Fifteen

Tomorrow I’ll be embarking on my fifteenth Ironman triathlon. On the surface there is nothing overly special to me about the number 15. It’s not considered lucky, it’s not a prime number, it’s just a nice round number, half way between 10 and 20. What is more significant about tomorrow, is that I have directed a lot of energy towards it for the last two years. Two years ago, I was as prepared as I have ever been for an Ironman – and even being slightly sick on race day I still managed a very solid finish and likely only missed my goal of top 5 in my AG through errors in execution.

Post-race I immediately signed up for IMCDA in 2013, to capture a slot to return to Kona and redeem my frustrations, only to decide that it was a wiser decision for my family to not return until 2014.

Here I am. The triathlon path since October 2012 to October 2014 has not been a smooth one. There has been a lot of self-doubt, a lot of searching, trying new things, good performances, average performances, embarrassing performances.

Fortunately, the in the final prep for Kona I was able to find a centered place which allowed me to put together a solid block of training. I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but I am looking forward to putting forth my best effort and seeing what I am able to draw out of my competitors and what they are able to draw out of me.

Tomorrow is not the destination of the past two years, but simply a way-point on the journey and path that I will continue following when I wake up on Sunday.