Less then a Week…
By: Garrett K.
By this time next week I’ll have completed my second (of many to come) Ironman’s.
I’m not going to lie, I’m kind of in a constant mode of stress and worry. Why, I’m not really sure. I got this… I mean I’ve put in the hours, I’ve pushed myself in nearly every single workout to the point of pain and discomfort. I’ve avoided injuries, and I’ve taken good care of my body.
But for some reason I have the fear of the unknown stressing me. All the “what ifs” that can come along with racing Ironman… I’ve been trying to shove them to the back of my mind, but they keep creeping back to nag me.
I’ve got my race prep in full gear. Pack lists galore! I’ve been mentally prepping myself for a full day of pain, and I’ve sort of told myself that if I don’t require a couple bags of IV at the end of the race, then I didn’t give it all I got. That might be a bit extreme. But what a great way to end a race! Knowing you gave it, literally all you’ve got!
I’ve trained harder, and pushed myself further compared to training for Ironman CDA last year. The main difference is I’ve done this solo, or as a wolf pack of one, roaming the roads in search of eternal youth through Ironman glory…. There I go with that crazy talk again.
I’m a firm believer that with any endurance sport it’s 90% mental. I’m sure there’s some study out there to prove me right or wrong, but when it comes down to it, the fact is, your mind will tell you to stop, long before you can. We set our limits in our minds, we don’t want to get out of our comfort zone and risk a bad outcome. We often forget that the outcome could be the exact opposite and could be more then we dreamed we were capable of accomplishing!
From my limited experience with Ironman, I’ve learned that along a race your mind can drift to to some dark places. Kind of like the movie ‘Inception’ but rather then bad guys chasing you with guns, it’s pain chasing you from the very first signs of quitting. It’s all just another fun element to racing Ironman.
I am looking forward to getting to Coeur d'Alene, getting settled in and enjoying the race atmosphere. It’s like a Disney Land for endurance athletes! They really roll out the red carpet and create an awesome race experience! One of the main reasons I wanted to come back to Ironman CDA was the overall experience and the 3000+ volunteers! It’s crazy how the volunteers really do make it such an amazing race. They truly do have the best volunteers!
Here’s to a great race! And keeping the demons of pain and dark places where they belong!
Go Team Kelly!
