It really can be about the bike.

I had an amazing ride on Sunday up near 100 Mile House. I rode from a lake just outside of Lone Butte, to Little Fort, and back. Approximately 146 km all said and done. The view was amazing and the roads were, at least half the time, as smooth as silk. I definitely ran into some rough patches and had some massive hills to climb… Actually, I would say I had the equivalent of three Richter’s Passes on this ride. This was great for training, and the heat of the day was upwards of 100 degrees near the end of the ride, which, again, was fantastic training for the Ironman. I have not ridden in that kind of heat in a long time, and I really had to watch my nutrition and water intake in order to make sure I made it back to the lake, where I spent a few days with my parents, brother and his new wife.

Part of the magic of this ride was also the acknowledgement of being able to share the experience with my family. My aunt, uncle, cousin, parents, sister-in-law and brother were all around when I finished, and it was really special. I find often that I feel as though I am excluding my family from the journey that I am on. It makes me sad actually, as I want so much for them to be a part of this. I think I am not different from most “kids”, in that I like it when my parents showed up for my baseball and hockey games. Even though I would rarely say anything, it was still always something I remember about playing sports. Watching my Dad out in left field viewing the game from the bleachers, and my Mom sitting behind the fence keeping score. My uncle even helped coach… Actually, he coached one of the opposing teams one year and it was fun to actually beat his time once J. I really miss that experience. Again, of course, I never appreciated it at the time, but just having them around validated what I was doing. And it was fun to have everybody around, doing something and sharing a day at the ballpark together.
Endurance races present challenges to bringing people into your life. It’s not like I can have Mom and Dad come out to a practice one day and watch. They come to some of my races, but I really only see them once, maybe a couple of times, and that’s it. I know if it was more of a spectator friendly sport they would be around more, but it just isn’t. When I took off for a 6 hour workout (with the brick of 20 minutes at the end it was around 6 hours), I half thought maybe one of them might drive out to see me somewhere.

The thing is, they may not realize it, but the training I do now is the result of their being around for years before. Their presence at my games let me know that sports was important. And don’t get me wrong, they are knowledgable fans. My Mom and Dad know more about baseball than most people. My Mom kept score of most every game and for those of you who know baseball scoring, it’s a fine art that few can master properly. My brother and I were both decent baseball players, and we have always been blessed with parents who viewed our activity level as being as important as what we accomplished in school or whatever.

My parents have taught me that practice is important. They also gave me the freedom to make choices about sports that I think made playing them all the more fun. I really loved baseball. I loved hockey too but I couldn’t get started in it. I was never pressured into sports, though. I simply picked the ones I liked and then my parents said “okay, then you gotta go to practice”.
Ironman and marathon training have become, for me, a bit of a retro-activity back to those days. It’s summer, and when I was a kid I was playing baseball throughout the summer, attending camps, and going and watching my brother play, as his teams usually made it further than mine J. It’s fun to play again at this, and to enjoy the outdoors, and to shoot for a goal. I think that all of this is part of something that my parents and family all supported as I grew up, and I’m reaping the benefits of it now. Being able to tell my mom and dad that I have done a race, etc. is something I look forward to. I know they are proud no matter what I do, how I do, or even if I have to drop out, but it’s still neat to do something great in front of them.

In 2002, Ironman was made incredible because of my uncle and dad burning rubber in a minivan around the Ironman course, meeting up with me in different sections and cheering me on. Seeing another one of my uncles, aunts and cousins in Oliver, where they were camping for the week, was very special. And seeing my Dad, Mom, uncle Erwin and Brother about 500 meters from the finish was so amazing I can’t describe it. I feel selfish because it seems to be “all about me” but I also hope that they all realize that I am able to do this because of them. And I know that it does come back, as I was able to help my mom start running again, my Uncle finished his first triathlon in years in 2003 and we ran the Khatsahlano race together in 2003, and my brother ran his first marathon last year, and actually proposed to his now-wife during the race. This whole sport has involved my family in some way, but in the biggest way, I am only able to be part of the Ironman experience because of the greatest people in my life… My family.