I Still Believe

"Victory Belongs To Those Who Believe... And Believe In It The Longest...We're Going To Believe."

The line is from the movie Pearl Harbor and it was Alec Baldwin playing Colonel James Doolittle.  Whether Colonel Doolittle actually spoke those words or it was a product of the Hollywood screenplay, I don't know. But its become a mantra I've adopted.

First and foremost to become an Ironman, you have to "believe". Before you ever run a mile, or swim a lap you have to believe you can swim bike and run 140.6 miles.  

They say, your mind will give out before your body, so you have to believe the pain in your leg, your hip, or ankle is going to go away. You have to believe that you will make it across that finish line.  

Belief is so very powerful, it makes us who we are. It defines us to other people. Belief can propel us to do things others only dream of.  There is a difference between hope and belief. Never once during my training for Ironman did I ever say I "hope" I can finish. You can't hope, you have to believe.

Life works much the same way.  People who hope for things rarely achieve them. But if you believe, I mean really believe, anything becomes possible. Not only is it possible but it will happen! If you hope for something, the ultimate result is nothing more than a dream. But if you believe, it becomes a goal, and it will happen.

The difference is the plan. Yes, the dreaded training plan. Weather you use Training Peaks, Garmin, an excel spreadsheet or a series of cocktail napkins, your plan needs to be in front of you. You need to look at it every day. Some might consider this obsessive, but Ironman is seemingly impossible, and is only going to happen if you have that plan in place and in front of you every day.

Visualize the finish line. Visualize the moment that medal is placed around your neck. Picture your friends and loved ones wrapping their arms around you. Believe in yourself. You can do it!  

You can do anything if you truly believe. How bad do you want it? What are you hoping for, what are you dreaming about? Want to make that dream a reality, believe in it! Can you see it? Close your eyes and visualize. Yes you can! Let's make it happen! I still believe in you! Do you?