When an Ironman is Won

The process of training your body has a lot more to do with mental strength than physical. The last several months have involved a lot of soul searching to try to find passion for this new goal in my life. This weeks blog is more of my commentary on success and why I want to finish an Ironman. Please enjoy.

Why are some people successful in life? Is it purely nature? Do the talented succeed and the unlucky many fail because they are not blessed with pure athleticism, charisma, or intelligence?

I believe that people who are successful in one area of life are the same who are likely to be winners in other areas of life. I do not give much credit to natural ability when it comes to success. Successful people are determined, honest, hard working, and never quit. That does not change if you are talking about career, sport, religion, or anything else. Success is the result of an attitude, not a skill set.

Thomas Edison said that "Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work". Most people will never finish an Ironman in their lives, not because they don't want to finish an Ironman, but because they don't want to be consistently training for years in order to be ready. They believe that an Ironman is a race where extremely talented people go to accomplish a great feat in 17 hours or less. But that is where they are wrong, and that is why they will never find success in this realm. An Ironman is not finished in 17 hours, it is finished in years. An Ironman is won on cold winter mornings where training is required but sleep is desired. It is finished in the mind first, and then in the body.

There are only really two types of people who begin training for an Ironman. Those who will finish and those who will quit. I do not really believe that there is a group who tries hard and cannot finish. Maybe they do not finish their first race, but it will not be their last. I believe that my success in finishing an Ironman is a three year process, not a day in the future where I will magically become strong, enduring, and confident.

I suppose there is a third group who suffers from big injuries or hardships, but since I cannot know if I will fall into this group they seem irrelevant to my personal goal setting.

I think that is why the idea of finishing an Ironman means so much to me, because I want to prove to myself that I am a person who is an can be successful. Not because of any preexisting skills, but because I have the mental strength to work hard and make my goals a reality.

Getting Back on the Horse

Me riding a Peruvian horse that was obviously
meant for somebody more.... Peruvian sized.

 Ah, the old adage. Sometimes getting back into a routine after some time off is harder than you would think. Or perhaps even harder than it should be. Winter break was not good to my Ironman goals. The week of Christmas I got sick and was unable to run for about five days. I got a run in after my illness but it was almost immediately followed by my one and a half year old getting bronchiolitis. So after missing another week I was toast. For the first 3 weeks of January I ran probably only three days all together.

 Back when I played high school football I had a small group of friends that I would go to the gym with. One of these guys had a saying that if he "missed a day, [he] would miss a month". I didn't know if I really agreed with him then but now I see that it was very true. When we miss one work-out, for almost any reason, we are telling our body that it is okay to find reasons not to work out. There is almost always an excuse to not work out. "I went to bed a little late last night", "I have a homework assignment that I should probably get a head start on", "I can just go later today", etc. etc.

 So about a week ago I decided it was time to fix it, I had taken a full month off of running and needed to start again. Unfortunately, my hiatus from running did not come without consequence. I gained about five pounds, I can tell that I have gotten a little out of shape, and I am having to reset my goals in regards to when I will run my first half marathon.

 The question began to ruminate in my mind as to how I could fix it, and for me the answer was increased accountability. I signed up for an Aerobics class on campus. It is slightly awkward since I have since learned that the only people who want to be healthy at 7:30 am on Monday and Wednesday are female. Not Kidding. I happen to be the only guy in a class of thirty girls and we are all trying to Zumba and hip-shake our extra pounds away. It is incredibly awkward. But, I now have a grade that is holding me accountable to working out two times a week. Even though this is not running, the habit of getting up early to exercise has generalized and I am now finding it easier to run.

 So since my goals are shifting I have decided to begin a marathon training schedule that will in its course also help me finish a half. Feel free to keep me honest. If I don't post a run (using the widget to the right) please call me out on it. I really want to stay on track this time.

 I don't know if this same method is available or will work for you when you have speed bumps in what you are working on, but I can say that addressing the issue and not quiting on your goals will always be worth it. Check out my stepping stones tab to see my updated goal checklist. Hopefully you guys are cranking away at your goals, and loving it as much as I am!!!