Bed Intruder song...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKsVSBhSwJg&list=QL&feature=BF

Just heard this again and couldn't help myself and had to put it up here.  Reminds me of my little bro :)  and if you haven't heard this and need some context, then watch this first....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzKtPezPsqE&feature=related

Setting the targets for my upcoming training/racing season…

As some of you may know, I will begin training under the guidance of Coach Lisa Colvin (http://www.triathlonacademy.com/public/Lisa_C_Colvin_PhD.cfm) beginning Monday. We have been working together to come up with a general plan that will allow us to keep focus on the larger picture as we continually pay attention to the minutiae of day-to-day training. I've also talked with Nell Stephenson (http://www.nellstephenson.com/), a leading nutrition authority in Paleo nutrition for endurance athletes, about possibly helping me out with what I should consume and when in order to get down to my racing weight within the coming months and do it in a way that will enhance my training and health, not hinder it. You can read about both on their websites. They are both very accomplished athletes and professionals. I'm blessed to be working with them.


One of things that I believe is crucial for pursuing and achieveing goals is to 1.) set them in the first place and 2.) set specific targets to hit along the way. The targets will keep you focused day-to-day yet still ensure you are moving forward under the framework of the goals you've set. With that in mind, I feel today is the perfect time to lay out my goals and targets quickly before I dive head first back into the high volume lifestyle come Monday.

Swim:

My goal for the swim at Collegiate Nationals is to be out of the water in the top-10, requiring a sub 20 minute 1500m open water split. I believe this is 1:20 per 100m which I can do in the pool at around tempo effort when moderately trained. I am expecting to be doing plenty of 100m repeats with little rest to build my race pace fitness in this area after a month or two of longer aerobic efforts to build back into being efficient and fluid in the water. Doing it in the pool is all well and good, but if I cant translate that to open water then all the pool fitness means little. Once the weather begins to warm up again in the spring I will plan to head out to an area lake and do an open water session at least once/week. I also think playing water polo once a week would help out as well with sighting.

Bike:

Lisa and I have agreed that the most crucial place for me to put my efforts is into my cycling for now. I believe this is two-fold. One, obviously the bike portion is the longest during the race and therefore the most time can either be lost or gained during the ride. Two, cycling is the easiest for me to do in high volume. We are going to aim to have me doing around 250-315 miles a week this winter. This will help me lean out well because of the hours of activity and I believe it will make me a stronger runner as well. I've read opinions of people like Gordo Byrn (http://www.endurancecorner.com/g_blog) who believe that cycling can improve your run fitness off the bike. The fitter you become on the bike, the more efficient you are and the less likely you are to waste much needed energy for the run. Therefore, you can get off the bike and run to your potential b/c you're bike fit. My goal is to be on and off the bike in under 59 minutes total for that portion of the race. I have no doubt that a high volume of training with some intensity thrown in a few months out will facilitate this well.

Run:

The run is my favorite of the disciplines, especially when I am fit. Blazing through forest trails on foot is the most primal and amazing feeling I know. I just love it. And I am also gifted with the ability to run high volume without injury. I once knocked out three 100 mile weeks at 215 lbs without an inkling of an injury. I am now much less than 215 but I still have a ways to go before I get back to my racing weight of 165-170 so I will keep my running volume moderate (50 mi/wk) and have the cycling volume high. My running will naturally get faster as my body sheds fat and unecessary muscle through cycling and the moderate running. I have set the goal to be running 32:30 OTB in the race next Spring. I'm going to hit the hills in Duke Forest hard come Spring time a couple months out from the race to gain confidence and power to do this.

Nutrition:

I believe this is the single most crucial element to a training plan. I need to get to racing weight over the next few months. Nell reassured me that I will not need to be counting calories on the Paleo plan (I hate calorie counting) and that I should just focus on recovering properly and providing the body with nutrient-rich foods and the body will naturally move toward low body fat% and higher % of lean muscle tissue. Perfect. 

"Trials of miles, miles of trials." - Once A Runner

Just an awesome, inspiring photo...

Come to the Elevator Pitch!!

Hey all, for those of you at Duke I'll be competing in the Start-Up Challenge's Elevator Pitch Competition for some serious money, in the Undergraduate Track next Thursday, Nov 4^th at 7pm in the von Canon rooms in the Bryan Center, and again on November 9^th over at Fuqua. The prize purse is $5,000 for the overall winner and $1500 for the audience choice winner. So I need as much audience support as possible!

I'd appreciate any support of course. It's always great to hear people in the crowd who actually know who you are. And, as a bonus to those of you who come, I will be revealing the prototype of my new website for Smarticles. It looks cool, if that is any assurance that you will like it J

In Memory of Drew Everson 1989-2010

The Duke community lost a member a few days ago. Drew Everson, Class of 2011, will surely be missed by many Blue Devils, family, and friends. Drew suffered an accidental fall on Saturday night on East Campus and after being discovered unconscious in the morning, was taken to Duke Hospital where he later passed away due to medical complications.

I did not know Drew personally but I know many people who did. He was in one of my classes this semester. The response to celebrate Drew's life has been overwhelmingly positive over the last few days; people are pulling together to grieve collectively, an incredibly healthy response. While a seemingly premature death is extremely difficult for many people to deal with, it is so evident right now that Drew touched so many people in such a positive way, a way that they will never forget. His influence on their lives and this unfortunate accident may very well change people's lives forever, in a positive way. After any death, the surrounding community is faced with a choice, to respond positively or to respond negatively. The Duke community has responded in an overwhelming celebration of not only Drew's life, but also how much he touched those around him. Rest in peace, Drew. May you spend a half hour in Heaven before the devil knows you're dead.

Below I will provide some links to The Chronicle, Duke's daily news source, of which Drew was a columnist in '08 and '09:

http://dukechronicle.com/article/community-gather-memorial

http://dukechronicle.com/article/senior-dies-sat-after-tragic-fall

http://dukechronicle.com/article/life-worth-celebrating

http://dukechronicle.com/article/tribute-drew-everson-remembrances

And a column written by Drew himself. I think we'd all be better off to take his advice here,

http://dukechronicle.com/article/while-you-still-can

Can’t help myself…

Aspiracion Part 2

I briefly outline my immediate past for one reason: to demonstrate that even though life may seem like some shit at the moment, it is never too bad that you can't keep your head up and keep pushing forward. Because something great waits on the other side. And you know what, that something great is only great because you've gone through something horrible. Adversity is the prerequisite to greatness. You cannot know success until you have overcome failure. I have known this for years, as have my amazing family. Nobody in our family has not gone through something terrible at one point or another in our lives. But we have all made it out alive and continue to live like survivors every single day. Living like a survivor entails a shift in perspective. You see the world from the vantage that what you've gone through has made you stronger in every way, and that no matter what hits you in the face in the future, you know everything will be just fine as long as you put your head down and keep moving forward.

Case and point: my sis suffered from rheumatic fever at a young age and consequently dealt with self-esteem issues regarding her body image all through middle school and high school. Junior year in high school she made the decision that she was tired of it all. At this point she was a mediocre high school track athlete. One year after she shifted her perspective and followed her dream, with the tough experiences behind her, she was standing on the top of a podium at the National Track & Field Championship with a Gold Medal around her neck and smile so big we couldn't get it off her face for days. She is the 5000m National Champion and is now running on scholarship at the University of Virginia and has her post-collegiate sights set on the 2016 Olympics.

I use my sister as an inspiration in my own life for several reasons. I know that we are cut of the same cloth so I know that with a little hard work and pure motivation and dedication to my goals, I will an international caliber triathlete within 5-10 years, making a steady living as one the best in the sport. I'm also at that definitive point in my life. I am sick of failed attempts at getting back to elite fitness. It's time for a change. I start with a coach next week, a coach who is incredibly positive and who truly believes in my goals with me. Together, things are going to begin to come to fruition. She will tell me what I need to do. And on my side of the agreement, I will trust what she gives me and I will take care of keeping a clean, nutritious diet, doing all of my schoolwork in order to graduate on time, and getting plenty of sleep, all to keep myself healthy and focused on the long term goal.

Aspiración Part 1

I'm working through things on a daily basis. Some days are good, some days aren't. But, having been through so much already in my life, I can recognize the big picture more easily when things get tough. And I have set goals for myself. Achieving and maintaining these goals is what I want to do with my life, and once attained, I will work to a point of absolute excellence in each of these areas. Quite frankly, I want to be the best at what I do. And with the Lord behind me, I know that nothing is out of reach. My entire life I have felt this eminent sense of something great to come. It is difficult to describe in words; you'd have to have felt it yourself for this concept to make much sense. And I don't want to sound arrogant or anything in saying something like that but hey, I tell it like it is, and the truth is, for my entire life, since I was a child, I have known that the Lord has an epic life in store for me. And evidence of preparation for this life is all around me and riddles my past. I've not yet begun to live; I've only just been preparing.

The extent of my preparation has been deep and incredibly difficult. I am a tortured soul. But this only reinforces and validates my sense of impending great things. I am also beginning to recognize that the wheels have been set into motion as I finish up my senior year and prepare to leave the relative comfort of a university setting. My time in college has served a purpose well beyond that of getting me a prestigious degree. This has been the most difficult time of my life, and not because of classes. In the last four years, I've been to Hell and back. If that seems a little melodramatic then consider this: I've steadily bled internally for two weeks before going to the ER, and arrived nearly dead. The head ER doc was amazed I was conscious, let alone could get myself to the hospital and walk in the front door. I was in the ICU for three days and back in class within a week; Two years ago I was diagnosed with a brain tumor, but only after I had to leave Duke for an entire year because I had no clue what the heck was going on with my mental health. I was absolutely devastated and disturbed for some "unknown reason," only to find out about the tumor after being pumped full of drug cocktails and numbed from any feeling whatsoever. The period of time before learning of the tumor was an unforgettable time of inner turmoil. But it was tame compared to what was to come. The next year, still on the same drug cocktails as recommended by crooked 'professionals,' I experienced my first drug-induced mania and put on 50 lbs in 3 months. For an aspiring elite triathlete in the best shape of his life this was absolutely devastating and constituted the most internally painful and outwardly humiliating period of my life. And for anyone who has ever tried to lose 50 lbs, you know how difficult it is, especially when a tumor is sitting in the pituitary gland messing around with the secretion of extremely important hormones that moderate everything from feelings of well-being to spermatogenesis to fertility to muscle maintenance and fat loss or preservation.

To be continued….

Romantic Quotable

"It's really very simple. If you tell a beautiful woman that she is beautiful, what have you given her? It's no more than a fact and it has cost you nothing…to love a woman for her virtues is meaningless. She's earned it; it's a payment, not a gift. But to love her for her vices is a real gift, unearned and undeserved. To love her for her vices…that is a real tribute to love, because you sacrifice your conscience, your reason, your integrity and your invaluable self-esteem." - Ayn Rand "Atlas Shrugged" pg 305.

 

Quotable

"All men dream, but not equally..."  -T.E.Lawerence

Pinehurst International

Just got back from my first, and last, real race of the season. I did win a sprint triathlon here at Duke 2 weeks ago but that wasn't as big. The Pinehurst International was also the first race I've raced in the Elite/Pro category. Although I am currently neither, I decided last night that I would switch out of the Age Group race into Elite just to see how I'd do. I've literally only got 6 weeks of aerobic training in my body after a 12 month lay-off, where all I did was sit on my butt and gain weight, so I am very pleased with my results from today, even though I had a very tough race and raced nowhere near my past fitness level, or potential.

However, 8^th elite and 9^th overall is not too shabby J I think there were around 20-22 elites in the open category, including those over 35 y/o. here's how my race panned out:

Swim: I need to work on my open water swimming, mainly regarding initial anxiety. The entire way out to the first turn buoy was a struggle for me. My HR was through the roof, I was breathing every other stroke so my form was lopsided, and the sun was coming up over the water so I could not see any buoys. I just sighted off of flailing arms. I also managed to swim over top of two women in the first 200m. The women went off with the men. I felt bad but hey, it's part of the sport.

A big group of about 15 swimmers opened up a gap on us and I fought to catch up and get in the big drafting water turbine but couldn't quite do it. I swung wide and ended up getting dropped into no man's land, in front of the small group about 50m behind me but probably 300m (and quickly growing) behind the big mob. I was also the only one without a wetsuit (I've grown in the last year so it doesn't fit my shoulders any more) and the advantage in a group of good swimmers is evident. My legs also got super cold during the final 500m and almost cramped several times. The cold legs persisted through the bike, with my feet still numb as I went into T2.

Anyways, I rolled into T1 ahead of some people but minutes behind the main group so I had my work cut out for me on the ride. But if you know me, I'm always up for a hammerfest and I love catching people so I was ready to go.

Ride: The ride began okay besides the cold legs. After the first turn, within a few miles I was really hammering hard on one of the only flat parts. My computer read 29.7 mph for quite a while so I was moving out. Then came the hills. After a few more miles it became evident to me why the past results in this race where so ridiculously slow. Everything was a hill. You were either climbing or descending or on a false flat. And the roads were not too great. Much of the course was covered in bumpy asphalt, with one section reminding me of an inverted asphalt version of Nike's waffle sole. That happened to be the section into a strong headwind; pushing 15 mph was all I could do. An 8 or 9 mile section on the back side of the loop was literally 10 or more long hills up and down. I got used to it, and I don't necessarily mind hills, especially because I only ride a road bike and it's more difficult for someone on a tri bike to climb. I caught four people, almost five, and all four were on long climbs or a short climb directly after a long climb, so I can't complain.

Run: Got off the bike with frozen feet. I have to admit I was a little worried at first, but within the first mile I could feel them so I relaxed a bit and tried to find my stride-of-old. The run course was literally never flat. Up, down, up, down. Started to get some GI issues but I just told myself to wait til the end and luckily I lasted. At mile 2 I decided to try my hand at the art of drinking water out of a cup while running fast. I failed ;) which resulted in throwing up in my mouth. For some reason I thought it would be a good idea to just swallow it back down. I guess my body was still trying to swallow the water. Got passed by a pretty fast Elite Master's guy. He was flying, running really hard. I just made it my goal to keep him in sight and succeeded, finishing about 20 seconds behind him.

All in all I had blast and am very pleased with my result on such limited fitness. I met some great people and had a fun time with the Duke Triathlon Team. I also met pro Stacey Richardson. She won the women's race. I guess the first time we met was when I passed her. But let me tell you, I was running scared because I did not want to get chicked. I don't care how good the woman is. Stacey was so cool and she grabbed me after the race and we went for a cool down run together to go cheer on the age groupers as they finished the run. She wants to help me out and said she could work out some great deals with Kiwami to get a nice screen-printed ITU style kit to race in. Kiwami makes awesome racing suits and clothes; they are worn by many of the top guys and gals on the ITU WCS circuit and look really sharp. There was another guy there, about my age, from Panama and he had a pretty sweet 2XU ITU suit, as well as some USA ITU suits, maybe from the World's Team (?).

Definitely a great experience and super promising glimpse at my potential. I feel like I was racing at about 50% of where I will be in 4 or 5 months, the next time I race, so I am excited to see what I can do next Spring. Will I do that particular race again in the future? Probably not. That was a hard race course. Maybe it was just my lack of fitness though, or a combination of both.

Start-Up Challenge

So I just signed up for the Duke Start-Up Challenge Elevator Pitch Competition. I have 4 business ideas that I will head up over the next few years but I've picked my favorite one to do for this competition. The Elevator Pitch Competition is only the first event in a competition between student-led start-ups that goes until the Finals in April. The prize for the Elevator Pitch winner is $5,000 and for the Finals winner is $25,000 in investment. I'm going for broke; my idea is good enough to win. I'll not reveal it yet, but all the feedback I've gotten has been overwhelmingly positive, and I have talked to some very influential people regarding this project, they love it. It's also an incredibly feasible project, compared to some of the other start-ups, biotech companies and such. These things will take a lot more than $25,000 to get off the ground. That amount is perfect for me; I could build an incredible business with that much.

Regardless of whether I win the money through this competition or not, I figure all the exposure my ideas will get will be great. I'll probably gain investor interest regardless when they see how driven I am and how my mind works. The wheels are always turning. I will be a CEO within a year or two regardless of how this competition pans out. And with four ideas, I'll be busy for some years. They are all so cool that it's difficult for me not to talk about them now. But to do so on an open internet forum before I legally "own" the ideas would be stupid, and I'm not stupid.

My little bro and I share one of the ideas and I would absolutely love to get it going within the next few years so he can be a co-CEO before he graduates high school. He can put that on his college applications. Haha, I love the idea. Trust me, you will see this particular idea in Bed, Bath, and Beyond and stores like Spencer's Gifts within the next 5 years as well. I'm thinking about making a blanket corporation to head all of my projects; that would probably be the best idea, the easiest way to keep track of everything.

Right now in my decision-making process I am very serious about all of this. Instead of focusing on getting into med school right now I'm going to apply for Duke's MMS Master's Degree program through Fuqua School of Business so I can have a professional degree before taking off out of here. I also want to get a good overview of business school and make some meaningful connections here in that world. Coming from a hard sciences background, I have not taken any business oriented classes, heck Duke doesn't even offer a Business Degree, it's too generic, but I think the Neuroscience/Pre-Med background will only serve to help me in the end. It will set me apart from everyone else trying to get into this program, but more than that it will tell potential investors that I know how to work my ass off and I am no dummy. Graduating from Duke in three years of coursework as a Pre-Med Neuroscience major is no small feat. But I can tell you, I am very glad that I am almost done with school.

The academic world stifles me. I don't fit into this whole system; my mind is always coming up with new ideas and I need an environment and the support to make them a reality. Academics is a world full of individuals, many of whom are scared of the real world. They prefer to sit back and watch, to analyze and criticize. I can tell you, through my experience at a world class research institution I have learned that 90% of the stuff I learn here will have nothing to do with my life in a year or two and millions in tax dollars are being wasted every day around the country funding some of this research. Much of it is garbage; it doesn't tell anyone anything. It quantifies common sense. The only real value I can find in it is that it puts bread on the table of the researcher's families and validates their quest for letters behind their names, be it Ph.D., J.D., M.D., whatever.

Now don't get me wrong, there is some extremely interesting research going on here that is also incredibly helpful to societal ailments and medical phenomena. And I've had some spectacular professors who have taught me so much more than course material. But for every great professor/researcher, there are multiple not-so-great ones. A ton of good is done here however, and all around the country at other research institutions. I'm just saying that much of the research here is not applicable to anything other than the field that it is conducted in. That can be fine, but most of the time it is not. I'm a big picture guy. And I see micro-level phenomena as pieces to a macro-level puzzle. Society and its needs are kind of like the human body to me. You cannot sit and focus on one area of the body, remaining in a cyclical analysis and never stepping out and applying it to the big picture, to the body as a whole. In fact, I see the way that the medical community is currently organized as a microcosm for how research institutions fit into society.

In medicine, students become doctors and go into a specialty, where they focus on one area or system of the human body. They know everything about it, backwards and forwards. And while they receive limited education on the other systems during medical school, this information is quickly forgotten or brushed aside. Nothing is more important than their specialty. However, they commonly miss rather simple diagnoses due to the fact that they discount the body's ability to function as a whole, the fact that it will ONLY function as a whole. For example, a femoral stress fracture is caused by running too much, it has nothing to do with the fact that the runner is malnourished and not receiving enough vitamins and minerals through their diet. Or in psychology, you are depressed because you have a Prozac deficiency, not because you eat fast food for 2 meals a day, don't exercise, and have an unstable family life. Or for the guys out there, you can't get it up? That's normal, what would we ever do without Viagra? Just pop this pill, line some fatcats' pockets, and continue with your lifestyle the way it has been, there can't be anything wrong with the way you live and treat your body that could be causing your problems. Hell, you could have a tumor sitting in your pituitary gland or hypothalamus and you'd never know it unless you forcibly demand extensive testing and MRI. This is another topic I'll rant on later. Gotta stay on track.

Well, the academic world functions in a similar way. Just focus on your field, put your head down and work in your lab til it's time to retire. It's comfortable, pretty mundane, but yeah, comfortable. You get respect, decent pay, and if you get to the head of your field you can even travel around and tell people all about the one thing you know everything about. You've made it yours. However, when it comes to the multitude of things you don't actually know anything about, you are just useless as the rest of us. And trust me, most problems in the world require an integrated approach to solve. Whatever happened to the Renaissance Man???

I will wrap up with one last thought: the dichotomy I am describing here is simply the difference between mediocre people and great people. Mediocre people are content with the comfortable. Why take a risk and potentially fail big when you can walk this way to a stable life with benefits. Sure you have to work 9 to 5 in a cubicle or a lab every day for someone else, but what's wrong with that. You flushed your dreams away years ago; they are a long forgotten memory of the naiivete of your youth. Dreams are for fools.

But great people are a different story. They are the ones who took the big risks and succeeded, but not without failing a thousand times first. I'm utterly convinced that adversity is the prerequisite to greatness. Without struggle no one can do anything worthwhile. Great people are the ones who took a step out of line; they checked out of the rat race. They did their own thing, followed their dreams. Do we not have these passions within us for a reason?

Quotable

"Most people lose not because they attempt and fail but rather because they fail to show up altogether...they find it easier to let go of their dreams than to attempt greatness and fall short....believe in your dreams." - Josh Cox, 50k American record holder

Fall Break: Day 1

Back home for a few days in Northern VA. Had a great drive up yesterday and pulled in just in time to pick up my little bro from track practice. This weekend is homecoming at my high school so it was fun to go to the football game last night and see some old friends. Woke up this morning and hopped on the bike for a solid just-under-4-hour ride in the hilly countryside around my home. Had a great time motoring through the countryside. I also went through Spotsylvania County at the same time as the runners from the Stonewall Jackson 20-Miler were coming back into town near the courthouse. I offered my "great work" and "good job" pick-me-ups to the racers, many of whom were really suffering. It's amazing how a little encouragement and a thumbs-up can light up someone's face and get a big grin out of people in so much (temporary) agony. Got back home with still pretty fresh legs and got off to finish up with a nice, easy 3 mile run. I'll admit, walking through the house to change into my running shorts, it was really tempting to stop in the kitchen and call it a day, crack open the fridge and grab a nice tall drink before putting my legs up. However, the workout is not over 'til it's over so I put on my shorts and hit the road. I felt pretty accomplished by the time I got back home and really enjoyed my lunch.

About to enjoy my limited afternoon, about to hit the shower and possibly the hot tub, then put my feet up and do some work on my Neuroscience 182 lab report (due tomorrow @ noon), before heading to the pool for a nice, easy 2km swim, which is basically going to serve as a wakeup call to my swimming muscles before tomorrow's long swim.

Another update on how I'll be organizing this blog: I'll be giving daily updates on training and general stuff, similar to the above, as well as separate (hopefully daily) posts on more contemplative topics, including a lot of sport psychology as well as my opinions and incite on Duke topics and probably some politics and even some tv show commentary (ala The Office and Seinfeld, the only two shows I watch). Okay, tune in in a little while and I'll have a more interesting post up for you to read.

Rolling along…

"The person who gets the farthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare. The sure-thing boat never gets far from shore." –Dale Carnegie



So I just finished up with a very solid workout on the bike trainer, 2:45 holding a decent heart rate for most of it. I was planning on a 3hr ride but literally got sick to my stomach during the final 15 minutes so I cut my losses and got off the bike, jogged a little, and stretched out my exhausted legs. It's funny, I can get on my bike and go ride for 5 hours on the road, only to experience fatigue during the final hour, but usually nothing to make me physically sick, just tired legs pretty much. However, riding on a trainer allows me to really focus on the workout, keeping a steady heart rate (HR), focusing on technique and nutrition. I can get a much better workout in much less time, which is great for me because I also have class and homework to do. The trainer is convenient and efficient, can't beat that. It also provides an incredible mental workout. Most people go to the gym and sit on the spin bike for 10-15 minutes. Try doing it for three hours. That takes some real grit. I plan on keeping this workout a staple of my Thursday afternoon, something I have to look forward to every week. At the moment, I am using a Spinervals DVD entitled "Tough Love" to keep me company along with iTunes. I hope to be at the point where I have trained my brain enough to be able to grind out the three hour ride with no music or DVD, just staring at the wall. It sounds a bit masochistic, I know, but I know my competitors will not be training like that. 1 point me.

Looking back, I'm pretty sure the reason I got sick toward the end was simply dehydration; I didn't drink enough water to compensate for steady, drenching sweat. Plus I had this industrial fan mere feet from my face so I didn't feel overheated at all. The fan was so powerful that the split-second a bead of sweat would leave my face it was rocketed about 2 meters away from me. (At one point, my friend Chu joined me and was cycling "downstream." I don't know if he noticed, or if he cared that my sweat was flying at him). I did drink a bottle of Endurox R4 during the ride which helped with my energy levels, though I need to dial in my nutrition a little better over the next few weeks to get that ride so I can sit and hold a 155-160 HR the entire time. At that point, I will know I'm fit. I also got in an easy 5 mile run this morning in the Duke Forest and did 18 miles yesterday, split between AM and PM runs in the Forest as well as 3500m swimming. The legs are a bit tired but really not too bad.  I feel like my recovery is enhanced because when I'm not training I'm sitting in class or sitting doing homework with my feet up and my Zensah compression sleeves on my legs.  They feel so good by the way. 

Right now, I'm beginning to take advantage of the abundant resources I have here at Duke, right at my fingertips. I'll be working with Franca Alphin MPH, RD, LDN, Director of Nutrition Services, for my sports nutrition monitoring as well as with Greg Dale, Ph.D. Professor of Sport Psychology and Sport Ethics at Duke University. He is also the Director of the Sport Psychology and Leadership Programs for Duke Athletics. Both of them are wonderful and I am very excited to absorb their knowledge and apply beneficial practices to my life. I am also training with the varsity cross country/track team a couple days a week in the afternoons. I love having training partners and all of the guys are great. They've received my presence very well and are welcoming, kind people. Thank you Norm Ogilvie, Head Coach, Duke Track & Field for affording me this opportunity. I feel like with all of this support in place, my development will be expedited both mentally and physically. I'll be ready for the race of my life come May.

I promise not all of my blog posts will be focused on training; this can get kind of monotonous and boring to read after a while, plus there is so much more to who I am and what makes me tick as a person. I'll use this blog as an outlet to channel many of my creative thoughts and ideas and to release my outlook on assorted topics, some of which will be very random. I also want to give readers a snapshot of what it is like to be a Duke student, something of which I am very proud. It is a lot different than people may think, or than it is portrayed by media-fueled stereotypes. I'll provide an inside look at some of the on-campus politics and news/social drama that may be happening at the time plus provide commentary on said controversies. Duke always seems to be in the media for some sort of controversy and I'd like to put in my two cents, for what it's worth.  I'll also let you know what the other Blue Devils are saying.  I can think of four off the top of my head that I want to address and are currently occurring.

Okay, this is definitely enough for now but check back in later and I'll have some good stuff for you to foveate on. Look that one up.

Up-and-Running

Okay, so by suggestion of Dr. Greg Dale, I am opening up a blog, a gateway into my thoughts, as I navigate my senior year here at Duke University and as I train for a podium finish at the 2011 Collegiate National Championships in triathlon next Spring.
Just a quick little bit about myself, I am a Neuroscience Major, Pre-Med with interests in Entrepreneurship and professional athletics.  You can see my neuroscience leanings in the name of the blog.  I'll talk more about the name and what it means to me later. 
For now, I will leave to get back to doing a lab report for class.  I'll update this hopefully later tonight on today's training and my state-of-mind.