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7 Days

When opportunity knocks, we answer the door – right?    As the pandemic wound down earlier this year, business returned to a new normal and cancelled/postponed races quickly opened up.    As a business owner, I was presented with one of the biggest challenges of my career and an awesome opportunity –  one that would stretch me far outside my comfort zone.   As an endurance athlete, I was trying to juggle the flurry of postponed races that were now on my calendar and stay on course for my main goals, qualify for Badwater and the Boston Marathon.   Lots to balance and think about……

Being in recovery for almost five years has taught me to trust my process and higher power to gain clarity.  For me this is found on the trails and in the ocean.   After a couple weeks of training, I decided to take on a couple races that would stretch me past my previous limits:  the Born to Run 100 mile trail race followed by Ironman St George 70.3 a week later.    My goal was to push it hard in B2Run and beat the race cutoff in St George.   I figured the focus on my training would give me time to make clear business decisions.

I found it very interesting that the harder I trained, the more effective I was in the office.   My mind was clear and I was energized.

These 7 Days would challenge me to reach new physical and mental heights.

Born 2 Run 100.   Having completed Javelina 100 miler in late 2020, I was worried that the “newness” of the 100 mile challenge would be gone and I needed to up my mental game.   This race would be a solo journey.  No crew, no friends or family spectating.  Just me, the trails and a hundred or so runners.   Over the past year and a half of  trail running I have dialed in my nutrition pretty well, so I decided on a very simple plan.   My nutrition for the race would be all My Spring Energy products and watermelon.   This would give me organic products with limited sugar to help with GI issues keep plenty of calories in my system.

Spring, Wipes and watermelon in a cooler – game on!

My race plan was to push the first 40-50 miles and bank time on my goal of finishing under 24 hours.  I began my quest at 3pm and felt awesome the first 50 miles but was probably at pace that was too fast.   This caught up to me around mile 70, and I was doubting my ability to finish the race.  This is exactly what I was looking for with this challenge.  These are the moments that push me deeper and I discover myself.  These are the moments that my life goals and vision for the future become clear.  Go for it.  All of it.   Be the best I can be in all areas.  Low and behold, my business decision was made.

The night turned into morning, and throughout the day, I ran with an improved attitude and picked up the pace.  The hills of Los Olivos, CA  were gorgeous.  Luis Escobar and his crew put on such a fantastic race with an unbelievable atmosphere.  One of my favorite things about trail running is the vibe, and this race was all about vibe.   I pushed as hard as I could and closed the race strong.  I finished 2nd overall and was one of two finishers under 24 hours.

The man, Luis Escobar and my well earned buckle!

Unfortunately for me, I still had work to do.  With my B2R internal victory in the books, it was time to head to St George Utah for my first triathlon in a long time.   St George has stunning beauty, but it was hot and hilly.   The fun part about this trip was loading up a giant RV with my family and heading out for an adventure.  My wife, Erin is badass, and we had a good crew of friends to hang with.  Even took Rey (chocolate lab) with us.

My lady, Erin and I checking out the swim course

Ironman St George 70.3 Triathlon.   I treated this race very similar to a trail run.  Enjoy each moment, don’t stress about pace and take in the experience.   My legs were dead, but my spirit was high.   My expectations were low with only a couple goals.  Make the race cutoff, PR the swim and survive the bike/run.

My race began well with a solid swim and PR as planned.  I expected the bike portion to be very hard for me and it certainly was.  I was keeping a slow pace and even walked up a big ass hill to keep my legs alive for the run.   Similar to my B2R nutrition plan, I relied solely on Spring products and kept my nutrition on point.   I have never been happier to get off a bike in my life!   I wanted to quit after 3 miles on the run, but convinced myself to get halfway through the run and see what happened.   This pushed me to the far side of an out and back and had no other choice but to keep on run/walking to make it back!   I cruised it back home and crossed the finish line.

7DaysIMG_3085

Yes – mission accomplished!!

I am very thankful to my family for supporting my dreams, challenges and self discovery.   Also so much appreciation for my race partners, teammates and coaches.   Keira, Spring Energy, lululemon, Newton, AREC, Tribe, Paz, TheRefinery, etc.

Love my Tribe & Betty Squad!

My quest was complete.   My 7 days were complete.  My mind was clear and I found all the answers I was looking for.  It was an interesting and rewarding journey over a few months.  I found that the deeper I dug, the more I discovered about myself and what was most important to me now and in in the future.

Looking forward to the next challenge!!

BV

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