That's a wrap for this season. After getting the diagnosis for Anne and her back problem as well as my general lack of enthusiasum for the upcoming race in Cedar Point, I've decided to call it a season and start my off season a couple weeks early.
For the most part, it was a good season. Not exactly the one I would have expected, but good in the fact that I learned a lot about myself and where I'd like to go with triathlon. First and foremost, I learned that Ironman may not be for me. The ultimate goal of this season was to log an iron distance race. Originally it was to be IM Louisville, but then as money and time dicatated it was to be the iron distance race at Cedar Point with the Rev3 folks. Looking back, I think that the issue of switching races dealt less with budget and more with motivation. Ironman seemed like a good idea at the end of last season when I was coming off the high of doing well in my last half iron distance race. As it turned out (I still don't know entirely for sure), it might just not be for me. The training was going well and I was getting physically stronger, but my mind was slowly cracking. The nature of the race and the strict pacing was driving me nuts. Sure it's a great accomplishment, but right now, for the athlete I am, the steady pacing for hours on end is what ultimately drove me mad. Hopefully all this makes sense to you as a reader. I'm not ruling out EVER doing one, but for right now and most likely next season, Ironman is just not for me.
On the up-side though, I have found something new that I'm completely in love with. Finishing the season with an XTERRA race was probably one of the best things I could have done. I started the season with a win in my first race and had then turned in some pretty sub-par results. With finishing 4th overall in my first XTERRA, I've not only found something I'm good at, but something I'm super excited to focus on next season.
All in all it wasn't a bad summer. I got to spend it with a girl that's everything I could ever dream of, ride my bike, and occasionally race well:).
The next few weeks will be dedicated to playing (mostly on the bike) and dabbling in some 'cross races and finding new places to explore on my bike. Lots of good roads and trails are ahead of me:)
This is our new blog detailing our daily adventures, mountain bike racing, endurance sports, and maybe even some cooking (that's Anne's domain!). We will share our experiences with life, training, and most importantly, being a team-both in marriage and in our sport.
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