End of 2025

I did awful job keeping this site up to date this year. There’s a lot to update on.

Work

I was laid off at the end of may. The truth is that I wasn’t very disappointed. The job was stale and the company was/is flailing. My team was great and my direct manager was awesome. The other leaders weren’t so enjoyable. Great people on their own, just didn’t agree with the decisions they were making and how they were going about business.

Since the lay off I’ve been focused on family, training, and a large backyard renovation. I’ve casually looked at roles in a couple of companies but I’m not applying for anything I’m not excited about. I am beginning to coach so I’m hoping that will take up most of my time.

Triathlon

I set a number of goals for the year and I nearly completed all of them.

1. Podium at a local race (achieved twice)

2. Top 20 at a 70.3 (Rockford and La Quinta)

3. No injuries

4. Sub 5 hours

5. Qualify for 70.3 World championships

In May I took 3rd at the Spring Sprint. It was a cold and rainy day but I raced really well. In the summer I raced the Chula Vista challenge and placed 2nd. I think I’m more talented at shorter distances but 70.3s feel more fulfilling. I PRd my 5k at the CV Challenge which was pretty damn cool.

Staying disciplined in making sure my easy runs were easy and hard were hard was a big contributor to staying relatively injury free. Also not falling off a ladder helps too. PT was really something that has allowed me to really push myself. When things start to sneak up my PT is able to sort them out before they become problems. At my age it’s a luxury and a requirement to keep pushing what’s possible.

At 70.3 Rockford I took 15th on an insanely hot and windy day. The first hour of the bike had me on pace to go sub 2 hours but making our way back to town we were fighting the wind we were just enjoying. The run was deathly hot but I made good decisions in slowing my pace, cooling myself obsessively, and taking nutrition as needed. This put me in solid position to earn a roll down slot to World Championships. WC was a stretch goal that I thought could be possible if I got lucky. I did indeed get lucky and was able to go to Spain to race.

These were my goals and the one I’m bummed about is the sub 5 goal. I thought for sure in Rockford I would do it with a down river swim, flat rolling bike, and very flat run. The heat stole that one. A month after Spain I  went back to La Quinta to race and try to complete the last major goal. I was very close but end the year with a 5:04. A PR that I’m proud of but that golf course run was a little bit too much for my tired body and mind.

Goals shouldn’t be easily attainable. And it’s ok to miss the mark on some of them. The drive to achieve them should fester and become fuel for the fire. Clearly I set some great goals for myself. I’m proud of how the year went even if that sub 5 hr one makes my eye twitch a bit. I’m working on my goals for next year and I’m excited to get training for them.

Spain

An unexpected highlight of the year was going to Marbella, Spain to race in the 70.3 World Championships. I can’t believe that it happened. I’m relatively new to Ironman and to be able to earn a slot a year after Couer d’Alene was shocking and special. It's something I'm quite proud of.

The race itself was fun and perfect. The time isn't great but I knew that might be the case considering the bike course. I had a great swim and a great run. The bike was hard and I could've pushed harder but I was hesitant with all of the climbing we had to do. The run could've been better but I messed up my electrolytes and paid for it in the last mile with cramps.

Traveling with my wife and daughters went well. What didn't go well were the airports not capable of handling all of the bikes descending on Malaga Airport. I recorded all of the mishaps in a Google Doc so I won't get into it here. Let's just say I had to put my ability to endure to the test.

Sub 5

Going sub 5 hours is a major goal of mine. Roughly, it's a sub 30 swim, sub 2:30 bike, and sub 2 hours run. I've done all of those 3 but not in a single race (including transition times). I got close at 70.3 La Quinta in 2025 but missed by 4 minutes. It was a very long season and while I didn't hit my goal, I have had really good races every time I've raced.

I don't know that it's possible to have a perfect race. There are so many variables at play and you really need to be on it. I think the more experience I get the better I am at adjusting on the fly and over a long period the times will collectively come down. June 2024 was my first 70.3 race and while I wish I could've achieved this sooner, the reality is I'm a bit older and was virtually sedentary for a decade. So getting this close in 18 months is pretty awesome.

Looking Ahead

I might put together a post about looking to 2026 but for now, the sub 5 goal is still huge. With the changes to the World Championship qualification system, I'll need to get much, much faster. I think the changes Ironman have made are good. Sure I can't squeak out a slot as easily but I don't want it to be easier. I want to earn that slot.

So along with 70.3 I'm going to push myself on the top end speed in the Sprint/Olympic distances as well. So for now the rough race plan is looking like this:

• Spring Sprint

• 70.3 Chattanooga

• SD International

• 70.3 Boise

• Chula Vista Challenge

• 70.3 Santa Cruz

• 70.3 Waco (maybe???)

• Mission Bay Sprint (State Championships)

This is subject to change as the year shapes up. I just love racing and am excited to see some new places. We'll see how everything shapes up.