4-Weeks to Go and 140.6 miles to get there...

On August 23rd, I am once again stepping up to the start line of an Ironman.  This will be my second foray into this distance and I am optimistic that the training and sacrifices will pay off. 

An Ironman is greater than I am; it’s  not just about the training and dedication (although it’s a lot), but about the support network who are there every mile of the swim, bike and run.  It’s about the courage to push myself beyond what I think I am capable of  and to be part of something greater.  It is for this reason that every time I race it’s a personal journey; this time is no different.  I am once again raising fund for the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) and am asking for   your support.  Please click here to donate.

In 2013, I did my first IM in Coeur d’Alene (CdA) and was able to raise more than I hoped for CAF.  As you know, I credit my involvement with CAF to changing my life and do whatever I can to both raise awareness of and financially support its mission to change people’s lives.   Over the years supporting my efforts, I hope you have seen what a positive impact CAF makes and the really and significant difference it makes.  My fundraising goal will buy four hand cycles, or support a wounded veteran with coaching expenses, or help a Paralympian get to Rio in 2016.  These athletes are my inspiration and  have been my motivation over the past 10-months of training.  

Your financial support will go a long way in changing someone’s life.  I am looking for donations that correspond with the Ironman.   If you want to support me, any amount helps, but to keep with the theme, you can make donations in increments of $112 (miles on the bike), $26.2 (miles I will need to run), or $140.6 (entire distance in miles of the race).  

In addition to the athletes CAF funds, there is an amazing support network behind me including an amazing and understanding coach (who gets my craziness), teammate at Tailwind Endurance who have made getting up at 4:15am a lot easier, and of course my friends and family who have tolerated another Ironman.  

To support me click here. 

Thanks as always for your support.  

Where is the Summer Going?

You blink and it's already mid-July.  Wow the summer is really flying by quickly!   Over the past 45-days a lot has changed for me professionally; oh and the countdown to  Ironman Copenhagen is coming faster and faster.

To make this entry short here are some highlights from June 2015...

• 9th Annual Challenged Athletes Foundation's Heroes, Heart and Hope Gala.  It's been an honor to be associated with, and helping to manage this gala since the inception.  It was an an amazing night full of inspirational speeches and raising funds (+$2.6M) which will really change people's lives.  I cannot wait until June 2016.
• IM Eagelman 70.3 (Relay).  My friend Ryan Frankel (along with his wife Erika) and I made up Team Vo2 to the Max (Ryan's idea).; I would swim, Ryan bike and Erika run.    Coming off The Challenge Quassy double (or planned double), a weekend away and another shot at an open water swim was welcome.  Earl agreed only after promising to do a long run after the swim.  After a practice swim, I knew the Choptank River wasn't going to be pleasant.  But any practice.  The weather that day was projected to reach the high 90s, so was glad that I was only swimming.  While it was fun to do a relay with friends, that course was not suited to my strength. There was little visibility on the entire swim but did my best; starting off fast (like a normally do) and getting into a rhythm.  Sighting was off a little after the turnaround as again I lost visibility in the sun.  On the back to shore, the water was very shallow in places to the point where I was hitting the bottom with my stroke.  At about 1,600m into the swim, I was hitting bottom and by 1,800m I had to dolphin dive into I ran out of water.  The swim time was ok but everyone seemed to have a bad day that day.   Post swim, I went over to friends who had yet to start the race and gave them tips about the conditions.  I hope it helped them.  The weekend was a bonus as I got to see Jen Bornemann and ran into Allie Silverman  during her racing comeback tour.
• My run after the swim was supposed to be a 1:40 slow run. I decided to run the race course to take advantage of the aid stations should I need water, etc.  I ran the first :40 with Shawn Hawkins (Minda Dentler's husband) and chatted about life in general.  Shawn peeled off after a bit to help Minda in her transition from the bike to the run (this was her final prep race for Challenge Roth) leaving me with over an hour to run.  While it was only about 9:30am, the heat was so intense it felt as if I was running near the edge of a volcano; I only imagined what it would be like for the racers coming off the bike in a two+ hours.   I am a heavy sweater, and cannot get rid of the heat that easily.  At 1:20 into the run, the wheels started to come off my bus (so to speak).  I grabbed ice, gatorade, soda, water; anything I could from the aid station to try and cool my core down.  My slow run became slower and slow until I had nothing left in me and walked back to the transition area to wait for Ryan to return and wish Erika good luck.  Lucky Copenhagen isn't that hot.  
• Over the following weekends, I had a long 90-mile bike ride, several 4k swims, many 10+ mile rides and an epic Metric Ironman.  The Metric is basically a play on the distance of an ironman in Ks (2.4k swim, 112k ride and 26.2k run; or 1.2 mile swim, 70-mile ride, and  16-mile run).  It was a long, long, day, but with one (of two) under my belt, I know I am getting stronger.  

Beyond the racing, after 10.5 years at Accenture, I made the hard decision to leave.  On July 6th, I started my new role at the law firm Hogan Lovells.  Below is my final goodbye note to colleagues.  While I do miss the people I worked with for the past decade, I am excited about the challenge ahead of me.  

Many of you know that my last day at Accenture is next Wednesday, July 1^st. 

The past decade brought great joy, but also amazing development opportunities for me personally and professionally.  I have learned from and have been mentored by some of the best and brightest people I have had the privilege to work with during my career.  I had the opportunity to collaborate with people who take great pride in their work, and worked on and managed programs and projects I am tremendously proud of.  I hope that I am leaving “my mark” on Accenture as it certainly has left one on me. 

From my first day on a cold morning in January (2005), to my last (which most likely will be hot and humid), this has been an amazing ride and I have you all to thank for that.  I remember staring blankly at people when they started to use an acronym…today I use these myself.  Over the past ten years, I learned new ways to go to market, what it truly means to activate a sponsorship, how to create an internal newsletter that is visually stimulating, yet has all of the necessary information, how to navigate a larger and complex organization, what it means to be a good corporate citizen, etc.  Accenture opened my eyes and world to many new areas; one that has changed my life through our work with the Challenged Athletes Foundation and sponsorship of triathlons.  Finally Accenture taught me to that it’s up to me to create a career for myself and that I am the only one who can forge my own journey.  So I leave Accenture as a proud alumni -- one that will look back on the past ten years very proud of my colleagues, the work we have done and some great friends. 

I start my new adventure at Hogan Lovells (a global law firm) on July 6^th.  For now, please keep in touch (email:  justinmmodel@gmail.com , Twitter: @jmodelnyc, or LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/justinmodel ) and if you want to follow my racing exploits, my blog (www.justinstrilife.blogspot.com /). 

Justin