Trihardist

Go read Wil's insightful (and well-written) post.  Then come back here.

I've mentioned before that I'm not ready to tackle Ironman, yet.  I believe there will be a time for me to take my training to that level, but it's not now.

And looking ahead to that time when I will inevitably face a long day of hard work . . . looking even beyond that to when I have that day--whether it be twelve hours or seventeen--behind me . . .

I wonder what comes next.

After rising to what is arguably the greatest challenge of our age--the most demanding, the most grueling, the most gut-wrenchingly humbling--after conquering that, what's left?  Where do I go from there?

I think I go back to whatever it was I did before I started running.

I don't mean running in a literal sense.  I mean that there were things in my life that I was confronting before I got into this whole triathlon thing.  I faced pain.  I suffered.  I uncovered wounds I never knew I had.  I wrote angst-filled poetry.  For some reason, all of that got pushed to the background after my first triathlon.  Well, not immediately.  It sort of faded away.  I've been thinking that it's a result of moving into the workforce, that it's because I have a full-time job and don't have time for the angst, the philosophy, the exploration of my own self and soul.  But maybe it has more to do with sport than I realize.

Far be it from me to describe sport as escapism; that word is entirely too pejorative.  No, it's more like sport provides a training ground for me, a temporary place from which I can safely step back, observe the world, and learn.  It's teaching me discipline (self-control), endurance (perseverance), and the virtue of carrying on through suffering (or, as Wil said, carrying a cross).

Maybe that's why some athletes feel compelled to run double- or even triple-Ironmans (Ironmen?) . . . they just need a little more training.

Thanks to Wil for the insight and inspiration.  Feel free to add your thoughts in the comments.