Daily Positives – 9/5/2010

Posted on September 5, 2010 by dean
  • Went out for breakfast and conversation with a friend at Olde Towne Coffee House.
  • Spent a gorgeous afternoon picking grapes for wine with friends at Mitchell Vineyard near Oregon, WI followed by a lovely drive through the country.
  • Yummy grilled salmon, balsamic tomatoes, potato, & corn on the cob dinner at home with a friend. I do actually cook once in a while and almost enjoy it again. 🙂
  • Enjoyed Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead for (I think) the fifth time. There’s still a fair bit in the movie that confuses me. Would like to find someone that likes the movies to watch it with and discuss sometime.
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Daily Positives – 9/4/2010

Posted on September 4, 2010 by dean
  • Productive pilates mat class and stretch class at PilateSpa.
  • Walk with a chipper Sitka on a beautiful breezy day that felt a lot like Fall.
  • Volunteered for the UCP beer stand at Taste of Madison with several friends.
  • Had a great time introducing some of my friends to each other and then all hanging out at Taste of Madison together. Big fun!
  • Folks from both volunteer shifts got together afterwards and enjoyed some drinks and fellowship at the Great Dane downtown.
  • Was able to help out some friends with a ride home after Taste. There was some mis-communication about volunteer parking and their vehicle unfortunately got locked in to the secured parking ramp.
  • Contacted by the producer for the ESPN/Universal Sports about being interviewed for TV coverage of IM WI. I responded via email with some additional information about myself and about my IM experiences. I should find out early next week whether or not I made the cut.
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Daily Positives – 9/3/2010

Posted on September 3, 2010 by dean
  • Productive physical therapy visit. Got a couple more exercises and I’m progressing to virtually no back pain and significantly less neck pain from the Truck Incident.
  • Grabbed a mocha from *$’s and a super yummy hummus & spinach wrap and a Purple Gurple smoothie from Beansprout’s after this morning’s PT appointment. I’d never heard of it before and even though its a “kid’s cafe”, it was really good.
  • Hung out with some fun co-workers during a birthday happy hour at the Prime Quarter.
  • Great discussion with a friend that has done several Ironman events. We discussed our most recent events and talked about all that I’ve been through in the last several months. He noted how well I have responded to adversity in both IM and life and that few people are capable of of that. He believes that I “get it”, referring to what the Ironman experience can be.
  • Dinner at Weary Traveler and interesting conversation with another friend about Ironman in general, what it means, what its done for me, the possibility if me doing more IMs and what’s next for me.
  • Through the two separate discussions about me, my challenges, and Ironman, I have made the realization that I no longer have any fear of failure. I’d like to write about this more soon, as there is much to say.
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Daily Positives – 9/2/2010

Posted on September 2, 2010 by dean
  • Reflective drive to and from Fran’s funeral services in Denmark/Cooperstown. I feel like I’m doing a better job of not regretting things in the past but learning from them and using the experiences to keep current challenges and triumphs in perspective.
  • Touched by the graciousness and supportiveness of Fran’s family throughout the day of her funeral service. Her loss will clearly be felt for a long time but I am again reminded of her legacy of an incredible family and the immensely positive affect she had on my life.
  • Got to catch up with friend, and swim coach, Jess before class. Was great to talk through IM Louisville and even talk about more events in the future. Can’t believe I’m still interested in triathlons!
  • Even though OW swim class was canceled due to weather, I was able to jump into a mat class at Pilatespa. Great to get some movement and a bit of stretching. Kathleen did quite a bit of work with physioballs – seems she never runs out of ideas to keep things fresh. Was a good reminder of things I should be doing at home more frequently.
  • Met up with the swim group at Roman Candle Pizza. My fav is still the Algo Malo also had a Capitol Oktoberfest. Really like that beer, probably a good thing its only a seasonal. Great to talk about training, the upcoming IM WI event and my experiences at IM Louisville.
  • Hung out at The Ranch for a bit last night and had a nice chat with Norm & Laurel. Ian and Alex were still up for a little while too. Was grateful to provide some positive vibes with my post-IM Louisville “glow”.  🙂
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Daily Positives – 9/1/2010

Posted on September 1, 2010 by dean
  • Another productive acupuncture appointment.
  • Received some thoughtful and sage advice from my acupuncturist (who went through a divorce as well). Basically his message was to take care of myself. This is not to the exclusion of others or to be overly critical of myself.
  • Big-time kudos from the C-level person I’ve been working with. She sent an email to the executive group announcing the successful completion of Phase 3B requirements and included a special note of thanks to me directly for my coordination efforts. It was even more gratifying that I wasn’t included on the email, but three others that were, forwarded it to me and thanked me as well. I really appreciated the recognition.
  • Good day easing back into work.
  • Great massage from Suzie at Af’firm.
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Daily Positives – 8/31/2010

Posted on August 31, 2010 by dean

Appreciated the PERFECT recovery day:

  • Slept in and had a lazy morning of relaxing, snacking, and merriment.
  • Enjoyed a walk with my favorite pup Sitka.
  • Unpacked and organized gear, did some laundry.
  • Jeff & Katie checked in to see how I was.
  • Excellent celebratory dinner with a friend at Fleming’s.
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Daily Positives – 8/30/2010

Posted on August 30, 2010 by dean
  • Incredibly fortunate to have the assistance and support of Norm this weekend. In his first role as “sherpa”, he did an excellent job. I appreciated looking forward to seeing him on the mostly-desolate bike course, getting his moral support through out the day, and him updating everybody on my progress through the blog.
  • Fun brunch with clan at Lynn’s Paradise Cafe. Great place and great food. If you’re ever in Louisville, its worth going out of your way!
  • Enjoyed some conversations with two other athletes as we waited in line to buy finisher gear. They were both first-timers and it was refreshing to hear their stories.
  • Though it was very long and boring, I made it home safely and got home earlier than planned.
  • Was great being welcomed back by a couple of friends.
  • Checked out and drooled over a friend’s new iPad. Still amazed at how great of a device it is.
Norm and Dean

Norm and Dean

Lunch with the gang at Lynn's Paradise Cafe

Lunch with the gang at Lynn's Paradise Cafe

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Daily Positive – 8/29/2010

Posted on August 29, 2010 by dean

With the love, help, and support of a lot of incredible people, and despite oppressive heat and humidity, I finished Ironman Louisville! I am an amazingly fortunate person and continue to learn more about myself!

IM Louisville Finish

IM Louisville Finish

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Ironman Louisville!

Posted on August 28, 2010 by dean

Ironman Louisville is taking place on Sunday, August 29, 2010. For those interested in following my progress on event day, my good friend and sherpa Norm will posting updates throughout the day.

My race number is: 2407

My update website is: http://deankesler.com/im/

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Daily Positives – 8/28/2010

Posted on August 28, 2010 by dean
  • Practice swim went well.
  • Casual breakfast with the gang.
  • All gear organized and checked in for tomorrow’s event.
  • Norm & I got a bit of recon done on the technical part of the bike course.
  • Fun dinner at Rocky’s Italian Grill.
  • Lot’s more well-wishes from friends. Its awesome to know so many supportive people!
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