Know Your Why

When I first confessed my desire to train for the Ironman distance just over two years ago, I didn't really know why. I guess I just had this gut feeling of it being "something I needed to do." I knew I missed the sport of triathlon, yet the thought of the shorter events didn't appeal to me.  I wanted something a bit more challenging, perhaps beyond what I thought I was easily capable of doing. My gut instinct turned out to be a good one and I was blessed to have a GREAT first experience at completing the 140.6 distance last fall!!!

This year, I'm carrying with me those happy thoughts and memories to the starting line of my 2nd go at Beach 2 Battleship Full, as well as another full season's worth of confidence in my training and mental-physical preparedness. While the general spirit of the day will be the same-- have fun, do my best, relish the journey-- I'm also asking a little more of myself this time around. Finishing is a huge accomplishment anyway you put it, but I can't help but to want to  strive for more, to stretch the limits of what I THINK I can do and see what my body is truly capable of. 

Ironman is a long day and can be a roller coaster ride of emotions. Knowing and expecting the highs and lows is one thing, having a plan in how to navigate and push through them is another. Last year prior to the Patriot's Half, Coach Jim shared a thought that has stuck with me ever since and one that I reflect on often: 

Know why you are out there pushing Kristen...it helps having that solidly in your mind before the start of the race so that you can revisit it often and successfully during the race."

Why am I out there pushing? I suppose that's a complicated and complex answer, and a question we would each uniquely respond to. That being said, here are a few of my "whys" going into Saturday's race:

• Love of the sport: Training makes me incredibly happy!! I definitely think the saying "Love what you do and never work a day in your life" rings true for here. I've heard a lot of comments on how ironman training can feel like a 2nd full time job, and while I definitely acknowledge it IS time consuming and it CAN make life more stressful at times, I've never thought of it as a burden. In my eyes, it's just the opportunity to spend more time doing what I love, more opportunities to generate happy vibes (endorphins!!!!) 😊 Sure, there are days that are more work, less play, but I do believe a high level of enjoyment is the foundation of working hard and maintaining a high level of motivation over the long haul. I seek to remind myself of that often and more especially in the more challenging moments.

• Striving for peace with myself and my body: For the longest time, I was at war with myself and with my body. On top of the endorphins benefits, focusing on performance has gone a long ways in building greater confidence in my overall body image and attitude towards food and nutrition. The more I focus on fueling for performance, the less I worry about my weight and overall body composition.  With time I've learned (and comes to term with) that by nourishing my body with quality fuel to support the high levels of training, my weight & body composition will fall where it is meant to be.

Endurance sports = a constant source of sunshine in my life. Literally though, those endorphins are pretty powerful :)

Somehow still smiling at the completion of one VERY long and tiring yet amazing training week earlier this summer.

• Faith in action: A major reason I'm out there competing is because I feel as if I'm called to do so.  It's my faith that gave me the courage to take up such a large endeavor of a goal, and my faith that keeps me moving throughout the ups and downs that sports can present. It's not something I can do on my own, which I'm certain is a major part of the appeal, and the mantra I turn to the most on race days is without a doubt "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." The challenges strengthen my faith and help me to draw closer to God. It's humbling and uplifting all at the same time.

• It teaches you to overcome: In endurance sports, you learn how to "roll with the punches" and overcome the unexpected in regards to challenges or detours. I can't tell you how many times I've relied on the mental strength I've build from pushing through hard workouts to push through harder days life-wise. Perspective can go a long ways! 

Through endurance sports, you are learning to see yourself as someone who can choose to engage in difficult things, get through them, and evolve in consequential ways.

• To celebrate life and become the best version of myself: sports have a unique way of teaching us life lessons that allow us to be better, kinder, more committed and hard working individuals overall. I recently read this article "Endurance Sports Will Make You a Better, Calmer Person," and I couldn't agree more (at least in regards to myself). As insane as I think (KNOW) the training is some days, I know deep down that the high level of physical activity is what keeps me (somewhat) sane overall. It keeps me HAPPY (see above) and balanced, a more pleasant and patient person to be around. It allows me to have greater focus and productivity in the long-term and perform better in my career. It forces me to stop and slow down and celebrate the simple ability of being able to push and challenge my body. Goals are great and I'm definitely a goal-driven individual, but I also have to acknowledge that at the end of the day, participating in sports helps me to be the best version of myself.​​

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Pre-Race Thoughts

I'll keep this short and sweet: I am going into the race with greater over fitness than last year, feeling better rested in general, and feeling at peace while overflowing with excitement to get out there and race. In many ways, I'm sad the race is already here and that my season will soon be coming to a close (it's been fun!) I'm not sure how I can put in such hard work towards a race and still get to race week feeling THIS excited and fresh, but I suppose that's the magic of quality coaching + a genuine love of the sport. And as coach would say, that's a wicked awesome combination 😉 

Thanks for reading and following along in my journey this season! If you want to track me on Saturday I'm bib # 530 and you can follow along here. 

"Never, ever give up. And smile!"
- Chrissie Wellington

Now you tell me: what's your "why" ?