A Goofy Recap!

It's been just over 2 weeks since my family and I completed our events at the Walt Disney World Marathon weekend in Orlando.  It was a great time and performance by all!

Right off the mark, I have to say how inspired I was by the performance of the three girls in my life.  Each of them had their own challenges to overcome as they competed in their particular events. My soon to be 3-year old literally (continued) to dance to the beat of her own drummer as she finished her first ever race and high-fived Mickey and Donald in her 100 metre dash.  My 12-year old overcame her self-doubt and disability to complete her Mickey Mile in a personal best time.  And my wife successfully completed the half-marathon on the Saturday and the full-marathon on the Sunday - all while 18+ weeks pregnant!

The events themselves were, of course, well-organized and well-supported.  And there was lots of Disney magic to boot.  25,000 participants in each day of the adult races, multiple waves of kidlets in the 100 metre dash, and oodles of more ambitious kids (and running partners) in the Mickey Mile - all of us had the opportunity to be greeted by characters either along the way or at the end of our races.  And the medals for all of us were awesome! 

We started our adult race adventure on Saturday with an early morning wake up call - 3 in the morning!  Gave us the time to get organized, get some food into us, and then make our way down to Epcot for marshaling for the Donald Duck Half.  There were at least 8 different corrals organized by targeted finishing time.  Heidi and I were in Corral D.  Now when we first registered, Heidi was not pregnant.  So we knew we were going to have to be a bit more reasonable with our finishing time expectations in consideration for health of mom and babe.  However, we still felt comfortable with our positioning.  The weather was awesome - reasonably warm for the start with a temperature in the mid 60's.  One of the experiences of race morning that I'm sure is not on any official Disney website is the line-ups and other antics around the port-a-potties!  Multiple line-ups and generally about 15 deep at every one.  And for those of us who have options (men) the bushes also beckoned.  It was quite amusing...It was a long walk from the entry to the actual corrals.  Several people commented that the official distance should have recognized the mile or two walk to start line.
The half-marathon started at around 6 a.m. with each wave going off about every 5 minutes.  Mickey, Donald and Goofy were there to get us going.  For good measure fireworks were also used to get our adrenalin pumping!  And then we were off!  One thing that struck me throughout the half was that we never seemed to get a whole lot of space to run.  With 25,000 people in the race I guess that was no surprise, but it seemed we were constantly dodging other athletes, or bumping elbows or shoulders, and that was particularly the case as people made stops at the port-a-potties or as we passed through aid stations.  One of the neat things about the Disney races is the various photo-ops along the way either comprised of lit up entry points/stages or opportunities to have photos with various Disney characters.  We didn't take advantage of these opportunities and on the first day in particular Heidi and I felt pressured to finish the half in good time so we could get back "home" to get the family so the kids could do their races later that same morning.

Our half-marathon adventure primarily took us through Epcot and the Magic Kingdom - so we got to run through some pretty iconic venues - Cinderella's Castle, Main Street USA, Adventureland and Epcot itself.  We joked that while my brother would partake of various forms of alcohol if he were to get back to the international pavilions of Epcot, we drank our way around the same path via Powerade! 

As we finished we hurriedly got our Donald Duck medal, got some post-race refreshments and a space blanket for Heidi - she was planning for the full marathon on Sunday!  Then it was off to get the kids for their races.  As we left, we took an overpass that gave us the opportunity to look at the half-marathon course - it was still a sea of humanity!!  It was an amazing sight.  So even "labouring" under our restriction we still performed well in the field of 25,000!

Next up was Kennedy and 100 metre dash.  Parents could accompany their kids on the race.  So Heidi had the opportunity to add an extra 100 metres to her half-marathon distance already covered.  The rest of us, Baba and Gido included, sat in the stands at the Wide World of Sports venue, to watch and take pictures.  It took some time for Kennedy to be released from the start line with several waves of kids participating in the run.  And when she got going it took a lot of Heidi's motivational skill to keep Kennedy focused on getting to the finish line as opposed to performing for the audience in the stands.  We got some great pictures and Kennedy was rewarded with a Mickey high-five, a medal and a lollipop!  I think she enjoyed the last most of all.

Next was McKenzie with her Mickey Mile.  So Dad got to be the run-along coach for this one.  We had to walk a little distance to get to the starting point which was outside of the track and field venue.  It was interesting to discuss the start and the race with M before we started.  There were a lot of participants and so she suggested we should hang back at the start to let things "cool off" before we really got going.  She did say she was nervous and I kept trying to coach her to maintain a good even pace and to avoid walking if she could.  She had her moments of challenge through the race, a few walking moments, and a few aches and pains as she worked through the challenges presented by her right leg.  As we neared the stadium, I reminded her that at that point she would have about 100 metres left to go on the track and that she would be performing in front of the audience.  I encouraged her to give it all she had for the finishing kick - AND SHE DID!  She actually took me by surprise by the strength of her finish.  As the picture attests she was immensely proud of her accomplishment!

We then went home to relish in our day and enjoy a well-deserved nap and swim in the pool.  In a few hours Heidi and I would start the whole process over again.  This time it was the full marathon in view and travels not only through Epcot and the Magic Kingdom, but also through Animal Kingdom, the Speedway, and ESPN venues.

The start up was very similar to the day before and it was neat to experience the similarities and differences as we made our way through the marathon course.  One thing that I neglected to mention before was that there were a number of people in full Disney character costume for the race.  Some of these were quite elaborate including a foursome in amazing regalia as Aladdin, Jafar, Genie and Abu.  I just can't imagine the weight and heat of these costumes.  Heidi and I noted how sweaty we were in our regular run gear particularly as the day wore on and the heat got into the 80s. 

The marathon itself seemed less packed than the half.  Same number of people but drawn out over a longer course.  So a little more elbow room all around.  As the day progressed we took it easier further into the race.  Again, I was impressed with the organization, the character opportunities, and the venues we went through.  Particularly noteworthy for me was the run around the speedway.  Not only were character vehicles from the Cars movie out there - Lightning McQueen, Mater and Sally - but so too were a whole range of vintage and exotic cars!  It was an incredible lineup.  And no race of this size can overlook the volunteers or Disney Cast.  They were always there with support and encouragement.  One of the other memorable moments in the race came as we went through Animal Kingdom - Disney Cast members helped direct competitors to free rides on Everest!  It was hilarious to see people taking a detour from the race to do the ride!

We eventually (!) came back through to the Epcot finishing area for the 2nd day.  Certainly a great sense of accomplishment and some weighty rewards at the end of the day with 2 medals around our necks.  Also a great time to be together.  Its the first and only time so far that Heidi and I have started and completed a race together.  Maybe the start of many more to come?  And maybe next time - without baby on board - we can shoot for a personal best half/full marathon time!

And just to prove that we are truly Goofy we ended our day not with an early bed-time or relaxing massage, but by taking the whole family out to a performance of the Blue Man Group at Universal Studios! 

Neither of us claimed to be sane...

A Goofy thing happened on the way to the race...

For those of you who have been following my sporadic entries to this blog, you'll know that my wife and I have been trying to get ourselves ready to run Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge in January 2013 in Disney World.  We've even booked our two daughters (age 12 and 2.5) into milder versions of run events for that same weekend.  I don't foresee any problem getting our youngest daughter race ready - being the result of two recent Ironman competitors I'm pretty convinced that she is born to swim/bike/run/destroy all she can get her hands on.  By all appearances she could probably handle a half-marathon distance now!  Our oldest daughter is a bit more of a challenge.  Aside from dealing with mild cerebral palsy she is a little less enthusiastic about training/preparing for race day than her parents/dad would like.  I've been trying to get her to train at longer distances and faster pace than the actual race will demand.  My rationale for that is based on the hope that when she gets to the real deal she will find it far easier than the boot camp her dad has been putting her through!  So far that rationale has not been getting a rave reception!

As for my wife and I, we've had our struggles trying to stay on track with training what with work obligations and a recent trip to Ohio to visit friends and watch the Buckeyes continue their undefeated season.  Somewhere between travel, meals out, and shopping at the outlet malls, our training runs contemplated for the four days in Columbus never materialized.  Since getting back we have been getting in training runs of upwards of 2 hours for the both of us.  However, neither of us is really happy with the lack of consistency with which we have been able to approach training.  So needless to say expectations for a sub 2-hour half marathon and a sub 4-hour marathon at Disney World in January are being re-evaluated much to our chagrin.

And...then we confounded our plan even more...by getting pregnant.  Heidi will be 18 weeks pregnant at the time of Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge. [NOTE: Ultrasound image is only representative and not our actual baby]  So there is even more (justifiable) reason to manage the pace of both races.  She's been getting some conflicting messages about training - risk to her, risk to baby, whether she should run both races and so on and so forth.  If my parents have anything to say about it Heidi should be curled up in front of the couch starting now!  At this point, we expect to continue to train and to run both races.  Our goal, however, is being adjusted from trying to achieve personal bests to focusing on enjoying the day and getting our medals for completing both events.  We believe that we both still have time to take the challenge of Goofy more seriously in the future but this time around perhaps we'll spend more time with the Disney characters than we otherwise might have.

I'll try for my personal best run performance later in 2013!  When things aren't so Goofy :)

 

I count myself lucky...

You can count me as one who was a bit stunned to hear that the 30th edition of the Subaru Ironman Canada triathlon is going to be the last such race under the Ironman banner in Penticton.  I had been formulating a plan to run my third Ironman in 2015 when I would have been 50 years old.  Now I will have to be rethinking my options.  There will be a ironman distance triathlon in Penticton in future years but it will now be part of the Challenge family of triathlon events. 

I suspect that despite the change in ownership/sponsorship that I will be back - I need to test myself against the same course and see if I can improve with age!  Others that have raced IMC in Penticton will also probably come back for similar reasons with an annual trek to the Okanagon Valley being a ritual that will be hard to break. 

I consider myself very fortunate to have had at least two opportunities to compete at IMC.  I've already had conversations with a couple of friends who won't get the same kind of chance.  I know as well that others are a lot more emotionally attached and invested in this particular race and this particular venue and it will be a bit harder for them to just move on. 

In my brief time being associated with IMC in Penticton I've seen some pretty amazing feats - running into Jordan Rapp in a local mall the day before his winning performance in 2011; getting a chance to race with Sister Madonna Buder; got to compete with (and swim beside) David Lee, the first paraplegic wheelchair athlete to ever complete the IMC;  an opportunity to see all shapes and sizes of athletes take on the the IMC challenge; and, overall to share a great experience with my Ironman wife who got me started on this little adventure!  We never did get a chance to do the IMC together, but we alternated with cheering each other on.

As with any triathlon, IMC now needs to go through it's own transition phase and get ready for the next part of the race.  Looking forward to many future performances and memories in a new venue!

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Without Question, the 30th Subaru Ironman Canada Finishes Strong
August 26, 2012

Penticton, BC (August 26, 2012) – Coming into the 30th Subaru Ironman Canada Triathlon, the question in the forefront of everyone’s minds was: who does this race belong to? On Sunday, August 26, 2012, there was no easy answer.

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Did the 30th edition belong to first time Ironman winner Matthew Russell from Scottsdale, Arizona, who won the Men’s professional race (8:48:30), after countless lead changes and a blistering 2:53:35 marathon run?

Did the event belong to British Columbia’s own Gillian Clayton, who won the Women’s professional race (9:46:07), after trailing over 18 minutes early on in the run? She was, after all, the first female amateur finisher in the 2011 Subaru Ironman Canada Triathlon, returning one year later to claim her first professional Ironman victory.

Did Subaru Ironman Canada belong to age grouper Kendra Lee from Denver, Colorado, who had the fastest overall Female time at 9:44:58, capturing the interest of spectators and race crew alike?

Did the Penticton race belong to the over 2,600 brave athletes who started the swim in the wee hours of the morning, 998 of whom did so for the first time?

Did the triathlon belong to long-time race owner Graham Fraser, crossing the finish line alongside his relay race partners Lisa Bentley and Lori Bowden, who have a combined eight Subaru Ironman Canada victories?

Did the week-long buildup and event belong to the City of Penticton, whose spectators and volunteers opened their hearts to support it for the 30th time?

None of these answers do justice to the sheer magnitude of the 30th edition of Subaru Ironman Canada. To everyone touched by Subaru Ironman Canada, it will always belong to them.

Ironman as a Metaphor for Leadership

A bit of different twist for this blog entry.  My first crossover blog!  I've been running another blog focused on Leadership - http://itsaboutleadership.blogspot.ca/.  It may seem cliche,  but while there is no shortage of initiatives designed to improve the performance of organizations most of them fail or do not realize their true potential due to a lack of leadership.  My crossover blog tries to draw some comparisons between leadership/development and Ironman/training.  I've done two Ironman events - in 2010 and 2011 - and competed in a few other half-Ironman events and a few more run competitions. 

Through much of 2011 and into 2012 I had the privilege of working with an executive coach.  Russell Hunter, National Director at Human Performance Institute of Canada Inc, was my coach and helped lead me through some challenging times and a major transition in my career (http://ca.linkedin.com/in/russellhunter). Aside from all the skills and talents you would expect to see in an executive coach, Russell brought another dimension to our conversations - he is an accomplished triathlete and has competed at Ironman Canada.  This shared experience allowed us to make many comparisons to my work environment and Ironman.  It allowed me to put into perspective aspects of my work that I did control and those that I did not.  With the 2012 version of Ironman Canada set to go this coming weekend (August 26) I thought I would share with you some of the analogies we drew between Ironman and Leadership - and throw in a few more that grew from that conversation.

First, there has to be some motivation or goal in mind to undertake an Ironman event - as there must be in taking on a leadership role.  As "they" say , without a goal any direction will do! Ironman is a daunting undertaking - 3.8 km swim, followed by 180 km on the bike, followed by a 42 km marathon.  As I'm sure most amateur athletes would attest to there are not a lot of accolades that come with doing this event.  You certainly get cheers along the way from family and friends, and sometimes from complete strangers.  And you do get a finisher's medal at the end of the race.  Otherwise it's a lot of hard slogging through the three disciplines and sometimes a lot of talking to yourself as you try to reach the finish line.  You are in the race in some cases just to say you did it, to prove to yourself that you are capable.  And most of us in leadership roles would agree that recognition is outweighed by ongoing challenges and it's often a lonely journey we take on.

Second, for best results in an Ironman, you spend a significant amount of time in training and preparing for the race.  No different than getting ready to take on a leadership role.  For Ironman, you can find yourself starting to prep as early as a few weeks after the last race for the next race!  Granted your training isn't as intense at this point. Rather, you are now trying to maintain your level of fitness, work on improving or sustaining technique, improving core strength and (if you are like me) perhaps looking to shed a few more pounds.  Entering race day - or starting a leadership position - without any form of preparation is a high risk proposition to say the least!  For most of us - including the professionals - success does not come without months of preparation.  Others may spend years getting ready for the ultimate event, building up confidence to take up the challenge by doing shorter distance triathlons.  In much the same way, successful leaders prepare themselves academically, take on smaller challenges, and ultimately work up to larger leadership roles.

Triathlon is a multi-discipline sport.  So is leadership.  However, if we think of triathlon as swimming, cycling and running we would miss out on other equally important components.  A critical part of training and race day preparation is making sure your nutrition and hydration is race ready.  Throughout the year leading up to Ironman you use training days and smaller events to figure out what works for you and will keep you fueled for the race - what will your body tolerate? what amount do you need to sustain race pace? what kind of electrolyte replacement do you need? do you need to use salt replacement? how will that change depending on weather conditions?  So what's the leadership analogy for nutrition?  My take on that is all leaders need to continue to fuel their minds through continuous education and learning.  You can't continue to make positive impact if you don't continue to hone and advance your skill set.  There is too much change too fast in our health care environment - labour force dynamics, regulations, government direction - to stand pat with existing learning.  Leaders must continue to fuel their minds.

Success in Ironman also requires that your equipment - wetsuit, bike, shoes, watch - is race ready.  This means making decisions early on as to whether you want to take on the race with a road bike or a tri-bike, whether you want to go with base components for your bike or invest in top-of-the line products, what type of running shoes work for you and so on.  You'll also find that your training and smaller races will take their toll on your equipment.  At points in time you will have to replace your shoes as you put on the miles, that you will need to replace your tires and otherwise tune your equipment in the hopes of not having a breakdown on race day.  In much the same way, as a leader, you have to make the appropriate investments in equipment and tools to undertake your leadership task - do you have the right measurement systems in place, the right tools to effectively communicate with your stakeholders, the right mechanisms to ensure that your work group or organization is aligned towards the achievement of a common goal.  Your experience will cause you to change your tool set as you work towards your goal.

I can't do justice to the comparison between Ironman and Leadership if I don't discuss mental preparation and hardening.  You can have everything in place mentioned above - training in several disciplines, fueling plan nailed, equipment ready - but if you are not mentally prepared for race day all of the prep work might be for naught.  In this way, "failure" during training or in a shorter race may become the best guarantee of future success at Ironman.  If you don't face adversity, large or small prior to Ironman - flat tire, slipped bike chain, bad weather - you likely won't know how to react when something like that happens on race day.  And you don't want to be doing all your learning on race day!  It's no different with leadership.  The best leaders have faced their share of adversity on their way up to their current roles; they've experienced conflict, they've had to make tough choices, they've had to balance multiple priorities and tasks, and they have sometimes failed.  However, that's what has (hopefully) molded them into better leaders.

Then it's race day.  All your preparation has led to this moment.  Last year at Ironman Canada that meant nearly 3,000 people entering the water at the same time.  Each one with their own anxieties, skill level, and goals.  Some were rookies.  Some had done this more than a dozen times.  Regardless, for the next nine, ten, twelve or even seventeen hours you effectively begin to race on your own, trying to beat the clock.  At this point there is no guarantee as to how the day will go.  You may have expectations but once you start the race you surrender yourself to the events of the day.  Weather can be a factor. In 2010 I got hailed on part way through the bike ride and the temperature dipped to 10 degrees Celsius.  In 2011, the temperature hit a peak of around 40 degrees Celsius.  Same course - different conditions.  In 2011, I got slugged in the face and developed a cramp in my leg half-way through the swim.  Early in the bike course somebody had thrown tacks on the road.  I got through while others had to deal with replacing a punctured tube.  I saw someone else with a broken bike chain.  You can't predict what will happen.  No different in our leadership roles.  Your day day can be exquisitely planned out and then you get that one call and your day is radically altered.  As a leader you must be prepared to respond and adjust to the events of the day.

At some point the day does end!  While I did better in 2011 than I did in 2010, I still believe I have more in me.  I have a desire to achieve what I believe my body is capable of.  As in leadership, there is a need for a post-event evaluation.  What worked?  What didn't?  What would I change?  In Ironman you have a small number of well-established metrics that help you to objectively evaluate your performance - heart rate, pace, swim time, bike time, run time, transition times, and finish time.  There are also subjective evaluations at play and most of them relate to how did I feel during different parts of the race and after the race.  Was my stomach working ok?  How well did my body hold up to the pounding?  What does all of that mean in preparation for next year?  In the same way, leaders have to conduct ongoing evaluation of their efforts by whatever means available so as to ensure a greater degree of success in future endeavours.

While I have described Ironman as a solo event it is anything but.  Most competitors have been introduced to triathlon through other people.  We don't just miraculously decide to take on triathlon without having someone initiate us or inspire us to take on the challenge.  Many of us are also part of teams that we train with and learn from.  Good leadership is also a function of working with and learning from a team.  This includes subordinates, peers and mentors.  We shorten our learning curve and mitigate the risk of failure by learning from others and leaning on their experience and knowledge. 

Finally, as I hope all leaders and triathletes would attest to, none of us truly succeeds or reaches our full potential without the support of our families.  Training for an Ironman can often take up to and over 20 hours of time each week as we get to our peak preparation.  This means many early mornings, evenings or weekends away from family.  It means adjusting family plans to allow for participation in lead up races and Ironman itself.  It means financial investment in equipment.  Same holds true for most leadership positions.  Early morning meetings, late evening meetings, planning forums that take place out-of-town, conferences and crisis events all take time away from family.  In addition, as leaders we all experience varying levels of stress, trials and tribulations in the course of our careers.  We have to make decisions about when to upgrade our education.  We have to make decisions on when to make a change in career.  Are we prepared to move to another city or province to pursue a career opportunity.  None of this can be a solo decision and our success is in no small measure attributable to our families. 

Ironman and Leadership - more than a few lessons to be learned.  Keep training and enjoy the race!

Every mile is Magic...

Well my family and I will find out in mid-January whether the slogan above holds true!  This past week, after quite a few months of discussion, my wife and I took the plunge and registered for the 2013 version of Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge.  For those of you not familiar with this little event it means running a half-marathon on Saturday, January 12, 2013, and then following that up with a full marathon the next day, Sunday, January 13, 2013.  Should be easy compared to doing an Ironman, right?!  I guess we'll find out!

At the very least, the race is now providing us with some much needed motivation to get on to a regular exercise regimen.  And it looks as though I'm going to have to get damn serious about the regularity and intensity of my workouts - Heidi threw out the concept of a sub-4 hour finish for the marathon!  Now in truth I have never run a full marathon unless it has been the concluding portion of an Ironman so I really don't know what I could be capable of.  History to date on the run portion of Ironman has meant a 4 hour run time has been the stuff of DREAMS!  However, I do know on my half-marathon performances I have run at just over 2 hours and really started to hurt at the end of it - often thinking where is that finish line in the last 2 kilometres...

We are also going to sign up our two kids for much smaller versions of the races.  The oldest daughter is going to take on the Mickey Mile - her training starts this week.  The youngest daughter is in the age category where I believe she will be taking on the 100 metre dash.  In truth, I think the youngest could do the Mickey Mile as she seems to have been training for it since birth!

So January 12 and 13, 2013 are the target dates.  Sub 4 hour finish for the marathon has been thrown out there.  I'm thinking that means we should focus on getting a sub 2 hour finish for the half marathon as well.

Training with Purpose! 

A little bit of frustration....

Just arrived back after spending a week in Denver where I was taking some business training.  I always find it energizing to get to those types of events and learn new things to apply in my day-to-day work.  The drawback, of course, is that I am away from my family for an extended period of time.  I feel much guilt at those times being the absent father, not being able to do things with my kids, and putting the burden of childcare exclusively on my wife. 

The benefit from being away from home, and not having the responsibilities that typically come with all that (e.g., getting kids to functions, cleaning the garage, cutting the grass, etc.) is that it affords me the opportunity to get in workouts that I otherwise might not be able to manage.  So I was good at doing that in the week away in Denver.  Starting on Sunday, after arriving at 9 a.m. from Edmonton - and then waiting for my hotel room to be available, I threw myself wholeheartedly into the effort to recapture my former (imagined) glory!  Got in a 2 hour workout with a mix of weights, bike and running.  Now the bike workout is not really the same as getting on my own bike, but the fact that I actually got in a workout should really be the most important point.  From that point on, I continued to commit to a workout every day while in Denver and did very well in getting in at least an hour a day from Sunday to Thursday.  I definitely felt the absence of regular workouts in the weeks leading up to this point - a little stiff and sore to be sure!

Heidi and I had also signed up for the 100 km version of the Tour de l'Alberta some time ago.  That was likely at a point when we expected to be a little more diligent about workouts and staying in shape and when the prospect of a little ride together in the summertime didn't seem as daunting as it now became in the week leading up to the event.  Unfortunately, we were not able to secure child care for July 22nd.  Heidi was gracious enough to let me take on the ride anyway and stayed behind with the kids...we are still not sure who got the better of the deal!

I was fortunate enough, however, to be able to ride with a friend of mine for the 100 km.  Trevor got involved with tri about a year ago now - he said that Heidi and I inspired him to give it a go.  This was after he'd lost a great deal of weight and started doing a ton of running.  We eventually convinced him that tri - with it's variety in workouts - would be easier on his body.  He's been quite dedicated and committed this whole year to competing in numerous tri and running events.  Congratulations!  So needless to say, he helped me out a lot in the 100 km ride this past Sunday when I had not be on an outdoor ride since last August's Ironman and had not been in the saddle for more than 90 minutes in the past year! 

Sooo...needless to say at the end of the day my ass and feet were killing me!  But I did finish and the ride was certainly less adventuresome than last year's 185 km version of the Tour - no flat tires, no lost equipment, no unplanned detours...So maybe kind of boring.  The weather definitely cooperated and because I was trying to figure things out again and forgot my sunscreen I ended up with quite a funky tan to go with my sore body. 

This morning, however, I was disappointed to do my weigh in.  Considering my week of workouts in Denver and my 100 km ride I would have thought I could have dropped a couple of pounds.  Alas, it was not too be. Perhaps things like the the Hershey Chocolate Bar Cheesecake with two scoops of ice cream and whipped cream did a lot more damage than I thought...time to get back to starvation rations...and more workouts!

Thank you!

A bit of a different entry today.  I've been writing this blog for getting on 2 years now.  Have to say I was inspired to start writing about my experience as a triathlete based on how I had seen others document their experience.  However, at no point did I really think anyone - outside of a small circle of friends - would actually be reading it.  And perhaps ignorance in that regard really was bliss.

So for the past 2 years I've been writing on and off about my experience, primarily as I moved towards and beyond my second consecutive Ironman Canada event.  I certainly wasn't as dutiful as I should have been and I guess when one thinks one is writing for himself there really isn't much pressure to write updates every week or even every couple of weeks.  Truth is when you are in training mode one week pretty much looks like any other week other than the occasional breakdown, weather event or similar tragic-comic event.

Nevertheless, I never truly thought others might be paying attention to my experience.  It's only been in the past couple of months as I've undergone a significant change in my career, and started a leadership blog as a consequence (http://itsaboutleadership.blogspot.ca/), that I even stumbled across the fact that people had been paying attention to my triathlon adventure.

As I said before, I expected that a small circle of friends would drop in to take a look at my entries every once in a while.  A few of them even became followers.  However, in the past few weeks I have been STUNNED to discover that I have had people from AROUND THE WORLD "drop in" on me!   So bear with me as I list for you the countries from which views of my blog have taken place - Canada, United States, United Kingdom, Norway, Netherlands, Phillipines, Germany, Russia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Thailand, Austria, Australia, Italy, Brazil, India, and Denmark!

I am truly astonished.

So I want to thank all of you for tuning in and watching the adventure.  Now that I know you are out there I'll try to write to a higher level, one that is more worthy of a worldwide audience.

I would also love to hear from others across the world about their experiences in triathlon.  I am learning so much from my own personal journey and from my own small circle of friends and colleagues here in Alberta.  I can only imagine how much richer my experience would be if I could benefit from the experience of amateur athletes around the world!