For anybody looking for something a little more uplifting in the cycling world than the news coming out of France, tune in to "Larry King Live" on CNN Friday, July 27 (9pm ET, 6pm PT).

A segment called "Against All Odds" will feature Daniel Sheret, an endurance cyclist and below-the knee amputee attempting an around-the-world trip to raise money and awareness for Clear Path International and their work with landmine and bomb survivors. Sheret, who is sponsored by the Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team, left Washington, D.C. on June 1. He is currently finishing up his trip across America in California.

More info on the journey can be found at www.abilitytrek.org.

It’s been a while since I last checked in so I thought I’d provide an update on my latest endurance endeavors. I’ve been getting my feet wet with triathlon as a new member of the Triathlon Club of San Diego. Saturday I participated in a club race which was my first-ever unofficial triathlon.

The beginner’s race caught my attention because of the short and manageable distances. The race began with a 300-meter swim in Glorietta Bay on beautiful Coronado Island. I wouldn’t describe the water quality as beautiful, but it was a quick swim none the less. I exited the water and entered the first transition (T1) among the first three athletes. My transition to the bike was quick and I was into the 11-mile bike portion in less than two minutes. The bike portion was staged in an open course so, right away, I had to wait for a traffic light to turn green. During this delay, other triathletes began to catch up but I pulled ahead of the group during the 5.5-mile out-portion of the bike while battling a headwind along The Strand. During the 5.5-mile back-portion of the bike, I used the tailwind to distance myself from the second-place position. T2 was accomplished in seconds and I was into the run so quickly that it felt like I was still cycling. That was my very first experience with running directly following a bike ride and I found it difficult to find a rhythm. The one-mile out-and-back course was quick and I didn’t see other competitors from the beginner’s group until I began to pass them during my last half-mile of the race.

I’m very excited that my first unofficial triathlon resulted in a victory, although I consider completing the race to be a victory in itself. I must accredit a successful outing to my mental preparation and visualization techniques that I practiced before the race even began. I knew that I was physically able and needed to put it all together; that is what made Saturday such an important day for my athletic career. I urge you all to act upon your dreams and aspire towards your goals whether they are social, athletic, educational or professional. Believing in oneself and seeing oneself reach those goals is just the first step. Now get out there and go after them.

This boost in confidence was timed just right as tomorrow my registration for the Mount Disappointment 50-mile trail run will be submitted. On August 11, I will join a group of ultra runners in the San Gabriel wilderness for the longest run of my career. Stay tuned for a pre-race blog on the Active.com Endurance Sports Blog.

Always remember:

Train smart, not hard.