Today was supposed to be my first shot at qualifying for Kona. I was primed. My training was impeccable. It wasn't to be, and like everything Ironman, it was totally out of my control. A "bomb cyclone" cancelled the race today. I wasn't disappointed, however, for a few reasons. First, to be totally honest with myself, I've just been "off" over the past few days. When I got to Sacramento I felt like my allergies were bothering me, and then yesterday my back tightened up on me. Still, I was "ready" to race today. Except, that I knew that if there truly were 55 mph winds and heavy rain, that I wasn't going to risk hurting myself by getting on the bike. Fortunately, the race directors agreed and cancelled the race. As I drove home, I began to feel better, validating my friend Rudy's thought that the huge drop in barometric pressure had "messed" with my system. The vagaries of "getting older," I guess.
As I wrote a post on Facebook to the other athletes, I was speaking to myself as much as I was to them. The last 8 months have been amazing. Today's race wouldn't have changed that. Whether I actually qualify for Kona doesn't change that. I love having a goal, and I have been very serious about this one, but it still is about the journey. If I make it about "results," I will lose. Life isn't about "things," or "results," it's about putting yourself into what matters one hundred percent.
On that note, I've got some other big decisions to make about what I want to be doing when I'm not training for an Ironman. All of this has to be factored in. But, as always, it needs to be factored in, in a good way, a healthy way. And so, I ponder the journey.
My next Ironman isn't until May, and it's my favorite Ironman, St. George. While I have the opportunity to do another race in the next 6 weeks, the logistic just don't work, and none of the available races interest me. I'd still like a shot at the California course. Having seen it, it really was going to be an interesting opportunity. Which may make my decision simple, defer to next October 23rd. The only complication would be if I had a great race at St. George and qualified for Kona next year. The odds of that aren't good, and I may just want to go back to my original plan of preparing to qualify for Kona once I'm 65. I've got 2 1/2 years for that. In the meantime, I will continue to ponder the journey.
No comments:
Post a Comment