Preface

About a year ago I started this blog thinking it would be a fun way to share my race season; writing race reports as well as posting pictures and results.  Turns out however that the whole writing thing is hard work, time consuming and easily outside my comfort zone, so when the notice came into my inbox to renew for another $99 I was hesitant at first but ultimately decided on giving it another shot.  There are a couple of reasons that led me to this decision –

1) Many of my triathlete friends have turned bloggers.  It’s nice to read their updates as it provides comfort as well as advice and usually a laugh.  Most of my tri friends live a distance away as well so it’s become an easy way to check in on what their up to and see their progress.

2) The name of the game has changed significantly for me over the last year.  When I first started competing in triathlon it was to stay fit and remain social.  I became a member of the Buffalo Triathlon Club, Checkers Running Club and Masters Swim.  I attended track workouts, time trials and morning swim sessions, as well as extracurricular activities like club events and parties.  For a while it was a very fun and rewarding experience.  As time progressed however things have become more serious.  Whereas I used to do every local road race, time trial and triathlon in Buffalo I only do a handful of races now, generally out of state, some out of the country.  There’s no home crowd to cheer me on, some races I barely know anyone at.  Because every workout is individually tailored and due to my tight schedule everything I do is typically alone.  I ride my bike for hours in the living room of my apartment then run countless laps in Delaware Park.  A 40 hour work week coupled with 2-3 hour workouts daily and an additional 8-12 hours on the weekend leaves very little time for anything else.  I feel it’s become a growing trend for athletes to communicate through Facebook, Twitter and other online mediums to stay connected to the world, so if this blog can help with that and provide something to think about on long mindless workouts I figure I’ll give it another shot.

It’s important for me to convey at this point that this sport isn’t just a killer of free time and social lives.  There’s a reason why so many have dedicated themselves to it.  Triathlon has provided an unparalleled sense of purpose in my life.  I’ve found it to be one of the few things that generally pays off every bit of hard work with reward.  Due to its unique design, there is almost no limit to the amount one can dedicate mentally, physically, emotionally, and financially and because of this I feel it creates more of a lifestyle impact than any other activity.  In addition, it’s one of the few sports, if not only, that allows amateurs to compete on the same playing field as the pros, with the only thing separating us being time.

This year I look to see how far this sport can truly take me and hope to use this blog as a means of documenting that journey.  I have put in countless hours in the past, yet this is the first time I feel every aspect coming together from each perspective – training, nutrition, fueling, body composition, and well thought out race plan.  70.3 World Championships may be the most prestigious race of my year scheduled so far but my heart is fully vested in a return to Lake Placid for my second Ironman, yet first shot at really racing the 140.6 mile distance. My only other significant objective for this year is to find balance between competition and the rest of my life so that the goal won’t be a sole season to be proud of but a lifestyle to look forward to for many years ahead.