Life Change - Moving to Penticton

Meredith and I first visited Penticton in 2001 for Ironman Canada. Below is the start line in 2012 showing the Peach City from north to south.

This photo is from our 10th visit to the Peach City in October 2010 for the wine festival

We fell in love with this place 12 years ago. Hard to imagine why?

Meredith and I feel at home here

I am a very, very blessed individual to have such a great family that are willing to take a leap.

Come end of May I am very blessed to also have a fabulous employer in TD Bank to provide my family an incredible career opportunity to join their South Okanagan TDCT Branch Management team. The timing is perfect. The opportunity is perfect. We are so excited.

I have been saying to Meredith a lot these past few weeks. Live your dream. The I read a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt. "Do in your heart what you feel to be right for you will be criticized anyway" I insert that to part A and part B of my coaching motto: VISUALIZE. BELIEVE. EXECUTE.

And here we are. Part C: EXECUTE. Not one emotion of concern or caution. We are executing our dream to live where we want, take a career position I have always wanted, and live our dream.

I could not be happier with what our future holds. I am blessed personally and professionally and incredibly excited.

Of course, this does mean I will probably find myself here again, at the finish line by the bandshell in Giro Park.

Season goals clearly change. My big race this year is to become deeply engaged to my work and the community and call Penticton home. The rest is dessert.

Thanks for reading. Come and visit!

Time to change the picture on my blog!

Friends and family,

Thanks for checking in and a happy new year to you all. I hope we all got through the Christmas festivus season filled to rim with great food, family, and fine wine!! I for one weighed myself this morning, December 29th, to 167.8lbs. Christmas eve I was on target at 165; time to drink some water-:) This said, it was great to share Christmas with Meredith, mum-in-law June and then have a special visit from Joanne, Doug and the kids Sarah and Bryan and little treat Chester the 8 month old Golden Recliner (ah hum, Retriever)! Gatsby and he loved every minute of their visit together too!!

Onto sports related news...I have taken the autumn season to reflect on what turning 40 means to me as an athlete. I haven't yet wrapped my head around what turning 40 means per se, but I have come to terms with that number as being just that athletically, a number. As little as 5 years ago 40 meant washed up, slow, uncompetitive. One only needs to look at Michael Jordan to see what 40 does to high end sport skills and I would argue, same with Lance. Lets face it, his comeback at 38 wasn't exactly successful in the world of Lance sporting success though 3rd in Le Tour is pretty freaking special all the same! This said, look at Dave Scott who went 2nd and 4th in his 40's at the Hawaii Ironman and this year Macca won at 37; the oldest winner of Hawaii. 40 is just a number but a milestone number all the same and it does in reality mean deminishing returns on speed in my sport.

So my reflection lands on this:

1. do what you love
2. stay fit and healthy
3. don't take it too seriously
4. but seriously enough to be in the mix to win!

Conclusion:

1. I don't love swimming so me and the pool are retired
2. I do love lakes so I won't sell my wetsuit just yet
3. I love running so train hard and race Around the Bay
4. My Cervelo and I are bonded for life; get out and ride

Season goals:

1. PR at Around the Bay March 29th and shoot for sub 2:10 and hope for 2:05
2. Top 5 National Time Trial in Burlington
3. Win, or help team win, National Road race championship July 3rd
4. Top 5 on the GC for Green Mountain Stage race Labor day weekend
5. Late fall marathon for sub 3:10 to qualify for NYC Marathon 2012.

My Ironman career, for now, is over.

Time to update my photo on the banner of this blog!

thanks for checking in!

Open letter to WTC's Access Ironman campaign

Dear WTC and Access Ironman:

I submit you re-evaluate your Access Ironman program, or in least, follow the social media reaction via twitter and facebook to learn how your consumer base is reacting. Take a look for #ironmanaccessprogram on twitter and learn how the athletes, age group/pro/world champions, are reacting.

I wrote in a blog report post Ironman Canada that the WTC was on a slippery slope of eroding its core by pushing the business of sport to far right. What you are effectively doing with this program is pushing the amateurs without/smarts not to pay the extra $1,000 off the start line while affording those with $1,000 to the start line. This alongside race fees rising, more athletes on course every year while pro purses stagnate is reaching to far from what makes Ironman great; community by sport. Rarely is community is raised and appreciated by profit margin.

Brand is everything, and your "AMEX" program has tarnished it. Recovery will not be as swift as post race, this will take some undoing and in the interim you have left doors open to very capable competition in the market of Iron Distance racing.

Sincerely in sport,

Rhys Spencer