REFLECTIONS. VISIONS.

WOW, WHERE DID 2016 GO? SEEMS LIKE JUST YESTERDAY I WAS LEAVING DEPOSITS IN A TRASH CAN AT ROCK N ROLL AZ OR REALIZING I FORGOT TO DO ANY SWIM TRAINING FOR CHAIN OF THE LAKES TRIATHLON. THOSE TWO RACES LEFT BATTLE SCARS ON ME. CRAMMING IS SOMETHING COLLEGE KIDS DO, I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND CRAMMING MARATHON TRAINING. I DID THIS FOR RNRAZ AND WAS REWARDED WITH A TORN MENISCUS AND SIDELINED FROM RUNNING. THIS LEAD TO THE SWIM DISASTER AT CHAIN OF LAKES TRIATHLON WHERE I THINK SOMEONE DOGGY PADDLING PASSED ME IN THE POOL. WITH THESE LOWS, IT MAKES THE HIGHS THAT MUCH HIGHER!

​THE IRONMAN TATTOO, HATED AND LOVED BY SO MANY. SEEN BY SOME AS A CORPORATE LOGO AND VIEWED AS A STAMP OF APPROVAL FOR OTHERS. FOR ME, IT MEANS I PROVED EVERYONE WRONG. ALL THOSE PEOPLE WHO SAID IT COULDN'T BE DONE, THE ONES THAT HATED ON YOUR FOR YOUR SUCCESS AND THE ONES WHO WANTED TO SEE YOU FAIL. THAT WAS THE FUEL FOR GETTING MY FIRST TATTOO, A BIG MIDDLE FINGER TO ALL THOSE PEOPLE AS WELL AS A REMINDER THAT ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE.

AS 2016 IS IN ITS FINAL DAYS, I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO 2017. I ALREADY HAVE A PILE OF RACES PLANNED OUT AND MY FIRST ONE WILL BE ROCK N ROLL ARIZONA AGAIN. A RACE THAT ALWAYS SEEMS TO SNEAK UP ON ME AND KICK MY ASS. AFTER THAT I WILL BE FOCUSING ON GRANDMAS MARATHON, IRONMAN WISCONSIN 70.3 & 140.6 AND EARNING A CRAP LOAD OF AG PODIUMS. I HAVE A LOT OF MOTIVATION FOR NEXT YEAR RACING WITH TRIBE MULTISPORT AND WATTIE INK HIT SQUAD. IN 2017 I WILL BE FASTER IN THE WATER, FASTER ON THE BIKE AND WILL FINISH WITH A GWEN JORGENSEN LIKE RUN!

PEACE OUT 2016, THANKS FOR ALL THE MEMORIES.