At the point of no return…01 Apr
I have packed my bags, prepared my race food, packed my race backpack and charged my camera batteries.
I have a peace in my body tonight that I have not had for the past ten days or so. I have past the point of no return. I stand in front of my challenge, and (knowing that some of you, Martin in particular, will now roll your eyes) I feel such presence. Maybe it is because I have been to the event before, I know what it is going to take away from me. But I also feel prepared, and I feel strong.
I made a quick balance sheet with comparison from last year:
+ I know what is waiting for me
- I know what is waiting for me and how hard it is
+ I have trained more and harder this year
- I have run less miles (but also been swimming and cycling)
+ I have done a series of tough races, more so then last year
- I just had a stomach bug, and I have some tendence problems
I think, all in all, that I stand better prepared then last year. I know how much in my head the race will be and a strong race head will see me through the race. Any weakness needs to be filtered out, because for sure, but body will look for the option to stop, many times, over and over again.
Now there is only one way to go, forwards, and until the end. I spoke with Ben today and said that I would give an arm and a leg to know that I would 100% be able to make the race. But I feel different now. The packing process has been a kind of a meditative process where I now feel at ease and I am even looking forward to the race! Sounds crazy, but it is the truth, now I cannot wait, bring the race on and take me to that start line. I know that I will make it and I will be there on the finnish line.
One day left for you to give me comments. Last year’s comments truly lifted me up at dark times, so please, keep your comments coming through, especially with small race thoughts, they will be helping me this year too!
3 Responses to “At the point of no return…”
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Hi Joakim, We will be spending the last few days before the race with you in Namibia. From what I hear and see you are mentally prepared for the race. That is the most important thing. I’ve done the double century (205km) cycle race last year and being ready for it mentally made me realize that training fitness and mental fitness go together. I beleive this year you will even have time for race photos as well. Put them on we want to see what goes on on a looooong race like that.
Good luck and happy hiking.
Andrey
Few words of wisdom for you buddy,
At times it may seem like a lonely place out there in the dessert but you should know that we’re all willing you on and proud that you set yourself goals, train incredibly hard working towards and then achieve them!
Champions aren’t made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them — a desire, a dream, a vision.
Muhammad Ali
I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle – victorious.
Vince Lombardi
Al Pacino’s Inch By Inch speech from Any Given Sunday:
I don’t know what to say really.
Three minutes
to the biggest battle of our professional lives
all comes down to today.
Either
we heal
as a team
or we are going to crumble.
Inch by inch
play by play
till we’re finished.
We are in hell right now, gentlemen
believe me
and
we can stay here
and get the shit kicked out of us
or
we can fight our way
back into the light.
We can climb out of hell.
One inch, at a time.
Now I can’t do it for you.
I’m too old.
I look around and I see these young faces
and I think
I mean
I made every wrong choice a middle age man could make.
I uh….
I pissed away all my money
believe it or not.
I chased off
anyone who has ever loved me.
And lately,
I can’t even stand the face I see in the mirror.
You know when you get old in life
things get taken from you.
That’s, that’s part of life.
But,
you only learn that when you start losing stuff.
You find out that life is just a game of inches.
So is football.
Because in either game
life or football
the margin for error is so small.
I mean
one half step too late or to early
you don’t quite make it.
One half second too slow or too fast
and you don’t quite catch it.
The inches we need are everywhere around us.
They are in ever break of the game
every minute, every second.
On this team, we fight for that inch
On this team, we tear ourselves, and everyone around us
to pieces for that inch.
We CLAW with our finger nails for that inch.
Cause we know
when we add up all those inches
that’s going to make the fucking difference
between WINNING and LOSING
between LIVING and DYING.
I’ll tell you this
in any fight
it is the guy who is willing to die
who is going to win that inch.
And I know
if I am going to have any life anymore
it is because, I am still willing to fight, and die for that inch
because that is what LIVING is.
The six inches in front of your face.
Now I can’t make you do it.
You gotta look at the guy next to you.
Look into his eyes.
Now I think you are going to see a guy who will go that inch with you.
You are going to see a guy
who will sacrifice himself for this team
because he knows when it comes down to it,
you are gonna do the same thing for him.
That’s a team, gentlemen
and either we heal now, as a team,
or we will die as individuals.
That’s football guys.
That’s all it is.
Now, whattaya gonna do?
Stop reading and eat up the path in front of you, you’ve got a marathon to finish!
Strength and Honour
Goodey
OK Jocke – har kommer lite peppning och funderingar ifran Walt Disney:
“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”
“Somehow I can’t believe that there are any heights that can’t be scaled by a man who knows the secret of making dreams come true. This special secret, it seems to me, can be summarized in four Cs. They are Curiosity, Confidence, Courage and Constancy, and the greatest of these is confidence. When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionably”
“It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.”
Vi ser fram emot att lasa din blog!
Varma kramar
Asa och Christian