CORE2TRI

Stepping up on the starting line is an accomplishment within itself. Doing it while being healthy is another. This Sunday, May 6, thousands of runners will be lining up to begin to conquer their fears and doubts.

- 10 km (6.2 mi)
- 13.1 mi
- 26.2 mi

These are the distances they will run. But this race isn't about those miles. It is about each individual pushing their limits. An overweight/obese guy who never walked is now running 10 km to show himself and everybody else he can do it. Mothers that spend so much time working, taking care of their kids and husbands are doing this to prove that they are not just moms, but grinders. What about that kid who is trying to outrun his fears of failure. They are stepping up, not because its fun or cool, but because they found something bigger than themselves. Its called believing. They can see it...... feel it. This feeling is beyond the pain you feel in your legs while running or the burning of your lungs at the last mile. Makes you drop that quadruple bacon extra cheese cheeseburger and french fries. Rise and shine! It's only 5:30 am on a saturday morning and you are up.

Believing Drives YOU

All of your training has peaked for this event. Its time to just relax, enjoy the scene, and be humble. Meditate and think about all those hard training sessions you accomplished, those early morning runs, what about those late night runs, the food you avoided to stay away from Mrs.Muffin Top and her husband body fat, the food you ate to avoid muscle inflammation. Be confident in your training and in your body. More important of it all, Believe in yourself in totality. Believe in your feet, legs, body, mind, spirit, training, family, and anything else you can think of. That is THE day. No turning back! Just breathe. You got this.....just believe.

I did a lot of training this summer. Every summer I work as a lifeguard, but not this one. Lifeguarding is an awesome job. It pays well but there was one problem. I wanted to do what I love. Last summer I hated waking up everyday and slipping into my uniform. Then off to the bus stop to wait for the bus that took me to Rockaway beach. I had no choice. I was getting paid to do so. On a random Tuesday it was cloudy and ugly outside. When it was my turn to get up on the beach chair it began to pour. And no I am not allowed to get off the chair unless it thundered. So there I was on the chair of doom. Getting rained on by cats and dogs. My co-workers were in their car watching movies and staying dry. To be honest I loved being out there while it was raining. And it hit me.

I was happy.

I didn't win the lottery or even win a race. I was just out there with nature and enjoying every single second that passed by. I was smiling and sticking my tongue out to get water, being a kid again. I loved the moment I was in. I was not thinking of what I did that morning or what I was going to do when I hopped off that chair. No past or future thinking.

Rushing home to take a warm shower, I opened the front door and everything slowed down. I saw my mom cooking. She looked tired and stressed. My dad was yelling at my mom, and my mom back at him. I noticed they didn't look happy. My dad was having issues at work because his boss gave him too much to do. My mom was stressed from having to work and get home to cook. I'm not here to tell you that my parents are unhappy people but I am here to tell you that I noticed that they didn't come from a place where they loved to be and/or come from doing something they enjoyed.

The next day I didn't wake up in time for work. Nor the day after. Nor the day after that. As a matter of fact, 3 weeks passed without me showing up for work. Buddies and co-workers were calling me and texting me. I didn't respond. I did think about the money that I was missing out on, BUT I was too busy to think of it everyday. I was too busy swimming at the local pool, taking my bike out and riding out to NJ, running in the trails of Bear mountain, taking yoga classes, appreciating the trees in central park, and taking in life. During this time I was not able to buy the stuff I wanted. It didn't matter because those things stopped defining who I was as a person. If you stop, look around and pay attention, you will see that everyone is shopping. Everyone is buying things that they don't need to be happy. The problem is that the cycle doesn't stop. We don't get what we want and we suffer. We get what we want and we still suffer.

I could not explain how excited I was to wake up the next morning to breathe fresh air and get moving. I appreciated my parents more at the same time because they were supporting these adventures I was going on. They figured it was a phase and I would become "normal" again. One day I was speaking with my dad and he asked, "why don't you start lifeguarding again or find a job?" I looked down at the floor. I must have looked a bit lost, but eventually gazed up. While looking into his eyes I said, "because I don't want to end up like you." You should have seen his face. He had to pick up his eyes and balls off the floor. Before he could either flip on me or cry I began to talk. I told him, "You work at a place you hate, to buy stuff that you don't need or things that do not make you happy. I love you pops, but I don't believe in that life. You have done so much for me and this family but please don't preach to live a life like yours. You had to find a job to support us when you came to this country. I appreciate it. But now I have the opportunity to do something I love and enjoy, and only because of what you have done for me." We hugged. Never have we spoken about jobs again. I went back to smiling and loving life. I did only what my heart wanted to. If I wanted to play on the mountains I would do exactly that. If I wanted to see people's faces I would take the train. If I wanted to workout I would go to the gym.

After swimming one morning I headed out on my bike. It was a tough session. I pounded those pedals until I ran out of gas. I was relieved to have done my workouts. I headed back home. Once I got there I saw my mom and dad huddled up. They were whispering about something. I passed right by them with a "HIII!!" and went to grab some cookies to chomp on. They told me they wanted to speak with me. I freaked out a bit. They went to the living room and sat down. Nervously I sat with them. That cookie was good but I thought my dad caught me taking 20 bucks out of his wallet. "I'm screwed. I'm screwed. I'm screwed." My dad opened his mouth and seemed to want to say something but he couldn't. All of a sudden my mom out of nowhere said, "Your dad went to the doctors today." While chewing I said, "He has high blood pressure again doesn't he?" I looked at my dad but he was looking straight at the floor and couldn't look up. "They found a tumor in his kidneys and it could be cancerous."

Life stopped. My heart dropped. The other half of that cookie was on the floor. My dad was tearing but still looking at the floor. I have never seen my dad weak in my entire life. This night he was exactly what the word weak meant. He was always a fighter but this time you could see he gave up. Life had beaten him to the "punchline." I began to cry. I didn't care about my adventures anymore. My father has one daughter and two sons. I was the one he was closest to. Only because he felt like he "messed" up on me less. I was destroyed.

Destroyed = put an end of existence of something

I didn't care about myself anymore. I have learned in life to always cry. Once your tears dry up, GET UP, Start moving, and be proactive. Solutions don't fall from the sky. We have to find it as if it were a hidden treasure. Being part of the modern generation, I jumped right on google. I started to investigate how to beat this. I made up in my mind that this was NOT going to beat my dad. This strong man was NOT going to give up. If he gives up I knew I would be right next to him to pick him right back up. I would not give up. My dad would not leave. He would not leave me and my mom. He couldn't lose. He has always beaten every obstacle that has confronted him.

There was a movie that everyone was and still is talking about in the cancer community. It is a movie called "Forks Over Knives". If you ever have the chance to rent it, through Netflix or amazon, please do so. But I must warn you, it might save your life. It talked about how we can eradicate cancer and create it just by controlling what we put in our mouths. I do not want to get into details because I would be able to put a cover on this blog entry and call it a book. To summarize it, it shows how doctors and researchers have found that meats, dairy products, eggs, and anything else that has a father and mother causes cancer. Yes that piece of chicken you just finished eating causes cancer. It isn't because chicken is bad for you. It is what is in the chicken and all these animal products that cause cancer. Steroids, hormones, chemicals that are put in your car, are now in what you eat just to make an extra buck.

I ordered the movie and sat my dad down and we watched it. He has always had trouble with his diet. He likes to eat too much and he likes foods that have flavor. Who doesn't? Right after the movie was done he looked at me and said, "let's do it." You could see his eyes glow again. I gave him hope. Thats all you need to win a fight. But this was a war. I just hoped that HOPE was enough to win this one.

Since that day we have all been vegan. We do not touch anything that walks, talks,breathes, has a mother and father. We don't do it to be "vegan" or be "cool". We do it to feel great, to stop feeling acid reflux, to stop feeling bloated, to stop feeling fat, to stop feeling gassy. We wanted to feel good. I am here to tell you that when I did feel some of the symptoms above, I thought it was normal. My parents have stopped feeling a lot of "normal" symptoms. My father will be getting blood results soon enough, and doctors are going to check the tumor in 6 months and when they don't see it they will freak out. We have been "vegans" for a little over 2 months. My dad has lost weight, his energy level has risen, and he tells everyone he feels amazing compared to what "normal" was.

This is why I am a vegan. I know this was a long story but I hope its an inspirational one, a story to keep you moving forward, to focus on your dreams. The goals you want to accomplish are possible, all you need is hope, always living in the moment, in the NOW, never worried about yesterday or what tomorrow will bring. What you do now is all that matters. If you want to be a singer than grab a mic and start singing. If you want to become a model, do it now. Don't wait for that "thing" or "time". Begin NOW. NOW is the only thing guaranteed. You might not see tomorrow, and yesterday left.

I am Rob THE BOSS. I am vegan. I am strong. I am free. I am fearless.

I am YOUR TRAINER