Just finished watching the 2011 Ironman World Championships on NBC. Great coverage! It was much different watching this year knowing I will be there next October! Along my journey to qualifying for the Championships, I used these 3 principles as my guiding force. I think it is a simple message...but one that needs to be said and internalized. The beauty of these principles, is that they aren't just for sport...or Triathlon. They are for life. They can help make you a better parent, husband, wife, son, daughter, coworker, etc... This is why I try to live my life by these principles.
DEDICATION
If you want success in anything, you have to be dedicated. It sounds simple, and it is, but it's not easy. Simple and easy are two different things. To be truly dedicated, you must prioritize and then make sacrifices. When I'm in my most important blocks of training, I don't drink. It is very simple...but not always easy. I have work functions, social events, sporting events, and stressors that would make having a few beers really nice. But in the end, it isn't worth it. There are too many 4am wake up calls to derail my goals on a few drinks. However, I partake in the off season :)
In order to dedicate, you must set a goal. The goal needs to be a stretch, but yet attainable. I'm sure you have heard this in the past...but setting unrealistic goals is a recipe for major disappointment and negative feelings. If you can press for a goal...dedicate to that cause...your chances of success are far greater. This post isn't really about setting goals, but without them, you ARE just going through the motions.
The most important part about dedication, is your attitude. In my opinion, there are really only 2 types of people in this world:
People that find a reason they can't do something. Too tired, work too much, I'm hungry, I had a bad day, I drank too much last night, I'm scared to fail, I'm nervous about what people think....
The other person, is the person that finds a way. These people are ultra stubborn...in a good way. I truly don't give a f*ck how busy I am. If I want something bad enough, I make it happen. I set a goal...and I get after it. If I party like a rockstar on a Friday night, I suffer through my Saturday workout. No excuses. I did it to myself, I'll pay the consequences.
Which person are you? Most people are both at times...but overall, tend to lean one way or another.
PASSION
You can be the most dedicated person in the world...and have great goals, but if you aren't passionate about what you are striving for, you will never get there. Instant gratification will become your driving force. For me, competition was my passion. I was lacking it in my adult life and found triathlon. I love triathon....don't get me wrong....but there is no way in hell I would workout as much as I do if I didn't have a race on the calendar. A chance to compete is my passion.
For some looking good is a passion. For others it is the rush of the workout. I have friends that love to lift because they are addicted to the "pump" they feel when they are done. You don't have to swim, bike, run in order to find fitness and health. Most people don't realize, but whether you run a mile in 5 minutes...or walk it in 25 minutes...you still burn approximately 110 calories. Crazy! Of course the runner will burn a lot more over an hour...but you don't have to run to get moving.
Find your passion...and dedicate yourself to it. I promise you, your life will become much more fulfilling. Going through the motions will be a thing of the past for you.
RESULTS
If you truly have the first two principles licked, you will get results. The key here though, is to make sure you celebrate the smaller results along the way. I have a friend that recently told me that he was disappointed in his season last year. He just started running 3 years ago. This was his biggest year. He completed a marathon in a GREAT time, crushed a half Ironman, and built a base of fitness that will allow him to compete in Ironman next year. However, this person has a hard time enjoying the successes along the way. He always thinks he could/should have gone faster. And of all things he was disappointed in, it was his TRAINING paces. Not the race! The TRAINING. For real? I almost lost it when he told me. He had forgotten about the fact that 3 years before, he couldn't run for 1 minute...now he is a marathon finisher...and worried about TRAINING pace? At the heart of the issue, it was an unrealistic expectation that a 10 minute mile should feel "easy." And it doesn't.
Let's look at this for a minute...his MAX pace for a mile is roughly 8 minutes a mile. My "easy" pace is roughly 4 MINUTES per mile slower than my max. So...the simple math will tell you that the "easy" pace for my friend is probably closer to 12 minutes a mile. He was ready to throw his ENTIRE season of successes out the window based on an unrealistic goal.
Morale of the story, set a stretch goal....not unrealistic....keep your eye on that goal. And most importantly, CELEBRATE the SUCCESS along the way! What good is doing all this if you can't be happy along the way. It's a lot easier to just sit on the couch and eat cookies if that is the attitude you struggle with!
So, if you add up all three, you have a recipe for success. Whatever that success might be! It can truly be a foundation for a healthy lifestyle that has LONGEVITY! I'm not talking about fads here....we are talking about life changes. Changes, that can bring you tremendous amounts of happiness and joy, in sport and in life.
Dave
Dedication, Passion, Results
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Friday, December 2, 2011
My First Post- who the hell is Dave Barto?
I've often thought about writing a blog...but honestly, who the hell am I to write about fitness and racing? I don't have any major certifications, I'm not a PHD in weight loss, I don't coach professional athletes, I'm not a professional athlete myself, and I'm surely not a professional writer. So why read this? I guess you are bored and need some bathroom material on your Ipad!
In all seriousness, I love talking about this stuff. Anyone who knows me, knows I can go on and on for hours about triathlon, racing, nutrition, watts, pace, flip turns, peeing on the bike, etc. I truly love this stuff and have found over the years that I have inspired many to get off the couch. That's why I'm writing here now. To help those that want to be active, stay active, or to compete. It is extremely difficult to avoid the unhealthy lifestyles and temptations we see today. I don't have to preach to you about how bad a McDonald's Big Mac is. And the worst part, it is effecting the youth in America. Childhood obesity is at an all time high...and you know who is to blame? The parents. I'm sorry if that offends you...but respect and healthy habits start in the home. I've inspired a few to get off the couch...well into their 50's. So anyone can do it. This post is not about why the problems are what they are, but that you can make a difference by taking your first step. That is what I hope to accomplish over time here.
So who the hell is Dave Barto? Well, I am a super competitive athlete. I have a day job...that has nothing to do with sports. I'm busy, I have a wonderful wife, plan to have kids shortly, and I have to fit it all in just like everyone else. I train, on average, about 14 hours a week. I work, on average, about 60 hours a week. Time management is a must!
I got started in sports at an early age. Baseball at 7 years old. I loved it and thought I would be a professional pitcher some day. Problem was, I never got my growth spurt! That hurt the fastball. I ran Cross Country in High School, but I hated it. I loved hanging out with my team and best friend, Charles. But the running was hell. To this day, I HATE 5K races. I also played basketball in High School. Great, another sport where my 5'8'' height was a huge advantage, well, not so much.
I graduated high school and weighed about 120lbs soaking wet. I was a little embarrassed by being so small (from running and whatnot) so I decided it was time to hit the gym. I did ZERO cardio for the next 5 years or so....save for some rec league basketball at work. I did pretty good at lifting hard and eating a ton of food. I bulked up to about 165lbs, pretty big for my frame. But I was missing the competition...I needed more.
So I started running again and ran a few small road races. I always had an interest in Triathlon. I knew a couple guys that did it in Cross Country and I used to watch Ironman on TV in High School. I was fascinated by it...somehow I knew I would do it someday, but was never serious about starting it. So life went on with running a little and I got the bug to try a triathlon with my buddy, Mike.
We trained all summer in 2005 for an off road sprint triathlon. Swimming was brutal. Bike, ah, whatever, I can get through that. Running...I knew how to run. So I trained with no clue what I was doing. I was going through some tough times then and it was the perfect break from drinking to be honest. I was partying a little too hard and this was my chance to escape that lifestyle.
So, Mike and I set out to finish a 1/4 mile swim, 9 mile off road bike, and 3.1 mile trail run. Well, I thought I was going to DIE in the swim. I made it about 50 yards and flipped over on my back. I couldn't even move my arms! I back kicked the whole thing...not straight at all...in 19 minutes. Holy shit....19 MINUTES. I can swim TRIPLE that distance now in 19 minutes. I got out of the water and headed out on the bike. Mike and I rode right by each other most of the way...he sucked, and still does, just as bad as I did at swimming. It was 3 loops of 3 miles. On the 3rd loop, with 1 mile to go....my derailleur snapped off. FREAK incident. But I was determined. I trained all summer for this. So I threw my bike over my shoulder and walked it in the last mile. I took off on the run like a bat out of hell. I made it exactly 1/2 a mile and sprained my ankle on a nasty tree root sticking out. My day was done...I could barely walk. I didn't even finish my 1st Triathlon!
Fast forward to today, I am a Kona Qualifier (blogs to follow on that). I've completed 4 Ironman races, 4 open Marathons, 6 half Ironman competitions, and countless smaller triathlons and running races. I guess you could say I was hooked from day #1.
I think that failing at my first attempt really made me a stronger competitor in the end. I had a challenge, I trained for it, and I didn't succeed. But I wasn't going to let that stop me. The challenge for most, is taking a chance and getting out of your comfort zone. I hope that in the future...I can help inspire you to achieve your goals and dreams. Your goal doesn't have to be Kona, Ironman, or Boston. Fitness, and happiness for that matter, all start with the first step.
Thanks for reading....talk soon.
Dave
Dedication, Passion, Results
In all seriousness, I love talking about this stuff. Anyone who knows me, knows I can go on and on for hours about triathlon, racing, nutrition, watts, pace, flip turns, peeing on the bike, etc. I truly love this stuff and have found over the years that I have inspired many to get off the couch. That's why I'm writing here now. To help those that want to be active, stay active, or to compete. It is extremely difficult to avoid the unhealthy lifestyles and temptations we see today. I don't have to preach to you about how bad a McDonald's Big Mac is. And the worst part, it is effecting the youth in America. Childhood obesity is at an all time high...and you know who is to blame? The parents. I'm sorry if that offends you...but respect and healthy habits start in the home. I've inspired a few to get off the couch...well into their 50's. So anyone can do it. This post is not about why the problems are what they are, but that you can make a difference by taking your first step. That is what I hope to accomplish over time here.
So who the hell is Dave Barto? Well, I am a super competitive athlete. I have a day job...that has nothing to do with sports. I'm busy, I have a wonderful wife, plan to have kids shortly, and I have to fit it all in just like everyone else. I train, on average, about 14 hours a week. I work, on average, about 60 hours a week. Time management is a must!
I got started in sports at an early age. Baseball at 7 years old. I loved it and thought I would be a professional pitcher some day. Problem was, I never got my growth spurt! That hurt the fastball. I ran Cross Country in High School, but I hated it. I loved hanging out with my team and best friend, Charles. But the running was hell. To this day, I HATE 5K races. I also played basketball in High School. Great, another sport where my 5'8'' height was a huge advantage, well, not so much.
I graduated high school and weighed about 120lbs soaking wet. I was a little embarrassed by being so small (from running and whatnot) so I decided it was time to hit the gym. I did ZERO cardio for the next 5 years or so....save for some rec league basketball at work. I did pretty good at lifting hard and eating a ton of food. I bulked up to about 165lbs, pretty big for my frame. But I was missing the competition...I needed more.
So I started running again and ran a few small road races. I always had an interest in Triathlon. I knew a couple guys that did it in Cross Country and I used to watch Ironman on TV in High School. I was fascinated by it...somehow I knew I would do it someday, but was never serious about starting it. So life went on with running a little and I got the bug to try a triathlon with my buddy, Mike.
We trained all summer in 2005 for an off road sprint triathlon. Swimming was brutal. Bike, ah, whatever, I can get through that. Running...I knew how to run. So I trained with no clue what I was doing. I was going through some tough times then and it was the perfect break from drinking to be honest. I was partying a little too hard and this was my chance to escape that lifestyle.
So, Mike and I set out to finish a 1/4 mile swim, 9 mile off road bike, and 3.1 mile trail run. Well, I thought I was going to DIE in the swim. I made it about 50 yards and flipped over on my back. I couldn't even move my arms! I back kicked the whole thing...not straight at all...in 19 minutes. Holy shit....19 MINUTES. I can swim TRIPLE that distance now in 19 minutes. I got out of the water and headed out on the bike. Mike and I rode right by each other most of the way...he sucked, and still does, just as bad as I did at swimming. It was 3 loops of 3 miles. On the 3rd loop, with 1 mile to go....my derailleur snapped off. FREAK incident. But I was determined. I trained all summer for this. So I threw my bike over my shoulder and walked it in the last mile. I took off on the run like a bat out of hell. I made it exactly 1/2 a mile and sprained my ankle on a nasty tree root sticking out. My day was done...I could barely walk. I didn't even finish my 1st Triathlon!
Fast forward to today, I am a Kona Qualifier (blogs to follow on that). I've completed 4 Ironman races, 4 open Marathons, 6 half Ironman competitions, and countless smaller triathlons and running races. I guess you could say I was hooked from day #1.
I think that failing at my first attempt really made me a stronger competitor in the end. I had a challenge, I trained for it, and I didn't succeed. But I wasn't going to let that stop me. The challenge for most, is taking a chance and getting out of your comfort zone. I hope that in the future...I can help inspire you to achieve your goals and dreams. Your goal doesn't have to be Kona, Ironman, or Boston. Fitness, and happiness for that matter, all start with the first step.
Thanks for reading....talk soon.
Dave
Dedication, Passion, Results
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