Giving Back

2 days off was enough!! I couldn't wait till 5am this morning to get to the pool!!! As my brother had his last swim practice before his spring break yesterday, I got him out of bed this morning too. That was pleasure- turning on his lights at an un-Godly hour "Get up Daniel, you have 10min to be at the door, grab a banana and put on your suit" :)

This may seem mean but as soon as he jumped in the pool he was all smiles and admitted after we finished that he felt awesome and wanted to do this everyday....that's the thing, it's only a beating to get out of your warm covers but 50meters into the swim, you're glad you did it.

Unfortunately, I'm not here everyday to make sure he makes it past step one of getting out of the bed to go workout before school...but last night I came up with a brialliant idea (or at least, I think it's brilliant).

Him and his friend Iker, who happens to be born on the exact same date, have known each other since birth (our families are real close). Anyway, Iker is trying to lose weight. His parents have put him on diets, he's seen nutritionists, etc...but he'll lose lbs and then put them back on. So his mom asked me to talk to him yesterday and share some things I know about nutrition and fitness and help him out for an hour in the gym.

So I did...I told him frankly diets don't work. He needs to eat,real wholesome foods, and workout- all to boost his metabolism and keep him energized and satisfied all day. Also, working out shouldn't have to be a dread, it should be a part of his day he looks forward to- a time to dedicate to your body and well being- in kids terms, a time to play...play swim, play bike, play run, play weights- hence my coach's philosophy and company name: Playtri.

Anyway, being the tri geek that I am, my first inclination was to convince the kid that nothing in the world is better than triathlon for the simple fact that it's a lifestyle, it gives you soemthing to train for, it's individual, and it's a crosstraining sport in itself.

Well, needless to say Daniel and Iker are signing up for Captex Sprint on Memorial Day in Austin and I'm going to train them for it :) Yay!! I'm going to send them their weekly schedules via email, and come down sometime in late April for a weekend to work with them on transitions and other race day details, and hopefully they can join me for the Playtri Buffalo Springs Camp a week before Captex. They obviously won't be riding or running long but can listen in on the lectures, learn open water swimming and be exposed to a number of people who share the same passion for a healthy and active life.

I'm really excited to do this. I've been lucky enough to be helped and mentored by seasoned pro athletes and other incredibly knowledgeable people and feel a responsibility to younger generations. I love triathlon- it's such an infant sport and I want to have a role in its growth. Hopefully they'll fall in love with it as much as I did and want to continue training and racing. The sky's the limit if they put in the work at such a young age.

Alright I'm off for a ride now. It's soooo nice outside- not a single cloud and should be mid 70s by noon ;)