Inspiration from an Ironman World Champion

This is from Scott Tinley, the two-time Ironman World Champ (thanks to my teammate Danielle for forwarding this to me):

"You ever wonder what regular people think when they hear that close to 20,000 people are trying to get an entry into Kona? They're thinking all those people must have a screw loose, that's what. Yet, I'd bet 1,000 sit-ups that more than a few of them dream about crossing the finish line, all tan and trim, the crowd screaming, their toothpaste commercial smiles caught and beamed out over the airwaves. And I bet that when they wake up in the morning, more than a few roll over and try to hide from the gnawing desire that they, too, could have that same screw loose. Maybe they are realizing that too many of us die too young or too late. Maybe they know that we pull ourselves up by making money, making the grade; all the while taking less and less time to face the fact that there are some things in life we need to do. Just because.

I think the Ironman is one of those things. For all those people, I can't pretend to know why. Hell, I barely have an idea why I did close to 50 of them myself. But I know people are changed by an Ironman. Ironman finishers leave a mark on the world.

Try to define that. Go ahead. The words will never come. It is enough to hear the stories, to watch the returning smiles. Witness the metamorphosis.

Yeah, there is a price--relationships, jobs, sunburns, missing toenails; there always is for the good stuff. But the call of the distant drum is too loud to ignore, too powerful to pawn off as some midlife crisis of the middle manager or desperate plea of a soccer mom. All they want is their one day. One day full of enough feeling and emotion to last an eternity.

But like war, marriage, tight jeans and stick shift cars, the Ironman isn't for everybody. As much as it can give, it can take. If it were easy, it wouldn't mean the same. Even dreams are fair game in the forecast of one's decisions.

I know there are ways to validate one's life. There has to be. The Pulitzer Prize winning author Katherine Anne Porter once said that salvation can only be found through religion and art. I believe that great feats of physical endurance include both those traits.

And in a world that tries its hardest to separate us from what matters, the Ironman helps us to reconnect with the pulse of our lives. As long as it does that, we will be happy to have made the decision to even attempt the dream"

The Whip

Latigo is the Spanish word for 'whip' so it's no surprise that Latigo Canyon bends and curves in a seemingly endless series of twists, always going up. 10+ miles of climbing to the top of the Santa Monica mountains.

That was our task this past Sunday, as we are now inside of 3 months for Ironman Florida. The idea being that such unrelenting climbing helps to build great leg strength, which is going to be needed on that 112-mile bike leg.

I'm glad I had never driven up that road before because if I had, I don't think I could have brought myself to try it on a bike. And now that I've done it, it's one of those "Wow, I've come a long way" moments that happen every so often in triathlon.

The bike has always been my weakness and I am always a bit hesitant on it, especially when it comes to big climbs, as once you start up these things there is usually no stopping or turning back. I couple of different times I literally thought I was going to fall over because the exertion was so tough and there was no where to go. But I've always gotten through it, although the experience can be a bit haunting. I've never had anything like that in the swim or run.

But, we made it up there, all the while in my lowest gear going about as slow as you can go without falling over. Took a little more than an hour to cover the 10 miles.

Then, we cut along the crest of Mullholand, over to Decker Canyon, then back to Mullholland for a nice descent to PCH. Rode a little further north then back to Pepperdine for a solid 4-hour ride, easily the most difficult I've ever done.

Just two weeks prior, I did a 6-hour ride followed by a 30-minute run. That wasn't too bad because it was just up PCH, so nothing by good rollers and no big climbs.

I am certainly serious about my training these days and things are getting pretty intense. I leave for a family reunion in Wisconsin for a few days, which will be a good opportunity to get a couple of long runs in the humidity. I'll also have access to a pool, and will need to get a couple of good swims under my belt.