"Then you start wondering, as you might every year, what did that person sacrifice to do this?"
There are a lot of things I sacrificed but more importantly, there are a lot of people who sacrificed for me. I can never say thanks enough, but I'm going to give it a shot.
Coach: I initially was hiring Elizabeth with the intention of doing Ironman a few years ago, but I got too scared to even sign up so I hired her to coach me to a better marathon time. And she did--a 6 minute PR. When Dave and I visited her a year ago she saw me swim and said she would make me a triathlete. She knew how important doing an Ironman was to me. She pushed me (gently) and now here I am. Thank you for helping me to believe in myself and making me the athlete I've always wanted to be. (The picture is a joke. I HATED to ride my bike when I started this journey.)Dave: I'm not going to lie, training for an Ironman is tough on a marriage. Last year when he trained alone we fought a lot. This year we have fought less but it's still been tough. Nothing gets done around the house. We spend no time together, besides working out. And to add more stress, we got a dog nine months ago. But, I have really enjoyed having someone to train with on occasion and someone to commiserate with. We are not going to know what to do with ourselves when all of this is over. :)
My Family: I feel like I've lost a year in the life of my nieces and nephews. We have tried our hardest to attend at least one of their baseball/softball games, wrestling matches, basketball games, etc. We try to attend family functions, often rearranging our workout schedules. My family has been really accommodating in putting up with our training and realizing that we're just not that available. I'm looking forward to seeing them on the course this weekend. My mom had surgery on both her knees just a few weeks ago and will be on the course. My sister and I have had a rocky relationship our entire lives and she'll be there this weekend. I can't say it to her face, but it means A LOT to me that she'll be there. Thanks for putting up with me. :)
My Friends: My friends didn't really understand me with the whole "running thing." They really don't get me with Ironman. I haven't seen my "real life" friends in a year. It's a goal of mine after the race to get my friends back. Expect the phone calls soon. To all my real and virtual friends, thanks for supporting me. Your comments and encouragement mean the world to me.
My Clients: Had I known how quickly and successfully my business was going to grow, doing an Ironman this year may not have been a good idea. Many of my clients have no idea that I'm doing an Ironman. That's a good thing, I think; means I'm doing my job right. For all my clients, thanks for being patient with me. Thank you for leaving messages and emails and allowing me to get back to you on my time. I'm looking forward to seeing how the business grows without the stress of Ironman.
And to all of those who don't fall into those categories, thank you, thank you, thank you for putting up with me. I know I'm sick of talking about Ironman and I'm sure you're sick of hearing about it. Thank you for your patience, kindness, and encouragement. Thank you for sacrificing with me.
5 comments:
This post, and I am being completely honest, is one of the best post I have read in a long time. As triatheltes, we often get "consumed" in our own little world. No one understands what or why we do things, even we question our own dreams. Yet, though it is a "single person sport", we tend to lose focus of the support "staff" that accompanies us along the journey. Without the support of others, our dreams would be alot more difficult to achieve. I just love this post of thanking everyone that supported you along your journey.
It is SO important to write this post and thank these people. You are so blessed to have so many wonderful people in your life who support you. I'm also so glad to see that you see the toll that this sport can take on your life and relationships.
Let me offer this small unsolicited piece of advice for the future - if you're not CAREFUL, this sport can snowball and start to kind of take over your life (not implying that's you at all - just saying from my own experience). I've been down that road before and it ain't pretty. What I learned [the rip-your-guts-out-hard kind of way] is that there is NOTHING more important in your life than those people who have made all of those incredible sacrifices for you. There is NOTHING that is worth putting your marriage on the back burner for. Without those people to share your life with, medals/results/accomplishments/a muscular body/sponsorships really doesn't mean much of anything at all.
When I look back on what I missed out on and WHO I missed out on, I have many regrets. But the good news is that I have learned, changed, and made amends. Now my actions and time spent are a much truer reflection of my priorities and I am a better mom/wife/daughter/sister/aunt/friend than an athlete. There aren't podiums for that, but the rewards are much, much sweeter.
Meredith--as a non-athlete, this was very interesting for me to read. I've wondered how you (meaning anyone doing a triathlon or something similar) have time for it and anything else, and now I see that you kind of don't ;-) I think it's great that you are recognizing the support of your family and others, and wish you the best of luck!
I can't believe I beat Dave :)
Just kidding.
Meredith, you have made my job very easy. You set out with passion for a goal and knew that to get there it was going to take work. Setting the goal is the easy part, doing the day to day hard/boring/painful work is where most people get off track. You focused, you got it done.
I've told you many times that I know you will do whatever it takes to get to that finish line because - like all of the things in your life (marathoning, your business) you have a competitive drive that not many can match, along with the smarts and confidence to see yourself through.
Enjoy every mile of the race this weekend. You've earned it. Celebrate yourself & your journey out there.
Wow girlfriend! I think the most important thing you can do in life is be grateful and give thanks. We are so lucky that we all can choose what we do with our time, how we spend our lives, and who we share it with. :)
Post a Comment