Friday, June 8, 2012

Mahalo

Hawaiian for thanks, gratitude, admiration, praise, esteem, regards, or respects.  

Well... so, back to Ironman talk.  Training for one of these beasts is hard.  Physically and mentally.  The physical part I've been able to endure, but the mental part of it is harder.  You need a support system.  Mine consists of some "boring" but short workouts so I train the mind to overcome that.  Also, I surround myself of friends that can understand what I do and why.  I celebrate my successes and constantly reflect on how to improve what can be improved.  I mix it up... signing up for "fun" events (e.g. Teva). I smile.

The hardest part, I find, is loneliness.  You spend tons of time talking to your mind and encouraging yourself: "You can do this, keep pushing!"  And like I've said before, the life of the weekend-warrior-Ironman-athlete consists of:  eating, working, sleeping, training.  NO MORE. I get lonely.

Luckily for me, I met a wonderful man 3 years ago.  He thinks I'm crazy, but supports me in ways no one else has.  He is the one who gives me a goodnight kiss every night, which makes me smile.  He is the one who lets me cry on his shoulder when things don't go my way and doesn't question my tears, even when they don't make sense.  He is the one who cooks dinner when I'm too tired to even think about food (but he knows I need it).  He is the first and last to wish me good luck on EVERY race.  He is the one who doesn't question why I go to bed at 8pm.  He is the one who doesn't question my diet.  He is the one who is standing at the start line waving at me.  He is the one standing at the finish line waiting to give me a hug.  He is the one cheering me on while I run and reminding me why I do what I do. He is also calm, which rubs off on me. He teaches me how to handle stress. He teaches me new things every day (although he may not know it).  He has seen me at my worst and still stays by my side. He celebrates my successes, and gives me perspective when things don't go so well. But most importantly, he is the one who keeps me company (even if we don't say a word to each other) when I feel lonely. I never feel more at peace than when I sleep by his side as he holds my hand.

So, today, I want to say Mahalo to that one person who helps make my dreams come true and gives me the opportunity to have someone to share life experiences with.  I couldn't be more grateful.  I love you.  I would not be able to do it without you.

Helping to get my bike ready

Pre-race hug

Post-race hug

He helps me conquer the summit! (Which sometimes it's literally a mountain, but sometimes it's just helping achieve a persona goal of mine!)

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