Road to 65: The Race I Didn't Finish

For seventeen years, chasing finish lines helped keep me committed to my workouts.

Triathlons, marathons, obstacle course races, and Ironman.

There was always another challenge on the calendar, always.

I loved it. And I wouldn't trade those experiences for anything.

But something changed this year.

In May, I lined up for Ironman Jacksonville feeling more prepared than I had five years earlier when I completed Ironman Chattanooga.

I'd trained consistently, paid attention to recovery, and even hired another neuro coach to make sure I wasn't overlooking anything when it came to preparing my nervous system.

I truly felt my training was spot on.

But race day had other plans.

The course wasn't what I expected.

The bike portion felt dangerous and scary to me, and it slowed me down considerably.

I missed the final run cutoff.

No finish line. No medal.

And I was pissed off.

All that preparation, all those hours of training, and nothing to hang on my wall at the end.

It bothered me for a while.

But that experience also got me looking at things differently.

I'd shown up strong, healthy, and prepared. Not finishing didn't erase any of that.

And I realized something.

Maybe I didn't need another medal to prove anything to myself.

I've got plenty of those.

Not that I'll never race again. I know myself better than to make that declaration!

But right now, I'm not chasing another finish line.

After Jacksonville came South Korea, my summer Grammy Tour, and time making memories with my family.

And when I got home, I wasn't in a hurry to return to my old training schedule.

I'm enjoying a slower pace.

Most of my strength workouts are now fifteen to twenty minutes. They're intentional, challenging, and short enough that I stay consistent. I've even added a workout buddy a couple of days a week.

I'm sleeping well, eating real food, staying hydrated, and spending more time relaxing.

Nothing complicated.

For years, I trained because I had a race coming up.

Now I'm training because I have a life I want to keep living.

I want to hike, travel, explore, play with my grandkids, and say yes to

whatever comes next.

And I want my body to be strong enough to keep up.

That's what this Road to 65 is about.

Something to think about this week

What do you want your body to be capable of doing five or ten years from now?

Pick one thing. Then choose one small action you can take this week to support it.

It doesn't have to be complicated. It just has to matter to you.

I'm still training for something. It's just not a finish line.