Two more weekends left before Austin. The Ironman World Championships in Kona are tomorrow. I will probably never make it to Kona unless I finish a full Ironman somewhere when I'm 70, but you can always dream. Therefore, Austin is my Kona for now. It means alot to me. Not a little bit but a lot. I never embarked on this mission with this race in mind. 18 months ago I was working like crazy, sitting on the couch and eating too much. I was at least 30 pounds heavier than I am today. I decided I had to do something. At first, it was going to be racing a few sprints and see where it went. I have a fraternity brother in Mobile that sent me a message last year and asked if I was considering Austin. 70.3 miles might as well have been like a mission to mars. No way. I realized that things were going better with my fitness but I was kind of stuck in the mud when it came to preparation. Enter my neighbor Justin. I was on a ride with him last winter and happened to meet Jeff. Jeff was riding a few miles back with me through Coppell when I asked him if he helped guys like me. He said he takes on about 10 athletes a year at all skill levels and helps them along. At the time, Justin was trying to convince me to do the Galveston half ironman race in April. I just couldn't commit to it that point. It just didn't feel right. In February, I hooked on with Jeff and away we went. Through the good times and the hard times with training, Jeff does a good job of knowing what to do next and make you comfortable with the results. I know he is spread pretty thin but the time you get with him is valuable. I will owe him alot on October 28. There is no doubt in my mind I would not be considering this today if it wasn't for him. There are others. I am not a good runner. My arthritis makes running painful and the least favorite of the disciplines. As the weight began to fall off, the running became easier. Sunday's are always my long run days. Enter Rich "Matrix" Wessels and Joe Currens. I have played hockey with them for years. Long runs by yourself are not fun, at least not for me. They usually follow a grueling day on the bike and hurt a little. Running with Rich and Joe makes me laugh and they keep me company. I don't even really think about the miles and the time on my watch when we run. Good times. I miss the days we don't run together. Of course, my wife puts up with the wacky hours when I stumble around in the dark getting ready each morning and some of the afternoons or evenings that I workout. If she doesn't get this, I can't do it. I don't know where this goes from here. In two weeks, I am effectively done with the season until the spring. I think more half ironmans are probably in the equation but I don't know about a full. The time commitment may be too great. I know it has been worth it. The crazy thing is the organizers call this a race and they do keep score. However, the vast majority of people race for themselves and not against each others. Much different than other sports where your goal is to actually beat an opponent. In triathlon, the opponent is your own capabilities and defeating the negative thoughts that creep into your brain when your body is pleading for a break. Can you go faster and break your own records is usually the mind set for 99% of the people at every race. Just some random thoughts. I am meeting a guy to pick up a wetsuit tomorrow I bought off of ebay. I will have my own which will be great. No rentals.
As for today, I swam 2600 yards this morning and felt really good. After a kicking drill, I always seem really fast when I get back to regular swimming. I may actually be swimming like a three legged dog but it seems fast. I covered the distance quick and didn't take too many breaks. I was running short on time. I woke up at 5am but fell back to sleep and woke up again at 6:20. I had to swim this morning because I have an easy 4 mile run to do tonight. After this weekend the taper should begin. At least I get to run with Joe and maybe the Matrix on Sunday. Life is good again.
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