Iron Daddy

Training for marathons while a full time college student holding down a full time supervisor position in a furniture store requires some creative scheduling. Particularly if there is a wife who likes to receive at least a minimum of attention. Mrs. Pol and I survived that stretch of our lives by being very flexible in all we did.

Training for triathlons while working full time (including helping lead a team implementing a new business system, which is essentially another job), raising two children, and making time for the wife (either together, or so she can have some time to herself), requires even greater flexibility. If nothing else, the past six months of triathlon training have proven that, should I ever go back to only running marathons, training will be much easier to schedule. Mrs. Pol and I have survived this stretch by becoming even more flexible in all we do.

And this week is proving to be the fire in which Iron Daddies are forged. How so many items culminated in one week is beyond me. At work, we are running a pilot for our new software. It requires extended hours at work, none of which are dedicated to my primary responsibilities. At church, it is Vacation Bible School week. This runs from 6-8:15 p.m., leaving me just enough time to run from work to church, and little time for dinner. It is, however, for the children, so being there is vital. And it is the last week of solid training prior to the Olympic distance triathlon on August 13th. Though I won't be tapering (since I'm also training for a full marathon in September), this is the longest week of training I've scheduled.

So, after working from 6:30-5:00, I fly to the church and help run VBS. After shutting down for the night, we head home and work at getting babies to bed. Once that is done, and everything is laid out for the next day, it's off to bed, hopefully before 10 p.m. The alarm goes off at 4:30 a.m. for the day's training, and everything starts, again.

Ironmen are slowforged. It takes a long time to develop the proper temper and strength. Race day, on which we become Ironmen, is only the final step in a long journey. It is a tough journey, and requires dedication. But for those who believe they can't do it, follow any of the blog links on this page. You'll find lots of other people leading busy, challenging lives. Each is pursuing something great. And each will achieve their goals, whether sprint distance or Ironman, only after doing that which is required to achieve the goal.