a sheep. One day wolves were attacking the mother sheep that had raised him. In that instant he was changed forever, out of his mouth came not another bleat but the battle roar of an apex predator. He realized that he wasn’t a sheep after all. His eyes glowed with fierceness and a new found confidence.
I have seen that same look in the eyes of adult athletes when they finish their first marathon. Tears are often streaming down their faces but there is no doubt that something is very different. Worn down to nothing but the raw desire to keep moving, transcending exhaustion, they gain entry onto a plane of existence that is reserved for only the brave. The path walked may be the same after crossing that finish line, the athlete is not!
It’s not just a step, it’s a start.
Dave

Thursday, March 15, 2018

Destiny
Everyone has a future, only a chosen few have a destiny. Chosen because they made a decision not to blindly accept what each day brings but to embrace the opportunity it offers. Destiny is not determined by what happens around us but by our actions. No destination is possible without a decision to start the journey.
Fame, money, power, even a royal blood line are not requirements for a life that has meaning. The direction our lives take are instead the result of what we envision for ourselves and what we have the courage to do. Once we are in motion it’s easier to keep faith with our dreams. Then is moving forward a requirement for a life that has direction? Yes, sitting and watching others live is just letting time pass not truly living.
Add motion to your life, experience the difference, once started few desire to ever return to a sedentary life. That first step forward might not shake the world but it can have the most amazing affect on every fiber of our being. Chose motion, destiny awaits, but it doesn’t come to us, we have to travel the road that leads there. What is destiny, each person must answer that for themselves. Here is a secret, every step taken makes that question easier to answer.
It’s not just a step, it’s a start.
Dave

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

The Happy Place
There is a place that I go, a better place, one where I find peace. It’s not on the map nor can I arrive in a car. This happy place is only accessible by channeling sweat and effort into a rhythm that becomes ever smoother the further I go. My place of peace and power is not crowded or even desired by many. My destination is reached when my body becomes one with the motion and in harmony with all that I am. Don’t ask for an explanation, it defies description, it’s a place only felt by the heart and arrival is earned by the strength of the spirit. Lace up the runners, get moving, there is plenty of room in the land of magic and wonder for all who dare to discover it.
Dave

Sunday, February 25, 2018

Memories That Empower
We are born into this world an empty vessel. Throughout our lives we fill that vessel with memories. Good times resulting in amazing memories, feel the best when remembered in dreams, contemplated during quiet meditation or called upon when strength is needed. But when our vessel over flows with memories of experiences that left only heartache and pain, there is no more room for good. Those memories must be emptied out onto the ground, then walked away from. Their place is in the past, not hindering our future happiness. Learn from those unpleasant times but don’t continue to carry them.
The times we push our limits without giving in, become memories that will empower and strengthen us during our hardest trials. The toughest athlete is not the one that followed the easy road but the one that continued moving forward, leaving their previous failures behind. The strong give themselves the permission to leave the unpleasant behind. The winner approaching the finish is not reliving past failure, they are instead drawing power from the times they didn’t quit. Even if the victory they seek is merely to finish.
It’s not just a step, it’s a start.
Dave

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

Step back from those nonbelievers or success will never come. Keep away from those that would doubt you, those same people that embrace excuse as their permission to fail. Find instead winners who have taken responsibility for their own lives. They tend to empower others with encouragement, not belittle another person’s efforts to improve. Surround yourself with people that will help bring out the best in you. Sometimes even the strongest need someone to tell them, “Yes you can”.
It’s not just a step, it’s a start.
Dave

Sunday, February 18, 2018

Sometimes you need to circle your wagons and stand strong behind your self respect. There are plenty of people out there that need to be mean, to feel they have worth.  Don’t allow it, let those people become part of your past instead of your present. Once you walk away from those mean and self centered people, don’t look back, the view is ugly. Learn from what they did and how it made you feel. Then surround yourself with people that make you feel you are indeed enough.
Dave

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

You can't help being influenced by those around you. Choose to hang with positive people, get to know the kind of people that believe that all things are possible if you put out the effort. Lose the losers in your life, you don't have time for the "poor me" crowd. They will just darg you down. Make sure your friends are the kind of people that will not let you sink into self pity but will be there with a hand up when you need it. Make damn sure your hand is ready to reach out when they need it to.

Dave

Monday, February 5, 2018

When there is the slightest chance, the tiniest spark, that keeps your hopes and dreams alive, do you just let that spark fade? Every day, gather twigs to fuel that spark and fan it into a flame?
Dave

Thursday, February 1, 2018

Sometimes we forget to remind ourselves that we matter. Each of us has worth, purpose and value. If you want the respect of others you must first respect yourself. Never judge your worth by the situation you are in. Judge your worth by the situation within you.
Dave.

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Personal Rewards

One of the strange things about us, the smartest of all living things, is how sometimes we can make some of the dumbest decisions. We adult athletes, with our super healthy lifestyles are no exception to that rule. How we reward ourselves for being faithful to our healthy life style is a prime example.

We make a good informed decision that something is bad for us so we break the habit of consuming it and take it out of our diet. Then when we have reached a goal we reward ourselves by having some. Soft drinks are great examples of this. However one of the things we discover after being without, for a while, is that the food or drink that we craved, just doesn't taste as good as we expected it to any more.

Rewards should be a step forward just like everything else we strive for in our lives. Taking a day trip, to somewhere interesting, is going to be a much better reward, for reaching a tough goal, than a huge high fat and high sugar meal. From the trip we come away with a nice memory but from the unhealthy meal we just feel guilty and bloated. New clothes are a super gift if your goal was to loose inches and you did. New shoes for going the distance or new shorts to show off those nice definitions, you are starting to get, in your leg muscles. A day trip to a real running store to get your stride and foot type analyzed, so you can be fitted for the proper running or walking shoes, should be one of your first rewards.

A good healthy dinner with friends is a great reward if food is what you are craving, let the atmosphere and the company be the reward not the decadence of the food. A big slab of salmon and steamed veggies are going to make you feel great after and not feeling like you need to take a nap, like a big meal that's high fat or full of sugar would. If you have been eating healthy for a while, you would also feel guilty that you spent the money on food that really didn't taste very good any more.

Going to a destination race is a great goal to train for and also a wonderful reward in it's self. New sights and an amazing experience. Then you have all the good stuff, a reward for your efforts, lots of memories and even a medal to bring home. Put some effort into planning your rewards, that makes them even more special. You changed your life style, that means you also should change the way you reward yourself.

It's not just a step, it's a start.

Dave
Bear Management

A Canadian runner friend told me about a trail race she was competing in, where she was chased by a bear. I said, “That must have been scary”. She replied, “It wasn’t the biggest bear I’d seen and besides as soon as I passed another runner the bear was their problem”. That statement was true and it was symbolic of so much in our lives.

Successful, well adjusted people have just as many concerns as any of the rest of it. The difference is that they meet a problem head on and decide what to do about it. Like the runner with the bear, they don’t panic or complain, they deal with it. You don’t hear them say, “I can’t ever catch a break”. Usually the people you hear say that are not trying very hard to catch anything. They are to busy complaining and trying to justify why they aren’t doing better.

People who make healthy lifestyle changes all have their own bears to deal with. For some their bear is that they are carrying to much weight, for others it might be unhealthy addictions like smoking or it could be an issue with self worth. Stress eating, feeling you can’t function without that regular soft drink even shyness can all be concerns that must be handled. As adult athletes we have bears that are unique to us. An injury can throw us into a panic but that won’t help. We have to calm down and make some decisions, so we can start healing, then get back to our sport.

Some bears are harder to deal with than others but each has to be dealt with when it starts chasing you. As with any other concern, complaining isn’t going to stop that bear, positive action is needed. Take charge and practice good bear management and you will find that life isn’t nearly so over whelming.

It’s not just a step, it’s a start.

Dave

Sunday, January 7, 2018

Running and Walking Are High Tech Sports

My career as a recreational runner began around 1971. Looking back now, I was doing everything wrong. Running on the balls of my feet like a sprinter, in a pair of flat deck shoes. I tired quickly. Never even warming up just running hard right from the start. I was in the military and we had to run for fitness, but there was little information back then about how to run properly or the correct equipment to exercise in.

The top rated shoe was the Brooks Vantage and I think number 2 was the Etonic Street Fighter. My budget didn't fit either one, so I went to K-Mart and bought some bright blue track shoes with little rubber spikes on them. They worked better than the deck shoes and I got up to a couple of miles wearing them. When I did have the money for a pair of good running shoes, I thought I was running on pillows. Oh what a difference.

I began to really enjoying running, especially since I learned about warming up. Once my muscles were warm it really started feeling good. That is also when I learned about balancing the muscle groups. My lower back began hurting regularly. I started reading everything I could find about exercise and discovered that back pain can be a result of weak stomach muscles. After doing situps for a few days, my back started to feel better.

In basic training, we exercised in uniform with combat boots. The reasoning behind this was to train in the uniform worn into combat. Trouble is, we didn't learn how to exercise correctly. That was when exercise and physical fitness really started to interest me. My promotion to First Sergeant of the Base Hospital came with responsibility for the fitness of base personnel. I was able to put my knowledge to good use and to gain a whole lot more working with doctors, physical therapists, and nutritionists to design programs for the base. I had Kenneth Cooper's Human Performance Lab in Dallas on speed dial. He was the adviser to the Air Force for physical fitness. His fitness programs were based on the "Aerobics" method of training.

There is new and improved everything on the market now. The challenge is picking the proper equipment. The wrong kind of shoe can cause issues with knees, ankles, achilles tendons and IT bands. Shoes don't just cushion and protect feet any more, now they are designed to correct different gait problems. A wrong shoe can stop an exercise program quickly. It's very important to purchase exercise shoes from a store that has employees trained to fit them properly. It's amazing how high tech, putting one foot in front of the other, has become.

It's not just a step, it's a start.

Dave