So big announcement here: I’m signing up for Ironman Texas 2015! Ok, maybe not.
Ok not at all-With all due respect to everyone who crossed the finish line up to twelve hours ago or more, congratulations-what you did is an incredible accomplishment and all of you were so fun to watch on the course-
According to The Woodlands Community News and the World Triathlon Corporation, Ironman Texas will be held in my backyard for at least 5 more years. I recall joking around with some of my running friends today about how this community, especially on days like today, feels a bit like a theme park for endurance athletes. I did feel like I was on some kind of ride as I tried to zip along on my mountain bike among those on the run course smiling and cheering on the many competitors I know (maybe it was the free popsicles from the lululemon cheer station, I don’t know…).
I always observe a different feel in the air on event day, however, Ironman seems to evoke the most emotion community-wide. Perhaps because of the sheer magnitude of completing such a task coupled with the absurd accessibility for those who live here. The way people react to this transpersonal (warning: digging deep into my Jungian/collective unconscious training here!) emotional state is varied. Of course, there are those who are inspired to just start working out on a regular basis from knowing a co-worker or family member who trained for and completed the event. Maybe the athlete has completed a few run events and feels the need to jump to a different challenge. Maybe you’ve never worked out a day in your life and go all in. A bit of an exaggeration, but I’ve seen cases within that realm.
The bottom line is this: watching others challenge themselves often inspires others. It can change your course or perhaps work to strengthen and redirect you to the one you are already on. I believe I fall in the latter category.
This year I got to serve a decent-sized role in the race, helping a handful of athletes overcome mental obstacles to achieve their dreams and goals. Pretty cool stuff. I also have gotten to work with a number of clubs and organizations and have some fun prepping others to meet the task ahead.
While riding my still-surprisingly-agile ’97 Specialized MTB down Grogan’s Mill overlooking the course on the Waterway, I could feel the cheers and the rush of that emotion coming from down below. I thought about the things I wanted to accomplish in the upcoming year(s) and what it actually meant. As much as I appreciate and love helping the long-course multisport athletes, I kept thinking about going back into marathon training, the last discipline in the grueling Ironman-something I have not done in nearly 5 years and that I do, in fact, have an emotional component attached to it.
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“Finish what you started”, “You were born to do this”, and “This is what you came for” were all signs placed on the course to inspire those running through it, however, they resonated with me as well. Why do I keep putting my thoughts and goals pointed towards a little road race in the Northeast Corner of the US in April? Not because it is an unobtainable goal, but that it is an unfinished one. Reaching it has been something that has been both incredibly easy and incredibly hard at the same time. I found myself asking “why is this so important? You can totally live without it.” Of course I can, and of course everyone out there yesterday could too.
Finishing things has always been very important to me. I ended up on a year’s hiatus from college many years ago, only to finish at the top of my graduating class four years later, something I, and basically anyone who knew me thought was impossible at the time. But I have a hard time embracing mediocrity. Giving up just feels wrong-especially when you know deep inside you have what it takes. I feel this way about my 5 year absence from a marathon-this may seem trivial to some, but important to me to return to the distance.
Maybe the feelings stirred today mean something. Maybe they are just part of the spectacle. But regardless, as I posted previously about my goals** , I have my reasons why. Just as many people did today. As I heard the winner of today’s race, Bevan Docherty, speak: “I wanted to prove myself and everybody else wrong that I can have more success in this sport, and this win means so much….” (or something along those lines). Of course I’m no professional athlete, but his words seemed so sincere, and I could sense how much overcoming bad seasons meant to him. Poor dude had no idea how I felt like I could *kinda* relate-although on a smaller level.
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| Minutes after the course record fell-Docherty is interviewed by Mike Reilly |
I know for me a big part of the 2014 journey is to see myself as worthy of truly improving and competing again. From seeing myself as “pretty” good but vulnerable (of course that dead horse I keep beating but a difficult thing to get past-sorry readers!) to an athlete who accepts where she is and makes the absolute most of it-which can turn into good things.
Sport is powerful and we can connect with the deepest parts of ourselves through it. I am grateful that I have had so much success both in and hopefully more now out of it as well. While I didn’t gain inspiration to become an Ironman triathlete today, I did witness and start to crave excellence again-further connecting with my competitive self. It all starts in the present: this is where I am at now. I have kept repeating these words in my head over the past few weeks pertaining to my current fitness and training: " This is what I can do-not looking back or looking too far forward. "This is what I've got and it's my job to make the most of it".
I did not intend to go as introspective on this post as I have, but take what you want and leave the rest if you’re still reading. Congratulations goes out to all who persevered and finished yesterday. And best wishes to anyone inspired, in any which direction yesterday-happy training to you.
Stay the course.
1 comment:
It's a pretty neat thing that events like this can serve to inspire us all.
The one time I've been to Hawaii, it was a coincidence that it happened to be at the same time as Kona triathlon. Talk about energy!!!
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