“To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift."
- Steve Prefontaine
I am trained to my best, rested as I need to be, excited about the challenge ahead, nervous of the unknown, confident about my ability to handle the unexpected, humble by the terrain of Lake Placid and my competitors, have practiced my race plan and packed (almost). I am ready... for Ironman Lake Placid!
It has been quite the journey so far. I have been trained by my coach, Matt Dixon, for the past 8 months, averaging 14-20 hours a week. He has sent me on 100-mile bike rides which have drained me to the core, not enough however, to keep me from throwing on the running shoes and hitting the pavement for another 8 miles. The past 3 months have been like a cram session for exams. After being hit by a car on my bike and thrown fifteen feet before landing on my head, hand and shoulder, enduring hand surgery and a two-month hiatus from training, I was forced to put the training into high gear. However, I had to find balance between too much and too little. Any injury going into a race can be lethal to your odds. Fortunately, the hand is good enough to race. The training has been producing results and more importantly, confidence.
I have not been this excited about a race in a long time. Ironman has been on my brain and in my heart since high school and now I have the chance to get out there and experience it and race with everything I have. In my Indo-Row program, I call this “emptying the tanks.” But, fortunately, I am not racing alone. I have the energy of all those who have been supporting me over the past year - my family (and soon to-be-baby girl), friends, and O.R.G. Any racer should be this lucky.
Come join me in this race as well. We would love to have you follow my position via the web. You can track me by following the directions on the link below.
Tracking begins on Race Day July 20th 6:45 am EST.
You can look me up by Name: Josh Crosby, Age Group: Male 30-34.
Track Team ORG during Ironman Lake Placid
or go to Lake Placid Ironman Homepage and look for "Track and Athlete" tab.
See you at the finish line. And while the finish line is part of the race, it is only one part. My goal? The top 8. This is what will take me to the mother Ironman, the World Championships in Kona.
Check out the following Ironman videos when you have chance... they are both amazingly inspiring in different ways and will give you a feeling for what it is all about. If one brings a tear (or several) to your eyes, you are not alone!
Team Hoyt- Father and Son Extraordinaire
and
Ironman Psych Video
In Good Health,
Josh
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