If you follow me on twitter or know me in person, you are well aware that I purchased a brand new triathlon bike recently. It is a 2013 Specialized SHIV Expert with UTI gear system (electronic gear changing). Now, I bought this to help me get to the next level. Not that there was anything wrong with the 2011 Specialized Transition Pro I am selling now, but it is in a completely different caliber. The SHIV is retailed at $6,600 while the Transition is retailed at $2,500 (with Keo Look Pedals). And anybody that is a triathlete or cyclist, you get what you pay for.
I have put a little over 1,200 miles on the Transition Pro since I primarily used it as a race day bike. It is in very good condition (See pictues below). It has recently been serviced and ready to ride unless you have different shoes or pedals than Keo Looks (comes with the bike), which is a wquick change.
I am asking for $1,800 CASH ONLY
Contact me @ 9083802250 for more information. I am going to put this on craigslist in a few days but I wanted to give my readers a first crack at it.
In my previous post, I talked about finding the gear to get me to the next level and how you can only get so far by yourself. Everyone needs competition, whether be friendly or not, to be pushed beyond what that individual thought was possible. The Iron War, Magic Johnson vs. Larry Bird, and Chris Evert vs. Martina Navratilova are some of the biggest examples in sports where two opponents brought the best out of each other and to a level neither would have done on their own. A connection so strong that some of them became best friends (Evert and Navratilova) or even close friends (Bird and Magic) because they reached into each other's souls and brought a level either opponent can't comprehend.
Michael Jordan is the only person in sports history in where he brought the best out of himself and pushed his own limits to where no one has reached or ever will reach, all due to his pathological competitiveness. I like to think I have a strain of that competitiveness in me (shoot to my girlfriend nodding with a s*** eating grin) but I still need help. I am was hoping that my two friends (Tom @TomHolowka and Jason @SBRtriathlon) would help but that hasn't happened...until now.
It isn't the level of the aforementioned rivalries but Jason Cosma has arrived as a triathlete. He has been doing triathlons for five years but he has finally gotten to the next level, pushing me in the process. His speed and hill training has gotten is run to an elite level and it is much better than my own. Two weeks ago, he told me he ran a 1:38 half marathon in a training run, which is much faster than me (1:47 is my best training half, 1:32 is my personal record).
After hearing that, it made me simultaneously proud and bothered. Proud because I have waiting for him to get to this level for three years and bothered because I hate losing (Michael Jordan nodding while losing a $10,000 hand of blackjack). I always like competing against my friends for multiple different reasons, some positive, some negative. It matters on the relationship and what we are competing in. It's hard to explain.
Anyway, I immediately wanted to push myself in areas where I have felt complacent in the past. I want to train with others (95% of the time, I train by myself) to help me to get to an elite level. Coaching, running clubs, strength training our all elements I want to delve into where in the past is something I lightly considered.
Sadly, I cannot do this right now since I have a race this Sunday (Ironman 70.3 Syracuse) and guess who I am competing with and against.
Your deductive reasoning skills are astounding (You nodding with excitement).
Anyway, after the race is complete, I have new goals and new ways to reach them. Thanks Jason, I needed that extra push.
For those that do not know what the Iron War is, read the book "The Iron War" or just watch this:
If you are really bored, you can watch the full length version here
Stay tuned as a preview for Ironman 70.3 Syracuse is coming soon.
With less than 2 1/2 weeks until Ironman 70.3 Syracuse, things are getting interesting on the training front and I would be lying to you if I said I wasn't nervous. This is the first race I am trying to reach a real goal since each time before, I was trying to improve my time or simply finish. Now, I am trying to qualify for the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Las Vegas on September 9, 2013.
In my previous race, I did way better than expected breaking 5 hours (4:59:57, not a typo, it was that close) at the Bassman Half Ironman in Tuckerton, NJ. It was a complete shock but reviewing the details of the race, the feeling of reaching an elite goal ( I consider breaking 5 hours Elite at the half ironman distance) is starting to slip. The race had perfect weather: cloudy, barely any wind, 60 degrees and the course was entirely flat. I know that term, entirely flat, can be exaggerated, but I am telling you, it was flat as a pancake. It was built for personal bests. Still, I am elated I broke 5 hours ahead of schedule because I would like to break 5 at Syracuse, but after doing a training bike ride and run with my good friends Tom (@TomHolowka) and Jason (@SBRTriathlon), it is going to be tough. On top of that, I have felt I haven't improved at all since Bassman (Race was on May 5) which is a big issue because Syracuse is hillier than the elevation charts represent. This is going to be tougher than initially anticipated. I am confident I will perform well but I am not where I need to be. I need to break through but feel I am going through a mental block. I went through this in high school with track and cross country and it got me nowhere. I just need to put in the work and push myself to the next level.
I am not trying to make any excuses because I know I train hard but it has only gotten me to this point, which would satisfy most. However, I expect more of myself and want to be close to a professional level.
