"Laurie, you don't have to do an Ironman to prove you are not a failure in life"

Yes, I heard those words this week and boy it felt like a little light bulb went off inside my head. Seriously, is this why I'm doing Ironman Triathlons? For anyone who really knows me, this totally makes sense. The sad thing is that I'm on my third one now, but I have made a promise to myself that it will be my last one. Once this is over, I can take a break, and then find some other way to prove that I am not a failure in life....

In terms of training, I'm about to pull my hair out. I did a 92 mile bike last week, and I'm on tap to do the same or more tomorrow. Training by myself really sucks and it really takes a great amount of motivation and will power to make it through. Sunday, I'm slated to run for 16 miles. I have to give myself mental rewards at this point, and my mental reward for the next two weeks is that if I just get it done, then I will have a whole week of doing nothing in Hawaii leading up to the actual ironman. If I can get through these next two brutal weeks, I'll have a complete week off of working out leading up to the race, and I can enjoy Hawaii. Afterwards, if I finish, I can brag for the rest of my life, and hopefully feel that I am an accomplished human being that doesn't have anything to prove anymore.

If I can complete the Ironman World Championships, what is to keep me from getting a great job, marrying the man of my dreams, and living a happily ever after life?