Got Inspiration? Story of an Iron-woman.

Note From Doug Jackson: The following is an account from Wendy Cole, one of my most-committed clients, of her experience at a 2009 Ironman competition.

I have always loved a physical challenge, and done a few marathons in the past, so I was looking forward to re-living that glorious feeling I would get when crossing the finish line, just like I had after the marathon - that feeling that you are one of the coolest people in the world!

And the bike? How did anyone stay on a bike for any length of time and not have their girly parts not go numb? And the traffic! I was sure that the only reason the cars were on the road was to torture me with how close they could get without actually clipping me with their mirror!

My old familiar sport of running also became something of a joke when I developed chondromalacia in my knee and couldn't run without a moderate amount of pain taking over my entire left leg. I remember thinking, at the end of February, that I had bitten off way more than I could chew, but I still followed my training schedule to the T. If I couldn't run, I shuffled. If I couldn't stand the heat of riding in traffic, I rode on the bike paths. I weight trained twice a week religiously.

And one swim morning, I realized that I could swim 20 laps with no problem. And as my training progressed something else happened. Something inside my head. I realized that I could do things that I never thought I could do.

I could get up at 5 am, go to a deserted pool, swim one whole mile, and leave, all before the sun came up. I realized that I could run through pain, and not have to walk the minute I felt uncomfortable, and I could ride for 3 hours at a time without falling off my bike from exhaustion.

And something else happened during that time too. Because of me, my sister started swimming, something she hadn't done for 20 years, and she found a peace in the water that she now loves. A friend of mine, a breast cancer survivor, told me I inspired her to start exercising again. My 18 year daughter was overheard bragging to her friends that her mom was training for the Ironman, and how proud she was of me. My mother was so inspired that she signed up for a 1/2 marathon.

I realized the simple fact that when a normal 46 year old woman trains for something so "out there" like the Ironman, it seemed to motivate others to reach beyond their comfort zones too. I could see people around me saying to themselves "If she can do that, then I can do this!" Did I set out to be a role model? No, I just wanted to do the race, to say that I was an Ironman. But it became bigger than just a race. It became much more than that. So, race day dawned hot and still. I was excited and petrified, and for good reason. It was brutal, and truly the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. But living through the pain to get to that ultimate goal of finishing and calling yourself an Ironman was well worth all of it.

But when I think about the race and all that it entailed, was it that glorious feeling I got at the finish line that I remember the most? No.

When I look back at the race, the most important things I remember did not happen at the finish line that day. They happened in the 4 months before. For me, it was the journey.

Wendy Cole