This is the Teach4Endurance book chronicles page. Here you'll find an excerpt from each of the book's chapters, my Pinterest link which correlates with each of these chapters and a link to purchase the entire book from Amazon if you wish.
01
What Am I Getting Myself Into?
“If you set a goal for yourself and are able to achieve it, you have won your race. Your goal can be to come in first, to improve your performance, or just to finish the race . . . it’s up to you.”
—Dave Scott
02
The Present Is a Gift
Without using a dictionary, try defining the term “time”. For many this is not an easy task. Time is something we know is present, but what does it truly mean? According to physicists, time as we know it only moves in one direction: forward. It’s one of the great mysteries of physics. While science has yet to answer why time only moves forward, I’ll simply take that as my cue to live each moment that is given to me to the fullest.
03
Going Mental
In my experience, those three pounds of matter stuck in my skull can send my race day, any day for that matter, into a tailspin quickly. The human organ I am alluding to is obviously the brain.
04
The Murky Depths
Life is full of critters in the murky depths just waiting for the opportune time to strike. The challenge with these nuisances is that they remain hidden until they choose to present themselves. You’re never quite sure if or when one may make an appearance. But the possibility always lingers.
05
Have a Purpose
Why take part in a race that can take 15 or more hours to complete? As a point of reference, I could drive from my home in Michigan to Florida in that amount of time. Having a purpose allows you to have vision, reason, and motive for doing something. Do not think for a second that my main purpose in IRONMAN® racing is to fill an undying need for pain and misery.
06
Just Keep Swimming
Let’s put things in perspective. We are humans, and we do indeed sink! However, in triathlons, whether an IRONMAN® race or any other distance event, the swim is the initial discipline you must conquer. When I first started training, I could only swim two 25-yard lengths before having to stop. From the time I was a little guppy, my sporting world consisted of football and baseball, not the avoidance of drowning. I had to teach myself to swim if I was going to survive anything over the distance of one lap around the kiddie pool.
07
Be a Jedi In the Water
To become proficient at swimming, you must first become comfortable in the water. That’s much easier said than done, as I have noted; we sink (I've tested this many times)!
08
Effortless Pursuit
Strain, rigidity, and stress are surefire killers of any pursuit in which one hopes to flourish (unless, of course, one’s goal is to be a walking corpse). One cannot do anything well in a state of duress or panic. This holds true for the water and classroom as well.
