On November 17th, I witnessed one of the most inspirational events of my life.
I had four friends who had trained for the Ironman Triathlon in Tempe, Arizona. WHen they told me they'd entered the race one full year ahead of the actual race, I actually didn't know what an Ironman race consisted of.
Turns out, the event and the people who enter must be completely out of their minds. An Ironman is 2.4 miles swimming, 112 miles cycling, and 26.2 miles running...in that order, without a break, and with a time limit of 17 hours!
I traveled to Tempe to support my friends who ranged in age from 20s to 50s. What I experienced was amazing. There were 3,000 people of all different shapes and sizes entered in the race. Most were not elite athletes, but normal, everyday people who set a goal of finishing the Ironman. The goal takes an amazing amount of training no matter who you are just to endure the grueling hours without rest. Many of the participants had attempted to complete the race in prior years and had not finished in the 17-hour time limit, but they were back again!
The amount of dedication to a single, seemingly impossible goal for these everyday people inspired me beyond belief. To prepare for an Ironman takes 6 days/week training -- at least 2 hours/day during the week and as much as 5 hours/day on the weekend.
The top athlete in the world finished in around 8 hours. My friends finished between 11 and 16 hours.
This experience just reinforced my belief in goal setting and planning for the future. I am convinced now more than ever that our life and business goals can be reached if we create the plan and execute!
I would like to take this opportunity to wish a Happy Thanksgiving to everyone that I am blessed enough to reach with this article. I am so very thankful for all of the gifts that have been bestowed upon me and my family. I am humbled by the team of amazing employees we have at Accent and the clients that have put their trust in me and my coworkers.
Thank you so very much!
