A Note From Josh

To Everyone at ATTN Seattle:

As I write this, Ironman California is just around the corner, and I keep thinking about how much of the last two years I've spent inside our gym. I wouldn't be heading to that start line without this place and the people in it, so before race week takes over, I wanted to say thank you.

My wife and I found ATTN in the fall of 2024. We'd both done CrossFit for years and were looking for a new gym, somewhere based on classes and fun- the kind of place you actually want to show up to. I also had a second reason: unfinished business with the Iron distance triathlon. The last time I raced a full Ironman, I got off the bike with plenty left in my legs, but not long into the run my body just folded. I couldn't stay upright enough to run, so I walked, and I kept walking until the clock ran out. I knew I needed to get stronger all over, and I figured a good gym would help with that.

Two years in, the biggest improvement isn't how much stronger I am, it's the way I think about effort. Andrew and the coaches push us to scale to what's right for us that day, even to the point where they sometimes drop the prescribed weights from a workout and just talk about what the movement should feel like instead. Coming from years of chasing numbers, that took some getting used to. But I've never once felt judged for scaling here, only supported, and it's taught me to be okay with where I actually am instead of where I think I should be.

It turns out that was exactly the lesson I needed for long course racing. Looking back, my last Ironman attempt came apart on the bike long before my body gave out on the run, when I spent hours chasing a speed into a headwind instead of holding an effort. Learning to go by feel and back off when I need to has changed how I train and how I plan to race.

I've also learned to just be in the moment. Robyn is always reminding us to be where our feet are, and I can't tell you how many times I've heard that in my head on a long ride, when my mind starts racing ahead to everything still in front of me. It brings me right back to the present and keeps me from spiraling. I have a feeling I'll be hearing Robyn's voice plenty on race day.

And beyond the lessons, there are the people. Some days the hardest part of training was just getting in the door, and knowing who I'd see once I got there was usually enough to get me moving. Lifting had already become a welcome balance to all the endurance work, and last winter Andrew convinced a group of us to take it further and enter an Olympic weightlifting competition together. We spent weeks cheering each other on in practice, had way too much fun at a mock meet in the gym, and after each day of the competition in January, we all went out to eat together. Somewhere in there we became a real team, and having them around me has been a huge part of getting ready for this race. I can't wait to get back on the platform with everyone once it's over.

So thank you to every coach who has fixed my positions, helped me scale a workout, or just asked how training was going. Thank you to the CompEx Crew for turning that class into one of the best parts of my week. And thank you to everyone who shows up and puts in the work alongside me. It matters more than you realize.

I don't know how the day will go, but I know I'll be on that start line because of all of you. If all goes well, late on race night I'll cross the finish line in Sacramento, and then I'll go eat.

— Joshua

(Editor’s SPOILER: he crossed the Ironman California finish line!)