"Tough Decision!"

Dear Peter Rooyakkers,
Congratulations! You are now registered for the 2015 Subaru IRONMAN Mont-Tremblant - General Entry - Individual. Please check the event's website for updates.

I'm just glad I didn't have to make it!

Although my wife would have me believe that I make most of the important decisions in our lives, the truth is the exact opposite. And although I cautioned her as to the wisdom of the one she made this morning, she was adamant about it!

And I suppose somehow it was inevitable. Again my wife would tell you that we have very different personalities, but let me assure you that we share a strong stubborn streak, accompanied by it's more positive cousin, a never give up attitude.

I don't know why it came to mind but I was reminded of one of the teachings of leadership guru, Anthony Robbins. Tony claimed that we choose to do things, or not to do things, based on the pain we associate with the decision. I think Claudette associated more pain in having to deal with my anguish over the next few weeks, than the potential pain of another year of ironman training. If not on her own behalf, than certainly on mine.

I can tell you this. I never once implied that I wanted to go back next year, and as a matter of fact I'm sure I talked about this one maybe being the end of the line. Never the less, she made the call, and I was online as soon as registration opened at noon.

And she knows me pretty well. I think she read the pain in my eyes. She knows me well enough to know that I would not have quit yesterday if there was any reasonable option. To give you some sense of what it was like, by about 15 kms of the run, I could no longer "walk" up the hills without stopping every minute or so, to bend over and drop my head down. That was the only way I could prevent passing out!

I do want to give you a blow by blow of the day just like I would have done for a successful one, but that will have to wait. I will also have to try to figure out what happened yesterday, if for no other reason than to make sure it doesn't happen again. That will start with a visit to my Doctor to check out a few 'suspicions' I have. But that too will have to wait, because right now we're sitting in a very cool RV park in L'Ange Gardien, Quebec, and we're just gonna stay here for a couple of days and enjoy the quiet. Well as quiet as it gets with two grandchildren around. Actually I'm pretty sure they're gonna sleep in tomorrow, what with all the bungee jumping and luge riding, not to mention getting up at 5 am for 16 hours of Ironman! Of course they have Roo to thank for all that, because I was focused on my obsession.

I'm also not sure yet if I'm gonna blog through the upcoming endeavour, but if memory serves correctly I started asking that question 5 years, and I just checked, 1488 posts ago! I'll play it day by day.

And next year at Tremblant will be special because I will be in a new age group, but more significantly I won't be doing it alone. My little brother John, and my extra brother Brett both signed up this morning as well. What a hoot that's gonna be eh!!

"It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped."---Tony Robbins

"In my house I'm the boss, my wife is just the decision maker."---Woody Allen

Love
Peter