Rise Up

Our greatest glory is not in never falling, 
but in RISING every time we fall.
Confucius

As some of you know, I competed in the Ironman in 2009. One year prior in August 2008, I DECLARED I was going to compete in the IM 2009. Keep in mind, I had never ridden a bike “clipped in”, swam in open water or participated in a triathlon. That’s right, never competed in a triathlon (not even a sprint).
I have lots of stories to share with you about my IM experience, but I want to share a story today about one of my first longer training rides (2 ½ hour ride). After I had practiced a few times being clipped in and rode some shorter distances, I thought I was ready to ride with a group of cyclists. So, I went on a ride with my coach and a few other athletes.
The ride was really tough…mid 90’s, up and down hills (the climbs were treacherous and the descents were frightening to a new cyclist).
After about an hour and 1/2 , I was fatigued trying to keep up with the experienced cyclists. As the group pulled up to stop at a light, my inexperience at being clipped in showed. I fell over and got skinned my leg up. I got up and shook it off…but, my confidence was a bit shaken.
We kept cycling and the heat was getting worse. I was having a hard time keeping up with the group and was dragging back.
My coach said that was it for the day. He and I were finished and the others went on.
My confidence was shaken as anyone’s would have been. My mind even started to wander…”Oh my Lord, I barely made a two hour ride. How in the world am I going to make six hours plus.”
But, then I caught myself….I made a decision that very day to take my training one day at a time. To not think about a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and a 26.2 mile run all put together. I was going to complete each training day that my experienced coach had assigned me and have faith that if I complete each day, I will be prepared in one year. I also knew that some training days wouldn’t be as good as others…but, I was going to give it my all every day. I remember telling myself “Crush each work-out, Crush the plan”. The mind is powerful and I made a decision that day to use it to my advantage.
We are going to be faced with challenges and fall sometimes, but we must RISE. We must learn from our failures. I looked at that riding day and realized I needed to work on hydrating better. I sweat a lot…and I need to be prepared for the heat and humidity.
I decided to learn from that day, put it behind me and came out more determined on the next ride.
I did work up to 112 mile bike ride (and a 2.4 mile swim before and a marathon after).

I don’t have any special powers. We all have the ability to achieve whatever goals we set. So, whatever your goal, set your mind to it. You will face challenges, learn from them and then RISE UP.