Yesterday, Coach Chris sent out a message about the famed Kona Ironman that’s coming up this October in Kona, Hawaii USA.

This race is what kicked off the popularity of triathlons worldwide. (In case you were wondering, the race was “invented” in 1978 in Hawaii).

And the NBC presentation of the Ironman was where I first fell in love with the sport and all the stories, from the winners to the purpose-driven profiled athletes (the show will air in early December… it used to be better but still well worth watching).

So many of our subscribers and customers are not Iron-men and women, and I want to point out a few things:

In some circles, there is an underlying pressure to do an Ironman. You did an Olympic distance? Great! When will you do an Ironman? Then there’s your coworkers:

Cowoker: “So you did an Ironman last weekend??”
You: “No, it was a Half Ironman”
Coworker: “Oh they have those too? Did you win?”
You: “Uhh… half the distance still takes 9 hours if you’re fast… and no I didn’t win 🙁 “

And then there’s training mates. Within every training group, there are at least a couple of people who have their sights on Ironman Kona.

Well that’s great for them, but no need to feel like that has to be your goal as well. Your goals are for you, not to impress anyone else.

The pressure is all around to complete the big one. But very few people actually qualify for the IM Kona.

Think about a few things when it comes to your own triathlon goals:

– “Only” doing sprint triathlons is more than 99% of the population does!

– Racing is a journey, not a destination. Okay maybe you have a “destination race”, but the week-by-week training is where you will spend your time, getting the little things to add up to big results.

– Growth is what this is all about. Whatever your goals are. Maybe you just want to be healthy and fit, and enjoy yourself in the process, or maybe you want to win the Ironman- either way, you are on a path of growth- and this is what deserves a pat on the back.

No, you may not be an “Ironman”, but then again, you may be much more. 🙂

I leave you today with this quote, by one of the greatest Ironman athletes of our time:

“Live…More than your neighbors.
Unleash yourself upon the world and go places.
Go now. Giggle, no, laugh.
No… stay out past dark,
And bark at the moon like the wild dog that you are.
Understand that this is not a dress rehearsal.
This is it… your life.
Face your fears and live your dreams.
Take it in.
Yes, every chance you get… come close.
And, by all means, whatever you do… Get it on film.”
― Chrissie Wellington, A Life Without Limits: A World Champion’s Journey