Two hours passed, and my mom was still on the course. Five minutes later, she came across the finish line, spent and drenched in sweat. To my surprise, she finished with a huge smile on her face. My mom had just finished her first triathlon.
That year, I sat and watched my mom complete the race from the sidelines, but the following year I was determined to finish it with her. For three months, I trained everyday along side of my mother.
On race day, the race was delayed due to inclement weather. Then, the race director came on the loudspeaker and said 4 simple words, “The swim is cancelled.” I turned to my mother and we just looked at each other in disbelief.
My mother said, “This is a good thing, right?”
But, my emotions were in turmoil. I should have been happy, but I felt so defeated. I felt like all of that training was for nothing. Even though the swim was my weakest event, I was determined to succeed in all of the events, not just the ones I was comfortable with. My goal was to step outside my comfort zone and I trained so hard to achieve that goal.
However, there was no time to dwell, the race must go on.
During the last leg of the race, my legs felt like jello and the exhaustion began to creep into my mind. I just continued to remind myself that all that I had left to do was a 5K. I had done numerous 5K races before, and another should not be a problem. As I reached the halfway point in the last leg, I began to start to panic. My body was aching, I was starting to overheat, and I was just not mentally strong at that point. I lost focus for a second and was about to stop, but just as I was about to quit, I thought of everything I had just accomplished. I thought of all of my friends and family waiting for me at the finish line. Finally, I thought of my mother and the smile on her face as she finished the race the previous year. Fortunately, I snapped back into it and focused on the finish line. I just kept telling myself, “You’re almost there. Just finish.”
One hour and thirty-seven minutes passed and I crossed the finish line, both physically and mentally drained. Similarly to my mother, I finished spent and drenched with sweat.
Unfortunately, unlike her I did not finish with a smile on my face. I had pushed myself farther than my body had ever gone before, and the exhaustion overwhelmed me. As soon as I crossed the finish line, my entire body shut down. I was overwhelmed with a feeling I had never felt before. I didn’t know what to do or say, because I was split with emotion. I was so happy about what I had just accomplished, but at the same time, my body was going through a breakdown. However, minutes later, my mom came across the finish line, once again, with a huge smile on her face.
I asked her, “How are you smiling right now?”
She replied, “Look at what we just accomplished!”
She was right. A duathlon is the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. The race also taught me the power of the mind. If I had listened to my body, I would have quit. But, I listened to my mind and made myself believe that I could and would finish. I believe in mind over matter.