Training with friends

Glenn and Derek at the end of a run

One of the things I love about this sport is the amount of time it allows me to spend with my friends. I get to spend big blocks of time talking family, sport, religion,  etc. It's an easy way to forge a strong bond. Another part of it I enjoy is watching my friends work towards and endurance sport goal. They all do it differently. They do it in a way that best meets the needs of their talents. I have three friends that are racing Ironman Arizona on November 22nd. They have all trained very well. They all have different goals. They are all excited. My friend Glenn Strebe it doing his 4th Ironman. We did our first one together at IM Coeur d'Alene in 2005. I've seen his training for the his 3 and I think this is his best block yet. It hasn't come without some challenges. He had a torn achilles during the training. This has severely hampered his run training. It did get him on the bike a lot more and he has had a TON of success with that. I look for him to have his best IM yet. My buddy Kevin Dessart is an Ironman veteran. He been the first place age grouper twice at IM Arizona with multiple IM Hawaii finishes. He's had some challenges with a new job and 3 young kids in activities. At the end of the day, this guy is a mental rock and look for him to do some damage. He and I trained a lot over the summer and he pushed me to a higher level. Finally, my friend Derek Kirkham is racing his 2nd Ironman. He's a complete stud on the bike and his run has turned into an equally powerful weapon. He is one who is capable of even more than he thinks. He's pretty much the leanest man alive. My point with this is that I've been able to train with these guys over the years and recent months. I've seen their goals of the past and the future and feel lucky to share in it with them. In the process, I've been able to get to know these and many others I never would have if not for the common bond of endurance sports.