As Emily and I approached our vehicle after completing our Riverside triathlon, after waiting for the medal ceremony, and even after packing up all our equipment from the transition area, we heard sirens, saw flashing lights, and when we looked up, it was the final racer coming in from the bike and on to her swim. She was pedaling her mountain bike up the final hill, a full hour and ten minutes after we crossed the finish line, followed by six motorcycle police officers heralding the end of Riverside's very first triathlon. I was so inspired by her determination. She reminded me so much of where I started on this journey--a little out of shape, but so motivated to change my life that I was willing to push myself to the absolute limits of what my body could do. It is amazing what can happen when you mix a lot of motivation, a dash of courage, and a handful of perseverance.
For some reason the theme of perseverance has come up a lot in the last few weeks--at work, at home, among my friends, in my training--perseverance seems to be a common theme. I have shared in the past how inspired I am by my daughter and her determination to play volleyball. Over the years she has had coaches underestimate her potential, she has had an injury that led to shoulder surgery, and, unfortunately, she inherited her mother's height, which seems to be the kiss of death when it comes to being a volleyball player. Recently, she didn't make it on her club volleyball's elite team, and while she was devastated, once again her attitude has inspired me. Instead of giving up altogether, she has just changed her focus. Instead of shooting for an athletic scholarship, she will work on an academic one, while continuing to practice her volleyball in hopes of walking on to a team once she gets there. I love that attitude, and I think that as I train for my Ironman, I will continue to look at her determination and use that to push me on through some difficult training days.
For some reason the theme of perseverance has come up a lot in the last few weeks--at work, at home, among my friends, in my training--perseverance seems to be a common theme. I have shared in the past how inspired I am by my daughter and her determination to play volleyball. Over the years she has had coaches underestimate her potential, she has had an injury that led to shoulder surgery, and, unfortunately, she inherited her mother's height, which seems to be the kiss of death when it comes to being a volleyball player. Recently, she didn't make it on her club volleyball's elite team, and while she was devastated, once again her attitude has inspired me. Instead of giving up altogether, she has just changed her focus. Instead of shooting for an athletic scholarship, she will work on an academic one, while continuing to practice her volleyball in hopes of walking on to a team once she gets there. I love that attitude, and I think that as I train for my Ironman, I will continue to look at her determination and use that to push me on through some difficult training days.
As I was swimming a few weeks ago a funny thought came to me, "I wish I had more perseverance." The more I thought about it, the funnier it seemed that here I was swimming at 5:30 AM, doing something that I don't love, and I was worried about my perseverance. I think sometimes I confuse being frustrated with not persevering. The actual definition of perseverance is, "the continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition," and nowhere in that definition does it state that frustration cannot be a part of the equation. In fact, many of my training partners have experienced frustration lately, but have refused to give up.
For the last couple of months a few of my running friends have been dealing with issues that have made running difficult for them. One has had foot issues that have, at times, had her walking her marathon training miles, and the other has had trouble with her knee. While both have been sensible and rested for periods of time, they have continued on by cutting back on the miles and doing more cross training, including biking and swimming. When my friend visited her physician about her knee, even the doctor had to concede that runners are a stubborn breed. He told her that he wouldn't tell her not to run anymore because, "Asking a runner to stop running is like asking them not to breathe." Even Kay, who is dealing with Stage III rectal cancer, has been a consistent early morning running partner. I know I can speak for the majority of my running friends when I share that we always feel better when we are out running and biking (and for some, maybe swimming as well). We are rarely happy when we have to rest and hear about our friends on the roads without us.
The workouts this week were a challenge for me, but I know this extra training will prepare me for February when the real Ironman work begins. On Wednesday I started some double training as I begin a push to be prepared for the swim portion of the race. I am resting on Mondays, swimming and biking on Wednesday and Fridays, running Tuesday/Thursday, and then swimming, biking and running my longer miles on the weekends. I know I have the motivation, I plan to persevere--I just hope my body cooperates with my plan. I will succeed!
Siobhan--“Things don't go wrong and break your heart so you can become bitter and give up. They happen to break you down and build you up so you can be all that you were intended to be.” (Love you girl!)
--Charles Jones, Life is Tremendous
For the last couple of months a few of my running friends have been dealing with issues that have made running difficult for them. One has had foot issues that have, at times, had her walking her marathon training miles, and the other has had trouble with her knee. While both have been sensible and rested for periods of time, they have continued on by cutting back on the miles and doing more cross training, including biking and swimming. When my friend visited her physician about her knee, even the doctor had to concede that runners are a stubborn breed. He told her that he wouldn't tell her not to run anymore because, "Asking a runner to stop running is like asking them not to breathe." Even Kay, who is dealing with Stage III rectal cancer, has been a consistent early morning running partner. I know I can speak for the majority of my running friends when I share that we always feel better when we are out running and biking (and for some, maybe swimming as well). We are rarely happy when we have to rest and hear about our friends on the roads without us.
The workouts this week were a challenge for me, but I know this extra training will prepare me for February when the real Ironman work begins. On Wednesday I started some double training as I begin a push to be prepared for the swim portion of the race. I am resting on Mondays, swimming and biking on Wednesday and Fridays, running Tuesday/Thursday, and then swimming, biking and running my longer miles on the weekends. I know I have the motivation, I plan to persevere--I just hope my body cooperates with my plan. I will succeed!
Siobhan--“Things don't go wrong and break your heart so you can become bitter and give up. They happen to break you down and build you up so you can be all that you were intended to be.” (Love you girl!)
--Charles Jones, Life is Tremendous
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