A recap of 14 months

I was at a birthday party for a true friend and tri-buddy, Hardcore Mike, this weekend. A lot of the team is suffering from some sort of endurance injury; swim shoulder, runners knee, ITB, etc. Of course they're all still training regardless of slings and boots and braces. Compared to them I looked pretty damn healthy.

Some new people to the team were there and having recently trained with the walking wounded and now seeing me they wondered why I'd been slacking considering some of more crazy stories about my training and racing. So my exploits begged the question from these new members, "So why arn't you doing (insert race here) with everyone else this year?" And after some goodhearted ribbing, some yelling over to the wife to ask when I could train hardcore again followed by some cursing and strong admonishments from several others I would relate this story:

"Fourteen months ago, Ironman Arizona, 40 miles into the bike course, my body told my mind to stop racing. Something was terribly wrong with it. My mind said, No. My body decided to cramp up its legs until it felt like I had tasers in each quad and calf and I couldn't stand up without falling. My mind said No. My body said I will shut down your kidneys and liver. My mind said, No. Friends and medical professionals along the course pleaded with me to stop. My mind said, No. My body finally decided to seize up my heart and my lungs, pleading with my mind, PLEASE STOP. My mind said, No, there is still time on the clock and I will not stop moving.



My mind forced my body to go more than 60 miles past exhaustion. I was taken off the course 8 miles from the transition area and all I wanted to do was get off my bike and run a marathon. Even with my race over, my mind would not let my wife take me to the hospital, it was just a bad day. Several hours later an ER Doctor told my wife, Be prepared, he may not make it to sunrise. My mind said, I will never give up.



And here I am, fourteen months later. Alive. My body still recovering from its physical defections, doing the right thing against a mind that would not listen to reason. I am told by all mainstream doctors and experts to never train or race again, it will most likely kill me. I am slowing coming back but today my body is still too damaged and weak to fight my mind on a race course. Maybe in 2010 my body will be strong enough to fight my mind, but until then I have a lot of healing and listening to do."