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The Ironman Journey

Ironman is coming to my home city of Ottawa, Canada and there is a lot of excitement, and a lot of questions. Here are some of my thoughts on preparing mentally for this journey.

"I'm not sure it was all worth it." That's what a friend of mine once told me after completing their Ironman journey. I NEVER want to hear those words from my athletes. The problem in my friend's case started with the motivation. I think they were doing the event more to add to their LinkedIn page than for the enriching experience. That is not going to fuel a rewarding training journey. And, make no mistake, the focus needs to be on the training journey, one that is hard and wonderful if you manage it well. 

"Enjoy the journey." These three words have reached cliche status but only because they are so true and have been repeated so many times by those with the wisdom to understand. The only way to ensure your Ironman journey is truly worth it is to focus on enjoying the many months leading up to the event. If you can have a fantastic time and create great memories training for an Ironman then you have earned something much greater than a medal. You have gained joy, fitness, health, friendship and more. You will also likely have a great race too as a result. Another way to state this idea is what I believe is a Buddhist saying: Practice is the seed and the fruit.

Your event may be cancelled, or part of it may be cancelled. This happens regularly including in Penticton this summer where there was no swim. Imagine the countless hours of swim training and fitness that was never expressed on race day. But what if you really enjoyed all that swim training, the hard work, the progress you made, commiserating with lane mates. Do you regret all those swims? No, of course not. The bike leg may be cancelled due to rain. Will you regret the amazing long rides that took you places you'd never before been and all the bakery stops with your biking buddies? 

Back to the friend I mentioned at the start. I'll let you in on a secret: no one really cares that you're an Ironman so don't do it to please others. Share it with others, celebrate with others but when the day is over, the day is over and the world moves on. You, though, are left with some great memories and pride of achievement.