Since my return from Arizona I have fielded phone calls and answered emails that all had the same premise: you must be so disappointed that you led the race for so long and then came second. Well, yes, it is a little frustrating. But, luckily, I am no stranger to disappointment, and in the grand scheme of disappointments, this one does not even come close to ranking first. Last year’s Ironman Hawaii DNF tops the list. Passing out grandiosely 10K into the run after an incredible training block leading into the race and coming off the bike in the top 10 was the epitome of a bad day. Second place goes to DNF-ing the 2004 Olympic Trials due to a back injury – I rank this second and not first because I knew there were some issues before the race even started. I cannot even pick a third place because after 10 years of racing professionally, there are so many mini-disappointments I could probably fill the rest of the page describing them. I have shed a lot of tears of anger, frustration and disappointment, but I shed none on Sunday (actually, they may have just been dried up from the arid conditions in Arizona).

You must be wondering how this race doesn’t even make the top three. Well, I finished, and I never take that for granted. In fact, had there been a bed at one of the aid stations, I might have taken a nap! Most of the big disappointments in my career involved races in which I was carried off the course or driven by ambulance. And, despite leading the race for so long, the personal victory came in not giving in to the absolute, utter pain and suffering I felt for so long during the run. It made me realize that after 10 years of racing professionally, I am as mentally tough now as I was when I started. It also reaffirmed what I already knew, you can still race “well” even when you feel rotten, and the support of family and friends can carry you a really long way.

Race hard, have fun.

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