Believing That You Can

I think by now that it is pretty obvious that I am the one who should be sitting there next to Rowdy Gaines commentating on these games.

After his epic swim last night Phelps told the reporter "You just have to believe that you can." (and then he said Mary that again was for YOU!) And that, right there is perhaps the greatest lesson of these Olympics.

Believe that you can.

Much of my life I have been told what I can't do. Maybe that's been your story as well. But I found what I can in fact do, in the pool as a youth and for the better part of my adult life, in the arena of multisport.

Sure my results have had their ups and downs. I have not had a solid 70.3 race in a few years. One of the greatest defining moments of my career ..... to myself.... was nailing my race at Ironman Florida in 2007.

And it was because I believed that I could.

I didn't win the race, but I won the race against myself.

Those kinds of challenges are what bring me back to the starting line. Yes I have won a few races this season, I have a had a pretty good season to date. But those wins, those seemingly good results were clouded. It was not my best.

My best is yet to come this season.

I watch these Olympics because I learn from these athletes. I learn that what is supposed to be logical, what is supposed to be impossible..... is possible. For a good bit of time, even to the wall it appeared that Phelps had been beaten. It came down to one one hundredth of one second. Phelps kept believing that he could and he did not give up. He literally swam through the wall. Call it luck..... I believe that was one darn lucky race for our golden boy...... but from start to finish, even though he had put himself in a 7th place hole at the first turn..... he believed that he could.

Now eyes will shift a bit as another amazing athlete takes center stage. 41 year old Dara Torres. Another athlete who has taught me so much over the years, but especially the past year.

Why is Torres in the position she's in? She believes that she can. And last night she had the fastest time in the 50 meter semifinals. That seeds her first. This is a woman who stays the hell out of her head and swims from her heart. She puts her head down and swims her ass off.

And that's what makes champions.

Logically this shouldn't be happening but yet again we see that logic isn't always what we should listen to. What we should listen to is that inner voice however big or small it may be that says that we can. That holds that ray of light. While logic can be piles on top of us saying we can't..... as long as there is the hope that we can........ we sure will.