Rest Days Never Felt So Good...

So today I had the best of intentions to set out on a really hard run seeing as how it was an off-day from the bike and swim. And ya wanna know what ended up happening? I sat on my fat ass in the afternoon, too tired and too sore to really even put down a run.

Normally, this wouldn't be an option. Why is that? Well, it's a Wednesday. And if I was in Hawaii, Wednesdays mean one thing to me: Waikiki. And by Waikiki, I mean running shirtless through the streets, dark dark Oakley sunglasses on so they cant see where I'm looking and frequent stops to admire the native - sometimes from a distant land - scenery. :-) Yes, that's the inherent beauty that is Hawaii. Nowadays, I'm left with clean roads, lots of trees but not much by way of 'scenery' if ya feel me! Just trails and HILLS HILLS HILLS. Finally..HILLS...climbs in excess of 6 miles..all kindsa stuff!

Big announcement I'll post tomorrow...big big big [thats what she...ahh you get it...]

2 Months Away

Today, well, yesterday really, marks 2 months to go until Vegan-athalon 2k10; essentially my debut triathlon race. And while we're still a LONG ways off with plenty of training required in between months, I guess I should stop and take a look at where we stand 2 months out and where I *hope to be at the end of this month.

THE SWIM
It should come as no surprise to you that swimming is...well...meh. I was complaining to Michael today, exclaiming: "I aint got no arm muscles!"
Michael's Response: "I know."
Ouch.

But I can now swim 4 full lengths of the pool without stopping. Whew! Major milestone. Each length takes about 19-22 seconds but it certainly feels like forever.

THE BIKE
This hasn't been going too well. Primarily because I sent my cranks back into the SRM people a while back and will hopefully get it by the end of this week [knock on wood] or the beginning of next week. Whew! But I miss being on the bike in the afternoon. Nothing spells 'good dinner' quite like V02 max intervals or hill repeats! How have I been getting in the bike workouts? Well, thank god Equinox gym has watt bikes for me to use. So my workouts are in the AM if recovery riding or lunch hour if doing an all out set of intervals. Yesterdays intervals blew major donkey balls. 30 x 30 seconds all of them at X > 358 watts. And you know it hurts when you got the constipated pain face on...

THE RUN
The one 'bright spot' really has been getting back into running shape. I can run 8 miles which is about my threshold @ or near 6 mins / mile. Slow, yes, but getting there. I need to be able to turn out mid-thirties for my 10k run or else we'll see ya in the rear with the gear. But again, there's still time and I got,probably 6 solid weeks of workout. Basebuilding is complete after this week though. I'm shocked at how fast the running legs have come back incidentally! Track workouts begin in earnest in August. If you thought what I do was tiring now...just wait until you've done track workouts that leave you in a vomit-induced coma....AFTER you slaughtered yourself on the bike.

Fun, fun, fun times await I tell ya. :-(

"If his name was Cedric..."

Is there anything more essential to our daily way of life than: Vegan Tomfoolery. [Editors Note: See that euro hawk!!! Slammin'!]

Sana's 'I-dont-have-a-good-side-profile' pic.

Somebody LOVES* San Pelligrino - Limonciata flavor.

Sana attempting to look all cool while drinking the water that I BOUGHT her. She just gives me the bottle and says "here beezy, buy me this."

San Francisco in the Summer. Not too shabby. Not downtown Honolulu...but it aint Little Rock, Arkansas either! [sorry Darren McFadden]

Just another ho-hum day in beautiful San Francisco, CA. And while I dare not say it's the same as a beautiful Hawaii day [Hawaii > San Francisco], I will say the weather wasn't bad but...could be warmER. Regardless, that didn't stop my very close friend and I from trapsing about the city watching mens run by shirtless [more than enough skin, put it to ya like that]. The title of the post is an inside joke but it basically refers to English [from the UK..ya know..the ones with silly accents, bad teeth and worse food! :-)] and their names [Cedric being one of them] such as: Nigel, Willoughby, Waltar [not a typo!], and Colin.

Part of why Thursdays are so special, and really, the main reason why I venture to that neck of the woods, has to do with: VEGAN DONUTS!

Pretty friggin sweet right [ha! get the pun!]. This donuts are seriously good, seriously organic, seriously vegan, seriously made with maple syrup and not shit-sugar, and seriously delicious. I got them for a certain special someone since she constantly complains about how I can easily devour these donuts with ease [Ironically, I ate hers too!]. They're soooooo good and delicious, even Mama Tellez can resist herself!

Outside that, I've had a pretty good week. I was supposed to cycle today at my gym seeing as how I'm crank-less for the moment. But then I forgot my shoes. FAIL. So instead I swam a bit which is - dare I say - improving! I'm now able to swim 4 very fast lengths of the pool in roughly 22 seconds [still very slow] without stopping! Goodness me! :-) And...get this...I'm not ingesting nearly as much chlorine as the first workout where I felt awful!

So long from San Francisco. Until tomorrow you knuckleheads.

Eating like a true [vegan] fatty!

Yes friends, I've been going off my rocking chair when it comes to increasing caloric consumption in all things vegan and cruelty-free. Since making the plunge into multi-sport-ism [sp?], I've been forced to eat more out of necessity. So on the given day, I'd say I have 5-6 mini meals which is waaaay more than when I cycled [I had about 4 when I cycled]. What's that all look like? Gee, thought you'd never ask! I'll post actual pics of it first but I figured, why not wet the appetite [someone say appetite? food? vegan? banana? where?].

Pre-breakfast / Pre-workout.
1 pear.
1 Carbo-loaded drink ready to roll.

Workout in the AM. Since I'm bikeless for a bit, this has been doing intervals on the watt bike. Hell.

Breakfast - 1 big bowl of Ezekiel sprouted grain cereal with soymilk, 3 bananas and a sprouted spelt bagel with soy butter or fruit jam [no sugar, but sweetened with Agave]. Followed by 1 protein clif bar and maybe another helping of instant brown rice oatmeal. Yeah...that's called carb-crazy.

Pre-lunch: Another banana, maybe a LaraBar but lots and lots of water. Like, LOTS of water.

Lunch: 1 big ass thing of Jamba Juice [all fruit and no juice or yogurt or whatever crap they put in..] followed by a vegan middle eastern wrap. typically, an enormous dallop of hummus, brown rice and eggplant with some potato.

Post-lunch: Tea and..you guessed it, another banana.

PM: Workout.

Post-workout: 1 protein shake [soy], 1 clif bar [vegan, chocolate brownie], 1 soy yogurt with another banana, blueberries and strawberries. Yum!

Dinner: Brown rice pasta, arrabiatta sauce with vegan 'meatlof'.

Whew, that's a mouthful! I'll post photos of all this nonsense shortly! But for now, my legs feel like they got hit by a car running today. Hill workouts suck to no end. You get anaerobic but I ask: how is this any different than being on the bike!!!! ;-)

...And then there's swimming

Today marks my offical 3rd swim workout in hopes of building up for my September 26th Triathlon debut. Sigh....what can I say about swimming that hasn't already been said about the war in Afghanistan? It's tiresome, drawn-out, boring at times, violent at times, exhausting and frankly, I can't raise my arms above my shoulders.

Said vegan boy to my friend: "I aint got no arm muscles!"

Sadly, that's true! Cycling and running works the legs and those are nicely supple and developing. Arms, back and chest? psssshhht. Are you kidding me? I never work that stuff out. Until the day I decided to buy 'jammers'. Now what are those? Jammers are NOT, I repeat, NOT speedos. Ugh...could not rock out like that. However they are spandex and they are tight fitting. When I got fitted for mine, let's just say that I was really happy that I shave my legs for cycling or else that would be a TOTALLY UNPLEASANT experience.

Swimming in the pool is a pain in the ass. Not cuz of the chlorine but because I am not the fastest of fish in the water - put it to ya like that. I'm forever complaining and as I right this, my back is sore but there's hope dear friends, there's hope.
Running Updates? - On Sunday, I knocked out 8 miles straight at 6:15 / pace. HR: 167 bpm. Meh...getting better. Mas-o-menos. Slowly the form will come around.
Bike Updates? Sent the good ole' SRM in for battery change. Ironic seeing as how it hasn't even been a year yet but I guess I ride my bikes a little too often. :-/
Evelyn and Madeline are doing fine though and give their best. :-)

Aloha,
Alex "I aint got no arm muscles" Tellez

The Effects of Running

Well it's been an interesting first 2.5 weeks of running [again]. I have to say, it's been very cool and sweet to lace up the shoes again and head out for a nice 4-5 mile run. As of right now, that's about all I can manage to do at a 5:40/6 min pace. Slow, yes...but hopefully the legs will continue to open up as they become more accustomed to the incessant pounding that running involves. As odd as it sounds, I fele the runnig legs are coming back far sooner than I would have expected. Heh..we'll know in a few weeks once the TRACK WORKOUTS begin in earnest. Two words come to mind when I think about that: Oh. Shit.

One knock-on effect the running has had is the decrease in watts on the bike :-( For example, when doing 30 x 30 second intervals at all out intensity...feelings of nausea and blacking-out occur SOONER than normal [SOONER = rep 5, BEFORE = rep 9]. Truth is, my heart and lungs are okay, but my legs feel so tired and dead. And as a multi-sport guy, that is the challenge...juggling the workload, managing the workouts, eating HEAPLOADS of food now [good god, I eat like it's going outta fashion!] and sleeping before 11 which I'm 0/4 this week on. FAIL.

This post probably sounds like me complaining, which, if you ask anyone that knows me, is nothing new. I complain ALL THE TIME :-) Except when eating...then I can't complain for two simple reasons:
1) What's there to complain about vegan pasta
2) It's rude to talk when you've stuffed your mouth with food.
...and mama Tellez raised her children better than that! :-)

Oddly this blog turns 1 year old in a few days! I can't believe it myself! The output of friends, support and people being drawn to this silly and doofy site astounds me. Thank you all for continuing to read and be apart of this journey which is now centered around 3 numbers and a period: 70.3

The B-I-G Announcement: Let's TRI again..

Just look at that...water bottles and tubes out his okole...and a parole pager on his ankle!

You guessed it kiddo...the UNTHINKABLE...the UNBELIEVABLE...the UNFATHOMABLE..and yet...the INEVITABLE has occured. Call it relapse..call it whatever the hell you want but I'm going to give this triathlon shiznit a go and see what happens...

[if you're already turned off from this blog..I apologize..I know my hardcore roadie friends give me a lot of shit for it ALREADY]. The flak I've been getting for this decision has been reasonably funny ranging anywhere from: "grow the fk up and find a real sport" to "you really want to have 2 water bottles sticking outta your arse for 5 hours?" Yes and No friends..yes and no. And while I'll be the first to say that water-bottle-out-the-ass-ing is probably not for me, I will go on to say that the lure of INDIVIDUAL suffering attracts me to the sport. But probably paramount to this is the fact that I get to combine my two great loves of my life: Cycling + Running.

I've come to terms with a few things I'm going to share with you all:

1) I love cycling. No doubts there...cycling is truly a passion of mine and something that I will continue to do.

2) I love RACING my bike...pushing limits and suffering is what cycling is all about.

3) I love RUNNING...I am blessed to have the lung power for cycling but also blessed to have a set of wheels for legs on the run. I'm done trying to cover this fact.

Now you're all thinking...well Alex, can ya swim? Hmmm...Do you even OWN a wetsuit? Hmmmm...Yea it's gunna suck for a while I agree...swimming isn't my favorite thing in the world that's for sure but here we are, back at square one [again]. Only this time...I know for a fact the running legs haven't gone far.

Yesterday, I did a test for shits and giggles...I ran 5 miles, 4 of which were at a 7:03 pace. Heart Rate: 141 bpm. Perceived Effort: 3. Legs: DEAD after slaying myself on the bike. heh..safe to say I'll be needing a coach for this effort too.

So what's changed and what's the same?!

1) I will CONTINUE to race my bike - no denying that.

2) I will STILL get on Madeline and ride her into the ground

3) I now RUN!!!! Albeit, not very fast and not very far...but that will come soon. Promise.

4) I need a wetsuit.

5) I'm gunna get my ass kicked for a bit...

6) The goal is to compete at the ITU [Pro ranks] level. Trust me, it ain't easy...

7) Yes, that's a DRAFT-LEGAL race. Thankfully, it comes down to a footrace. You compete at ITU shit if you get a pro card.

8) FINAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALY!! No wily veterans sucking wheel for a bit! You gotta beat me in the run now too ;-) And that's where...you KNOW....imma tap that ass ;-)

So here we go...strap in Nancy...our first crack at Triathlon glory is September 26 at the Santa Cruz Tri, CA.

若いバナナだからな [Young Banana]

All in one go....and the 10 second SAFE rule applies.
Stripped bare...a NAKED baNA-na!

It's difficult to peel..cuz it's a young banana!

And we start! 2 baNA-nas for consumption.

In line with overall goofiness...I've decided to try and replicate, much to my disappointment, a YouTube video I saw over the weekend. Yes, it's pretty bad. Yes it involves me eating bananas. If you're not comfortable with vegan tomfoolery and overall hooliganism..I suggest you head on over to cyclingnews.com and just stay there.

BUT...if you're okay with that. I want you to...before you judge those photos...what this clip. It's pretty friggin hilarious and while it's in Japanese, there are subtitles so you shouldn't feel put-off by the whole thing.

It's essentially a contest among 3 pop / TV stars on 'manly' ways to eat a banana. And not just any banana...but YOUNG bananas. I especially love the sensei's way of doing things where he 'stips the banana naked!' and then 'stuffs the whole thing' in his mouth. It's pretty hilarious so I thought...wait a minute...I'm:

a) silly

b) vegan [weegan depending on whose asking]

c) like baNA-nas

d) see a)

Why not? :-) Goofiness on a Monday. 5 mile run in the AM..50 minute recovery ride on TT rig in the PM. Man it's good to be back. Big update coming soon...keep it locked knuckleheads. Until then..good night Canada...and go Spain!

Meta-morphosis Part 7: Closing Chapter.

2 nights before my first ever half marathon run..I figure what the hell, might as well bite Mike's ear off. :-p [2009]

Notice that running theme of me biting the heads of people...I swear it's vegan! Oddly, this pics were all taken at the same bar called Ikkyu in SF [2009]

I think I was 6 years old in this....a gangsta even back in the day! [1990]

You've hung in through 6 brutal chapters of my life story so I figured it's high-noon that I bring the goods on the last of this 7-part series, sure to become the newest NHK Taiga drama that will air on KiKu television in Hawaii and Ch 26 here in the Bay Area. I took some time this week to really ponder what I wanted to express in this final closing chapter...what I really wanted you all to walk away with; Rather than tell you the WHY [that was part 5] of things, I've decided to explain the HOW-aspect of it all. HOW I've managed to be so consistent over the last 1.5 years..HOW I've managed to stay vegan, HOW I've managed to cycle so much and HOW I've managed to progress not only athletically and spirtually, but on a human level. I feel it isn't good enough that I give you a map because you won't know HOW to use it; and so begins the final chapter of Meta-morphosis....

You see, it's one thing to say, 'Oh I'm a bike racer' or 'Yeah, I ONLY do half-marathons' and have a dual subscription to Road Magazine and Runner's World...no I don't have this, why do you ask? ;-) It's a whole different ball game when these things BECOME you and it turns into MORE than just sport or a drawer full of running-race t-shirts. Suddenly, you share a common bond with people you never knew existed and didn't know about. And while there's still a good chance you will never know them in person, the fact is, you can understand a piece of them....without even speaking. You know what they're like, that they can suffer, that they can laugh and that they mean business when they clip in on Tuesday Night Twilight Crits.

In reality, I see many people struggling to keep weight off, keep a relationship afloat, keep staying on the straight and narrow, keep ___________________ [fill in the blank for whatever 'personal issue' they are battling]. And the honest to goodness truth is it's not about the diet, the veganism, the cycling, the tomfoolery, the running, the banana-eating, the shaven-leg-thingee, the green smoothie....What it really boils down to are the friends you choose to associate yourself with. No doubt, as interests change, people change...heck, I am living proof of that. But I associate 95.3% of HOW I've managed to a) keep the weight off, b) convert to buddhism, c) keep running fast and then d) cycling fastER....all of these things are a simple product of some simple math:

DESIRE + FOSTERING RELATIONSHIPS = RESULTS

Make no doubt about it, this is the easiest equation I can tell you with respect to your own personal journey. Part of the reason why I ballooned in weight and bad habits was due to the people I hung around. Eating and drinking was accepted by those I hung around with and I remember many times lining up at the University cafeteria with the same plates as my friends: two cheeseburgers, fries and my vegetable was the tomato I would put on it. And guess what? Dude to my left was having the same damn thing. And then when I first moved to Hawaii, steaks, sushi and fine wine were my vices..could you blame me? All my peers had the same damn thing too!

But then as I said, my ego got in the way and "I got clean" - quite literally. Now, the people I surround myself with are very different as I am very different. I have a group of people in Hawaii and in California that are down and supportive of me. Some have voiced their joking disapproval of my weegan ways, some don't cycle and will never know the sensation I get from climbing, some don't put agave nectar on everything, but rest assured, these people are down for Alex Tellez, and what I'm about. They offer advice, give compliments and tell me if I f*ck up and that's priceless to me. So you want to know about me? I would say ask my friends if you can't make it out to a bike race...they'll all know whatsup. It's no surprise that we are judged by those we hang out with and keep close contact to. Since my transformation, I can tell you that my list of priorities is simple...I'm 110% devoted to the following: my health, my family [inclusive of friends and sig fig], my athletics and my church. Those are the things that matter and the people that make up this list are those I WILLINGLY CHOOSE to associate myself with. Oftentimes, we are NOT of the same mind on certain issues but when the chips are down, they stand by me and represent all of my reasons for HOW I've been able to achieve my small successes. They represent my reasons and my work ethic, because without them, I couldn't be here, today, writing the conclusion to the meta-moprhosis series. My heart and my strength are composed of their collective strength and love for me.

Thank you all...truly...for helping me become me and giving me a life I thought was all but out of reach. I promise I won't disappoint;-)

Meta-Morphosis Part 6: ..and then came Cycling

In my element...riding in my home, Hawaii. Can't wait to get back there again.

Typical 'Alex-face' as Emily says....just I usually have a jersey on?

As a runner, it's common to fight boredom by doing things to pass the time between workouts; for example: stuff face with fruit, walk to beach, eat MORE fruit, make a salad, blend a smoothie [with yet, even MORE fruit], etc. Ya know, standard stuff really. But along came my first attempt to clip-into my bike and it was met with frustration and embarassment. I was clipped in on my cannondale bike when, at a stop light, I fell over [couldn't clip out] in front of the Japanese tour bus, the Oli Oli. Of course, I was embarassed and it didn't help they [tourists] all snapped photos of the doof that just crashed. Yea, safe to say I HATED my bike for the longest time due to emotional - and physical! - scarring! I literally had to eat dinner seated in a bike, clipping in and clipping out HUNDREDS of times, to get used to the damn thing! But when I did...whoa nelly, it was L-O-V-E it was love it was love it was LOVE [that's a song lyric btw].

My first 'LONG' ride [heh..save the joke] was 35 miles and man I was exhausted. I took no water bottles and just pounded myself. No bueno. And that's when I met my good friend Mikey Z. He has his own website but it's not on blogspot cuz that's for 'normies' I guess! ;-) Anyways, he took me out cycling the day I got back from my first marathon and bam he made me work. And how. After that, we started training together on some days and then it became the usual...5:30pm, fountains at Kapiolani Park, down to pound, bring your lunch. Rides varied in nature but here's a hint as to the intensity: there are no warm-ups, no 'idle period'. I think he realized how much I loved cycling and my new S-Works rig [at the time] and decided to let this punk 24 year old kid [we matured by 1 year] tag along. When we would have a 'lower wattage than usual' hill climb up Diamond Head, our typical conversations were like this:

Mike: So monkey boy...did you go running already?

Alex: Yep, put in a solid 6 miles in the AM before work.

Mike: [one of two responses here] Response 1: You just don't listen do you? Response 2: Damnit, give up that running shit once and for all.

Safe to say he's been telling me the same damn thing for months and months to this date. Anyways, he, along with some other very close friends [Kevin...Mike H and Mike A] pretty much taught me how to a) not fall off a bike and b) how to suffer. All of these guys can flat out POUND on a bike and it was humbling and exciting for me to ride with them...errr....near them I guess. Tehse people mean a lot to me and honestly, I feel blessed to have found the bike now. I feel like when I'm climbing and the bike is rocking underneath me, it's my heaven. That or when I'm ontop of Madeline on the aerobars hauling ass. That's my bliss. That's what makes me the happiest and that's what I feel like I was made to do. Get on my bike and haul okole. For me, that's cycling [and running]. For you, that might be art or building models. Whatever it is, I implore you to seek it, grab it and get obsessive about it. Because really, when we are passionate about something, we are in our element and that's when our truest representation shows. As Emily constantly points out, that's when my mouth is open and I look like I'm constipated [when I'm really suffering on the bike].

Consequently, my running took a nosedive and slowly but surely, my clean-shaven-legged cycling buddies started to incorporate me more and more [heh..I wasn't getting dropped as much probably!] when the inevitable happened. In January 2010, I took up cycling 'full-time' and committed myself to that. So for the past 6 months I've been racing my bike with some success. Quite frankly, there would be MUCH MUCH MORE successes had I not mechanicled out of like 5 races but well, that's bike racing. Meh...helps to switch to DuraAce :-) No more dropping chains like third period french!

And thus, Alex the cyclist evolved. My first glimpse at 'uber-coolness' was in the form of Damiano Cunego. An ex cross-country star, from italy, with a faux-hawk. From then on, I was possessed to be like him..sans his love for hello kitty [that's just weird]. I started following the ProTour, I am now OCD about cyclingnews.com and even doled out the $$ for the race bikes. And to really top it all off, I got the faux-hawk which has been greeted warmly. And wouldn't you know it...that's me now. We've come full turn and now we're at present day. But wait!!! Isn't there a part 7? Yes, that will come in due time. That too will be a very emotional post from me. So stay tuned for that one...promise it will be a good one. In the meantime though, go ahead and find out what it is your passionate about and get back to me ;-)

Meta-morphosis Part 5: Hawaii's got talent

Really...did you think anything OTHER than 2 bananas would be my post-race meal of choice?

Before I begin, let me give thanks to those reading, following and getting something out of this blog. Lately, I've received really nice emails from people from all walks of the world that have been enjoying the Meta-morphosis series. Thanks, really appreciate the good thoughts and the feedback...even if it's less than flattering sometimes [cue Sigma chi]. Point is, I'm not here to make friends and let things be puppy dogs and ice cream with everyone. This series was drawn up when my mom and I were talking one weekend and felt it would be good to share my epic journey. Coolest part is: there's a lot to go still. Aside from the obvious grammatical errors and the occasional "that's what she said", thank you all. Okay, now that we got that lovey-dovey stuff out of the way...let's proceed.

July 2009, the eve of my first ever half marathon, the SF half-marathon. I was well coached and had a good game plan going in. Carbo loading? heh...it pays well to be a vegan boy who wolfs brown rice and bananas all day. Check! Garmin? Check! Somehow, I convinced the race staff that I was worth it to be up near the 'serious ones' and so I had the elite group start time - 5:25am. Fk me...Of course, I'm freezing cold and like every other Hawaiian, I'm dressed in short running shorts, no shirt and shoes. Correction: there were no other Hawaiians...just my stupid under-dressed okole! Gun goes off and right away we start hauling down the empty, cool streets of San Francisco. Crowds of people were there - doing what at 5:25am lord knows what. It was epic. It was at the 2 mile mark that I realized WHAT and WHO I was: A guy that got fat, turned his life around, and is now competing in the lead group to run 13.1 miles over the golden gate bridge and try to finish on the podium. I remember feeling both scared and relieved. Scared because I couldn't believe what was going on around me! I cant say they were vegan but these blokes around me were very fit, very skinny and had that 'dedicated' look. And there I was...ole' gipper and all, mixing it up. Relieved because of the journey it took to get here. Achieving this level of fitness took more than hours and hours in the gym and track..it took a TOTAL sacrifice - or to use a young person's term: "lifestyle makeover" - which, at the time, I was not sure I could manage. But here's the gift in all of this gibberish: regardless of outcome, as long as the intention was true and honest, it's never a bad thing to seek an answer. And that's what I want you to get out of this series: asking yourself for better is one thing, putting pen to paper is entirely something else. BUT, as long as you woke up with the intention to test and then DID IT, regardless of outcome, it's a good thing. And by doing this repeatedly, one can make a journey out of success by saying: "well, it didn't work today. Let's try something new tomorrow."

Like I said, my changes were modest at first. In a million years, I would never believe that I could get where I am at today and I'm constantly being humbled by those around me. The really exciting part is the potential that frankly, I NEVER KNEW I had. And think, for all YOU know, there's untapped potential in you. Thus, I encourage you to take that one big step and again, make a journey out of success. For me, that step was literally, a step outside my condo. And then it became two...and then three...and then 13.1 miles. :-)

Frankly, I don't remember much about the marathon except cramping once I crossed the finish line and needing an IV bag and a couple of bananas. Heading into the line, I heard the announcer call something: "and here comes our final podium finisher..in third place from Honolulu, Hawaii...Alex Tellez".