Sharing the victory

Is it possible to be so excited for another human beings accomplishments that you become just as emotionally attached to the event and equally excited? I believe the answer is unquestionably yes, and that these emotions can be for the thrill of victory and also the agony of defeat. I have had one of the best winters of training with my friends Toby and Ann Young. Toby and I do most of our workouts together, and Becca and Ann together. Our emails, texts, conversations over meals or hanging out at the little league park are all about our "plan". What is our workout today? What is the plan for the week? What races do we want to do? Nutrition? Strength training? You name it,we talk about it and most of all we encourage each other and hold one another accountable.

Both Toby and Ann have been training for their first official Tri, the TriCharleston in S.C. Ann a sprint distance and Toby a half Ironman (Toby doesn't like to start small and work his way up, he likes to start big). So we have been following the "plan" and all our training has been focused on them completing their first tri's. Toby was already a very gifted endurance athlete, he was just learning to put it all together. The greatest transformation has been in Ann. She has never in her life competed in any athletic endeavor. All I can say is that she has become consumed by the challenge of training and competing. Her physical transformation has been incredible, she is ripped and lean. Her athletic confidence is growing by the day. I hate to see where she will be a year from now.

Ann entered the water this past Saturday morning and had no idea what to expect, it was her first open water swim. She said it was chaos, and according to her she often thought of just pulling out and quitting. But like a true champion, she sucked it up, gathered herself, and found her stride. Out of the water, no problem on the bike, and killed the run. Guess what? She's hooked. Another new athlete joins the ranks. Great job Ann!

Toby is an entirely different story. Last Saturday, just a week from his half Ironman the unthinkable happens, he tears his ACL........again. This is the one that has been replaced twice now and that he spent all year rehabbing for the half Ironman. When he called me from the MRI room I just about got sick, I had a knot in my stomach thinking about all the work he had put in and how he was going to miss this event. After a few days we talked about his options. He decided after draining the knee that it felt fine enough to swim and bike and he would pull out and not attempt the run.

Toby however is machine, he reminds me of the terminator robot, he just never stops. Well, race day comes and he enters the water feeling pretty good. He kills the swim, has no problem on the bike and enters the transition area and looks up at the clock. Toby later said that he thought to himself, "I can walk the entire 13 miles and still make the cut off". So without telling anyone in his family. The terminator headed out. A walk, a run, a walk, a run, he said he just paced himself. Toby crossed the line in under 6 hours and 30 minutes. Amazing, simply amazing!

I am sharing this story because I am just so motivated and inspired by the people around me who choose to live life. I was sick when Toby told me about his knee, but that emotion was replaced with joy when I could hear Ann's excitement about her race. The emotion later swelled up again when Toby called and shared his victory over the injury. Amazing people, doing amazing things!

Rebecca and I are fortunate to have friends like Toby and Ann that share there training, work ethic, and motivation to inspire us. Just like each of you guys inspire me with your training, racing efforts, family stories and more. Thanks for sharing the victories.

L3-Live, Learn, and Lead
Schmidty