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.