Break Your Limits

I write this fresh from my second tour of duty around the roller coaster ride they call the IM Nice bike course. Even the second time around the thing is absolutely epic. Today I hooked up with Axel Zeebroek. Axel has a list of triathlon accomplishments as long as the 180k bike course that we just rode today, including my personal favourite of being the first off the bike in the Beijing Olympic Games – if that were me, I’d just retire on that laurel and live happily ever after!

Axel has historically been a short course dude, but unfortunately for us ironman sloths he has shifted to the long stuff and he has bought his speed with him…..lookout come race day! My aching legs tell me that the kid is in some seriously good form.

But I digress – I wanted to put a few words together to wish all the BYL crew the very best for the Busso Half this weekend. But seeing that my brain is about as fried as my legs, I have rather cleverly decided to pilfer somebody elses well crafted words. The paras below come straight from pro triathlete John Hirsch (check him out at www.johnhirsch.org). It is a message he wrote for a close friend of his who was about to embark on that challenge they call Ironman. John says it is a form of love (triathlon style) but you can decide for yourself. I like it for its orignality – hope you do to and I hope it helps you get through those bad patches that sometimes hit come race day.

You put all of yourself into this race. You OWE IT to the universe to bury yourself. I am the hand and fist of the universe here to guild you. So know this: If you can walk afterwards be prepared to fight me, because I am carrying you after the race home one way or another. You don’t leave it all out there we go to blows. I got my media pass so I will be right at the finish line. You cross it being chipper and strong we throw down before you even get a medal.

You can leave it all on the course or get knocked the (expletive*) out at the finish line when I see you, but either way you are not walking home. You pick. I am fine either way. But you don’t start THAT day thinking there is any easy way THAT day goes. You start KNOWING and committed to a big hurt. I promise you, big hurt one way of another. Don’t test me, test yourself.

So there you go Raymond, perhaps an extra role for you to play in the Busso festivities? And for those racing, well enjoy and race hard for who knows, if you don’t you might upset the almighty man who now likes to call himself the ‘Lord of Fitness’. In my opinion it would be very unwise to upset this Lord as I have seen him on a bad day and I can tell you it ain’t pretty

Have fun!

* I am not up to speed on the BYL rules and regulations for posting expletives so have chosen to play the safe option as I too am not keen on upsetting the Lord.