Six Frequently Asked Questions

Well, it's winter here in Iowa and it sucks. Not to mention, it's winter break for the University so the town usually buzzing with college students has overnight turned into a empty, quiet and lonely place- leaving the locals, the farmers and myself to face the negative 10 degree temps on our own.

Instead of talking about the typical tri-specific jargon on this third edition of Metzler's Musings (coaching, travel, racing, training, etc.), I thought it would be fun to spice things up a little bit and answer a couple of questions that I get all of the time. I'm going to do an honest reflection of myself here and leave everything on the table. So if you like it, great. If you don't, then sorry. But I pride myself on being as honest and transparent as possible and I want all of the people that enjoy what I have to say to get the best sense of the kind of guy I am. So here we go...

Question #1- Now that your (practically) done with college, isn't it time for you to get a real job? 

And rush into being miserable? Hell no! I'm going to milk this ride as long as humanly possible. I wake up every morning excited to do what I am doing and I highly doubt the majority of recent college graduates (or near college graduates) can say the same thing. There are plenty of people who are content with moseying down the traditional path of life and you know what? Good for them. But when I look back on my early 20's, I don't ever want to ask myself the question- "What if...?" 

Question #2- How are you going to make any money doing this? 

I'm not. Not right now anyways... I am looking at this point my career as an investment. A few small prize winnings and some sponsor bonuses will keep the lights on but I am far, far away from paying the rent on my own. Let alone the grocery bill.... Could I cherry pick a few races, collect some more money and say I'm actually "making it" as a professional? Probably. But my goals and dreams are more important than chasing the dough right now. It also does not hurt that all I have to support is myself. No wife, no kids, no obligations, no responsibility. Not having those pressures allows me to focus on what is most important for the progression of my career. And until I start to make some money, I really have no room for those those distractions in my life. 

Question #3- You seem like a nice enough guy, why don't you have a girlfriend? 

This one comes back to the end of my answer to question #2. To be completely honest, I would be a terrible boyfriend. I have to be selfish. And from the limited relationships I have had in the past and witnessing other's successful relationships now, I fully understand it's a two-way street. Maybe someone will come along who will completely understand or will have to make the same sacrifices of  her own but with 8:30pm bed times, a strict diet and an idea of a good night being a Netflix marathon, I'm certainly narrowing the field of candidates. With that being said, I wouldn't turn down a nice lady-friend should we happen to cross paths. In the meantime, I'm doin' me. 

But I'm still hitting the biceps with these 3 pounders just in case 

Question #4- Don't you let loose every once in a while? 

No. But here is why... People outside of triathlon don't understand and a large majority of people within triathlon don't understand either. There are plenty of top triathletes who can flip the switch and go from hard-core training mode to slamming burgers and beers with the guys. That's not me. I don't have a switch. I'm completely on, all of the time. Some may perceive this as a negative trait but when you look at the best 0.01% of of worlds sporting elite, I would bet more people are like me than my beer-chugging counterparts. We are a different breed and there is a fire inside. Maybe I have something to prove or maybe I just have a few screws loose. At the end of the day, I'm not going to change so don't ask me to try a bite of pizza or take a shot of vodka. Not going to happen! 

Question #5- Are you worried about getting burned out?

This is another big one that I get all of the time... People see my passion, my drive and motivation and are afraid I am using it all up while I am still so young. Although I am only 21-years old, I have been doing this sport for 8 years, nearly half of my athletically-capable life and have never, not once, wavered in excitement. Before triathlon I was floundering, searching for direction, destine for darker pastures. But ever since I have found this calling, my life has felt whole. I have direction, focus and vision for the future. I'm going to continue to ride this wave and don't see it crashing anytime soon. 

Question #6- So where is all of this going? What's your end game? 

Honestly, I have no idea. The possibilities are endless and the future is only as soon as tomorrow. I take one year, one month and one day at a time. If you look at what I have done so far, I think I have a LOT of runway to go. A lot of "limiters" to address as my coach likes to call it. I am already strong but in so many ways, I can be stronger. I can be better. I can be faster. I would be lying if I didn't have aspirations to be the best in the world. But if give everything I have, I will be happy with however my triathlon career, and life for that matter, turns out. 

Thanks for tuning in and please, give me some comments, questions, concerns on Facebook and Twitter! It's great hearing the feedback from the loyal fan base. 

Best,
Justin

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2014 Season Recap

It seems as if everyone is writing a "season in review" nowadays and I figured I should get in on the fun. For many of you that have been following along, you are fully aware that 2014 has been one incredible rookie season. I surpassed my expectations, I surpassed my competitors expectations and I probably surpassed your expectations. As I look back and reflect on the year that was, I have to say I am pretty darn proud of what I was able to accomplish. For everyone that was glued to Ironman live while I was racing or followed my race reports, here is a nice little summary. For those of you new to the program, here is what went down in my first season as a pro!

The race: Collegiate National Championship (Tempe, Arizona)
Result: 4th place
What went down: Rough swim, rough bike, blazing fast run. Went from 15th place in T2 to top-5 at the finish.
The takeaways: 1.) Running well off the bike is now a weapon in my arsenal 2.) I could have won that race...

The race: Ironman 70.3 Florida (Haines City, Florida) 
Result: 8th place professional
What went down: Pro racing is MUCH different than age group racing. There are tactics and there are packs. It is more of a game. I battled with some seasoned pros, held my own and got my first pro race in the bag.
The takeaway: Decision to turn pro= validated

The race: Memphis in May (Tunica, Mississippi) 
Result: 5th place professional
What went down: There was rain, it got muddy and I won some prize money.
The takeaway: Getting paid to swim, bike and run is awesome

The race: Ironman 70.3 Eagleman (Cambridge, Maryland) 
Result: 10th place professional
What went down: I'm one step above a B-rate pro and one step below an A-rate pro. Racing all day by yourself makes for a long one.
The takeaway: In order to be competitive at 70.3's I need to swim at or near the front group

The race: Ironman 70.3 Racine (Racine, Wisconsin)
Result: 11th place professional
What went down: I felt the best I had all year, executed a great race and couldn't even break the top-10 (my worst finish placing of the year)
The takeaway: Racine will always feel like home and sometimes, everyone and their brother turns up to a race in Wisconsin

The race: Challenge New Albany (Columbus, Ohio)
Result: 4th place professional
What went down: There was a race at the front between three guys and the a race for the remaining money spots 4-10. I beat all of those guys and almost caught 3rd place (the real, real Starky). I also scored a fat $1500 check and it was great.
The takeaway: I'm getting closer and closer to the front. These guys are starting to consider me a threat

The race: Ironman 70.3 Steelhead (Benton Harbor, Michigan)
Result: 4th place professional
What went down: An EPIC battle for 3rd place between myself and Mario de Ellis. We ran side by side for nearly the entire half marathon and I got beat in the end.
The takeaway: I wish I could have taken down super-Mario but another top-5 and another cash-in was a fine consolation prize.

The race: Ironman 70.3 Princeton (Princeton, New Jersey)
Result: 8th place professional
What went down: I trained too hard, my immune system was compromised and I got sick the week of the race. I felt terrible but still managed to put on a show for my family who came out to watch me do my thing.
The takeaway: I can still finish strong even when I really wanted to quit

The race: Ironman 70.3 Augusta (Augusta, Georgia)
Result: 4th place professional
What went down: 3.5 hours of duking it out at the front end of the race before my body said no-more. Ending the season on a high note with another top-5, another prize purse and a whole lot of motivation for 2015.

So there you have it! 2014 is a wrap. And things could not be looking any brighter for the upcoming year. Thanks for following along throughout the season and I can't wait to put up some even more impressive results in 2015.

Tune in next week for the third edition of Metzler's Musings.

Take care,
Justin

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2015 Preview

Here we go! 2015 is right around the corner... and I thought it was about darn time all of the Justin Metzler Triathlete fans got a bit of an update on what the heck I have been up to and what I plan on doing with my life. Instead of inundating everyone with a novel-esque post divulging everything at once, I will be releasing a shorter, more manageable post every Monday for the next few weeks. Thanks for tuning in and look forward to some great posts!

The first question up on the docket: Where are you right now (literally) and where are you going? 

If you haven't noticed, my physical location seems to be in constant flux over the past few years... Iowa City to Chicago, then back to Iowa City this past August (where I am now); not to mention all of the race-travel mixed in between. Initially, I had planned on being in Iowa City for the remainder of the school year in order to obtain my degree in May but in true Metzler fashion, I somehow finagled my schedule so that I can take the remainder of my classes online and still graduate next semester with a degree in Human Physiology. Holy crap.... The possibilities are now endless.... 

I felt something like this

As many of you know, I recently signed on with famed-triathlon coach Jesse Kropelnicki, founder of QT2 Coaching Systems. Every February, Jesse holds a camp in Clermont, Florida where all of his professional triathletes meet up and train as much and has hard as possible for three weeks straight. From the onset of our initial conversations, Jesse stressed how valuable this camp is to the overall training plan and I began to make arrangements to head down to Florida right before it started. But then it hit me.... It's cold in Iowa. And it's not cold in Florida. And I don't have to be in Iowa. Hmm... Why don't I just go down to Florida before the camp? Well, that was a fine idea and one that stuck. So instead of trudging through another Midwest winter, I'll be heading down south to soak up the sun in Central Florida this January. 

In the past, my season/ life plan has always been insanely fluid and seemed to change every other day. But with Coach Jesse at the helm, things are MUCH more structured (which is amazing). So let's take a look at how this is all going to go down: 

• January 16th-19th: Maverick Multisport Elite Team Pro Camp in Louisville, KY (more on this later!) 

• January 19th-22nd: Drive from Louisville, KY to Clermont, FL (I'm warm now, suck it trainer!) 

Time to seriously get in shape... 

• January 22nd-February 13th: Training in Clermont (Staying with super-fish professional triathlete Sara McLarty) 

• February 13th-March 1st: QT2 Pro Camp 

• March 1st- March 12th: More training in Clermont

• March 16th: First race of the year 

So there you have it! And as I sit here in my Iowa City apartment, preparing for my final exams, freezing my butt off and watching the pouring rain, there is a whole lot to look forward to. 2014 was a great year and I surpassed a lot of expectations. But in 2015, I am taking things to the next level. Triathlon is my job. It's what I am choosing to do with my life. Time for the big leagues now... 

Tune in next Monday for another update! But before you go... 

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Justin