A Meaningful Letter

I received this letter today. Sometimes I wonder if my writing is helping people stay motivated - it's a very special thing for me when I receive letters that affirm that I am helping people.
Train Smart!
-Mitch

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Hey Mitch-

I just wanted to thank you for your continued consistent, honest, exciting, fun about showing all of us the true meaning of being a athlete/Ironman. I have been living in Minneapolis for 3.5 years now after moving from San Diego. I continue to pursue my goal of doing an Ironman every year, so far so good. I am constantly asked why and how do you do it? I always give them my best and honest answer but if they want more, I give them a copy of one of your Starting Lines articles to give the best answer about what it takes and how enjoyable it is.
Thanks Mitch, for helping teach me and others about how truly inspiring and life-changing this sport is. It has helped/saved me and I can't wait to train tomorrow!

Best,
Johnny Surprise
Dir. of Sports & Entertainment Marketing ASI Communications www.a-s-i.com

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Lt. Andy Baldwin, MD, Ironman

Truth was heard overheard from the finish line announcer: “And here he is, Number 1549, Andy Baldwin, the Bachelor, and he’s still a bachelor.” 

Yep, Andy and Tessa have decided to split up and see where things are when he returns from the Persian Gulf. So, it’s true, and that means Andy has now become the most eligible triathlete in the sport. Andy raced sick after a 102 fever the day before, and still finished in a rapid 10 hours and 17 minutes. Good luck on your deployment Andy, from the entire Triathlon community, and thanks for bringing the sport into the worldwide spotlight!

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Tuesday Night at the K-Swiss Party - Photo Gallery

K-Swiss is coming to Triathlon... The secret designs are in the background of the photo with Eric from K-Swiss and Jessi Stensland.

Katya Meyers

Vinu, Anne and Jasmine Malik (The Fuel Belt Family)

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A Real Hero, Scott Johnson: Double Lung Transplant, Now Time For an IRONMAN

Photo: Scott Johnson, who had a double lung transplant and is getting ready to race in the Ironman, and his fiancee, Leanne, are to be married three days after the race.

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A Bike Ride with Ben Fertic, President of WTC and King Arthur of the Ironempire

I went for a bike ride with Ben Fertic, the president of the WTC today - we biked to Waikaloa and back. On the way out, we were hitting top speeds well north of 40mph--we had quite a tailwind. The trip back to town was, um, challenging.

On the way out of town, we stopped by the Ironman Wherehouse - I was amazed at the amount of stuff. Floor to ceiling - tables, water, coolers, soda. Ben reminded me that there are no highways to Hawaii - everything has to be shipped in.

The aid station tables.

Hydration.

Ford.

The transition area before it is the transition area.

Ben gets ready for the opportunity to pass one of Kona's characters.

Ben Fertic, here on the left, is the skilled executive who sits on top of the Ironempire. They now have 64 races worldwide, and counting. Ben competed in the Cancun half this past year at a blistering pace.

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The Playing Field of Triathlon

Cooling down on the track after a run today,I was struck by an image. Granted, I had taken my camera with me on my run in search of images for this blog posting...

This image below really struck me.

What is it about this image that carried such philosophical clout?

It's the pipe that runs down the length of the field, separating the stands from the field, the spectators from the participants.

Growing up, we have all played and watched high sports in places like this.

Triathlon - in a way - is just a playing field where we can participate in something wonderful, a place to find a goal and then pursue it with the passion and happiness of a dog chasing a Frisbee.

Training for triathlon affords us the opportunity to live in the present moment – breathing deeply as we swim, bike, or run - experiencing the now.

And like the numbers across the line in the photo above, in a race, we may stand at the starting line in approximately the same place when the gun goes off or when our wave starts - yet we all will end up at very different places in the finisher’s rankings. But often these rankings don’t carry the same weight as our own internal ranking system that we use when judging our performance.

Triathlon is one of the most unique and wonderful sports on earth because in order to win, we simply must finish. Each athlete and every triathlon is unique. The circumstances that we each face on the road to a race can only be truly known deep within each individual.

When we “play” triathlon, we’re on the playing field of our lives. And on this field, our perspective on our existence as human beings is enhanced by the pounding oxygen, endorphins, and nutrients flowing through our bodies.

Are you going to stand on the sidelines, or are you going to lace up your running shoes and run on to the playing field of life?

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