Anything is Possible

I unpacked this morning and took out my Finisher's Medal.  It says "Anything is Possible."  I started to cry.  I could stop today's blog right now, and it wouldn't have any more meaning than that.  If I had any doubt about what finishing the Ironman World Championship in Kona meant to me, that was my answer.  I had high hopes for my "results" two days ago, but those hopes were hijacked by allergies and a sinus infection.  That didn't matter, it never does.  I always say that it's the effort that matters, and knowing that I've given it my best.  That truth held up on the World's greatest triathlon stage on Saturday.  As I look back, despite some quasi-negative thoughts early in the bike ride, not only did I never give up, I never left up.  At the same time, I might have pushed a little harder, but I would have been risking two things.  The first thing was risking finishing.  The second thing was risking my health.  In the back of my mind, I not only knew and understood my limitations, I also knew that with my allergies and sinuses the way they were, pushing too far beyond my limits might have resulted in pneumonia or something worse.  How did I know this?  I'm a doctor.  I also trust my clinical judgement.  I always have.

"Anything is Possible." I have to say that concept has defined my whole life.  I've never taken anything for granted, and I've never thought that anything is beyond the realm of possibility.  In many ways, I always thought that Ironman St. George was the ultimate Ironman.  I even questioned whether I "needed" to do Kona.  One of the reasons may have been that St. George in 2010 was my first Ironman.  I did it just 6 months after breaking my clavicle and hip socket.  Then, in 2012 I did the most epic Ironman of all time, or so I thought until Saturday.  If I hadn't been sick, perhaps Kona wouldn't have quite measured up to 2012 St. George.  On one hand, the experience itself, the people, the venue, everything was perfect.  But, the added challenge of how I felt all week, and then how I felt on race day. In retrospect, that will make the day all the more special.

I planned all year for this race.  I trained harder than I've ever trained in my life.  I developed a very sound strategy and plan for race day.  I wrote out my race report in advance.  On race day, I executed everything I'd prepared for perfectly.  I'd even realized the morning of the race that I might struggle with negative thoughts, so I had already developed a plan for that.  While I think that I can say that I didn't allow any true negative thoughts into my head, I admit to thinking that if this were any other race, that I'd have quit 10 miles into the bike!  That wasn't negative, it was honest and practical.  It was a reminder to myself as to the importance of this race and what it meant to me.  I also began thinking of what was next.  That's how I realized that I'd be achieving my dream, and that my next goal is to make sure that my wife has the same opportunity to achieve her dreams.  I am dedicated to that more than anything.  I'll continue to support my kids in their dreams, and I have this little guy who will have dreams.  I'd do anything to help him achieve them.

If I hadn't been under the weather, who knows how my day would have gone.  I might have had my personal best run time.  I might have had a "respectable" time.  I also might not have understood my goals and my future as well as I do now.  "Anything is Possible."