Finding Ultra
Page 28
Sun Chlorella, www.sunchlorellausa.com
DESSERTS
Living Harvest Tempt Hemp Milk Ice Cream, www.livingharvest.com
So Delicious Coconut Milk Ice Cream, www.turtlemountain.com
Uncle Eddie’s Vegan Cookies, www.uncleeddiesvegancookies.com
Sweet and Sara Vegan Marshmallows, www.sweetandsara.com
EFA AND OMEGA-3 OILS
Udo’s Oil 3-6-9 Blend, www.oilthemachine.com
Vega Antioxidant EFA Oil Blend, www.sequelnaturals.com
Spectrum Organics Coconut Oil, www.spectrumorganics.com
Living Harvest Organic Hemp Oil, www.livingharvest.com
ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE NUTRITION
Hammer Nutrition Perpetuem and Endurolytes, www.hammernutrition.com
Grain Processing Corporation (bulk maltodextrin), www.grainprocessing.com
Vega Sport Performance Optimizer, www.sequelnaturals.com
Vega Sport Pre-Workout Energizer, www.vegasport.com
Vega Sport Electrolyte Hydrator, Endurance Gels, and Bars, www.vegasport.com
Vega Recovery Accelerator, www.vegasport.com
Vega Energy Bars and Vibrancy Bars, www.sequelnaturals.com
CarboPro and CarboPro1200, www.carbopro.com
SaltStick Electrolyte Capsules, www.saltstick.com
WildBar, www.wildbar.info
ProBar High Performance Energy Bars, www.theprobar.com
Clif Bar Nutritional Products, www.clifbar.com
PLANT-BASED FOOD DELIVERY SERVICES
Thrive Foods Direct, www.thrivefoodsdirect.com
ATHLETIC TRAINING AND RECOVERY PRODUCTS
CEP Compression Gear, www.cepsocks.com
Trigger Point Performance Therapy (foam rollers), www.tptherapy.com
The Stick, www.thestick.com
TRX Suspension Training Products, www.trxtraining.com
Garmin GPS Training Computers and Heart Rate Monitors, www.garmin.com
Polar Training Computers and Heart Rate Monitors, www.polarusa.com
Suunto Training Computers and Heart Rate Monitors, www.suunto.com
CycleOps PowerTap Cycling Power Meters, www.cycle-ops.com
Quarq Cycling Power Meters, www.quarq.com
DZ Nuts Chamois Cream, www.dz-nuts.com
ATHLETIC TRAINING AND WORKOUT TRACKING SOFTWARE
WorkoutLog Training Software, www.workoutlog.com
TrainingPeaks Training and Nutrition Software, www.trainingpeaks.com
Golden Cheetah Cycling Performance Software, www.goldencheetah.org
Garmin Connect, www.connect.garmin.com
Movescount, www.movescount.com
Strava, www.strava.com
Nike Plus, www.nikeplus.com
Daily Mile, www.dailymile.com
Fleetly, www.fleetly.com
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
“When are you going to write a book?” is a question I’ve often fielded over the years. Finally having an answer is a reality I wouldn’t have thought possible. In truth, this book would have remained simply an aspiration if not for the love, support, and encouragement of almost too many to people to name.
About two years ago I was catching up on the phone with Carter Cast, an old Stanford swimming colleague, when he suggested I meet his friend, literary agent Carole Bidnick. It was an introduction that changed everything. Carter, thank you for the spark that lit the pilot light. And Carole, thanks for taking me on when I knew nothing. Your tireless commitment to championing me can never be repaid. Thank you for always having my back and consistently trudging the extra mile. So much more than an agent, you’ve changed my life. For that, I’ll always be in your debt.
I can’t imagine even the most experienced writer having a better editor than Rick Horgan. Thank you, Rick, for taking a flier on a complete unknown. From the very first time we spoke, your belief in my story and my ability to bring this project to fruition has been unwavering. I’m grateful for your friendship, your master class in writing, and your ever-patient mentoring. Thanks also for the late nights, the long hours logged, and your dogged attention to detail—and for pushing me further and harder than any swim coach or boss.
Thank you to my dream team at Crown—which offers no better home for an author. Tina Constable, Mauro DiPreta, Tammy Blake, Caroline Sill, Christina Foxley, Nupoor Gordon, Nathan Roberson, Mark McCauslin, Elizabeth Rendfleisch, Norman Watkins, and everyone else behind the Crown curtain, your tireless parenting of this book from idea to market has exceeded every expectation a writer could have from a publisher.
To my publicity team—Anne Sullivan, Danielle Nuzzo, and Jeremiah Tittle—thank you for undertaking the task of promoting my story to the world.
To my friend Anne Espuelas, my right arm on this journey from the outset, thank you for helping me find the book within the story, mining structure from the chaos of my often muddled mind, and for always keeping me motivated through my many dark lapses of faith. Without your consistently deft editorial eye, ever-honest feedback, and sometimes ruthless proposed revisions, this book would have fallen far short of what it eventually became.
To all the amazing writing mentors I’m lucky to call friends—those who’ve persistently encouraged me to take this leap, both directly and by living example—I thank you: from Jeff Gordon at Writers Boot Camp, who first took me to task on structure and story, to Belinda Casas-Wells for igniting a fire in my belly and pushing me to believe. Thanks to John Moffet and Mel Stewart for showing me that great athleticism and creative artistry need not be mutually exclusive. Thanks to Tim Ferriss for always finding time to respond to my relentless queries. Thanks to Sacha Gervasi for your unwavering support, devoted friendship, and incessant levity, which lit a path for me to pursue this “war of art” with a semblance of grace. Thanks to Kurt Sutter, for your integrity and indefatigable authenticity as both an artist and a family man. Thanks to Gordy Hoffman, for being the first to help me understand what it means to be a sober man, and your relentless example of veracity in the expression of your art. Thanks to Billy Ray, whose early encouragement strengthened my resolve. And thanks to Mark Gantt, for your loyalty and the way you embody the power of persistence.
Also, my gratitude to Dan Halsted for your constant friendship, honesty, and objective feedback—you’ve made me a better writer, father, husband, and man. Thanks, too, to Andrew Wheeler, Jeff Newman, Chris Uettwiller, Jesse Albert, Stevie Long, and L.W. Walman for your spiritual counsel. And to Alan Blackburn, Nicole Duran, Brett Blankner, Morgan Christian, Paul Morris, Dave Schraven, Drew Hayden, Gavin Holles, Mike Moffo, Peter Slutsky, Greg Anzalone, Dr. Shay Shani, and Stu Bone. You know why I love you.
To Dr. Garrett O’Connor, as well as the staff and my fellow inmates at Springbrook Northwest, thank you for saving my life and and providing the foundation for a new way of living. Without you, it’s safe to say I wouldn’t have a story worth telling.
To the two Skips in my life—Kenney and Miller—thank you both for being tough but fair mentors, urging me to push beyond my self-imposed limits and guiding me to a greater understanding of who I am and what it means to be a man.
Chris Hauth, you didn’t just believe in my athletic abilities before I did; you showed me what it meant to pursue true endurance. I could never have achieved my athletic accomplishments without your steady and firm mentorship, and I can’t thank you enough.
To my training buddies Dave Meyer, Darren Wald, Bob Steinberg, Tony Pritzker, Gary Bub, and Jamie Halper, thank you for always brightening those early and long Saturday-morning rides. I’m grateful to Sheri Zeibell for providing me with a quiet writing sanctuary away from the cacophony of home. And to Steve Kaplan, the most supportive law partner I could imagine, thank you for your friendship and the latitude to pursue this dream.
To Danielle Dellorto and Dr. Sanjay Gupta at CNN, I’m in your debt for so generously casting such a bright spotlight on my story, which created the broad audience that made this book a plausible reality.
To Julian Fra
nco, Hector Rodriguez, Stormin’ Norman Houck, and Ryan Correia of Franco Bicycles, thank you for your loyal support and for always promoting my efforts and keeping me fully geared while undertaking the herculean task of trying to write this book while simultaneously training for Ultraman.
Thanks as well to all my inspiring PlantPower mentors who’ve fearlessly blazed this path before me—Brendan Brazier, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, T. Colin Campbell, Kathy Freston, Brian Wendel, Lisa Lange, and Dr. Neal Barnard. And especially to Rip Esselstyn, who enthusiastically encouraged me to write this book as far back as 2009. Your friendship and living example have given me more faith than you’ll ever know.
So many extraordinary athletes have graciously bestowed on me their camaraderie and wisdom throughout this journey of discovery. Pablo Morales, John Moffet, Craig Beardsley, Mel Stewart, Garrett Weber-Gale, Byron Davis, Mac Danzig, James Wilks, Ryan Hall, Chris Lieto, Luke McKenzie, Terenzo Bozzone, Jordan Rapp, Chris McCormack, Paul Ambrose, Vinnie Tortorich, Dr. Andy Baldwin, Alexandre Ribeiro, Jonas Colting, John Hirsch, James Bowsted, Dave Zabriskie, Levi Leipheimer, Ben and Eric Bostrom, and Ivan Dominguez—you inspire me with your remarkable talent, devotion to excellence, and example. I’m honored to know all of you.
Ultraman is a beautiful and curious world to which I was most graciously and quite miraculously permitted entry. I’m forever indebted to Jane Bockus for taking a chance on me back in 2008 and permanently altering the trajectory of my life. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t thank the entire Ultraman ohana—most notably Sheryl and Dave Cobb, Cory Foulk, Gary Wang, John Callos, Jamie Patrick, Suzy Degazon, Marty Raymond, Nino Cokan, Miro Kregar, Erik Seedhouse, Mike Rouse, Jochen Dembeck, Vito Biala, Peter McIntosh, Kathy Winkler, Timothy Carlson, Rick Kent, Warren Hollinger, Rebecca Morgan, Verne Sekafetz, and Grant Miller, among many others. To every athlete and crew member who has taken the leap into this lunatic fringe, you’re all heroes.
To Mike Field and Todd Clark—my Big Island brothers from another mother—thank you for your boundless generosity and friendship and for always going the extra mile to ensure that my family and I feel at home in Hawaii. I can only aspire to your selfless example of aloha, kokua, and ohana.
Thanks to photographer extraordinaire John Segesta, for never failing to take remarkable images of me and for always making me appear far better in print than I actually do in person. And thanks to James Gilbert and Reis Paluso at Sandbox Studios for your graphic genius and for giving me a web presence that is the envy of my peers.
To my Ultraman comrade Jason Lester—you’re a rare warrior and your spirit transcends athleticism. Thank you for ushering me into the realm of the unknown, for your incredible fortitude, and for being a beacon of inspiration to so many. But most of all, thank you for being my friend.
To Larry and Vylna Mathis, I’m grateful for your steadfast and loving support of my family and me, particularly during the more challenging periods we’ve faced this past year.
To my beloved parents, Dave and Nancy Roll, thank you for never giving up on me, always believing in me, and selflessly having my back in countless times of need. Thank you for your sacrifice and for instilling in me a tireless work ethic, keen sense of responsibility, and drive to succeed. Dad, you’re my writing compatriot, my unceasing ally, my model of what it means to be a gentleman, and my hero. Mom, thank you for giving me a love of the water and a passion for learning, and for always ensuring the best for me. And to my beloved sister, Molly, thank you for being my number one fan. I love you.
To my namesake and the grandfather I never knew, thank you Richard Spindle for being a shining beacon from the beyond—my anchor. My life—and this book—is a living homage to your powerful and persistent legacy.
And of course, I must not leave out my beautiful children: Mathis Indigo, Jaya Blue, Tyler, and Trapper—the absolute joys of my life. Thank you for fortifying my days with meaning and keeping me firmly grounded in what is truly important. In your own unique way, each of you teaches, inspires, and amazes me daily, and I cherish every moment of watching you grow into the rare and amazing people you’re quickly becoming. I can never repay you enough for tolerating me and for meeting the herculean challenges that come with having a father who does the things I do. I honor and love you all dearly.
Most of all, I’m forever indebted to my greatest love. Thank you, Julie, for always seeing the better man lying dormant within me and for always pushing me out of my comfort zone, ever expanding my awareness and urging me to deepen my faith in the pursuit of our collective dreams. You’ve never wavered in your loyalty, love, and constant support, despite the myriad arduous and stressful challenges that have come your way as a result of my endurance dreams and my attempts to bring this book to life. A true spiritual warrior, you are my constant. Thank you for giving me the courage to show you who I really am. Without you, I am nowhere.
In closing, I wish to thank each and every one of the countless unnamed who’ve found a spark of hope in my story and have taken the time to reach out and confide in me your private struggles and pain. You can’t know how much you’ve touched me. To all those out there who feel stuck, lost, in a rut, or just unable to reach escape velocity, know that I’m with you. And I honor your journey. This book is for you.