Sometimes It Is Just About The Finish!

Many times through my training schedules, I have either read or been told that the race is often more about the journey to the finish line than it is about the finish. Now I get what they are saying, and I have probably even muttered those words to people before, but sometimes its not about the journey.

Sometimes it is simply just about finishing.

This applies to a race, to a training run or just about anything you do. Just finish Baby!

Many times in my running career (yeah, I know that sounds weird but...) I have simply just wanted to quit, to just stop and go home. The mental battle is toughest thing about endurance sports in my opinion. If I can get those voices out of my head that tell me I am tired or that it is too hot, then I win! It is easier said than done.

People still ask me about Ironman and how hard it was. I used to say that it was the toughest day of my life, but now I answer them differently. Now my answer is this, that was the longest day ever. The reason it was so long was that it was a lonely day. I had a lot of time inside my own head. A lot of thoughts bouncing around (although now, I do not remember half of them). During an Ironman, you are thinking about the journey to the starting line, you are simply thinking about finishing. You are thinking about getting off that bike and how good it will feel to walk, then you are thinking about finishing that run. I do not remember a time thinking about the journey... until well after it was completed.

On Saturday, my wife and I lead a running group. As I was running with a guy, he said something about how running was a journey, which I do agree on 100%, but I also know that sometimes, you just have to finish. It's about getting through when you aren't sure if you can or if you even want to anymore.

You still have to finish to continue the journey!

Sorry about the song, but I love this video

My Top 5 Reasons for doing an Ironman 140.6?

Why??

I get asked this question a lot after I tell people the distance of Redman.

Usually I come up with some stupid answer in order to get out of that conversation, because I understand how daunting a task this seems, but as I am deep into the heavy miles of my training plan, I have had a lot of time to think about different things, and a lot of those times I think, "Why am I doing this? It's crazy!". So this post may ramble or it may drag on, but I have my 5 top reasons for doing Ironman.

1. The Ultimate Test- Right now, I can not think of anything else that is going to test a 41 year old former athlete, physically and mentally like Ironman will. I know am pretty sure I can handle the physical part, but mentally am I tough enough to grind it out? Yes, I know it will hurt and I will be sore, but that is part of it. The two go hand in hand, either I can do it or I can't. Either I can make or I won't. Physical and Mental challenge.
2. I Enjoy it- I really do like to swim/bike/run. I joked with my bride that I wanted "Ironman finisher" in my obituary when I die, but honestly, no one else is going to care if I finish one or not. No one that cares about is going to change their opinion of me because I could run far. For me, it is a time with no cell phones or emails, time for my thoughts and a way to fight off old age.
3. To Be an Example-  I want my kids to see that their father set a goal, and he worked his butt off to achieve it. I know my running has not trickled down to my kids yet, and it may never, but I know they know that dad is getting up and training before they ever got out of bed. I want them to know that in life, you have to be willing to get up early and work and sacrifice personal time to achieve a goal.
4. The Finish Line- I have about 4 different versions of how I think the finish line might look like when I cross it and how I will react to it. I know my 1st marathon finish was extremely emotional for me, so I imagine this will be also. I know people say the last .2 of a 26.2 mile run is the hardest, but I think that .2 will be the sweetest! I always hated people saying "the race is the reward for all the training", but this is going to be epic when I hit that line.
5. The Self Discovery- Now I don't mean to sound like some hippie loving tree hugger, but I think I have discovered a lot more about myself training for this than I would have if I weren't going for it. I have discovered a lot about myself, which may be another post coming up. I am mentally tougher than I though, but am I tough enough? I am more dedicated than I thought, I mean who gets up at 4:45 to get a run in before church?? I discovered I am also an early morning kind of guy!  Who knew? I have learned that I can use these natural God gift abilities I still have to motivate others.

I could go on. I didn't mention the tattoo, or the finishers gear I could rock at local races. I didn't mention the fact that people think I eat a great diet (which I don't! Shhhhh) I didn't even mention the part about people automatically assuming I am a fast guy (which I am not, but I guess it is all relative). There are many reasons people take on challenges, some we can understand, others we can't. So basically, if I asked every racer on the course why they were doing it, I guarantee I'd get 100 different answers, and I think that is what makes this sport so great!!!