Steelhead 70.3

 "No excuses. Lose like a man, and win like a man. If you're injured, don't play; if you play, you're not injured."    -Pancho Segura


     Steelhead was a race that was on the schedule when I was originally focusing on points for the 70.3 World Championships in Vegas.  As the season goes forward, and as I see what I want out of races and  results, and how my body responds to training volume, racing, etc... that goal has changed.  But with not racing at some races I was signed up for (Muncie/Racine), in favor of the Vancouver 1/2, I just really wanted to show up and give my best effort.

    I had a rough swim (everyone did), and didn't make the best decisions early with where I lined up, who I started near, etc... I got out of the water with a very strong cyclist Thomas Gerlach, and we started to move back towards the front of the field.  We passed quite a few athletes, picked up another strong rider Josh Seifarth, and tried to get as close to the front of the race as we could.

    I got off the bike in 6th (Gerlach flatted), passed an athlete walking and moved up to 5th.  Ryan Rau came up behind me, and I held him off for quite a few miles, until I started to fade, he started to speed up, and, well, that's what happens sometimes.

    I raced the best I could on the day, I was in the top 10, and had some more great race experience, fighting through a bad swim, and making the best of the day.  Valuable lessons for Ironman.

    But.... I think the real value (for me at least) is finally understanding how I need to trust what works for me, and what I want out of racing.

    I don't go from race to race, competitive at the front every time.  I'm more consistent than I ever was, but when I've trained hard, rested, had a full build--I can be competitive.  I can swim and ride w/ the podium guys, I've seen how I can run when the training block was working, I know I can be in the mix.  But I can't do it every few weeks.  I don't care about racing for points.  I want to try to win some races, be in the mix for a podium whenever I show up.

   So if you're reading, and you want advice, it's just to look honestly and realistically about your goals, your strengths, your weaknesses, and plan around that.  I love the idea of racing every few weeks, being a part of the action.  But I really want to perform at my best.  And that's not the way for me to go about it.

    So I'll plan the races that are important, I'll look at the spacing between those events, and figure out the ideal training environment for each race.  A nice break with the family, then Augusta 70.3 and Ironman Florida are left on the schedule.  I'm excited to put in the work and show up, no excuses, ready to race.

    Thanks for reading, and big thanks to all my sponsors, I appreciate all you do and appreciate the opportunity to represent such strong brands. Working with people who support you and stay interested and invested in your performance makes such a huge difference. Thank you.

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  p.s.---this is one of my favorite songs. There's not much point to this other than it's something I really like and since I usually only blog race reports, here's something else to add to your playlists- Macklemore and Ryan Lewis