"For Fate has wove the thread of life with pain, And twins ev'n from the birth are Misery and Man!" Homer, Book Seven.
My apologies for the delay in posting an update but the journey, or better yet, my Fred-Odyssey has been long an arduous to say the least. As Homer stated in Book Seven of the Odyssey, "Fate has wove the thread of life with pain".
Training for an Iron distance race is coming to terms that pain, misery, and ultimately happiness are synonymous. Pain and misery is something you expect with the long training. What is even more frightening is that the pain and misery is something you come to enjoy. It represents accomplishment as you strive toward the end goal. My pain and misery are self-inflicted for my journey is for Fred, Connie, Aimee, and Bill.
I have learned that the mind is willing to quit long before the body. Your mind tells you that its okay to stop and "you've done enough today" but you have to fight through those thoughts and simply tell them to "Go straight to Hell!". What helps me get through the misery is hearing Fred's voice echoing in my head telling me "Come on Stevo! Just a little bit further!" Fred's voice has been an Angel's Harp of motivation for me during this journey and I am so thankful that it still rings loud and clear.
Tomorrow I begin week 13 of my 27-week Fred-odyssey. In the first twelve weeks I have logged ~668 miles, 73 hours, and 45,846 calories. This included a lost week where I found myself down and out due to a respiratory infection. One of the many challenges with long distance training is a weakened immune system. Fortunately, I powered through and now back on track focused on the race in Muncie.
Now that the easy part of the Fred-Odyssey is complete, I will transition into a much harder phase of my training, logging extreme hours and miles. I'm certain that I'll be calling on Fred many more times to help power me through each session with his booming and soothing voice. As Homer said in Book 15, "For too much rest itself becomes a pain." I'm already in pain so I figure I will tell rest, just like I tell the lingering thoughts of doubt, that it can "Go straight to Hell!"
Thank you Fred...twelve weeks down and fifteen more to go my friend. See you in Muncie!
