Let me just say, I am really good at T2. Not that bad at T1, but really really good at T2. I mean, look at this picture below, both feet are in the air! I love the sensation of the flying dismount and when my legs have to just start moving like mad as soon as I hit the ground.
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Okay so after that small bit of self-glorification...this post is about what's been going on with me lately. And the answer is, plenty! First off, I didn't race at Ironman Florida. This was a very bitter decision for me. A lot was built up upon the outcome of that race. I was looking forward to getting a slot at Kona, getting a good placing in my age group to help with sponsorship recruitment for next year's season, and a good outcome at the race was going to feel like a victory over disordered eating, and vindication from 2009's malaise.
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A few weeks before the race, everything just kind of went into meltdown. I had allowed bad habits from the past to creep in until I was obsessing about weight, calories burned, calories consumed, and how I was going to micromanage every little decision so that I could continue eating "guilt-free" the foods that I craved. This led me to a bad place, one in which my desire to train or race completely evaporated, and I was faced with the tough decision to:
Race, without my head and heart there, and try to get through it, or....not race, and have to explain to everyone why I wasn't racing. This would pretty much oblige me to tell a lot of people about my eating disorder.
I chose the latter, as I realized that it was completely my decision. As soon as I did, I felt a huge sense of relief. Now, I've learned from past experience that when I'm feeling trapped between a rock and a hard place, I tend to look for the easy way out, paint it in rosy tones, and put off dealing with reality of the situation. Knowing that, I was cautious to jump to this decision. But after about 48 hours of mulling it over, I settled on my decision and began to let people know.
Never before had my eating disorder interfered with my life in such a dramatic way. It was a pretty big wake-up call, and because of it, I am making a greater effort than ever before to get help. I've started going to a recovery program, but I'm also trying to spend more time with friends and just be more open about the eating disorder.
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BTO Multisports is thriving! We have a big season planned for next year. First bit of news is that Golden Bear is not going to be managed by BTO next year. This decision was based upon the following:
1. not a local race--BTO is focused upon the PNW
2. I'm not personally invested in any of the race's components
3. the local parks district is pretty pissy and is making it pretty tough to put on a race.
Next, we are hiring! BTO is happy to be working with local multisport athlete Andrew Fast as Marketing/Sponsorship Manager. I met Andrew at Chelanman this past year, and we kept in touch. We are definitely on the same wavelength with goals and vision for BTO, so it's going to be great, having his help in making our sponsors happy and getting the word about all of BTO's races for next year....which are quite a few:
1. 5 Mile Lake Women's Triathlon: This race is undergoing a transfer of management from local multisport race directing company BUDU Racing to BTO. BTO will retain BUDU as the rental/timing company for the race. Go girls! The race will be on June 18th, 2011 and will kick ass.
2. Pacific Aquathon Series: The Islander is getting a few brothers! There will be two Islander Aquathons, two Seward Park Aquathons, plus a Squidman Aquathon down in my old high school era stomping grounds of Des Moines. And maybe a sixth at Gene Coulon. The first event will be the Islander Aquathon, round one, on Wednesday, July 20th and then every other Wednesday night for 8 weeks. Squidman will be Saturday, August 20th.
3. Captain Jack's 8k! Everyday Athlete has contracted BTO to put on a running race on Sunday (dang it Sabbath Day! :-( April 10th. It will be an 8k and will be a lot of fun. Registration will be opening soon.
We are also looking to hire an assistant race director...if you're interested, contact me at porter@btomultisports.com and I can send you a description of the position.
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Coaching! I am (and have been for a wee bit) a USAT certified Level I triathlon coach. I will be working with Endurance Sports Northwest as a coach. I am really pleased with the people that I've met from ESNW--the athletes, the coaches, the management. I am excited to be a part of the group and the benefits that will come to my athletes. Lots more to come about ESNW in the future...
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My boss (bless his heart) has given me a 35 day vacation to Europe! What a great guy. On November 30th I will be leaving on a jet plane, destination: Madrid, mission: exult in Jennifer Johnson's company. It is going to be GREAT! We are going to go to Portugal (fala portuges eh meu peixe?) for 6 days for some mountain biking, sightseeing, and thermal bathing. Then, for Christmas, we will be going to....France! I am going to eat all manner of cheese and sausage.
On the way back from Europa, I'll be stopping in Boston to visit my best of friends, Cari and her fiance, Jack. They are getting married in August in Seattle. Awesome.
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As is befitting the title of this blog, these past few weeks have seen a big transition for me. BTO + coaching, now that most of my home projects are done (removing popcorn ceiling…yum) is becoming a full-time pursuit for me and I am settling into my role within the company. Hiring other people makes it feel pretty valid. It’s been my dream for a good long while to be in a position of freedom to choose where to invest my time and energy. Now that I’m here, of course it’s not the magical dreamland Porter imagined, but it’s pretty good.
Things are going well, really well, with J. That’s all I will say out here in the public domain.
I realize that as the head honcho of BTO and my career, I’ve got to be exceptionally smart in my business decisions. In my job, there’s pretty much none of the career-guiding infrastructure that is present in other pursuits…teaching, engineering, and medicine are some good examples.
For example, how much do I split my time between coaching and race directing?
How do I strike the proper balance between enough growth to keep BTO profitable while maintaining the quality of the racing experience?
Good questions that I am sure will be answered in time and with experience. However, what prompted this blog post was the following point: I got into this gig because I wanted a job that:
- let me work on something I was passionate about
- gave me flexibility and freedom to pursue my own career as an athlete, especially as a family comes along later
- would put me in charge
I read Gordo’s latest blog post and it got me thinking (I love the way that guy things) about where I want to invest my time and energy. My favorite line from the post is: “my investments exist to support the life I want to lead.” Even something as great as BTO exists just to allow me to support the above goals. And those goals above exist to help make me happy. So there.
Another sentiment I got from the post is that ‘there will always be money, it always just boils down to time and energy.’ Thinking that way makes me realize that to be successful, you’ve got to parse the important and supportive from the irrelevant and unsupportive. Things that help me and are worth my time and energy are friendships, Jennifer, helping friends and family, faith, God, working on my house, building BTO, feeding my family and myself healthily, and training/racing. I’m well invested in all of those, and some of them are definitely, to borrow a phrase from the media “too big to fail”; others, if they fail, I can survive, but there are definitely more of the former.
Thanks for reading! Remember we’re all in this together.
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