Hey everyone hope all is well.

I went to see Motley Crue in Detroit last Tuesday (I think it was my 57th time) and they were awesome. I have been a fan of this band since 1984 and have had the pleasure of meeting them several times over the years. I must say this show was right at the top for a variety of reasons. First of all, I took my friend Greg who attends our Racing for Recovery meetings and who also is the biggest Nikki Sixx fan of all time and secondly my old friend Bob who has been a friend of mine since my freshman year in high school. Bob was discussed in my book and lived with me during the dark years. I must say it was so much fun to be sober and watching my fav band with some great friends. Once again, I was reminded of how good life is without drugs. Here are a few pics of me meeting the guys. Some of the pictures were early in my sobriety and I look like a bloated mess lol.

On a sad note and I probably should have put this in another post, we lost another great person to drug addiction and now the family and friends are left dealing with the loss. Brent V. who I have known as the older brother of my good friends Todd and Mark lost his life due to a drug overdose and overall bad health. I am so sorry for Brent’s dying and pray for peace for his family and friends. Todd came to our support group meeting over a week ago and shared what he was feeling and it was truly an emotional experience.

Sobriety and drugs are both real folks. One brings complete joy and a promise of a great life the other brings devastation and a complete waste of life. You decide which one you want and always remember that I and Racing for Recovery are here to help.

I hope it stops raining I have a 12 mile run to do.

TC

Happy 3rd b day to my son Mason. I love you with all my heart and thank God for you everyday.

I just returned from Rhode Island 1/2 Ironman where I finished in a time of 5.09 which is my best ever at that distance. More importantly than that was hanging with my friend Tom and his family along with Sandy and Andy who participated in our Racing for Recovery 5k in Las Vegas last October. I want to thank you all of your for your support, friendship and encouragement over the weekend as it was a huge motivator for me out there.

Thanks to each and everyone of you who help me do what I do for this program and my personal life.

I am tired and going to bed.

TC

Hey everyone,

Ok you want an example of how good sobriety is, well here ya go. As I was running today, I passed a detective as he was directing traffic (we have a big golf outing in town this week) and said “hey Detective how are ya? He replied “hey Todd do not knock over any of my cones” and he waived and laughed. As I continued on my run I thought this guy came to my parents house 23 years ago arrested me and took me to jail for what could and possibly should have been an 8 year prison term and now look at our relationship. Also when I was in a car accident last year (that was not my fault) he was on the scene and was talking to me about the ESPN segment (as they were in town filming at the time) and then gave me a ride home in the police car and jokinly said “how do you like our new seats they are different since you were in there the last time”

Bottom line is this people, as a direct result of my drinking I faced serious legal problems with this guy and as a benefit of my not drinking look at how things change. Now look at this photo and tell me that I did not make the best choice of my life which was to stop drinking and using drugs. If you are questioning if you can have a better life if you choose to stop, the answer is simply YES.

Enjoy your day.

TC

Ok let me just simply say this, running is good for you in so many ways it is unreal. If you are a runner you dig what I am saying if you are not try it and you will see what I am talking about. Running and exercise in general has a plethora of benefits including mental, physical, spiritual and emotional just to mention a few. I am looking forward to our article in Maxum Magazine (Sept issue comes out mid August as they added stuff to the story) that will once again illustrate the benefits I mentioned above.

I want to say this to the people who are battling addiction and depression out there, if you are not exercising please do so. I am not saying you have to run the Ironman but rather simply do some sort of physical exercise of your choice (love that word choice) and stick with it and I guarantee you will experience the benefits that I and many others experience.

Enjoy your Saturday.

Ps this photo is from Ironman Canada in 2000. Talk about a beautiful place eh?

TC

How nice it is to have someone who is supposed to support you and have your back say “todd you do not have any comments on your page how funny is that” Good for the ol self-esteem.

To all the people out there like me that battle the daily grind of addiction/recovery know what I am talking about that shit hurts. I sit sometimes and wonder “why do I allow this crap to go on when I have the ability to change it” well it is not always that easy. The hard part is to function when the extra un-needed baggage is constantly being put in your face. Years ago it would have been right to the bottle to take it away and obviously that is not the answer today, so what is?

Someone just sent me an email that said the 3 hardest things to say to someone are 1. I love you. 2. I am sorry and 3. I need help. Man is that true. I am tired of saying the first 2 and dont want to say the 3rd.

Happy 4rth of July

TC

I am honored and pleased to announce that I have been accepted to do Ultraman World Championships in Kona Hawaii. Only 35 people are lucky enough to do this event and have to be selected to do so. Again, I feel blessed to be one of the chosen. I am doing this for a variety of reasons and one is that I hope to raise funds to build the eventual Racing for Recovery Eric Floyd Lifestyle Center in honor of my friend Eric who was killed in a single car drunk driving accident this past February. I have heard time after time about people who raise a bunch of money to do a 5k which is great well have to admit this Ultraman is the ultimate challenge. And here is a little icing on the cake, I will also do Ironman Western Australia on Dec 7six days after Ultraman.

Here are the details from their website www.ultramanlive.com

2008 Ultraman FAQ
What:
A 3-day, 320-mile (515-kilometer) individual ultra-endurance event which takes place on the Big Island of Hawaii. Entry is limited to 35 participants and is by invitation only. Founded in 1983, the event is held annually on the traditional Thanksgiving weekend.
When:
FRIDAY, November 28, 2008 Stage I Starting time 6:30 a.m.
SATURDAY, November 29, 2008 Stage II Starting time 6:30 a.m.
SUNDAY, November 30, 2008 Stage III Starting time 6:00 a.m. (note earlier start)
Where:
Stage I – 6.2-mile (10 km) ocean swim from Kailua Bay to Keauhou Bay, followed by a 90-mile (145 km) cross-country bike ride from Keauhou Bay around the southern tip of the island via Route 11 to finish at Namakani Paio Park in the Volcanoes National Park. Vertical climbs total 7,600 feet.
Stage II – 171.4-mi (276 km) bike ride, from Volcanoes National Park (Route 11) to Keaau, then turning east with a counter-clockwise loop through Kalapana, Kapoho and Pahoa, then on through the City of Hilo. From Hilo, the route continues north along the Hamakua Coast (Route 19) to Waimea, and over the Kohala Mountains via Route 250 to finish at the Kohala Village Inn on Hawi Road, just above its junction with Route 270. Vertical climbs total 8,600 feet.
Stage III – 52.4-mile (84 km) double-marathon run from Hawi to Kawaihae (Route 270), then on to Kailua-Kona (via Route 19) and finishing on the beach at the Old Airport State Park.
Time Limits: Each stage must be completed in 12 hours or less. The swim should be completed in 5-1/2 hours or less. Participants not reaching the respective finish lines within the 12 hour limits will be disqualified.

Now how can you be involved to help me achieve this please make a tax free donation to Racing for Recovery and be a part of not only this event but to carry our mission and eventually build our lifestyle center in honor of Eric.

Here is an interesting stat for you, every 30 minutes someone is killed from a drunk driving accident.

Thanks for supporting us and enjoy the 4rth.

TC