Journey to Kona Day 176: Having Fun

I looked at the pictures of myself crossing the finish line at the Santa Rosa 70.3 on Saturday and I saw pure joy.  Looking at my face and my body told me everything I needed to know about why I participate in this crazy sport of ironman.  There is no question but that I was having fun, at least in that moment!  A minute before, I was rounding the bend, grunting so loudly to mask the pain and to force myself to focus on getting to the finish line.  As I hit the home stretch, I had caught up to a 59 year old guy who'd I'd been trading places with for some time.  I kicked it, literally, into high gear and "sprinted" towards the finish line.  I was ignoring my body and just letting it loose.  I recently experienced this feeling at a local 5K, and realized that no matter how tired I was, no matter what my legs were telling me, if I willed myself to relax and just run fast, I could, at least for about a hundred yards.  I'm not sure how much further I could have run at that pace and effort, but I know that I felt like I looked as I crossed the finish line. At least for the moment!  Immediately upon stopping, I felt the weight of the race, although not like I have at some full ironman's where I literally have to sit or lie down for a half an hour.

This is my idea of fun.  It's great to have the photo, as it can be a constant reminder to me about what really matters.  The feeling of "enjoyment" that comes with giving a race a solid effort, is one that I am reminded of when I actually race.  Maybe it's the reason some people race often.  I know it makes me want to race more.  This feeling is definitely something that I need to embrace.  I spend way too much time being too serious.  I've been like that my whole life, wanting solve the problems of the world, or to help solve the problems of my family and friends.  Instead of that, I could be keeping in the moment and having fun.  In some ways, I'm trying to translate this to my day to day life and "work," as I try to decide what the next chapter of my life looks like.

I know that I set goals yesterday, and that's part of the "fun" for me. However, goals are something that I really need to let go of. Results don't define us, our day to day journey does.  And that journey needs to be enjoyed in the moment, just like I did on Saturday!