Start List

Well... about a week ago I received an email from my friend Martina to check out the start list for the Canadian National Championships Elite race in Kelowna (11 days from today). Despite knowing in the back of my mind that there will be really really fast people, despite knowing that it is a big race (ITU Kelowna Pan American Premium Cup), despite knowing that there is 10,000US on the line between men and women which makes even more people show up, IT NEVER REALLY HIT ME UNTIL I SAW THIS:



...mmm lets see… how about making this first serious elite race a learning experience huh? How about if I perform the best I can given the circumstances and the quality of the field? How about if I am happy to finish even if its last? This is the approach I will take for the race. I am just happy to be there, no matter the result.

Who would have thought 8 years ago when I hanged up my googles for 2 years that I would be racing 11 days from today against Olympic athletes -something I never accomplished in 12 years of competitive swimming?-. Who would have thought 5 years ago when I bought my first road bike and did my first Sprint triathlon that today I would be an “elite” athlete racing in my first ITU race? The answer is no one, not even myself.

People ask all the time if I have long term goals, and I do, just like 5 years ago I did. The plan was to do a Sprint in my first year, then an Olympic with a bunch of Sprints in my second year, then the following year move into the Half Ironman world, and 4 years later race Ironman Canada. One step up every year for 4 years, reasonable. By the way, following that plan it would have been Ironman Canada 2008. See, things kind of change… My plans and goals have been completely refurbished; I have no plans to do Ironman in the near future (but I will at some point), and I have not done a Half and have only contemplated it as a “fun” training day. I got stuck in Olympic distance (by will) 3 years ago, and every year I like it more and more. It has become “shorter” with training and experience, definitely faster, and it is now the plan for the next couple of years! Things change.

Every day I am getting a little bit more pumped for Kelowna. Tomorrow is my ½ day off, looking forward to rejuvenate the body (or the legs I should say). Friday starts my taper, I will start feeling better, stronger, faster (and I will have plenty of time to do something else other than training and working for a week!). Next Friday morning we are leaving town with my parents and brother, I can not wait… K-town, here I comeeeee!!!!!