Arizona Ironman 2006

Ensures achievement of goals in life satisfaction

I learned a valuable lesson at the World Championship Ironman in Kona, Hawaii. This bit of Wisdom is best summarized by a quote from Thomas Carlyle: "A man without aim is like a ship without a rudder."

In addition to simply finish the race, I do not really have a goal. My challenge for the past four years has been to make it to Kona – to finish in the top 5 in my division at any race Qualifying Ironman North America and earn a slot to complete with the world's best triathletes. After seven Ironman races in four years, I had finally achieved that goal, and finished fourth in Ironman Arizona in April 2006 with a time of 10 hours, 15 minutes. I was ecstatic – I had finally done it. I figured it out. I had qualified to compete head to head with the best athletes in the world Infamous Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii. Participants at the event, historical exalted Hawaii was my reward.

But as Ralph Waldo Emerson said: "The reward of a thing well done is to have it done." My reward was received way back in April when I fulfilled my goal – to race in Hawaii itself was no reward. It was just a very long, brutally hot and painful slog 12 hours 140.6 miles across desolate lava fields. Why? Because I had no goal in Hawaii beyond simply finish. And from the moment the gun fired the signal Swimming starts at 7:00 am on Saturday morning in Kailua-Kona Bay, all I could think of was the finish line. This is no way to do an Ironman.

Dr. Richter, Johns Hopkins Medical School conducted an experiment in trying to measure the motivational effect of having a goal. The experiments involved placing rats in water bottles that were a foot deep by eight inches wide. After a short period of time, half the rats were briefly rescued to be removed from the bottle for a few seconds, then put back into the water. The other half did not. The group that was given hope swam for more than three days. The other rats drowned almost immediately.
Mice that knew there was a chance to be rescued again had a goal – to stay alive until the next emergency. The other group had no goal, so they just gave up. I think it's kind of thing happened to me in Kona on Saturday – I do not really have a goal, then I just kind of checked out. This is a very painful for an Ironman race. He becomes very long, hard day!

I learned about the need a worthy goal. We are motivated by challenges that are bolder just a little out of reach. Ironman Hawaii win was not even in the realm of possible outcomes, and putting halfway through the pack was the best I could hope for. After all, I was competing with the best Ironman triathletes in the world. I thought only make it to the finish line I provide a sufficient incentive to appreciate the epic event, but obviously I need more than that. It was an important lesson and one day I'll never forget.

About the Author

Greg Kolodziejzyk is a Motivational Speaker and successful software entrepreneur who holds 2 Guinness world records for the most distance travelled by human power in one day on both land and on water. For more information, please visit www.human-power.com

Mike Jones – Arizona Ironman 2006