For whatever reason my completion of Ironman Arizona failed to extinguish my fire for triathlons. In the months leading up to IMAZ, I felt burned out. Training had become a chore, and I thinking afterworld I would go back to running. But sometime during the race, when I was stomping on the peddles into 40+ mph wind, I realized I was actually enjoying this! Maybe it was because I was eating people up on the bike due to a late exit from the water, or maybe it was the fact I was 30 minutes behind my goal time already - relieving the pressure I had put on my self to break 9:40. Or maybe it was the caffeine/sugar high from the cappuccino flavored Gu they were handing out on the course? Whatever it was, I was actually having fun!
That spark reignited a flame I though was barley smoldering. I felt enthusiastic about the sport again. That, with the knowledge that came from finishing an Ironman, I was ready to give it another go! Enter Ironman St. George. A race where the terrain is a bit more familiar, there are less loops in the coarse; and, God willing, at most half of the wind I dealt with in Arizona! IMSG is the seconded newest of the Ironman triathlons. It is considered to be the hardest name-brand Ironman of the current 16. It took the winner of the m25-29 age group (my knew age group) over 40 minutes longer then winner of the same age group in IMAZ. This is most likely due to the 53 degree lake swim, 10,000ft of climbing on the bike, and 3,000ft of climbing on the run; both of the latter suit my strengths. That in mind, I will have to overcome winter training in Colorado, try not to lose motivation like I did last fall, and try to minimalize the affect it has on my work/(what is left of my)social life. These problems will be addressed in my training plan (currently under construction).
So my quest for Kona continues. There are four qualifying slots with fourth place finishing in 10:35:36 in 2010. As of now, I figure with the right training I can be closer to 10:20. Two known issue I will have to address is the need to drop 10+ minutes off my swim, and finding a way to achieve a competitive speed going down hill on the bike. It is shaping up to be a winter full of trainer rides, yak tracks, and pool time - with some snow shoeing and XC skiing sprinkled in.
I'm just hoping Punxsutawney Phil is greeted by a cloudy day.
