We’ve all heard the phrase “Winning isn’t everything” a million times but never did it have more profound meaning for me than last week at Lake Steven 70.3. I’ll start by saying this is not a typical race report – one in which I recount the highs and lows of my swim/bike/run, talk about things I would like to improve or thank all of my wonderful sponsors. This is a reminder of how you need to live your life with intention every single day because it can all be gone in an instant. As James Dean famously said, “Dream as if you’ll live forever. Live as if you’ll die today.”
I arrived at Lake Stevens with tired legs and a heavy heart. Days earlier we got the call you never want to receive – our good friend Pete Cadwell had died suddenly and unexpectedly of a heart attack while doing a short swim/run race in Colorado. At 40 years old, Pete was the picture of health with a beautiful wife, two beautiful boys and so much to look forward to. After swimming in college and racing in dozens and dozens of triathlons post college, he had recently discovered a passion for trail running and even raced the Miwok 100k here in Marin just a couple of months ago. It just doesn’t seem possible that we will never see Pete again.
After getting that call on Tuesday night, I walked around in a fog for a few days and debated whether or not to go to Lake Stevens at all. While Pete’s death is a tragedy to all of us who knew him, there is some comfort in knowing that he died doing what he loved to do. With that little bit of perspective and a broken heart, I boarded a plane for Seattle knowing I was exhausted mentally and physically but carrying some of Pete’s strength and ever positive attitude with me. I love competing, I knew why I was out there and when the gun went off, I was where I wanted to be and I was present. I was also very tired…
This year a new approach and a new coach (Craig Upton) has meant a lot more volume in an attempt to help me gain the fitness I need to really race an Ironman from start to finish. Since Ironman Lake Placid and going into Lake Stevens, Craig has had me tackling some of the largest amounts of volume I have ever done—basically he’s been kicking my butt! While in the past my training has always focused on low volume and lots of intensity, Craig has decided to turn the tables on me which has required a big leap of faith. Tools like my PowerTap have become critically important to this volume-focused journey both for keeping me honest but also allowing Craig to continually analyze all of my rides and constantly fine-tune things based on how my fitness is progressing. The result has been exactly the opposite of what I expected. Surprisingly I have had more energy, my body is more resilient and I recover faster.
Lake Stevens 70.3 was a big test for me – if I asked my body to race in an extremely tired state how would it perform? I had zero expectations on race day and was so happy things came together so well for me under Craig’s plan. To grab a win on legs that felt broken and a heart that was heavy from the loss of a great friend was very rewarding.
It’s been an exhausting but also super fun last six weeks of training and I can’t believe that Kona is only six weeks away. I have one final ten day training block in Tahoe coming up that I think will top off my fitness and have me as ready as I have ever been for Kona.
My mind now turns to the special memorial service for Pete that we will be hosting at our house over Labor Day Weekend. Before the service we’ll all take a run up Mt. Tam to celebrate Pete’s life and spread his ashes on the trails he loved so much. My heart breaks for Pete’s wife and his boys who will grow up not knowing their father but we will constantly remind them of the fun and laughter he brought to everything he did. Winning isn’t everything…
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