I added the "and Beyond" to the title of my blog after I completed 2011 Ironman Florida. Like most competitors, after finishing a big race there's a bit of reflection. It's probable a result of the steep drop in required weekly exercise and the question what's next?.
As I was blowing leaves today with my awesome Stihl backpack blower, I do some of my best thinking while doing yard work, I reflected on what finishing my second Ironman will mean. I think it will mean a return to balance in my life. Balance in spending time with my wife, becoming more engaged at work, limiting my participation in various volunteer groups, and enjoying limited exercise again.
I love running but I don't want to have to do it. I love cycling but I don't want to feel that I have to ride 100 miles in the rain. I like swimming but when it's cold, you can have it! I still remember going to the Beaches Aquatic Center with my mom to try-out for the team. I was about 6 years old and had just learned how to swim. If I recall correctly, it was in the fall and even though we lived in Florida the water was cold. I said NO! It's funny the things you remember. I remember running two miles in 12:06 on a Fort Bliss, Texas track when I was in the U.S. Army. That's fast for me. I would have been about 24 years old.
If there's anything that one should take away from this is that there's life after Ironman. I'll never again see the speed that I had when I was in my 20's. I guess satisfaction comes from just knowing that I did it. The same is true for Ironman. Kona or not,the journey is part of the mystique.
Thanks for reading.
