All In

Don't change your mind
You're wasting light
Get in and let's go...
      --Foo Fighters, Miss the Misery

It's time.

As a sit here in February, starting my third season in triathlon, I reflect back on some of the things that I've done. My first triathlon ever was the HalfRev at Quassy. I ran Boston on an insanely hot day (I still find it hilarious that the official marathon colors were burnt orange and black...charred and burnt to a crisp.) I raced two halves in two weeks: Rev3 Maine and Rev3 Cedar Point, and broke my PR at each race.

Throughout, I've learned an awful lot about myself. When you're out on the roads or training 10-15 hours a week, you do a lot of reflection. You learn what motivates you; you learn what your body needs in a certain moment; you treasure conversations you've had with others; you miss your family and friends.

In sum, then, triathlon has made me a better person.

All the while, February's a tough month around these offices; it marks the anniversary of sitting at Dana Farber, waiting for Peter to undergo surgery. I can't help but remember that the reason that I got started in the sport in the first place was my fear of my own mortality; after losing Peter, I made the resolve to stop putting my dreams away. I was going to chase them relentlessly.

Well, the dream to start triathlon was to simply complete one; then, to start getting competitive. And now, conversing with my coach this week, we decided it was time to really chase down the dream of racing fast.

So, we're going all in: Rev3 Quassy 2013 is going to be my go-for-broke, all eggs in the basket race. It is an event with a tough, fair course. It draws some of the most competitive athletes in the region. It's my favorite triathlon. And, perhaps importantly, it brings me back to that initial time racing at Quassy: really trying to chase a dream down.

Here goes nothing.