I am moving my blog to another website and will be blogging more often from here on out! Check it out:
http://www.mikemarsteller.com/
Monday, July 9, 2012
Monday, April 9, 2012
Doylestown Duathlon - 4/7/12
It seems like the last two years I have written what I'm about to write, but this time I hope it's serious. The last time I actually felt competitive with racing was back in the beginning of 2009. In the fall of 2009 I started HCM and turned all the attention I was using for training to building HCM. I became ridiculously out of shape for a few months, then I'd get the running bug again, string together maybe 2 months worth of good running races, then stop for another couple months. I was yo yoing I guess you could say for the last 2 - 3 years and now I am finally being more consistent and normal with training.
I drove up to the race with Holly Geldhauser race morning. She just had an awesome half ironman race in San Juan a couple weeks ago so I was hoping some of her speed and toughness would rub off on me, ha! We pulled up to the race site, registered, got our stuff together in transition, socialized a bit and headed out for a warm up run. I actually felt pretty good. Start time was nearing and it was about 40 degrees but the sun was out - made it feel warmer.
Since I haven't really raced since 2009, there seemed to be a lot of new faces toeing the line. Made me feel old and nervous, ha! My running has been feeling good in training so I knew I could probably hang with the front group on the first run, or at least that is what I was hoping. My watch died the morning of the race so I just ran by feel. I started running my pace and no one was with me. I wasn't quite sure what to think, but then a few minutes in Brian Register comes up on me and puts in a little gap. He surged big time. Then Evan Daney and Thomas Edwards come up on me and I thought to myself, 'it's been awhile since I raced and maybe I should just chill out here for awhile.' So I stuck on the shoulders of Evan and Thomas. As we got a bit over half way in, Thomas dropped off and Evan and I were running shoulder to shoulder with Brian still up ahead. I never met Evan so I tried to chat it up a bit just to say good job and keep pushing the pace, etc. A bit after that we came up on a tight tight turn and Evan slipped on some gravel and went down hard. I almost stepped on him by accident, but he popped up and we kept the pace rolling good. We came in on the first run in 18:14, but the run loop was a bit long - about a quarter mile. So I think we were running about 17 or just a bit over for pace. It was a good effort.
I had a quick transition, eyes were watering and had the shakes from running hard. Forgot how that feels. My cycling hasn't been going nearly as well as my running, but I still thought I would be able to ride well. Ahh, I remember a few years ago I could get on the bike and just ride as hard as I could and it felt good. Not today. I got on the bike in 2nd place and tried to ride hard and bridge the gap to Brian, but I couldn't and it wasn't happening. I was hurting on the bike - my fitness didn't feel good, it was windy, hilly and then some. The bike course led us on 563 and I maintained 2nd place for I think what was about 8 miles of the 15 mile bike. Later in the bike I had two guys pass me and one in a later wave who was 6 min back that ended up riding faster. At the very end of the bike, Evan caught up to me. I was nervous coming off the bike how I was going to feel because my legs felt trashed from the first run and then riding hard.
I had a slow second transition. Evan beat me out of transition and I exited in 6th place. I really just wanted to run steady. My legs actually felt great - my right calf was cramping big time, but I knew if I just kept running it would go away (right now it feels like someone shot me in my leg, ha.) I was able to keep Evan in sight and hold off anyone from passing me! The second run was uneventful and I ended up running about 40 seconds slower than my first run and I was happy with that finishing 6th overall. I was also happy to cross the finish line and feel like I am well on my way to racing the way I used to a few years ago.
Holly did very well finishing 8th female and there were so many friends that crushed the course and had fantastic races. It was great to catch up with everyone!
https://www.lin-mark.com/raceresults.aspx?guid=b0690d8c-3bc1-4703-bb12-77997752f070
There is definitely something to be said for a balanced life and the older I get the more I am trying to accept it. Between real job, hcm foundation, coaching, speaking, personal life and training/racing - I'm hoping to be more balanced moving forward and keep doing the best I can in all areas.
Next up will be the good old Devilman Tri!
Later in the day we watched Moneyball and this is definitely one of the best motivational/inspirational movie clips that will get you fired up:
I drove up to the race with Holly Geldhauser race morning. She just had an awesome half ironman race in San Juan a couple weeks ago so I was hoping some of her speed and toughness would rub off on me, ha! We pulled up to the race site, registered, got our stuff together in transition, socialized a bit and headed out for a warm up run. I actually felt pretty good. Start time was nearing and it was about 40 degrees but the sun was out - made it feel warmer.
Since I haven't really raced since 2009, there seemed to be a lot of new faces toeing the line. Made me feel old and nervous, ha! My running has been feeling good in training so I knew I could probably hang with the front group on the first run, or at least that is what I was hoping. My watch died the morning of the race so I just ran by feel. I started running my pace and no one was with me. I wasn't quite sure what to think, but then a few minutes in Brian Register comes up on me and puts in a little gap. He surged big time. Then Evan Daney and Thomas Edwards come up on me and I thought to myself, 'it's been awhile since I raced and maybe I should just chill out here for awhile.' So I stuck on the shoulders of Evan and Thomas. As we got a bit over half way in, Thomas dropped off and Evan and I were running shoulder to shoulder with Brian still up ahead. I never met Evan so I tried to chat it up a bit just to say good job and keep pushing the pace, etc. A bit after that we came up on a tight tight turn and Evan slipped on some gravel and went down hard. I almost stepped on him by accident, but he popped up and we kept the pace rolling good. We came in on the first run in 18:14, but the run loop was a bit long - about a quarter mile. So I think we were running about 17 or just a bit over for pace. It was a good effort.
I had a quick transition, eyes were watering and had the shakes from running hard. Forgot how that feels. My cycling hasn't been going nearly as well as my running, but I still thought I would be able to ride well. Ahh, I remember a few years ago I could get on the bike and just ride as hard as I could and it felt good. Not today. I got on the bike in 2nd place and tried to ride hard and bridge the gap to Brian, but I couldn't and it wasn't happening. I was hurting on the bike - my fitness didn't feel good, it was windy, hilly and then some. The bike course led us on 563 and I maintained 2nd place for I think what was about 8 miles of the 15 mile bike. Later in the bike I had two guys pass me and one in a later wave who was 6 min back that ended up riding faster. At the very end of the bike, Evan caught up to me. I was nervous coming off the bike how I was going to feel because my legs felt trashed from the first run and then riding hard.
I had a slow second transition. Evan beat me out of transition and I exited in 6th place. I really just wanted to run steady. My legs actually felt great - my right calf was cramping big time, but I knew if I just kept running it would go away (right now it feels like someone shot me in my leg, ha.) I was able to keep Evan in sight and hold off anyone from passing me! The second run was uneventful and I ended up running about 40 seconds slower than my first run and I was happy with that finishing 6th overall. I was also happy to cross the finish line and feel like I am well on my way to racing the way I used to a few years ago.
Holly did very well finishing 8th female and there were so many friends that crushed the course and had fantastic races. It was great to catch up with everyone!
https://www.lin-mark.com/raceresults.aspx?guid=b0690d8c-3bc1-4703-bb12-77997752f070
There is definitely something to be said for a balanced life and the older I get the more I am trying to accept it. Between real job, hcm foundation, coaching, speaking, personal life and training/racing - I'm hoping to be more balanced moving forward and keep doing the best I can in all areas.
Next up will be the good old Devilman Tri!
Later in the day we watched Moneyball and this is definitely one of the best motivational/inspirational movie clips that will get you fired up:
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Put your goal sheet down for awhile
I was out and about the other day when I bumped into someone I knew and I asked her how she was doing. She said, "the last month has been a tough one." She had two deaths in her family, one of them being her sister - she lost her battle with leukemia. And as I continue to speak with her, I notice her upbeat tone and her outlook on this situation is different than what I would have expected. She doesn't know about my Dad, HCM and/or the families we help or the stories I come across so as she talks about losing her sister to cancer I am very interested in how she is taking all this in and how she expresses it to me. Before I started HCM I would come across so many situations like this - folks telling me their stories about cancer and they never knew about my Dad. I would just listen and try to understand their perception of it all - because it would help me understand to the point where I thought I understood.
I could tell she was struggling and shocked about her sister, but she tells me that it has really changed her outlook on life. She says you have to do the things you want to do before it's too late. Then she would look off in the distance and say the same thing again, but this time using her hands more - body language. I left that conversation thinking that losing her sister has opened up a whole new world for her and those around her - one I've been living in for quite some time.
About a week before that, we got a nomination come through from social work asking if HCM can help. A husband and wife in their early 50s with two teenage daughters, 14 and 17. The husband was diagnosed with bladder cancer in August and it was supposed to be one of those things to go and get treatment and it will all be over. Well, last month they found cancer in his lungs and now it turned into metastatic bladder cancer. As I am reading the nomination, my mind is spinning - one moment thinking about the husband, next moment thinking about the wife, thinking about the daughters - do they understand the sacrifices that may need to be made?
They needed help with some of their bills and I got up on a Saturday morning, opened up my computer and was going to print off the bills and write the checks and send in the mail. I had a few questions with some of the bills so I decided to call the wife, but she didn't answer so I left a voicemail. She returns my call later in the day and we talk. Out of everyone in this situation, she needs to stay strong - she needs to hold the family together - she needs to take care of everyone - she needs to be selfish and unselfish at the same exact times - and there may be a time when she just needs to be in a room by herself and let her emotions out. She, this person, is who amazes me.
After we sort out the bills and where the money is going, I try to break things down. She has no idea who I am or what my story is. When she called me back and I answered - I said, "how is your day going?" And she says, "well, today is a good day and I'm thankful for that." Today is a good day she says. To her that has so many meanings right now. I ask her how her daughters are doing and she tells me some of the things she has been doing to help her daughters. And I could hear it in her voice that she is one absolutely incredible woman for what she is going through. I tell her that it sounds like she is doing a wonderful job during this time to hold everyone who is important to her together. And she pauses and says thank you. She says, "you are one of the first people who has told me that and it gives me confidence." A part of me felt like I just made her day, but I understand she just made mine.
So here we have two similar scenarios but very different - we go from one person losing someone close and realizing their life could be cut short to someone who is doing everything they can to not lose someone so they keep what they have. Maybe it's a timeline, maybe it's the hand we are dealt, maybe it makes us who we are, and maybe it teaches us how to be. For whatever it is let's be mindful of our mark on this world. It's kind of one of those things quality over quantity. Who cares if your mark is big - but how did you use it?
There was a day awhile ago when I woke up and I thought to myself, 'I really don't care what I accomplish, but when I die and this is all over for me I want to leave my mark on the world so people will remember me for how I made them feel and not so much for what I did for myself.' Life may be about our accomplishments, the finish lines we cross, the higher we jump, enjoying the taste of food, traveling and "living life to the fullest." But in these perceptions within conversations, when situations are so desperate, it comes down to people and relationships - ourselves and the ones we love.
So let's put our goal sheets down for awhile and show the people in our life how we want to make them feel - and sometimes they are people we don't even know, but the process changes the world ever so slowly so that no one is ever forgotten and the rememberence is flipped around, standing tall on its feet, showing us what life really is.
I could tell she was struggling and shocked about her sister, but she tells me that it has really changed her outlook on life. She says you have to do the things you want to do before it's too late. Then she would look off in the distance and say the same thing again, but this time using her hands more - body language. I left that conversation thinking that losing her sister has opened up a whole new world for her and those around her - one I've been living in for quite some time.
About a week before that, we got a nomination come through from social work asking if HCM can help. A husband and wife in their early 50s with two teenage daughters, 14 and 17. The husband was diagnosed with bladder cancer in August and it was supposed to be one of those things to go and get treatment and it will all be over. Well, last month they found cancer in his lungs and now it turned into metastatic bladder cancer. As I am reading the nomination, my mind is spinning - one moment thinking about the husband, next moment thinking about the wife, thinking about the daughters - do they understand the sacrifices that may need to be made?
They needed help with some of their bills and I got up on a Saturday morning, opened up my computer and was going to print off the bills and write the checks and send in the mail. I had a few questions with some of the bills so I decided to call the wife, but she didn't answer so I left a voicemail. She returns my call later in the day and we talk. Out of everyone in this situation, she needs to stay strong - she needs to hold the family together - she needs to take care of everyone - she needs to be selfish and unselfish at the same exact times - and there may be a time when she just needs to be in a room by herself and let her emotions out. She, this person, is who amazes me.
After we sort out the bills and where the money is going, I try to break things down. She has no idea who I am or what my story is. When she called me back and I answered - I said, "how is your day going?" And she says, "well, today is a good day and I'm thankful for that." Today is a good day she says. To her that has so many meanings right now. I ask her how her daughters are doing and she tells me some of the things she has been doing to help her daughters. And I could hear it in her voice that she is one absolutely incredible woman for what she is going through. I tell her that it sounds like she is doing a wonderful job during this time to hold everyone who is important to her together. And she pauses and says thank you. She says, "you are one of the first people who has told me that and it gives me confidence." A part of me felt like I just made her day, but I understand she just made mine.
So here we have two similar scenarios but very different - we go from one person losing someone close and realizing their life could be cut short to someone who is doing everything they can to not lose someone so they keep what they have. Maybe it's a timeline, maybe it's the hand we are dealt, maybe it makes us who we are, and maybe it teaches us how to be. For whatever it is let's be mindful of our mark on this world. It's kind of one of those things quality over quantity. Who cares if your mark is big - but how did you use it?
There was a day awhile ago when I woke up and I thought to myself, 'I really don't care what I accomplish, but when I die and this is all over for me I want to leave my mark on the world so people will remember me for how I made them feel and not so much for what I did for myself.' Life may be about our accomplishments, the finish lines we cross, the higher we jump, enjoying the taste of food, traveling and "living life to the fullest." But in these perceptions within conversations, when situations are so desperate, it comes down to people and relationships - ourselves and the ones we love.
So let's put our goal sheets down for awhile and show the people in our life how we want to make them feel - and sometimes they are people we don't even know, but the process changes the world ever so slowly so that no one is ever forgotten and the rememberence is flipped around, standing tall on its feet, showing us what life really is.
Friday, February 24, 2012
HCM Foundation Gets a Running Start on 2012 Fundraising
A BIIIIGGG THANK YOU TO THE LEHIGH VALLEY ROAD RUNNERS FOR INCLUDING HCM FOUNDATION AS THE CHARITY PARTNER FOR THE SUPERBOWL 10K!!! CHECK OUT THIS PRESS RELEASE:
HCM Foundation Gets a Running Start on 2012 Fundraising
HCM Foundation Gets a Running Start on 2012 Fundraising
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
LAVA Magazine - Multisport Do-Gooders: Triathletes Who are Paying it Forward
LAVA Magazine recently included me in one of their articles, Multisport Do-Gooders: Triathletes Who are Paying it Forward
It showcases using our sport and our passions for the greater good of the community.
Thank you to Lisa Barnes Dolbear for writing this article :)
It showcases using our sport and our passions for the greater good of the community.
Thank you to Lisa Barnes Dolbear for writing this article :)
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