I am Okay with That...

I have made a decision (under duress) that I will not be racing triathlons for the better part of this season. I can't run... ITB keeps me from running, I can swim, bike, and lift weights. Still a person that cannot put in the run mileage can't be triathlete, for me that means I can't be who I am.

Gone are my aspirations of Ironman Canada this summer, going under 4:45 in British Columbia, winning the races that I was on the brink of winning last year, and making off with a treasure chest of awards, medals, and accomplishments. It's hard not to be resentful towards my situation, I will be 24 this year which would put me in the most advantageous position in my age division, affording the greatest opportunity to qualify for IM Canada and maybe catching a spot to Hawaii.

My best year is taken away. It's hard not to get pissed about letting myself repeat what I have already been through in 2007. It's my own fault, I put in running mileage that was just over my relative threshold and ITB showed up. I have had ITB before and I know it will eventually heal itself. The bad thing is once you have it it will take alot of time. Best just to avoid it.

Coming back from this a second time while keeping a positive attitude will be a victory in itself. Even though this is my life so to speak I'm okay if I can't race for a while. I have already accomplished more than most could hope for in triathlon. I saw my USA Triathlon ranking for 2008, I was ranked 109 out of 1900+ for guys 20-24 years old. That puts me in the top 6%. My ranking qualifies for honorable mention all american, I missed all american status by one-half percent. My USAT ranking puts me in the top 50 of over 2200 USAT athletes in the pacific northwest. I have won races, I have medals and awards and have lived a lifetime of adventure. I'm fine with a little time off.

So what will I do...? Well, I grew up in combat sports. I wrestled for 12 years, I have a black belt in karate, I did boxing for 2 years, and have competed in dozens of sport karate tournaments. I recently looked at all my karate trophies collecting dust in the storage closet, the little kicking guy on top is funny. I have traveled to tournaments as far away as Ogden Utah (2) and really loved the whole karate and martial arts scene.

I am getting back into martial arts until I make my comeback to triathlon. I bought 400 sq feet of martial arts mats to start my own personal dojo. I have a training partner that has trained in mixed martial arts with a world class camp in Arizona. I have trained with him for years, we share the same attitude about training, if I could hand pick anyone to train with it would be him. From previous years I have all the boxing and training equipment. I have everything a fight gym has. I have everything for boxing drills, sparring gear, mats that can hold up under takedowns, and even punch mits and body protectors. It will be nice to return to training, there is something special about the confidence of martial arts.

It's up in the air if I will ever fight again, if the opportunity presents itself I may pursue it but like triathlon, the most enjoyable part of martial arts is in the training. I love the technique, the grappling, and cardiovascular stress. The tournaments and sport fighting was also alot of fun, who knows at this point.

Goal no. 1: Don't mess up my face (it's my money maker) haha I was training martial arts way before the UFC ever became popular, I remember watching the first one on VHS and training those techniques at the fitness center. It will be nice to have control of the training center so that I can avoid all the BS I've met with in the past. I am starting my own training facility, because I want to choose who trains and there, this time around we do things my way.

The place I received my black belt from was a wonderful place to fight, but circumstances and people change over time. I certainly use what I have learned there, but it's in my best interest to pursue a different route of training if I want to expand my skills. I am looking forward to learning new skills, experiencing the hard training, gaining back a fighter's confidence, and training something other than swim, bike, run, repeat.

This has actually benefited me in the fact that I have gotten in better shape (physically, not cardiovascular wise) than when I was doing triathlons. I have had the opportunity to to alot more weight training. My diet has still been just about as perfect as it can reasonably be. I weigh in at 167 Lbs, the lightest I have been in 5 years, I have seen positive changes in my body composition and tendancies. It's not even hard anymore to avoid ice cream etc. I can clearly see the physical changes and that's all the positive reenforcement I need. I am also looking forward to getting back to the boxing and wrestling because it will allow me to gain back all the flexibility I have lost.

This doesn't have to be a negative thing, if Lance can come back and win the tour after cancer, if Floyd Landis can win the tour riding on a hip that is digging its own groove in the socket and make it back after a hip replacement, then I can surely come back from ITB. In the words of Ultimate Fighting Champion Royce Gracie (below), "I have done it before, I will do it again." ;)