53 days until Ironman
"Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will" - Mahatma Gandhi
Today was my moto run. Moto as in motivation, as in make it hurt, as in put up or shut up, as in I am an Ironman-in-training and get with the program and stop whining about it. Ironman equals long distance equals pain equals will power equals self-discipline equals Ironman.
Today was 12 miles of running on tired legs, no hydration except for the Jesus Fountain on Alii Drive. No music (the most painful part of the run) and no whining. Time to HTFU as they say. Or as LeAnn offered, "Suck it up!" Time to go long and make it hurt. Time to earn the privilege of crossing the finish line of the Ironman World Championship. 12 miles isn't my long run of the week but today it was a mental breakthrough run. A run when I decided it was time to get serious. To take the pain and work through it. Keep moving forward when my mind and body are screaming at me to stop.
Yesterday I was interviewed by Ironman and one of the questions they asked was, “What is your motivation for doing Ironman?” It’s a question I have been asking myself a lot lately. “Why am I doing this?” Maybe it’s for my daughter, Rebecca, who is in a wheelchair and would love to be able to run until she feels like her lungs are going to explode and her heart will pound out of her chest and her legs will fall off. Or maybe I’m doing it for my son, Daniel, who will soon be on his way to Afghanistan just about the time of Ironman. He serves our country as a U.S. Marine so we are able to enjoy things such as triathlons.
Maybe I’m doing it to make my wife proud of me. Or as an example for the rest of our kids. Maybe I’m searching for what lies deep inside me and this may be the only way I know how to find it. My essence of being if you will. Maybe there isn’t just one reason I’m doing Ironman.
Four years ago I hadn’t even heard of Ironman -- or triathlons. Three years ago I was in awe watching my first Ironman and the age groupers finishing just before midnight on Alii Drive. Two years ago I couldn’t swim a stroke when I decided I wanted to do a triathlon. One year ago I couldn’t imagine I would ever be participating in the Ironman World Championship. In 53 days when I’m treading water in Kailua Bay and the canon goes off to signal the start of the race, I’ll be doing the unimaginable ...
Don't give up though the pace seems slow -
You may succeed with another blow.
Success is failure turned inside out -
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt.
And you never can tell how close you are.
It may be near when it seems so far:
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit
It's when things seem worst that you must not QUIT.
- A portion of a poem by an unknown author
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