Here at NWT, off-season simply means a brief time to shift your focus a bit.  When doing normal swim, bike, and run workouts, intensity and duration are cut back quite a bit.  Technique becomes a focus for all three sports as we go back to the basics and work those drills that we haven’t seen in months.  Though we are still training daily, this is the time of year to ”mix it up a bit” and throw in something that you may have had to cut out when the training got too intense, or even try something new.  Several of our teammates are killing it at CrossFit, while others of us are hitting it hard with yoga.  One of my favorite things about off-season is that our group rides turn into mountain bike rides.  I love hitting the trails!  It’s such a fun alternative to the trainer and there are usually some pretty good stories to follow.  Also, MC and I do tons of hiking with the boys since it keeps us active with low intensity, and they love it!  We love to explore new fitness activities in which we can include the boys.   And since we both thrive on competition, we are quite creative in finding ways to compete when we aren’t racing  . . .  just ask our boys who got to the top of the rock wall in under 40 seconds!

One really important thing to do during the off-season is to take stock of all your gear and decide if anything needs to be repaired, replaced or upgraded.  This is the time to make any major purchases, especially if it’s a new bike or shoes or something you will need time to get used to.  It’s also a good time to buy gear because most shops will have end-of-season sales, so you can probably get a pretty good deal.   For me, this year it means sending my bike out for a bit of touch up painting.  I got a couple of dings this year, and I couldn’t be without a bike until I was done racing.  For now, I have my mountain bike as backup or I can always hit the spin bikes at the Y.

If there’s something new or different you want to try, do it during the “off-season”.  For example, Nutrition . . .   I wouldn’t suggest trying a new race day nutrition plan on an actual race day.  Instead, try it out on a long ride day.  Get up and eat exactly what you will eat for breakfast on race day, at exactly the same time.  If you do this for a couple of months, you will know exactly what works for you on race day.  Also, if you’ve been thinking about trying a new position on the bike, do it now.  You will have months to get used to it or tweak it a few times if you need to.   Another thing that I’m a huge advocate of is donating blood.  I don’t know of many triathletes who would donate anywhere near race season or peak fitness, but I think it’s something amazing we should all consider now when we’re not racing.  You never know when someone you care about could need it.

Another big one is to tend to any chronic overuse injuries or agitations.  This is huge for me!  Since I have recurring tendonitis in both knees, the off-season is when I need to be diligent about taking the time I need to stretch, ice, compress, and foam roll on a regular basis.  I need this time to get the knees healthy and ready so I can shred them during race season.  Also, at this time I return to my Power/Strength sessions on a semi-regular basis.  I have a routine I do that is meant to build strength and power in my legs and therefore, put less stress on my knees.

During the “off-season”, be sure to take time to review last season’s goals and accomplishments.  Now is the time to set new goals and sketch out next season’s schedule.  Be aware of when the races you are looking at are open for registration, you don’t want to get closed out!

My advice for the “off season” is simply to keep it light while you can.  Strive for that balance that you may have missed during race season.  For me, this means letting the boys call the shots a little more.  During race season, I’m always cognizant of the boys and their needs and wants.  I’m very good about spending time with them and including them, but more often than not it involves some form of S, B, R.  So during the “off-season” I try to let them choose a little more, so we balance all of our interests.

I purposely didn’t sign up for anything after LP because I wasn’t sure how I’d be feeling; I was concerned about my chronic patella tendonitis.  However, I’m happy to say that my knees didn’t bother me at all during IMLP!  Totally shocking, I know – I was expecting to be pretty shredded after.  But there I was three weeks after, feeling great physically – I think it’s because my pacing for the full distance was so much slower than what I would normally race.  So I started checking out which races were still left.  There were a couple of local sprints, but I didn’t think my body would respond well to me asking it to go fast.  I thought maybe a longer race would be good since I had already built a large endurance base over the past year.  I found the Ironman 70.3 Poconos at the end of September and emailed my team to see if anyone was interested.  I had a taker, but still didn’t sign up until a week later, when I received an email from my coach saying, “Sign up today.”  Funny thing is (though not surprising), that’s all it took to get me back on track!

I’m really looking forward to this race; I definitely wasn’t ready for my season to be over.  However, I’m going into this race completely differently than every other half iron that I’ve done.  Each previous one has been an “A” race – the focus of my training for a mid-season “big” race, or the culmination of a season-long effort pulled together for an end-of-season hurrah!  Now, for the first time I’m going into a half iron NOT at my highest fitness of the season.  For me, this race is more of an afterthought; a bit of motivation to keep doing the work and remain consistent.  Instead of chasing a result, I’m practicing the process.  . . .  I want to try something new with my nutrition, I want to see how my run pace and heart rate fare in cooler temps, and I basically just want another notch in my half-iron belt.  I’m looking forward to putting in a big day of solid racing and executing my plan both physically and mentally.

So now what?  What am I doing post-Ironman?  The same thing I was doing before Ironman . . .  striving for balance – keeping harmony between the multifaceted life of Jen-the-Mom, Jen-the-Wife, Jen-the-Employee, and Jen-the-Triathlete.  And striving for consistency . . .  having fun while backing it up day after day, week after week, and year after year.

I remember 3 years ago, July of 2009, I was sitting at a park with the kids weighing about 245 pounds.  I turned to my wife and said, “I think it’s really about time I do something about my weight.”  She said try to start watching what you eat and exercising.  I just thought to myself, I’ve tried this several times before without success, so how was I going to figure out the right formula to make this work?  I had gained about 75 pounds since high school and honestly was not sure how to lose it.  It is very difficult to stay focused with a training plan, especially not having any idea as far as what you are doing.  Sure, I know the medical aspect of it.  But the down and dirty of truly being fit, I had no clue.

So I started to run, and two months later I was down to 215 pounds, and had entered my first half marathon.  It took me almost two and a half hours, and it was tough.  At this point I was getting a lot of aches and pains from the constant pounding of running, so I decided to try cross training with swimming and biking.  At first I couldn’t even swim 25 yards, and the biking was a lot tougher than it looked. But I tried to simply focus on consistency, while balancing career and family.   After three years of consistent training, I have gradually gotten faster and more fit.

This past July, myself and six of my teammates from NWT completed our first full Ironman at Lake Placid.  It was an amazing experience for all of us, and was an overwhelming end to where I started three years ago that same month.

In my full time job as a physician assistant in primary care, I take a special interest in treating obesity, and educating patients on diet, exercise, and weight loss.  I think a lot of the problem is just lack of knowledge on what being healthy and fit truly means.  I even get a good chuckle when I hear people tell me how hard it is for them to lose weight, and that I wouldn’t understand because I’m thin.  What they don’t know is all the consistent training that is backed up day in and day out.  They also don’t know that I wish I could eat whatever I want, but I can’t.  I have to watch every calorie.

Watching your weight can be an easy process, if you keep it simple.  To keep it simple, I focus on a few main points . . .

• Only eat small amounts of sugar
• Eat lean protein sources
• Eat  a lot of veggies
•  Focus on calories in vs. calories out

If you are overweight and trying to lose, then the amount of calories consumed verses the amount of calories used is the big one!  If you can keep your daily calorie intake under your RMR (resting metabolic rate), which is a measure of how many calories you burn in a day, then you should be losing.  You can calculate your RMR from any dietary website.

Jamie Shuler works as a Physician’s Assistant with North Medical Family Physicians, where he enjoys sharing information with patients on how to reach a healthy weight and maintain an active lifestyle.  He has been racing triathlon for the past three years and appreciates the challenge of balancing sport, career, and family.

There are things that we can do to protect ourselves and others on the road.  For example, when a car behaves badly, we need to know our rights.  Some of the good NYS laws are on the CNY Triathlon Club’s website already, and you should familiarize yourself with them so that you can have a valid and legally supported conversation with anybody who thinks you do not have a right to ride on the road.  But let’s face it – that opportunity is rare.

So, when the offensive driver does not stop or refuses to coherently and patiently talk to you, it is important that we get the identity of that car, including make, model, color and license plate if possible.  If we can identify repeat offenders, it makes prosecuting them both criminally and civilly much easier for any future wrong-doing committed by that car.

Finally, from a safety stand point, do whatever you can to avoid being hit.  I know this sounds silly, but being struck while you are riding or running in the legally correct spot still sucks.  It may not be fair, but it hurts a lot less to go on to the shoulder or even a lawn to avoid being hit by a big heavy car.

We also need to make sure that we do not create the second category of driver.  We must remember that our actions influence how drivers respond to other bicyclists and runners in the future.  It is illegal to ride abreast with another bicyclist if a car is approaching from behind.  It is illegal to ride a bicycle on any road unless you are as far to the right as practicable.  It is also simply a bad idea to not stay as far right as possible, because if an accident occurs, and you were not paying attention to the laws or your responsibilities, then the blame for the accident may be shifted in whole or in part from the car to you.

But the biggest reason to behave?  Angering drivers may have an effect on one of our friends or family members down the road.  If you influence somebody in a vehicle so that they now are angry at bicyclists, or have decided that bicyclists are rude and inconsiderate, they may drive differently around us in the future, which could (accidentally or intentionally) result in one of us getting smooshed.  My experience, after practicing personal injury law for over fifteen years, is this:  Getting smooshed by a car sucks.

Finally, for those of you that missed the orientation classes about insurance, it is imperative that you review with your insurance agent all of your policies to make sure that if something bad does happen on the road while you are a bicyclist or pedestrian, that you have the appropriate coverage to take care of your medical expenses, any lost wages that you may sustain as a result of missing work, and other damages that can result from an auto accident.

If anyone has any questions about the laws, both criminal or civil, or any other legal issues relating to bicycling and running on the roadways, please feel free to call me or email me anytime and I will gladly, free of charge, spend as much time as you would like talking about how we can protect ourselves.

Ben Rabin is a Lawyer who represents those who have been involved in motorcycle, bicycle, running, ATV, Jet Ski, Auto or other accidents. Contact him at 315-448-2453 or http://www.rabinlawfirm.com/.

Followers can also like and/or comment on my events. I can also share the event on Facebook, so my friends not using the app can see the workout and choose to join me as well. Sweat allows users to easily find their friends via Facebook.

An Android version will be coming soon! Sweat is the future of organizing your fitness lifestyle!

You can download the app by visiting iTunes.

Eric Hinman is a technology enthusiast and co-founder of Rounded, a Syracuse-based software development company.  He has been racing triathlon since 2009 and is currently training for the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Las Vegas this September.

Red Beet Root Juice is a natural beverage that contains a high amount of Nitrates (NO3).  It is because of these beautiful nitrates that the juice is now in high demand among endurance athletes.  The nitrates provide two physiological effects.  The first being that they widen the blood vessels, and therefore reduces blood pressure, thus protecting the heart and subsequently allowing more blood to flow through.  The second is that they improve exercise economy by reducing the amount of oxygen that is actually needed by the muscles for a given work rate during activity. (ScienceDaily; July 1, 2011) This means that the oxygen cost of exercise has decreased, which improves exercise economy.  Difficult efforts become easier based on the fact that more oxygen is getting to the muscles, and the muscles now require less oxygen to perform their task.   Thus, a certain work rate for the muscles can be maintained for a longer duration due to a slower rate of fatigue.

Beet Root Juice’s Place in Athletics 

Now that a basic understanding of the physiological benefits has been established, here is a look at the scientific research actually done with beet juice.  In my opinion, the fact that research at universities is even being done with beet juice is a very good thing as it lends credibility to the notion that Red Beet Juice can enhance performance of athletes at a noticeable level.

Here are the cold hard facts that were published by the Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise online site in April of 2011.  (The study took place at the Universi ty of Exeter.)

•    Drinking 500 mL of beet juice 2.5 hours before a cycling TT improved:
•    4 km TT time by 2.8% (6.26 minutes vs. 6.45 minutes)
•    10 mile TT by 2.7% (26.9 minutes vs. 27.7 minutes)
•    The study utilized a placebo that was beet juice with the nitrates taken out, making it possible for the subjects to drink the beet juice without knowing which one contained the active ingredient.
•    Bottom Line: The cycling improvement shown by the testing came from only one dose of 500 mL of beet juice, consumed 2.5 hours before the event – which is just about the time you would be eating your pre-race breakfast for a half or full ironman.  It is also worth noting that in order to achieve the dose of nitrates from beet juice you would have to eat almost 7 pounds of lettuce!

Sources of Dietary Nitrate

Dietary nitrate is different from pharmaceutical sodium nitrate in that it is naturally occurring.  It is also perfectly legal for all athletes to use.  Dietary nitrate can be found in many vegetables; so for those who find the taste of beet root juice to be unpleasant, there is no need to worry!  The doses of nitrate that were used in the research done at the University of Exeter were between 300 to 500mg.

Here is a list of vegetables that are rich in dietary nitrate:
-Celery                      -Chervil
-Arugula                    -Red Beetroot
-Cabbage                  -Endive
-Fennel                      -Leeks
-Lettuce (1 cup raw leaf lettuce = 100mg)
-Spinach (1 cup cooked = 900mg of nitrate)

What this means is that adding these foods to your diet really can’t be a bad thing.  Although they might not sound as enticing as potato chips and popcorn they could be bolstering your athletic performance, and that’s worth it, right?  As I mentioned before, these vegetables are high in nitrate content but still the most effective way to enhance athletic performance using nitrates seems to be by drinking Beet Root Juice, which can be purchased online at www.biottajuices.com and at most local health or whole food stores.  (ie:  Lorie’s Natural Food Store in Rochester, NY)

I personally recommend the Beet Root Juice made by Biotta Naturals, as it contains one of the highest nitrate doses available.  The Biotta Beet Root Juice is presented in a very classy bottle as shown above and is easily storable in the fridge or wine cellar if you are looking to make it blend in . . .  your friends will never know the difference!  Heck, you could even start to substitute Red Beet Juice for your evening glass of Cabernet during ladies night and no one would be wise to it.

WARNING: Your urine may turn to a pinkish (red) hue, rest assure that this is due to the dark nature of the juice.

Matt Curbeau found the sport of triathlon in the summer of 2009 and has been full steam ahead ever since.  He was a former football, basketball and baseball player in high school and played college baseball at St. John Fisher College, where he graduated with a degree in Accounting.  After spending three years in Public Accounting, Matt left the corporate world to pursue his passion within the sport of triathlon.  This passion has taken Matt to many amazing places and most recently, has brought him back to his hometown of Penn Yan, NY, where he continues to search for a balanced life. 

Matt is an NWT Coach and Columnist and is currently training for the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Las Vegas in September, as well as the Ironman World Championship in Kona in October.  Matt brings his in-depth knowledge and tremendous enthusiasm for the sport to everyone around him.  We are thrilled to have him contribute to the website with his reviews of gear, products, and all things triathlon.

After my husband’s first sprint triathlon in 2006, I had a feeling of what our future held.  Soon after, I was gifted a bike and taught to ride; gifted a pair of goggles and wetsuit and taught to swim, and found myself on enjoyable long runs with my husband.  We then planned mini vacations up and around the East Coast, competing and meeting unbelievable athletes from around the globe.  We found a passion and we got hooked!

However, I soon learned that my husband was craving more!  When he went from a road bike to a tri bike, the writing was on the wall ~ in bold print!  He progressed from Sprints to Olympics, and onto the half iron distance very quickly. I found myself lost in his accomplishments. Our once peaceful and enjoyable tri-journey was no longer.

His training became diligent and uncompromised the day he signed up for IMLP 2012, and I have been spending a lot of time alone.  This “alone time” in the beginning was a bit dangerous. I had feelings of anxiousness, anger and frustration and I was not adapting to his long training hours at all.  It was recognizable that this type of endurance training could become a catalyst for marital disaster.

It was imperative that I change my attitude and somehow join in on this Ironman voyage.  I began to channel positive thoughts and focus more on the benefits gained, rather than feeling left out or better known as the “Ironman Widower”.  I needed to find my place in his world of Ironman training.

When I realized that his new found “love” was not a reason for avoiding me or our relationship, but a way of him fulfilling a new challenge, I was able to discover my “role!”

Blending my career as a personal chef with his passion for triathlon resulted in team dinners at our home with spouses and children, as well as organizing long winter rides on trainers in our garage – which I loved since I was able to “keep up!”  Further, it led to planning out structured meal plans while away on training weekends,  learning how to grocery shop for 9 Ironman athletes, and managing to wash, fold and organize more spandex than I ever thought possible in a group of men!  It was a task worth taking on.  We soon felt more like a family than we did a team!

Although there have been times over the past year of his training that frustration and loneliness have resurfaced, I am quick to remind myself that he needs me.  Moreover, I need for him to cross that finish line with dignity and assurance that I will be there waiting.

Essentially, the success of an Ironman athlete is about time management, communication, and support!  My husband has been 100% honest with regard to his commitments to his family, to his business, to our personal life and to his coach and teammates.  Who am I not to give him 100% of my support to ensure his success?

I am one proud “Ironmate!”

Darla Yennock of Camillus, NY is a personal chef and the owner of Mindfully Made, which provides private cooking of natural and organic meals for small groups of primarily athletes, and emphasizes proper carb: protein: fat  ratios.  She is also a mother of two college-age daughters, and the wife of an Ironman athlete.  She has been training and competing in triathlon for five years.

I bought a new saddle one week before the Syracuse 70.3 last year because my old saddle was a real pain in the butt – literally!  Normally I would never try anything new during race week, but I figured it couldn’t get any worse.  Saddle sores, blisters, pain!  I went in and purchased a saddle (because my friend liked it) and was not fitted.  Also, last summer I took apart my bike and put it back together myself – twice!  It definitely had not fit the same ever since.  Also, I have been cycling for four years and have not been refitted since I got my bike and I wanted to get into a more aero, more aggressive position.  So I went to Syracuse Bicycle for a fit with shop owner, Paul Komaneky.

Paul has been doing bike fits for over eight years, and holds certifications from Serotta, Retul, F.I.S.T, Michael Sylvester, and John Cobb.  There are a few different options for fitting:

• Standard Road Fit: $125  Basic flexibility assessment, foot structure analysis and rider history interview conducted. Saddle height, saddle fore/aft, reach and drop to handlebar adjusted accordingly. This fit is for a road bike without aero bars or with absolutely no concern for aero position.

• Standard Triathlon Fit: $150  Basic flexibility assessment, foot structure analysis and rider history interview conducted. Saddle height, saddle fore/aft, reach and drop to handlebar adjusted accordingly. This fit is for triathlon bikes or road bikes with aero bars.

Because of the knee issues that I’ve been dealing with for the past few years, I decided to go with the Retul fit, since I wanted to make sure all of my “parts” were in proper alignment according to the program.

You can view a full description of the Retul process here:

http://www.retul.com/about-retul.asp

My Fit Experience . . .

Tuesday afternoon at 4:00, I packed up all three boys went to Syracuse Bikes.  The boys terrorized the store for a bit until daddy showed up to take them home.  The fit room itself is amazing – comfy chairs, low lighting, music, triathlete posters, and cycling magazines!  Waiting for the fit, I had the best seat in the place and was able to see customers coming in, and even chatted with a couple of teammates.  Then my buddy Steve M. wandered into the fit room and asked Paul,   “Why didn’t you get her a beer?”  (Why is Steve M always giving me beer?  He knows me way too well!)  Syracuse Bikes just happened to have beer left over from their Performance Night the previous week . . .  the next thing I know, I have an ultra in my hand during the “cycling history” portion of the fit and I was thinking, this is the Best Bike Fit Ever – comes with beer!!

The Retul Process . . .

1)- Initial interview/history.  This is the chance to let the fitter know of any issues you are hoping to address and fix.  This is the point where I told Paul all about the pain and saddle sore issues, way “TMI” until he was pretty much mortified, and ready to get on with the fit. I also told him that I was looking for a much more aero and aggressive position. I think my exact words were, “I want you to make me aero and fast and guarantee I’ll win.”  Since Paul didn’t know me well (yet), I think he was a little nervous about that guarantee.

After I told him about my knee issues, Paul suggested I try the Super Feet insoles for cycling shoes.  I’ve been using them for a few months now and they have changed my life!  I can’t believe that I’ve had Super Feet in my sneakers for four years and it’s never even occurred to me to try them in my bike shoes.  It’s unbelievable how great they feel!  I was also considering getting new bike shoes, but Paul suggested I just replace the cleats instead since the shoes themselves were in great condition.  He also adjusted the angle of the cleats based on my foot position as I walked around the room.  Between the two, it feels like I have brand new shoes.  Unbelievable!

Before we moved on, I was looking to get new aero bars and a new saddle as well.  Paul was extremely patient!  He put on two different sets of bars for me to try, after I had checked out at least 4 other sets, demanding to know which were lighter, more aero, least expensive, and of course “cooler”.  Then I tried about 15 different saddles.  After all of that time and effort, not one felt any better than the one I have, so I decided the problem was my butt, not the saddle.

2)- Sticky little LED markers are placed on the wrist, elbow, shoulder, hip, knee, ankle, heel, and toe. This totally made me feel like a real rock star triathlete.  Have you seen  pics of pro triathletes in an air tunnel?  That’s EXACTLY how I looked.  Oh, and I found random sticky things on my arms and legs for days after.

3)-  The rider pedals while Retül’s sensor bar gathers real-time, 3-D data of the rider’s pedal strokes and movements. Paul said “Tell me when you’re warmed up.  And I totally forgot and got in the zone for awhile, thinking I was doing an interval workout.  I thought he was doing the test and was feeling ready for a cool down; I kept thinking this has to be done soon.  Finally he says, “Are you warm yet?”  OMG!  So of course I had to pull it together and act like I wasn’t winded.  There are over 20 measurements taken in less than a minute and each has a “normal” range.

4)-  The data is compiled into a report for the fitter to use to assess the rider’s position and make necessary adjustments. I was surprised at how quickly Paul was able to look through the report and find areas where I was “out of range”.  It turns out my saddle was over 2 cm too low, which is apparently a big deal!  He made adjustments to the height and moved it back a bit as well.  He also lowered my handle bars by replacing a thick spacer with a thinner one, in order to make me more aero.

5)- A hand-held “digitizer” is used to measure 13-15 points on the bike to create a digital”map” of the bike.  That part was pretty funny- it totally felt like I was getting scanned at the airport.  I’m just glad there wasn’t a pat-down with it.

6)- The fit information including initial history, 3-D motion data, bike measurements, and final fit position are saved on the fitter’s computer.  I received a nifty report of my bike fit profile, but it is also good to know that it is kept on file at the store in case I ever need to compare down the road. Like if I happen to take my bike apart again, or decide to get a more or less aggressive fit.

The Outcome  . . .

So I left my bike at the shop for a few days to have my new parts installed and a full tune-up done.  When I got it back it looked and felt like a brand new bike!  As expected, it took a few rides to get used to the new feel.  Though I did feel a lot more power in my legs, it was tiring to hold the aero position for long.  However, after a couple weeks of easing into it, the position felt great!  These days I’m able to stay in aero for very long periods of time; it actually feels more uncomfortable to ride sitting up instead of in the aero bars.

I know $275 may seem like a lot for a bike fit, but I was there for nearly 5 hours.  I was having pain and discomfort on the bike for over a year.  Throughout the winter on my long weekend trainer rides, I spent almost no time in aero position because it actually hurt.  Now that I feel so good on the bike, I don’t understand why I didn’t go in for a fit sooner.  I highly recommend going to see Paul at Syracuse Bicycle for a fit!  The only things that I could see improving the bike fit experience involve a beer cooler and a disco ball in the fit room.  But of course I have already addressed those issues with the management.

Saturday was great, and I finished 2nd/800+.  This was big for me; the race draws some good competition regionally, and it was probably my best finish ever.  Going into Sunday I was 42 seconds down, and only 22 seconds up on 3^rd and 1:40 up on 4^th.  Everyone else was 5+ minutes back.

I was in great position, and I figured I would need a 6-7 minute lead off the bike on Sunday to win.  If I paced the event, I could secure a podium finish in the Double, probably top 15 OA in the half, and fight for an AG win.  A good day!

Or, I could race, get that 6-7 minute lead and win the Double.  To be honest, I didn’t even have to think about it; when will I ever be in this position again?

On Sunday, the race was non wet-suit, which was perfect for me since I can out-swim all those who were in contention.  Turns out I had a lead out of the water of 5-12 minutes over the guys I was fighting with.

Onto the bike . . .  I rode hard, but was smart.  I was able to ride with a much better athlete (legally) the whole way.  I came off the bike 5^th OA in the half race, with a pro leading the race way out in front.  I left T2 with 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th.  I was 1^st on the run in the Double.

Boom—perfect!

Then I started to run and I knew I was in trouble at my first step, but stayed positive. My first mile was 7:15, but I felt way off.  I simply focused on each step.  By mile 2, I was averaging 7:50s for the race; by mile 3 well over 8’s.  By mile 4 I was into the mid 9’s and started to get passed.

At this point, it was the classic death march.  I finished the day with a 2:10 run.  Ouch!

Several of my buds asked me what happened as they passed by.  I really couldn’t answer; I didn’t know!  Later I understood . . .  I simply raced to win, and I did that with no fear of this result.  The decision to race was sub-conscious; it really wasn’t a decision.  It was 100s of tiny decisions I made all weekend long, with the realistic goal of winning that put me here.   It wasn’t a singular choice.  It was 1000s upon 1000s of decisions over the past 3 years that gave me this opportunity, and it was 100s of decisions over the course of 3 days that gave me this result.

Before the race, I sent MM a race plan, and when I woke up I didn’t like what I sent to her.  It focused on things I shouldn’t focus on—external stuff.  I re-sent her my plan, and basically said I am going to be my best; from start to finish.  My best changes everyday, within every moment, and I am simply going to focus on giving my best in every step.

That is how I raced on Saturday, and with a 42 second deficit, to race not to win would hardly be my best effort.  To race to place would be a comfortable effort—a known result.  And then within the race on Sunday, my best changed to simply finishing.  I slugged my way to the finish, and smiled knowing that I know.

There is a deep comfort in knowing where you stand, versus the regret of always asking, “what if I tried a bit harder…?”  A couple buds said to me, “I got to give you credit; you were smiling in the end!”  The smiles were the result of knowing!

Someone once said to me, “If you ever want to win, you better be willing to blow the F up!”  Sometimes you’ll win, and sometimes you will learn about your limits.

The irony of the day is I finished 2^nd OA in the Double Mussel:
1^st place going into Sunday didn’t show up—he was rather easy to beat.
3^rd place, he won it with a 4:27.
4^th place got a flat and didn’t have the gear to change it—he was easy to beat as well.

There were several times I wanted to turn in my chip and quit.  And there were several opportunities to do it as well.  Plenty of volunteers with cars would have been happy to drive me back.

My day ended in the med tent, with very low blood pressure and an IV.  I was extremely disappointed, but that wore off very quickly.  Eventually, I realized I wouldn’t have any regrets in 20 years; I’ll never look back on today and wonder…what if?

The comfort of knowing far outweighs the pain of wondering….

Always finish.

Thanks for reading!!

1-Eliminate other things in my life to create the space.
2-Reduce the quality of the content to pump out articles.

Neither of the above were an option!

Still wanting to share information and expertise, I stopped to consider the fact that Endurance Corner has a team of writers . . .  and I came to realize that by recruiting help from others I could maintain quality of content and share the knowledge of some people that I am very fortunate to work with!  My current team is made up of individuals with some amazing talent and knowledge that they have bridged to the sport of triathlon.  Each is a strong member of the community and possesses many of the characteristics I strive to establish within a team environment: positive attitude, easy going personality, and a willingness to help those around them do well.  So I asked myself:

1-Can I learn from reading what they have to say?
2-Can the people around me and those who visit my website learn?

Since the answer to those questions is a resounding yes, it makes little sense for me to be the only person on the team writing!

Few of us on the team are going to race pro; therefore, the sport of triathlon means something much greater than our time at the finish line.  How does the sport help us in other areas of our lives?  What is the connection between what we are great at (our jobs) versus what we are good at (triathlon)?  Does the sport lift our game in what we do within our own very specialized fields?

As a coach of extremely high performers in life, there is much for us to learn, and I have found that growth within the sport quite often leads to growth within our lives as well.  On our team, we have an extremely successful entrepreneur, a person who spends countless hours in the ER, an attorney who understands the risks our families face, one of the best support spouses I have ever seen, and an aspiring athlete striving for balance.

I get inspiration from each and every one of them and I hope you learn from them as well.  You can expect to read their thoughts every Monday starting August 5th.

Thank you for reading!