I have a secret I want to share...

MOPS
Yes. MOPS.
I had to share this because of all the help and usefulness it provided me. I'm hoping you can find some gold nugget in this trough of information.

MOPS is a powerful mantra (a cheesy one) that I created for myself two and a half years ago, in the summer of 08, right after I first started triathlon training. At first it was a tool I used to succeed in triathlon training. Transitioning from a football player build to an endurance athlete build was a challenge, especially in the beginning stages where my body was getting used to the different day-to-day exercises. That summer I had dedicated myself to changing my attitude about I looked at life and how I overcame obstacles. It was a big self-reformation period. My renaissance. (and since Im an engineer major, now is my scientific revolution?)

*I have to give kudos and thanks to my Mom for raising me to be so independent. It was tough and weird but now I am so thankful that I can rely on myself and the things that I do. My mom is awesome and I hope everyone gets the chance to meet her some day and see the awesomeness for themselves! Finding out how to be entirely self-sufficient is something I strive for but something I also know is impossible. There are only so many hours in the day.

Anyways school started in Fall of 2008, in September I was a bona-fide triathlete and come end of December I have my first 4.0 GPA in college and high school EVER with the help of MOPS, this book How to Become a Straight-A Student, (awesome awesome book by the way but a review is for another time) and some of the best professors/guides that I have come across in my college journey: Goebel, Knox, Arzola, Natoli, in no particular order.

As you can see I love cheese. haha but it motivates me!

Back to MOPS

MOPS

Motivation + Optimism + Perseverance = Success in what ever goal you have set for yourself and life in general.
Each piece is so critical to success. Passionate motivation is needed to get up and go get what you are after. Motivation to do the very best in absolutely everything you do. When I worked at Baskin Robbins when a customer ordered something, I swore to make that item the best (and sometimes biggest) it could be. I was the best damn shake maker this side of the Mississippi. Real, genuine optimism in everything that you start (don't run a race after you've shot yourself in the foot!) and every obstacle you come across. Nothing is ever that bad, and YOU are never that bad. Also, many people quit after the first hardship so you've already got them beat! Perseverance to battle through tough challenges and setbacks. This coupled with the perseverance of "The Comeback"

you can take the necessary steps needed to achieve your goal.

Success is a broad term and I leave it that way so that you can define it for yourself and make it personal.

Find your ideal self and strive for it. Find whatever it is you love doing and just do it, no matter what anyone thinks of it. Be who you envision yourself to be. This takes practice at first and then it will become routine second-nature so commit to it errday. Improve yourself all day, everyday. Learn, act, achieve. Love the life you live. It starts NOW.


You don't have to take this verbatim. Hell you don't have to employ this MOPS strategy at all. Even if you skipped most of this article just at least get this one thing: Make this life YOURS!

"I'm not bipolar, im a BIWINNER"- C. Sheen

So this weekend was FULL of biwinning. Just got done with a swim session/experimental photoshoot with Rhea Quitasol photography. May I say I think the pictures look great! but my technique can use some tweaking haha Pictures are up on my facebook here.

As for the workout itself, it went well. Tried to do some core work right after but my phone was freezing on me (damn prehistoric droid 1 haha) and I dont have the workout memorized so I will continue that tonight.

Yesterday I had a long drive from Mesa to Visalia. It is such nice scenery from Phoenix to about Indio/Palm Springs. It is a barren, unforgiving landscape that only the toughest will survive yet brings a wave of serenity knowing that it has withstood the sands of time. Here are some pictures from my drive.

Tommie my kitty

Saturday 3/13 I did a 3 hour bike. I went from my place to the Usery mountain pass or whatever its called. My was it a spectacle! So beautiful but so damn hot as well it was about 87 that day and the sun was beating down on my back. I wanted to jump into the Salt River so bad haha It is a pretty popular ride, I saw many other cyclists there ranging from my age to wrinkly, leather skin from the sun old. All of them were the nicest people as well. Good company.

For the ride I stocked up on gatorade, an extra water bottle, and two peanut butter sandwiches. The first hour went well, it was just a matter of getting to Usery. Mesa-Gilbert-Chandler has designated bike lanes but a lot of them are ridden with potholes and a ton of rocks which is means a ton of pressure flats. The second hour was good. I stopped a couple times to smell the roses and take pictures but I did get in a good 5 minute hell-of-a climb at the end. The third hour was like the final battle. It was a mental challenge to say the least. Here is a map of my bike ride from mapmyride.com: Bike route

Here are some pictures from the bike ride:

2011/03/14 Monday 15:10:36

breakfast
8 oz tropical love smoothie, soymilk, banana, mango, tangerine, strawberries

workout
100 wu, 2x50 kick, 10x100, 3x357 breathing, pushed myself in main set

some core work until my phone decided to cut on me so i will continue that later tonight

post workout
half big hunk candy bar
1 oz carrots
couple peanuts
8 oz soymilk
1 cup rice
1 cup beef and cabbage, ate mostly cabbage
1 turkey sandwich with 1 tbsp cheez whiz
12 oz tropical love smoothie

UPDATE:

Dinner:

2011/03/13 Sunday 14:10:58
breakfast
3-8 oz cups of smoothie (cranberry juice, 1/2 frozen mango/orange juice concentrate, 1 cup frozen strawberries and blackberries, 1/4 cup frozen blueberries, frozen banana, love)
6 slices lean turkey

lunch
water
large quiznos turkey on wheat sub, mozarella cheese, tomato, onions, lettuce, banana peppers, honey mustard dressing

snack
water
1 cup of unshelled peanuts
2 oz of baby carrots
1 big hunk candy bar

dinner
1 del taco hard taco
1 49 cent burrito
small fries
bag of skittles

post dinner
3 bbq kabobs
3 cups rice
8 oz soy milk
8 oz v8 fusion

2011/03/12 Saturday 11:14:46
Breakfast
1 hardboiled egg
1/2 peanut butter sandwich
8 oz cranberry juice
couple swigs of skim milk
banana

workout
3 hr bike
2 pbj sandwiches
1 24 oz gatorade
2 cups water

postworkout
turkey sandwich
1 24 oz sandwich
1 hardboiled egg

dinner
hamburger with mayo and ketchup
homemade steak fries

post dinner- courtesy of my buddy Andrew
2 turkey legs
2 cups white rice

First time back and changing things.. like my RUNNING GAIT

So a lot has happened since my time gone from the blog. School, projects, finals, school again, and now it is spring break! Thank goodness even though I still have a ton of work to do. I had an integral mastery exam today, which I was slaving over all week, and guess what? I slayed it like a black knight! Well felt like I slayed it because I wont know for sure until we get back from spring break. But I felt great when I turned it in and left school on a good note. If you don't know what integrals are, here is a layman version:

Wiki Integrals

So last semester, I hardly had time to train but fit it in whenever possible. Once the semester was finished, things needed to be put in high gear. With less than 6 months left and not meeting the minimum requirements to start my training plan, I was doing everything possible just to get at the right level of fitness to START this program.

But alas, I achieved it, and am on my way to become an Ironman.

I received a new pair of running shoes on Tuesday: Saucony's Stabil Pro CS from Runner's Warehouse. Here is a link along with a picture:

Saucony Stabil Progrid CS at Running Warehouse



These shoes are leaps and bounds better than the last shoe I had, Brooks Beast. That may have been due to my heel striking though but all I knew was that breaking them in was HELL. I had to put them away for six months and went back to my old, tried-and-true New Balance 587s. Those finally gave way and I used the Beast. They were horrendous on my feet. So much so I had to use a heel insert to alleviate the pain.

I am trying to change my running gait. I found that all the heel striking I was doing was contributing to things like heel pains, quad strains and the developing of IT Band Syndrome. I am now employing a midfoot strike. My calves are pretty much obliterated but my quads, knees and IT Band are thanking me. It is still a work in progress and I did have to cut my run in half today but I feel it will pay off once my calves get used to pulling their weight.

Here is my nutrition and workout for Friday 3/11 done at ASU-Tempe Student Rec Center.

2011/03/11 Friday 09:06:32

breakfast
banana
1 cup skim milk
1/2 pb honey sandwich
1-200 mg Caffeine pill

lunch
3 cups vermicelli soup with cabbage, onion and carrots

snack
1/2 cup peanuts
1/2 cup carrots

workout
150 wu, 2x50 arms, 1x50 kick, 8x100, 3x357 breathing- this workout was rough, possibly due to caffeine pill. Also had to take a couple of breaks due to the hot swimmer girl sharing the lane with me.
18 min run- supposed to be 40 min calves are killing me so I need them to heal for the 1:30:00 run on Sunday.

post-workout
turkey and cheese sandwich
1/2 cup peanuts
1/2 cup carrots

dinner
2 cups of vermicelli soup
6 chicken nuggets and 2 cups white rice (I know, I know..)
1 cup skim milk
2 multivitamins
3 Ibuprofen
1 cup cranberry juice

Post-Dinner
One Carne asada burrito
1 bag of Skittles
1 pkg of Twix

Ok so I indulged a little bit... BUT


Tomorrow I have a 3 hour bike at 6:30 am. It will also be my first time meeting and working out with AZ Tri Club, so I'm looking forward to it! Here is their website: AZ Tri Club One thing nice I noticed before meeting the people is that it is a club that does not require membership dues. Good news to a broke college student like me!