I’m down to 4 weeks until the Ironman.  This week will be my last ‘big’ week, and then the next two are “peak” weeks where I’ll fine tune everything training-wise, and then race week I take it easy, rest the body, and get ready for the big day.

I started training specifically for this race 5 months ago – with 2 workouts a day most days of the week, or about 11-12 workouts a week. I’ve done nearly every workout with surgical precision, meaning I did exactly what I was supposed to do – every set in the pool and every mile of each run and ride at the prescribed intensity. But at this point in the game, I’m getting antsy and ready to get this race done.

With that anticipation comes the temptation to cut corners – skip a few swim sets, cut the run by a mile, or shorten the ride by 30 minutes.  I’ve spent a lot of time training, I’ve got a ‘honey-do’ list a mile long, and I’m just ready to do something else - and that stuff starts creeping into your head during each workout.

As I was contemplating skipping my last few intervals in the pool this morning, I remembered the quote “success is a journey, not a destination”.  Will cutting corners on these last few workouts determine my place in the race? It might, but I’m not being negative when I say I’ll come no where near to placing in my age group. I’m really not racing anyone else but myself.

But that’s not what matters. No one is counting my laps, or checking my workout log. I’m the only person who knows whether I’ve cut a corner, or completed the workout as directed. What matters is that taking shortcuts will weaken me more mentally than it will physically. It’s been said that 80% of Ironman is mental, and the rest is physical. With that in mind, I need all the mental fortitude I can get right now.

Success is a journey, not a destination. With each workout that I complete, it’s one more small brick in my wall of success. And, a series of small success become more than a goal, they become who you are, what you are made of.

So with that, I finished my swim workout (and even did the full cool down!) and I’m refocused on seeing each and every workout through to the finish these last 4 weeks.