Top of the Key

Where to begin?  2008 was a great year for me overall. I achieved more than I have ever imagined, and have pushed myself harder than I have in the past.  I had days that I would be so focused on running that the distance and time just weren’t relevant, I was just going, and going and going.  A few days there, especially on Saturday nights, that I would be finishing up a 10 mile run after swimming hard, biking long, and pushing through the grind to stay strong the entire run.  And then flopping on the floor at home in tears…for no reason at all.  Only to wipe it away 5 min. later, and wake up the next day and train again.  Always with the support of Jess behind me, I have stepped up a level in my self-confidence.  A few hightlights from 2008…

Highs:
1. Overall winner of a triathlon – Extremely large mental victory for me, totally shocked myself, after a bit of advice I heard one day at a talk that Tim DeBoom gave to the BTC.  I remember I was there all by myself, Jess was running the colfax marathon, and as I came into T2, I saw no bikes..that was a first.  And support said I was the first person in…I was so shocked…and then off the run where I didn’t look back until .5 miles to go…noone there.

2. Finishing an Ironman in 10:20 – Knocking off 45 min from previous PR, and 1 hour, 18 min. faster on the same course from a year ago.  All my training (52 weeks) paid off big, didn’t get a Kona slot, but would I have raced this well if I hadn’t trained so hard?  Who knows.  But now I have a sense of how much harder I need to go.  2 Ironman’s in 1 year, that was a mental test!

3. My wife finishing her first Ironman – after she stated she would never do a triathlon, and never an Ironman a few years ago.  She’s impressed me the whole way.  From injury, to diving into the unknown, building a massage practice and taking care of the family…don’t know how she stays so strong and joyful.  Always a smile on her face, especially crossing the finish line in Coeur D’Alene…never saw anyone finish like that.

Looking ahead to 2009, I see lots of time spent with my dogs, more racing and lots more laughs.  No Ironman for either Jess or me, so that puts life back on track a little.  We’ll probably race alot more together in 09…and that makes for a guarenteed good time!

Living in Boulder, working for ourselves, and staying healthy and happy continues to be what I strive for, daily.  I consider myself to be very, very lucky and fortunate to be here today.  I hope everyone else out there has a Happy New Year, and a successful 09.  It is what you make of it!