In Twenty Ten, Turn it Up to Eleven

Thanks Nigel, for that "extra push".

2009 was certainly a successful "transitional" year! In my inevitable Ironman triathlon relapse and myriad other challenges such as solo cycling and swimming events I rekindled my PASSION for racing. While not all of my racing goals were achieved, I was able to spend hundreds of hours training with my good friends: doing the activities I love most while "sharing the passion".

That is success! That is Victory! That compels me to jump out of bed at 4:30 on a Saturday morning to meet the gang for a 7 hour ride in the Santa Monica mountains with 14,000' of elevation gain or perhaps the classic Henshaw Loop in San Diego when it is 100 degrees. Try doing that alone! Not as fun or fulfilling... It is so much better to share that type of torture/fun, as an opportunity to share stories while creating new ones.

These hundreds of hours invested will pay dividends in 2010 and beyond, in many ways, just as my nearly 20 year old aerobic base does today. Only half of the equation is fitness-related. The mind-bending experience of pushing your body to extremes-with a view-provides lifelong memories. I am extremely fortunate to have like-minded physically and mentally strong friends who just happen to share my passion for the lifelong path of discovery that is endurance sport. I am confident as we roll into TwentyTen that the best is yet to come.

This is not a dress rehearsal. One of the benefits of training for triathlon or any other endurance sport with specific goals is the daily reminder to Carpe Diem, putting the day into a reality-alarm context.

2010 will see a bit more variety, but an even sharper laser-focus on a couple "key" races. In 2009 I trained specifically for only one "A" race: Ironman Coeur d'Alene. While 9:51 and 54th overall out of 2,600 is a respectable result, I needed a ~9:20, top-20 performance to qualify for the Hawaii Ironman World Championships. The game has changed. I plan on raising my game and applying the tough lessons I learned from that experience and racing to my full potential in the future. With better planning and execution I know I have that performance in my legs and look forward to letting it rip in 2010. While reaching full potential and tearing a race course apart is extremely fulfilling, at the end of the day it's all about the journey and sharing it with others. That said, sometimes it takes a heart-breaking failure to light a fire under your butt to re-evaluate and redesign your strategy for the next go-around.

I raise my glass high (of West Coast Green Flash!) to TwentyTen being a RIPPER of a year, the best year of our lives. The only way to make it happen is "turning it up to ELEVEN" to make the most of every day.

I can't settle. What was good enough is no longer sufficient. No more sleepwalking. As far as resolutions, I plan on chiseling away the time and productivity-killers and focusing on what matters in the moment. I know I could have done a better job of that in 2009 and the mountain of lost moments wasted haunts and motivates me. I want those days back! I'm getting more organized and taking that time back in 2010 and taking this game of life to the next level.

No Opportunity Wasted in 2010!

Cheers,

Sean