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This podcast was tougher for me to do than it looks. It took some self-reflection, some self-admission, and changing a long-held outlook I have dealt with for years. Parts of it may seem silly to others, even though it was important to me. It would be a fair assessment to call me naïve and possibly over-dramatic. But this was how my childhood dream unfolded and, ultimately, was crushed. I had a hard time posting this today. I went to bed realizing I left out some details. But I feel like I promised a weekly podcast and this one was in the can… so here it is. Now, I can’t even remember if I told this story on the podcast before… so it would seem understandable that maybe 30 years after the fact, my mind has altered some details and omitted others. Either way, in the end, I just never lived up to my dream. And maybe it was the fault of a lazy or uncaring coach who deceived a naïve kid. Or maybe it was more an underperforming player not making the most of the sliver of an opportunity he was given. That it still bothers me 30 years later is proof that the dying dream of a 19-year old can continue to resonate through life. Redemption is something I’ve discussed often on the podcast – typically when I DNF a race and then come back to defeat it. But this runs deeper. These next 13 months are redemption of a different kind. It is the answer to the question, “What if?” My intention is to immerse myself in training for Ironman Lake Placid 2023 in a way that I haven’t done before. To change habits that, even in my best training cycles were engrained to my core and never completely overcome. To bring intensity during training to levels unseen. And to be consistently focused and working towards the goal of putting in the work to a degree I have not done before. Redemption… it will be sweet. Looking to improve with a triathlon or running coach? Reach out to Coach Scott at [email protected] and set up a free consultation. DONATE to our nonprofit, The Ordinary Marathoner Foundation. Become a Patron and help support the podcast! Check out our Patreon Page. Or join the conversation at our Ordinary Marathoners Facebook Discussion Group. I’ll also follow you back on Twitter if you follow me @OrdMarathoner.

Four days into my new training mindset. I was cruising – crushing workout after workout. Feeling great. Until… Waking up with an injured foot in WEEK ONE (of nearly 60 weeks to come) was something I didn’t expect. It threw me for a bit of a loop, and led me to lose focus – especially when it came to diet. I ate… bad things. I lost discipline for one day. And it bothered me. What’s it gonna be? These are the things that happen during training that can cause you to lose focus. But it is precisely these times when focus needs to become extra-vigilant. When you lose that ability to train, you need to step up in the other areas. Especially diet. In retrospect, I should be thankful. Thankful that this setback came in the beginning of training and not during the more important weeks and months later on. I should be thankful that I only lost focus for one day, and immediately recognized and righted the ship. Thankful that the lesson has been learned and should a similar circumstance arise later in training, I’ll be ready to deal with it. Showing up at Lake Placid in 2023 at my all-time peak will happen. This is a minor setback.

With Ironman Chattanooga 70.3 now in the rearview, it’s time to look ahead. After much thought, I’ve decided it’s time to think big again. As the years fly by, these big events tend to feel more and more challenging. There’s just no better time than the present. This goal may be familiar… and it may not seem very exciting. But it’s something I must do. I have some unfinished business in the mountains of Lake Placid. It has been three years since I left 56 seconds on the table. And I’m due for another shot at the big one. The commitment it takes to finish this race is immense. I’m ready. When I sit back and evaluate my training and past performances at the full-Ironman distance, one thing really bothers me. I feel as though I have never quite given the race the complete dedication it demands. I’ve been in decent shape. I’ve succeeded in my goal to finish. But I haven’t ever shown up on that start line with the aggressive mindset of being competitive. 2023 will change that. I’ve really been loving the 70.3 distance. It’s challenging enough to demand training, but short enough to enjoy the rest of the day in celebration of victory with your fellow athletes. But I still need one more shot at the big one. That’s why IMLP2023 will very likely be my last one. I deserve to give it my best. It demands my best. Let’s get started.

Inspired by our recent trip to Chattanooga, where we met up with over a dozen Team Ordinaries and participated in the Ironman Chattanooga 70.3, the podcast returns! That’s right! We’re back! It’s been about 5 months since our last podcast. It took an incredible weekend with incredible people to bring it back. Let’s get started by recapping the incredible week in Chattanooga. Some people came to add a IM70.3 medal to their medal rack. Some were doing it for the first time. Some were participating in relay-fashion, doing one of the three legs of the race. Others traveled just to cheer on their teammates. What a great week of racing!

If you remember our podcast with Noah Cass, you’ll know of Kevin Coughlin. Kevin tagged along on the 145-mile run with Noah from Somers, CT to Lake George, NY. The excitement of that run lit a spark, and Kevin has been seeking bigger and better challenges ever since. He ran the 250 mile border of Connecticut. He has designs on a 500-mile run in his future. But it doesn’t end there. Kevin and his family sold their home and went mobile. He travels the country, homeschooling the kids and keeping up with training all along the way. He also set up his own non-profit, 2Feet4Good. An interesting character with a great story, check out our podcast with Kevin Coughlin. Looking to improve with a triathlon or running coach? Reach out to Coach Scott at [email protected] and set up a free consultation. DONATE to our nonprofit, The Ordinary Marathoner Foundation. Become a Patron and help support the podcast! Check out our Patreon Page. Join the Official Ordinary Marathoner team at TEAM ORDINARY! Check out our homepage at www.ordinarymarathoner.com. Or join the conversation at our Ordinary Marathoners Facebook Discussion Group. I’ll also follow you back on Twitter if you follow me @OrdMarathoner.

When you build a non-profit, your first concern is always “How do I help people?” Scott Frasard had an idea. He developed our Actually Autistic Athletes program and began searching for a participant. Jonah Papovich is a 15 year old who loves art and music. Exercise was never a main focus, but his mother Maureen thought it would expose him to something new and might help. We matched Jonah up with Coach Brianna Roehling of Seigga Multisport, and let them train for 5 months. Jonah didn’t just embrace it, he excelled. This past Thanksgiving, Jonah finished his goal race – a 5k – in a blistering 26 minutes. CONGRATULATIONS JONAH!!! This week we have three special guests on the podcast. Scott Frasard is back, along with Jonah Papovich and his mother, Maureen. We’ll discuss the Ordinary Marathoner Foundation’s Actually Autistic Athletes program. Looking to improve with a triathlon or running coach? Reach out to Coach Scott at [email protected] and set up a free consultation. DONATE to our nonprofit, The Ordinary Marathoner Foundation. Become a Patron and help support the podcast! Check out our Patreon Page. Join the Official Ordinary Marathoner team at TEAM ORDINARY! Check out our homepage at www.ordinarymarathoner.com. Or join the conversation at our Ordinary Marathoners Facebook Discussion Group. I’ll also follow you back on Twitter if you follow me @OrdMarathoner.

Hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving! Special thank you to all who participated in this weekend’s Ordinary Half Marathon – our informal fall race. We had more participants in this year’s half than last year. We love when we see our community growing. Especially now that everything benefits the Ordinary Marathoner Foundation. While you were all out getting your Turkey Trot races in, the Foundation was seeing the fruition of one of our programs. Jonah Papovich, the first participant in our Running For Autism (now Actually Autistic Athletes) program, finished his goal race! Jonah crushed a 5k in a speedy 26 minutes! He was also featured in a local news report in Austin, TX, done by Jake Garcia. What an incredible story! Jonah will be a guest on an upcoming podcast with his mother, Maureen and Scott Frasard. Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday – a special day each year that celebrates non-profits. Our goal this Giving Tuesday is to raise $3,000! Help us by donation at www.ordinarymarathonerfoundation.org or by spreading the word on your social media networks! Lastly, tonight we begin yet another epic adventure. We will be attempting to ride EVERY Zwift course this winter. Tonight is course #1 of 100. Wish us luck, and reach out to me if you would like an invitation to our group rides. Looking to improve with a triathlon or running coach? Reach out to Coach Scott at [email protected] and set up a free consultation. DONATE to our nonprofit, The Ordinary Marathoner Foundation. Become a Patron and help support the podcast! Check out our Patreon Page. Join the Official Ordinary Marathoner team at TEAM ORDINARY! Check out our homepage at www.ordinarymarathoner.com. Or join the conversation at our Ordinary Marathoners Facebook Discussion Group. I’ll also follow you back on Twitter if you follow me @OrdMarathoner.

Thank you for your patience as we work through a bit of a hiatus on the podcasting front. We have a bunch to catch up on including a number of big races that have taken place these past few weeks. We also discuss the incredible first year for the Ordinary Marathoner Foundation! This year we rolled out two programs and have more to come as we look forward to 2022! We are excited about the future of our non-profit. Hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving! Make sure to register for the Ordinary Marathon – our 10-day Spring race – and get free entry to our informal “Ordinary Half Marathon.” The half will take place from 11/25 – 11/28, includes a personalized pdf bib and a slideshow. Looking to improve with a triathlon or running coach? Reach out to Coach Scott at [email protected] and set up a free consultation. DONATE to our nonprofit, The Ordinary Marathoner Foundation. Become a Patron and help support the podcast! Check out our Patreon Page. Join the Official Ordinary Marathoner team at TEAM ORDINARY! Check out our homepage at www.ordinarymarathoner.com. Or join the conversation at our Ordinary Marathoners Facebook Discussion Group. I’ll also follow you back on Twitter if you follow me @OrdMarathoner.

Greg Rajkovic is one of the more interesting characters I’ve come across while doing this podcast. He’s based near Seattle, but our virtual paths crossed on a USA Triathlon Zwift ride. We invited him to our weekly trivia ride, and his quick answers and near-perfect attendance made him a fixture there. Greg was a quiet guy at first. As we got to know him, we learned some of that shyness was due to autism. But as he rode, he came out of his shell. And now, we can’t shut him up (in a good way). An avid bike rider, Covid forced Greg to ride less outdoors and turn to the indoor platform Zwift. He rides almost constantly – at all hours of the day, while working, whenever. And he has reached the pinnacle of Zwift – Level 50. Looking to improve with a triathlon or running coach? Reach out to Coach Scott at [email protected] and set up a free consultation. DONATE to our nonprofit, The Ordinary Marathoner Foundation. Become a Patron and help support the podcast! Check out our Patreon Page. Join the Official Ordinary Marathoner team at TEAM ORDINARY! Check out our homepage at www.ordinarymarathoner.com. Or join the conversation at our Ordinary Marathoners Facebook Discussion Group. I’ll also follow you back on Twitter if you follow me @OrdMarathoner.

Noah Cass is a US Marine. When his friend Eddie Ryan was shot twice in the head leaving him paralyzed, Noah decided he wanted to help. Along with two friends, he decided to run from his home in Somers, CT, to Lake George, NY. The 145-mile journey would take more than two days. It was all captured on film in the documentary, Tougher Than a Tank. Noah resides only two towns away from Ordinary HQ, so we were able to get him into our new home studio and chat about his experiences from the documentary. We’d like to thank him for his service, and beyond. He has done amazing things for his friend Eddie, and certainly brought awareness to some issues within the VA and the treatment of our wounded veterans. You can find Tougher Than a Tank on Amazon Prime and iTunes. Looking to improve with a triathlon or running coach? Reach out to Coach Scott at [email protected] and set up a free consultation. PRE-ORDER ORDINARY MARATHONER FOUNDATION HOODIES BY SUNDAY, OCTOBER 10! DONATE to our nonprofit, The Ordinary Marathoner Foundation. Become a Patron and help support the podcast! Check out our Patreon Page. Join the Official Ordinary Marathoner team at TEAM ORDINARY! Check out our homepage at www.ordinarymarathoner.com. Or join the conversation at our Ordinary Marathoners Facebook Discussion Group. I’ll also follow you back on Twitter if you follow me @OrdMarathoner.