Oh, my gosh!   That picture says it all.  It has been a year of planning, thinking, talking nicely to my knee, talking nicely to Charlie, talking nicely to all of my training buddies, biking, swimming, running, working out with Britt, having massages by Sharon, PT visits to Doug at Shoreline, and racing and enjoying the year.  What a year!   I’ve tried to remain calm and focused on the task at hand being able to get to that finish line and not worried about pace at all.   I look back on this 8 year journey and I realize that I am doing this for more than myself.  I’m doing it for every one of you; for the everyday athlete that has a dream.   I didn’t play collegiate sports and found triathlons after a divorce and a knee surgery.  Go Figure.  But why not Dream Big!    Eight years, 71 triathlons, 26 half iron distances and 12 Ironman events later, it is time for Kona!   If you keep after your goals and your dreams they are not insurmountable.   I tell my athletes CONSISTENCY, RHYTHM AND BALANCE.  Those have been my key words this year.  Consistency of training; there isn’t one single training session that defines the training and training is more than gadgets and tools.  I don’t train with heart rate or power and I rarely run hills and do speed work (anymore).    But day in and day out I’m riding hard, riding easy, riding steady, open water swims, group pool sessions, long runs, fartlek runs, etc…It’s finding a Rhythm with life, work, and the training and establishing a balance between the competitive spirit, the resilient spirit and a balance between what my body can do and what the mind can propel my spirit to accomplish.   I am headed to Kona!

As I write this today, I am reminded of an extraordinary friend and kind soul that was taken too soon.  We raced for him this year and that race propelled me to the 70.3 World Championship in Zell Am See, Austria.  I almost didn’t take that spot, but I want life to be full of adventure and I don’t want to miss anything.   MOJO can be described as having a magical power or being full of an attractable energy.  Warrior is the ability to fight for what you believe and what you want.  I cannot imagine the fight that he had and it is nothing compared to my fight for my dream.   I know what will be written on my hand at Kona…no question.

“I owned every second that this world could give”…”I did it all”

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