Qualifying...

I think there is something to be learned in focusing yourself onto something you really, really want, and doing what it takes to make that happen. I am teaching the Marathon Clinic at the Denman Running Room, and I always love the motivations that people have for running a marathon. I think that similar ones exist for the person running the Ironman too. But really, sometimes the marathon clinic is a good barometer of what we want to achieve. There are many reasons why people run marathons.

One of the most common is to qualify for “Boston.” Boston, of course, being the Boston Marathon. It’s a tough race to qualify for and many people never do. One thing I have noticed is that the people who dedicate themselves to this goal, though, often get there. Now, to preface that, it takes hard work and it is NOT always welcomed immediately. I have told folks over and over to be patient with themselves and just do the best they can. That’s all you can ask. Eventually, many of them do qualify for Boston. And it’s remarkable the confidence and inspiration in many of them, except I hope that we all realize that “qualifying and running Boston” is really just a result coming from a journey of dedication, desire, attitude and focus.

But it’s nice to get that accomplishment. I have to say that qualifying for Boston changed how I saw myself. I think part of my struggle the past few years has been in getting away from that feeling I had when I qualified, all of a sudden realizing I had something for this running thing. But I let that go a little… And I’ve discovered that I want to get back to that sense of self again. I’m not one for results, but having a few that kind of give you that sense that “you ARE good at this” never hurts. I think the biggest sense of accomplishment comes from knowing you’ve put your best out there, regardless of what the results are. None of us are perfect, and qualifying for Boston, or Kona (Ironman World Championships) just means your closer to your potential than before.

Secretly, I like being able to say I have done something that only a few people do…