Meet Cliff

I met with Cliff today, my new swim coach. Cliff is a four time Ironman competitor with 3 podium finishes. In 2007 he was 2nd in the men's 70 - 74 age group. He's no joke. So we met and had a great chat before he told me to jump into the water. First, stop training with water and food. huh? Yep...nobody is going to have food or water for me during the Ironman swim so why would I train that way. Very valid point and one I never considered!

In the first 15 minutes I took 5 strokes off and decreased my time across the pool and back. WOW I could really feel it too. Though my body position was not something I'm use too, gliding across the water was amazing! I took only two breaths from one end to the other, that's how quick and effortless it was.

The goal is simply this. Finish the Ironman swim quick but with little effort so that I'm fresh for the bike. I can do that swim in less then 2 hours...I know this! With over a year of swim training ahead of me I better look like a damn mermaid in that water!! Needless to say, I have a lot of work to do.

I'm having some bike fear. I know this doesn't sound like a big deal but to me it's very real. I've never had a bad fall or broken bone or had any horrible injury (knock on wood). That created a fearlessness that I was pretty happy with....There is really nothing a person won't try if they don't fear pain, right. Well, when I fell off my road bike the other day something happened. Now I have fear. I'm afraid to go down hills fast and I'm afraid to turn corners...I'm just afraid of another flat that hurts worse then the first one. Now I have my eye on my tires more then the road and I've gone so far as to put liners in the tires.

I like my life without fear much better. I enjoyed my bike more and I want it back but just how do I get it? Maybe once I'm healed I'll forget and move past this but for now...I'm a little slower and a little more cautious and that's just the way it goes.