"In order to do something you've never done before, you need to become someone you've never been." -- Chris Hauth
My long term goal as a triathlete -- what I call my why -- is to live an active lifestyle and demonstrate that age is just a number. When I say demonstrate I do not imply an audience of fellow athletes. I include everyone I come in contact with.
The other day at work I received a nice compliment from a co-worker. He said I was doing more than most other guys in their forties, and that he hopes to be like me “when he grows up.” I asked him how old he was and he replied 64. When I told him I was 72 he just about fell off of his chair. He has never seen me swim, bike, or run. What he sees is me coming to work day after day in a wet bathing suit, a sweaty cycling kit, or an even sweatier running singlet. He sees what I eat, and what I don’t eat. What he sees, everyday, is a healthy lifestyle. I hope he and my fellow co-workers realize that there is no reason they cannot do the same.
As good as it is to have a lifestyle goal, I need to be more specific about what I want to accomplish in the coming months. A year turns out to be a comfortable unit of measure. What do I want to accomplish in 2022? Specifically, in terms of my development as an athlete. If my why is to demonstrate that age is just a number, how do I do that?
The simple answer would be to do the things I have always done and am comfortable with. Or, I might fool myself into believing I was open to new experiences by saying I will do whatever comes along that looks interesting. In the past those might have been reasonable answers. Same old same old. A bit of a cop-out, really.
The thing is, 2020 and 2021 have been anything but normal. Working from home. Businesses closed. Races cancelled. Limited workout opportunities. No toilet paper! It was not so long ago that gyms and pools were closed and we were all doing yoga at home.
Things are not quite back to normal, but our situation has improved enough to allow a return to racing. This provides us with a very special opportunity to go beyond the same old same old. After being stuck indoors we can at last go out and do something. We really ought to take advantage of this opportunity and take on a big challenge. An event we were previously unwilling to consider, or something we had never even thought about.
This big challenge does not need to be a race. It could be climbing a mountain, or walking a hundred miles, or swimming the Kaiwi Channel. Being a triathlete, my challenges come in the form of a race. As for what makes it a big challenge, that is personal. What is big for me may be routine for you.
This personal aspect of a challenge is more important than it may seem at first. When choosing a personal challenge we must be careful not to choose something to impress others. Using that approach is likely to result in failure. This is a personal choice. The challenge we commit to must be our own.
If the event is big enough to present a serious challenge it will likely impact the people around us. Friends, family, and work. It will be hard to be successful without their support. We need to be sure to get buy-in up front, and continue to work at maintaining their support throughout our journey.
My big challenge for 2022 is to complete a full Ironman. I love the Honu half Ironman and will take that on as a preparation race. After much head scratching, and with a little help from my friends, I have decided on Ironman Cozumel. Why? It comes in November, the weather conditions are much like Hawaii, and the swim does not require a wetsuit. That is plenty of challenge for me.
Stay tuned for updates on my IM Cozumel challenge. I expect the road to success to include many challenges. I just hope I can overcome them all.