The Mosaic

I am training to race Hawaii Ironman 08

I haven’t even qualified yet, in fact I haven’t entered the qualifying race yet. I’ll have to soon.

Every workout I do is part of the plan to be my best in October 08. It’s very much like the project I’ve undertaken at home. I’m constructing a mosaic. Not some little thing you’d hang on the wall. It’s a 36 square metre work spreading through my gardens.

At approximately 700 pieces to the square metre, and each square metre taking me around 4hrs, it’s a lot of liesure time.

Like training for an Ironman, mosaics can have setbacks. I started out using a very good wall tile glue which I had used in several bathrooms I have renovated. In a bathroom the glue is sealed in by the grout. The water never gets through to the glue. In my mosaic, I had 3 sq metres laid waiting for me to grout them when a weeks rain started. The rain layed in between the joints and saturated the glue. The glue became soft and swelled. All of my tiles had to come up, be scraped and the concrete base be scraped.

It’s a little like a training injury or illness in an athletic preparation. It’s just a setback. I’m back into it using a cement based glue. The important thing is, I’ve learned something.

Nine weeks ago I had a fall off my bike, I was travelling fast and when I hit the ground I was thrown over my bike straining muscles, ligiments etc in my hip joint. It was a setback. This last week has been significant for me, I have run twice. The first one was 1km off the bike on Wednesday. I started out with the pain at a level two, I ran with good technique (I refuse to limp) and when I finished the pain was still a two. On Saturday, off the bike again, I ran ten minutes on the treadmill at 10kph. I started with the pain at a two and as I ran on (with perfect technique) the pain gradually slipped back to a one.

I refuse to limp because, I would then be allowing the slight level on pain/discomfort to have too important a part in my life. Secondly if I ever allow myself to limp, I will have two learned “ways of running”. I only want one running style, perfect technique.

Back to the mosaic. If I get impatient and start to get rough in my work, the final job will be less than perfect. The day I finish this work, we’ll be celebrating with champagne. We’re going to have a garden party with kids and dogs and friends drinking champagne and eating delicious foods.

When I win my category in Hawaii, we’ll be celebrating with champagne as well.

Both in my mosaic and my Hawaii preparation, I’ve experienced setbacks. There’ll very likely be others. But no matter what happens along the way, I’ll find a way through the barrier, or around it.

Building my mosaic is good for my spirit. It’s a work which requires great patience. By nature I’m not a patient man, I have to work at it. This work helps me fill one of the gaps in my character.

We all have to be patient in the work we put into the pursuit of our long term goals. I like to compare, working towards a long term goal to a tiger stalking it’s prey. The tiger has enormous power which it holds under control as it creeps forward, inch by inch. Patiently waiting for the right moment to unleash everything it has at it’s prey.

There are no prizes for a “good attempt”. Nature only gives prizes for wins. If the tiger gets impatient and springs too early, has a near miss. Hunger will make the tiger more patient next time.

Building my mosaic may take a year, preparing for Hawaii will take a year. Tile by tile, I become closer every day. Workout by workout, meal by meal, I become a better prepared athlete.

Ready to unleash everything on the day. With no thought of having “a good attempt” or a “near miss”.

So if you drive by and see me sitting in the shade, sticking down tiles, think of the tiger waiting in the long grass, for the right moment.