It’s been quite some time since my last post. I started training back in November of last year in preparation for the Chattanooga 70.3 Ironman in May. To complicate matters, this training period coincided with the most travel I have ever done for work. Regardless, I persevered and trained up until the race.
In my entire triathlon career, I have never raced in such an early season race. The thought process was that I would race Chattanooga in May and then Augusta again in late September. However, those plans changed drastically after the Chattanooga race. Even though I worked extremely hard training for the run portion of the race, which historically is my weakest event, I still found myself struggling in the race.
I had a preconceived idea that May would still be cool and keep me from overheating. Oh, how I was so wrong in that assumption. It was insanely hot, which sucked the very soul out of my body. I had a better than average swim at 23 minutes and an okay bike at 2 hours and 55 minutes. Having run a sub two hour 13.1 miles the weekend before, I went into the run full of complete confidence. That was before I hit the top of the hill of mile 1. As I crested the hill, I felt a firey ball of heat plant itself in front of my face. One that would not leave me for the remainder of the run.
In my mind, I am fairly certain I quit the race at every mile marker. Yet, I somehow found the strength to go on. This strength was bolstered by the support of my great friends Bill and Elizabeth Ritter and their two wonderful kids Henry and Paige. Just when I thought I couldn’t go on, I would hear “Come on Mr. Stephen!”. It was the voices of angels inspiring me to rise to the occasion. Without the Ritters, the race would have been entirely different and I sincerely thank them for their support and hospitality the entire weekend. The Ritters were the silver lining along with the absolute beauty that is Chattanooga.
I left the race declaring my retirement from the sport and to date, I still feel that way. The joy simply isn’t there to compete in another triathlon. This may change but before it does, I need to find that spark that propels me forward with a desire to compete again. I don’t view this as a negative but rather a momentary pause to enjoy life and not let the craziness of travel and training to dominate my happiness.
I’ve enjoyed being off the radar these past few months and while I’m now popping back onto it, I’m not necessarily seeking to jump back in and race. I’m not happy with the race I had and feel I could do much better. It's now the end of September so I have the next 60 days to decide if I want to go back to Chattanooga and finish the race with more dignity. I’m content for now but….I have put myself back on the radar so you never know! We’ll see what the next 60 days bring.