Triathlon’s most inspirational moments

By Jeff Matlow

Oct. 13, 2006 - Next week, on Oct. 21, nearly 2000 of the world's top long-course triathletes will hit Kailua Bay in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, at 7 a.m. to begin the Ford Ironman World Championship. Triathlete will be there to bring you race-week - and race-day - reporting on the new triathletemag.com. To kick off our Kona coverage, then, is our take on some of the greatest performances to date in our sport. No doubt we'll be have to revise this list after Oct. 21.

In a sport that is practically defined by extraordinary acts of passion, triathlon is a Petri dish for inspirational moments. Though we all have our own personal drivers, there are a few specific events in our tri-history that have had such enormous impact, the emotions stretch far beyond the mere participants. We've assembled a list of what we believe are some of triathlon's most inspirational, unforgettable moments.

Julie Moss: The Crawl

Ironman World Championship (1982)

We watched in awe as Julie struggled to balance on her own two legs, wobbling like a teetering castle of cards. Our jaws dropped in horror as she collapsed a few feet from the finish. Though passed by Kathleen McCartney for first place, it didn't seem to matter as Julie desperately crawled to the finish. Her epic struggle quickly became one of the most inspirational moments in sports history. On that day, at that moment, from that Ironwill, Julie inspired the world and proved to us all that finishing is winning, regardless of whether anybody is ahead of you.

Dave Scott and Mark Allen: The Ironwar

Ironman World Championships (1989)

By 1989 Dave Scott was a six-time Ironman champion and Mark Allen, defeated in his previous attempts, a feared contender. This time, though, all bets were off. From the start, Mark hung on to Dave with mind-numbing intensity. For eight hours they raced side by side, barely uttering a word. Finally, with only two miles left, Mark pulled ahead and dramatically won his first of what would be six Ironman championships. This infamous Ironwar elevated triathlon to a new level, where Julie Moss-like survival was replaced with fierce competition; where triathlon matured from a perilous feat to a respected, inspirational competitive event.

Carlos Moleda and David Bailey: The IronWheel War

Ironman World Championships (2000)

Like 1989's Ironwar, the 2000 race was about two highly competitive athletes pushing each other to their limits. The major difference was clear: David and Carlos had no use of their legs. David was a former Motocross champion and Carlos a Navy Seal wounded in the line of duty. Both were confined to wheelchairs. For two years, Carlos had destroyed David in Hawaii, but 2000 would be different. The battle was fierce as they continually struggled for the lead, seemingly pushing each other beyond physical limitations. Ultimately, Bailey emerged victorious. In the process, both men proved the powerful competitive bond that unites all Ironman champions, regardless of their physical obstacles.

Karen Smyers

Olympic Trials (2000)

Having come back from a severed hamstring, six broken ribs, a lung contusion, separated shoulder and broken collarbone, Karen is arguably the most resilient athlete in triathlon. In 1999, she took inspiration to a new level when she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Unwilling to give in, Karen battled her disease on the racecourse with incredible efforts at the Ironman World Championships (2nd place) and the US Olympic Trials (7th place). Despite not qualifying for the Olympics, she refused to let her disease destroy her ambitions and, in so doing, became a symbol of resilience for all athletes.

Sian Welch and Wendy Ingraham: The Crawl Of The Century

Ironman World Championships (1997)

It seemed like Julie Moss revisited --and doubled. Sian Welsh was in 3rd place as she came down Ali'i Drive when suddenly her legs gave out and she collapsed to the ground. Soon thereafter, Wendy Ingraham approached and, in a similar state, horrifyingly collapsed next to Sian. Unable to stand, they desperately crawled and clawed to the finish, a tenacious battle of the spirit. The Crawl Of The Century left Wendy in 4th and Sian in 5th place and the world, once again, on the edge of its seat, mouth and heart astounded in suspense-filled awe.

Jim McLaren

Challenged Athletes Foundation

Jim McLaren was a talented athlete. After his first near death accident left him a leg amputee, he altered the perception of amputees with his athleticism, including a 10:42 Ironman Hawaii finish. Then a second accident left him a quadriplegic. Not one to give up, Jim founded the Choose Living Foundation and became the inspiration behind the Challenged Athletes Foundation, an organization dedicated to enabling physically challenged athletes to fulfill their athletic potential. In the realm of heart-wrenching tenacity, Jim McLaren is the epicenter of inspiration.

Paula Newby Fraser

Ironman World Championships (1995)

With an unprecedented 24 Ironman victories, eight of them in Hawaii, nobody even comes close to the Queen of Kona's success. She is larger than life in the sport. Having won nearly all the Ironman championships from 1986 to 1994, Paula was a clear favorite in 1995. Though stalked by Karen Smyers the entire day, Paula burst onto Ali'i Drive with the lead. Suddenly, only 600 meters from the finish, she slowed down and, astoundingly, came to a stop. Paula Newby-Fraser had run out of gas. When Karen passed by to claim victory, it was as if the gods had been toppled. In a twist of irony, Paula, for once, inspired us all through her mortality.

Dick and Rick Hoyt

Ironman World Championships (1989)

In the world of ultimate fathers, Dick Hoyt is king. After his son Rick was born with cerebral palsy, Dick began to commit his life to his son's well-being. Upon realizing Rick's enjoyment with exercise, Dick and Rick began racing marathons and triathlons. At the 1989 Ironman Championships, the Hoyts took center stage and set the world on fire. By pulling Rick from a boat tied to his back, then pushing him on the bike and run, Dick bullied his way through the Kona coast. As they began sprinting down the last stretch of Ali'i Drive, the emotions were overwhelming. And as they crossed the finish line, Dick and Rick proved, once again, that anything is possible.

Simon Whitfield

Sydney Olympics (2000)

As the first event on the first day of the Sydney Games, triathlon had quite an auspicious Olympic debut. Our hearts skipped a collective beat when Simon and 14 others went down in a massive bike pile-up. When Simon finished the bike in 25th place, we barely noticed -- he wasn't a favorite for the gold anyway. Yet when he worked up to the leaders on the run, we raised an eyebrow. And when he surged ahead at the final sprint and crossed the line to win, we were shockingly inspired. Regardless of our nationality, we screamed in joy for our new Canadian hero.

The first Ironman race you witness

Though you can view abridged Ironman episodes until your TV dies, nothing compares with the true feeling of the Ironman finish line. The joyful screaming of the 13- and 14-hour finishers bubbles your adrenaline, while the inspirational resilience of the 15- and 16-hour racers leaves you dramatically moved. With your throat hoarse, you watch with nervous anticipation as the clock ticks towards 17 hours. And as the last of the finishers cross under the great Ironman banner, you can't avoid that lump in your throat. You never forget your first, regardless of which side of the barricades you are on.

Expose!!

Kena expose again, this time on Adidas website. :p

Kops stories are worth some value?

Rowing Machine

What i have found out...

Cardiovascular benefits

1. Endurance
2. Rhythm

Support muscles

1. Triceps
2. Upper back
3. Legs

What's so good about rowing machines then? Simple. A session on a rowing machine is probably the best workout you can get. One major attraction of rowing machines is that the exercise doesn't involve any impact on joints, such as running for example.

Of course, most of us are aiming for a nice toned body. How do rowing machines score on this front? Top marks all round! Rowing machines are one of the few pieces of gym equipment that exercise practically every single muscle group you have. What is more, you can easily control how much you want to work each muscle. Working on developing your upper body strength? No problem - don't use your legs so much and let your arms work more. Similarly, if you're working on your legs, keep your arms still and let your legs power the rower.

The aerobic exercise made possible by rowing machines is simply unbeatable. As far as non-impact exercise goes, only swimming comes close, and that requires real perfection of technique (breathing underwater is, problematic!) for you to feel the benefit on the same level.

If you're interested in building and toning your muscles, simply set your rowing machine up for grater resistance. Reduce the number of strokes per session and work your muscles with greater intensity.

One final word... Rowing machines can be great for strengthening your back and core-strength in general! However, if you have back problems, then you should consult a physician before you start rowing, or any exercise plan for that matter, to avoid making things worse

why am i married

You have two choices in life:
You can stay single and be miserable,
or get married and wish you were dead.

At a cocktail party, one woman said to another,
"Aren't you wearing your wedding ring on the wrong finger?"
"Yes, I am. I married the wrong man."

A lady inserted an ad in the classifieds:
"Husband Wanted".
Next day she received a hundred letters.
They all said the same thing:
"You can have mine."

When a woman steals your husband,
there is no better revenge than to let her keep him.

A woman is incomplete until she is married. Then she is finished.

A little boy asked his father,
"Daddy, how much does it cost to get married?"
Father replied, "I don't know son, I'm still paying."

A young son asked,
"Is it true Dad, that in some parts of Africa
a man doesn't know his wife until he marries her?"
Dad replied, "That happens in every country, son."

Then there was a woman who said,
"I never knew what real happiness was until I got married,
and by then, it was too late."

Marriage is the triumph of imagination over intelligence.

If you want your spouse to listen and
pay strict attention to every word you say -- talk in your sleep.

Just think, if it weren't for marriage, men would go through life
thinking they had no faults at all.

First guy says, "My wife's an angel!"
Second guy remarks, "You're lucky, mine's still alive."

" A Woman's Prayer:
Dear Lord, I pray for: Wisdom, To understand a man , to Love and to
forgive him , and for patience, For his moods. Because Lord, if I pray for
Strength I'll just beat him to death "

Husband and wife are waiting at the bus stop with their nine
children. A blind man joins them after a few minutes. When the bus arrives,
they find it overloaded and only the wife and the nine kids are able to fit
onto the bus.

So the husband and the blind man decide to walk. After a while, the
husband gets irritated by the ticking of the stick of the blind man as he
taps it on the sidewalk, and says to him, "Why don't you put a piece of
rubber at the end of your stick? That ticking sound is driving me crazy."

The blind man replies, "If you would've put a rubber at the end of
YOUR stick, we'd be riding the bus . so shut up."

Foam Roller

An article from Runners world.

Attitude

There once was a woman who woke up one morning,
looked in the mirror,
and noticed she had only three hairs on her head.

Well," she said, "I think I'll braid my hair today?"
So she did and she had a wonderful day

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror
and saw that she had only two hairs on her head.

"H-M-M," she said,
"I think I'll part my hair down the middle today?"
So she did and she had a grand day

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror
and noticed that she had only one hair on her head..

"Well," she said,
"today I'm going to wear my hair in a pony tail."
So she did and she had a fun day.

The next day she woke up,
looked in the mirror and noticed that there wasn't a single
hair on her head.

"YEA!" she exclaimed,
"I don't have to fix my hair today!"

Attitude is everything.

Be kinder than necessary,

for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

Live simply,

Love generously,

Care deeply,

Speak kindly.......

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass...

It's about learning to dance in the rain.

Muffins

Muffins? Check this out :p

Quoted

"Are you interview by press?" K
"Is it?" Tigger
"Haha is it on Marathon recovery" Tigger
"Yes" K


The Sundaytimes September 16, 2007, Sweat page 36, GET SET, GO!

Getting fat? It may be because of your friends

Obesity is socially contagious and the risk is highest among friends: Study

LOS ANGELES - IF YOUR friends get fat, chances are you will too, even if you live miles away from each other, researchers have found.

The study, published on Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine, suggests that obesity is 'socially contagious'.

'We were stunned to find that friends who are miles away have just as much impact on a person's weight status as friends who are right next door,' said co-author James Fowler of the University of California, San Diego.

Researchers analysed medical records of people in the Framingham Heart Study, which has been following the health of residents of that Boston suburb for more than half a century.
They tracked records for relatives and friends of nearly 12,067 people and found that a person's chances of becoming obese went up 57 per cent if a friend put on weight. If it is a sibling, the chance increased 40 per cent and if it is a spouse, it increased 37 per cent. In the closest friendships, the risk almost tripled.

After taking into account natural weight gain and other factors, researchers found the greatest influence occurred among friends and not among people sharing the same genes or living in the same household.

On average, the researchers calculated, when an obese person gained 7.7kg, the corresponding friend put on an extra 2.3kg.

Gender also had a strong influence. In same-sex friendships, a person's obesity risk increased by 71 per cent if a friend gained weight.

Dr Nicholas Christakis, a professor of medical sociology at Harvard Medical School and a principal investigator in the study, says one explanation is that friends affect each others' perception of fatness. When a close friend becomes obese, obesity may not look so bad.
'You change your idea of what is an acceptable body type by looking at the people around you,' Prof Christakis said.

Obesity is a global public health problem. Much of the recent research focus has been on the intense hunt for obesity genes involved in appetite or calorie burning.
The findings could be helpful to treat obese people in groups instead of just the individual, researchers feel.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

************************************************************************************

No wonder i am still remaining TAF

Stranger

the poem is not sad because it wants to be yours & cannot;
the poet is sad because she wants to love you through the poem & cannot;
the poet is sad because the poem must be enough.

This is extract from the web

What your bathroom scale doesn't tell you

By Diana Rini, ACE-Certified Personal Trainer

Maybe you proudly display it in your bathroom, hide it under your bed, or stuff it between the extra pillowcases in your closet. Yet in this case out of sight doesn’t always mean out of mind.

You know it’s there, teasingly tempting you to stand on it, spin its wheels, and predict your fortune for the day. What’s this incredible object that tells us if we hit the jackpot or struck out again? Yep, it’s the standard bathroom weight scale.

Often the barometer measure of our daily moods, many people can be emotionally tied to the number they see on the scale. If you find yourself basing your daily fitness and nutrition decisions based on what the scale says in the morning, you may be likely to make unhealthy and unnecessary decisions for the rest of the day, namely skipping meals or exercising excessively.

Instead, fitness and health professionals will ask you to focus on how your clothes fit, how much energy you have, and importantly, to forget the scale weight and focus on your body composition. Body composition is the relative make-up of your body weight between body fat and lean tissue (which include muscle, bones, tissue, and ligaments). Let’s look closer why body composition is so important

First, let’s focus on a few principles:

1. The human body can fluctuate due to water retention; food, alcohol, and caffeine consumption; exercise levels; menstrual cycle, etc. This can vary as much as 5 pounds in one day!
2. One pound is equal to 3,500 calories. To lose 1 pound, you need to create a 3,500 calorie deficit, preferably over time (i.e., a 500 calorie deficit per day). To gain 1 pound you need to create a 3,500 calorie surplus, again preferably over time.
3. Because it is more dense, one pound of muscle is 1/3 the size of 1 pound of fat (Muscle and fat weigh the same – one pound of muscle weighs equal to one pound of fat.)
4. The standard weight scale does not differentiate between muscle weight and fat weight.

It can be very frustrating and distressing to work very hard at your fitness and diet programs just to feel like you are not making any progress because the scale is not moving or not moving as fast as you would like. However, focusing solely on body weight, you may not recognize your true fitness progress. Often, minor weight fluctuations aren't as real as the numbers would have you believe. This is where body composition comes in.

Let’s use the following examples to demonstrate some of these concepts.

Client A Client A ate perfectly on Tuesday. On Wednesday he was up three pounds!

Client B Client B ate two pieces of pizza and consumed one beer on Friday, in addition to a

normal eating day. On Saturday she was down two pounds!

If these examples were true changes in body composition, then the following should have occurred:

• Client A needed to eat 10,500 extra calories on Tuesday to see the three pound gain on Wednesday (3,500 x 3). Rationale: This is not possible since Client A ate perfectly and consumed close to only 1,500 calories, his daily caloric goal.
• Client B needed to create a 7,000 calorie deficit on Friday (3,500 x 2) to have lost two pounds. Rationale: This is not possible since she ate much more than normal. The deficit can’t be attributed to exercise, because even if she ran and burned 10 calories per minute, she would have had to run 700 minutes (almost 12 hours) to burn those extra calories!

To make matters more complicated, body composition naturally begins to shift after about the age of 25:

The average person gains about 1 pound of weight per year

The average person loses one-half pound of muscle per year

The average person gains 1.5 pounds of fat per year

Client C Client C is a 30-year old woman. Her scale weight is 130, versus 125 at age

25. She is sedentary. Let’s look at the changes in her body composition.

Scale Wt Body Fat % Fat Wt Muscle Wt
Age 25 125 25.0% 31.25 93.75
Age 30 130 29.8% 38.75 91.25

Even though she only gained five pounds, the net gain is actually doubled.

She gained 7.25 of fat and lost 2.75 pounds of muscle, an net body composition change of a 10 pounds.

Client D Client D is also a 30-year old woman. Her scale weight is 125, the same as at age
25. One year ago Client D starting weight training three times per week, performing cardio five times per week, and eating a well-balanced, nutritional diet almost every day.

Scale Wt Body Fat % Fat Wt Muscle Wt
Age 25 125 25.0% 31.25 93.75
Age 30 125 24.6% 30.75 94.25

Although the scale has not moved, there are significant changes going on:

• She halted the body’s natural reaction to gain five pounds
• She reduced her body fat from 25.0% to 24.6%
• She increased her muscle weight
• She decreased her fat weight

Hopefully, this is enough compelling evidence to get your body composition tested and to exercise regularly!

Should you throw away your scale?

Probably not, just use it as a gauge every few months. Your clothes and a keeping good food journal can tell if you if you are packing on the pounds and why. Combined with a comprehensive fitness program, a monthly body fat measurement should serve as a good judge of your tracking your body’s composition.

The Emperor's Seed

An emperor in the Far East was growing old and knew it was

time to choose his successor. Instead of choosing one of his assistants or his children, he decided something different.

He called young people in the kingdom together one day. He said, "It is time for me to step down and choose the next emperor. I have decided to choose one of you."

The kids were shocked! But the emperor continued. "I am going to give each one of you a seed today, one very special seed. I want you to plant the seed, water it and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from this one seed. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next emperor!"

One boy named Ling was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly told his mother the story. She helped him get a pot and planting soil, and he planted the seed and watered it carefully.

Every day he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about 3 weeks, some of the other youths began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow. Ling kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. 3 weeks, 4 weeks, 5 weeks went by. Still nothing.

By now, others were talking about their plants but Ling didn't have a plant, and he felt like a failure. 6 months went by; still nothing in Ling's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing.

Ling didn't say anything to his friends. He just kept waiting for his seed to grow. A year finally went by and all the youths of the kingdom brought their plants to the emperor for inspection.

Ling told his mother that he wasn't going to take an empty pot but his Mother said he must be honest about what happened. Ling felt sick to his stomach, but he knew his Mother was right.

He took his empty pot to the palace. When Ling arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other youths. hey were beautiful, in all shapes and sizes. Ling put his empty pot on the floor and many of the other kinds laughed at him. A few felt sorry for him and just said, "Hey nice try."

When the emperor arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted the young people. Ling just tried to hide in the back. "My, what great plants, trees and flowers you have grown," said the emperor. "Today, one of you will be appointed the next emperor!"

All of a sudden, the emperor spotted Ling at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered his guards to bring him to the front. Ling was terrified. "The emperor knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me killed!"

When Ling got to the front, the Emperor asked his name. "My name is Ling," he replied. All the kids were laughing and making fun of him. The emperor asked everyone to quiet down.

He looked at Ling, and then announced to the crowd, "Behold your new emperor! His name is Ling!" Ling couldn't believe it. Ling couldn't even grow his seed. How could he be the new emperor?

Then the emperor said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone here a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds, which would not grow. All of you, except Ling, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you.

Ling was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new emperor!"

If you plant honesty, you will reap trust.

If you plant goodness, you will reap friends.

If you plant humility, you will reap greatness.

If you plant perseverance, you will reap victory.

If you plant consideration, you will reap harmony.

If you plant hard work, you will reap success.

If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation.

If you plant openness, you will reap intimacy.

If you plant patience, you will reap improvements.

If you plant faith, you will reap miracles.


But:

If you plant dishonesty, you will reap distrust.

If you plant selfishness, you will reap loneliness.

If you plant pride, you will reap destruction.

If you plant envy, you will reap trouble.

If you plant laziness, you will reap stagnation.

If you plant bitterness, you will reap isolation.

If you plant greed, you will reap loss.

If you plant gossip, you will reap enemies.

If you plant worries, you will reap wrinkles.

If you plant sin, you will reap guilt.

So be careful what you plant now, it will determine what you will reap tomorrow.

The seeds you now scatter will make life worse or better your life or the ones who will come after. Yes, someday, you will enjoy the fruits, or you will pay for the choices you plant today.