Steep pitch

My best friend this week wrote that life is as simple or as complicated as one chooses. In racing as in life there are times when you can't deny results. Doubts emerge, whether warranted or not. Am I doing the right thing? Why am I doing what I am doing? Should I be doing something else?

I can only speak for myself. My fastest Ironman came in 2003 and my second fastest in 2004. That is an increasingly longer time ago. I can't deny the reality that my pursuit of a Sub 10 finish seems further and further from reach. Perhaps I have lost it? (That is rhetorical!)

My pursuit of that Sub 10 is as legitimate to me now as ever. I believe it is not only within reach but that it is easily within my potential. I am far fitter now than ever. I am far more ready when race day arrives. I just haven't - for some reason that remains elusive and I am determined to uncover - achieved it, yet. (I think the key is within my mind, to trust myself, to relax and let it happen.)

My Ironman dream is more alive each day. I don't constantly think about it but it is never far from my present thoughts. It is more vivid. It is more real to me. It is a sign of how much I love being a triathlete. Reading this might suggest I have lost perspective but I can assure you that I am fierecly grounded. Ironman is simply a part of my life, not even close to being the most important.

Each of us set objectives for ourselves, most not sport focused. For some the objective is very low and for others very high. My advice to anyone who is interested, reach as high as you can and then climb up the tallest ladder you can beg, borrow or steal (temporarily). Push yourself or find someone who can push you. Challenge yourself to be the absolute best you can be. never give in, never give up. Be open to constructive criticism. Be honest about your effort. Be willing to rethink, reasses and to reach out for help.

We at times doggedly pursue our objectives. I say doggedly after being reminded again this week by our Luka that the pursuit of happiness - in his case chasing a tennis ball on the beach - is worth a few sand blisters. It is similar to how I felt, in a way, with the soreness that comes while, and after, racing. You learn to embrace it and accept it. Walking awkwardly for a few days after a race is a sign I put in a solid effort.

A week ago I ran a marathon. It was a challenging day with crazy wind and heavy rain. I had the option of not starting. I wasn't alone. There were about 9300 entered, more than 2000 chose not to start and several hundred others did not finish. As I said, the weather was crazy.

My silent objective was to run Sub 3. I was confident that I would finish faster than 3:10 and reset my personal best. Somewhere along the road I lost my focus and while I recovered, I left myself with too little road to stop the clock as fast as I would have liked. I ran 3:14.

In terms of the numbers, the race was neither my best, nor my worse. At the moment it ranks as my third fastest, my fastest in five years. I always look for context - the result of more than 12 years of writing nut graphs at Bloomberg News in Toronto, Vancouver and Sydney.

The day that I stop loving what I do or the day that I stop trying to improve is the day that it is time to do something else. Until then it is 110 percent about moving forward on the paths I have chosen, with the people who I connect with.

This week I pared back some friends on Facebook. I have a simple rule: if you can't be bothered to even 'Like' something that I post once in a while, then we aren't really friends. That is OK.

The things that I do with my life and the people I want in my life must be like-minded. Just because the road ahead is steep is no reason to look for an alternative. Failure is a positive because we learn far more from adversity, I think.

As we prepare to drive north this weekend we are in reflective moods. It has been a week of highs and lows, not unlike the past year. We were blessed with three stunning late autumn days, ocean breezes, sand on our boots and some breathtaking views.

I was awake early this morning, long before daylight. Margreet followed. And now Luka has arrived, smiling, tail wagging, eager for another run on the beach.