How To Win Kona Before The End Of The World

Racing Weight…

One of the major goals I have this off-season is pretty simple…lose weight. The morning of Kona this year, I stepped on a scale in the pre-race tents at 216.7. It was a bit shocking after having ignored most scales for the month leading in. Granted, the end of a rest week adds a few pounds, as does a big breakfast and as much Gatorade as someone can safely drink the morning before a race. Still, I wasn’t exactly looking forward to dragging close to 217 pounds across the lava fields and heat of Hawaii for 10 hours. When I finished the race that day, I was down to a more reasonable 206.7. Most of the season, I’d say I was racing around 205-210. That’s not bad for 6’4, or for someone looking to just finish races. But for someone with my coming ambitions, it’s not only insane, but unnecessary. I was excited for this off-season for a handful or reasons, but mostly because it would afford me the opportunity to take a step back and address my two weaknesses - swimming and weight.

I’ve been swimming for 3 weeks now and I’m not only seeing and feeling improvement, but have dropped to a 196. I’m about to begin my increase in bike and run mileage to build a solid base fitness for the coming season. Generally speaking, December is volume and January is speed. With all the coming volume this month, I’m expecting to drop below 190 for the first time since…I was 16. If I eat perfectly, that number will get closer to 185. My inspiration is a desire to feel that, to see how much more speed my heart will be willing to give when I take 25 pounds out of its equation. I can spare it without losing power. I’m certain.

When I read Macca’s - I’m Here To Win - an absolute must not only for triathletes, but for anyone fiercely pursuing an endeavor - I was struck by a line he kept using in reference to people not willing to compete, dedicate, suffer, sacrifice to fully realize themselves and their ambitions. “Go Be An Age Grouper.” It’s a relative line everyone can apply somewhere. You could just as well replace it with, “Go be a 12, 15, 17 hour Ironman.” It says - if it’s too hard for you to be what you want to be, settle for less…someone else will emerge, someone more deserving, someone willing to take what you were not, someone willing to push where you would not. It’s cold, calculated and cut-throat. It’s one of the more inspiring things I took from reading. Of course I’m also taking some liberty here, and of course Macca is one of the kindest, most generous athletes I’ve ever encountered. Still, I bet he’d say, “That’s all damn right mate!”

I mention these things because in the world I live, the world most people live, fierce ambition is often met with skepticism and fear. It’s why I make a point of surrounding myself with strong people across all professions, people with enough capacity to not ask why…because they already understand. The rest will pound and pound and pound, just as relentlessly as others pursue, to cave or curb or conform everything back to common. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Not necessarily. Everyone has a line to walk. All I’m saying is that it’s a fucking war out there, and it’s best to be ready for it.