The past few weeks have kicked my ass. I am loving the process of getting ready to race Ironman again, but holy cow am I ever glad I only have a couple of these races left. For those that I haven't told, I am done racing after this year. I am really hoping to get back to Kona for one more go round' but it is going to take a great result in Placid to get there (and perhaps a great result in Lake Stevens as well).
Since 1999 my years have been defined by Ironman. I am always in some state of getting ready for the next race. Even if it is off season, I look at it as necessary time off to get back into shape for the following season. It hasn't completely hit me yet, but I am happy with this decision. People ask me what I am going to do after I am done racing. The honest answer is, I am not sure. I know there are a ton of things I want to do; surf, golf, travel (and not just see a hotel and race course). I want to work more closely with my athletes. Being an athlete coaching is sometimes tough and often I am too caught up in my own pursuits. Luckily I have athletes who appreciate this and understand me when I am a little zoned out a week or two before a big race. One of the advantages I have had as a coach/athlete is that I am going through the same triumphs, struggles and disappointments as the athletes I am coaching. I "get it" when someone is injured and struggling with taking time off. I "get it" when someone doesn't reach a goal that they have been working towards for a number of months, and I also "get it" when someone crosses the line with a feeling of elation because they have reached that goal that they once thought unattainable.
Triathlon and Ironman are amazing sports. For many of us they define our life for a year or two, for some of the crazy ones, they define a good decade or more of our lives. I have been truly blessed with the people that have come into and out of my life over the years through doing this sport. Every one of them has left a mark on me in some way or another. Some of them I have lost touch with and we have gone our separate ways, but whether it by training mates that started the sport with me back in Kingston (Clive Morgan, Carl Weber, Martin Rydlo, Jamie Chisolm, Ginny Green) or everyone after, I am lucky to have been on this journey with you all and I look forward to finishing it in style. See you up the road.
Lake Placid = 3 weeks!
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