Babak's Blog

Levels of crazy

we all have different things that we consider crazy.  and i realized that it's all relative.  as a member of the l.a. triathlon club, i often have conversations with people who are training for or have completed an ironman triathlon.  amongst member of the club (and beyond to some extent), the ironman is the ultimate goal.  that's obviously a personal goal and not one i place any judgment on.  but the fact is that while a challenge, many members of the club want to do an ironman. at the same time, there are many people in the world who think that doing a triathlon is pretty nutty.  for other running a 5-k is crazy. but if you talk with member of my triathlon club, they would think a 5-k is a relatively easy training run. 

and this is where i realized that everything is relative. i've always loved cycling and have been fascinated by ultra-distance cycling since i was a teenager.  so now that i'm training for some ultra-distance events (typically 200 miles or longer), some of my friends in the club think that i'm crazy, that they could never envision being on a bike for 10/15/20 hours.  yet these are the very same people who will get up at 4:30 in the morning to head out to a race in which they might jump in the freezing cold ocean for the first leg of their triathlon....

and so this is what i refer to as levels of crazy.  friends of mine who are doing something that most of the population has no desire to even consider doing are all of a sudden calling someone else crazy. it's all relative. 

and often times, it's merely a matter of perspective...

All I really needed to know...

All I really needed to know, I learned in the 5 years after the Stanford GSB:

• Family is what’s most important
• Friends come next
• But family is still most important
• Mistakes are a lot easier to make than you think
• Grousbeck was right – the best thing to do after business school is to “do” rather than continue to analyze
• Man, that analysis paralysis sucks the big one
• Answering that lame-ass HBS application question – “describe your greatest failure” – is a lot easier to do today than it was 7 years ago
• I have tons of examples
• Too many
• I’ve made less money than I thought I would’ve
• I’ve made more friends than I thought I would’ve
• I’ve grown up a lot more than I thought I would’ve
• Putting yourself out there – whether in you career, dating, or otherwise – takes guts
• Failing when you do so humbles you
• The law of inertia is a powerful thing – when you’re moving, you can really move. When you’re sitting idle, man, you can one sit idle for a looooong time
• The $25K I lost in the magazine I started and the year I spent doing so were worth more in business and life lessons than the $100K and 2 years I spent at the GSB
• That doesn’t mean I wish I didn’t go
• Still working on that balance thing
• Given the choice between a) starting a business in Boston and having to see pictures of my new-born nephews on a website and b) leaving Boston after 2.5 weeks but getting to be at the hospital when my sisters had their kids – well, no doubt which one I’m glad I chose
• At one point, I realized I was living at home with my parents, had given up my convertible BMW for a minivan, hadn’t exercised in months, failed at my business, wasn’t dating (in fact frightened away a woman I fell for, leading to the single most embarrassing moment in my life, and that’s saying something), was $100K in debt with government loans, credit card debt and family obligations. And I was 30. Not how I pictured it.
• And that’s when I learned the most about myself – whether I would pick myself up and get going or be one of those “if only” types – “if only this happened, things would be different”
• Love is one of the most amazing things there is
• Can also be one of the most painful things there is
• If being an uncle is 1/20 as cool as being a dad, well…
• I still have a lot of untapped potential
• I’m getting better at my adage – “Every encounter is an opportunity”
• I can earn a living by: consulting, being a part-time banker, playing professional blackjack, being a leadership program facilitator, helping people apply to business school, teaching GMAT prep courses, managing a triathlon club’s merchandise, running the timing for local swim and run events, and being an extra for a movie shoot.  How's that for the value of the GSB!
• I can’t earn a living by: running a failing ad-based magazine, hoping the phone rings, watching TV, surfing the Net
• A deal ain’t done until it’s done and you’re sitting behind the desk. And even then, be cautious
• Lots of people want you to do something for free. No such luck.
• Networking is a lot of fun, but staying focused on results is the key.
• I hope to be a cyclist and triathlete for the rest of my life
• It’s a whole lot easier to be successful if you’re working your way towards success with someone who shares your goals and who will be a fan of you no matter what
• Entrepreneurship isn’t a title or a job. It’s a state of mind.
• One thing I’m particularly proud of is making sure I was always happy for my friends and family when they succeeded, regardless of my own successes or failures
• Speaking of which, Alp, next time you have a stock tip, my email address is: babakazad@yahoo.com     

Solvang Double Century

One of the huge benefits of doing longer-distance bicycling events is that I get to see some amazing places.  In the past month, I’ve ridden in and around Death Valley and then in Solvang and the Central Coast – both of which are just beautiful.  I suppose that’s one reason I prefer biking to both swimming and running.  The only scenery you get in swimming is either the black line at the bottom of the pool or the random dolphin swimming by you in the open water.  As for running, I love trail running and running on the beach, but ultimately, you don’t get to see the vast scenery in a single day that you can while riding a bike.   

What to say of my 2^nd double century in Solvang this past weekend?  Well, for starters, having done the distance once before, I knew, at least partly, what it would take to do the distance. So I chose to approach this less as a matter of getting thru the distance than of trying to ride hard and steady for ~200 miles.  And that’s a weird thing for me, to feel like I am pushing for 11 hours.   

It’s also one of the hard things about an Ironman – the first time, you’re usually thinking about doing everything right so you finish, but since it is such a physically demanding event, it’s hard to do another too soon.  But riding, while tiring, doesn’t place the same sort of strain on your body that a triathlon does – in particular, the run after the ride is usually what really beats me up.   

But it was cool to be able to try my hand at the same distance 3 weeks after my first venture into the ultra-distance world.

Another thing I realized was that compared to many others out there, I am significantly more comfortable riding in the rain.  After the ride, the one big thing I heard from people was comments about the rain.  As for myself, I suppose I’ve gotten so used to riding in the rain that I have come to enjoy it.  And during the ride, while I didn’t get to thoroughly enjoy the scenery around me, I was able to ride hard and efficiently throughout.  With my rain slicker on, I stayed generally dry and just rode.  I guess the fact that I was aero a ton of the time when it was raining is an indication for me that I am comfortable in the rain.

Speaking of the scenery, I also realized that if I’m riding hard, then it’s more about what I’m doing than being able to take in the scenery.  So while I did take my mental breaks every once in a while, I must admit that there are certain stretches that I have very little recollection about – either b/c I was trying to stay safe in the rain or just being focus on my riding. 

One of the final points to make was that while I experienced my first bonk in several years (I’m usually really good about nutrition), I’ve found that on these longer rides, I seem to almost get stronger after the 7^th, 8^th, 9^th hour.  Kinda weird to talk about it that way, but it feels that way.  And that’s a pretty cool thing.

Next up is the Desert Tri, where I’ll hopefully be able to see how fast I can go in almost Olympic distance race.  And since it’s a dead-flat course, should be really fun, albeit 2+ hours of constant pain…

Then I think I’ll be gearing up for the LA Grand Tour, where I’m considering the triple century.  Good times….

Songs from Movies

Rather than the typical "top theme songs from a movie" list, the following is a list of the top songs from a movie, but it must remind you of a specific scene or sequence of scenes.  Will become more clear as you read thru the list:

Top 10 list of songs that remind you of a specific scene or sequence of scenes in a movie: 

• "Blinded by the light" – Blow – When Johnny depp’s character starts taking over the west coast cocaine distribution
• "In your eyes" - Say Anything – The legendary boom box scene outside her house
• “You're the best” – Karate Kid – Tournament montage sequence
• "If God Will Send His Angels" - City of Angels – final scene
• "Maniac" – Flashdance – No comment need
• "She's gonna be somebody's baby tonite" - Fast Times at Ridgemont High - scene where Jennifer Jason Leigh loses her virginity in the baseball dugout
• "American Girl" - Silence of the Lambs - The senator's daughter is singing this in car before crazy guy kidnaps her
• "Age of Aquarius" - 40 year old virgin – final scene
• "She gives me love" - Phenomenon - Not sure why. i just always remember this one.
• “Rawhide” - Blue Brothers – “We play both kinds of music – country and western”
• “Girl you’ll be a woman soon” - Pulp Fiction - Uma
• “I need a hero” - Footloose – Tractor scene
• “You've lost that loving feeling” - Top Gun – Serenade in the bar
• “I like that old time rock n roll” - Risky Business – No comment needed
• “Nasty girl” – Beverly Hills Cop – in the strip club
• “Layla” - Good Fellas – no comment
• “Stuck in the middle w/ you” - Reservoir Dogs – ugh.  What a painful scene

 

Death Valley Double Century

On Saturday, March 4th, 2006, I participated in the Death Valley Double Century - that's a 200-mile bike ride in and around Death Valley.  Ultra-distance cycling is always where I've wanted to be and this was my first venture towards that end (well, other than biking across the US when I was in college, but let's just say college was more than a decade back).

I could've written about a variety of topics about the event.  This is a sampling:

• Humble pie – Scott Tinley, former pro triathlete, has a great quote, "No matter how bitchin you are, somewhere, someplace, somebody is better than you."  I try not to allow myself to get an ego in general, but it's made a whole lot easier when I'm riding along with a guy who is 72 years old, and that guy ends up finishing ahead of me. 
• Facing our demons – we all have demons to face. Sometimes we know what they are, sometimes not.  Riding on gravel turns out to be one I didn't know about.  Turns out that the Death Valley construction folks didn't give a hoot that there was this event going on, so they started construction on a section of road that we were going to bike on.  The day before, I really didn't think it was rideable and I had fully prepared myself to flat a couple times and then just call it.  Once on the gravel, everyone took some time to get accustomed, sliding all over the place.  But we eventually made our way thru. 
  • What was more amusing was on the way back (it was an out-and-back route), I thought I remembered where the gravel ended; but when I got to that spot, the gravel continued.  I thought that either a) I was just losing my mind and memory after 100+ miles or b) in the 8 hours since I'd been by this area, the construction folks had put down even more gravel.  I just chalked it up to "a".  Turns out "b" was the correct answer.  Yes folks, construction continues. 
• Biking in Death Valley – for those of you who haven't been there, DV is an amazingly beautiful place – it's not just simply barren rocks, but there're tons of wildflowers, awesomely-colored rocks, and views of the snow-covered mountains that surround and create the valley.  For much of the ride I was focused on the road and things internal, but every once in a while, I'd make sure to take a look around to appreciate where I was riding.
• Being on a bike for 13 hours – it seems that most people can't fathom being on a bike for that long, whether from exhaustion, boredom, or something else.  Well, the ride confirmed something I already knew (remember, I biked across the US during college – 4,337 miles in 57 days).  I love biking.  Love being on the bike, turning the pedals, the speed, catching the scenery.  All of it.  On the bike is one of the places I know I am happy. 
  • It's interesting b/c much of the time, I realized I'm not thinking of other things.  It's very much about the moment for me.  Even the event director said something to that effect before we started – he said not to think about the 200 miles ahead of us, but be in the now.  And that's really where I was and where I am when I ride.  With 70 miles to go, I considered that I had another 5 hours until I finished but then that passed and I just focused on the now.  There are too many things to focus on – pacing, nutrition, the road around, other cyclists.  I actually came away surprised by my level of focus during the ride – sure my mind wanders here and there, but it's rarely filled with thoughts of "I'd like to be somewhere else" or "when will this ride end?"  That's just not how I think about it.  I just love being on my bike. 
• The finish – it's hard to describe much of the ride and in many ways while I love being on the bike, it's the other stuff that I find more interesting to talk about.  Perhaps it's also that I want to keep that part of it to myself; something to the effect that talking about it takes away the wonder of it for me. 
  • The only part I will talk about is the finish.  Unlike events from Ironman to a local 5-K, where there's a finish line, banner, crowds of people cheering, etc., the end of the DV Double was simply this:  I rolled up to the area where we started – there were a couple tents where I'd picked up some food and water earlier.  It was 8pm, so  it was dark out (I did the last 35 miles in the dark - with lites of course).  As I rolled up, there were ~20 or so people in the area. lit up with a few lights.  A few people clapped, a couple others shook my hand in congratulations, I made my way to the tent to register my number and finishing time, and that was basically it. 
  • No fanfare.  No big finishes.  Not even a finish line.  But you know what, it's exactly how I pictured it. Low key.  Plenty of feeling of support and encouragement.  Everyone doing this for their own reasons.  A relatively small group of people (150 or so) who made the trek to Death Valley and turned their pedals a couple hundred miles over the route.  You finish.  You feel the pride.  No one can take it from you.  Great job.   Here's some pizza and soda.  Call your family and friends.  Get some rest.  See you at the next ride.

Hello to the Internet

Here's the typical "just starting off on this and will see what we make of it" post. 

So, here goes.

Just starting off on this - I've kept a journal on and off for ages, but I think this will be something different than a journal - will do my best to keep this interesting for everyone. 

So, since quotes are my love, let's start off with one of my favorites:

"Never take a laxative and a sleeping pill on the same nite." -Anon