Whom are you fighting at work? Plus A reason a hiring manager WILL prejudice your CV.

Posted on Posted in Advice, business development, Finding Work, HR, Jobs, Millenials, UncategorizedTagged , , , , Leave a comment

Are you fighting time?

Your colleagues?

Your boredom?

Your diet?

Your systems?

Your workload?

Your compensation?

Your benefits?

Your boss?

Your habits?

Your dreams?

Ask anybody why they are unenthusiastic or disengaged at work I would place a strong bet that one of these areas comes up. Yet every single one is in a person’s control. The answer is simple. Change. You don’t like your colleagues, change them or ask your self “do I need to change?” You’re bored, why? Change. You have cravings for those donuts but are resisting, you are making positive change, keep doing it! Your systems suck, be the catalyst for change, demonstrate efficiencies – it may not happen overnight but don’t suffer in silence. Your workload getting you down, why? What can you change, can you delegate, can you say no? Can you change timelines? Can you escalate the issue? Are you actually lazy and procrastinate so things build up? All these things you can do that will affect change, if none of them work then change jobs. But you have to be real with yourself in the first instance.

Many people take the nuclear option first which means they are talking to someone. “I want out, I’m working crazy hours and can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel so I want a new job”. Ok what do you want?” asks the recruiter. “I don’t know” is often the reply.

So if you want out but you don’t know what you want then go back over the list ask yourself who are you fighting, 99% of the time it will be you are fighting yourself. You just need to embrace a bit of change first.

With the ability to look for a job in seconds, it can be the easy way out. But here is the reality, Employers like sticky people. I’m not saying work for the same company for 20 years or even 10, but every hiring manager who looks at a CV will immediately cast dispersions for various reasons if a person’s CV is littered with roles performed for less than 12 months. I want someone who is going to work with us to help drive change and you can’t do that if you jump ship when things get a little tough/busy, I want to see some tenacity and drive. I want to ensure I create an environment that allows for it to happen, and if that does not exist then fine move on, but do it in the knowledge that the next hiring manager is going to ask the question, “Why did you leave your last job?” and trust me you better have a better answer than, “so many things were wrong that I needed to find a better challenge”. The challenge would have been to stay for 12 more months try work through some change and help the business first. That is the person I’m going to hire. Now I know this is a general comment and that there are some proper rubbish places to work so this is really aimed at advising those peeps who are fighting themselves, stuck in a rut in actually not a bad place to work. Ask yourself the tough questions, managers ask these questions when you see engagement dipping. Just ask them first – who or what they are fighting? Then ask them, what can they change?

At Junior level roles we expect to see a little turnover in roles on the CV as you find your place in the world but trust me as you progress up the career ladder we are looking for a little more tenacity and experience combined with a little stickiness. Just look at the CV’s from people your respect either in your org or others, I guarantee they have hung in there at a few places where others have run.

Change is a constant how you adapt is what matters….

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Guatemala – A strange new world for one of us!

Posted on Posted in Advice, being human, charity, fitness, fun, Guatemala, inspiration, living abroad, Motivation, musings, runningTagged , , , , , , , Leave a comment

So you will have seen from a few years ago I wrote a blog about a trip to Guatemala, a trip that inspired me to swim bike and run the distance from Cayman to Guatemala a distance of 640 miles!

This time I took Kym on the adventure and what follows is her unique perspective on this wonderful place, people and a charity (Co-operative for Education) that helps some of its most in need children.

Comfort zones

When Chris asked me to write a guest blog on my first Guatemala experience I spent a while deciding what angle to approach the blog from. Do I talk about the great charitable work that Cooperative for Education (Coed), our tour organisers do towards working to break the cycle of poverty in Guatemala through education? Or about the school we spent time at and the amazing children we met? Or our visits to our sponsorship students? Or how beautiful and vibrant Antigua was?

So many options but I decided to bring it back to what I got out of my experience and the main thing for me personally was pushing outside my comfort zone.

It is no secret to those who know me well that I have a slight (healthy?) obsession with running. I run every day and training for races is always extremely important to me. I am currently part way through training for marathon number five, New York City, in November and normally any break in my running routine would fill me with panic. Will I loose fitness? How will I get back in to running in this humidity if I am in a different climate for a week? What happens to my diet and nutrition in a country where I can’t eat or drink what I normally do? Will I get enough sleep…blah, blah, blah! Ah! The neurosis of a runner!

Running aside just generally in my day-to-day life routine is very important to me and pushing myself out of these routines in to a week of travel involving painting a school, entertaining very young children, touring round with people I had never met, visiting places of extreme poverty all while trying not to eat and drink the wrong things and get sick I will sadly admit had me slightly panicked.

But Chris has been involved now with Coed and the work they do for several years and his passion for Guatemala and the work the charity does had me itching to share that part of his life. So off on the Helping Hands Tour we went!

We were staying in Antigua which is a small city surrounded by volcanoes in southern Guatemala. It’s renowned for its Spanish colonial buildings and the architecture and cobbled streets make it a very pretty place.

guat 6

On our first day we met up with the rest of the people on our tour, all lovely folk from Cincinnati, Ohio and the wonderful Coed staff and drove the hour journey to the kindergarten school we would be helping at for the week. What hit me most aside from the basic structure of the school was how friendly and welcoming the staff and children were and despite speaking no English (and me virtually no Spanish) the language was of no issue. The children loved us being there and the fun games we introduced them to (Old British childhood game “What’s the Time Mr Wolf” or ¿Qué hora es, Sr. Lobo? With the gigantic Chris as Sr. Lobo was a firm favourite). Every day when the children finished school it was hugs all round with them hugging our knees (they were all that tiny) and saying “Hasta Mañana” (“Until tomorrow!) to us.guat1

We were told for some of them the snacks and drinks they get at school could be most they eat during the day so I was touched on the second day when a little boy gave me one of his treasured sweets. The final day at the school had the children performing various dances for us highlighting different aspects of their culture. The effort these tiny children went to was seriously impressive and something that will stick with me for ever (especially the soca number highlighting the Caribbean culture in Guatemala.. like Carnival but for kids.. very cute!)Guat 2

As well as painting the classrooms and exterior of the school and interacting with the children there Chris and I got to see the two scholarship students we support. Chris met Jonny 3 years ago on a visit to his school and saw a huge difference in him from the tiny 11-year-old boy saving his school lunch to take home for his sisters to the 14 year old he is now with dreams of becoming a mechanic.Guat 4

We then got to meet 13-year-old Zoila and her family who kindly welcomed us in to their home. She is a hard working student who wants to become a fashion designer. What struck me most was despite the extreme poverty in the community and the constant rumbling of the nearby volcano (Fuego which erupted only a few months ago) was the proudness her parents have for her being such a good student and wanting to embrace her opportunity to have an education. Her parents told us (via a translator) how they knew how important it was for her to continue with her studies in order to be able to break the cycle of poverty for herself and hopefully for them. Many hugs, tears and thank you’s were shared and I for one will never forget that visit.guat7

One of the other highlights of my trip was zip lining across a 1000m canyon surrounded by volcanoes and scenery which seemed straight out of Jurassic Park (seriously if a T-Rex had popped up in front of me I would not have been surprised!). Again talk about been pushed out of my comfort zone! I have never zip lined before but Chris said I would regret not doing it so with the motto “Do one thing every day that scares you” ringing in my ears plus the peer pressure from Ryan (aged 11) and Rosie (aged 10) who were on our tour who did the shorter zip lines with huge confidence, I did not only the various shorter lines but the 2 huge zip lines… It was amazing!!Guat 8

So in summary was missing a week of running due to lack of time, high altitude kicking my butt and Antigua’s non-runner friendly cobblestones detrimental to me? Sure I can’t run more than 4 miles back in Cayman right now without gasping for breath in the humidity but so what? When things get tough out there on the road in my next few months of marathon training I now have all these wonderful memories to think of.

Guatemala and it’s people have a piece of my heart now too and we will be back..

Hasta Mañana Guatemala.. you were epic!

 

Cause I’m not dead yet!

Posted on Posted in being human, fitness, fun, inspiration, marathon, Motivation, musingsLeave a comment

How I got my injuries when I was younger:

  • I fell out of a tree
  • I fell off my bike
  • Twisted my ankle breakdancing

Injury causes now I’m 40:

  • Slept wrong
  • Sat down too long
  • Sneezed to hard

 

I mean really, what happened? I don’t feel any different now to when I did when I was 21, I wondered does my mum feel different at 60, I don’t think so.

I’m sure like many people born in the late 70’s we still feel like we are not yet “adulting”. Sure I have a wife, mortgage, job and a cat but I’m still young. Taken from Monty Pythons Spamalot “I’m not dead yet!”.

Turning 40 really bothered me and until now age has been nothing but a number. I’m 6 months into my 40th year, and time really does not slow down! Ive been to Miami, Texas, Bermuda, London and off to Guatemala next week. My mums been out to visit, my dad fell and broke is hip. We sold, moved and bought a new house. Have done a half marathon and a Triathlon (as a team with kym). Organized a 3 day HR conference in Cayman. Various speaking gigs. Oh and finished out a successful year at work. It’s no wonder the blood pressure is running a little high these days! I note this only to remind myself that turning 40 has not slowed me down in any way shape or form. I do suffer injury a little easier and the back is not as it once was but I genuinely think that if I give into the ailments. Get sedentary and try to take it easy then life would become very dull. So in order to keep up with the kids (those very trendy people in their 20’s). I’ve decided to verbalise my dreams for the next few years just as they do (The kids that is). They are brilliant at it! Whether they insta it, vlog it or simply tell anyone they meet, they are not afraid to verbalise their goals!  They talk about their travel dreams and the next great business idea they have had. I have travel dreams, I have business passions and I remember being as excited about it all as the 25 year old in front of me. So what’s changed? Honestly nothing, my life experience have far exceeded their own simply because I have had more time to do them. But I still have loads more I want to do I just don’t think I express it as I once did.

One of the first things they tell you to when you want to do something is to tell someone about it, because now it applies pressure to deliver on the desire. The more people you tell the more pressure you put on the outcome of you actually doing what it is your setting out to achieve.  Also you find others who wish to do the same thing and they reinforce your idea as something good for you.

The more you internalize the more no one else can share in your passion.

That is why I love the kids (Again people in their 20’s) – I actually get a kick out of their enthusiasm and helps it inspire me to share my dreams however different they may be. Youthful exuberance seems to disappear in the, and I hate to classify myself as this, middle aged group of society. As we get older do we give up on our desires? This makes me wonder why so many people in their late 30’s & 40’s take up an endurance sport?

So todays motivational bit – don’t give up on your drams just because society thinks you should know better and play it safe! You have more experience, more knowledge and possibly more money to do those things now. 40 is your wake-up call – “get busy living or get busy dying” – Red – Shawshank Redemption!

Oh and come on England!!!!! (World cup)

Only when you look back can you see where you have been

Posted on Posted in Advice, being human, fitness, food, Getting started, inspiration, ironman, Mental Health, UncategorizedLeave a comment

So it’s taken nearly 6 months to get over myself and start writing again. I have no idea why, time just slipped away. I had ideas, thoughts, musings there was a lot going on its not like life slowed down any, yet I could not seem to put pen to paper. So now, here we are in 2018, 6 months on from Ironman. 6 months further on in my work life and 6 months further on in life. When I put it like that, it does not sound like a lot of time but in reality, it seems like a lifetime.

It was actually a little endorsement from a young lady who is currently attending the SHRM national conference in Chicago, the current Miss Cayman Islands Anika Conolly. She mentioned me in one of her blog posts and it really drove home how little we know about what impact we have on others so it spurred me getting back to grips with this writing. Be sure to check out Anikas blog also! www.authenticanika.wordpress.com

Once I landed back on terra firma in Cayman it was a strange old feeling, my alarm was no longer going off at 4:30am and I did not have a reason to ride, swim or run yet I had this craving to do so. What is weird though was that my body really wanted to do this activity that it had been conditioned to do for the prior 6 months, but my mind was done, it was closed, on vacation with a no entry sign held up. I’d watch triathlons on you tube, I’d see the weight creeping back on yet still I could do nothing. I would sit on the sofa on a Saturday afternoon in blissful content, eating and watching absolute rubbish on TV all whilst this little voice in my head was saying what are you doing you should be running or doing something.

I had this gift of time and yet I squandered it, but I know there was absolutely nothing I could do about it. Looking back it’s actually quite scary, I reached some dark places as I became anxious about my weight (which isn’t helped by male friends patting you on the stomach saying “its coming on nicely mate” & “I take it you are not training anymore”!) Little did they know the mental anguish I was going through in this battle between wanting to get back out there and simply being so tried that I could not move. I actually became quite sick to the point of turning to the doctor. This visit didn’t help me any as my blood pressure was off the scale and various body markers were all out. So now it just added to the spiral of I need to exercise, I need to eat right, but I’m soo tired.

There is probably a separate blog about how guys body shame each other all the time without really reflecting on how those comments are received. I 100% believe that men are just as susceptible to the anguish that women go through, accept that it is somehow acceptable amongst guys to be utterly direct to the point of rudeness about other guys physiques.  I mean you would never walk up to a female friend and say “wow that beer baby is about ready”. We all know when things are a little tight, we shame ourselves enough but somehow it’s fine for guys to do it to each other. Maybe I’m over sensitive but I also know what I go through in order to ensure I am fitter than most even though I may not have the six pack everyone else thinks they have. Trust me at 40+ it gets a lot harder!

Anyways this isn’t a blog about body shaming!

Post the doc’s visit seemed to give the kick I needed to start eating right, Since January I have been going to F45 a great cardio and resistance circuits training class 3-5 times a week. So I may have bulked up but the waistline is actually the same! As it was something new my brain said ok and the motivation to go and continue going has remained.  It has also fit around my work schedule well. The mood has lifted, it has allowed me to schedule training so the voices have stopped worrying about whether I was exercising or not. I also set up a cycling group/class on a Tuesday morning that motivated me to get back out on the bike. It’s only once a week but it has been great to encourage others and still know that my legs are in good shape.

Just for fun Kym and I did a half marathon in March in Miami which I ran no problem no PB, far from it, but It just goes to show that the fitness does not disappear as quickly as you feel it does! What was lovely was there was a photo of me crossing the line with Kym cheering me through which is a rare capture and a lovely moment for me. Kym is on the left in yellow.

Miami Kym

 

From a fitness point of view we are in to run the New York Marathon in November and the body and mind are now ready to tackle some training as I want to run a PB for a marathon time. I’m actually looking forward to it and know that the fitness doubts will disappear as I start to feel better about my overall health again.

The physical tolls of Ironman training are always evident but the post ironman mental fatigue is something I have not seen many people write about. I know friends that are always training and doing several ironman events or similar endurance feats and I can totally understand why. You become so conditioned to training that you always need a goal to train for and when there isn’t a goal you just don’t know what to do. I love the sport, I love all sports but I didn’t know until I looked back just how much this one took out of me. It’s not as if I have taken it easy over the last 6 months either. I do 60+ hours a week with work, I organized a 3 day HR conference, I traveled for work, did presentations we sold our house, moved house bought another house! Plus all the other things that daily life throws at you but because I wasn’t doing that additional 15-20hrs plus a week training my body thought there was something wrong!!

So – looking back it has been a crazy 6 months there are so many things to comment on  and I am looking forward to doing so over the coming weeks. I hope that you, dear reader, will find it interesting. But my message from today’s blog is simple:

You don’t know where you have been until you look back. When you do, you realise you moved forward in more ways than one.

Happy Monday

Ironman Flordia 2017 – Race Report

Posted on Posted in Advice, being human, fitness, fun, inspiration, ironman, marathon, Motivation, runningTagged , , , , , , , , , , , , 5 Comments

First off apologies… you’re probably sick of hearing about this sodding Ironman! My facebook feed was alight with congratulatory messages snapped pics and an amazing outpouring of love and support from friends, family, fellow triathletes, squad members and well-wishers, it was simply overwhelming and wonderful all at the same time. So please know that these messages all helped to make this experience very special for me. I am also not going to leave this thank you to the end of the report –  You cannot do a race like this without support, I wouldn’t be at the start line without the encouragement and love from my wife who knows when training isn’t going well and pulls you through it, she doesn’t mind when the alarm goes off at 4:30am so you can get a 3 hour ride in before work, she is the one that worries when I am out on the Cayman roads and doesn’t really sleep till I get back in, anyone who has done this sort of thing will tell you it’s impossible without their support of your endeavor, so this is for her. In addition I have also had a great training partner in Danny we have both had dark times in training and helped each other through and we are part of a collection of athletes (Breakaway Squad) that train together and motivate each other, it’s an amazing group of positive people and Generali have also sponsored some of us with great kits which you will see me wearing during the event so big thanks to them. The one other person who made this possible was coach Kim Schwabaumber (Fuelyourpassion.com)  a multi time Ironman podium finisher, nutritionist and all round fab coach. No matter what your ability I strongly believe that having a coach for this type of event that understands your strengths and weaknesses, holds you accountable for the plan and gives expert and experienced advice is invaluable it certainly helped me achieve the training I needed and the experience I wanted out of this event. Kim Thank you.

Ironman Florida,

Our event was in Panama beach Florida normally more synonymous with spring breakers evidenced by the plethora of amusements and bars most of which were beginning to wind down for the off season, only to be engulfed by the Ironman machine. IM Florida has been in Panama beach for nearly 20 years and the residents and volunteers have had plenty of events for which to practice! They managed to operate a slick well planned event and the greatest thing of all the weather played ball! No storms, no great wind just some nice heat, which to be fair we are pretty used to!

Bag and bike survived the various planes train and automobiles to get to the event and although American Airlines managed to break bags and do some superficial damage to the bikes it was nothing that was going to stop us!

Coach had told me I needed to get some medication to have on me during the race which mainly prevents stomach upset etc… things like gas X, Tums and Imodium, So you can imagine the cashiers face at the local “Piggly Wiggly” general store when two guys dressed mainly in lycra deposit tubs of Vaseline, and various stomach meds on the counter….. I say no more….Piggly w

Medical

Having achieved the All World athlete status from the various 70.3 races last year it was great to be able to use this perk to skip the hour long line at check in, it really made us feel that little bit special akin to getting invited to board in group 1 on American! Check in was a breeze so now it was time to chill. Having been fighting off man flu for the last few days I wanted to dive into the ocean and flush out the travel and test the water conditions etc…. so Danny and I donned the wetsuits and went down to the beach. Pretty much the only time its ok to get into an elevator with another man dressed in rubber…..

The sea was cold, I was very glad it was going to be a wetsuit legal race! Once you got going the coolness of the water was quite refreshing and you didn’t really notice the temp! Dip done, time to chill. Trying to chill the night before an ironman is akin to asking a 7 year old not to think about Christmas on Christmas Eve! It’s a mixture of emotions and OCD overdrive! The excited anticipation made my stomach want to remove anything it consumed within around 30 minutes great for pre-race weight loss bad for the mind thinking “ oh my god what if it’s like this tomorrow!”…. I packed, repacked and tinkered with my nutrition and race notes, thank god we had to check in our gear bags the day before as that didn’t allow for last minute messing around with stuff. I tried to be as calm and methodical as possible to eventually stop messing. The last thing I did was write out my fuel plan on the bike so I could tape it to my handlebars, this turned out to be the single most important thing I could have done.

Handlebars

The worst part of an Ironman is the night before, well actually it’s the 6 months worth of training, but the night before is an excruciating wait. You just want to get on and do it! Having had a pre race meal of chicken and pasta salad we all retired to our respective rooms. I elected to sleep in the spare room so that I would not keep Kym awake with my inability to sleep after all it was going to be a long day for our support crew as well! I needn’t have worried to be honest as I actually got to sleep pretty quickly and didn’t wake up until the alarm roused me. DC and I were pretty calm had some breakfast managed to “loose a bit more weight” which is every athletes dream start! And we headed out. The girls we going to meet us at the swim start an hour later.

Having deposited the nutrition bottles on the bike and dumped our special needs bags we proceeded to the beach start which took longer than expected and we were only just ready as they were playing the star spangled banner. Whilst it’s not my national anthem it always sets a great tone to a sporting event in the US and I enjoy the atmosphere of it. A kiss for the important people, Kym, and the cannon sounded…the race had begun. It was a self-seeded start meaning that you lined up around the time that you think you will do the swim in. To be fair I think athletes did do this realistically as I didn’t have to swim over any slow swimmers nor was I swam over. I seeded myself in the 1hr 10-1hr 20 section. Even though I thought I could go quicker you just never know what happens on the day. I was jumping up and down to the music as we headed down the start chute, hi fiving spectators all in an effort to calm the nerves reduce the heart rate and allow myself to enjoy the moment after all 6 months’ worth of training had led to this.

As I dove in to the cool waters, the nerves eased the breathing slowed and I fell into a rhythm remarkably quickly. This surprised me as in other swim events it has taken me a good 10 minutes to find that sweet spot in the breathing. I think the cold water helped and that I wasn’t caught up in a swimming melee as I was straight out into some good open water with a small draft pack ahead. The sun was just coming up so it was dark below, pretty eerie but also very serene, as I rounded the buoy at the top of the course around a half mile out to sea I stole a glance back at the chasing pack and realized I was swimming well and certainly up there with the top 10% of the swimmers. Knowing I was heading back to shore I allowed myself to ease into a slightly quicker stroke count as current pushed us back toward the shore. A quick mental body check, all good, apart from a small chaff around the neckline of the wetsuit, dam I must have missed that part with the vaseline. As I exited the water to go over the first timing matt to complete the first loop I was looking out for Kym but could not see her amongst the crowds of spectators, just as I reentered the water I was sure I heard her and took a final look back I didn’t see her but the video she took of me confirmed I had heard her! I glanced at my watch 31 minutes for the first 1.2 miles I was happy with that it put me on a good swim time if I could maintain so that was the plan for loop 2. About half way through loop 2 I caught up with some of the slower swimmers still on their first loop while this is actually a great motivator (You know you’re having a good swim) it’s actually quite difficult to navigate as you do swim into people at some pace. A lot of the time slower swimmers are slow because their sighting ability is all off meaning that they are not swimming in a straight line from point A to point B and on several occasions I had to move people by the leg to point them in the right direction! On other occasions I did literally swim over a couple of people but it was only by accident as the water didn’t allow for me to see them really until it was too late. I maintained pace and exited the water in 1 hour and 6 minutes a really great swim that I was delighted about as I had never considered going sub 1:10. This put me in a great mood going into transition and I had said to myself take your time get dry and do your thing. I lay down on a matt so the “wetsuit striper” (LOL) could take my suit off, this was a mistake as it allowed sand to get on my back and ultimately end up in places that will cause me grief later….. A tip that Danny gave me was to empty my transition bag completely on the floor before you event start to change kit so that you know you took everything you’re going to need on the bike. Again the volunteers here were amazing packing everything for you once you had finished with it. I changed into dry cycling gear ensure my nutrition was in the pockets and headed out. All told I had been in transition just 8 minutes. As I was leaving I saw Danny coming in so I knew he had also had a good start.

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The sun was starting to come up the wind had a chill but my breathing was good and a quick check of the heart rate showed 130 beats per minute. So my coach wanted me to do between 125 and 135 BPM which is kind of where the heart had been in training and I had manage to maintain a good average of 20+ mph which would result in around a 5 hour 30 minute bike time for the 112 miles. I was not to overcook the bike as this would throw off my run and the fuel plan so stick to the plan was all I repeated for the entirety of the bike portion! I had to do this because I felt good and thought I should go quicker but this is fatal in this kind of race because feeling good in hour five does not equate to feeling good in hour 10. The bike is about measured control, eating/fueling and hydrating for the beast that follows. Sure I could ride a 5 hour bike if the bike was all I was doing but a sub 6 hour bike is always considered a good result on an ironman course. The other thing coach Kim had insisted on was this “You must pee at least twice on the bike”. The reason for this I that it tells you that you are hydrated, if you don’t pee in 6  hours you’re going to suffer on the run as most likely your dehydrated. I had the fuel plan taped to my handlebars having to drink 50 ounces of fluid in the first hour (basically to cover the swim deficit) and then all the various times I had to eat. I can’t tell you how happy I was when at around the 40 mile mark I felt that tug on the bladder that says if you want to go you can. Now that’s easier said than done when you’re cycling along at 20 mph and you don’t want to stop because your mate is behind you and you’re still competitive with each other! Plus you don’t want him to go by and you not know whether he is behind or in front! Also I have never, ever pee’d whist cycling along before! I’m sure the veterans amongst you have got this down to a fine art but for me it was going to be a first and hopefully last occurrence.  As you all know cycling gear is quite tight and tends to hold your gentleman’s package up out of the way of the saddle, however this is not the most beneficial position to start a steady flow so I needed to rearrange a little, cue much hilarious hip swinging and short pulling to try and get my misters to dress to the right… I had made sure no one was around me during this but I dread the thought that someone was videoing this half mile stretch of road out in the Florida outback! Needless to say I managed it and the only person in the world who would be happy about this was the coach but to be fair I was also quit impressed with myself to! I did have to verbally apologise to my bike though. The road wound its course for another few hours and when I came upon 100 miles I thought Danny must be nearly with me now as I knew he was aiming for a slightly quicker bike time than I and sure enough I could spy him about half a mile down the road. As he came alongside he said his feet were hurting but as mine were a little numb as well I thought this was just par for the course. It turned out this would really hurt Danny’s run in a little while. At this point I was happy the swim had gone well, we were on the last few miles of the bike and I was cycling along with my training buddy about to complete the bike in 5 hours 32 minutes which was bang on plan. I had fueled as ordered and felt pretty good coming off the bike.

Into the run transition and once again I stripped off and put on fresh clothes to begin what is my nemesis. As you will have seen from previous blogs running is not my strongest sport so this was going to be where I would fight my demons and have what we call the dark moments! My feet ached and my back was stiff so I just walked out of transition talking to Dany trying to pep ourselves up. He was quieter than normal and I felt that maybe he was in more pain than he was letting on at that point. We walked and then gently jogged together. I think we were both excited at that point to be reunited with our other halves who were waiting about a half mile up the road. We had picked this point as it was close to the apartment and we would run passed them 3 times before seeing them at the finish. It is so so uplifting to see loved ones along the course and they were even more excited to see us! Some great video of us going passed them for the first time and Danny had found his feet (or so I thought) a he continued off on a quicker pace than I was going to maintain so we left each other to our own run race. This was probably the hardest moment for me as I looked at my watch around 3 miles into the run and the enormity of what still lay ahead hit me. I remember thinking this is going to take me hours (About 5 more at this stage) and you have that tiny bit of self-doubt, the sun was beating down and it was around 2:30 in the afternoon. Self-actualization comes into play here, positive mental thought. I think this is what the Ironman really tests. It test’s one ability to be mentally tough, you can be as fit as you want to be but if you haven’t trained the mind to push through pain and self-doubt then it always going to be a struggle. I actually said to myself it doesn’t matter how long this takes you can do it even if you have to walk you are going to be an ironman.  I thought of a picture I had taken at the Athlete’s briefing it was a simple picture of a wristband they give to first time athletes attempting the accolade it simply says “Ironman – I will become one”.

I will become one

When I said I would do this it was because I wanted to challenge myself, I like the endurance aspect of it and what I have learnt about how far you can push your body if the mind is willing is incredible. I am not the best or fastest athlete out there but I do have sheer bloody mindedness that doesn’t allow me to stop! This is the culmination of a road to wellness that started 3 years ago. If you take up triathlon this is also the race everyone asks you have you done? Everyone has their own journey but they are all incredibly individual. So these thoughts pulled me from the dark place and I started to look round thank the volunteers soak up the atmosphere from the crazy, lovely supports and enjoy it! Really enjoy it! Before long I was coming up on mile 6 (just 20 more to go!) and I realized that Danny hadn’t run past me yet so I couldn’t be far behind him, a minute or so later I saw him coming towards me he was walking with the first signs of a limp, as we passed he said he was done he looked very forlorn so I said keep walking and I’ll catch up. I sped up to the turn and caught him up shortly after. His feet had still not recovered from the bike and he was suffering cramps because of it.  I suggested we walk run for a few miles and tried to lift his spirit with some banter about carrying him over the finish line etc… but inwardly I knew he was in for a long day as we were only at around mile 9 on the run here. Eventually Danny said to me he couldn’t run anymore and that I should run my race. I told him I would only carry on if he promised to finish to which he agreed. I knew he had to go passed Kym and his wife Dawn so I could pre warn them of his plight so they could encourage him on also. As I carried on I was gutted for my friend who is a stronger runner than I and trained as I did. It’s a long time to be in pain. I truly hopped he would finish.

As I came towards Kym and Dawn around mile 13 I could feel myself getting choked up I am not sure why but I think it was the realization that I only had 13 more miles to go and that I was feeling good, I loved that they had been tracking us for hours and the ironman dream could become reality in just a few more hours! I managed to tell them Danny wasn’t in a good way but I also didn’t want to lose my rhythm so I continued on and around to go and do the loop over again. Luckily the sun was going down and the heat was abating so this was all positive stuff for me! I passed Danny again we high fived and told him to get through it. I knew Kym and Dawn would also talk him into persevering which the video evidence also gave great light to! I caught up with another runner a little further down the road his name was Alex and this was his 5th Ironman. He was from New Jersey amd worked IT, he was a big guy like me and we chose to run and walk together for a few miles chatting about ironman the charity he was running for and various other bits about life. We attracted a few other walk run peeps and had a little community of us for a few miles it really helped. Most of them were on their first loop and were impressed that I was on the last leg it was great motivation and wonderful that everyone was encouraging for everyone else. It’s the only sport where if you’re not going to win it everyone just wants you to finish! Its dark now and mile 20 came up which was a real wow moment for me just 6 miles to go, I left our little community as I was moving quicker now as the realization crept in that my stomach was fine, my fuel plan had worked and now I could let go and just go for the finish. Around mile 23 you could heard the crowds and announcer at the finish but those 3 miles go slower than the first 23!! I started empting my pockets of unneeded gels and medical stuff, took my sunglasses from my head and put them in my pocket. I was excited to see Kym just as much as the finish line to share the realisaion that it was going to happen. I turned the final corner and the finishers chute was before me it’s about 800 meters long with people all along the side railing cheering, the big finishing gantry illuminated by massive lights and a huge TV screen. They are willing you along all the way and about half way down I heard Kym scream CCCCHHHHRRRRIIISSSS it was the best feeling I turned to her and just screamed back as the video showed, then the immortal words anyone who has started this race dreams of hearing. “Chris Bailey – You are an Ironman!!!”

 

I thought I would be an emotional wreck but instead I just smiled, I had nothing left I was walked through the finish area by yet another amazing volunteer I had my picture taken, and then fell into the embrace of a massive hug from kym who I think was just as amazed and astonished as I was, she screamed at me “you broke 13 hours! Amazing Amazing everyone’s been tracking its been amazing OH my god!!!!……” As I said at the start of this, only those close to you know what you sacrificed to do this, they know what it means and they also know when you exceeded your own expectations. Wow.

A beer in hand and a dry top we waited to see if Danny had beat his pain, we didn’t have to wait long till his name was also hallowed as an Ironman. Now the celebration began in earnest.

Thank you to all who followed on the what’s app group and on Facebook. The support for Danny and I was incredible and it only reinforces that we have some amazing family and friends. Big Love.

It’s National Coffee Day!!!

Posted on Posted in Advice, fitness, fun, inspiration, ironman, Motivation, race, running, weightlossTagged , , , 1 Comment

 

You would think as a triathlete in training I would “hale the Kale” but not so, at present I cannot function past 9am without the distinctive aroma of coffee giving me that boost. I’ve tried to quit but I don’t have the will power to both get up at 4:30am to train and not have coffee in my life. I am also the worst kind of coffee snob. No instant coffee for me, no “lets go into the office kitchen where they have a perfectly good machine”. Nope. I have to go to my barista and get the all-important skinny caramel late from them. I only have one cup a day and its got to be good. No ifs, no buts, there is a huge difference in good coffee. This morning was especially good as the tropical downpour affecting my island home for the last three days has not abated and has therefore made my training rides/runs a daily risk of life and limb. Speaking of risk to life this Ironman training absolutely sucks. I can’t even sugar coat it and say its remotely enjoyable. Last night (in the rain) I swam 160 lengths of a 25m pool to save you the calculation that’s 4km. It was dull as dishwater; there is no enjoyment until you finish. The rides have started to go beyond the 5 hour mark at the weekend followed by a run, last Sunday I did a 70.3 distance triathlon in training! I honest respect anyone who has even attempted to do one of these things. I have been on the verge of quitting for weeks now. I’m tired, grumpy and everything aches. I have an amazing coach (Kim Schwabaumber http://www.fuelyourpassion.net), brilliant training partners Danny Cummings and Andrew Kirby a squad of support “Breakaway Squad” a company that’s sponsoring us big shout out to Generali insurance and most of all the most supportive wife anyone could ask for. It takes a village to get me through this and I would encourage anyone else who does one to get a good support crew around you. The rides are long, the runs are lonely but coming back to supportive whatsapps, likes on strava and plenty of positive encouragement make you get up one more day.

breakaway selfi

I believe that the training is the hardest part of doing a full distance Ironman, I really want to enjoy race day. A good friend was doing Ironman Italy last weekend and had to withdraw after 13 miles into the run following a fall and a nasty bout of runners trots. I was really upset for him. He had done the 2.4 mile swim in a great time he had got through the 112 mile bike and had run more than half of the marathon. I called him in Italy and was amazed at how upbeat he was, I know the hours he has put in as I have seen him out on the road as the sun is rising. We are part of the same squad. He inspirers us young 40 year olds as he is a young 50 and doing his first full Ironman, I honestly got chocked up speaking with him he was so close just 13 miles from the finish. When you watch these event on TV every single person out their could be called professional as it becomes a job, around 10-20+ hours a week training just to get to the start! Aldo – To us you are an Ironman.

So its Friday, Trump will likely offend someone, this rain might never stop, North Korea might push the button, I have a ton of work to do, Ironman is in 6 weeks, Hurricanes season is not over, and if all I am moaning about is a dam ironman then I should shut up and drink my coffee as I have it better than most.

OMG I couldn’t believe this until I read to the end!

Posted on Posted in being human, Family, fitness, fun, inspiration, ironman, living abroad, marathon, Motivation, race, running, Saying goodbyeTagged , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

I’m sorry about the title but I love the way most FB posts get you to read an article by implying there is something earth shatteringly good in the text or video link. Alas I’m not sure if the below fits that category but I do hope you will read on…!

The last few months have been a bit of a blur!

I feel I have a mild case of anxiety and trying to figure out why!

Pretty sure my overreliance on coffee does not help this anxiety. So tried going without. Made it a week.

I learnt some pretty cool stuff over the past couple of months so lets give you, dear reader, a little recap. Maybe you can help answer the “what next” question.

January: Had Dad come and stay for a few weeks. He left in much better shape than when he arrived. We put him through Bailey boot camp in an attempt to try and improve his walking and overall wellbeing. Noticed him chocking on his food a few times. He entered his first running race the valentines mile, he did great! He’s not himself though and I’m worried about him. Sad when he left.

February: Some good work wins and Kym and I engineered a new service line to add to her personal training offering. My work constantly keeps me challenged, its exciting that there is so much opportunity but frustrating at the speed of which the market moves.

March: Headed back to the UK for a funeral, for my Grandmother who lived a very full life passing away at the age of 92. Her story is as epic as any person who has lived through the war years and raised a wonderful family. She was scared of being on her own more than she was of dying. Her husband of 60+ years passed away a few years before. I don’t think she ever recovered. Family was her life. She would have been proud to see how many people turned up to give her a good send off.

Travelled to LA for CoEd/Rotary to speak at various rotary clubs throughout the week, spent most of my time sat in traffic. Met some amazing people, did a 100mile bike ride with the LA wheelmen along the pacific coast highway, met a friend in Santa Monica who ticked a bucket list item for me by showing me round Beverley Hills in his 1956 Porsche speedster, people thought we were famous! He topped the week off by getting us courtside seats to the Lakers game! I’ve no idea how he managed it by Ryan Khan you are a star!

 

April: Raced in the Haines City Florida 70.3 Ironman – Achieved a PB even though I took the foot off the gas towards the end! Much to my coaches’ frustration, and mine!

IM finish
IM70.3 Florida Finish

Experienced the Boston Marathon first hand while supporting Kym. I was certainly more nervous than her. This was her biggest bucket list item. As a runner this is their mecca, after the bombings it became even more the marathon that everyone wanted to run. You have to qualify and Kym did. All she wanted to do now was have a great race. People told her she wouldn’t PB because of the hills. I had faith she would. She kept us guessing though and at the moment of the last split coming in on the app tracker we were following I knew she had done it! I was on the phone to her parents who were also tracking, we had a telephonic celebration when her final time came in. I couldn’t get close to the finish line to see her but I was there all the way! We had arranged a meeting spot outside the lingerie store “La Perla” – we thought it funny! I waited what seemed like ages for her to appear and when she did we both cried. The relief, the congrats, the overwhelming sense of achievement I had for her and simply the love. She talked about the race with such excitement and I loved hearing about it, I will also run this race but this time was hers. Everyone who has run a Boston Marathon has a “Boston” story behind it. We have ours and we have our ending. Until the next one.

Boston Marathon Before
After!

 

May: Had my uncle come stay with us for 2 weeks, it was awesome to see him enjoy the island to its fullest and re kindle his love for diving. Got to know him better. Good times.

Delivered the largest HR Conference in the Caribbean, Released an Album (Now that’s what I call HR 1 available on ITunes) met some Hollywood stars, and came first in my category in the Grand Cayman May Classic cycle series.

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Delivered a 43 page client report and wrote 2, 80 page proposals in response to RFP’s. Helped the wife launch her new business line which has got off to a great start with her new clients.

Dad got diagnosed with Parkinson’s.

June:

So it’s June and the above was only a highlight of what a 6 months it has been. It’s been incredible, amazing highs and some earth shattering lows. But that’s life. We know the next six months already has a conference in New Orleans, A half Marathon in Chicago, A full Marathon in the UK combined with a special someone’s 70th, Rotary presentations in Idaho, and a full Ironman in Panama city. All whilst holding down a day job, trying to be a good President of the HR society and stressing about family. Its no wonder the speech by Grace Byers at our conference really resonated with me. She opened with “I am enough”. It’s an amazing story and mantra which helps you to ground and take a breath, you can see the speech on the CISHRP facebook page. I’m all for YOLO, but when you try to be all things to all people it can be completely exhausting. Therefore I am going to say “no” a little more, I am going to take a breath. This doesn’t mean I will work any less hard it just means I have to be smarter with my time, and apportion it to those that appreciate it.

So now lets tackles those next six months!

Sorry Ive been Grumpy – Your a rockstar!

Posted on Posted in Advice, Family, fitness, inspiration, Motivation, musings, runningTagged , , , , , Leave a comment

I’ve been grumpy, it’s been a few weeks now I don’t know why. I have had wisdom teeth issues but had that pulled out which made me smile. teeth

This isn’t a sycophantic, gushy lovey dovy piece about love. It’s a statement of fact. My wife is rockstar.

For starters – she has followed me on our adventures offshore for nearly a decade putting her career on the back burner. She has reinvented herself in a 100 different guises. From running an art gallery to helping submit immigration applications. She has gotten herself a new set of qualifications; set up her own fitness consultancy and at the same time manages the household of me and a cat. Which is probably the hardest thing she does.

cat-on-kyms-legs

She helps people in her job, not just to reach their fitness goals but she listens to them, hears their thoughts, musing, problems she is not just a coach but a life councilor. Yet she asks me everyday how my day went. She runs because she enjoys it. She good at it, she ran 4 half marathons, a full marathon and various 5 & 10k races this year. Yet the next day she is back training other people. She wins some of these races.

kym-dg-pic-2

People think she has an easy job yet I see her popping the ibuprofen before she goes to sleep just so her legs don’t ache when she wakes up. She lives for her friends never wanting to let any of them down, always being available. She worries about her family but wont share her own worries with them in case they worry!

She says sometimes that other people get the best of me as I am always working and that makes my heart ache. I want her to have the best of me simply because she is my inspiration.

So the best way I could end @anythingoverice 2016, which has been an interesting year around the world, is to leave it with a positive piece about appreciation. I appreciate you my love and regardless of the sh!t show going on everywhere else you are the only thing that is important to me. You will have the best of me in 2017 & beyond.

Happy Christmas

Love

Grumpy @anythingoverice

Plus any wife willing to dress as Princess Leia is a rockstar xx

star-wars-kym-and-st

Cuba Libre – Havana Nov 2016

Posted on Posted in food, inspiration, living abroad, Travel, UncategorizedTagged , , , Leave a comment

cuba-nationalI couldn’t write a typical vacation review, I couldn’t just type away merrily about the architecture steeped in a colorful history as little of what I write would match the vivid reality of Havana. Why such literary greats like Hemmingway and Victor Hugo resided in Cuba is apparent once your there. It moves you. Cuba is such a juxtaposition as I look down from our Havana rooftop terrace, in a refurbished apartment the mixture of new world money and the abject poverty is immense. You can smell the desire and ambition from a people who are desperate to make something of themselves. The way they go about daily life is better than any reality TV show. In the last 5 minutes I have watched men lay a Tarmac street in less than 30 minutes none them resting, I’ve watch a young girl giving salsa lessons to two young boys on a rooftop. I’ve seen 5 live goats carried out of a house and loaded on a truck. A fun run has just passed the apartment with close on 500 people taking part. The classic old cars tooting their horns and ferrying people about the city. The 8 children none of whom are over the age of 8 crammed into a little shack of a building all wearing rags. The tourist with the camera. The city is alive with change, life and although run down and possessive of the poor, there is a welcome a smile, even while walking the streets back from a restaurant last night at close to midnight gangs of people did not make us feel uneasy. You see in the UK, US or even Grand Cayman when you see a group of young people gathered speaking a different language you automatically go on the defensive. It’s unfamiliar so you don’t trust it. As a white 6ft+ gringo with a blond wife we stick out like a sore thumbs people look at you, but it is not with mal intent. It’s with a curiosity and wonderment.

cuba-solider

This country still has people leaving/fleeing poverty by makeshift boats searching for a better life. We are able to come and go which must be deeply upsetting for someone wanting to leave here. But instead of getting angry at those who come to visit they welcome them hoping that we will be the voice of change as the government opens up its boarders once again. Internet is not freely available this should be the first change allow freedom of expression through social media – allow closed minds to see the outside world has much to offer. But with all this said Cuba is a wonderment. The establishment of some fine eating establishments and the warm regard of it’s people mean the future is bright the future is Havana.

fullsizerender

fullsizerender

Is 5:30am really that bad?

Posted on Posted in Advice, fitness, fun, Getting started, inspiration, marathon, Motivation, running, weightlossTagged , , , , , 9 Comments

jogging-morn

It’s so easy to say “I’m not a morning person” I know because I said it, daily, weekly, monthly, yearly! I had myself believing it. I read a lot of autobiographies – I like to read about interesting people. They are not always about successful billionaires although many of the rags to riches stories do hold my attention, many are about those who face challenges or simply do things I think are cool. Or people who have created something, a movement, project, invention. All are driven by a unique sense of purpose which you may think is uncommon yet all these people I define as successful do the same thing. They are successful because they move themselves, they do what makes them passionate and also 99% of them get up early in the morning.

However they do it in balance – they are not burning the candle at both ends and if they do its only for short periods of time. No they simply have a wellness routine that allows them to take advantage of time that us mere mortals spend in bed. Trust me I love my bed, I love sleep, I love that feeling when you wake and can drift back off to sleep knowing nothing is making you get up, I could stay there till midday. Sometimes I do. But that’s my balance. You will hear of athletes having rest days, they are as important as the training days, your bodies chance to recover and I covert them. This is because my weekday routine usually starts around 5:30am its just about getting light and I can get 2 hours worth of exercise in before my day, normally a bike ride followed by run or a swim (still training for Ironman…).

Now sometimes its not vigorous exercise that I do, I would actually class it as positive reflection, now don’t think I’m getting all hippy here but often I will just put on some music and walk or jog for an hour thinking about the day ahead, some good things that are coming up and I often visualize what I want to achieve. It’s amazing how refreshed you feel afterwards. You arrive home around 6:45am and I guarantee you do not feel one bit tired. Have a shower eat some breakfast then begin the day. You get more done in those hours than 90% of the population.

coffee

You can be in the top 10% of readiness for your day. I know its not always practical when you have families, but I seriously urge you to make this time at least a couple of time a week. It one of the best remedies for anxiety, stress, low energy and its free and easy. Plus you get the planet virtually to yourself as there isn’t many other people up and about, but here is something else I’ve noticed, anyone you meet at that time of the morning that is doing something similar to you will always give you a nod, or a hi or some acknowledgement. Because they know it’s not easy to set an alarm, get up, get out. They know it takes practice and self discipline. There is an immediate mutual respect. After a time getting up isn’t hard. You actually look forward to it! Crazy right!

I wrote the above a couple of months ago but never published it, not sure why as I still believe in the merits of early morning exercise. But since the throws of the Ironman event a week ago I had what I term as a “recovery week”. This meant that I did nothing, (apart from work) absolutely no exercise at all, no early morning walks even, just stayed in bed till it was time to get up. The interesting thing is I woke up at 6.30am on the dot every day. It was hard to go back to sleep for an hour or so… my body was willing me up. Towards the end of the week I caved and ended up playing squash one night and then on the Sunday I got up early (4:30am!) to support my better half who was running a 30km endurance race. I actually ran a 5k then rode on to support her during her last miles. The reason I say I caved was I sooo wanted to do something in the mornings that my body and mind were alert at 6:30am. This might seem ludicrous to most and believe me, it does to me! But it was almost like a drug withdrawal, the mind wants what it wants and I was telling it nope – turn off back to sleep. Do I feel refreshed from a week of nothing? Not really – I feel a little lethargic and my eating habits have succumb to a bit more candy and cakes…. So this week I am back into the routine, Monday night swim, Tuesday morning bike ride, Wednesday night run, Thursday am bike ride, Friday am ramp runs Fri evening long swim, Sat sleep, Sunday am long ride … Need to add in a few more runs.

early-inspiration

I suppose what I am saying is when you first start out doing anything its always hard, then it becomes habit, breaking a habit is hard but when the habit you have formed is good for you its even harder to break! I didn’t realize I had become a morning person. My teenage self hates me right now, it doesn’t get it at all, but then he didn’t fear middle age and all the wonderful delights that come with it. I emailed a group of guys I have been friends with since school. Birmingham (our home city in the UK) is hosting its first international marathon so I sent them a challenge – we have one year to get into shape and run this bad boy… all before any of us turn 40. Now of the group of 4 friends only one gave it a maybe! The resultant list of maladies ranging from shin splits to arthritic hips just made me wince. These guys who I always envision being the same guys who rode bikes, played sports and were generally active have now become a range of inactive bystanders hell bent on believing that they cant do something. When did the majority of society think this way? So you have put on a few pounds, not done much in a few years, get pain in your joins with a little over exertion, well guess what its going to hurt when you get going. It’s not pretty but the end result will be life changing. None of the physicality’s reflected in my friends responses will in anyway hinder them while running, sure they will ache the whole time but that will lessen as they become fitter, lighter and generally healthier. I’ve seen people with reconstructed knees, no knees, no legs and many other life changing issues run a marathon. The only limiting factor in someone who is physically able is themselves.

So whether its getting up in the morning, or starting to exercise you, your brain and your own desire are all that stand in the way. So get up! Get out! Learn to love early starts…..