A Tough Week For Me
Concerning St. George IMWC and events this week
So this is a tough week for me’ I am converting a Facebook post into this blog post so I may offload thoughts. Work and life is currently a bit THICK. I imagine it is for many in these historic times as we grapple with the realities that existed pre-covid and are now being addressed with reckless abandon. I stated this the other day on my blog.
“It is my perspective that we will never be post covid – Because so many things that covid brought into the public and private view, were of course, if I am being honest with myself, were ALWAYS there! And they will always be there throughout the remainder of my lifetime. Life has always required making choices. Life has always placed certain restrictions on people. Life has always included people that face the problem and people who run from it. People that prioritize their own well being and people that lookout for the common good. Life, or the world, has always been in the practice of shattering a cherished way of life. There is no certainty in life except for change.”
-Self
So, while I am unable to participate in the event I originally signed up for, it is finally being delivered this weekend on May 7. So, my focus shifts to October 23. I want to review where I am at. I am getting ready for a great event in Sacramento. I have a little more than 170 days to go from Olympic distance ready to Full distance triathlon ready. Giddy up. Let’s go.
To all my friends ironman types and others participating and/or volunteering in St. George this weekend – I hope you have a great day celebrating through triathlon and life and what we do. I know for me, triathlon has helped shape who I can be,. My hope is my wife and family appreciates my efforts in becoming my best self for them. Blah…..feels like a Monday and it’s Friday and the event is tomorrow. Let’s be real, life is hard, and I have learned I can do hard things.
St George IMWC thoughts and predictions (pre race)
Because it’s so early, a brand new course. truly, I’m really just curious to see how all the Team Zooters do. I hope many of them are managing stress by kicking their those feet up because the hay is either in the barn or not . Go go go…
Is what I am about to do going to ruin my event/race?
Coach Robbie Bruce
Pro Men
Cameron Wurf is the wildcard. I want to start there with the men. He will cause folks to burn out on bike. I also recently learned he just finished Paris-Roubaix a few weeks ago. So, he will be changing the shape of the cycling course and depending on who he exits out of the swim with, and then who he agitates to not follow or execute their own plan, a potential disruptor for sure. I have Sam long, Alistair Brownlee, Kristian Blumenfelt, and Sebastian Keinlee in my top 4 who will podium and win. I think whoever is strongest here will win. This will be such a huge display of physical strength and preparation. Mindset and mentol nimbleness and reiliency will also come forward. This is major and exciting because for the first time in like 30years, the IMWC IS NOT in Kona! It is not in October at the ‘supposed’end of the racing and event cycle offered by Ironman brand. It is early, it is in St. George, many pro’s will struggle and many age-groupers will shine or struggle too. Ipersonally would love to see the podium like this:
- Sam Long
- Alistair Brownlee
- Sebastian Keinlee
Other wildcards include Ben Hoffman and and Gustav Iden if they don’t treat this like Kona but St. George. I don’t have Hoffman on the podium only because he gritted out IM Texas 2 weeks ago, and all though he is Mr long volume, I think the bike may tear him apart after the efforts to pull out IM Texas. This is going to be a hard one to call but fun to watch. Watch out football, we Get 7-8 hours of play, not just 2-3 hours stacked full of commercials.
Pro Women
I don’t have a lot of insight into the women’s field but from what I know this is what I offer from my perspective. Daniela Ryf should be 1st, but the wind and the descent are going to push anyone not strong and this opens the top spot to anyone. I would put Annie Haug number 2 but if she is off the bike within 12 minutes of Ryf, expect a duel with Annie pulling it out. I would think maybe Norden at the 3 spot.
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My biggest thought was more from what I saw of the women. Let me share it here below:
‘It was hard. And if I didn’t win, at least I had fun.’
Daniel Ryf, 2022 IMWC Women’s winner
What a line! Liz Livingston has been asking about Iron events. Even though I’m not in St George, I still find triathlon events exciting. Also, it is now time to plan St George for next year 70.3. Yes, I’d like to be there. Now to make it happen.
Mindset, Family, Life Intersections and thoughts
I’ve shared this meme/thought in the past that I have share here in picture format. I recently posted an Instagram post with a video of my younger kids at Porcupine Reservoir. I felt this thought pairs well with my recent video of the kids. While I generally choose to focus on the more positive things, there is still a deep dark disgusting under belly ravishing the human world. Often it is ignored until it hits one’s immediate circle of influence, or even more gruesome as a victim. I am unsure if it’s apathy, or comfort, coping or something else for reasons of ignoring. My family is safe and secure, but I have come to learn again, more than I’d like to believe are not. I recently read a book called – Courage is Calling by author Ryan Holiday, and apparently it’s pushing me from lessons learned into actions taken. Today as I am bustling around through things, I see a lot of folks presumably doing the best they can. I do not encounter a lot of smiles. I see a lot of weathered, holding it barely together faces. I feel you folks, as I walked little Astrid to get ice cream and donuts and a little daddy daughter time, I reflected again on gratitude. My hope with this thought is, if you feel heavy, and you can muster it up. Go do something silly! There are too many parks and not enough players. We need to play as adults. We need to re-create opportunities to be silly and fun and loving. The dark stuff won’t necessarily go away, but if for an instant we can give it the middle finger of f-you , I got this!
Very Non- Triathlon related
Trigger warning – something I can’t be quiet about (reference article – Click Here!).
TTLDR Version
If you don’t have a uterus, and you don’t walk on water, and it wasn’t your member that inseminated the uterus, you or I don’t have any inalienable right in the conversation. Those opinions stop at the end of our nose.
Long winded Shane speak thoughts continue below:
I’m seeing far too many shallow, narrow-visioned and frankly despicable viewpoints surrounding the Roe v. Wade process and potential overturn and associated outcomes. As a father of 2 girls and a wife, who has encountered abuse, why is it that any government minded politician even cares? If you don’t want to pay for it fine. If you think they are a sinner fine. Most I have encountered facing the difficult decisions, emotions and consequences associated with deciding if an abortion is an option – the last thing they want, need or appreciate is a semen factory waving a justice wand at them. There are few times I throw out an opinion like this in my blog, but withholding, now more than ever, will deface everything I hold dear in the space between stimulus and response. Free will and agency. Sure I tend to support limited use cases (rape, incest, abuse, health of the mother or the fetus) but that is my perception. This is my preference. As a male, I stand by as an ally hoping that, if put in the situation with my spouse or female children, or if caused by my sons, that I can look beyond the end of my nose and support them on recovery and healing regardless of how they exercise their agency.
To that end I offer the same to any other uterus owner and semen provider encountering the decision. Yes, the unborn child is indeed also important! I’d like to believe that the esoteric force of the known and unknown universe (call it God, deity, collective, science, whatever you will) has a plan for those that don’t make it to this sphere circling other spheres. I find the thought that many of the types claiming that justification – proclaims their deity can do anything! Well if so, get out of that creators way and let that being do their thing! Maybe I shouldn’t be so bold, but I find that courage is calling, and I can’t be apathetic nor quiet. In Liz and my situation we have two frozen embryos. Does that mean if we chose not to attempt a birth with those? If we discard them, does that mean we are now culpable to these ridiculous and unreasonable broad strokes of USA Laws that contradict the concept of unalienable rights?
to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
Declaration of Independence
ITs just getting noisy and confusing out there in all of the journeys the different individual humans are sojourning through. You know, my focus tends to be on our core nuclear family, our health (mental and physical) and then my hobbies and the work that supports us. In the end, above are some thoughts I needed to offload and move on. I try to not engage with emotional hotbed topics, because I just try to be the best self I can. I tend to turn into my self, and work on me first. If so compelled, I will support friends, ad others that are under or not supported, nor defended. I hope to do it reasonably and with civility.
I am finding that most of the disagreements – and especially in small differences, that following the following principles helps me better navigate some of this space.
