Eye on the Prize

A good and wise friend had a great quote a few weeks ago. "It's not the marathon that is the reward. It's the training it takes to complete the marathon." I need to remember that the goal this year is strictly Wisconsin Ironman. This weekend is my first big training test towards that goal. Not that I am calling the Liberty Half Ironman training, it's not. It's a race just like any other, I don't train through races...ever. I don't believe in not putting 100% into something. Saturday will be no different. While the main goal is to try to get my pacing down for longer distances my second goal is to beat out one tough opponent. Josh Riff came on the scene last year and immediately established himself as one of the best distance guys in the state. Last year he took second with a serious time of 4:17. While I am optimistic that it is possible for me to beat him I am also realistic that it is not probable. Josh was solid last year and showed only a slight weakness in his swim. I know the feeling. This year he has shown some serious improvement on at least the bike and I expect to see improvement in the water as well. So as my back up goal I am shooting for a 4:20. Last year I hit a 4:15 at Square Lake and got a little overambitious on the run causing me to hit the wall pretty hard. Jerry Macneil also posted that Josh is the only one in the race who can can take down a 4:20 this. I would like to prove him wrong. Sorry Jerry.