Last week was OK; not great, not stinko, but a good plodding forward OK. In plodding forward it is pretty quiet. There are no cheering sections on my roads when I run or alongside my bike as I pedal. In fact, my ironman journey is not a subject of conversation at all among family and friends, that is, except my number one fan: my wife. Most of the time I don't even take notice that my cheering section is quite silent or the absence of motivation or inspiration from other people. I have grown accustomed to it as I would bet, they have grown accustomed over the year to my training for an ironman. Understandably I can see how ironman has lost its value as a conversational piece. ( The striving and failing at Ironman so many times will be in my book - A Day Unlike Any Other Day - coming out soon.)
And too, at my age, the people I used to be involved in athletic pursuits with have grown too old, become disabled, or died. These people were not replaced and that was my choice. It was my choice to live and train in by myself in a non-athletic environment. Most people I know and am associated with have only a vague notion of what an ironman is. Perhaps they have generally assumed that I have a mental problem but I am not dangerous so I can be tolerated well.
So my reflection - as I enter the 18th week of my training - is a realization of how alone I am in all this except for my wife and God. My how things have changed; how I have changed; how motives, goals, and purposes have evolved. Growing older does have its advantages; there is so much you can leave behind that you once thought vital. And I find that at the end of the day what remains is love: the love of my wife as she totally loves and supports me in this with genuine heartfelt cheers and inspiration. I am blessed. And undergirding this entire effort and every step in the journey is God; the "wind beneath my wings." His love and support are genuine, total, and sustaining. I am blessed.
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