Big Trianing Week in Arizona

Arrived in Scottsdale on Saturday night. Jonathan Nixon and I were on the same flight. I read part of Bobby McGee's Magical Running book on the flight. I thought long and hard about my "self talk" regarding my body and came to the conclusion I need to focus more on the good things my body allows me to accomplish.

Steve Uccello arrived before us and had the van waiting for us the minute we picked up the bikes. We dropped off everything at the Condo and headed to old town Scottsdale in search of the Memphis/Tennessee basketball game. We landed at the Loco Patron. Excellent food, a perfect view of the flat screen TV and we were on our way. As the night went on the place started to hop. I think the mandatory dress code for the women in Arizona is short black dress and high heals. We left as soon as the game ended and moved on to planning today's ride.

Today we went 60 miles in 3 hours. The weather was around 65 and there was cloud cover most of the day. Arm warmers were in order but I had on cycling shorts and a regular cycling shirt. The beginning of the ride was a lot of stop and go but we eventually got out into a more rural area. The palm trees and views of distant mountains were surreal, like I was viewing something in a painting. There were a couple of steep climbs in the first 10 miles and my heart rate shot way up, so much for holding a zone 2 heart rate through out the day. My back and hip started to tighten up 1 hour into the ride but I focused on how great I was feeling. I lowered my bike seat a tad bit from last season in hopes that it would reduce the stress on my glutes and ITB. In the end I think this was the smartest thing I've done in a long time. Jonathan and Steve were strong all day. I was pleasantly pleased that I could hang all day. There was one 10 mile uphill stretch at about a 2-3% grade. I thought it would never end but I vowed to hang on Johnathan's wheel as he pulled us to the top. With about a 1/2 mile to go Steve came flying by and Jonathan went with him. I was gapped and thought I may get shot off the back. Just before we crested the top I bridged the gap. We flew done the back side and I haven't felt this good on a bike in a LONG time.
When we came back to the condo Jonathan went back out for a 2nd loop, this time reversing the route. It only took him 2 minutes longer!! The guy went 119 miles in 6:02 and there was a lot of stop and go. He also ran 2:30 yesterday!!! He is 6 weeks out from Ironman South Africa and I'm very pleased with his progress. When he did IMCDA in 2006 he had a stress fracture 7 weeks out and didn't run until race week. He went 11:29 on a 97 degree day and I'm confident he can go a lot faster than that.
All and all I've very pleased with how this week has begun. I'll add some photos when I return home. Time for Beer, dinner and a movie.

Day Two.......
Last night we watch Ferris Beuhlers day off. I've seen this movie numerous times over the years and I think I laugh harder each time. The sign of a great movie is that it transcends time and generations.

We began this morning with a 3800 yard swim in the Eldorado Acquatic Center Outdoor Pool (Steve did 4000). For just $2 we were able to swim outdoors in a salt water pool!! Palm tree's, an orange sun rising and 50 degree temperature outdoor.. Pinch me I must be in heaven. I wondered how incredible it would be to swim masters in an environment like this. The temperature of the pool water was perfect and as the sun rose the whole environment was incredible. The Blue Hairs were doing an aqua aerobics class in lanes 1/2 (no confrontations Jay, sorry) and I wondered home many years until I'm participating.

I'm not sure if it was the lack of altitude or being outdoors but I had one of my best swims that I can recall in some time. Jonathan indicated that he swam his 125/yard at the same time he was swimming his 100/m in Colorado so Imagine we were all benefiting from the lack of altitude. I had a great feel for the water, was rotating from side to side and extending my stroke on both ends. I really concentrated on relaxing my shoulders and arms on recovery as I could feel them tensing as we progressed. This made a big difference as we got further into the set.

Home to a big breakfast and now we are relaxing before we head out on the bikes. The sun is out and we are in for an incredible day of cycling.

Day 2 evening: We went 43 today on the bike. The route was mostly on city streets and bike paths. We went through Tempe and the ASU campus and were on the Ironman Arizona race course for a short while. We saw the swim venue and as I have stated in the past, this is NOT my favorite Ironman location. There is no feel to the area that says Ironman to me. The water is green and the run is all on bike paths.

Truth be told, not my favorite ride BUT it accomplished what we wanted for the day which was an active recovery day. Jonathan wasn't satisfied with a swim and bike (although he had gone big the last two days) so he went for a run while Steve and I ventured out to the patio to begin a cribbage tournament (I'm currently up 4-1 and I know when Steve reads this it will piss him off because he hates losing in anything, even board games.)

I love spending time with my athletes while they train as it allows me to see how they absorb training and how they live life. Both Steve and Jonathan love life and training. I'm absolutely amazed at how Jonathan has absorbed his last few big weeks of training and remained amazing positive and happy. Most athletes at this stage of Ironman training are spent, Jonathan remains positive, healthy and focused on his goals. You would never know from talking to him that he works 10 hour days and trains 16-20 hours a week. He doesn't talk about his training or what he is going to do, he just does it week after week. And he does so without complaining, We could all learn something from the way he approaches his training.

The weather has been incredible, sleeveless jersey and shorts. Mentally I've stayed focused on being positive especially when my back tightens up. I stayed in the small ring the entire ride today and spun a high cadence. There was a lot of stopping and starting at today and my back flared a bit. A few hours later and I feel great.

Tomorrow we run in the morning and the do a 60-70 mile route. We are going to head out of town to avoid the city.

Day 3:

We all ran in the morning, Steve and Jonathan went longer than I. I ran 50 minutes with 20 minutes tempo in the middle. I'm sturggling to find my tempo zones as my HR goes to zone 4 or staysz low. I need to work on my pacing, breath control and staying relaxed when I run harder.
After breakfast we immediately headed out for a bike. I didn't feel good from the start of the ride. My legs were heavy and I felt like the rear wheel was dragging. I started belching an houre into the ride and finally asked to stop about 1:30 in. I went into the store and bought some gatorade as my Perpetum was mixed two strong. Steve gave me two tums and suggested I drink a coke. I don't drink soda but agreed. We started riding again and about 15 mintues later decided to ride up a steep incline where some very expensive homes looked out over the city. About 1/4 mile in I couldn't turn over as the the rear wheel was rubbing. I told the guys to go on as I went back down the hill. I reset the back wheel and tightened the rear skewer and headed back up hill. This time I had no issues and we did the hill up and over twice. We then headed out on a flat stretch of road and I felt better than I have in several years. We ended up doing 70 miles in some windy conditions in about 4 hours. I was encouraged as my body still feels good.
At night we continued our cribbage match, drank some wine and had a great lasagna meal. We watched Mystery Alaska and had some good laughs at some of the great lines in the movie.

Arizona

The photos above are of my dad, son, sister and her fiance Daveandof my children Nick and Lauren and Dave's daughter Hannah. Karen and Dave were engaged (sorry Big D) on Valentines day. I'm happy for them as I truly believe Dave has had a very calming influence on my sister and I have never seen her so happy.

Vacation?
I'm off to Scottsdale for a week of s/b/r with Jonathan Nixon and Steve Uccello. What seemed like a great idea 3 months ago leaves me wondering what in the hell was I thinking. Nixon is training for Ironman South Africa and just completed a 100 mile training ride in 5 hours and Uccello is 5 weeks out from Ironman California. I'm looking forward to the warm air, sunshine and some male bonding but as I packed my bike last night I kept thinking to myself.. "I'm going to be riding a lot by myself:. None the less I'm looking forward to putting in some good base mileage.

The beauty of all this is that Nixon had a 2.5 hour run today and Uccello raced a 10 mile this morning. For tomorrow I may be safe. The rest of the week will be a question mark. Photos and details of the trip to follow.

Steve has researched the area thoroughly and knows where the bike routes are, food markets, pools and even has us scheduled for a cub/giants exhibition game next Thursday. There is some talk of golf but I highly doubt that will happen.

2007 USAT Rankings

The 2007 USAT rankings are out and I ended up 350th. I've never really paid attention to where I ended up until this year. Kathy was 16th in her age group and earned All American status. I was closer to Honorable mention status than I thought. Had it not been for a very questionable penalty in Boulder 5430 sprint race I would have been fairly close. the rankings are interesting to me. I have to honestly say I did well at some very small races. The Boulder sprint and Sprint National championships probably earned me some decent points but the truth is I don't think the USAT rankings give a realistic picture of where you ranking country wide (I should be lower than 350 in my age group). Look at 2006 for example. For Kathy's three races she took 4th at IMCDA, 2nd at the Boulder Long Course and 15th at the Ironman World Championships. She only earned Honorable mention status and was near the bottom of the listing. In 2007 she takes 3rd overall at Loveland Lake to Lake, second at Boulder Peak and 5430 Long Course and second at Rattlesnake National Sprint Championships. She ends up 16th. In my opinion, 2006 was a far tougher race schedule against tougher competition. To me, the rankings favor the short course athlete who does well.

Someone Explain Too Me Why I Do This Again?

Last weekend I took my boy (Nick, age 14 pictured above) to the Golf Expo. I have to admit that it was purely a father/son bonding move as I'm not really passionate about golfing. I golf and can put together a decent game from time to time. I can also suck it up pretty good and have no clue how or why I hold the club the way I do, open face, closed face, laying up....... All a different language to me. As my son will tell you, I went to the school of GRIP IT AND RIP IT...

While walking around the expo I made a few observations.
1. There were just as many Chiropractor booths as golf vendor booths
2. The guy who had a fitness booth with signs about improving your core never had anyone there when I walked by.
3. The Chiro booths were well visited
4. A lot of the golf booths gave away beer. There were a lot of guys walking around with Beer.
5. The Hooter girls were there as were many pretty models. Funny, I don't ever recall seeing the hooter girls or models on a golf course.

So I came to the conclusion that golf is a sport which gives you a bad back, you get to drink beer and see beautiful women. No different than triathlons I guess.......

2008 Races

My 2008 race schedule is almost complete.

Karen Hornbostel Cherry Creek Time Trial (7 races 10 mile Time Trail: I've never done this series before. Given my goals for the season this 7 race series will force me to push the envelope a bit earlier in the season then I would like to. Last year I used the duathlon series to have race day like efforts and it was benefecial come my key races. My thoughts are these races will have the same benefit. A bit nervous to go race against the pure cyclists but when I returned to racing last season it was a goal of mine to put knew events on the calendar each season.

Mile High Duathlon Series: Three duathlons for under $120. Well run, great give aways and food. If there was ever a deal in the sport this is it. Great competition and duathlons are wonderful preparation for the full dres rehersal. I used these races last year to gauge my pacing and mental preparation.

5430 Sprint: Only goal is to use this race as a level of fitness in comparison to last years race. If I hadn't received a 2 minute dismount line (what dismount line) penalty last year I would have fineshed top 10 in my age group in my first race back from a 2.5 year lay off.

Loveland Lake to Lake: I raced the Aquabike division last year. This year I'll use this race a as a stepping stone to my key race of the year which is the half in July. Possiblity I may not be able to do this race as my son is in a golf tournmanent in Steamboat this weekend. I'm working on trying to figure out a way for both to happen.

Spirit of Racing Half Ironman: Twenty years ago on the same beach I started my career with a sprint race. What would be more fitting than to compete a half ironman twenty years later?

After Racine I have a few thoughts in mind but will gauge how I feel in July and go from there.

When the Status Quo Changes

We have a very strong Triathlon Community in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. Perhaps I'm biased but based on what I have observed over the past few years in terms of results, friendships, training groups, etc I have to believe it is one of the best cities in the United States to live if you are a triathlete.

One of the strengths of our community is that we have (had) a masters swim program which is part of one of the local recreation centers. How many of you can say that you can get to a masters program 5 days a week in the morning, twice a week over lunch and twice in the evenings within 10 mintues of your home? Our masters classes are filled with everyone from your first time danskin type to people who win their age groups in Kona and even a bronze medal olympic athlete.

Recently the individual who runs the program had a parting of ways with the Comunnity Association. Over night, the swimming/triathlon community was at a loss on where to swim and for who. As odd as this may seem, many of the locals had come to relay on the head coach. Let's face it, when you find someone who can push you to the next level by his presence on deck you don't go looking elsewhere. This individual is a close friend of mine and my phone and e-mail have been out of control over the past few days asking me "what they should do?". In times of trouble, the true charcater of people and their ability to problem solve is never more evident. I tend to look at these situations and say "o.k. this isn't what it used to be but there has to be another way in which to make everyone happy." The current class went on but with many distractions and the end result was that it just wasn't the same any more.

Yet the e-mails and phone calls kept arriving. "what do I do? Where do I go? Now what?". The answers to me were simple. A. Either siwm on your own and self motivate B. Find another program to swim C. find a couple of training partners and make a promise to push each other. It doesn't need to be the end of the world. It is o.k. to mourn the loss of a situation but as athletes we need to survive in times when environments aren't perfect. Everything isn't always going to be perfect when we train or race. Anyone can do well when the conditions are well. It is the athletes who can focus in times of trouble that succeed.

Honestly, I'm not happy about what happened either. Persnally and professionally it makes my life more difficult. Am I going to stew over this? No, I'm in the process of finding a work around that should get this individual on deck some time soon. In the mean time, I'm not wasting any negative energy talking about what happened or why, it isn't going to change a thing.

Ready-Set-Go?

I attended a physiology and bio mechanics workshop presented by Dr. Phil Skiba last weekend. I won't get into a lot of the workshop but the bottom line is "well worth the time and investment to go out east". I'm convinced I will be a better coach with some of the tools and information I learned. I've spent the better part of this year improving my knowledge of power based training and designing specific training protocols designed to elicit specific results. The make up of my client base and the increased use of technology has promoted me to either move ahead in my knowledge base on coach like the majority of the other coaches out there. I have bigger dreams than where I currently sit.

My own personal training is coming along. I had a test week this week and seem to have stagnated in some of my numbers. It is time to implement some new stimuli to the plan. After all, we can't continue to do the same things over and over and expect different results. On Monday I will begin my new plan and in 6-8 weeks we test again to determine progress.

My swimming has stagnated to the point where my wife told me on Friday I was holding up the lane. Not what I wanted to hear but "it is what it is". I'm swimming my 100's on a 1:20-1:25 basis but my ability to hold that speed has dropped in the past few months. I'll need to give this a bit of thought and talk with my swim coach about this as well. I also need to be honest and say my motivation in the water has lacked the past 6 weeks. Last year I came into January flying and by the start of the season I felt flat.

We are anxiously awaiting our new "rides". Kathy picked out the color scheme and we are going with a two tone red/black with red seats and red handlebar tape. We both went with a 78 degree seat angle and I'm eager to ride and see if there is a difference in my back and legs.

In one month I'm heading to Arizona with Jonathan Nixon. Jonathan is one of my athletes and will compete in Ironman South Africa in April. He invited me along for some training companionship. Based on what he has been doing and what I'm doing, I'm sure I'm in for a long week. Putting in some long miles will help me with my current level of fitness.

My article on improving your swimming was just in the last month of triathlon life magazine and I've heard from people all over the US. I've always wanted to be published and this is the second time my article has made it into this publication. I hope to do more writing in the future.

Not a whole lot more to report. Business remains good. I have decided not to take on any more athletes this year unless they are doing an Ironman and have prior experience. Kathy and coach Steve are full as well. Coach Jason still has room for a few more folks. I've actively begun looking for more coaches to join Mile High and have had some preliminary discussions with a few candidates. Kathy travels a lot in January and February and with my two trips we don't see each other a whole lot at the beginning of the year. We celebrate a17 year wedding anniversary in March and I need to think of something romantic to do for the weekend of our anniversary.

Time To Get Serious

Happy 2008!!!

As Kathy and I prepare for the upcoming race season I can tell our desire to train has picked up. We are entered in the 5430 Sprint, The Mile High Duathlon Series, Spirit of Racine Half Ironman and are looking at Love Land Lake to Lake, and the Cherry Creek Time trial series. If all goes well in Racine I will give consideration to another long distance race in August or September (most likely out of state). Kathy has indicated to me that this is a off year for her. Kathy has lasted 26 years in this sport and one of her keys to success is to taking "off" years in which she trains but doesn't really put any pressure on herself to perform. She typically does well anyways and I know she has some goals but she is keeping them to herself. I begin her coaching plan this week and am looking forward to training and racing with her again this year. I've always enjoyed my wife as my number 1 training partner.

GURU:

We were both in the market for new bikes this year and this week finalized a sponsorship arrangement with GURU bikes. WE will both be riding custom fit CRONO. A custom fit on a Tri Bike is critical to comfort, power and endurance. I will keep you posted on the difference between riding a stock bike which is has been custom fit to a bike made specifically to my dimensions. I've always had back issues on the bike and have my fingers crossed that this is the answer.

Swim Labs:

I went to Swim Labs this week and took Matt Beck along with me. Matt is a 6 time All American swimmer from the University of Texas. to have your stroke picked apart by someone of his knowledge was humbling. I need to spend more time in the pool working on the little things.

My training continues to go well. I pulled the plug on a coach and begin February 1st. I've already caught myself twice trying to dictate my schedule (one of my big pet peeves). Kathy and I negotiated masters swim time this morning and I'll be moving to a Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday schedule while she takes the morning M/W/F slot. I'm a little bummed because there are 6-8 MHM athletes in the water in the morning, BUT with our work schedules it is the right thing to do when striving for balance. When you have two people who race it is important that you both feel as if you are getting in quality time. It can be done with very little sacrifice but communication and compromise are prudent.

I lost my orthodics while in Steam Boat over Christmas and I can feel the difference when I run. My legs fatigue and my upper back hurts more. I have a new pair ordered and consider the loss a blessing as I pushed the limits on the old ones (9 years). As you can tell by the above picture, the snow in The Boat was incredible. Skiing virgin powder with my son will be something I remember for the rest of my life. he had never skied in such conditions and told me he "would always remember this day". When kids get to be 14 you don't hear that much. That's me on top and Nick beneath. Lauren was content on the green runs and we didn't push her beyond her comfort levels. Kathy and I split time "chasing" the boy down the mountain and at night couldn't decide which was more difficult, snow plowing a green trail or skiing black diamond mogul runs (not my favorite but I couldn't let my boy see me yield to the mountain).

I'm heading to Jersey next week for a workshop on Scientific Training for athletes. I've challenged myself to understand the physiological responses to training more. It isn't my background and I have never trained with power meters, heart rate monitors (not seriously) etc. If I want to achieve the level of coaching I desire then I need gain some knowledge in a few areas. Business is good and I'm happy to report we are close to full for the 2008 season. I'm in the process of looking for some additional coaches to join the staff.

I'm anxious to get a full season of trianing under my belt and see what level I can bring my performance to in 2008. no pressure, have fun, enjouy the sport and the friendships I make along the way.

Reaching New Heights in 2008

I don't usually use the same post on both my personal and business blogs. I hope not to break this self imposed rule often but I thought that everyone could benefit from the message.

Aristotle once said “we are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.

I’ve been giving a lot of thought the past few weeks to the coaching profession. Technically this will be my third full year of coaching and although I’m pleased with the progress of Mile High Multisport, I have a greater vision of how I want to coach and develop the business. Each year during this time I ask myself “Why do I coach?”, “What my coaching philosophy will be in the new year for each of my athletes, what areas of improvement I see for myself to become more knowledgeable, what I want to continue doing that worked well last season and what I need to do better in the upcoming year.

As an athlete, I also go through this process when it comes to setting my personal goals. As a youth I played baseball. I used to love the game and am saddened that I don’t see today’s youth out in the parks playing pick up games of ball anymore. I played at a competitive level and my father was “my coach”. It took me many years to realize that he was a very good coach as he taught me not only the fundamentals of the game but the mental aspect that goes along with athletics. One thing he used to always tell me was “see yourself making the play before it happens.” I would envision myself making the plays that the pros made. In short, I envisioned success before it happened.

Every night, my father would take me outside and “drill me”. Perhaps he would tell a different story, but I don’t recall ever saying “no” or “hang on dad, I need to just finish watching this show”. Although it was years ago, I can still remember the “drills” to this day. I wanted to be a baseball player when I grew up. I had a vision that I would play 2nd base for the Chicago Cubs one day. I wanted to be better than anyone else in my town and I worked very hard to accomplish my goal.

As triathletes we need to take a look at how we mentally approach racing and training. I’m often dumb founded when an athlete tells me one week they have this lofty goal and the next week they tell me they are lacking motivation to go train. I believe that the goal itself should be enough motivation to want to train. As I evaluate my clients, and how I want to coach, I’ve been looking at the mental aspect of the sport and evaluating each one of my clients. Some clients require very little motivation while others require a lot.

The approach we take to mental preparation should be part of our goal setting process. Each of us should honestly assess this area. Do you require little motivation and give 100% effort to each of your workouts or are you a “worrier” who often finds excuses to why something didn’t happen. Do you have a mantra that you bring to training and races that helps you keep you focused? If you aren’t sure which type of an athlete you are, ask someone whose opinion you value for an honest assessment. Keep in mind that you may not get the response you want to hear.

It is my belief that mental preparation should be a part of the goal setting process. Your physical ability will only take you so far, it is your mind which defines excellence. The same thing applies to your profession; your intellect will only take you to a certain point. How you interact with others and the mental preparation you take to your job separates mediocrity and excellence. If you have ever wondered about what separates the people on the podium from the people who participate, look no further than your mind. Mentally tough athletes have an inner strength, an inner focus and desire that others lack. They don’t MAKE EXCUSES or justifications on why things happened. The athletes who reach their goals work hard all the time. You don’t hear people on the podium state “they aren’t motivated” “it wasn’t gong to happen” today, “I can’t”, “I couldn’t find time”, “I didn’t feel like getting up at 5:30”, I don’t like riding the trainer”; “I didn’t run outside because it snowed or it was cold”. The mind manifests what it hears. Instead of telling your mind what to not do, tell it what it will do. I’m confident you will find yourself working more efficiently.

I recently picked up a book entitled “Mind Gym, an athlete’s guide to inner excellence” by Gary Mack and David Casstevens. It is a short yet powerful book which every athlete should read. In the book they state “learn to use your mind or your mind will use you. Actions follow our thoughts and images. Don’t look where you don’t want to go”.

As you approach the New Year, make a commitment to be a mentally strong athlete in 2008. Rid your self of all the excuses. There is a huge benefit to the power of positive reinforcement and visualization. See the results from the minds eye. Champions win in their mind first. “See yourself making the play before it actually happens.”

December

The last few weeks have been a bit crazy with Thanksgiving and Family in town. During this time of year it is easy to get throw out of our routines with "other" obligations. Even the most dedicated athletes stray a little during this period of time. I always try and focus on "doing the right thing" during this season and that may mean missing a workout or two to spend time with family or friends that I don't see often enough during the year.

My training has been coming better than expected. I missed a few days this week with a few ribs that were out of place. Not sure how this happened but it could have come from a big pull set on Monday. Once the issue was identified (by one of my athletes who is a PT) she was able to get me fixed.

I went to my first yoga class in a few years yesterday. I was invited by my good friend Scott who has been encouraging me to go for months now. Kathy and I joined 24 hour fitness with the sole purpose of doing more yoga. As athletes we should all focus on improving flexibility while improving balance and mental clarity. I was amazed at the workout I received while doing this. I had swam in the morning and I was sweating chlorine 20 minutes into the class. Right before we began Scott told me not to embarrass him. I'm assuming this meant not falling over in the middle of a pose. A couple times I almost went down.

Kathy is out of town running the Tucson marathon. I didn't do much running with her as she prepared this year and subsequently don't feel as tied to her results as I have with other races. We have always worked together when we have race and this is pretty much a solo effort. Not exactly sure how to describe my feelings. Of course I want her to do well, but I'll be happy when she is finished and we can spend some quality time together. We ares scheduled to spend a lot of time in Steamboat Springs over the holidays and for the first time in years I'm hoping for some much needed snow. We will take the snow shoes and I look forward to getting in some outdoor winter activities then sitting around a fire place, reading and sipping on a cocktail.

The Hawaii Ironman is on tv today and I will be spinning with a few athletes while we watch the broadcast. I've watched the Ironman broadcast for years and typically end up shedding a tear or two when they show the amateurs crossing the finish line. Some of the personal stories have really grabbed at my heart and I hope each year they spend less time focusing on the pros and provide a show which is balanced. A lot of people make sacrifices each year to get to this magical island and some small things could go a long way in enhancing the show. Simple things like giving credit at the end of the show to all competitors who placed in their age group (30 seconds of scrolling names), 5 minutes of the show dedicated to nothing more than people crossing the finish line and some time spent on the days leading up to the race (show the under wear run, dig me beach, lava java as this is were the days before the event take place).

My business has been going well and I'm grateful to have clients who have placed their trust in my services. I've been working extremely hard this season to enhance the image of mile high. Our next step is to bring some more coaches on board. It is my goal to provide a well rounded coaching staff which includes experts in the different fields that touch our clients. I've also been looking at race gear and am close to finalizing a design and company. Selecting race uniforms and design is proving to be a very time consuming and stressful process. I'll be happy when we land on something concrete and begin the order process.