Ironman Chattanooga on Sunday was my fourth Ironman distance race. I did my first Ironman at the age of 55, and even though I am getting older, I am still getting faster. I need to remember that.
These past two days, I have been a typical triathlete. Both during the race and in the hours since it has finished, I have tended to focus on all the things that I could have done better. I went through all the “if only” scenarios. If things had gone perfectly, then I could have achieved this or met that goal. But as with all things in life, things never go perfectly.
Eventually, the realization that perfection is unlikely sunk in, and I started to think of the things that went well with my race. I had by far my best ever swim, my fastest ever bike split and for a good portion of the race, I was positioned in the top ten of my age group.
I also achieved one of my major goals. It was not on the list of goals that I shared here. It was a goal that I have wanted to achieve since entering for my first Ironman race. That goal was to finish the race in under 12 hours. On Sunday, my finish time was…
… 11:50:23
Even though I am getting older, I still believe that I can get even faster. To get faster will require more hard work, but I am still learning about my limitations. Knowing my limitations and working to address them, is the key. Eventually I will start to slow down, but I don’t want that to be anytime soon. I am already thinking of the upcoming off season and getting to work for next year.
Inspiring! Thank you for sharing this journey with all of us.