GET OUT!

IM Chattanooga 2014 hat and the man-van

I don’t write many blog posts these days because I don’t think people want to take the time to read something longer than a paragraph. I was inspired to ‘go long’ today. 

Some people look at me as if I’m Superman because I’ve done 10 Ironmans over the past 8 years. As an Ironman we often get to a point where we THINK we’re superhuman because of how much work we’ve put in and what we’ve accomplished. Well, this brings to mind the song by Five For Fighting's song, Superman (It's Not Easy) with the lyrics: “I’m only a man in a phony red sheet. It’s not easy…”.

Saturday afternoon I struggled to get out the door to do my training. I had a long run plus some strength training to do. Unfortunately my GI system wasn’t working too well and that sapped me of some energy. And even though I’ve got 2 Ironman races on the calendar this fall, motivation was lagging. Finally I decided to just do strength training – bathroom very handy, easy to stop early and go home. Made it all the way through - small victory.

Sunday morning started the same way. I wanted to ride 60 miles but GI wasn’t great. After an hour of going through the motion to prepare to ride (bathroom, eat, drink, bathroom, gather nutrition, etc.) I opted for making up Saturday’s long run instead. I’d be closer to home if I felt like crap and maybe I could push my long ride off until Monday. 

Still pessimistic, I walked and jogged for a few minutes of warm up. Started feeling pretty good and my “system” wasn’t arguing with me. Within a mile the pessimism turned around to resolve to get it done and enjoy it. Motivation swelled and I had a pretty perfect run. 13 miles of satisfaction.

It’s not always easy to get out the door (and there are certain times you shouldn’t), but if you at least START, you never know what will happen. Give yourself a chance. Take advantage of the opportunity and GET OUT THERE! Who knows? Things may turn out better than you think!

And you don’t need to be Superman or Wonder Woman to do it.