Just keep going

Just keep going:

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Just keep going.

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That’s what I told myself all week.

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Just keep going.

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I had the biggest training week of my life.

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Here was the schedule.

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Monday - supposed to be 1.5 hr bike but was tired after biking 140k on Saturday and running 22.5k Sunday, so took a rest day.

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Tuesday - 1 hr swim nonstop.

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Wednesday - 45 min open water swim.

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Thursday - 1.5 hr bike + 1 hr run.

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Friday - 45 min open water swim.

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Saturday - 6-hour bike.

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Sunday - 3.5 hr run.

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Absolutely insane volume.

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These numbers used to seem impossible to me.

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How can you bike for 6 hours straight?

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How can I swim for an hour straight?

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Impossible.

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Yet here I am.

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Just finished it.

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And my body is feeling surprisingly good.

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Bit of ankle soreness after the run, but overall, not bad.

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Doesn’t mean it was easy.

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Far from it.

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Saturday was the worst.

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Most difficult workout of my entire life.

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Started out strong.

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First 50k was fine.

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Next 40k was a struggle.

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Was running low on my nutrition. 

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Legs started feeling sore.

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But still had 50k left to get home.

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Started the ride in 32 degree heat with the sun beating down on me when the wind started to pick up.

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40k/hr winds.

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Right in my face.

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So for the next 2 hours I had to bike up and down hills in super hot conditions with the wind in my face the whole way back.

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I wanted to cry.

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I wanted to break down.

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I wanted to stop.

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But I kept pushing.

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Kept telling myself.

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Just keep going.

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Even if it takes you forever, don’t stop.

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So I did.

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Just like Dory said.

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Just keep swimming.

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Even when it hurts.

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Even when it sucks.

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Even when you want to cry.

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Just keep going.

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That’s been my motto this whole journey.

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Wake up.

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Look at the workout you have to do.

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Finish that.

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Don’t focus on tomorrow.

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Don’t focus on the weekend.

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Don’t look too far ahead.

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Focus on today.

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Where you are.

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Do what you have to do today.

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That’s it.

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Then slowly watch.

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And see how far you’ll come.

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I’ve done all of this in 6 months.

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6 months from zero.

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And now we’re here.

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Training 6 days a week.

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Biking for 6 hours straight.

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Running casual half marathons every week for months.

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I can’t believe it.

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Genuinely.

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This journey has been unbelievable.

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Truly didn’t think I could get this far.

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Yet here we are.

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3 weeks away from completing an Ironman.

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3.8k swim.

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180k bike.

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42.2k run.

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All together.

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No break in between.

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It’s a feat so insane that less than 0.01% of the population has ever completed it.

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Less than a million people in history.

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They all needed something to keep them going.

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When the pain gets too much and you want to quit, how are you going to show up?

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How are you going to get through it?

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What are you truly made of?

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Remember a friend who completed one a few years back said to me - 

This journey is not about completing the actual race.

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It’s about the person you become along the way.

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You’ll find out if you’re an Ironman during training.

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Not on race day.

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Race day is a celebration.

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It’s a celebration of the commitment you made and the hours upon hours of time you put in when no one was there but you.

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He’s right.

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The journey to get here, even this week, feels like nothing short of a miracle.

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One of the only things that got me here was this.

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You are so much more capable than you think.

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Can do so much.

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Accomplish so much.

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Push your body so much more than you believe.

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Don’t limit yourself.

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Even when it’s hard.

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Even when you want to quit.

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Even when you’re body is screaming at you to stop.

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Just keep going.

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