SEPTASTIC!

i’m open for business.

last week was interesting, and it challenged everything i have been trying so hard to become as a person. things like letting the bad stuff go, not letting myself get too attached to material things, and finding calm when the storm clouds roll in. i’m happy to report i made it through alright, and i’m proud of myself for that. as an odd but welcome side effect of last week’s events, though, i’ve decided to start taking more pictures. truth is i enjoy it, and realize now that sharing my talent with others is just another way of helping people – making them smile, preserving memories, enriching their lives with art. it took a good friend to help me realize that, and for that, i’m grateful.

below is a sample of some of my favorites from the past year or so. looking back at them now, i find myself with a smile, remembering the fun times i had making them. i hope you enjoy them as i do, and please feel free to contact me if you’d like to have me make a few pictures for you. it would be my pleasure.

let’s get racing!

last week, my club member Mike asked if i would be interested in racing Ironman 70.3 Kansas with him.

“possibly,” i said. “when is it?”
“june 9th,” he replied with a grin.
“oh.”

i told him i’d think about it, and let him know in a day or two. after all, i had planned on racing june 2nd and june 15, and my coach had already designed a schedule around those dates. furthermore, i was scheduled to work that weekend and i wasn’t even sure registration was still open for the event. but as i thought about all the reasons why i shouldn’t do the race, i realized there were just way more reasons to do it. i think we do this a lot in life – try to convince ourselves not to do something for reasons that shouldn’t matter. so i emailed my coach, chatted with my boss, and less than two days later i completed the online registration for the race. hell, even finding out my car needs over $2000 in repairs didn’t sway my decision. (expect a post on that soon i’m sure). we need to seize opportunities in life when they present themselves, not simply when they emerge at the opportune time. let me tell you – they rarely do.

so i’m off to Green Bay this weekend for an olympic distance triathlon, followed by the half-ironman in Kansas the next. i have to say i’m pretty excited to be running in Kansas, especially since i found out you finish on a yellow brick road with all the Wizard of Oz characters cheering you to the end. how could you not want to do this race?! expect to see some race reports in the next few weeks, and i hope to get a few pictures to share with you as well.

unrelated, but important nonetheless, i watched Cloud Atlas last night, and can’t recommend it enough if you haven’t seen it. i don’t think my mind has been that engaged or switched on while watching a movie in years. even this morning it’s still firing on all cylinders, thinking of all the possible people i could have been both now and in other times. i think a person wouldn’t be 100% honest if they said they weren’t a little bit scared of what happens when we pass on. i’m no different. and while we all have our thoughts or beliefs of what we think will happen, i think it’s healthy to have those ideas challenged every once and while. not in the ‘i’m going to convert you’ manner of course, but rather in the ‘perhaps there is another thoughtful explanation to how the world works’ sort of way. ask yourself this: when was the last time you questioned your beliefs? has it been a while? ok, now ask yourself this: why haven’t you?

i urge you to try it. i mean, what’s the worst that could happen? your mind opens just a little bit more?

still riding the high…

i don’t even know where to begin this post with everything that happened this past weekend. i guess like all good stories, i’ll start from the beginning.

a few weeks back, my brother let me know he and his wife were hosting a garage sale and that i was welcome to bring any items i’d like to part with. the following day, my sister-in-law informed me my seven year-old niece and four year old nephew asked if they could have a lemonade stand / bake sale during the sale. the kicker? they wanted to donate all the money raised from it to the kids in nepal. yeah, seven and four.

fast forward to this past THU night, i swung by their place to drop off some sweets for the sale only to find a table full of baked goods. and thus started the high. by noon the following day, i was getting updates via text that the sale was hoppin’ and people were buying baked goods like crazy. day two? same. watching those kids sitting at their little table (with my other niece also helping out), telling my story to total strangers in hopes to get a dollar in the donation jar, was nothing short of amazing. for a brief minute, i think i almost understood how a parent feels when their child does something wonderful. i was so proud of them. total loot at the end of the sale? $125.87. like i shared with friends earlier – three kids, all under the age of 8, raised enough money in two days to feed an orphanage full of kids for nearly four months. i was lost for words then, and i still am now.

my niece getting ready for the sale:

my ride SAT evening went buy in a flash, and even though i had to run long SUN morning, that too went by in what seemed like a minute. after a quick lunch, it was off to community soul yoga for the yogathon my wonderful instructor was hosting for my trip. mind you it was a bit warm that morning and i did run upwards of 14 miles, so i wasn’t sure how well my body would hold up. still, i had made up my mind that if even one person showed up for each class, i’d be there, on my mat, giving it all i had. and that’s exactly what i did for the next six hours. four classes later, i was completely annihilated. and to give credit where credit is due, hailey and my sister-in-law angie stuck it out for all four classes as well. well done you two! thinking back on it, i’m certain the only thing that got me through was the absolute high i was riding from all the kind words, generosity, and support flowing my way from my yoga community members. and despite how unbelievably hard it was, it was without a doubt the best yoga session i’ve ever done. by far.

that night, my instructor messaged me the total amount raised for the day: $1150, which included her match of the total donated. i just….i don’t know. i’ve sat here for the past ten minutes trying to find the words to express how it feels to be part of something so wonderful, yet i just can’t find them. and while me expressing a simple thank you seems so meaningless, i find comfort knowing that it’s all the people who attended and donated need to hear. they’re that selfless – every single one of them.

i stayed up for a bit longer than usual SUN night, thoughts racing through my head. how am i going to deal with leaving such a wonderful group of friends, some who have become so close? what can i possibly find to do with the donated funds to make them as meaningful as possible? what if my travels don’t meet the expectations of those who gave? but as i dozed off to sleep, i found a calm in my mind, knowing it didn’t matter right now. the answers to those questions will come soon enough. plus, i have a secret weapon. the have the power to make those answers whatever i want them to be.

paper discovery duathlon race report

this morning’s race officially started my 2013 race season, and i’m pleased to report it started on a good note. my team member Mike and i headed to neenah yesterday afternoon, and we were happy to find our hotel was a two minute ride to the race site. this made getting down to the transition area a snap this morning. i placed my things, did my warmup, and found my way to the start line around 7:25.

i have to admit i was a bit uncertain how today would go. i’ve been dealing with a weird shin thing the past few weeks, and as a result haven’t done any speed work on the run for about ten days. my allergies also kicked into turbo mode on THU and i’ve had three rough nights of sleep thanks to that. still, the park we were starting at was beautiful, the sun was shining, and no matter the result, i was just happy to be there – it’s been a long winter as we all know.

the race was a run/bike/run format, starting with a 2 mile run. i registered for the elite wave, and while i had no illusions about competing for the win, i knew i could hold my own. i also knew it would help not having to run through hundreds of other runners. turns out i did the right thing – starting in the first group worked out perfectly. i felt good throughout the first run, and came into the transition area with 11:13.56 on the clock. since i was aiming for a sub-6:00/mile pace per run, i was very happy with the 5:37/mi pace i ran. transition 1 took 58 seconds, and i was glad to be out on the bike.

the course was pretty flat, but there were some false flats that made it a bit tougher than i thought it would be. there was also a bit of a wind coming back in, but overall it want well. i knew i was pushing just a bit harder than i should throughout, but figured the remaining 2 mile run was short enough to fight through on tired legs. while my garmin showed i averaged 22.5mph @ 226 watts (3.67 watts/kg), the race site shows a total bike time of 49:54.25 with an average speed of 21.6mph. either way, i was also happy with this split having set a goal of a 225 watt average for the ride. (if you have no idea what i’m chatting about with the watts, i’ll fill you in: my bike has a special crank that calculates how many watts of energy i’m producing with each pedal stroke, and it’s considered the most accurate way to monitor your effort while riding. it takes out all variables like wind, elevation, how tired your body is, etc, and gives you a pure output number of how hard you are riding. make sense? good – so now you’re in the know.)

transition 2 took a bit longer than it should have due to the fact i forgot to get out of my shoes riding up to the dismount line, but i still managed to be off the bike and out on the bike course in 40 seconds flat. and that’s when the pain started.

the first three minutes of run 2, i couldn’t feel my legs, and had no idea how my body was making them go. the burn from the lactic acid was as bad as it gets, and worse yet, my watch was showing a ~6:30/mi. yikes. around minute four, i started to feel my stride coming back, and was able to pick up the pace to around a 6:15/mi for the next few minutes, which was enough to catch the guy in front of me. from there, i hung on his feet until the last corner were we both made like hell for the finish. i ran the last 400 meters at around a 5:45/mi pace which was enough to get me a 19th place overall out of 485 athletes.

total time: 1:15:17.30 (11:14 run 1 / :58 t1 / 49:54 bike / :40 t2 / 12:30 run 2). so while i missed a sub 12 minute final run by 30 seconds, i’m still really happy with how the day went. i’m also super pumped for my tri club members mike and dave – mike placed 5th overall, and dave passed him late in the run to finish 4th. well done guys!

my next race is a triathlon in a few weeks in green bay. it’s an open water swim, and it’s going to be all kinds of freezing during the swim, but i’m still really looking forward to it. for sure.

working retail

i’ve been thinking about writing a post about working retail for a while now, and after today’s events, i figured it was time. more about that in a minute.

when i left my job with the state, i returned back to a my job at a local ski / bike shop. immediately, the stress of working as a PO was gone and it hasn’t returned since. it’s a great place to work, and the vast majority of the customers we have are fantastic people who are passionate about the sports they do. still, there are days that push my buttons. let me explain.

senario 1:
man enters the store holding a heaping pile of green tarp-like material. in his mad dash to the register, he knocks over a clothing rack, stumbles twice, and nearly takes out a customer. breathing heavily, he reports he has ‘a crisis’. he goes on to say his family is leaving in the morning for a camping trip, his tent is ripped, and he needs a warranty repair. actually, he wants us to replace it for free. at 7:30pm. on a friday. for a tent that appears to be at least five years old. and it’s a brand we don’t even carry.

*at this point, i should tell you i fully believe in good customer service, and i strive everyday to provide people with just that. i also believe that good customer service isn’t a right. back to the story.*

“ok”, i say. “what’s the crisis?”

“what do you mean what’s the crisis? i need a new tent. we’re leaving in the morning. weren’t you listening?”

“sure i was, but i wouldn’t call that a crisis” i say thinking back on the past few years of my working life, dealing with sexual assaults, armed robberies, felons beating their wives, and murder cases. “sounds more like you have an issue.”

after a few more questions, it turns out he knew the tent was ripped for over a year, forgot about it, and didn’t check the gear a few weeks before the trip like his wife asked him to do. still, after telling me this, he presses me for a new replacement.

“but sir, you didn’t buy it here. and it’s well out of warranty – this brand only has a three year replacement policy. i’m not sure why you think we should give you a new tent.”

“so you’re not going to give me a replacement?”

“no.”

“well this is the worst customer service ever” he says as he grabs his tent and makes for the door.

scenario 2:
it’s about 9:02am when the phone rings. here’s how the conversation went down:

me – {name of the store} sporting goods, how can i help you?
customer – how many stores do you have?
me – just this location, sir. and an online store.
c – good. let me talk to your manager.
me – i’m actually one of the managers. how can i help you?
c – one of the managers? how the hell does that work?
me – well, most days, we are open from 9:00am to 8:00pm. since i really don’t want to work that many hours in a week, we have a few managers to cover both shifts.
c – whatever. i called to tell you i don’t appreciate getting a text message from you at 5:03am this morning on my cell phone telling me we were going to get less than one inch of snow outside here today.
me (after a short pause to process his sentence) – a text from us? we don’t send text messages to people. our store doesn’t have that capability.
c – well it had your name on it.
me – the text message did? are you sure it wasn’t an ad or something?
c – yeah, that’s what i just said. your name was on it. at the bottom.
me – sir, it sounds like you received a weather alert of some sort. was there anything else listed in the text? like a radio station or a local television name?
c – yeah, channel 7.
me – then i suggest you call them to remove your name from their mail / text list. we don’t have any control over who they send messages to.
c – but your name was on it.
me – i think we’ve established that. you’ve mentioned that more than once. unfortunately, like i just said, we don’t have any control over channel 7 sending you text messages.
c – how would you like to get a text message at 5 in the morning?
me – i wouldn’t like it, and that’s why i don’t sign up for weather alerts from channel 7.
c – well maybe you shouldn’t sponsor a company like channel 7 if all they do is bother people at 5 in the morning.
me – sir. is this really the biggest issue in your life right now? you really don’t have anything else better to be concerned with?
c – *click*

scenario 3:
the holiday season.

scenarios 4 – 10:
“i see this is 50% off. can you do any better on the price?”

“if i buy two, will you throw in a third bike for free?”

“i only used this snorkel set for a few days. can i return it?” (after he just got done telling me about his trip to cancun.)

“if my 12 year old’s feet are a size 4, can’t i just buy a size 8 so he can grow into them for the next few years?” – ~~sure. why don’t you buy him these twelve foot tall skis while you’re at it. they’ll fit great should he grow up to be 9 feet tall.~~

“what size jacket should i get for my wife? she’s about yay big and pretty thin. most days anyways.” (followed by a throat clearing gut laugh)

“there isn’t a price tag on this kayak. must mean it’s free, right?”

“i see you have this hat in green, blue, yellow, red, orange, pink, black, white, purple, and brown. do you have it in any other colors?”

which leads me to today. i was chatting with a customer at the register when a younger man came in. he interrupted our conversation to ask for change for a $20 bill. still more focused on talking with the gal, i opened the till, gave him change, and he left. about 30 seconds later, i noticed the bill he gave me was a fake. i marked it with a counterfeit pen just to make sure – it did looked pretty good – but sure enough, it was fake. i quickly went out the front doors to see if i could spot the perp, and saw him a good three blocks down the road. he had to have run a few blocks to get down there that fast, and angered that someone tried to rip off our shop, i took off after him.

*i need to pause here again to let you know i work at a locally owned, family run shop. we feel more like family members than coworkers, and i really care about the owners. they are such great people, so when someone steals from the shop, i get pissed.*

about a half block away, i yelled out for him to stop. he did, turned around, and looked at me with worry in his face. it’s the face you see when you catch someone in a lie, one i saw all too often supervising offenders.

“ok dude, so you can either give me back the money or i’m calling the police”, i said bluntly.
“what do you mean?”
“you know the bill was a fake. don’t bullshit with me. i’m not going to ask you again.”
“i just got this at the health care center”, he said as he dug the money out of his pocket. “what am i supposed to live on?”
“not my problem, man.” i know the HCC doesn’t give out cash, so i didn’t feel bad for him at all.

as i took the money out of his hand, he immediately grabbed the fake $20 out of my other hand. he took off running, and not wanting to further risk my safety over a bum 20 dollar bill, i let him go. still, i felt like a local hero, and laughed as i walked back to the shop. after all, it would have been fun watching him trying to outrun me while i yelled something to him like ‘i’m not even at my zone 2 heart rate yet asshole. best pick up the pace a little.’

the details

since posting about my fall plans to return to nepal and beyond, i’ve received quite a few questions from people about my journey. some relate to the why, while others deal with the how and what. so, because i’d like to think this next part of my life will be as much a part of yours as it will be mine (after all, we’re all in this together, are we not?), i thought i’d fill you in.

why.

i know i’m here to help people, and it’s what i feel i do best. i’ve worked a few jobs in the past that have allowed me to do this, but sadly they were all overshadowed by red tape or foolish rules and regulations – asterisks if you will. knowing i was able to make a medicine that would help an MS patient regain the use of her hands, yet be unable to give it to her because of some bullshit insurance pre-authorization nonsense infuriated me. or being unable to simply sit and listen to an addict, a victim, or a person going through severe mental anguish due to the fact my supervisor insisted meaningless paperwork was a more effective use of my time left me furious. going to nepal in 2011 was the first avenue i’ve discovered where there were no road blocks. i was able to help others without restriction, and it felt wonderful.

another reason i’ve decided to take my life in this direction falls on a more personal level. i’m 33 years old, and feel i’ve done a lot of living in that time. i’ve lost loved ones, watched my parents get seriously ill, and witnessed terrible events that have tested my beliefs to the core. conversely, i’ve seen amazingly beautiful things, met some wonderful people, and have felt true joy. and through it all, i’ve realized this: we need to live life today. no more waiting for a better time to pursue dreams. no more planning for the future. no more somedays. i’ve always wanted to live overseas, i know how much joy helping those in need brings, and i live a lifestyle that allows me to leave. at the beginning of this year, i started to form a real plan that would finally make this happen. then, a little over a month ago, i received an email from someone who used to be so close, yet someone i haven’t spoken to in over eight years. now in her early 30’s, she told me she was sick and how much her diagnosis had put things in perspective. the next day, i made my plans to leave known. no more planning or waiting around. it sucks that sometimes it takes something terrible to finally make us take action, but that’s often the way things work.

how.

as most of you know, my travel, personal expenses, and so on will be paid for out of my own pocket, which leads to the number one question i get: how can i afford to do this? simple. visit places that don’t cost a lot of money to visit. when i went to vietnam, i’d say over 65% of my total trip cost was airfare. had i not purchased a custom suit, ate all my meals at restaurants, or stayed in nicer hotels, i could have easily spent well under $400 the entire time i was there. that’s over two weeks vacationing in a foreign country, for everything. fast forward to this fall, the majority of my time will be spent working and volunteering, where more times than not, for your service, room and board are provided for free. there might be a small monthly fee to help with food and utilities, but that is to be expected. so while i won’t be making money, i won’t be spending much either. and the times i do need to spend my own money for travel or personal things hopefully won’t be much of an issue – transportation, lodging, and recreation throughout SE asia is pretty darn cheap, and the dollar goes an awfully long way.

most of my funds will come from savings, and i plan to sell some of my belongings before i leave to provide an extra bit of financial cushion. i’ll sublet my place and get rid of most my bills before i leave, so there shouldn’t be much financial burden to deal with while i’m away.

where and who.

my travel plans so far are this: fly to nepal and spend some time back at the orphanage i worked at in 2011. from there, i hope to travel to india with a friend who is meeting me in kathmandu. while in india, i would really like to teach english to rural monks, work with street children in the urban slums, and spend a week or two traveling around the country. from there, i might look into some programs in sri lanka. if those don’t pan out, i’ll likely make my way to burma. having recently opened it’s doors to tourism, i’m fascinated at the prospect of seeing a country that hasn’t been spoiled by western influences like fast food, pop culture, and technology. cambodia, laos, and vietnam are definitely on my list, where i hope to find work teaching and assisting in medical centers. i’d like to stay pretty rural during my travels, but might find more work in the urban centers. like an idiot, i’m currently reading a great book about a lady who spent time in bali, and of course really want to go there now as well. i guess we’ll see how far my savings go. ultimately, if things work out to plan, i’d like to continue down into south america, although i fully realize this is wishful thinking at it’s grandest level. while working there might have to be shelved for a future endeavor, one can always hope for the best, right?

i’ll be looking for places to help through word of mouth, with established programs serving as my back up plan. i’m not opposed to helping through a program, but would prefer not to do this as they cost money, much of which goes to administrative costs. i’d much rather spend a few weeks getting to know an area, meeting the locals, and hearing their struggles. this way all the funds can go directly towards helping those in need, and if that means a little more frustration and hardship along the way for me looking for places to give, so be it. i think in the end it will be worth the extra effort.

a reminder that all money raised for this trip will go directly to helping those i meet along the way. sometimes, people need the basics – food, clothing, shelter. if i find that need, i’ll try my best to fill it. if i discover people who have no access to clean water or money for education, some might go there. my promise is that 100% of what you donate will go towards improving the life of someone less fortunate. that’s my guarantee.

i’ll be accepting donations through the time i leave, and will likely keep the account open for those who wish to give after i leave. in the coming months, i’ll be helping with a few fundraisers my amazing friends have organized, and couldn’t be happier to do so. if you’re a yogi, you might want to check out the Yogathon for Nepal my wonderful instructor Kirsten has put together for my trip. or, if you would like to chat more about my trip, feel free to contact me. if you’re local, i’m always up for a cup of tea and a chat, so don’t hesitate to say hello. don’t know me? no worries. i’m sure we’ll be old friends by the time our conversation has ended should you be someone interested in helping others, travel, or drinking tea.

so that’s the long version of why i’m going. want the short version? here it is:

at this moment in my life, i truly feel the most rewarding life is one lived helping others. so that’s what i’m choosing to do.

edit – another reminder: a few people have emailed me to ask if i’ll be traveling with others or willing to have someone tag along for part of my trip. ABSOLUTELY!! in fact, i already have two people who are going to meet up with me along the way for a week or two each. not only will it be great for me to see familiar faces, you’d be able to experience something totally different than your traditional vacation. and let’s face it – exploring some far off land sure beats lying on the beach (in my opinion anyways). please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me if this is something you might like to do.