You Can Change or Stay the Same

As winter blows its cold breath across the cornfields of Iowa, my body and mind enter a type of hibernation period each year.

The bike rides of summer are replaced with shorter jaunts on my basement trainer. The enjoyable 10-mile runs of July are replaced with the nearly unbearable repetition of the treadmill. Swims in lakes are replaced with lap after lap after lap in the YMCA pool.

And for me, the blissful days of being outside as much as possible are replaced with nights on the couch watching movies contemplating life and plans for the year ahead.

A few days ago I watched "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" for the second time and was once again struck by a scene in which Benjamin Button leaves his family to start all over.

In the movie, we learn that growing younger (even staying the same age) is really a curse. Humans were designed to grow old. And growing old is a blessing.

But growing old doesn't mean we have to stay the same. We can change.

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Right now, as I type, I'm watching the Ford Ironman World Championships on TV. It's a call for me. Toward 2010. Toward my 70.3 Half Ironman in June. Toward change.

The sessions on the bike trainer will need to get longer. The treadmill and cold runs outside will need to become more bearable. The lap after lap after lap will need to turn to lap after lap after lap after lap...

"For what it's worth, it's never too late...to be whoever you want to be."

The Ironman continues on TV right now and it's screaming at me to get going. To be who I want to be.

Spring is never as far away as we think.

Even during the cold, dreary months of an Iowa winter.

Enjoy the ride,
Damm

A Tale of Two Triathlons

On the bike at Trinona -- my first Olympic distance triathlon.



Beginning the run at Trinona.



Finishing in 3:09 at Trinona. I was hoping to break 3 hours but a bad T1, an inadequate bike and a head cold kept me from accomplishing my goal.



Starting to take off my wetsuit following the swim at the Rochester Triathlon.



Dismounting from my new bike at Rochester (lighter, clipless pedals and aero bars make a huge difference!).



Finishing at Rochester in 2:47 - about 22 minutes faster than my time at Trinona. I felt great and couldn't be happier with my finish!

Monday, June 29 -- I never thought I'd feel like this after doing two Olympic triathlons in two weeks, but I'm sad today.

The challenge is done. The races are over. I trained for months and yesterday I achieved my goal of beating the clock and a certain someone else.

During the run I felt incredible, I was running sub 8-minute miles over the last two miles and I was truly happy for myself to come in at 2:47 when I was really only hoping to break 3 hours.

I discovered something yesterday. No matter how much I try to "win" a race by beating someone else, the only time I'll ever be happy in life is when I accomplish goals that I set for myself.

At TRINONA on June 14, I completed my first Olympic triathlon and it felt great. I didn't break 3 hours but the days leading up to the race I had a cold with achy muscles and I don't think I felt up to par during the race.

Two weeks later at Rochester, I felt better and I had a new bike with clipless pedals and aero bars (both of which make a huge difference!).

Rochester was the culmination of months of training and what I hope is the end to a very difficult time in my life.

A 2:47 triathlon surprised me -- I didn't think I was capable of that. Here is a breakdown of my race:

SWIM - 29:43 (59.43 seconds per 50 meters)
T1 - 3:29
BIKE - 1:20:42 (18.48 mph average)
T2 - 1:39
RUN - 52:09 (8:24 per mile average)
TOTAL - 2:47:40

Compared to TRINONA, I swam faster, transitioned faster, biked a lot faster and then even ran faster. It was a complete success.

But like I said earlier, now there's a letdown.

I'm planning on doing a half Ironman in Lawrence, Kansas, next summer. I hope to do a full marathon this fall. On Saturday, I'm doing a bike-run relay race with a friend. And later this summer I plan on doing a 100-mile bike ride.

All of these things just haven't cheered me up yet. Yesterday's triathlon was such a major milestone for me that I'm left wondering what's next.

How do I push myself in new ways? Where will I end up going for that sense of adventure? Who is going to join me for the journey?

The Damm Journey has been pretty exciting lately. Triathlons, weekends in Des Moines/Mankato/Minneapolis/Okoboji, golf tournaments.

But more than ever I'm filled with this sense of wanderlust. Wanting to meet new people and discover new things. Overcome new obstacles and greater distances.

Indeed, it has been the best of times and the worst of times.

What will the next tale be?

One of greatness or one of mediocrity.

One of success or one of failure.

One of happiness or one of sadness.

More than likely, all of these things will merge together and form the rest of my life (all of our lives for that matter).

And we'll be left to simply...

Enjoy the ride,
Damm