Training For Ironman, What Makes You Tick?
Training for Ironman Canada has been a ten month endeavor that has consumed my life in a healthy manner. It has also been a big part of my better half’s life as well. The day I registered for an Ironman I was basically signing my boyfriend Pat up too. He has supported every step of my training and whining. I do realize I am extremely spoiled by having the person I love as my personal bike mechanic, masseuse and therapist at times. On Sunday August 25th at 7:00am in the morning on the edge of Alta Lake in Whistler it’s all mine to do. No one can finish that race for me or help me along the way on that day. You don’t have to be an elite athlete to finish an Ironman, but it does require an inner flame to fuel the desire to finish. So, what makes you tick?
There was a time not so long ago that I said, “I have no desire to do an Ironman.” At the time that was probably true. The course of my life altered forever after that. Shortly after making that statement I entered a time period of my life I should possibly try to erase from my memory. Instead of blocking it out I have chosen to embrace my own reality and grow stronger from overcoming a nightmare.
I think we’ve all heard the saying ‘Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t know.’ I married the devil I knew. Funny thing is I didn’t know the man I married was capable of such evil, but other people did and did NOT speak out. Yes, the man that broke my arm, two ribs and gave me a concussion had been physically abusive to another woman and no one talked. That is subject matter for a different blog at a different time. For the purpose of relating to my Ironman training I want to share how the healing process from a devastating 18 months of my life has molded me to be a better person and stronger athlete.
My recovery and rebuilding period began with the gift of meeting an incredible individual I now share my life with. The sport I love, cycling actually brought Pat and I together. I have always heard ‘You never want to meet your spouse in a bar, the gym or church.’ People are less likely to show their true personality in those places. A much safer place, the outdoors, brought us together doing something we love - mountain biking. Pat is a ‘roadie,’ or road cyclist. He races for Team Momentum out of Birmingham which is the same race team I race for. Our schedules and passions work together seamlessly. We both train long hard hours and love it.
Throughout my Ironman training I have used one simple mantra that has pushed me through mental barriers I would never would have made it through before meeting the devil. I repeat to myself, “You’ve hurt worse than this before!” There is not an Ironman on this earth that can be as painful as what I have already endured. On Sunday August 25th sometime around 9 or 10pm I will hear, “Heather Hagan, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!” At that moment I will not only be an Ironman, but officially healed of the wounds that almost destroyed me.