Life's Too Short

Sunday night while laying in bed I registered for Couer d'Alene. It wasn't 100% impulsive since I've been thinking about racing a half-ironman for a while, expecially during training. We were with some friends earlier in the day talking about it and I just got excited at the thought of racing. I've been feeling really good in my first month of training so why not make the decision before self-doubt or anything else creeps in.

Why Idaho?

Something has been drawing me to the state for a while now. I've never actually been. But whenever I saw imagery of the Couer d'Alene race over a decade ago, I was in love. Since then Boise and other cities throughout Idaho have come up in conversation. Then there's the exodus from California's expensive cost of living (even though I love it here) that is in the back of my mind.

Racing in nature is just my style. When I did Wildflower 14 years ago, it was like the Woodstock of triathlon. Camping out in the wilderness while racing 😍. Racing outside of what's familiar is motivating as well. It makes it more of an adventure than just another race. So it will be fun for the whole family to make a trip of it.

Why this distance?

Well, it's not a full Ironman. That's the main reason. Is there a full distance in my future? We'll see if I can train well for this and how life is treating our family before I make that commitment. When I did Wildflower back in 2010, I was not in the shape I needed to be. When I finished the bike I had a 12 minute transition. I think I quit twice during that transition. I sucked it up and jog/walked that half marathon/hike. It a was brutal race that I had always wanted to improve on. Unfortunately, time got a way from me. I finished school, met my now wife, had kids, and then a global pandemic ravaged the world. I just lost touch with the idea.

In 2021 we got a Peloton bike. I thought I'd hate spin class. I was wrong. I loved it. It changed my outlook on cycling and my health. I needed the one small tweak that Peloton provided. That tweak is the leaderboard. I'm so competitive and those little profile images ahead me was all I needed to push myself to a place I didn't realize I could get to. Peloton is not a real substitute for riding outside on a real bike, but during the pandemic and being in the unhealthy spot I was in was all I really needed. Today, only a month into training for a sprint, I can feel that 2 years of Peloton training really giving me an edge in the bike (and run).

So in short, I want revenge on a poor performance in 2010. I want an adventure for myself and our family. Last, as the title of this post says, "Life is too short". What this means to me is this. In the last year we've lost many people we love to the fate we'll all face some day. My dad died in October of 2022 to heart disease. My grandmother passed suddenly at the age of 89 when she was otherwise healthy. My father in-law lost his battle to cancer. This sparked in me the desire to take back control of my health and to do the things I love. I love to compete and I love to race. It's who I am.

If you're in to that, follow along. Better yet, join me in racing!