Since the early dumping of snow two weeks ago the weather has been nothing but stellar! I relish this time of year as it allows my mind & body to recover while enjoying the trails around Boulder. I am a big fan of having a period of unstructured or very loosely strucutred training as a pre-cursor to early season base training. After taking about 2.5 weeks completely off from activity after IM Coach Z has encouraged me to stay active while enjoying some freedom from the power meter, tt bike, swim clock, Garmin, etc. It's been a blast to get out on my mountain bike and hit up the trails for some fun rides & runs with friends. I am a really BAD mountain biker so the time on the trails is great for my handling & pedaling skills. So far I've managed to keep it upright...damn maybe I shouldn't have written that...During this phase I like to take a break from the masters scene...not that I don't like those people or the entertainment Dave Scott can provide, but it's good to slow things the hell down and work on my aquatically-challenged swim form. Did I mention how sweet the weather has been!?! I'll throw in some hikes before the serious snow arrives and then spice up the training with skate skiing & snowshoeing.
Hope you are making the time to enjoy life with family & friends. Get your bum outdoors and explore some roads and trails you typically pay no attention to while hammering through a set of intervals...c'mon you know you want to!
Keep it smooth...
Brad
Sunday, November 08, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Green Sex - Part II
A few days ago I wrote about the effects wide-spread use of hormonal contraceptives and other steroids are having on our water systems. Before having a freaker, I ask for your patience as I provide a viable alternative which is truly green for the environment as well as our bodies, hearts and souls.
Within marriage the Catholic Church encourages couples to practice Natural Family Planning (NFP) as a healthy way to plan for or prevent having children. Many people confuse it with the "rhythm" method. It is much broader and involved both phsycially & emotionally. NFP is taught to couples preparing for marriage as it gets both the husband and wife actively involved in the process of family planning. Quite often this responsibility is placed on the woman via the pill, patch, etc. Contraception in all forms (jam, jelly, plug, drug, pill, patch, shot, condom...) does not allow a couple to completely give of themselves because there is a physical barrier. Instead of the sexual intimacy being one of a self-giving, selfless act it becomes "selfish". When a husband or wife whitholds himself/herself (their fertility) from each other they leave the other without the only thing they can bring - life. This also extends to the emotional & spiritual component of a marital relationship - too many of us are withholding ourselves from giving praise and encouragement. Where is the true freedom for a couple to completely give the full gift of themselves if contraception is being used? The contraceptive culture has been part of an increasingly growing lure to immediate gratification-what's-in-it-for-me attitude. Love is more deeper than sex and orgasm.
Marital love is one in which two individuals completely forget about their own immediate needs, wants and desires. It truly is a giving love versus a taking love. Contraception prevents a couple from completely giving of themselves physically, emotionally & spiritually. Instead of sex being one of a union it becomes an act of self-pleasure. Over time it is based on self-gratification instead of self-giving. Issues with trust, respect and communication may soon become emotional wedges within the relationship.
For non-married couples I offer abstinence as the healthiest way to protect you & your partner physically, emotionally & spiritually. For two people to hook up on a physical level is easy. When the physical aspect is removed from a relationship it lends more opportunity for a couple to sharpen the other, and often more challening, components of a relationship - trust, respect, communication, etc.
Keep it smooth...
Brad
Within marriage the Catholic Church encourages couples to practice Natural Family Planning (NFP) as a healthy way to plan for or prevent having children. Many people confuse it with the "rhythm" method. It is much broader and involved both phsycially & emotionally. NFP is taught to couples preparing for marriage as it gets both the husband and wife actively involved in the process of family planning. Quite often this responsibility is placed on the woman via the pill, patch, etc. Contraception in all forms (jam, jelly, plug, drug, pill, patch, shot, condom...) does not allow a couple to completely give of themselves because there is a physical barrier. Instead of the sexual intimacy being one of a self-giving, selfless act it becomes "selfish". When a husband or wife whitholds himself/herself (their fertility) from each other they leave the other without the only thing they can bring - life. This also extends to the emotional & spiritual component of a marital relationship - too many of us are withholding ourselves from giving praise and encouragement. Where is the true freedom for a couple to completely give the full gift of themselves if contraception is being used? The contraceptive culture has been part of an increasingly growing lure to immediate gratification-what's-in-it-for-me attitude. Love is more deeper than sex and orgasm.
Marital love is one in which two individuals completely forget about their own immediate needs, wants and desires. It truly is a giving love versus a taking love. Contraception prevents a couple from completely giving of themselves physically, emotionally & spiritually. Instead of sex being one of a union it becomes an act of self-pleasure. Over time it is based on self-gratification instead of self-giving. Issues with trust, respect and communication may soon become emotional wedges within the relationship.
For non-married couples I offer abstinence as the healthiest way to protect you & your partner physically, emotionally & spiritually. For two people to hook up on a physical level is easy. When the physical aspect is removed from a relationship it lends more opportunity for a couple to sharpen the other, and often more challening, components of a relationship - trust, respect, communication, etc.
Keep it smooth...
Brad
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Green Sex - Part I
If you are reading this in hopes of learning about the latest & greatest eco-friendly sex "toy" - psych :) In my efforts promoting abstinence for today's youth I am constantly trying to keep myself updated on current trends, stats, etc. The birth of contraception (no pun intended :) offerred the notion of unlimited "sexual freedom". Experiencing an increase in unplanned pregnancies, an emipdemic of sexually transmitted infections/diseases and thousands of young people strugling with emotional turmoil I wonder just how "free" we are? Our decisions certainly have an impact on our lives and those around us.
With millions of American women taking the common oral contraceptive, aka "the pill", have you ever wondered where those chemicals end up or how they impact a women's long-term health? Understand I am not in the business of judging people, telling them what to do or how to live their lives. However, it appears these high dosage hormones are now finding their way to our water system, rivers, streams & lakes. In doing so researchers are finding an imablance in aquatic life, namely fish, where male fish are becoming feminized.
Boulder, CO - When EPA-funded scientists at the University of Colorado studied fish in a pristine mountain stream known as Boulder Creek two years ago, they were shocked. Randomly netting 123 trout and other fish downstream from the city’s sewer plant, they found that 101 were female, 12 were male and 10 were strange “intersex” fish with male and female features.
It’s “the first thing that I’ve seen as a scientist that really scared me,” said then 59-year-old University of Colorado biologist John Woodling, speaking to the Denver Post in 2005.
They studied the fish and decided the main culprits were estrogens and other steroid hormones from birth-control pills and patches, excreted in urine into the city’s sewage system and then into the creek.
Woodling, University of Colorado physiology professor David Norris, and their EPA-study team were among the first scientists in the country to learn that a slurry of hormones, antibiotics, caffeine and steroids is coursing down the nation’s waterways, threatening fish and contaminating drinking water.
Since their findings, stories have been emerging everywhere. Scientists in western Washington found that synthetic estrogen – a common ingredient in oral contraceptives – drastically reduces the fertility of male rainbow trout.
Doug Myers, wetlands and habitat specialist for Washington State’s Puget Sound Action Team, told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer that in frogs, river otters and fish, scientists are “finding the presence of female hormones making the male species less male.”
This summer, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the American Pharmacists Association will begin a major public-awareness campaign regarding contamination that’s resulting from soaps and pharmaceuticals, including birth control.
What the Boulder scientists discovered, however, is that few people care. Or, if they’re worried, they’re in denial.
“Nobody is getting passionately concerned about it,” Norris said. “It makes no sense to me at all that people aren’t more concerned.”
When the story of his finding hit Denver and Boulder newspapers, Norris anticipated an immediate response from environmentalists, who define the politics of Boulder and are known to picket in the streets demanding ends to questionable farming practices, global warming and pesticide treatments.
To the professor’s surprise, however, the hormone story was mostly ignored.
- National Catholic Register
Hmm, I wonder if soaking my legs in the creek is going to make my voice go higher?
Keep it smooth...
Brad
With millions of American women taking the common oral contraceptive, aka "the pill", have you ever wondered where those chemicals end up or how they impact a women's long-term health? Understand I am not in the business of judging people, telling them what to do or how to live their lives. However, it appears these high dosage hormones are now finding their way to our water system, rivers, streams & lakes. In doing so researchers are finding an imablance in aquatic life, namely fish, where male fish are becoming feminized.
Boulder, CO - When EPA-funded scientists at the University of Colorado studied fish in a pristine mountain stream known as Boulder Creek two years ago, they were shocked. Randomly netting 123 trout and other fish downstream from the city’s sewer plant, they found that 101 were female, 12 were male and 10 were strange “intersex” fish with male and female features.
It’s “the first thing that I’ve seen as a scientist that really scared me,” said then 59-year-old University of Colorado biologist John Woodling, speaking to the Denver Post in 2005.
They studied the fish and decided the main culprits were estrogens and other steroid hormones from birth-control pills and patches, excreted in urine into the city’s sewage system and then into the creek.
Woodling, University of Colorado physiology professor David Norris, and their EPA-study team were among the first scientists in the country to learn that a slurry of hormones, antibiotics, caffeine and steroids is coursing down the nation’s waterways, threatening fish and contaminating drinking water.
Since their findings, stories have been emerging everywhere. Scientists in western Washington found that synthetic estrogen – a common ingredient in oral contraceptives – drastically reduces the fertility of male rainbow trout.
Doug Myers, wetlands and habitat specialist for Washington State’s Puget Sound Action Team, told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer that in frogs, river otters and fish, scientists are “finding the presence of female hormones making the male species less male.”
This summer, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the American Pharmacists Association will begin a major public-awareness campaign regarding contamination that’s resulting from soaps and pharmaceuticals, including birth control.
What the Boulder scientists discovered, however, is that few people care. Or, if they’re worried, they’re in denial.
“Nobody is getting passionately concerned about it,” Norris said. “It makes no sense to me at all that people aren’t more concerned.”
When the story of his finding hit Denver and Boulder newspapers, Norris anticipated an immediate response from environmentalists, who define the politics of Boulder and are known to picket in the streets demanding ends to questionable farming practices, global warming and pesticide treatments.
To the professor’s surprise, however, the hormone story was mostly ignored.
- National Catholic Register
Hmm, I wonder if soaking my legs in the creek is going to make my voice go higher?
Keep it smooth...
Brad
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Stewardship
What comes to mind when you hear the word "stewardship"?? Someone on a boat?? For most of us it prompts the idea of being fiscally responsible or giving of our time, talent & treasure to an organization/cause close to heart. Being a good steward of something is simply taking good care of it. I was recently reminded stewardship really encompasses more than finances. As I see it, we have all been granted many gifts (physical, material, emotional, etc.) from God. Yes, we work hard for these things, but I believe ultimately they are a gift from God.
I think I am in pretty damn good health and try to be a good steward of this gift by living a healthy lifestyle. Okay, maybe racing Ironman and training my arse off is a little extreme for the average joe, but it's all relative. Prior to taking up triathlons I lived a not-so-healthy lifestyle which involved heavy consumption of alcohol and junk food. I used to think my body was a temple for Red Stripe, Jagermeister, Kellogg's Pop-Tarts and late night sliders w/chilli fries. Today I believe I am a much wiser steward of my health.
How about the environment? Don't you do green in some capacity? Yeah you can admit to liking the feel of those organic cotton tees or the simple pleasure you experience from co-mingled recyling. Doing your part in being eco-friendly is being a good steward of the environment.
The notion of being a good steward can be applied to just about all life has to offer and certainly does not exclude the emotional or spiritual. Hmm, what in the heck is emotional stewardship?? I guess it's a simply a matter of doing good by others and yourself.
Keep it smooth...
Brad
I think I am in pretty damn good health and try to be a good steward of this gift by living a healthy lifestyle. Okay, maybe racing Ironman and training my arse off is a little extreme for the average joe, but it's all relative. Prior to taking up triathlons I lived a not-so-healthy lifestyle which involved heavy consumption of alcohol and junk food. I used to think my body was a temple for Red Stripe, Jagermeister, Kellogg's Pop-Tarts and late night sliders w/chilli fries. Today I believe I am a much wiser steward of my health.
How about the environment? Don't you do green in some capacity? Yeah you can admit to liking the feel of those organic cotton tees or the simple pleasure you experience from co-mingled recyling. Doing your part in being eco-friendly is being a good steward of the environment.
The notion of being a good steward can be applied to just about all life has to offer and certainly does not exclude the emotional or spiritual. Hmm, what in the heck is emotional stewardship?? I guess it's a simply a matter of doing good by others and yourself.
Keep it smooth...
Brad
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Beauty of Boulder
Taking advantage of an 80 degree day I snapped this quick pic of the snow capped Rockies off in the distance...yeah the pic isn't that great but c'mon it was taken with my phone.
Keep it smooth...
Brad
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