A Ticket To Kona

Farewell My Good Friend - September 17, 2009

Well, it's getting to be about that time to sign off over here (tears...runny nose...sniffles).  For those that saw a few of the previous posts, my little "project" that started a few years ago called "A Ticket To Kona" is in the final phase of being transitioned over to the new owner (World Triathlon Corporation).  I think it's in good hands.  My little baby is all grown up and flying the coup.

I had originally thought about doing a finale post with a little more drama.  Maybe a top ten blog list or my personal favorites, etc.  But I am so worn out just making sure the content from the blog was preserved and transferred that I think I'm ready to just cut the cord and pick up right where I left off without any balloons or confetti.

I have been successful in transferring over the entire library of past blog posts and combined them with some of my business blogging over at that location until everything is sort out and organized with what I'm calling the upgrade to Kindzia 2.0 (as Caplan puts it).

You'll need to bookmark and add the new site to your favorites as this blog and domain will be closed (the www.atickettokona.com website will be up but I'm unsure of how that will play out with WTC.)

It should be a smooth transition for me (and hopefully you).  Things are rolling out and changing fast and there will be a few more changes in 2010 with some of the projects that I'm working on.  But the new writing crib is now over here at -

www.thekindziablog.typepad.com

Why don't you come over for a visit and chill for a while.  The door is always open.

Complete Recovery Day - September 16, 2009

Today I took a much needed full recovery day.  I was a lot more tired and fatigued from yesterday's session than I would have thought.  The quads aren't sore to the touch but there is certainly that sluggish feeling throughout my body.

And of course Wednesday wouldn't be Wednesday without some anxiety over Thursday.  What's the significance of Thursday you ask?  That's my long run day.  Tomorrow is already Thursday and Thursdays keep popping up so fast that it's like there is one every seven days or something.  One day I'm running long and then soon enough, a bunch of days come and go that end in a "y" and it's time to run long again.

In Buckets - September 15, 2009

The rain has been coming down in buckets this evening.  We've also discovered some leaking around our basement heating and air unit (oh what a glorious discovery - good grief...)  Always something.  It never ends.  This year we've already had to paint the exterior of the house, pressure wash and re-stain the deck and fence, and repair a malfunctioning air conditioning unit.  I'm about all "home repair expensed" out for the year. 

Anyway, back to the rain.  It may pose two potential problems.  First, and most importantly, I have DirecTV via satellite at the house.  And for those that have satellite, you soon learn that in bad storms, you can miss the satellite feed for television.  It doesn't happen often (or maybe it does but I just don't watch enough TV to notice) but when it does happen, it's rather a sucky experience because if I'm watching TV, it's because I'm obviously tired of whatever else I do with my time.  And when I want to watch TV and can't, it's frustrating.  Even the DVR doesn't work because that requires a satellite feed.  So you miss everything if a storm is coming through.

Somebody's A Tired Kid - September 14, 2009

Did you ever go away for just a few days but when you come home it feels like you were gone for a really long time?  That's how I'm feeling after the weekend up in North Carolina.  I'm sure I'm tired because we really did put some miles under our belts in the car and took in quite a few sights. 

I think I'm going to be anxious to sleep in my own bed.  The bed that we sleep in up in Spruce Pine is about the size of a sardine can and once you add a couple of dogs into the mix I tend to feel as though I'm trying to sleep and play Twister at the same time.

Retracing Lance - September 13, 2009

The title of this blog post (or lesson of the day) should be entitled, "It's all in the description."  It is probably best to put the phrase in a way that could provide better perspective.

Let's say a wife and mother-in-law want to go into the countryside to search out what is happening at quaint general stores, look at the flowers, view the goods available at the little shops and markets, etc.  They could tell "the husband" what the plan was, describe the targeted points of interest and then proceed to chain the kicking and screaming husband to the truck and proceed to the destination points.

Apple Celebration - September 12, 2009

Nestled away at the western end of the state of North Carolina, hidden within the sub-fortress of the Blue Ridge Mountains lies the old apple orchards at the Alta Pass.  Surrounded by lush green fields and forests of trees that anxiously await their spawning of brilliant fall colors, the orchards are more than a century old.

Yes Ma'am - September 11, 2009

Angela and I headed up to Spruce Pine, NC this afternoon to spend the weekend with her mother.  It was an appropriate time for me to exercise what I call "Ironman etiquette."

Sometimes we just have to realize that it's "different strokes for different folks."  Spruce Pine, NC is a tiny little mountain town tucked into the western end of North Carolina just south of Boone, NC.  These aren't big city folk nor would I describe the community as a congregation of endurance athletes.

And thus, because of years of culture passed down from one generation to another, it's just hard for them to understand a different lifestyle.

Thursday...Already? - September 10, 2009

I woke up this morning and had an immediate thought come to mind, "Oh man, it's Thursday today!"  Thursday morning means one thing and one thing only - Thursday long run.  But how could that be?  It was just Thursday last Thursday?  How could it be Thursday already?  I don't want it to be Thursday, I like Wednesday's...Why can't it be Wednesday again?

Alright, time to get up and get going.  And so I did.

For those of you that have towed the line, you know how great it is to be an Ironman.  The experience of knowing that you could persevere through all kinds of physical, mental and emotional turmoil does wonders to one's confidence.  I love the feeling like I could run through a wall, that I'm unbreakable.  Nothing can break my spirit, my confidence or my mind.  I'm an Ironman gosh darn it.  I would imagine that being in and completing military training, whether it be boot camp or something bigger like Ranger School or Navy Seals has the same effect on an individual.  It makes you stronger by breaking you down and building you back up.  If you survive, you are a beast.  If you quit, nobody really gives a crap except the quitter (and maybe even they don't care.  Maybe it's a relief to quit).

Kindzia 2.0 And Big News - September 9, 2009

My buddy and fellow Iron crazy Jeff "Caps" Caplan recently told me that he is re-engineering himself in the workplace for the next phase of his life.  He called it, "The move to Jeff Caplan 2.0."

I immediately thought, "Brilliant!"  It got me thinking more about myself and how just a whole lot of things are coming together lately and in a very strange alignment/way.  This past year I've made a big investment in myself and my firm to come up with a platform that I think is very appropriate for the next phase of my life.  Combine that with getting married last year, turning 40 this year and being in a position to reap the rewards of a lot of prior work, it gave me reason to believe that I am well on my way to "the move to Kindzia 2.0."

Sometimes It's Hard - September 8, 2009

 

Sometimes it's hard to get out of our comfort zone and expand our horizons.  When things are on cruise control and going pretty well, it's rather easy to say, "Why bother?"

I don't think our resident chipmunk is going to be in any rush to get out of his comfort zone and expand his horizons.  It seems he has everything he needs for an easy life; a cool fort in the tomato plant, unlimited bird food and peanuts, one heck of a caretaker and laid back paparazzi who don't get in his face.