Journey to Kona Day 247: Why I do this crazy sport, IM #13 Santa Rosa 2018

"One thing is for sure, when I do Kona in 2019, I will be well trained.  I have to say that doing an ironman without proper training is doable, but is much less “fun.”  That quote is from my race report from Ironman Santa Rosa 2018, which I did on minimal training in the midst of a highly stressful work life.  Here's my full race report from that day:
http://wassdoc.blogspot.com/2018/05/ironman-santa-rosa-race-report.html

It's ironic that I'd already found my 12th Ironman was "no fun" because I was fighting a full blown cold throughout the entire race.  My 13th Ironman was different, insofar I became one of those people who walks the entire marathon.  I had somehow thought that I could "fake it" and get by on essentially 4-5 hours a week of swim, bike and run training, because I'd also been doing some strength training.  Well, someone like me can't "fake it." At least not to be able to compete at the level that I'd previously competed at.  Yes, I could finish an Ironman, but I knew that.  In that regard, this also was less fun.

My 13th Ironman reminded me how much I really love giving an Ironman 110%.  While I didn't need to do a 14th Ironman prior to Kona, I realized that I wanted to.  Something was missing for me.  And in the interim period, I also signed up to do Ironman St. George in 2020.  I've even been considering signing up to do Santa Rosa again.  Something about "unfinished business."  Now that I'm finally competing in the 60-64 age group, I want to see what I can do.  But, in order to see what I can do, I have to train for it.  Which is what I've been doing in my training leading up to Kona.  

Tomorrow is the last day before the Ironman World Championship in Kona. I'll be reflecting on this year's Ironman Boulder.  Santa Rosa in 2018 was a spring board to get me looking at why I truly love doing Ironman.  I had been totally immersed in work again, while significantly reducing my Ironman training, and something was missing.  This was the prelude  to my "Journey to Kona" and the realization of what it really is that I want out of this crazy sport!