By the time I got to the full IronMan on June 28th, I was in top, physical condition, and I was ready to go. Some friends were also competing, so that made it really exciting, as well.
The idea of a 2.4 mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride, and a 26.2 mile run was not daunting to me, at all. I knew I could do it. I just needed to move smoothly through my race plan.
I had done all the mental, emotional, and physical preparation that I needed to do. In fact, I breezed through the swim. It was actually the best swim of my life.
I can’t even say that I tried hard while completing it.
The swim felt like a relaxing, meditative, snorkeling experience, even though I was moving very quickly and being jostled about by hundreds of other bodies who were in the water with me.
The reason that I felt this way is because I was conscious of and operating in both my healer and my warrior, simultaneously.
My entire approach was to simply pace myself and take care of myself instead of pushing myself as hard as I could.
Preparing For The IronMan Taught Me So Much About Self Love
I’d run 8 miles and swum 2. Afterwards, I relaxed by the pool with a Mimosa!
Prior to starting this season of life, I took care of everyone else, first.
Whatever my daughters and wife needed, I would provide, quickly.
Whatever my clients needed that I could provide, I did.
Those things are all good, but what I found was that I also had been neglecting my own self care, to some extent.
As the IronMan race neared, I often got massages, every day, if my legs were knotted and wanted attention.
I ate better because that is what my body required and craved.
The process of overcoming mindset challenges of unworthiness was amazing.
I was able to eventually overcome those limitations and break through to a place where I respected myself, loved myself completely, and lived prosperously in every area.
Previously, it was a challenge to tell people what I wanted or my birthday.
Suffice it to say that I don’t have that issue, anymore. 😉
The Transition To The Bike Ride Was Amazing, As Well
I felt amazing coming out of the swim!
When I got out of the water, I was smiling. I felt incredible.
The first quarter was pretty easy. The second loop was pretty tough, but I made it. During the third leg, I began to think about cutoffs and realized that I wasn’t as clear about the cutoff as I wanted to be.
At the end of the next loop, I got some food to fuel my body and to assist with any stomach concerns I might have.
I was told that I had more than enough time to do what I needed to do without rushing.
According to my calculations, I had about an hour and fifteen minutes of surplus time.
And here is where I set in motion a chain of events that led to my not completing the race.
Considering the amount of time I thought I had, I stayed and talked with the man who gave me information for longer than was optimal.
Up to that point, I had competed as easefully as I could. It was incredibly hot that day.
The air temperature was 106-108 degrees, and the heat off the asphalt was 140 degrees.
By the time I got back into the ride, I could feel the temperature change. But I was still moving pretty well even with the mild fatigue that had begun to to set in.
By the time I settled into my final loops, it seemed that the hills were twice as steep, and it felt like the ride was uphill – both ways.
The distance felt three times as long, the loop looked just a little foreign, even though I’d been riding it for a while. Even the aid stations felt further apart than they had been, before.
Other triathletes know just what I mean.
I Ended Up Pushing Hard Through The Last Stages Of The Bike Ride
I had incredible support at every leg of the race!
Around mile 90, my feet felt like they were swelling inside of my shoes, so I stopped at an aid station, took off my shoes, got water, and even sat in a chair for a bit, which was awesome.
Before heading back out, I put my shoes back on, went to the bathroom, and put ice into my shirt so that I could better regulate my body temperature.
Once back out in the race, someone told me that I had way less time than I thought I had.
Basically, he and I were going to have to average at least 14 miles per hour to get back and transition to the run without missing the cut off time.
As I did the math, all I could think was, “Holy shit!” I had 40-something miles to travel in an hour and a half!
So, I started pushing with everything I had. I could not conserve anything. And all around me, people were dropping like flies.
There were piles of bikes lining the road, and I made the decision to just GO. A few times, I was just out there yelling, “FUCK!! Arrrgggghhhhhh!!”
My legs were absolutely burning, and I was getting angry.
My emotions were all over the place.
The amount of dedication to get through that last stretch was beyond anything I had ever done in my life. Even on the downhill stretches, I was pedalling, hard.
At three miles out, I heard someone ahead of me say, “GOOOOO!!!” I appreciated the encouragement, but I wasn’t sure that I could do it in 9 minutes.
As I passed him, he said, “Dude, GO! You got 8 minutes!”
On the final uphill sprint, both of my legs started cramping in ways that I didn’t think were possible. I learned about muscle groups I didn’t even know I had, that day.
But guess what?
I made it with 30 seconds to spare.
I Cried So Emotionally Once I Crossed The Finish Line Of The Bike Race
Once I was told I missed the cutoff, I was DEVASTATED – for a moment.
I don’t even know what all the tears were about, but it was emotional as hell to finish in the way that I did.
It took me a little bit to get my legs to stop cramping, and I had to completely stop moving to do it…but once I did, I was ready to race, again.
I changed out of my bike gear and into my running clothing, went to thank my support team and children (and my beautiful wife, Megan), and then I headed out to the run.
Having an official come up to me and give me the cutoff sign was the shock of the century.
He said, “Yeah, you’re done. Time cutoff for this transition was over two minutes ago.”
I was so confused for a couple of moments. I’d had no idea that there even was a time cutoff during the transition.
If I had, I would have just forced my way through the pain and gotten out on the run a lot faster.
Ultimately, What I Got To Learn Was There Is No Failure. There Is Only Feedback…
Once it hit me what had happened, and once I processed all the work I’d done to get to the point of even competing in an IronMan, I wept.
There was anger, sadness, disappointment, embarrassment, heartbreak, and so many emotions.
As I allowed the feelings to pass through me, I reached a place of peace and knowing that everything is always perfect.
I didn’t understand how or why, but I did trust that Spirit knows, as I will, one day, too.
What happened out here was for the best and highest good for me and for whoever was on the journey with me.
I got to see whatever was next.
As of right now, it’s likely that, in the next few months, I will compete in another IronMan.
Earlier, I Mentioned The Fact That I Did Not Have The Right Gear When I Started This Process Of IronMan Preparation
I told you earlier that I wanted to swing back around to this.
When I started, I didn’t have what I needed to compete in an IronMan race.
What I found was that, as I moved forward in the journey, I GOT what I needed. Slowly but surely, I figured it out, along the way.
It’s almost impossible to know exactly what you will need for your own journey until you get out there and start doing the work.
It doesn’t matter whether you are prepping for an intense, physical competition or if you are creating your first, complex sales funnel.
No matter what it is, it requires you getting in motion, first, and what you really need in terms of equipment or tools will be revealed as the commitment is made and the work gets done.
I am well on my way, now…
…and I would like to invite you along with me.
As of today, I am making more money that I have ever made. I am more confident in my ability to sell and close than I have ever been.
My daughters came to the IronMan to support me. I am a blessed man.
Physically, I am in tremendous shape.
I have systems and processes in place for just about everything.
My wife and I have a very dynamic, healthy, sexy, happy relationship, and I have great relationships with my children, friends, and family members.
My clients are getting tremendous value out of their work with me; they are leveling up in their lives faster and more effectively than before.
And all of this started with a commitment.
Won’t you join us?
Maybe you won’t compete in an Ironman like I did. But maybe you will.
Regardless of what you choose to do, you can start living your very best life, right now.
I provide coaching that is transformational, and if you want that, start by clicking right here, right now.
If you want to be part of what we are doing inside of my private Facebook group, called Limitless Legion, you can click right here to join us.
This journey called life can be so beautiful and amazing if you allow it to be so. I never knew just how good I could stand it, but now that I am getting an idea of it, I will never return to a life of settling or complacency.
Thank you for reading my IronMan story.
I look forward to sharing what comes next, soon!
