I'm a debatable gentleman and endurance sport activist living in Los Angeles. Here, we'll talk about the second of those two things...
Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor
Race Week - Escape From Alcatraz & A Little Reflection
This will always be a special race to me. First off, it’s one of the great triathlons of any distance in the entire world. San Francisco is such a majestic city and this is organized in a first class manner. In 2010, two years ago, this was my first triathlon of any kind and I came in with a 2:43. Last year, with a little more seasoning under my belt, I dropped to a 2:33. This year, I want to go sub 2:20.
When I was planning my season and knew I would be taking this race on 7 days after Honu 70.3, I dreamed of having already qualified for Kona, and that I would be allowed low expectations on my return…because I expected a hangover from having just raced and taking on back to back weekends. The problem with that approach now is that I feel good. I feel loaded and hungry and want to have a great day. Vineman is right around the corner and extremely important and I feel I can’t miss the opportunity of hitting new depths.
I’m still glowing a bit from this last weekend. It’s difficult for me to put into words how special Honu was for me. Kona is a place that has been tattooed on my heart since I was very little, and to make it there for the Ironman WC’s on my own merit instead of lottery is one of the great accomplishments of my life. It sets up the rest of my season so perfectly. But more than anything, Honu has moved me out of the swamps and helped put down a foundation for me to build upon. It was the break through bike split I had been expecting. Now, after conquering my lacking technical bike skills - and with an upgraded standard crank moving forward, I don’t expect to ride well for the rest of the season, but to dominate the amateur fields. With my bike taken care of, I can maintain and move onto putting up a sub 1:20 run at Vineman or Steelhead, because it sure isn’t going to happen in Vegas.
This is as good a time as any to take a breath and be thankful. Yesterday, I had a conversation with my main sponsor, Hammer Nutrition, who basically erased for me the entire entry fee for the Kona WC’s. I keep on showing up in their magazines because I rely so massively on their products, but also because they know understand my 1000% belief I would not be where I am, or going where I am going without their support. When I applied at the beginning of the year, I made all these wild claims about how far I was going to progress in 2012. I will FOREVER continue to make wild claims: note the title of this blog. But they took a flier on me. I’ll always remember that.
One of my great propelling thoughts in Kona was that I HAD to make it back in October, because the island wasn’t the same without having my family there. Last year, we rented a place on Ali’i Drive and I think they had a good time and weren’t just humoring me. My brother wrote my name in white rocks against the lava field. After the race, my mom found me standing in pain on the shores and beneath the salt water and just held on to me (beauty in white in the above photo by dad). At midnight, me and my dad went back to the midnight finish line. They stood out there on the streets of Kailua ALL DAY. It honestly would have killed me to not bring us all back. So glad it’s happening. So grateful for such a first class and incredible crew.
Thanks for reading, and writing, and following. I’ve been spending most of my adult life writing blogs no one ever sees (oh, they’re out there). To have a crew of people on here that follow me, and I follow back is probably what has made this ridiculous little site a billion dollar venture. But I am very grateful to have you all, frequent or infrequent. Keep on.
Race Week - Honu 70.3
Big one coming. I’m leaving LAX on Wednesday night for Kona, the place that has quickly become one of my favorite places on the planet. I’ll get a good day of tuning here in Los Angeles on Wednesday, make the 5.5 hour flight, and sleep in Waikoloa that night. Thursday is off. Friday I’ll wake up and put a little fire in everything before shutting down early and racing Saturday. The swim is a Hawaii swim, meaning it’s beautiful and perfect. Bike is a 56 mile battle to Havi and back. Run is supposed to be a bastard - golf course and grass and heat and thousands of turns and hills and madness! There’s been a fire burning in me since the disappointment in St. Croix and I feel the approaching need to race so hard I hurt myself. Doesn’t mean I’ll be going at it like a fool, but I won’t be playing safe or sitting back either.
The longer I’ve been doing this, the more I’ve come to accept this notion of triathlon giving out exactly what is deserved. On any given day, there is a LITTLE room for heroics and racing above ability, but the fitness built and fought and suffered for is far and away the greatest factor for success. When I was looking back at St. Croix on the plane ride home, the primary thing running through my mind was that I got exactly what I deserved. It wasn’t as much three 70.3’s in 5 weeks, but thinking I would keep improving in those weeks between, get better, and just steamroll these major goals I’ve set. And yes, I understand how foolish it must seem to be looking back at a stretch of races with such wisdom considering all these things happened mere weeks ago. But it does feel like that. Time will tell.
This is my last chance to qualify for the October Ironman World Championships. It’s a big deal to me, not the primary goal for 2012, but definitely the most profound. The only number I’ve been able to see in my head the last 3 weeks is #1 30-34. It’s likely #1 & #2 in my age group will qualify. The field will be fast enough that there’s no margin for error, anywhere. And not only that - I will also have to have my BEST race. That’s not nearly as daunting as it is exciting. I’m excited to swim well, redeem my bike in the eyes of the Queen K’s heat and wind from last year’s WC’s, and prove myself on what I know is going to be a challenging run. It has been keeping me up at night, the thought of dismounting and charging into that 13.1. My mind is already seeing it, whispering, “everything, everything, everything.” It’s already telling me that what I consider as everything isn’t going to be enough, and that I had better correct myself, and soon. It’s reminding me that I need to be 1st off the bike, and that accomplishing such a thing is no small task. It’s readying me for the coming furnace and the 80+ minute run and fighting off constantly threatening failure. It’s telling me that if I’m to attain what I’m out to attain, I must treat all of these things as delicate bad bitches and then dance dirty with them until there is no seeing straight.
