Britton Racing: June 2016

Bodhi's first Tri

Bodhi and Reed

Wow, the last seven weeks have been a blissful blur!!! I am now a dad to a happy healthy beautiful little dude, SAY WHAT?!!. I can't express the way I feel about him when he is smiling at me. Everyone tells you what it's like and you can sure try to imagine and picture how it will be being a father but until you see the little guy you made it is truly a trip! I am dripping with gratitude for everything I have, and have no idea what I did to deserve the life I live. Crystal is a rock star and never ceases to amaze me with what she is capable of. Watching her deliver Bodhi was like a movie, unreal! I was more emotional then she was and couldn't stop crying for like 30 minutes. A little video edit I did about Crystal, Bodhi and I's journey is here Bodhi!!!

1st Date Night

I was lucky enough to take two weeks off of work to get the flow of trying to keep a little human alive. We spent the first 11 days just Crystal and I, and honestly I think it went pretty smooth, I was diaper duty and she was on the feeding. Bodhi is a pretty chill baby (knock on wood) he really only cries when he is hungry. However, that could literally change by the time you read this. We then had a cavalcade of visitors and guest come stay with us see little man and help out.

Mema, Crystal and Bodhi

Crystal's mom was the first to come and hang out for a week and a half and Crystal and I much appreciated seeing another adult. Kim was a huge help letting us nap and go on a date night. Grateful is an understatement from all our families help, gratitude is a way of life I'm trying to project so my apologies if it gets old or annoying. Next up was my mom, dad, twin nephews, Mallory and Kyle. It was so good seeing all of them and a little overwhelming at the same time, we had a great memorial weekend went hiking up Horestooth Mountain and got to spend some quality time with Bodhi and just hang out and enjoy each others company. Mal and her boys left memorial day and Mom and Doug hung out until the next Sunday. Once they left it was only 3 days before Crystal's Dad Randy and his wife Sheri flew in, another huge thanks for all of their help and the hook up on a timer for my garden irrigation system.

Fits perfect in Aero bars!

Racing season started and it was nice to have some help with Bodh man, first race of the year was the Colorado Triathlon, Olympic distance. I had no expectations going into the race with having a new born I was optimistic but new that whatever happens happens. Luckily I had an awesome race and was able to get 1st in my division and 5th overall and take Bodhi on the top step of the podium.

This was a smaller race with just over 200 competitors and I felt like it was a good warm up for the next weekends Boulder Ironman 70.3.
I felt lean, fit and fast. My swim was decent, transitions where smoking , bike was able to put out a strong effort, and run 6:28 pace for the 10K. I was frothing at the mouth for next weekends big race and wanted to out do the previous year where I went 4:20 and 3rd in my division. My plan was to go wide open for most of the race, I felt fit enough to be able to push the entire time.

Hike with the twins

Walter White Racked Bouulder 70.3

However, I was humbled by this sport once again. The 70.3 mile distance started out awesome and when I put on my Wattie Ink Racing Kit and my custom Blue Seventy wet suite I feel like a total badass. Swim started with no fighting or collisions, unlike Kona where it was a fight the whole time. I came out of the water right at 30 minutes which for me is smoking, about 1:23 per 100 yards. I cant even swim that in a pool with rest in between sets. T1 was long but smooth the transitions were in a different spot and the gravel/asphalt was shredding my feet, Crystal always makes fun of me for having tender feet and I will admit I am a bitch when it comes to them! Bike started decent but I noticed my HR was higher then I wanted but thought it would chill out once I got smoothed out. the first 3-5 miles I was in the 170's and touched 180, not good...and perhaps a telling sign for the future of the race. I was able to bring it down to the mid 160's but this is still a little high for a 2+ hour effort. The Bike course was a bit short but I was not complaining, I never felt relaxed or comfy on the bike but that's what I wanted to always be putting pressure on the pedals, if I'm comfy I feel like I could be pushing harder.

Rock the W!!!

It was a pretty lonely bike leg and only saw a handful of competitors, I was passed by two gnarly dudes in my division, an Every Man Jack dude and Greg Linquist who happened to go 1-2. Coming into T2 I felt ready to go for a strong run, racked Walter White grabbed my hat, belt, water, glasses and I was gone. I was not a fan of the run course 2 loops of pure exposure running on all surfaces grass, asphalt, dirt, and gravel. First mile I was right on pace 6:50, I thought I got this I can easily keep this pace. Mile 2-4 about 7:15 a couple pro's were passing me on there last lap and one said "stay easy on the first lap this second lap sucks!" I took a nice breath and said ok, keep it relaxed and easy stay up on hydration and lets manage this heat. At mile 5ish my buddy Kenny Withrow pass me as if I was standing still, I looked at my pace at it was abysmal and my heart rate 165...WTF I thought "how is this possible! I haven't even hit the half way part of the run."

Lil Bro

I went through all my mental check list and with no avail my pace was a staggering 8:30 and no matter what I tried nothing would get my HR lowered and my pace was not going to get any faster. I went into survival mode, the second lap felt like torture and I was hanging on by a thread. The heat, hills, exposure was straight up fucking me up!!! The last 10K felt awful and I was really really giving it to myself mentally, if the conversation to myself in my own head would be out loud I'm pretty sure I would be in a straight jacket and a padded room. As I turned down Monarch road I saw Crystal's car with her Dad, Sheri, and little dude. I waved and she did not see me, it gave me enough mental boost to soldier on, never will I ever DNF a race just because I'm tired or hit a wall, I will have to have a mechanical, walk it in, or be carried off on a stretcher. I finished the last several miles in pain, when I crossed the line I saw Crystal and Bodhi, a relief that I was done but the feeling that I seriously blew it. I felt as though I let her and Bodh man down. I wanted to prove to myself that having a baby was only going to make me a stronger athlete and I really really felt embarrassed and that maybe I should just quite this stupid sport. Well I was in a serious pitty party of bull shit!!! This was still my fastest 70.3 besides last year, I still went 4:33 and got 9th in my stacked division. I am such a little bitch for acting that way, I was so disappointed in myself and honestly WHO CARES!!! It is one race it doesn't mean anything!!!! My life is different now and I have a little guy that my world revolves around! Triathlon isn't the most important thing in my life anymore and that is okay. I guess in my own delusional way I wanted it all, to PR again podium and still have a 6 week old....but guess what I've got something better then any podium or PR and his name is Bodhi!

Bryan and I OWS Richards Lake

I have been sacrificing sleep in order to get solid training in. I was waking up at 4 or 5 am everyday to either hit the pool with FAST Masters or head to SETCR and get in an hour of interval training on the bike. Huge thanks to Zack Allison for letting me get in some awesome sessions. Ish, Jeff, Brian, and Melody have been great training partners. An hour on the wahoo kicker then a 6 mile brick we have been pushing ourselves pretty good and if we are not into it that day usually we can motivate each other to get after it. Also some days I am lucky enough to get an hour for lunch, this turns into a 8 mile tempo run. Crystal has been very generous and has let me blow the cob webs out on the weekends for a decently long ride. I am so very grateful she knows that when I'm able to train I am a all around better person to be around.

I can get in my own ways most days, mainly in my head. I feel if I don't do this or that and see someone else getting an awesome training ride in or epic run I feel jealous and like I'm not doing enough and let the self doubt creep in and the excuses will start piling up. I can turn myself into a head case and might be cool on the outside but in turmoil in my brain. I have recently started meditating trying to quite the voices in my head, Head Space is the app I have been using and it really seems to chill me out and put me more in the moment. The biggest thing I want to accomplish with meditating is to be completely 100% present and in the moment for my wife and for Bodhi. I know he will only be this little for such a short period of time and I don't want to miss a second of it because, I'm a million miles away in my head or training for a stupid triathlon. My brother Josh told me the other day something that I know but need to be constantly reminded of, "The one thing I try to keep in mind is that I can never get the time back. Once it is past it is gone forever. At the end of our lives, no one is going to care how good you were at triathlons or how good of a pilot I was. All that will matter is how good of a father and husband you were." This is exactly what I need to here, I put so much pressure on myself to perform at a high level at every race I enter, I don't care what other people think but I sure as shit care what I think I am my worst critic and can really beat myself up about petty little things.

H-tooth with my Neon Ice Wattie Kit!

Getting humbled is a positive thing, not every race I enter is going to magical like last year and that is okay. Being so competitive can be a curse but at the same time has gotten me to where I am and made me the person I am. All I have in this world is today, not tomorrow or yesterday, I am working on becoming a better person a more grounded in the moment kinda guy. I don't want to look back on my life and regret not being a good father or husband. No body will give a shit what my mile pace was or how fast I could ride a bike. It really doesn't mean anything in the grand scheme of things. Life is good and I am the luckiest dude alive!!!! Next race up Boulder Peak Tri, July 10th, should be a fun race. I changed some of my race plans for the remainder of the year. Going to stay in the state of ColoRADo and race local. I really don't want to travel with little guy and especially don't want to go anywhere without him!!!