I read an article yesterday from a pro triathlete whom I admire, Jesse Thomas. He's super freaky fast (a former Stanford steeplechase racer) and he's an entrepreneur. Not easy to juggle both, along with being a new father.  The gist of the story was about how he uses mantras to help him perform better. I'm no stranger to mantras.  I used one to get through the marathon at Ironman Coeur d'Alene, in fact.  But what would my mantra be for the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Las Vegas next weekend?  I've been thinking about this while training the past few days, now that my attention is solely focused on this monumental triathlon.  The theme I can't get out of my head is the usual one -- overcoming the odds to hang alongside the elite.  And there's no better movie for me to visually express my feelings than Rudy.