September 20th, 2008
By Mark
I was never much of an athlete when I was growing up. It is not that I was terrible. In grade school I was one of the faster kids. With four grade schools feeding into my junior high, the competition improved and my ranking fell. In high school my ranking continued to fall. My demise was not due to raw physical talent, but due to my inability to work hard. I did not have guts. I watched the other kids who had guts and admired them. I knew what hard work was, but I could just not bring myself to do it. (more…)
August 11th, 2008
By Mark
July 13, 2008 - Over the years, I have had a few goals regarding Ironman. The first goal was to actually finish an Ironman. I did that in 2002 in Florida. The next goal was to do two so I could say it was not a fluke that I did one. I achieved that goal in 2003 in Coeur d’Alene. The next goal was to rid myself of a demon that had plagued me for a lifetime. That demon was not trying hard and being sort of a slacker. I achieved that goal in the training and the Brazil Ironman in 2005. I have had a goal of doing 10 Ironman races with my 10th one when I turned 70 years old. Over time, that goal has faded away. Ironman training is too demanding and I have other things I want to accomplish in my life. (more…)
August 21st, 2007
By Mark
June 29, 2003 - After I did the Florida Ironman (IM) in November of 2002, I quickly signed up for the Coeur d’Alene IM which was to be held in June of 2003. I was feeling high from the experience of training and actually completing the Florida race. This is actually a common problem with people who have just completed an IM. You get this sense of invisibility and you think you can do more than you are actually capable. I was soon proven not to be so invincible.
July 06th, 2007
By Mark
November 9, 2002 - I was incredibly blessed in everything revolving around doing the Florida Ironman in Panama City Beach. One of the most unusual blessings was the 3 massage therapists who stayed at the ocean front condo we stayed at for the week of the race. I trained with two friends, Anthony and Steph. Anthony is a massage therapist. His wife Melissa and a friend Aaron are also both massage therapists and they both came out for the race. I had a pre-race massage the night before. I had a post race massage about 2 hours after the race. I had a third massage the day after the race. Incredibly, my body feels pretty good after a 13:08:41 race. I wonder why they call it a race? For me, it was an event, not a race. The fast folks raced. The pros raced. I just tried to finish.