By Coach Joe

A few days before the race, a friend asked, “So, what are your goals”? I told him… Have fun, Race hard, Don’t quit, and Enjoy our honeymoon (#ironmoon). I’m happy to say that we “crushed” it.

There are no easy races. Every event provides challenges, often driven by the weather. Heat, humidity, wind, cold, and rain significantly impact our ability to move forward. This year, Ironman Florida’s ocean swim with a red flag rip tide warning, 84F (historically 76F on race day), and shifting winds gave us pretty high levels of pre-race anxiety.

Standing on the beach in the dark, Christa and I could hear the crashing waves. We were in the rip tide yesterday during the event’s practice swim session. We knew what was ahead. It was going to be brutal. But we were committed to our four goals. We knew we controlled the outcome of these goals and therefore we could not fail. We kissed and ran into the water together. We both raced the swim hard (goal) and got the day off to a super start!

I often talk about The Edge. It’s a place and time when we think we can’t survive, but somehow, we know we must keep going. It’s the only place we can truly grow and Become the person we are meant to be. For me, The Edge came early in this race. At mile 52, the location of the bike special needs bags, I tossed my bike drink bottle, thinking I could get another full one. But this was not an aid station. Now, with the heat, humidity, and wind building in the middle of the day, I did not have any hydration or electrolytes for the next 15 miles. As my body started to shut down from dehydration, I started to wonder if I could continue. It became hard to steer the bike and keep the pedals moving. I knew The Edge had arrived and I couldn’t quit (goal). Finally, the next aid station appeared, and I started the process of bringing things back. The mental game and race goals to race hard and not quit were still there, but the physical damage would impact the bike and run power going forward. It would take a few days to recover the body.

Finishing the bike along the beautiful Panama City beachfront road, put a smile back on my face. I knew soon I’d be out on the run course, having fun (goal) and getting to kiss my wife (goal) as she was rocking the run course and finishing the race with an almost two-hour personal record. I’m so proud of her!! She is a true Iron Warrior! I also knew that I’d get the cheers/support/juice from my dear friends Chris and Rebekah! That was so special.

My friends know running is my favorite part of the race. I usually run well. This year, the bike dehydration had a big impact on the run legs. It was a struggle to keep moving. But I went forward. Seeing Christa, Chris, and Rebekah several times kept me going. Around mile 15, I told Chris the run legs were failing and to expect a slower pace in the last miles. Shortly after this, I connected with some new friends on the course. We supported each other and kept our pace going. Talking with Emma, Amy, Rocco, and Jenni was fun (goal) and helped me get to the finish. It was awesome to see Amy cross her first Ironman finish line. Thankful that I met them.

Driving back home, I reflected on our goals and the weekend. Our focus on goals that we could control set us up for success. We avoided putting priority on finishing times or personal best. We knew these were variables that we had less control over.

“What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail”?

It was a wonderful honeymoon experience with the love of my life. We are so blessed to be able to do what we do and have what we have. We don’t take it for granted. For me, I’m still learning and growing with every day of training, racing, and life. I’m striving to Become the best human I can become, to help others achieve their dreams, and to do my part to change the world.