“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act. But a habit.”
(Will Durant)
Last weekend, John and I traveled to Lake Placid to watch and volunteer at the second oldest Ironman in North America. So, you know what that means…
Yup, I’m doing IMLP again. Third time is a charm. Back to where my love affair with the 140.6 began, and (hopefully) back to where I will take my long course racing to the next level.
After I successfully registered for the 2013 race (which was no small feat considering I left my ID at home), I tweeted: “I’m in for IMLP 2013. 365 days to make the magic happen.”
And that’s just it: There is NO magical shift on race day that turns us from zero to hero. As athletes, we have to make that magic happen through consistent and purposeful training in the weeks and months leading into race day.
If we consistently shorten our workouts, or give in when it gets tough, that’s what we will do on race day. Last weekend, we saw people who decided it was too much, that they couldn’t push through the pain. Sadly, their day ended before they got to the finish line.
And, we saw other people who pushed through extraordinary pain, like the athlete who had clearly crashed on his bike. His right shoulder appeared to be dislocated, and he was covered in bloody road rash. We saw him on the first loop of the run. He was grunting from the pain. He kept his eyes forward and focused on the ground ahead. We saw him on the second loop of the run, less than two hours later. He became an Ironman that day. He made the magic happen through an incredible set of circumstances.
We are what we repeatedly do.
If we stay tough in training, we will stay tough on race day.
When I talk with first-timers (either their first triathlon or their first ironman), and I see the anxiety on their face, I tell them what someone told me before my first Ironman: “Race day is celebration day. You’ve done the work. Get out there and celebrate it.”
And that’s the truth. The training is the hard part. It requires discipline, commitment, and perseverance to train day in, day out, and to make the sacrifices that come with that training.
But, in order to reach our goals, we have to foster a habit of making choices in training that will allow us to make that magic happen on race day. And, this is the same whether your goal is to finish or to go faster.
We achieve race day excellence through our excellent training habits. That’s where the magic is.
