MUNCIE 70.3 PRERACE THOUGHTS, REFLECTION AND THANKS

Less than 48 hours and I will be stroking my way through the 1.2 mile swim course at Prairie Creek Reservoir on my way to my second 70.3 finish line!  Hard to believe it is here already.  The road to get here has been swift but challenging.  There is a bigger picture this year as I prepare for Ironman Louisville in just 6 more weeks!

These are the times I like to reflect.  While I know my way around this course well, I really am not a veteran of the sport.  Having done my first sprint tri in September 2010 at PCR, I was not the first in this house to do this.  In fact my experience with Muncie goes back to the 2010 Muncie Endurathon when MY WIFE decided to compete in her first Sprint Triathlon!  Then the sprint distance was offered and for some reason my crazy wife decided to take the challenge.  Seriously - if you've not seen the pictures from this, you HAVE TO CHECK IT OUT HERE !!  That next day Morgan was so inspired that she did the kids triathlon as well, meaning I was the THIRD person in my home to do a triathlon...and thus began a family addiction like no other.

We believe it was God's timing that put Molly in that race in 2010 that gave her the experience; coupled with our reconnection to the Siefert family at church that allowed her to meet their son-in-law, Brian Myrick, who would become the race director in 2011 when the Muncie 70.3 race would become an official Ironman branded race.  This lead to her current position as the Volunteer Director for Ironman Muncie 70.3.  In 2011 the sprint distance was offered for the final time and it was my turn to give it a go.  As I read back over my original blog from that day, it makes me laugh a little as I remember how nervous I was for a sprint distance, but I never imagined crossing that "Ironman" finish line would lead to the things that are soon to come in both Muncie and beyond!

I knew that 2012 was my year to go after 70.3, and there was no better place to do it than in Muncie with my friends and family surrounding me.  As I read back over the race recap from last year I am reminded of the pain and disappointment I felt as the race was shortened due to the excessive heat, but also how proud I was of being so strong in the race itself.  It was truly a great day even though we were not permitted to race the full distance. 



Ironman made the offer to race a different 70.3 and so I was able to fulfill that goal just a month later at Steelhead in Michigan.  I have read the race report from Steelhead a couple times this week and am convinced that I am so much stronger this year if I can just have the kind of day that I know I can have!

So what will this year's finisher picture look like?  Smiles?  Pain?  Fist pump?  Cartwheel?  We will soon find out, and I hope many of you are there to see it happen live!

Thanks to all my friends and family who support my every stroke, crank and stride.  I couldn't do it without your support.  Thanks to my sponsor Chocolate Milk and my coach Justin Roeder who pushes me daily to be the best I can be!

It's almost go time...until then I will relax, reflect and smile!