Saturday, September 23, 2017

Less Than a Month Until Race Day!

Less than a month….

Well, I have less than a month to the race in Louisville.  The training has ramped significantly and this weekend is the last HUGE weekend of training.  For those that have an interest in competing in an Ironman someday, be ready for the last 6 weeks of training towards the end.  It absolutely buries you.  The awesome part is, you get through workouts and sessions you didn’t think were possible.  It makes you a better athlete, and more importantly, a mentally tougher person. 

As a quick update to the training, my confidence in having a great day is growing week by week.  I’m hitting some great marks in all 3 phases.  While not every workout has been perfect or great, the body of work has been my best ever.  Physically and mentally I’m ready to TAPER!  Most athletes feel this the last few weeks of any big endurance training block.  It seems as though I’ve also ramped to 5 cups of coffee a day just to get through J  Excitement for race day is building…as I’ve stated before, my goal is to be in the mix to compete for top 3 in my Age Group.  I believe I’m on track still and just need to get there healthy to see what happens!  I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I’m over the 100+ mile rides and multiple 20 mile runs J

A quick and very special thank you to my wife, Ana.   She has been through this 6X before with me and still does it with a smile.  These past few weeks have been a heavier burden on her because of training and travel with work.  She is absolutely the rock behind my success in training and life.  I owe more to her than I can express.  She truly makes this journey, and our life journey together amazing.  Thank you Ana!

If you are thinking of tackling Ironman someday, my biggest advise is that make sure you make it a “family” decision.  Training and racing can NOT be done alone.  With the genuine support of your family, it can be one the most rewarding journey’s you could take your family on. 

To date, we have raised $3050 towards our goal of $3550 for the 12 Oaks Foundation!  We are almost there and if you have the means, we would love your help in making our goal before race day!  When Julie talked about training for Ironman being similar to the experience Matt went through fighting cancer, I thought it was a nice sentiment.  Having trained for 6 in the past, I could certainly see where she was coming from.  However, this time around it has been a little different.  Because of my partnership with 12 Oaks, I have been more mindful of what I’m going through (physically and mentally).  It makes me wonder if this struggle to get to the start line could ever really compare with what Matt was going through. 

You see, at the “finish line” for me will be something inspiring, exciting, and a feeling full of gratitude.  Matt’s “finish line” was something entirely different.  I can’t imagine the strength he had and showed when he knew that the outcome wasn’t going to be a “vacation to Hawaii.”  The cool part, the “inspiring and feeling of gratitude” has made a long lasting impact through his memory. 

Like most things, this race will come and go, and become a fond memory.  It’s my ultimate goal though to use this platform to help continue to grow the impact that Matt and 12 Oaks are making in the future.  So far, so good!

So, I’ll post another blog the weekend of the race….race day is October 15th.  Until then, I’m going to keep working hard and trying to inspire others to do things they never thought they were capable of.  I came across a quote recently that has really impacted me so I’ll share it below.  Think about it…I’m 100% sure Matt was the kind of kid that did things the RIGHT way.

“What is each day but a series of decisions between doing things the RIGHT way, or the EASY way.”


Dave