The mental game

While the highlight of my week might be that I have stayed below 160 lbs all week, the highlight of the day is most definitely my Ladies' Choice Sprint Triathlon time. Remember I set a goal of just under an hour?

Well....(drum roll, please)....I did it in 58:52 and most impressively was that I ran the 2 mile run at a 9:00 min mile pace! I'm not a 9 min mile runner especially not after a 400 yard swim and an 8 mile bike ride! Just a few months ago when I started running again I was running 2 miles at barely an 11 min mile and that was on fresh legs! Now many of my training runs are below that and I'm setting my new goal to a 10 min mile and wondering, could it one day be a 9?

If you're not into racing, you might not understand my excitement or constant goal setting. But here's the secret straight from the mouth of a behavior analyst: in order to get to where I want to go, I'm going to have to work hard and in order to work hard, I'm going to need to be motivated. Racing myself IS my motivation (although high-fives and cheers from spectators are pretty awesome too). Meeting personal goals and recognizing that you are stronger than you thought, is a huge motivator and aiming for that elusive Ironman is the biggest motivator I could have.

This race actually awakened something in me that I have never felt before. I've always known I was stronger than I thought and that I could push myself further than I expected, but part of me always disagreed, part of me always whispered you have limits.

As I fought with crazy winds that made my bike move sideways while going up a hill and pushed myself to sprint to the finish so I could beat my goal, I broke free from that part of me that I feel has been holding me back for months. Working out, losing weight, living life...it's partly physical, but it's also very much a mental game.

Today I feel like I have broken down some of the self-defeating words my mind feeds itself.

Yeah, I have physical limits, but today I realized my mind had set those limits way too low. Today, I stepped away from the notion that I could never be a sub-10 min mile runner, that I could never place during a race (I placed 4th in my age group!), that I could never weigh 140 lbs or have a rock-solid body. Today I felt confident that I COULD become that person, that I could complete in an ironman AND, more importantly, look like one.

An ironman might not be your dream, but we could all benefit from a battle with our own demons and trust me, you are way stronger than they are!