Keep your eye on the prize

I have a few friends who are currently training for Ironman NZ. The doldrums are starting to set in for them, and it made me think back to my own training at this time.

Unfortuately we have had a pretty crappy winter. The weather has done nothing but throw weather bombs at us, the windtrainer and spin bikes have been used more than is justifiably tolerable, and you are just over training but there is still so much more to do.

So, what do you do?

KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE PRIZE

There are times during Ironman training when you feel so overwhelmed by it all that you just want to scream. You start questioning the reason why you are putting yourself through it all in the first place. You stand in the middle of the lounge and see the washing to fold, the dust to wipe away, the TV with finger prints all over it, the windows you can barely see out of, and the windtrainer perched in the middle of it all!!! The tears can be pretty close to the surface and burst through at any given time. It only takes one malfunction in the well oiled machine and all hell breaks loose...

KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE PRIZE

The kids are nagging, the husband is lonely, the groceries need to be bought, the dishes are piling up, your clothes are getting too big, your daily nutrition consists of protein shakes, energy bars and pasta - where'd the wine and cheese go?

KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE PRIZE

You feel like the race is a million months away, and yet it seems that the weeks are slipping by at an alarming rate and you have no idea how the hell you are ever going to be able to complete an Ironman.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE PRIZE

The prize is worth every ounce of blood, sweat and tears. Every missed night out in favour of an early morning ride is training in the bank for withdrawl on Ironman day. Your friends and colleagues will think you are crazy, but you know you're not. You want this so bad you can taste it. You see it when you are asleep at night. You can feel the water as you slip into Lake Taupo, you can hear the whirring of disk wheels out on the cycle course, and you can see all your family and friends cheering you on during the run. You hear Mike Reilly's voice calling your name and telling you that you are finally an Ironman.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE PRIZE

Hindsight is a great thing - for me standing on this side of Ironman it all looks so simple. I've done my Ironman, and all the fear, frustrations and guilt that I felt were, in the end, wasted energy. I had so many people tell me that it would all be ok. "The training is harder than the day itself" I was told - I really didn't believe them. It was such a relief to finally be on the start line, that the race did in fact become easy. Doing the months of hard work to get there is tough. It isn't easy, oh it so isn't easy, but that finish line was the most amazing personal experience I have ever had. I have never ever been more proud of myself than the day I became an Ironman, and quite possibly, that will never be beaten.

So, KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE PRIZE and remember that you are amazing for even starting this Ironman journey in the first place.