Indiana Jones, God and Ironman

I can't believe that winter is finally here. Yay for snow! The one drawback to snow is stupid drivers. 4WD does not give you permission to be an idiot on the road - are you listening, driver of the beige Yukon?!?

So, while I was stuck in a big mess on the road I got a chance to listen to the stories on NPR. They were talking about the Lost Ark of the Covenant - and not just the movie. There is a legend in Ethiopia that the Ark of the Covenant was moved there after it was stolen from King Solomon. The Ark is kept under constant watch by a monk (except when he has to go pee when he really does leave his post) because people are not allowed to view the Ark. As I understood the reasoning behind it being kept hidden is that humans are not ready to be that close to god. The other point that was made was that people shouldn't be allowed to view the Ark because it might contain proof that god exists. And IF it could prove that god exists, it might also prove that god doesn't exist. So, in order to prevent proving or disproving the existence of god, the ark is kept hidden away from the public. For the thousands of people that visit each year, there is no doubt to them that they are closer to and artifact of god. For the millions of people that live around there, this means nothing to them or their beliefs. Faith is a very powerful thing - faith alone in the existence or non-existence of something trumps physical proof when it comes to our beliefs. We don't have to know the answer to believe that we are correct.

So, I don't mean to debate the existence of god here, but this got me thinking about the mental aspect of endurance sports. I've read so much about the mental ups and downs of Ironman races and how mental lapses can make or break the race. I've been debating whether or not I'm ready for an Ironman race, and wondering if I have the faith in myself and my abilities to complete the race. I know physically my body can get through the race, but I'm not sure that I can keep my mind in the race long enough to finish the race.

I signed up for two half-ironman races this summer so that I have the first race to prepare for my second, "A" race. It's an issue of faith. I want to do well, but I don't have faith in myself to have to perfect nutrition plan, pacing and endurance to finish. I am not a person with a lot of faith, I need proof before I can accept something, its the scientist/engineer part of me.

But, this plan will not work for an Ironman race. I know that physically I would not be able to do two iron-length races in a season, and that I'd be setting myself up for injury/burnout. But, how do convince myself that I can do this?

That said, I'm about 95% sure that I'm going to (try to) sign up for Ironman Wisconsin in 2008.

Updates

Hmmm . . . I seem to be not-so-much with the regular updating. In the last two weeks lots has been going on in my tri-life. First off, THE BIKE IS HERE! Okay, to be fair, the frame and fork is here. I have so much learning to do about wrenching. The problem is that I don't really know where to start. And, I don't really have the finances to start either.

The calendar is slowly starting to come together. I have my original plan:

March 25, Shamrock Shuffle
June 9, Liberty Half-Ironman
August 4, Steelhead Half-Ironman
August 26, Chicago Olympic Tri

And the potential bike races:

April: Quick Release Spring Training Series (MI), Willow Creek Time Trial
May: Monster's of Midway, Cobb Park, Memorial Weekend Race Series (IA)
June: Proctor Series Races (IL)
July: IL State Championships
October: ABR Fall Fling (IL)

I have to throw in a few extra tri's to actually win this Tri Club Point Series at work.

In non-tri news, Alysfa has been adding (melo)drama to the family. Apparently she got big by a bug-thing in Peru and got a huge rash all over her chest. This required a trip to the hospital and a few night stay. The drama part is that she didn't call to tell Mom and Dad this, her boyfriend had to call and say that she was in the hospital. I can only imagine the drama in the house. She's okay, but we might never stop talking about this.

Beefy got a job, she's going to be in Georgia, somewhere near Athens. She is slowly becoming a southerner. Every big life event just keeps drawing her farther and farther south. Although, I'm not sure there's much farther south for her to go.

I finally infected my dad with the tri-bug. He signed up for his first one this summer and now he's back in the pool again. I know he'll be okay with the swimming and running, but his bike is rusted solid! He's going to be one of "those guys" at the race :)

Okay, I'm tired and off to bed. For the first time, I will have to leave my water running all night just to keep my pipes from freezing. I love the winter :)