Never accept what you think to be truth with out challenging it again and again

I always accepted the fact that a marathon was to far to run. The Ironman was for the "real" athletes. I fella like me should not attempt such a race. The people that could do Ironman were the really gifted men and women. They hurt less. They used personal resources much more efficiently. They had all the best gear. They had been athletes all of their life. I thought this to be true.

I had only known two Ironman finishers well. Jen and Sean. Both of them were at the top of the local tri scene. If Jen lost, it was to women named Flicker or Deboom. I honestly don't remember Sean loosing. These were my impressions of Ironman. I had no business going there.

In 1999 the three of us went to Medford, Mass for a Kona qualifier. It was my first Long course race(1.2 mile swim, 38mile bike, 9,3 mile run). It was hard, but I finished and had a good time. But it was nothing compared to Ironman I thought.

In 2005 I decided to finally try a half. I knew I could do it. I worked hard, got really nervous, and went out a ran a good race. As I finished I said, "I can do more!". I put in another season of training for the half and signed up for IMUK in '06.

Through all of my training I constantly broke through barriers of doubt. The belief that "I couldn't do it" was so deep, that it never completely vanished until I started running onto The Sherborn Castle grounds 14 hours 30 odd minutes after the canon sounded. At that moment Every thing I had ever believed about not being able to do an Ironman vanished. At that moment any doubt that I had ever had in my life vanished. "Anything is Possible" they say in Ironman.

Much of what I learned growing up is true. Much is not. Much of my life has been spent trying to find out what is real and what is not. Sometimes I get hurt, and sometimes I get lost. But somehow I always land on my feet, or at least I am able to get back up off my ass.

Some of what I have seen is downright disturbing and sometimes I wonder how I stay half sane( I maintain that I am not crazy, just a bit silly). Most of the time much of what I see is amazing. It makes me happy that I am where I am.

I believe in magic. I believe in things that don't make any sense. I believe everything I was taught was meant to be questioned. I believe that truth can change. I believe that I should continue to question every thing I believe. I believe that every one of us can be everything we hope to be, and everyone of us has things about us that we could have never imagined.

Just because we accept something to be true doesn't mean it is. Challenging what we have already accepted as truth will allow us to do the impossible.

It's time to make my goals for '08.