Pain is Mandatory...

...Suffering is optional! That's the mantra for next Sunday. It's a fact that at some point during the 15+ hours I'll spend out in the water and on the road I will experience some form of pain! The trick is pushing through it. You see, Ironman isn't so much a test of physical strength, it's really a test of mental strength. How much pain will your brain allow you to experience before it calls out "UNCLE!" How much time will go by before your brain calls it quits? And really, the question becomes: who's in charge of the brain? The answer is not as simple as it would appear! In times of extreme physical tests the brain enjoys playing cruel jokes on its owner! It enjoys saying things like,"This hurts too bad to continue," or "Who needs a medal?" or "You've already done it once, you don't need to do it again." When my brain starts to say these things--and I know it will--that will be the time when I will need to take charge (of the brain). I will need to keep saying things like, "You are strong," and "There's no walking in Ironman," and of course, "Pain is mandatory, suffering is optional."

Six days to go...