Slogging through Ironman Santa Rosa in 2018 began to make it clear to me that I didn’t want to “just finish” Kona. I wanted to compete. Don’t get me wrong. No amount of training is going to put me in a position to compete with many of the Kona participants who qualify in my age group. However, I recognize that I’ve finished in the top ten of my age group at least few times. I know that with proper training I can acquit myself pretty well. And, there’s always the most important individual to compete with, myself!
I decided to take a circuitous route to my Kona training by starting with the Snowdrop55 Ultra. My first experience completing a 100 mile run/walk was complicated by another nasty cold just four weeks before the event, challenging both my body and my immune system. Recovering from a 100 miler is a process in and of itself. To add to all of this stress, quitting my job, buying a new house, moving, making a few other momentous life decisions. My focus was helped in October by a three day trip to Kona to cheer on my friend Robert in his Legacy race. Those three days solidified a few things for me. Kona isn’t about the spectators, there really aren’t any. Kona isn’t about a breathtakingly beautiful course. Kona isn’t even about the festivities leading up to the race. Kona is about Julie Moss crawling across the finish line. Kona is about never giving up. Kona is about setting the bar high.
Here I am. Six weeks from today, I’ll be at Ironman Boulder. I signed up for Boulder for a couple of reasons. The first was in my typical mindset of still trying to qualify for Kona. Yes, I’ve already got a guaranteed slot due to the Legacy program. I’d still like to get there the old fashioned way. My recent physical setbacks have forced me to be realistic about this goal, though I’m intrigued with what I can do over the next five weeks from a training perspective. The other reason is that I know that I’m capable of getting on the podium Being in the top five in my age group is within my capabilities. Again, this will be dependent upon how much I can prepare myself in the next five weeks. Finally, it will be great preparation for Kona. When I finish Boulder, I’ll be 18 weeks away from Kona. That’s the perfect amount of time to get myself ready to have the race of my life in the race that I’ve valued for so long.
Which leads me to one last concept. In order to be fully prepared for Kona, I’m going to need to be selfish. It’s an interesting concept. While I’m an admitted workaholic, I’ve generally seen my work as benefiting others. Kona is solely about me. Sounds like an interest topic for my next blog.
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