Just a quick post to catch up on things and prepare for race season.

I am 40 days out from my 4th and what hopes to be best IRONMAN performance. Looking back on my first 3 IRONMAN events, I’ve been very fortunate. I’ve had favorable weather, great race support from friends and family and I’ve managed to drop 1 hr 56 mins from my first race to my last. I’m very proud of what I’ve accomplished, but I’m not satisfied. Not yet.

You might think that because I’ve done 3 IRONMANs before, that I’m not nervous or worried about my upcoming race next month. You’re wrong. There’s still 40 days between now and the cannon going off for the swim start, but I still get goosebumps and chills just thinking about it. I go through cycles of feeling excited and confident, to feeling nervous and unprepared. A lot of this can be contributed to uncertainty. This race will be my first IRONMAN outside of Wisconsin, so unlike previous years, I won’t know the bike/run course like the back of hand. But for every ounce of uncertainty, there is an ounce of confidence. Besides my foot injury, I have had a great 7 months of training. Things are starting to come together.

Here’s a look at my tentative 2014 race schedule. I’m waiting to see how IMCDA goes before I plan out the second half of my season.

• Liberty Triathlon (Half Iron) – Rockford, MN
• IRONMAN Coeur d’Alene – Coeur d’Alene, ID
• Door County Half IRONMAN – Egg Harbor, WI
• TBD (2-3 races, Half Iron & Olympic)
• IRONMAN World Championships* – Kona, HI (*Must qualify at IMCDA)

Here’s a snapshot of some of the gear I will be racing with this season:

• Bike: 2013 Specialized Shiv Expert
• Helmet: 2013 Specialized TT2
• Wheels: Zipp 808 Clinchers
• Wetsuit: 2XU R3
• Shoes: Brooks Pure Flow

Thanks for stopping by. I’m hoping to keep up with this blog more now that I’m getting into race season.