Looking Ahead

After a stellar 2009 and a less-than-stellar 2010, I joked that I should probably only race in odd years. 2011 seemed to bear that out, being an incredible year on many fronts, both on and off the race course. I returned to the top step of an Ironman podium, I became a World Champion, and – most importantly – I became a father. Looking ahead, I have to wonder how I’ll top that. Though, to be honest, I will say that topping it isn’t really a priority. I think I’ve found the success I have by being focused on the process, and letting the process lead me down a journey to a destination where the results are defined by the hard work, the commitment to excellence, and the relentless pursuit of… (to borrow Simon Whitfield’s phrase). When I set out on this journey, I wanted to win an Ironman. I’ve done that. Three times. And then I wanted, just once, to be the best in the world for just a single moment, and on a cold day in early November, I did that too. And, of course, there is the overwhelming change in perspective that accompanies becoming a parent, when suddenly, there is someone in the world who matters to you a lot more than you ever have mattered to yourself. After the best races of my career, it was still bath time at somewhere around 5:30pm. And, after my first ever Ironman DNF and one of the worst races of my career, it was still bath time at somewhere around 5:30pm. So when I think about what comes now, I know that it’ll still be bath time at somewhere around 5:30pm… At least until Quentin decides that he’s too big to have bath time with his dad anymore. But until then, I get myself out the door to swim, bike, and run every day because I think I am lucky to have the greatest job in the world, a job that provides a good life for my family, and allows me to be home (almost) every night for bath time. I believe that if you do something you love, you want to do it well. In my case, I want it to do it perfectly. Despite knowing that’s unattainable, it is what I strive for. That’s true of both being a parent and being a professional triathlete. I want to win races because I love to race, I love to win, and I love to do my job well. And because, at varying levels of consciousness depending on the moment, I know that someone else – someone very small but very special – is counting on me. When I look ahead to 2012, I have some big goals set out – trying to join Ray Browning as the only man to threepeat at Ironman Canada; redeeming myself at Wildflower; defending my title at Leadman; and to making sure that I’m ready for a bath at somewhere around 5:30pm.