Thanks.

Individual sports. I have always said this is way to define yourself as an athlete. It’s up to you and only you. In a team sport all you need is one all star to carry a bunch of losers to the end. Or vice versa, a bunch of losers can mask the true shine of one great athlete. In an individual sport there are no excuses. You are responsible for your own fate. Countless mornings I mash the alarm clock and hop out of bed. 4:17 am and I hear the same life mantra day in and day out. The first few steps out bed, knees clicking, ankles popping. I can hear the coffee pot brewing. Usually my cat walks me downstairs and sits on the counter as sleepily bumble through my routine. She says good morning with every pass. I head out the door with my swim bag, run, bag, bike gear, coffee, and oversized lunch, the stick, and whatever work I bring home. That is the start to a typical day. It’s all on me to get up and go. Sometimes I roll over, and I pay for that. Looking at some results this year, it shows. I was responsible for the. So to my point. That was a little look at what I do. However, my individual sport relies on a lot more than me. To be successful I rely on a network that usually gets overlooked.

The ones that take the hit the worst. Natalie and the kids. This woman shuffles 3 children out of the house every morning by herself. Some evenings she’s on her own while I’m at the track, on the hills, or at a team meeting. She’s the true endurance athlete putting up with this crap for 4 years now. My children get a lot of good nights over the phone. Then I drag them out of bed at 5 am on the weekends to make it some event. There’s the backbone to what I do. Without their continuing tolerance I wouldn’t be top 10% in everything I do.

My “sponsor” support. The group that takes the financial hit. My parents. Without them I wouldn’t be on competitive equipment or even have fresh rubber under me. Their support at my events gives me comfort that most athletes don’t get. Usually seen with them are my brother and his girlfriend. Talk about having nothing to gain from my racing yet they still show up and support me. For that I am grateful.

So maybe my sport isn’t so individual. I am lucky to have all these people in my life. I know I don’t thank them enough. That’s hard for me as it requires emotion. I don’t know how to handle my own feelings so it’s hard for me to deal with all that. Maybe one day I’ll figure myself out but, for now…I want everyone to recognize that I really don’t do this all myself. To those who are always there, Thank you. It means more than know.