2018 was an interesting year that was filled with ups and down and an incredible amount of travel associated with my role at Collibra. I traveled over 176,000 miles and somehow was able to squeeze in the Ironman 70.3 Augusta.
As written in the post from July, I chose to begin training for he Ironman 70.3 Augusta 83 days before the start of the race. As in 2017, Augusta was an extremely fun and challenging race. This was due to a few glaring factors, most obvious was the short training window to prepare. Another contributing factor was that I took this journey alone as compared to 2017 where I prepared with two of my good friends, Ryan Niemeyer and Jason Waller. I underestimated how powerful of an impact training partners can have on your overall performance.
Triathlon in general is a very narcissistic sport, one that requires long hours of preparation. Rather than view this as a negative, I leverage the time to quiet my mind from all the chaos associated with everyday life and work. In a year where I spent an inordinate amount of time in the air, the long silent training was a welcomed way to find some balance.
As I reflect, my race results from the 2018 race in Augusta were less than stellar and representative of my poorest performance in my entire triathlon career. While I’ll never be satisfied with any result, I didn’t let this years results get me down. I instead view this as an opportunity to improve and learn for races in 2019. I learned that preparation, time management, and self-reflection are three key things that must take priority in order to perform at your best. In competing 83 days after I decided to race, I proved to myself that even in limited time to prepare, I could do it. However, it was a challenge and one that I shouldn’t repeat. Along with the heavy travel schedule, it took a hard toll on both my body and mind. One that I cannot afford to happen again.
Looking ahead with 2019 is just a few hours away, it is certain that I will again have a busy year with work. I will also be busy with training as I have committed to Ironman 70.3 Chattanooga in May and what will be my 3rd Ironman 70.3 Augusta. Rather than wait until the last minute to begin, I jumped right into my 27 week training program to prepare for Chattanooga. This week marks the beginning of week 7 and I already feel ahead of the where I was on race day for Augusta back in September. My goal this year is to break the 5 hour 50 minute mark. The best chance for this will be Augusta due to the familiarity of the course but Chattanooga looks to be fast as well. I will never be the athlete I once was but I do love the challenge of the race and competition to push myself to new heights.
In 2019 I will be my best self!