January 21, 2011
as 2010 came to an end i knew it was time to make some changes. not only had i been disappointed with how my race year had unfolded, i also wasn't feeling excited about racing in 2011. with no trip to the world championships, the esprit duathlon in montreal was the only race that i was looking forward to. the esprit has been on my radar for a number of years but i've never been able to fit it into my schedule, and now that i was open in september i figured it would be the perfect opportunity to head to the race. but as much as i've always wanted to compete on that course (how can an Formula 1 fan like myself not want to ride 9 laps on the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve?), i was having a hard time justifying pouring hours and hours of weekly training into a race that, ultimately, i wouldn't get that much out of. sure... it's an exciting venue and a trip to montreal is always fun, but otherwise, for me at least, it's just another race.
while trying to sort out a season that i could look forward to (and, more importantly, feel justified in training hard for), i found that i was missing a couple of crucial factors. the first was i needed a big race to be excited about. the provincial du championships is a big race for me every year, but at this point i'm feeling like qualifying for the national team is a given; i'm a strong enough athlete that even without a win i should be able to secure a spot at the duathlon worlds. like i mentioned above, the esprit definitely fit the bill in terms of a fun race to look forward to, but it's not a qualifier for anything nor a championship race of any kind.
the second thing i was missing was something to help me grow as an athlete. the multisport racing scene in ontario is incredible, but i was just feeling the need for something bigger. i've always wanted to move up to longer distances but there's only a small number of duathlons on the local circuits that go beyond the international 10/40/5 distance. from the very beginning i've always wanted to race longer distances, and when i first got in to triathlon in '98, i got in to it for one reason: kona. the idea of competing one day at the ironman world championships in kona ignited a fire in my heart that is still burning today. duathlon is an incredible sport and i love it, but the simple fact of the matter is that nothing like kona exists in duathlon. i can train and train and train and train, but no matter what, no matter what my results are, no matter how many races i compete in or win or do well at or whatever, there's still no kona. over the past few seasons i've been competing as a duathlete, but all of my training has been aimed directly at moving back into triathlons when ready. and with the way i was feeling about 2011, i knew that time had arrived. in 2011 i'll be competing in 70.3 triathlons.
over the next few years i'll be working towards qualifying for the 70.3 world championships then, eventually, kona. i have absolutely no expectations for 2011 because it will be my base year; it will be the year i always look back at to compare and see how far i've come. kona is a long-term goal. and by long-term i really mean long-term. full ironman distance racing is still years away for me. right now my focus will be climbing up the 70.3 ranks in my age group to get into a position to be a contender for a spot at the 70.3 world championships. it's going to take some time and i like that, and in order for it to happen i have to improve. over the next few seasons i'll grow as an athlete, working on taking my riding to the next level, pursuing ambitious running goals, and learning how to move through the water as efficiently as possible.
making the decision to return to triathlons in 2011 re-ignited an excitement in me that had started to fade. i'm more excited about 2011 and beyond than all of my previous racing years. i'm ready, but we'll see just how able. first order of business is the issue of swimming. have you ever met someone that has that mind boggling ability to somehow float in the water with absolutely no effort whatsoever? well, that's not me. i sink like a stone.
