Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Don't Quit Poem



When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow--
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor's cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out--
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit--
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

I'm sure alot of you have read this before, but just thought I'd post it for those of you (including me) who haven't come across it until today. Good stuff....

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

GIVE THANKS

I love this time of year. I am especially enjoying it this year. I give thanks every day for the amazing things that have happened to me this year which make it an extra special season this go around. I am thankful for my new heroes - Nathan Beedle, Trisha Bicknell and Jim Harrington and for countless new friends, for Team Inspiration and for my improving health. I am thankful that what started as a simple challenge to me has become something much bigger than anyone could have imagined and something that is helping many others.

Whatever your situation, give thanks. If your life is going amazingly well and challenge free, GIVE ABUNDANT THANKS. If you are challenged, give thanks because those challenges make you stronger and a better person if handled with dignity and hope. If things seem very dark right now, find SOMETHING to be thankful for. Like we have talked about in so many aspects of life, see how that grows. You will be amazed.

I also give thanks that I can prattle on and on here and apparently folks read this. I give thanks for you!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING. Enjoy the holiday season and make these days the best for yourself, your family and for everyone around you. Remember – positivity is contagious. Let’s start an epidemic.

Good luck, KEEP TRYING and my best,

-Trace

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Update, Sundays with Jarvis

For the second time, Trace completed the CB&I 5K run course. As I recall, last week Trace completed the course in 1:49 minutes. This week, Trace finished the course in 1:36 minutes! Trace continues to amaze me but he is looking super strong these days. This result is great for several reasons. Trace took fewer breaks in much warmer conditions. In the past, this temperature change would have had a much more siginificant impact. I will say that Trace probably would have completed the course in under 1:30 but for me making him laugh the whole way.

I think Trace's new Chiropractor has done a lot to increase the neurological activity to Trace's entire body including Jarvis. This past Sunday, it was like Jarvis almost did not exist. Great job Trace.

Nathan

Sunday, November 21, 2010

ex·po·nen·tial·ly

adv – occurring more and more rapidly due to the amazing support and encouragement from the awesome people on Team Inspiration.

Used in a sentence: Trace’s speed at accomplishing the events of the CB&I triathlon is increasing exponentially as his recovery time decreases after doing each such activity!

Thanks guys! Wait until you read Nathan's upcoming report!

Good luck, KEEP TRYING and my best,

-Trace

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Mission 1 - SO ACCOMPLISHED/Progress Report!!!






When I started this amazing adventure, my first goal was to be physically able to complete each of the lengths of each of the events of the triathlon. When I started, I could not dream of completing a fraction of the distance of any of them. It has taken me just over 6 months but I CAN DO THEM ALL AT DISTANCE NOW! I have 5 and a half months left now to improve the time for each event and combine them to be able to do them all together. I have absolutely no doubt that this will happen and happen very soon. The pictures are of this morning’s bike run which for the first time included hills. Bring it! They were no problem! Thank you again to every amazing person joining me, supporting me and encouraging me. We are having fun aren’t we?!

Good luck, KEEP TRYING and my best,

-Trace

Monday, November 15, 2010

Yesterday with Trace

Folks,

Yesterday Trace and I set out from Northshore Park, the site of the CB&I Triathlon transition area, at 5:45 a.m. My intention was to have a great performance like last week, 2.68 miles in about 1:29. Instead, we did 3.2 miles in 1:49 minutes, awesome performance!

For the first time, we completed the full run course of the CB&I Triathlon and knocked it out of the park. Trace kicked more than a little booty. Please congratulate the super star when you see him.

For those of you following Trace's Sunday walks, we have gone from about 2 miles to over 3.2 miles in less than a month. Trace is a star but we all know that. Good job buddy.

Nathan

Thursday, November 11, 2010

SOME EARLY HOLIDAY CHEER

I told Nathan, Jim, Trisha and Lynn that I wanted to send a card out to the world celebrating the upcoming season. I told them that I wanted it to express the incredible joy that the events of this year have given me. I also wanted to share the talents these amazing people have with each of you. Things I see every day. So this is what I came up with! (Turn the volume on your computer on and maximize the size of the movie!)

HAPPY (UPCOMING) HOLIDAYS, good luck, KEEP TRYING and my best,

-Trace

P.S. I know this is early but I could not resist. Life is good!

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Sundays with Jarvis Update

Folks,

Trace and I extended our walk this morning to 2.68 miles of the CB&I Triathlon's 3.1 mile course. Trace was awesome. He sustained a better pace over a longer distance than he ever has. Here is the walk data:

Distance: 2.68 miles
Time 1:27:01
Avg Pace: 30 min mile
Avg moving pace: 20:06 min/mile

I am constantly tweaking the amount of rest Trace gets during these walks. We continue to learn that there are many variables to account for. Today we did pretty darn good. Everyone congratulate the warrior who finally appears to be listening to his many supporters constantly instructing him to not over do it.

Awesome job Trace, was a great morning.

Nathan

Monday, November 1, 2010

PROGRESS REPORT! (IT'S GOOD!)

Just wanted to give you a quick progress report. Things have been crazy busy. What a difference a week makes! My bike run Saturday was 10 miles and was awesome. Thanks Pete for setting my seat height. It is amazing how much more power you get when you can use your entire leg! I then kayaked 3 to 4 hours. Sundays with Jarvis was great as well. While I did not break my prior record, I thought it was my most consistent and strongest walk yet. This weekend some of Team Inspiration will be doing the Novemberfest Bike Race in San Felipe, Texas. There are courses of various lengths. I will be doing 23 miles! Should be an AWESOME weekend! Good luck Jim on your half Iron Man!

Good luck, KEEP TRYING and my best.

-Trace