Super Life And General Meet At The Crossroads: Fill & Download for Free

I moved to India from San Francisco to join a start-up incubator put on by Click LabsFor a long time my highest upvoted answer on Quora was prominently displayed at the top of the question:How did one small decision change your entire life?Then Samar Singla answered the question with his own fateful decision. His answer slowly started to gain massive amounts of votes and visibility, eventually replacing my answer at the top. Intrigued by his answer, I followed him. Samar then followed me back. A few hours later he sent me a message asking if I wanted to grab some coffee to talk about my previous venture Musicx.fm.One month later and I found myself sweating my ass off in a train station in Calcutta, waiting for the train that would take me to Chandigarh, the home of Click Lab's new incubator; The Juggernaut.(the people at the Suzuki dealership blessed my car. India has a unique approach to customer service)India is probably the most tangible country on this planet. All I have to do is walk outside my front door to be bombarded with the sensual reality of India. The smells are intense (both good and bad). People are everywhere. The food is intoxicating. For better or worse, India makes you feel alive.In my previous adventures abroad, I had initially avoided the idea of going to India. I had this impression that India only drew a certain type of foreigner, the pseudo-religious hippie on a quest to find themselves in an India that no longer exists. I avoided India for quite a long time.To be honest, I was secretly scared of India. I had been through some pretty harrowing experiences before, like when I ran out of gas while driving my motorcycle through a Cambodian jungle at 1AM. Yet from all the great and horrible tales I had heard from fellow expats about life in India, I had this gut feeling that living in India would require me to let go in a way I never experienced before.Luckily, the long tentacles of fate decided to intervene. When Samar first proposed his plans to start The Juggernaut, myself and my Brazilian business partner Felipe Pires were at a crossroads with MusicX. We had spent the last of our funds on a redesign of a particular feature and our assumptions were not being validated. Since neither of us knew how to code and we couldn't afford to pay anyone, I was getting ready to make a move.At the coffee shop next to Click Labs's new office in San Francisco, I told Samar that I was planning on moving to Mexico to teach myself how to code. I was going to get on a bus to Guadalajara where I knew I could live on a small amount of money and fully concentrate on picking up a new skill. I was going to Mexico because it was cheap.After explaining my plan for a self-outsourced computer science education, Samar immediately asked; "If you think Mexico is cheap, how cheap do you think India is?". I paused for a moment and realized that this question would be my very own "red pill/blue pill" moment. I told him that I knew India was cheap. He responded with another question; "Why move to Mexico? I'll fly you to Chandigarh and give you a team to build whatever you want." He then went on to explain the specifics of his new incubator model. As he talked it dawned on me that India was calling.In exchange for flying us to India and giving us whatever we need in terms of development and design resources, Click Labs would take an equity stake in whatever myself and my business partner eventually build. Samar explained how they specialize, and excel, in mobile app development so access to talent would never be an issue. The only major requirement is that it could not be done remotely. Myself and my business partner would need to move to India for at least a period of 6 months to directly communicate our vision with the people tasked with building it. I told Samar that I would seriously consider the offer and we should meet again to discuss the details.After hearing Samar's offer, I realized that this was what I had been unconsciously seeking since the day I stepped on the airplane to China back in 2006 and began my Un-PhD in international education. At first I was satisfied with the stimulating experience of attending a university in countries like Turkey or Thailand. I met so many cool people, partied way too much, and learned in a way that wasn't possible through Wikipedia.Deep down, I knew that the study abroad lifestyle couldn't satisfy me forever (although I tried). I needed something substantial to spend my time on, I needed to create something. This conflicted with the fact that it is almost impossible to find motivating work in a country that speaks a different language. I taught English in Asia, volunteered in Palestine, and worked for a non-profit in Colombia, yet I always felt alienated from the help I could provide. I wasn't being effective.I tried starting my own things in the countries I lived. I began a paintball business in a favela in Rio de Janeiro. I started a music service targeted towards the developing world. All of these things were great experiences and taught me the meaning of starting a company, yet I didn't have access to a network of talented people who could build the vision in my head.When I met Felipe Pires at the paintball field in Rio, I knew that I had found another person committed to living life on the The Edge. He has an ability to mystically hatch brilliant concepts and solutions from his brain, in a way that seems almost effortless. His relentless energy to make progress on the project at hand is mind boggling. He compliments my weaknesses in a way that makes me confident we can cross any obstacle that is thrown in our way. We decided to start ASAN Labs and build an international enterprise together.Nine long months of outsourcing our development to Brazil and India, we continuously ran into the largest obstacle any fledgling enterprise faces, finding the right people to build the vision. At our lowest point in the existential battle that is starting a company, Samar appeared with the offer that would have such a tangible effect on my life.After meeting with Samar, I rushed to get on the internet so I could talk with Felipe, who was in Brazil. Before I could explain, Felipe starts telling me about his recent Facebook conversation with a Croatian friend who had Couchsurfed with him in Rio several years back. It turns out she was working for a company in the same city in India that we had been outsourcing our development to for the last several months. She was telling him about her amazing experience working for a company there. I asked him what company she was working for. He responded "Click Labs". I told him about the meeting with Samar.Through Felipe's friend we were able to independently verify everything Samar had just told me. We found out that Click Labs hosted several AIESEC interns and they were by far the most interesting and innovative company in Chandigarh, at least according to her fellow AIESEC interns. Click Labs had only been started a couple of years before hand, but from what we discovered they had hit upon a formula that works and was growing massively. Subsequent research of my own resulted in several close mutual connections to Click Labs (Adam Lee of Bohemian Guitars is a happy client). The decision was clear. We were moving to India to see how far this rabbit hole really goes.I digress. The question originally asked was about "tangible benefits" from Quora. While there is no denying the causal link between Quora and my tangible presence in India at the current moment, whether I have benefited is a different question. I will attempt to answer this now.In the past two months, I have been blessed by incredible experiences that have made me grow as a person. I have been trying to learn Hindi, which is activating parts of my brain which haven't been used in awhile and I felt like I was losing. I have been learning Yoga with a yogi who comes to the house every morning. I even learned how to drive a manual transmission in the mountains of the Himalayas. Most importantly, I have had my desire to mix experiencing a new culture while working on something that motivates me at the same time. Having immediate access to incredibly talented people at Click Labs makes me feel like I have startup super powers. We can immediately act upon any idea that pops into our head (we try to act on the good ones).Yet all of the benefits listed above have been intrinsic benefits. The primary benefit that I believe the asker of this question is looking for, is probably an extrinsic benefit somehow related to money or objective success. I have not answered that part of the question yet. The achievement of this benefit will rest on whether we can execute on our most current vision to make mobile messaging suck less. Only time will tell.If you would like to follow the story as it happens, please check out my Blog: The Outsourced American.

This is long but it's my story.In November of 2011, I decided to make some changes. I have always struggled with my weight, and outside of cycling with some friends, have never undertaken any athletic endeavors. I weighed about 238 pounds, didn’t eat very well, consumed too much coffee, and drank my fair share of booze over the years. I felt like I was at a crossroads. Here I was at 38 years old and quickly approaching my forties as a somewhat unhealthy man. I could either make some changes now or deal with health issues that would inevitably manifest into serious problems down the road.I decided to quit coffee and alcohol for the foreseeable future and attempt to get healthy. Two months later, in January 2012, I had an unexpected migraine bout that had me in the hospital getting MRIs, CT scans, and a spinal tap because of concerns that I had cranial pressure caused by spinal fluid leakage. I vowed during that time to start taking my health as my number one priority should I recover. It was a scary time for me and after three weeks the migraine left as fast as it came. My neurologist and I have no idea what caused it but I now look at it as a call to action. I started reading books on nutrition and discovered a book by Rich Roll called “Finding Ultra: Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World’s Fittest Men, and Discovering Myself”. Rich’s story starts at 38 and barely able to walk up his stairs without wheezing. He then transforms himself, over a few years, into an Ultra distance triathlete and nutrition expert. He is vegan and his story made me evaluate my eating lifestyle and physical goals. I continued not drinking alcohol, not stressing my body with caffeine over-consumption, and decided to go vegetarian to see how my body adapted. In many ways, Rich Roll’s life and mine share many parallels. So after reading his book, and during an impulsive moment, I signed up for a half Ironman (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and 13.1 mile run) and finished after only 3 months of training. The process to finish that race is a story in itself. That accomplishment left me wanting more. I had no idea what to do next and was suffering from a post race depression. It was such a feat, but at the same time a let down as I no longer had a goal. So in late 2012, I was lucky enough to secure a spot in Ironman Florida 2013 in the following November. It is double the distance and I later learned that it is exponentially harder than the half. So a year later and 40 pounds lighter, here is my story of that journey and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did reliving it on paper.3 Days PriorMy truck is packed with all the items I will need for Ironman Florida. I have my bike on the rack, and a few bags carrying clothes and general necessities. Other bags contain all my tri gear that has been meticulously accounted for and packed carefully. I even have blankets and pillows in the back for the ride home. I know I will be sore and extremely tired the day after the race and figure I will be able to set up a bed in the back to rest while my wife, Erin, does some driving. I am excited although leaving home is bittersweet. Due to school and Halloween, my kids are unable to join me. Erin will stay back to take the kids trick or treating, and then fly up the day before the race. I really wish my whole family would be riding up with me, but at least I will have Erin there to cheer me on. I can honestly say that missing Halloween, when my kids are at the special age for it, is a tough pill to swallow. But I have no choice. Ironman requires athletes to check in two days prior the race.I head out on the 650-mile drive from Fort Lauderdale to Panama City Beach. I don’t mind road tripping at all and am looking forward to the journey. However, relaxation quickly turns into concern. About two hours in to the drive, my right toe starts giving me a little pain every ten minutes or so. After four hours, it hurts every five minutes until a short time later it becomes every minute. I cannot ignore it. I know this pain. I had the same issue a few years back. I panic a little and then pull off the highway. Several years ago I broke my big toe and I don’t think it has ever healed quite right causing sporadic issues. I sit in my truck at a gas station and think, “why of all times in my life would I have an ingrown big toenail three days before Ironman? What have I done to deserve this?” I pull out my phone and search “podiatrist panama city beach florida” and find someone. I call their office and beg my way to get an appointment the next day. At least now I have a plan and that makes me feel a little better.Wednesday evening I arrive at my hotel and check in. I take a short run to test the toe and although it hurts a little it’s ok. It may not seem like a huge deal to anyone who hasn’t done an event like this, but when you have trained for 10 months straight and plan to cover a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, and a full 26.2-mile marathon, every little injury magnifies itself. I cannot bear the thought of not finishing and the last thing I need is a lousy foot infection. You cannot run on that.2 Days PriorMy schedule is to do a short swim, a short bike ride, and finish up with a short run. I throw on my wetsuit and hit the beach. The forecast indicates a storm is moving in so the rolling waves are not unexpected. I am comfortable in the ocean and have no issues doing my swim. I then hop on my bike and enjoy a 30-minute tour of Panama City Beach. After a short break I throw on the running gear and do a run. I check my toe and although it’s hurting most of the time, it doesn’t seem to affect me once I get going. The toenail has yet to get infected and I am looking forward to seeing the doctor for reassurance.I drive to the podiatrist’s office and he quickly diagnoses me with the not so unexpected ingrown toenail and numbed me up so he could perform a careful partial extraction of my toenail. Yes, two days before my first Ironman, I am unbelievably getting my right foot worked on. We had discussed my concerns about running a marathon afterwards, so he takes special care during the procedure. I consider myself fortunate to find him on some random Google search.That night I watch some Thursday Night Football that happens to be between the Bengals and my beloved Dolphins. Dolphins win in overtime so it is a good night. Everything feels good at this point and it is now time to get excited for Erin’s arrival the next day.1 Day PriorMy coach, Mike Plumb from San Diego, flies in to meet me and about six other athletes he is training. I have not met Mike in person to this point so it is great to introduce myself after so much time working over the phone and the internet. He has planned a group swim but it quickly becomes apparent that the conditions are nowhere close to ideal. The lifeguards have issued two red flags which means there is no swimming allowed. It is their way of saying that if you go out there and find yourself in an emergency situation, they cannot guarantee sending someone out to rescue you. The riptides are visible. It is nasty. The lifeguard is barking out warnings from their truck’s PA system urging beach goers to not enter the water. I have opted to not swim due to my toe issue and one look at the ocean confirms my decision is the correct one. I watch a few swimmers go out but they all return quickly after getting tossed around. If the waves continue like this, there is no way Ironman is having a swim section. To me this would be unacceptable and I can tell others are having similar thoughts.I decide to get my bike and tri bags checked in to transition early as rain is forecasted all afternoon. The bags contain all my gear for each race section. I have my T1 bag that includes all my bike shoes, clothes, nutrition, etc. Then I have my T2 bag that consists of my running shoes, fresh clothes, etc. There is a changing area for athletes to change so everyone has these bags and the transition between the disciplines is part of the event. The quicker you change, the quicker your overall time is.I hop in my truck and drive about 90 minutes to pick up Erin from the airport. It is great to have her here. She is my first supporter to arrive. Later that day, my dad, his wife Susi, my brother, and my good friends Mike and Tracy are due to arrive. It all gets exciting now that I can share the next few days with all of them.A few hours later, the projected storm rolls in. I can hardly see the ocean from my balcony. The forecast still indicates a beautiful race day but I wonder how that is possible looking at the rain coming in sideways and the wind gusting over 20 mph. It calms down a little over the next few hours and we head to dinner where we meet up with my dad and Susi after their arrival. It is then an early night after going completely OCD checking and double-checking my gear.Race DayThe alarm goes off and I wake up at 4:30am. The first thing I do this morning is look out off my balcony in to the early morning darkness and check the ocean. When I see that it has calmed to a reasonable level, I am relieved, but then it hits me that I am about to do Ironman Florida. A 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike, and a full 26.2-mile marathon are on today’s agenda. After eating breakfast, I quickly realize I am running a little late considering transition closes at 6:30am. I still have to drop off some more gear in my bags at the start area. I get my gear together and anxiously head out to the start.Erin and I carry all my last minute items to the transition area. It is rather chaotic having 2,000 athletes and all their loved ones running around. I get my gear all sorted but it is already creeping up to the start time and I start to feel rushed again. The bathroom lines are enormous so I tell Erin I will meet up with her by the beach. My biggest regret about the whole experience is now not planning a meeting point on the beach where we could all take prerace photos and hang out. I had said goodbye to Erin before I got on the beach, but now find myself alone for 15 minutes when I could have been standing with her and my family taking it all in.Before I know it, we are listening to the national anthem and watching the pros leave. They leave at 6:50am and the general field goes at 7am. There are so many people that I can barely see the ocean but know there are some large wave sets out there. The music is pumping and then suddenly there is a countdown and the gun goes off. The music switched to Van Halen’s “Panama”. I am in the middle of the pack and start to wade in. What was I doing getting into this ocean with 2,000 other maniacs? Remember this sounded like a great idea a year ago? I get about 30 feet offshore and begin carefully diving under the waves. Then all of a sudden I mistimed a wave and due to the amount of people in my way, I couldn’t dive under. I was thrown back and ended up on the ocean floor upside down and doing everything I can to ensure my goggles don’t end up floating away. I come back up, spitting up water, and then get super energized. Here I go! I start swimming. I get kicked in the face, yelled at, and even elbowed in the lip pretty badly. Some guy tries pulling my foot out of frustration from behind so he can swim over me, and when he gets close to touching my big toe, I kick hard with the other foot and smack him right back. There is nothing like this experience. Someone told me that it is like being in a washing machine and the analogy is pretty accurate. I never feel like I have a clear swimming lane for 2.4 miles.After the first loop we end up on the beach and run through the spectators on our way back to the water again for the second loop. I eagerly look for my supporters as I run by but it is all a blur. Everyone looks the same. I just hear music and see thousands of faces cheering us on. I dive back in to the water and start swimming again with more confidence. I have no idea whether I am swimming in a straight line or zig zagging the course. It doesn’t matter to me. I am swimming in Ironman!I make it back to the beach and begin the hunt to locate my crew again. I finally hear Erin and my dad screaming. I take a second to stop and high five them all. I continuing towards transition and this is when I have an emotional moment. I tear up for a few seconds. I feel so relieved the swim is over and feel a huge sense of achievement already. I know that I can do this and today will change me forever.I hit the transition, get my T1 bag and head to the men’s changing tent. It’s hard to describe the scene here. Imagine walking in to a dressing room and seeing hundreds of people half naked, getting changed as fast as they can, while hundreds more pile in every few minutes. It’s pandemonium. I carefully change in to my bike clothes and then head out. I locate my bike thanks to all the volunteers who do all they can to ensure a smooth handoff and head out. Right as I am getting on my bike, I again hear my crew yelling encouragement. It’s all a blur to be honest. I get going and settle in for a 112-mile, 6-hour bike ride. After a few minutes, I check my heart rate that is around an ideal 130 beats per minute, eat some food and take in some liquids.There is no drafting on the bike portion. By rule, athletes are not allowed to sit on another rider’s wheel and ride in their slipstream. If caught, it means you will be issued a 3-minute penalty and end up in a tent along the side of the road that’s appropriately called the “penalty tent”. They enforce this by sneaking up on riders on motorcycles, and evaluating if they are drafting too closely to the rider in front. Unfortunately many riders do violate this to gain an edge but I am being very careful to not draft and get penalized. I also want to do this event by the book so that I can say my time was earned honestly.I try to enjoy the process as much as I can and savor the experience. There are tons of supporters along the highway cheering the field on. I see some wacky things out there too. For instance, in the middle of nowhere, there is a makeshift jail cell on the side of the road with someone in a gorilla costume and a girl dressed as a clown dancing inside the cell. What does this mean? I have no idea, but it makes me laugh and the image is burned in to my brain.I keep my bathroom breaks to a minimum but I am also pleased to have the need to take them because it means I am hydrated. About halfway through, I stop for my special needs bag. Special needs bags are for additional supplies, and both the bike and run sections have them. You can put whatever you want in them. I have a spare bike tube, a clif bar, and other odds and ends. I grab what I need and then take a few minutes to check my toe. I am sore so I clean out all the sand from the beach that is irritating it, and feel much better knowing I attended to it. It is still in the back of my mind that the run may suffer because of it. I have no idea how it will hold up.I am amazed with the weather. It’s gone from a very stormy yesterday, to a gorgeous, albeit windy, sunny day today.About three miles from the bike finish, I know that if I hustle I can make it under 6 hours. I pick up my pace while most are winding down. I hit the finish mat and hand off my bike to a volunteer. I get my T2 bag and head back in to the changing tent. Again, it is crazy in there. I take the time to soak it all in while changing in to my running gear. My legs feel surprisingly good and after a brief stretch I head out in to the sunlight and the cheers. I immediately see my support crew and wave. I keep my pace low, as my plan is to slowly build in to the run. I have prior experience where I went too fast and my heart rate skyrocketed. For me, it is hard to recover from that so going easy is my goal. I have two 13-mile loops ahead of me and I know it will be dark when I finish.The first two miles out of transition are full of spectators. People set up tents and cheer on everyone as they go by. A lot of them are drinking and getting wild. I see some girls standing in the middle of the road dressed in what appear to be dominatrix outfits. Are those whips in their hands? Yes. Am I going to get whipped to hurry me along? Yes. I see a guy who is naked except for a sign covering his privates. The sign reads, “Go faster or I drop the sign”. No problem! I see an old lady holding a sign that says, “You’ve got stamina. Call me later”. I am wishing I will remember everything I will see and I’m thinking how much I would love to have a camera to take photos along the route. The crowd is amazing. I cannot emphasize enough how much their energy is fueling me.Every mile they have aid stations where they have water, sports drinks, food, gels and other assorted items. My plan is to briskly walk through those while refueling.The miles slowly start ticking away. I keep taking in some additional calories every hour along with some salt tabs to keep my electrolytes in check.About 6.5 miles in I am in a state park and it is gorgeous. There are sand dunes and seeing that turnaround feels like a huge accomplishment. I make the turn and check all vitals. My heart rate is in check, my pace is decent, and overall I feel pretty good.At the end of the first 13-mile loop I am back at the start and see my crew right next to the run special needs bags. Someone asks how my toe is holding up. I have forgotten about it for the most part and this is a great sign. It is causing a little discomfort here and there but nothing that will stop me from finishing. Inside my special needs bag I find some letters of encouragement from Erin and my kids. I grab them and decide to save them for later when I know I will really need them.I feel good until about mile 16. At this point I start getting some stomach distress that is probably due to all the sugar I have ingested throughout the day. I take some more salt tabs and starting hitting the water a little harder. “Keep going,” I repeatedly tell myself.Stomach issues during Ironman are a brutal reality. This race stresses the body out and sometimes the body fights back with a vengeance. I do not want to take any chances so I am reluctantly stopping a few times at the porta-potties. After a few stops, I feel much better despite losing some time. I see people looking miserable quite regularly during the run, and I see my fair share of people throwing up, cramping, and looking like they can’t go on. Ironman is a physical battle and there are plenty of reminders along the way.At this point, I check my time and quickly figure that if I maintain a 12-minute mile for the rest of the race I can come very close to finishing in less than 13 hours. I get excited at this thought and focus on my pace. Twelve-minute miles is an easy pace for me normally, but after swimming 2.4 miles, biking 112 and running 16, it isn’t so easy. When I hit the turnaround in the state park again, I stop and pull out the letters. I read about how proud Erin and the kids are of me and it is just what I need. My seven-year-old daughter Catherine’s letter makes me laugh. She wrote “good luck” and that she is saving me a Kit Kat from her Halloween candy stash when I finish. That’s a deal.I am really focused now and I begin passing people. It is hard to tell who is on their first lap and who is on their second. I talk to one girl and say “only a few more miles” and she responds “not for me. I still have to go around again”. While I feel for her, it makes me feel great that I only have a few more miles to go and no longer have to face a second 13-mile loop.I hit mile 24 and start hearing the finish line music in the dark distance. I can hear the emcee yelling “(insert name), YOU are an Ironman!”. I start to get a little choked up here. I know I have it in the bag. I can’t wait to hear those words. I also can’t wait to see my wife and loved ones at the finish.During this time, everything seems to slow down now in a weird way. I think I am running faster but from mile 25 onwards it all becomes dream like. The crowds get bigger. Everything gets louder. Hundreds of people are cheering me home. I hear the noise and it boosts me. I am hyper aware of everything around me. I see a volunteer yelling, “finishers stay right, others to the left”. I veer right and start my way down the finish chute. I cannot manage to high five all the people that are trying to high five me. I feel like a rock star. I come around a final bend and see the finish line with the iconic Ironman arch and the timer on top. It reads 12:52 and I know I would be well under 13 hours. I slow down and start looking for my crew and then they pop up out of nowhere among the crowd. I stop and hug all of them. We exchange emotional words and I say I’m ready to cross the line. I jog the final few yards and then walk over the line taking it all in. I’m not sure whether they call my name over the loud speaker or not, but I’m immediately greeted by a volunteer. He puts their arms around me in case I pass out and asks if I’m ok. I get this amazing medal, finisher hat and shirt, and everything is so surreal. They walk me off the course, give me a blanket to keep warm, and ask if I need anything. They walk me out of the finish area and just like that it is over.I borrow someone’s phone and call Erin who quickly meets up with me. I can’t believe I did it. I did the Ironman in 12 hours and 54 minutes. I started at sunrise and ended shortly after sundown.No one knows if my name was announced by the emcee. The volunteer at the finish line said he thought he heard my name. I am sure it wasn’t and I can’t figure out why not. I try not to let it bother me, but I can’t help it. It does. I want to hear the words “James, YOU are an Ironman”. I have to figure out a way to hear it.We go back to the hotel and I shower and get changed. I am surprised at how decent I feel. I redress my toe that now looks a little beaten up. My friends, family and I all regroup and decide to have dinner together. We enjoy taking pictures together and discussing my experience. We are all in shock that I finished a 13-hour race and how far I’ve come in 18 months. We enjoy getting away from the race crowds for a few minutes, and reliving the day by ourselves. It turns out they all had a great time tracking me online and then getting in to position to see me go by. I am happy to hear that they had fun on such a long day.After an hour or so at the restaurant, I just have to go back to the race finish, find the emcee, and mention that my name had not been called. He says all first timers are announced but then asks what my name is. He announces the runners coming in and then graciously booms over the sound system, “James Ashcroft, YOU are an Ironman”. I feel so much better. It’s like a sense of closure and finality after this magnificent day. (I later find out they did call my name in the chute but due to the stop to hug my family I missed hearing it.)One of the greatest tips I got from someone who did the race previously, was to go back to the finish and watch people try to make the midnight cutoff. Ironman has a strict rule that you must finish in 17 hours (midnight). You can be one second over and after that whole day, you will not receive a medal and be an official finisher. I meet up with my coach who says one of his clients is still on the course. She is a 60-year-old woman and he had seen her at mile 20. He ran with her from mile 20-21 and calculated that she needed to accelerate from an 18-minute mile to a 14-minute mile at the end of this brutal day to even have a chance of making the cutoff.So here we are at 11:58 and the chute is completely empty. The music is playing and the crowd is making some serious noise to energize the runners nearby. We see someone and squint down the chute. No, it’s not her. Again this happens. 11:59 and no sign. Then we see a little headlamp in the distance. Is it her? No. Wait a second…. it is. The music pumps up, and the crowd goes nuts beating the barricades and cheering. Here is a 66-year-old woman giving 100% for 6 miles. She passes us at 11:59:35 and still has another 50 yards or so to go. She pushes and then we hear a booming “Christa, YOU are an Ironman!” Her final time was 16:59:53. She covered 140.6 miles and made it by 7 seconds. If you see that in person and it doesn’t tear you up a little, I don’t know what does. It is incredible and the most fitting way to end a day that still feels like a dream.Ironman is an epic journey. It is a huge endeavor and requires many hours away from home. There were 20-mile runs and 100-mile bike rides on the weekends. There were many early morning swims before the workday and runs at night afterwards. It required 15-20 hours a week to train for which translated to many hours away from my family.I got to live my dream of being an Ironman. I understand fully that my family sacrificed a lot. So it is not just my Ironman. It also belongs to Erin, William, Catherine and Nicholas. Without their support and understanding I could never have achieved this and hope I made them proud. I’m pretty sure I did because when I got home my daughter Catherine casually asked how it was, and before I could respond she smiled and handed me the Kit Kat.By James AshcroftIronman Florida 2013 Finisher!Swim – 01:13:13 Bike – 05:59:14 Run – 05:12:12

Bernie's chances are pretty good and getting better every day. Despite a MSM blackout and Clinton's rebound from the Benghazi hearing, Bernie's revolution is gaining traction.Today, December 17th, Bernie has just reached over 2,000,000, yes that is two million individual contributions and has nabbed two major endorsements.Communication Workers of America:Bernie Sanders Wins Endorsement of Communications UnionDemocracy For America:Progressive Group Democracy for America Endorses Bernie SandersMr. Dean is backing Mrs. Clinton’s campaign, and sent a letter to the organization on her behalf.But to no avail:Nearly 88% of the group’s members voted to endorse Mr. Sanders, compared to 10% for Mrs. Clinton and 1% for Mr. O’Malley. More than 270,000 votes were castLiberal group Democracy For America endorses Bernie SandersBernie Sanders picked up his second significant progressive endorsement of the day on Thursday afternoon, and this one might sting for Hillary Clinton.Update:The latest poll by CBS in Iowa shows Bernie trailing Clinton by 5 points with a +/- of 5.3. That is a statistical tie. If there is even a moderate turnout of unlikely Democratic voters the it is very likely Bernie will win Iowa. He is 10 points up in New Hampshire. If he can win both, then the snowball that is Bernie will turn into an avalanche.CBS News December 2015 Battleground Tracker, IowaUpdate:Bernie shatters records with 2.5 million contributions to close out 2015. Since almost all were small donors, they (we) can all donate again and again. Think about it, during the Christmas season from Dec 17 to Dec 31st, Bernie received 500,000 donations. That is no less than phenomenal. That is people power right there. FEEL THE BERN, pretty sure Clinton and the DNC are feeling it now!Update: Jan 10thLooks like Bernie will win Iowa, new poll shows a dead heat. Add Bernie's unlikely voters and Bernie wins!http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2016/01/10/bernie-sanders-makes-strong-showing-in-new-polls/Even ABC is taking notice:https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/bernie-sanders-popularity-making-hillary-clinton-campaign-nervous/story%3Fid%3D36187078&ved=0ahUKEwilo4_x15_KAhWMOz4KHfodCAwQqG8IITAA&usg=AFQjCNH6YK6cPzuQGDqyvzYmsWROuqwA3Q&sig2=9VcwMbk18Rd2oGwiG_aYNwEdit January 26th:Iowa is just around the corner. Questions will be answered. Bernie won a major endorsement from MoveOn. They are contributing to Bernie's ground game there. Bernie is positioned for a win. It is now up to caucus goers to make or break the Iowa contest.I wonder if another major snowstorm would help or hurt him? I think it might help him, I know many supporters would don snow shoes to head to the caucus'.One other interesting turn of events, Clinton is calling for more debates. Yes, hard to believe. To me it is a very good sign that Clinton is in trouble.The stars are in alignment for Bernie (no not Susan Sarandon), I almost, almost feel he can't lose in Iowa. Can't wait to find out...January 30th: Over 3 MILLION contributions. Bernie sends out a call to supporters and they respond. Picture Bernie as PRESIDENT sending out a call for an issue, people WILL respond. We CAN do this! But we must get him elected first. People of Iowa PLEASE help us!Update February 2nd:Nearly a tie in Iowa, a coin toss may have cost Bernie the win:​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Disappointing, but proof that Bernie can win. I would have to say after his strong Iowa showing, his chances are looking even better.Off topic, but I have been saying Cruz is the man to beat on the Republican side. His grassroots organization payed off in Iowa.I hope Democrats take notice. If you don't want him as PRESIDENT, you should strongly consider Bernie. It takes a grassroots movement to beat a grassroots movement. Clinton just doesn't have it.Post New Hampshire update:Over 20 point avalanche. Don't think anything else needs said.On to Nevada. Interesting, the Clinton folks are already pulling a "New Hampshire" by downplaying thier chances there.I sorely hope that that "southern firewall" is made of paper and it BERNS!Post Nevada Update:Well Nevada was a major disappointment for me, I thought Bernie was going to win. I realize that 5 points from where he was a month ago is still pretty good. I was hoping for the slam dunk in Nevada.South Carolina is important, he is not expected to win. The key metric is by how much Clinton wins by. If it is 5 points, it is as good as a win. 10 points, about the same as a tie, over 20, a big loss.Losing, even by a large margin isn't even close to the end. There is still some good chances on Super Tuesday.Bernie is tied with Clinton in "Real" delegates. After three states that is phenomenal considering Clinton's advantages.Bernie's chances remain as good as ever. Despite the narrow loss in Nevada, Bernie is trending steadily up. Clinton is trending steadily down. Hopefully, Super Tuesday will be the crossroad. After Super Tuesday, Bernie has some "yuge" opportunities.Despite any MSM spin on Nevada, Bernie and his supporters are FEELING THE BERN more than ever, myself included.Post South Carolina Update:Wow! That was an unexpected, expected result. As usual, I dared to hope for a miracle. It didn't come.I hope there are two kinds of 'Black Vote', we already know about young vs old. I hope there is a North and West vs South difference. In South Carolina's Pastor driven electorate, Bernie didn't have a chance. Clyburn puts the word out to the Pastor's, the Pastors tell the Congregation to vote Clinton. This is all expected, what is not expected is that young voters don't come out in droves to vote. This is key. Turnout low = Clinton win.Bernie's chances are still very good. First it was Clinton who was to have the cakewalk to the nomination. Then after New Hampshire there were raised hopes that Bernie would have the cakewalk. Neither has turned out to be true. What we have now is a protracted slugfest that will likely go all the way to the convention.Certainly Bernie has and always had an uphill battle.If Clinton does win the nomination, there will be alot of long faced Bernie supporters.What is important to remember all the cheers and Hillary chants will be swiftly squashed when she is defeated in the general election. The black vote won't cut it there.Trump, Cruz, Rubio will crush her. By wrapping herself in Obama's legacy she MAY win the nomination, but she has guaranteed she will lose the general.She never was a good general election candidate. So many Democrats say they will hold thier noses and vote for her. Why hold thier noses? Well, the Republicans and all thier money will illustrate for us in round the clock attack adds. Email, Clinton Foundation, Bill Clinton and his escapades, and that's just for starters.I hope the young people supporting Bernie take thier support and turn it into votes. If they do, Bernie wins. A big IF for sure, the future depends on them more than ever.March 6 Update:Bernie won Kansas an Nebraska, but lot Louisiana. Clinton actually won a few more delegates than Bernie so delegate wise not much changes.However, the two state win is a major momentum builder. He has got to start winning bigger or loosing the southern states by a lower margin.He will probably lose Mississippi, but a big win in Michigan could nearly tie up the pledged delegates.Can Bernie do well with African Americans in the North? There is a path to victory, but it is a slugfest.In keeping with the original question--indeed Bernie has a shot and I think it is better than average.March 7th update:Big win for Bernie in Maine. Bernie is now winning the pledged delegate count since Super Tuesday.Better than average just got a little better. His debate performance last night may just be enough to put him over the top in Michigan.I apologize, but I have to go slightly out of context on this question. It has the most views and I really have to call the media on its Bernie/Clinton narrative. Internet search returns headlines regarding Clinton's big win in Louisiana. How she's racking up the delegates. Bernie WON three yes 3 states since Super Tuesday and more total delegates than Clinton.One the flip side Trump won a big victory and lost some smaller ones. For the Dems MSM says Clintons big win insures that she will win the nomination. For Trump his smaller losses show "He can be stopped". Well MSM, which is it? Can we please get some fair, balanced, factual reporting?So if you don your tin foil hat for a moment it would seem someone has an agenda here. Could it be corporate interests and thier propaganda arm the MSM? Yep, young voters don't blindly believe everything they see on TV. Guess who they support? You guessed it, the PEOPLE'S candidate, Bernard Sanders, former Independent Senator from the great state of Vermont.March 8th Update:Might just be the biggest upset in primary history. Bernie is winning Michigan! How is MSM going to spin this one?He's up by 5 points!!!Way better than average chance now.11:30 EST Bernie Sanders won Michigan! His chances look better than ever!Sunday before Super Tuesday 2 update:I lost track of how many donations I have made to the campaign. I just donated another 27 dollars. I've never donated to a candidate in my life. I hope that all of my donations and the millions of others puts Bernie over the top on Tuesday. I am cautiously optimistic. It's not quite do or die, but it's close. Quorans voting on Tuesday please vote for Bernie, ask your friends and family to vote also.It is time to take a stand against the oligarchy. Quorans tell me it's foolish to be a "Bernie or Bust" supporter. I say you must stand for something or you will fall for anything. I hope at least 51% of Tuesday's voters take a stand. 55% would be better though. Stay tuned for the next post Super Tuesday 2 update...Not So Super Tuesday Update:Clinton did as expected in Florida and North Carolina. The big disappointment is Ohio. I hoped Bernie would win or tie there. He did slightly better than expected in Illinois and Missouri. Though both were hoped for wins.Bernie's down, but not out yet.I don't know or even think he can beat the delegate math now. It will likely come down to California and Pennsylvania.The calendar is favorable for the next several primaries. I think he has to win 72% of remaining delegates. Not impossible, implausible maybe. It will take big news from the FBI to turn the tide, the young voters don't appear to be enough.Clinton won big with the black vote again.Not the update I hoped to make. Maybe next one will have better news. I still Feel The BERN, nothing can stop that. I just wish Ohio voters had felt it too.We're one step closer to President Trump, Clinton will lose, mark my words here today.OK, it's Thursday and I am recovering from my Tuesday disappointment. Bernie didn't actually do that bad on Tuesday, not that good either. I heard on the local radio that there were issues voting in Ohio. Maybe that contributed to the less than stellar performance. Bernie however essentially tied Clinton in her home state of Illinois. He tied her in Missouri also. Ties are moral wins for Bernie, but delegate wins for Clinton.He has got to pull off some major wins, if Clinton could do it in the South, Bernie can do it in the West. Supporters have to vote, bad timing for spring break. Hope is restored, awaiting results from the next primaries, stay tuned...March 23rd Update:Arizona called for Clinton with 2% reporting, voters still in line, and Democrats turned away.Nothing yet on Idaho and Utah.http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fm.dailykos.com%2Fstories%2F2016%2F3%2F22%2F1505136%2F-Arizona-Officials-Confirm-Legal-Action-in-Primary-Fiasco-Sanders-Ask-Voters-Monitor-Situation%3F_%3D2016-03-22T20%253A06%253A58-07%253A00&h=lAQGtdLrOIs this really the state of our democracy? I will never, ever vote for Clinton!!!Well results are still coming in for Arizona, apparently Clinton will win the state unless something comes of the legal action mentioned above.However, Bernie had overwhelming victories in Utah and Idaho. South Carolina style victories. If he can pull off the same margins in the upcoming states he is looking really good for the home stretch.Not sure how Bernie did with Latino voters, Arizona is such a mess. The primary system has got to change. Divide, confuse, delay, devalue; the oligarchy cannot continue. Some of the reports coming out of Arizona make you think it's in Central America or some other third world area. To borrow a term from the oligarchy's candidate, "we are better than that" or at least we should be.BTW I heard about similar voting issues in Ohio, but didn't see any big news coverage and Bernie didn't mention it so I kind of wrote it off. Maybe there was something going on there too?Anyway, Bernie's looking good. Can't wait till it's all big wins.March 27th Update:YUUGE wins for Bernie, Washington, Alaska, Hawaii. At least 50 delegates closer. I think this sums up the day, yes there is some symbolism here:https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3Dwv0vtxDRWTw&ved=0ahUKEwi4uvLKy9_LAhWEVh4KHfrnCxgQtwIIJzAE&usg=AFQjCNH6_1kRLQmk27CtIRIBQdgn-4aXEQ&sig2=Qq_tWnGHVSTEJ6BysKKZXADid Bernie just get a "tweet" from God?Or is nature just coming to say thanks for trying to save the environment?Awesome day!Happy Easter everyone.April 5th Update:Bernie won Wisconsin! Almost 10 points with 45% reporting!Wyoming is looking real good too!! To top it all off it appears that Bernie will win Nevada as well. Lots of shenanigans there.Justice department is looking into Arizona as well.If Bernie can crown this momentum with a New York victory he may very well be our next POTUS. It's a big IF, but things are all looking good.Just a couple weeks ago they were calling for him to drop out. I have just one thing to say to that, NUTS!There are reported Clinton links to the "Panama Papers" via Russian businessmen and the Clinton Foundation, if true and it gains traction it is going to really hurt her. The prime minister of Iceland has resigned over it. FBI is still looming, things are not looking good for Clinton. Things are looking great for Bernie.Update 4-9-2016:Awaiting results from Wyoming. No big surprise expected there. Bernie should win by a considerable margin.There is something I think is key to many questions regarding Bernie's chances to win the nomination and ultimately the General Election. Bernie currently has a 5.4 net RCP favorability spread. Clinton on the other hand has a -14 spread. This coincides with polling that indicates Bernie beats ALL Republicans in mock General Elections, and by greater margins than Clinton. Clinton loses to Kasich in most polls. Yet the media still proclaims that Clinton is more electable. They claim you can't trust general election polls this far out, but taken with the favorability polling that is pretty convincing evidence. In fact there is no evidence that Clinton is more electable.I wonder if Trump was more favorable, he's at -34, if Democrats would still be voting for her.The only thing concerning me going forward it the number of large delegate closed primary states coming up. Unfortunately, Wyoming isn't going to make any significant difference in the delegate count.I am again cautiously optimistic for a win or tie in New York. A win could feasibility spell the end for Clinton. I hope there is no funny business at the polls. As always, Feeling The BERN!Bernie won Wyoming. They split the delegates even though Bernie won by 10 points. Someday I am going to figure out how this delegate allocation works. I hope Bernie meets with the Pope. That would be some good PR. There is even a hit piece about this that Bernie asked to be invited and it as totally debunked by the Cardinal, I believe that sent the invitation. The media can be quite shameless. Anyway, it is on to New York. I am so hoping that my next post will reference how everything changed in a New York minute with this primary. Good luck Bernie!April 19th Update:A very disappointing result out of New York. I didn't expect a win. I expected just under 10 points, was hoping for under 5 realistically, and dreaming of a win.I knew it didn't look good when the stories of irregularities started coming out.http://m.nydailynews.com/news/politics/brooklyn-democrats-purged-voting-rolls-article-1.2607500125,000 Brooklyn voters purged from the system, polling machines not working, closed polling locations.Let's face it, the Democratic Party in New York is shady, there is rampant corruption.http://m.nydailynews.com/news/politics/exclusive-fbi-probe-expands-de-blasio-mayoral-campaign-article-1.1769448Disgusting that we can't have a clean, fair election. Clinton would have probably won, but not by 15 points. I suspect the audits will turn up nothing. We'll be told they will do better next time. Nothing's happening in Arizona, probably the same in New York.Well better luck next week...April 26th update:I will finally get to cast my vote for Bernie today. I have checked my registration numerous times. I had to register as a DEM to vote. I am not happy about that, but what can you do? Except maybe vote for someone that will fight to change this crony system!I hope it's not to late for Bernie, the delegate math is daunting. A self fulfilling prophecy of our beloved MSM.I hope this will be a SUPER Tuesday. I honestly doubt it though, 4 closed primaries.If you're an Independent they make it hard to vote in the primaries. Post result commentary later. FEEL THE BERN!Well Bernie lost 4 of 5. He won RI, the only open primary.Barring some miracle I think we can call this race over.http://www.politicususa.com/2016/04/26/bernie-sanders-waves-white-flag-defeat-congratulating-clinton-primary-wins.htmlI have to agree with the article. I think Bernie knows is over too. Mathematically, he could still win, realistically, barring the aforementioned miracle, it is over. My vote didn't matter. I hope Democrats enjoy President Trump.SANDERS WINS INDIANA IN MAJOR UPSETSince MSM is putting out any headlines I figured I would provide one for my fellow Quorans. Bernie won Indiana by 5 points! So much for dropping out. By the way, Trump has polled within 2 of the unfavorable (-14) Clinton.Independents! Clinton cannot win them. Imagine for a moment what the race would look like if all voting was open in every state.News flash, they let Independents vote in the general election. You might want to think about that super delegates.I will make a deal if anyone cares. I am a Bernie or Bust supporter. If the super delegates vote with the state winner and Clinton still wins I will consider voting straight Democratic while holding my nose. Just so we are clear, Bernie gets Washington supers, Clinton gets South Carolina supers for example. Pretty fair, I think.May 11th Update:Bernie won West Virginia by 10 points, but nets 5 delegates.The current deficit is about 284 pledges delegates. The are just over 1000 delegates left.What does it mean? I don't know. The math exists for a win, it doesn't seem likely. Especially when 10 nets 5.The convention could get interesting, but I doubt superdelegates will flip.I would like Bernie to get the supers from states that he won. If that is enough to win then great. If not then we are in trouble. I hate to say it, but Clinton should be the nominee if she wins by pledged + states won super delegates. The exception would be an indictment actually happening (doubtful). In that case I would hope Clinton would have the sense to drop out.I think she is going to lose to Trump. They are neck and neck in PA, FL, and OH polling. Trump will pull in voters not picked up in polling.It is a tough call to have or even to allow superdelegates to determine the nominee. Like I wrote, it unlikely they will flip. The Establishment got us here by relentlessly pushing Clinton, I don't see them changing now.In my opinion, we are screwed either way. Trump or Clinton. Which is less bad? Miracles happen right? Our future is in the hands of the remaining states. California voters, please vote for Bernie! Things are looking good in most of the other remaining states. It's all for nothing without California.May 18th Update:No shockers tonight. Clinton apparently won Kentucky by about 1800 votes. Couple interesting points though--Clinton got over 200k less votes than in 2008. Bernie got over a thousand more than Obama in 08.MSM will call it a momentum blocking win for Clinton. Remember this was a closed primary and Bernie lost by .4%. Clinton and surrogates will call it a win. I do think the "powers" will be looking at Clinton. She outspent Bernie and campaigned hard to basically tie? The pundits won't talk about how weak she is looking. I think they are starting to see it. No real change in the delegate math, last I checked it was 25 each.At least Bernie finally notched his first closed primary win in Oregon. He'll pick up a handful of delegates. After tonight I estimate him to trail between 280 to 278.6-2 Update:It's seems like an eternity since the last primary. According to some polls Bernie is in a statistical tie in CA. He has a good chance in all but New Jersey.It is maddening that the media is saying Clinton will clinch the nomination in New Jersey. They continue to include the super delegates in the count. She will not clinch the nomination in pledged delegates in NJ or all of the primaries on the 7th. Clinton is a horrible candidate. I can't believe someone on MSNBC stated that she "seems like she is lying". If some in Liberal media are jumping ship is it a far stretch to see some superdelegates flip?Looking forward to a very positive post on the 7th.June 8th Update:Dissapointing results all the way around. NJ and NM was expected, South Dakota was not. The California results are troubling. I check Reddit last night and many were reporting voting problems including affiliation changes. There were hundreds of thousands of provisional ballots cast which will take a while to count.There is no way Clinton won by 13 points. I suspect she will win, the question is by how much.There has been so many voting related issues, media bias, and dirty politics this election that I just don't know what to say. Disgusted comes to the top of the list. I am profoundly saddened that Bernie will not be the nominee. There is no next time for Bernie. I guarantee that I will not vote for Clinton. I will either write in Bernie or stay home. My God, it really is Trump or Clinton. Come January of next year we will have a very unpopular President. FBI? I am not holding my breath.Thanks for reading and keeping up with my journey through this roller coaster ride of a primary.Stick a fork in me, I am done.