The TALK

As my friend Mary Sunshine says, Coach Rich of Endurance Nation says that you need to have a talk with yourself about what you are going to tell yourself when the going gets tough in the run, usually around mile 18. See Mary's comments at www.ironmanlouisville2008.blogspot.com.

There is probably not a day that has not gone by since August 27, 2007, (the day after last years IM Louisville event, when I signed up for this year's event) that I haven't thought about this race. I probably have run this race in my mind a 100 times in the past 3 months. Lots of people have asked me why you would want to do an endurance event like this. I guess I would have to say that an event like this challenges you both physically and mentally as well. I think about all the people who have come before me and the ones who will come after me and all of their hopes, aspirations and dreams to compete and finish this race. It is a challenge of the heart and soul of a person, to be able do perform a feat that 99.999% of the other people on this planet can't even fathom. I think of all of the people who can't participate either by infirmity or by age. When the pain and agony get unbearable, I think about the sick kids who have leukemia who I have run marathons for in the past, and the terrible disease they carry with them. The pain of my event is NOTHING compared to what these kids have to endure. That thought has carried me to the finish line of more that one marathon and I suspect that the thought process will carry me again on Sunday. I think about the words "Don't Give Up". I think about people who didn't give up, who when they got to the end of their rope, they tied a knot in it and hung on. I think about the pain being temporary but the glory of the race and the finish is forever. And finally I look at some of my new tri friends like Mary Sunshine who obiviously have had trials and tribulations in their lives and yet they keep moving forward and they keep coming back again for more. These people are my heroes, the ones I am amazed at, the ones that keep me going at mile 23...24...25...when the going get tough....just remember "Don't Give UP!!" The Good Lord will not give you anymore that you can handle. For all of you athletics who are participating on Sunday, I think this will be your finest hour(s) including you Mary Sunshine. So when you see me out on the run course Sunday afternoon and evening at mile 18 and beyond, you will know what I am thinking....what keeps me going, what Coach Rich calls...The TALK.