IronMan Canada - Our Journey!

Some of you already know that for the past year my husband has been training for IronMan Canada. It has been a huge goal of his, and as a family we made the decision that he would do it this year. For those of you who are not familiar with this event, it is a long distance Triathlon race organized by the world triathlon corporation consisting of a 4km swim, 180 km bike ride, and then a marathon (42km run). It requires a LOT of training and dedication for an athlete to build up their endurance and stamina to accomplish such an event, and it can be a daunting undertaking. For the last year, I have watched my husband train relentlessly - swimming, biking and running crazy distances, often more than once a day. I have been in awe of his undying motivation. Once he set his mind on the goal, it was like there was nothing that going to get in his way. He just did the work. He put in the time. He never let his daily emotions, mind set or over-all well-being determine whether he would do a work-out...he always seemed to keep the big picture in mind, and didn't miss work-outs (except when he was truly sick). He put to rest many of my own doubts about what a person is capable of. He taught me that it really is just a mental state - you have the choice to make excuses (i'm tired, it's raining, I rather watch tv, I rather sleep in) or to make yourself a priority.
If you had asked me 4 years ago whether he would be here today - i would have said 'no way'. Carlos was not 'built' to be a runner. He was facing the daily go-train commute to toronto back then. Leaving home at 7am, coming home at 7pm. He was mostly sedentary. Our life has changed greatly since then. When we had our first son, Carlos left his job and took the leap of starting his own website consulting and design business. We just believed that it would work out, and we have made it work for our family. We are extremely fortunate to have the flexibility in our jobs to allow for such extreme workouts, but I think most people can fit in 'something' into their daily lives (it doesn't have to be the IronMan!). Carlos first started with short-distance triathalons several summers ago, and gradually got more and more into it. I watched his body completely change over the last few years, it was quite remarkable really. He lost a lot of weight without completely changing his diet (a few modifications were made, mostly with the change in career!).
For the IronMan, Carlos made the decision to workout on his own time - he woke up at 5am to go swimming, and would do his other workouts during his work time, or early on the weekends. Our kids think it's normal that their parents exercise, and they too love riding their bikes, and doing running laps of the playground pretending they are in a race. It has had a very positive effect on them. Anyway, this year has been an incredible journey for our family, and in 2 days we leave for Penticton, BC for the big day - IronMan Canada. I am extremely nervous and excited for Carlos, and hope to write more about the big day upon my return - I feel I have so much to share, but don't have the time to write about it all!
Good Luck Carlos!!

Dr. Anna Falkowski HBSc, ND.
Naturopathic Doctor & Clinic Director
Vitality for Life Health Center
www.vitalityforlife.ca

Vitality for Life is an integrative health clinic in Barrie, Ontario. We offer the services of a Naturopathic Doctor, Chiropractor and massage therapists.

Dr. Anna Falkowski HBSc, ND
Naturopathic Doctor, Clinic Director
info@vitalityforlife.ca
www.vitalityforlife.ca
Twitter: @NaturoDoctor
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