Saint Davids Orchestra

09/30/2024

Ok - last Ironman triathlon of the season promise (you won’t hear from me on this matter until next year). This was yesterday’s IRONMAN 70.3 New York at Jones Beach 2024. My 4th half-Ironman (since 2021, and being sick in 2023), this was my personal best time for the wee 70.3 miler. Of course, every “rain or shine” race is an adventure unto itself.

With the bands of now Tropical Storm Helene stretching far and wide … pausing for humanity, humility and respect for the devastation and carnage wreaked by Helene … this Long Island bay had the choppiest and current fighting 1.2 mile swim course I’ve yet to experience (mouthfuls of saltwater for sure).

The 2-loop bike course (56 miles) was quite exhilarating (still a turtle, exceeding 27 mph in rare moments) - except when you went head-on into gale force winds (which humbled you quickly).

The 2-loop run course started out fine … but then it began to rain sideways due the increasing gale force winds.

Powering through, was still my personal best time on the 70.3 (folks, don’t be astonished by the distance … triathlon racing can be learned - it’s mostly psychological, strategy, and knowing your body). After crossing the finish line, my primary objective was to grab my gear and get to the car with heat blasting (hence this particular photo).

On the drive home (blasting Mozart and Brahms Requiems), my personal reflection on why I Tri:

- Humility: every race comes with its unforeseen challenges that can’tbe trained for (heat, cold, rain, wind, jellyfish, sharks … ok, I’m kidding on that last one - no, really … sort of)
- Bodywise: an ongoing means of listening to my body … as long as I feel the burn, I’m alive (as I’m still a patient, this is critical)
- Respect: the human ability and spirit is amazing (while including ages teens through 70s, there was an 80-something year old in this race, as well as a one-legged para athlete … who finished far-far before me)
- Personal Compass: racing to complete rather than compete, I learn a lot about myself and values that translates to all other dimensions of my life.

Time to pack away the gear until next year (oops, there are a couple half-marathons and a full-marathon in November … but then 2024 is a wrap … looking forward to 2025!)

09/22/2024

Well … just finished IRONMAN Maryland 140.6 2024 as part of “Bouncing Forward” (2023 CRC Survivor - currently NED). Still slow as a turtle (no bandwidth to overly train) - but finish in the nick of time with strategy, determination, resiliency, and probably some genetics. “Why be bad at one sport when you can be bad at three!”

Swim (2.4 miles): no jellyfish this time (still have PTSD from an electrifying IRONMAN Maryland 2022), but had to fight the currents drifting you off course (thankful for the triathlon lifeguards surrounding the athletes in kayaks, boats, and jet skis to herd and corral us back on course).

Bike (112 miles): thankful for the changing tents (not typically the case for triathlons) so I could put on a proper riding kit - 112 miles is long time to be wearing the usual Tri shorts with skimpy butt padding. Many thanks to Isaac of Befitting Bicycles for getting my Quintana Roo PRFive race-ready (a remarkably fast machine for which I aspire to truly deserve).

Run (26.2 miles): my strategy to alternate jogging and power walking was blown out of the water (or in this case, blown into the water) with high tide covering parts of the run course - splashing through [at times] mid-calve water is exhausting (new found respect for military training). The joke is that the Run is also walk or crawl - they should add swim - which brings new meaning to the triathlon sequence of swim-bike-run (in this case, swim, bike, run/walk/crawl/SWIM).

This makes for now being a 2X Ironman and soon will have completed four half Ironmans (apparently these don’t count in the ?X Ironman title).

What I find remarkably inspiring about all triathlons is that it isn’t a sport for only the super athletic, super fit, and those in their late teens to early 30s. Yes, there are definitely many of those folks to be sure. But I have observed folks of all body types (yeah, seriously - one might never imagine) and ages (most folks are 40-70s … there’s always at least a couple of folks in their 80s). I’m sure they all have their reasons for doing Tri (which is compulsive and addictive in itself).

For me, it has now become a means by which to listen to my body. I’m convinced that participating in endurance sports since 2018 is why I am still here with you all ❤️. I will keep Tri-ing for as long as my body lets me 🏊🏼‍♂️ 🚴 🏃🏽‍♂️

01/02/2020