What Ironman Revealed To Me About Myself

I recently completed my 5th Ironman triathlon in Lake Placid, New York. According to the veterans of the sport of Ironman, IMLP is one of the toughest Ironman races in the U.S. I think that’s why so many athletes travel from all over the world to test their abilities against an unforgiving course and ever-changing weather conditions.

In case you are not aware of what an Ironman triathlon consists of, let me enlighten you – You start the race at 6:30am with a 2.4 mile open-water swim, followed by a 112 mile bike ride, and then finish-up with a run that is a full marathon distance of 26.2 miles. If you are good, you can do the race under 12 hours, but you have up to 17 hours to get the task completed. 

Why anyone would want to put themselves through this torture is still beyond my comprehension, even though I have completed 5 of them and gone to the world championships in Kona Hawaii twice. I think it has to with a primal instinct that drives us to seek out how far we can push ourselves before we break. Ironman will certainly help you find that line. 

What was different for me this time is what I thought about while swimming for an hour, riding for 6 hours, and running for 4 hours and 20 minutes. That is a lot of time to think and reflect. I specifically wanted to know how the Ironman had affected my life. How all of the endless hours of training day-in and day-out had changed me as a person. 

Here is what I came up with - All the limitations I have, all the things I believe that I cannot do, are simply the product of a lazy mind. The conclusion I came to is that getting what I want out of life takes a ton of work and sacrifice. I’m not one of those people where things come easily. I always have to do it wrong a million times before I get it right. That takes a lot of effort. Sometimes it’s easier just to say “I can’t do it” so that I don’t have to go through the effort associated with failing and re-doing until I make it work.

I actually came up with a name for this – I call it “head trash”.  There are times that I have enough trash in my head to fill a dumpster.

Let me give you an example of the head trash I had to deal this year while training for the ironman. Because of my work schedule, I had to get up at 3am to get my morning session in. Here was the trash in my head  – “I can’t get up at 3:00am to train. It’s too early”. Who says it’s too early? If I go to bed by 8pm, that gives me 7 hours of sleep. More than enough z-time. It was a self-imposed limitation because I was too lazy to think about the possibility of getting up at 3am to hop on my bike or run. As soon as I recognized these thoughts for what they were, “head trash”, I got rid of them and forged ahead with an early AM training schedule. That allowed me to get the training hours done and still work full time. It all worked out fine.   

Another example of head trash happened during the race. At mile 13, my hamstrings locked down in spasm (ouch). I could not straighten my legs, much less run. I had to lie down in the middle of the road and massage these massive balls of muscle until they released and I could straighten-out my legs out, and stretch. Now, my head is saying “dude, you are done for the day” (head trash), but then I realize that I have invested 9 months of my life training hard and sacrificing so much to be here racing and sprawled-out in the middle of the road. There is no way I am throwing that down the toilet for a little hamstring cramp. So I made a better decision, like “let’s finish this”.  I got up and finished the marathon. It was easily the hardest thing I have ever done, but I GOT IT DONE. 

Here is what I learned – you can’t control the stuff that happens to you out there in the world, but you CAN control your attitude about it. When your “head trash” basket is full, you best throw it out with the rest of the garbage lest you want to be muddled in mediocrity.

Ironman taught me that you can do anything you put your mind and body towards. You just have to believe that you can do it and bust through any negative thoughts and obstacles that get in your way, no matter what they are. My wife Sarah can vouch for this. She has seen me get up at 2:30am, put on my cycling stuff to go out for a 6-hour training ride and say, “it’s pouring rain outside, get back in bed”. My response is “see you in 6 hours”. 

Ironman taught me how to get it done - PERIOD. No excuses, no “I don’t have time”, or it’s “too cold” or “too hot” or “I don’t feel like training today”. You cannot imagine how handy this little trick is when you are faced with everyday things that require an effort above and beyond the call of duty. To me, there is not much you can throw my way that is as bad as running 26.2 miles in the heat and humidity with legs that are cramping and a body that is totally out of gas.

Am I a better person because of Ironman? I think so. The whole experience has demonstrated in a clear way that I am responsible for everything that happens in my life. That every little thing I do, every decision that I make no matter how large or small puts in motion some result in my life, both good and bad. This realization has helped me to be more thoughtful about the choices and decisions I make. It has also help me to be more aware and sensitive to the challenges that others are experiencing.  I am better equipped to help them understand that they ultimately do have control, and that all they have to do is take it. 

Perhaps this is best demonstrated when it comes to helping clients with the challenge of losing weight. Once they understand that weight loss is 100% their responsibility and within their control, then the weight comes off quickly and permanently. It’s all about making decisions rather than excuses.

I believe that is the crux of it all. When you decide that making excuses (head trash) are a waste of time and that making decisions are what matters, then your life can move forward in a positive way. That’s what becoming an Ironman revealed to me.