Wow. So much has happened, good and bad, since I signed up for IRONMAN Wisconsin last fall. I moved from Minneapolis to Milwaukee and back to Madison for two different new jobs. Raced in Hawaii, Idaho, Utah, Minnesota and Iowa. Found a new coach. Went through a rough break up. Started a new relationship with my beautiful and amazing girlfriend (aka sherpa). Turned 28. Welcomed a new nephew into the world. Celebrated bachelor parties and stood next to some of my best friends as they got married.

All of those events have led me to where I am today. They have led me to the starting line tomorrow at IRONMAN Wisconsin.

My first thought, when I heard that there wasn’t going to be a pro field at IMWI, was ‘win it’. That mentality and vision has carried me through these last 12 months of training. Through all the bad training sessions, hard races and tough times, I’ve always held onto one moment, crossing that finish line ahead of everyone else. Whether that happens or not on Sunday, I can look back and smile at all the hard work I’ve put in and especially all the support I’ve received. It’s been truly humbling this year hearing friends, family and complete strangers come up to you and say I’ve inspired them in some way, big or small. This sport can be very selfish at times, but its those times when I realize that IRONMAN is much bigger than those 140.6 miles. Its about the journey and all the people you meet and touch along the way.

I’m fortunate to have a great support network of friends, family and a great online community in y corner. Whether its guys like Eric and Carl who run the IRONMAN Facebook page, to my parents who have been there since day one, my girlfriend, friends who send messages of support, guys who believe in your potential even more than you, the doubters, my sponsors, teammates at BBMC and Endurance House and so many more. All of these people have molded me and my triathlon career into what it is.

I’ll be able to smile as I cross the finish line, in first or last, knowing that all these people are behind me, supporting my dreams. Thank you to everyone. It means the world to me.

Now onto, my pre-race report. It’s going to be pretty short, because I don’t want to reveal too much of my top secret race plan. Well, maybe its not top secret, but if I can execute it perfectly, I know it would be hard for anyone to beat me.

Swim: I plan on lining up in the front row towards the left side of the boat ramp. There are plenty of fast swimmers in the field, most notably my friend Luke who I hope leads out of the water. I hope to have a strong swim and limit the gap on the bike to 8-10 minutes out of the water. My PR in a 2.4 mi swim is 1:02. I hope to beat that tomorrow.

T1: Exit the water, wetsuit strippers, run up the helix and out to the bike. Nothing special here

Bike: The word of the day for me will be “Patience”. Knowing that I’m 8-10 minutes back on the start of the bike, I have to remain calm and patient on the bike. I can’t push in the first half or it will come back to hurt me later. I’m going to stick to my wattage and see where that leaves me on the run. There’s going to be a lot of people who may fly by me on the bike, but I need to be patient and let them go. I’ll reel them in later.

T2: Fast transition here, hand off my bike, put the running shoes on and head out the door.

Run: For the run I need to stay, you guessed it, PATIENT! The IMWI bike course is a hard course to run off of and no one knows the course better than me. I plan on running a steady but consistent race and picking off the leaders one by one on the run course.

Thanks for checking it. I hope to see you all out there cheering on race day!