The Road to Kona: Discipline or Regret: Your Choice?

Cresting the summit

‘The price of discipline is always less than the pain of regret’  – Nido Qubein

With the Olympics having entertained the world for the past two weeks, we have witnessed the world’s best athletes in action and enthralling us with their amazing performances.

We saw the very best of those who were disciplined enough to try and maximise the talents that they were Blessed with, but for every Champion crowned and every Participant at the London Olympics one wonders how many sat at home wondering what if?

What if they had been prepared to put in the hours required, what if they had the necessary self-discipline to maximise their talent? The answer is simply this: They didn’t and they will forever live with asking themselves ‘what if’, alternatively they may live a life filled with regret.

Everything in Life starts with a Dream and while we all know where we are (start) and where we want to get to (finish), and while it is important to know what it will take to get there, the key question is are you prepared to pay the price? You see life is not always what we expect it to be and unlike the world of instant gratification that we live in, in sport there are no shortcuts, you have to make a concerted effort and you have to persevere on this journey and overcome the obstacles along the way, if you are to be successful.

It would have been easy for Oscar Pistorious to settle for a life of mediocrity or self-pity, but he didn’t, he challenged himself, he dreamt of bigger things and he was prepared to pay the price, by being disciplined. Oscar could have been satisfied with being an Paralympian Champion and World Record holder, but he wasn’t. In true Olympian fashion he fought for something bigger, something higher and something faster and I’m sure you will agree with me that he has inspired Millions, not only able bodied but those who face challenges that we cannot even try to comprehend.

While I dreamt of the Olympics as a young boy and while I too dreamt of representing my country, it wasn’t possible back then due to South Africa’s political regime. I don’t want anyone to feel sorry for me, as I certainly don’t consider myself good enough to have been an Olympian, but I personally feel for the many great South Africans (too many to mention) who could have graced the Olympics.

However, thanks to our Rainbow Nation and the vision of Nelson Mandela sporting opportunities abound these days, for the young children who will have witnessed these Games and will be dreaming beyond Rio and for those on the verge of their sporting prime dreaming of Rio and even for those who may have missed the boat.

I am very passionate about Triathlon and Ironman competitions and am very Blessed to be able to compete in World Championship events, even though most 52 year olds are considered over the hill. You see sport has evolved and Ironman, as an example, allows people of all ages to compete in their respective age groups.

One thing that the Olympics has reminded me of, is the price of discipline and the price of pain. Both are far less than the pain of regret and that is what has enabled me to push through one of my toughest training weeks. There were times in the past week that my lungs were crying out for Oxygen, there were times that my legs were crying out for levity, but no matter what, the Olympics kept motivating me to try harder, to keep pushing as I’d hate to be left thinking ‘what if’, or living the next stage of my life with the pain of regret.

My goal is to prepare to the best of my ability in an attempt to post the best time that I’m capable of on the day of competition. If one is prepared to pay the price of discipline and prepare well, there should be no regrets no matter what transpires on the day as long as you can say I gave it everything I had.

Quite a number of people have asked what type of training I’m doing, how much, how long, etc. Well for those who may be interested in a peek inside a tough (but typical) week of training, you can follow this link

http://ironmansa.com/2012/08/13/the-road-to-kona-week-three-training/