I am down to two months before my half-Ironman. It does not seem like enough time. Very likely, if I had another six months, it would not seem like enough time. It has become all-consuming. Mentally, emotionally, and physically. I am thinking of training and nutrition most of the time. Obsessive? Yes. It is my nature. But not obsessive in a negative way. I am not closed to the rest of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Life and my pursuit of happiness has been coming along nicely, with great strides, and some fabulous results. But it is training that dominates my free time and Brain when there is little else to occupy it. Nearly every night, before I turn off the light, I have taken to reading articles from my favorite online triathlon magazine. I have learned some important truths, forgive the mild plagiarism:
Ironman Rule #1: TRAIN EVERY DAY. This does not mean pulse pounding, sweat dripping, tongue lolling workouts every day. The body does need rest to recover from the pulse pounding, sweat dripping, tongue lolling, muscle searing, lung burning workouts. On the one day a week I don't actively train, I am still focused on nutrition and the mental mindset I need, and will continue to need, if I want to cross the finish line on my feet. But, even on my "Rest Day" I usually fit in some core work and/or yoga, I just can't help myself.
#2: ENJOY THE JOURNEY. How can you work hard every day if you are not enjoying what you are doing? I am doing this because I love a challenge. I love to workout. I love the physicality. I love my body. I love to sweat. The end result has been that I feel and look better than I have in decades. I am quite literally in the best shape of my life, and I feel FABULOUS! The big event at the end of all this will just be icing, and bragging rights.
#3: BE A STUDENT OF YOUR PASSION. I study, search, research, experiment, all in the pursuit of improvement. My passion is the journey, the races, prepping for my A Race. The more I learn, the more I want to learn, and the end result is that I keep finding ways of improving the vehicle that I will drive in my races, the vehicle of Me.
#4. BE WILLING TO SPEND THE EFFORT AND ENERGY TO BE SUCCESSFUL. This is what trips up most people. I will succeed because I am working hard to achieve my goal. I know that sacrifice, pain, and fatigue is a price I pay to reach for the gold ring, realize my dreams.
#5. PERSEVERE. Too many things can, will, and have risen up in front of me to trip me up, knock me off my path, beat me down. But I manage to get around, under, over, or through the obstacles, even if I get scraped and bruised in the effort.
#6. DEVELOP MENTAL TOUGHNESS. It is rarely the physical challenges that cause people to give up, throw in the towel. It is the mental hardship. I have to believe I can do it, that I will succeed, that I will not give up, or give in.
#7. YOU MUST WANT SUCCESS. Seems like a no-brainer. Truth be told, doing something, anything, that is difficult requires that you want to succeed. Intense desire to succeed helps overcome obstacles that crush other people.
#8. IT'S ALL ON YOU. No one can, will, or should do this for you. It is all up to you to decide what you want, what you need to do to achieve it, and how hard you are willing to work. I have no coach, no personal trainer, just me. It is all on me whether I push myself, train harder, eat better, strive, reach for the moon and stars. On me. Me.
Finally #9. BE PREPARED TO SUFFER. Honestly, this is my favorite. I have been teased that I have a masochistic streak, and maybe I do. I have chronic pain, and I add to this with sore muscles, tweaked tendons, aching joints, and never feeling like I have had quite enough sleep. There are times that I get to the pool yawning, and dragging ass from an exhausting day at work, when I would like nothing better than to go home and curl up with a cup of tea and a evening of documentaries. Instead, I get into my Speedo and hit the water for my regular 40+ laps, then home for an hour on the bike. I get up early on weekends to drive to odd locations to run rough trails with a bunch of wacky strangers. I twist ankles, tweak shoulders, wake in the middle of the night because my hands or knees are hurting so bad it pulls me from a dead sleep. But I don't mind. As a matter of fact I kind of relish the fact that I can continue on, continue improving, pushing myself, stretching my boundaries, increasing my base of fitness.
That's all I got for tonight. These are the thoughts that are on the tip of my brain every night as I turn out the light, and all up in my grill when the alarm goes off in the morning. I will succeed, come hell or high water. Barring incapacitating injury, I will cross the finish line on my own two feet, and under my own power.
"The only easy day was Yesterday."
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