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Attitude and Relentless Dedication are Everything

Posted on April 16, 2019

More awesomeness from the unstoppable Blake Leeper:

Attitude, Blake Leeper, Dedication, Mindset Reset, Perspective, Running, Training

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A Foundation for Capture and Review
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#MindsetReset Take-Home

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Troy Stephens
Troy Stephens
Troy is an engineer, husband, dad, space enthusiast, former scout leader, conference speaker, student of Tae Kwon Do, and perpetual seeker of better ways.
Morning training the @elitemartialarts_franklinlak Morning training the @elitemartialarts_franklinlakes way! — preflighting the Mountain Lakes @type1willpower Turkey Trot course with my #taekwondo high purple belt son turned high school Cross Country sensation and my unstoppable marathoner+multi-triathlete+supermom wife @kristen.e.evangelista ! ❤️ Felt wonderful to take in the fresh air and get some miles in together! Looking forward to Turkey Day! 🦃🏃‍♂️
This captures pretty well how it felt sprinting do This captures pretty well how it felt sprinting downhill across the finish after a grueling stretch of climbing at the end of the @superheroevents course! 😅 I’d saved enough in reserve to really enjoy coming in for the landing with everything I could summon! 🏃‍♂️
Thank you Coach @kristen.e.evangelista for being m Thank you Coach @kristen.e.evangelista for being my relentless training companion and knowledgeable mentor through all those early morning runs! Finished my first half marathon this Saturday, beating my 2-hour goal at 1:52:35 (8:33/mi average pace)!
Rise and grind to level up! #taekwondo #running #t Rise and grind to level up! #taekwondo #running #training #trainhard
Always fun to get in the ring, break a few boards, Always fun to get in the ring, break a few boards, and even bring home a few trophies with good friends @elitemartialarts_franklinlakes! #taekwondo #tournament
Exhilarating #taekwondo tournament yesterday with Exhilarating #taekwondo tournament yesterday with my @elitemartialarts_franklinlakes family! From amazing & inspiring demos by the pros to the chance to hone our sparring, board-breaking, and form skills in friendly competition, there was much to enjoy in this well-run event. Many thanks to the master instructors and Recon Team students who made it all happen! 🙏🥋 @elitemartialarts_franklinlakes is a rare and special place to be challenged and motivated by an exciting program and the best instructors and peers anywhere! So grateful to be back! — Thank you all for a thrilling tournament!
Feeling good through the woods, & around the bend Feeling good through the woods, & around the bend to sprint the finish at the @superheroevents Half-Marathon Relay May 7th. Next step: prepping to run my first full half-marathon in October! Registered & paid, so I’m fully committed. 😅 Energized to take my training & distance running to the next level!
🏃🏻‍♀️🏃‍♂️ “Team Elicholas” ran a determined, relentless pace, and pulled out all the stops for a solid 13.1 mile relay finish! 12/52 @ 1:59:31 ain’t half bad! Feels amazing to have enjoyed such a beautiful run, and to enjoy the fruits of the training it took to make it possible. So grateful for my “coach” and teammate @kristen.e.evangelista showing me what was possible through her amazing achievements, and for catapulting us to a rocking start today! All those morning runs together were the fun along the way. I’m thinking #running an entire half-marathon is now within sight and a natural next goal for me. Never imagined I’d be capable of it, but it now seems achievable. Onward and upward! Thank you, @superheroevents !
Epic Superhero Start! Go get it, Kristen!!! Let th Epic Superhero Start! Go get it, Kristen!!! Let the games begin! 🏃🏻‍♀️👏 @superheroevents
Powering up for the @superheroevents Half Marathon Powering up for the @superheroevents Half Marathon Relay tomorrow! Teaming up with Wonder Woman @kristen.e.evangelista to tear up the pavement something fierce! Let’s go!!! 🏃🏻‍♀️🏃‍♂️👏💪
Our kids’ new hobby: collecting favorite sticks. Our kids’ new hobby: collecting favorite sticks.

My new hobby: repairing their favorite sticks with duct tape. 😂
Enjoying the sights of nature carrying on like it’s any other Spring.
The St. Honoré at Pierre & Michel in Ridgewood, N The St. Honoré at Pierre & Michel in Ridgewood, NJ is like a single-serving Croquembouche. Although in truth, any Croquembouche is a personal Croquembouche if you believe in yourself. 🍽 I couldn’t bring myself to eat this work of art until I’d taken a picture of it. After that, making it vanish wasn’t hard.
#taekwondo 1st Dan, 4th stripe! Great way to wind #taekwondo 1st Dan, 4th stripe! Great way to wind up the week. My spinning hook kick still needs much work, but I’m getting there bit by bit. Kamsa hamnida @masterparkstkd ! 🙏🥋
Thanks @kristen.e.evangelista & @runcoachbill for Thanks @kristen.e.evangelista & @runcoachbill for letting me tag along with the morning run club! Feeling great about landing a new PR of 5¼ miles (a.k.a. easy warm-up for you marathoners). Awesome start to the day, running with the pros. 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️👏
E-1 Tracer E-1 Tracer
Neat old ice cream truck Neat old ice cream truck
Still far and away the best #coffee I've had in my Still far and away the best #coffee I've had in my life @jbpeelcoffee 7582 N. Broadway, Red Hook, NY. Come in early, and they're likely to be roasting the beans before your very eyes. The aroma is heaven, and once you've tasted coffee brewed within 24-48 hours of roasting ... well, there's nothing else like it. No other coffee comes close. Used to go here religiously when we lived nearby. I stopped in for the first time in many years on a rare trip through Red Hook, and was happy to see the old place still up and running. The friendly new owner kindly gave me a backstage tour (met “Big Bertha”, a sturdy old roasting machine they have for sale in back), and I made sure to bring home a pound of Keyna AA, an old favorite, still toasty-warm in the bag just as I remembered it. I'm torn as to finishing it, knowing the magic's out of the bag before too long. If you're anywhere near Red Hook, this is the place!
Huge thanks to our thousands of awesome #WWDC atte Huge thanks to our thousands of awesome #WWDC attendees, and to my amazing #Apple co-presenters, teammates, and support crew, for a spectacular #WWDC2019 !

This was my 16th WWDC, and included the 11th and 12th talks I've presented.  I've learned and continue to learn so much each time around, and am maybe, *almost* starting to feel more relaxed and at ease on stage.

Sixteen years ago, I was asked whether I'd like to present and offered speaker training to help me get started.  Deciding with enthusiasm to attempt something I hadn't before and learn a new skill started me down a road that I'm profoundly grateful for.  It's been a humbling privilege to get to represent and shed light on the exciting work we've done on the AppKit and UIKit teams, and presenting that work and helping developers in the labs always leaves me feeling energized and excited about what we've achieved and the next steps ahead.

One of the hardest challenges over the years has been getting my restless mind to settle down and stop mentally rehearsing the night before, so I can get the rest I'll need to be able to think clearly and present well.  I didn't manage more than 5 hours of solid night-before sleep this year, but I think I'm getting better at it, slowly.  Seizing the opportunity to go for a good run Wednesday morning got my day started in an energizing way, and I ended up setting two personal records that day: a 4.6 mile run (do not mistake me for a distance runner) and speaking to the largest room I've yet addressed: a packed house of about 2,800 attendees!

I'm glad to be home with my family now, after an 11-day-long trip for prep and conference week, but I'm also grateful for the amazing experience of getting to be part of this phenomenal event.

If you develop software for Apple platforms or would like to, be sure to check out this week's conference videos, which are available free at developer.apple.com  They offer a great, engaging way to learn what's new.

My talks this year:

Session 215 - Advances in Collection View Layout
developer.apple.com/wwdc19/215

Session 220 - Advances in UI Data Sources
developer.apple.com/wwdc19/220
A very Happy Mother’s Day, with deep and abiding A very Happy Mother’s Day, with deep and abiding gratitude for those whose inspiring grace and generous labors of love so enrich our lives. Our sons and I owe everything to invincible supermom @kristen.e.evangelista, who is out inspiring us with her  relentless, indomitable example as we speak. 🏊‍♀️🏃‍♀️ If I could make the sun shine for you so you can enjoy a run, bike, or sculpture garden outside today, I would, my love. 🌞 
Remembering my own Mom today, who loved us so dearly, and who gave of herself without limit, for the simple, priceless joy of seeing us thrive. I will carry her in my heart forever. She was the greatest of all time. Her name was Gabrielle. ❤️ #mothersday #motherhood #gratitude
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