Just got back from yet another dinner full of pasta and lots more salt loading. The food has been really good and somehow they figured out how to make bulk chicken without drying it out and making it taste like cardboard. I focused on putting down more carbs, probably the most carbo-loading I have ever done for any event…ever. I am bursting now with energy that I better use or else I’ll blow up.
Before hitting the sack to wake up at 3am, I reflect back on what Ironman means to me. Since my first Ironman back in 2005, Ironman has come to symbolize more than just a physical endeavor. It is a true test of will and spirit; anyone can do the mileage and get physically to a point where they can finish. Overcoming the mental convolutions and hardships during the race is the real challenge.
So training and finishing Ironman is really about spirit training and training of the heart, because without it you’ll be hard pressed to cross the finish line. Chances are you’ll quit.
Which is why Ironman translate so easily to real life. How many times have we thought of quitting when we should not have? When the chips are down and we are on our last legs, can we summon that last iota of energy to make to the end? Ironman is very much about the same spirit in a physical contest as in real life. We train to strengthen our hearts and minds and to shore them up against adversity.
It’s why I come back to race Ironman every year.
Once you finish Ironman, all those other bothersome things in your life seem so miniscule because you realize that getting through those situations now are nowhere near in comparison to forcing your body to cross the finish line at Ironman.
Nuff Said. Good night and signing off probably until after the race….Watch us race at Ironman Brazil’s Web Site or on Ironman Live.