You could say the field at the Leadville Trail 100 mountain-bike race is pretty strong. Last year, Lance Armstrong finished second. Kimo Seymour finished tenth. That's not bad for a married guy with two kids and a 40-hour-a-week job managing an investment pool and an event-promotion company. Seymour won the first two 24-hour mountain-bike races he entered—the 2007 and 2008 editions of Tucson's 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo, the country's largest—and has completed nine Ironmans, including five at Kona. He has no coach and no major sponsors, just a willingness to make the most of what little free time he's got.

"I try to keep the evenings sacred—and all day Saturday. That's the time I like to be home with the kids or at soccer or baseball. But I do get out in the mornings for long rides or runs. I block out Thursday and Sunday mornings for myself. I'm going to miss the kids those mornings, and I'm not scheduling any meetings. There's always a focus on quality; I can't afford to have any junk rides. Whether it's recovery, high-intensity intervals, long power workouts—I always have something in mind when I go out the door. Having a community is important. It's tough to go out there five or six days a week all by yourself. And you have to have a little spiritual balance. You have to give up some control. As hard as I might focus, push, and train to achieve a goal, whatever is going to happen is going to happen. I've managed to find that peace. It makes it all a little easier for me." KEY TIP: "Make sure your goals are actually achievable. Don't set a goal so high you destroy your life to attain it. Set goals you can achieve with balance."

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