As I flew back down to Fort Lauderdale this week, I checked my phone in Cincinnati to see if I could get a status of Jeff Ford's Timerman Half Ironman effort. I was happy to see that my ancient Blackberry was able to interpret the website and had status of the 1.2 mile swim and the 56 mile bike. Jeff was killing it. On the bike, he had a negative split with the 2nd half coming quicker than the first. I thought about him and his determination to keep pushing through such a gruelling course as he transitioned into the half marathon at the end.
As I thought about this, it made me think about how I view a race such as the Timberman now vs. how I might have viewed it prior to my visit to Hilton Head Health. The truth is, in the past, races like this, a sprint triathlon or even a 5K would not have crossed my mind and I certainly would not have had anyone to look up. This is mostly because I was not surrounding myself with people like Jeff. Even people I knew before such as a colleague in Richmond, VA that runs frequently and has run several races would not have discussed this with me in the past. What I realized was that my changed habits and new motivations have changed the people I surround myself with as well as the context of some of the discussion. It opens a new window to what is happening around me. This is not to say that existing friends and co-workers are any less important because they absolutely are not.
It makes me so proud to have selected Jeff to be my @home coach when I left H3i. I appreciate his level of effort to accomplish intense races like the one he did today finishing 18th in his division and 255th overall which included a large list of professional triathletes. Most of all, I enjoy having something new to anticipate and follow!
If you are an athlete or aspiring to be one like me, you might also want to check out Jeff's blog that chronicles his quest to compete in the Kona Ironman and discusses the importance of Crossfit Training. Check it out!!
1 comment:
Dude we're going to go back and forth on each others blogs. Thanks so much for this post buddy, wish I had internet connection sooner this week!! So much to improve on dude and I've been hearing your words all week when you told me "I am never satisfied with any race and that I always expect more of myself" Your exactly right dude and having your perspective helps me as much as you surrounding yourself with my passion and finding your motivation from these events as well. Looks like you know nothing is insurmountable!! Let's plan on a 70.3 together dude, first a 13.1 and then the half iron. You'll be there!! Regards, Jeff P.S. I am getting to Kona!
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