I could never do something like that.
I tend to struggle through my response and stumble over words whenever someone tells me this.
While I was training for Ironman, it would come up a lot. Not just in regard to the race itself, but usually when asked, "So, what did you do this morning for training?" or "How long were you training this past weekend?" The day-in, day-out training time and distance generally elicited this response.
I could never do something like that.
I didn't like to talk a lot about my training this year, unless I was specifically asked, because I didn't feel like what I was doing was anything special. It always meant a lot to me - each milestone along the way reminded me of how far I've come just before it gave way to how far I needed to go. Getting to Ironman was a personal journey for myself, as it is for so many people. I never did it for bragging rights, and never talked about it strictly to get a reaction from people. Everyone sets goals for themselves and no matter how different each one is, I believe we are all on an equal playing field for setting our sights on something that seems beyond our reach, putting our head down to do the work, and getting it done. IM was simply my goal.
After stuttering through lame responses, now the only thing I can ever think to tell someone is also the only truth I know. Yes, you can. You do it one step at a time.
My parents earned everything they have the old fashioned way - they worked hard for it. I never grew up believing in "get rich quick" schemes or "I went from high school dropout to CEO in one month" ideas. I was taught that anything worth having was worth working for. If I wanted something badly enough, I needed to put in the time and do the work and it could be mine. Nothing comes easy.
It's the same way in sport, but it's a lesson I also find I have to remind myself along the way. We put a lot of stock in "natural talent" when it comes to athletes. And certainly, to some extent our body compositions and genetics probably do play a role in the highest successes...say, if we're competing in the Olympics and have a body shape like Michael Phelps or if we're winning the Tour de France and have low lactate levels like Lance Armstrong. But even if an athlete happens to possess a potential competitive advantage in their sport, the hard truth is that they are still doing the work - all of the work. They suffer, sacrifice, and fight for it just like everyone else.
I try to explain to newer friends that it took a year to get to Ironman, and I still only left 22 minutes on the clock behind me. There were many, many steps to get there. I didn't start out swimming 3,500 yds in a single session - it took 15 months to crank out that distance in my 1:15 class. And those first 500 yds in February 2007 hurt. My lungs burned, I was pissed that I was not in my warm bed but instead found myself in a pool at 6am on a winter morning (even if it was my own choice), and I felt like the world's worst and slowest swimmer.
And the bike? I never got comfortable on it. I learned to tolerate it. I actually even enjoyed it at times...but going from 16-20 miles in a session to over 100 miles at a time within 1 year is a not a plan I recommend. The bike and I have a long way to go before our relationship can blossom, but it's worth the effort to get there.
The run is literally one step at a time. In the beginning, it was Run 1 minute, walk 1 minute. Then run 2 and walk 1. And somewhere in the training it became Run 3 hours, but it's almost a blur on how it got to that point.
I don't know if completing a triathlon or running a marathon or riding a century is possible for everyone who tells me they can't - but I do know that if you would've asked me in August 2007 if I would finish an Ironman I would've looked at you like you were crazy. You still would've gotten that same look in April 2008. With every step I got a little closer to my goal because when you are working toward something you have never done before, there are no shortcuts. Every single step counts.
I also don't know if it encourages people or if they let it pass by them in conversation. You do it one step at a time. I hope they hear it in the back of their minds...that place where we mull things over even when we aren't consciously aware of it. I hope that when they see a flier for a local 5K or when they are volunteering at the next Ironman they think, Maybe I can, instead of I could never.
It can be life changing to realize what can be accomplished after taking that first step.
