Sep 10 in Run
What's the toughest physical event you've been through?
Five years ago, I decided to push myself REALLLY hard. Or at least that's what I thought at the time. I signed up for a half marathon in Kodiak, Alaska (where I was living at the time). I trained for something ridiculous like 6 months, AND I had a friend running it with me. We both had training programs and were trying to hit weight goals, you whole nine yards.
These are all great things, but looking back it's hard for me to believe that I wanted that to be my peak. I wanted to run the furthest I'd ever run and call it good at 22 years old. I have nothing else to give, I'm done.
Well, fast forward 5 years to today, and I have a different mindset. I'm competing in an IRONMAN race in 19 days. I think the catalyst for the decision to do something bigger was my baby on the way (mid November). I really committed after talking to a buddy who had completed 3, and was about to do his 4th. He wanted his 9 and 11 year old sons to look up to him and grow up believing they were capable of anything they worked hard towards. They're already training for their 18th birthdays when they're allowed to sign up.
I haven't done it yet, so don't be too impressed. I have tapped into the source of physical resilience though, and that's the mind. Yep, that's it, I promise. The biggest difference I made in the last 5 years was I changed my mind. I haven't been training for 5 years, I know that much. I've maybe run 25 miles TOTAL in the last 5 years. I started training in January this year for what I've been telling people is a "marathon" this month. Yes, there's some education that goes into it, such as nutrition, form, and some of those ideas, but I'm dead serious when I say the biggest change was between my ears.
I tested my abilities a couple of weeks ago to see where I was at. Remember, the furthest I'd trained to before was 13.1 miles. I did a half IRONMAN this time: swim 1.2 miles, bike 56 miles, run 13.1 miles. You know what the hardest part was again? It was taking too long and I felt like I was running late for the date I promised to take my wife on. I almost quit after 80% because I was getting antsy about the time.
Ask me how it went after September 29th. I have no doubt I'll finish.
What's your biggest day? Are you happy with that?
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What's the toughest physical event you've been through?
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