The Heart of the Matter

It's not the sticks or the stone, but the heart that makes the home.

James Kelly

I find it harder and harder to tri. Some days my heart just isn't in it. The crazy part is that if I force myself to get out there, I always feel better for it.

There have been a couple of times during an Ironman event when I have run with athletes whose abilities far outweigh mine. The only reason we ran together on those days is that their day was falling apart and mine had stayed somewhat in tact.

One pulled out of the race at about two km. His reason, it just wasn't his day and he didn't feel like going on. I had run with this person for the first two km and I came to realize that he was embarrassed at his performance. Not because he hadn't tried as hard as he possibly could, but at what his peers would say after, if he finished with a big number on the board. He had the heart, but let his head and what others thought take away his finish.

The other I came across at about the thirty km point and as I shuffled past her I offered some small encouragement. "Good work" I huffed. "Oh, I'm having a bad day" she said. "You're doing OK" I threw over my shoulder. "Not when you're a pro" she countered. "You gonna finish?" I asked. "Well, I know my sponsors don't want me to have a bad time on my record, but I don't want to have a DNF on my mind, so yea, however long it takes, I'm going to finish."

I liked that attitude a lot. No matter what her head told her, it was overruled by the heart.

I watched Lisa Bentley cross the line in Hawaii this year, bringing a young man's dream of crossing a finish line with her.

Follow your heart, even if it leads you over the finish a little slower than you had hoped.

Patience

There is no struggle so great that it cannot be overcome with a kind word.

James Kelly

Why is it so hard some days to just live? You know the kind of day I'm talking about? Maybe you're a little short on cash, maybe the job didn't go so well today, maybe your car is old or at least older than the guy's next door. Maybe it's a day you realize how old you really are. I guess we are all looking for the fast track to our dreams. I don't know what the big hurry is. I'm still trying to figure out what my dream may be.

I blame computers in part. Everybody has to have a faster one. You barely get a new one when a better one is available. All that really means is that you're gonna be calling the help desk a lot faster because you can't figure out why your new computer isn't working. There are those days when you're not feeling quite yourself and you don't accomplish a damn thing. You look back on that day and say, man that was a waste.

If anything, triathlon teaches patience. On those race days when you are really struggling, do you look at it as a waste or another lesson learned? You have to find a way to learn a lesson on those bad days during your regular life. Focus on something other than what is causing you grief and be patient. You never know, while you're looking the other way, you just might discover your dream.