You’re Gonna do What?!

I don’t think I ever imagined doing a race like the Ironman.  The question I get asked most is, “Why?”  I’ll do my best to summarize.

When I was younger I wasn’t about this kind of sport.  I’m not even sure if I had heard of it by the time I went to engineering school in Madison, WI.  Interestingly, we were both born in the same year apparently (Ironman Origins).  My path here is probably more typical than I care to acknowledge – or at least I’m not going to assume it’s unique – but it was winding and indirect.

Growing up in a small Midwestern town, I had access to typical school sports – Football, Baseball, Basketball, Wrestling, Track – I dabbled in all of them.  I did Ok in most of them.  And I liked some a lot more than others.  But as I got into High School and then University, I found that my heart tugged more toward non-conventional activities like Downhill Skiing, Mountain Biking, Water Skiing, Climbing, Hiking, etc. etc. – if it was outdoors, I probably wanted to do it.   So what resulted was an experience that spanned across structured team sports and unstructured outdoor “adventure” sports with a progression to the latter.

All of these sports, with a few exceptions, showed me that I was at least somewhat “athletic,” if there is such a thing.  What I put my mind to, I could generally do.  But my work ethic, or to be more specific, my “training ethic,” wasn’t great.    I would bail when it came to going the extra mile.  Start training early at the end of summer for two-a-day football practices come Fall?  “Meh, I’ll jog a bit.”  Hit the weights in the morning before class when there’s a tough practice that night?  “Meh, I don’t think I need it, coach.” My performance in these sports showed me that I didn’t really have to work super hard to be pretty good on the field.  I probably felt like I was working really hard…I was taught to work hard and knew I needed a strong work ethic, but was I really? Looking back, I wish I had tried harder.  I wish I had worked harder.   The results would have been different.

I now reflect on that early developmental time in my life as a mixed bag.  Of course, I took away so many great experiences and lessons from my team mates, coaches, and all the mistakes and successes, but in some ways, my attitude toward achieving in sports in general was actually a disservice to my development as an adult in the real world.   It spilled over to the rest of my life.  Mediocre training, but pretty good performance – and I was sort of Ok with it.  Not “sort of” – I WAS Ok with it.  That carried through college and into my career.  Do enough to do pretty good.  Do enough to end up somewhere in the front-ish of the pack.  Do just so much as is needed to be “good enough,” whatever that meant.  Yes, I won a few things and did some things I am still really proud of, but I’m giving you the honest truth.  I’m giving you my emotion and how I feel about it in hindsight.  The results showed.  And when I look back, those times I did rise to the top only came through really hard work or what seems like dumb luck (a whole other topic).  It just makes me wonder what I could have done.  What if I had cared enough to go the extra mile?  What if I had cared enough to really prioritize my precious time in a better way?

At this point in my life I find myself saying, “I don’t want to wonder what I could have done” anymore.  I want to do it.  I want to push for it.  I’ve learned that the only way you grow is through resistance.  I’m now learning at mid-life what the Harris boys learned by 19.  Doing hard things makes you better and it makes those around you better.

Did you know if you grow tomato plants from seed indoors and then try to put the seedlings outside abruptly, they will likely die?  They’re not “weathered” and can’t take the harsh new environment with wind, wild temperature swings, and hard rain.  They have to be exposed repeatedly to the elements a little at a time so they can withstand the outdoors.

When a blacksmith makes a blade from raw material, it must go through a brutal process to before it will hold an edge and be durable enough for use.  The iron must be turned to steel, and then be pounded and folded over and over before finally being quenched.  This reorients the structure of the steel in just the right way so the edge is hard, but with a backbone that has a bit of flexibility so it is not too brittle.  It takes special care and is an involved process.  The old biblical saying that Iron Sharpens Iron is true, and a lesson that I wish I had taken to heart earlier in life.

As I get older, I want to do harder things.  It’s time to refocus.  It’s time to think more strategically about who I am and what I want to do in this next season of life.  I turn 40 this year and for some reason that is significant to me.  Time is precious.  You can never get it back, so we have to make the most of what we have.  And yet there are many competing priorities including family, health, faith, work, fun and the list goes on.

So why do I say I want to do hard things?  Because life is hard and I want to do life better. Because when you do hard things and accomplish them, they aren’t quite as hard the next time.  Or that next thing, that next mountain, or valley, or barrier that would normally seem literally impossible, doesn’t seem so anymore.  So many times in my life I have taken the attitude of “Na. That’s too hard.”  Or “I can stop now, I’ve done enough.” Or (my wife loves this one), “I’ll do it tomorrow… don’t worry, it will get finished.”  Yeah, it probably will get finished…but when?

I want to do this race because it’s hard.  I want to do this because I know it will shape me and sharpen me.  It will help me change long-held attitudes, and break poor habits.  I want to do it because I will form new and stronger relationships with friends.  It will help me be closer to God, myself, and my family in the long run.  At least I expect it to.  I want to do this to show others that they can get up and take the hard path, do the thing they thought was too tough, even if it is just to get off the couch or get out of bed in the morning.  My friends, you can be better than your excuses.  You can do better than that. You owe yourself better than that.  Yes, it is hard, but I know it is not impossible.

The race is Sept 10 in Madison, WI.  I’ll be making some progress updates from time to time and will also be raising money for a cancer related charity (next post) that’s close to heart and worth some attention.  If you’re interested, you can follow me on this blog or find me on Strava.

Anything is possible.