Faith

One of my athletes sent me this.... just this morning..... she wrote a letter to herself.....

In the past 9 months, you have spent over 265 hours preparing for Musselman.

You have swum 75 miles.

You have biked 1750 miles.

You have run 380 miles.

You have completed 100 miles of brick workouts.

You have raced 65 miles.

You have covered a total of 2370+ miles — YOU ARE READY!!!

This was not an easy letter for her to write, I promise you that. It was an emotional letter to read. A beautifully emotional one.

Remember this........ it is not about what you are doing during your taper that matters. Yes it is true that if you sit on the couch and eat potato chips you will lose fitness. That is not to be confused with taking days off because you were sick. These 2 are VERY different. VERY DIFFERENT.

As we all approach our respective races, this is where it comes down to one thing. YOU. If I did not believe you could make it through this race and if I did not believe that you could make it through the finish line.... I would not allow you to begin this race. If for a moment I had doubt, I would not allow you to walk the plank.

It's all fine and good when I believe in you. It's all good when your spouse believes in you, your parents, your kids and your friends as well.

But all of it means nothing, it means dogshit...... unless you believe it too.

If you tell me that you are fearful you will not make it. I will tell you that I think you will. And it doesn't matter anymore what I think. Rationalize it all you want. This hurts, that hurts....... I am tired...... whatever...... the work you have all done before these two or three weeks is what matters. You have to let the day come as it will. And guess what..... you will not have complete control over what happens on race day.

EEEEEKKKKS!

You will not have control over weather. You will not have control over wind. You will not have control over water temp or even waves. You will not have control over the assholes who swim over you during the swim. You will have no control over other riders on the road. You will not have control over the cars on the road.

The only thing you will really have control over...... is what goes on in your own mind. Stand at the start with the feeling of planet earth on your shoulders, start with the feeling of dread and despair, and you will have a horrendously long day ahead of you.

What if you did this....... start small. The swim. One loop of the swim.

Then the bike. 1-2 loops depending on which race. If a Musselhead think..... I will only allow myself to think as far ahead to mile 25. Then at mile 25 only think to mile 40. Then to mile 56. Then to transition. Then to the first 3 on the run. See what I mean? Break it down to small manageable pieces. Immediately look to the finish and well.... have fun with that because the finish line only lasts 20 seconds. You will miss the rest of the day and rest of the experience.

The number one rule in these races is to keep your head. One small thing can not sway you to happy land or sorrow land. You have to stay on the even keel. You must roll with every punch, you must make decisions and problem solve all day long. Patiently, and calmly.

Do not place the responsibility of this race on anyone else. During my first Ironman, I fell apart. I walked most of the run. I depended on Curt to be there during the run. I expected him to be. True to form he rose above the expectation and rode past me through each step of the walk. Parked, clapped. And did it again.

And you know what...... that sucked. Nothing Curt could do would make a difference. I knew he loved and supported me. But it was doing me jack squat as I was puking. It was up to me.

And that's how I approached Ironman #2. I told Curt and Luc to stay in Saranac, it was raining and this Ironman was between me and myself. I set them free of my expectations, and in turn I set myself free of external expectations. I promised myself I would take the day as it came. I'd endure the bad and the good, alone and strong. I would smile no matter what. But the responsibility of this race was completely on me.

We didn't even plan to have them meet me at the finish line. It just happened. Curt ended up showing up during the run with Luc (in the rain). And as I ran through the oval after the race of my dreams, I was prepared to cross that line alone, when Curt tapped my shoulder. So them being there went from an expectation or a demand, to an amazing surprise.

And I can honestly say I would have been fine if they had stayed in Saranac.

So it doesn't matter what I think. You know what I think. What matters again, is you.

Look at yourself in the mirror. The air will be thick with doubt. You must push it away and look yourself in the eye. Every day. And every day you must tell yourself that you have done the work, put in the time, and the best is still to come.

And remember this....... look up. Look around you. Don't be so focused on the finish line and not failing, that you miss the experience.

On your day you must have faith in yourself. Because faith is believing one of two things can happen. You will land on something solid.... or you will learn to fly.

Thanks for stopping by.

:-) Mary Eggers