Getting Closer

This is coming to you from an airplane.  I’m somewhere over Kansas or maybe western Missouri.  Not 100% sure.  What I am 100% sure about is I just read nearly 50 pages in the “You Are an Ironman” book and while I’m not quite done with it, I’m getting goosebumps and chills down my spine.

We’re in week 14 of Ironman training.  The journey so far has been nothing short of incredible.  For all the mishaps along the way, the road rash from the crashes we’ve had on the bike, the “missed” training sessions due to life, the sore muscles and occasional limping, the journey has been, dare I say, magical?

To top it off, for the last month and a half, I’ve been immersed in Q400 systems and procedures, attempting to better myself and my family by becoming an airline captain.

In the next month, life will simply be a whirlwind.  We’re hitting peak training, which means over 300 miles of riding (and that’s just outside) plus some long runs (16-18 miles) and ridiculous swim sessions.  Top it off with the fact that I’m going to be taking my oral exam Saturday and my checkride on October 15^th, starting IOE shortly after, and this month is going to fly by at a terrifying rate.  It makes me look back on this year, reflect upon what I’m doing.

If Ironman training has taught me anything, it’s taught me patience.  It’s taught me that patience can only come from within.  You cannot rely on others for it.  In our hectic 24/7 world, with internet everywhere and cars to transport us to the local grocery store, it’s good to step back, breathe, and be patient.  Be patient with yourself, be patient with others.  Take each day one at a time.  Don’t expect results immediately, and don’t push yourself to the point of the brink.  I forget this from time to time.  In fact, if you read my Twitter profile, I have a note that says “usually impatient”.  But I’ve been striving to improve in that department.

The one other thing that is utterly amazing to me is the support we’ve had on this journey.  I have a rough estimate that there will be over 100 people supporting us on race day.  There will be 10+ people down there on the course cheering us on.  Even my parents and her parents, who have no interest in triathlon, will be there supporting us.  There will be teammates watching on the Ironman tracking website, and even more will be using a live tracking program to see how we’re doing.  It’s nothing short of incredible.  So many people have a vested interest in my survival that day. 

For now, I have an easier week of training, mercifully.  I have my oral exam Saturday and for those of you who regularly read our blog, you know that I take this very seriously.  I will study hard, and I will pass.  Then, I will resume the journey.