A lot of friends, family and practice members have asked me why, at age 51, would I want to take on doing an Ironman and train 20 hours per week (over 1,000 hours total) for the past 11 months.
Beside getting some really cool pictures and a once in life time family experience… there are two reasons why I did an Ironman.
- 1.) To be a role model for my family, our practice members and even myself
You don’t have to do an Ironman race to have an Ironman/Ironwoman mentality. When a person sets a goal and commits the time and effort to accomplish the goal, come rain or shine… they are an Ironman.
Anyone can find excuses why they can’t do something or even worse why they can’t even attempt to set a big goal… but an Ironman/Ironwoman just goes for it and gets it done.
During this event I saw the most amazing athletes of every age, shape and size you can imagine getting it done. I met several athletes who had trained for several months, only to not finish the race in 2015. Instead of giving up and quitting, they committed to train harder over the next year and successfully finished the race.
We even saw a blind man complete the Ironman with the help of a guide. The blind athlete rode on a tandem bike for the 112-mile ride with the guide and even more amazingly, the blind athlete was literally tethered to the guide during the 2.4-mile swim and 26.2 mile run. Both those athletes are amazing.
In my case, the truth is that I am not very good at swimming, biking or running. In fact, I ranked in the lower 1/3rd of my age group…. But here’s the deal, I am better today at all these events than when I started… and I achieved my goal to finish something that very few people on the planet are willing to attempt.
No matter what your goal… if you want it bad enough and are willing to put the time and effort toward achieving it…. You are an Ironman/Ironwoman.
2.) I never want to be “old”.
At age 51, I have never felt as healthy and energetic in my life as I did this past year. I always feel better physically and mentally when I exercise regularly… the Ironman training just brought it to a new level of feeling great.
I firmly believe that most people will live to be 90 years old PLUS. The people who take care of their body will not only enjoy a higher quality of life now…. but will enjoy being active and have a higher quality of life well into their later years.
During the marathon portion of the event, I had the pleasure to spend part of it running with a gal named Nancy. Nancy is 63 years old. This was her 8th Ironman and in 2016 she had just completed her 50th marathon. She has now completed a marathon in every state. Next summer Nancy plans to bike across the United States with a group of friends.
Oh and guess what? Nancy sees a Chiropractor every 2 weeks.
God willing, I will never feel old… with good nutrition, regular exercise and maintenance Chiropractic, I plan to be doing triathlons until I’m in my 80’s and traveling the world and enjoying life right up to the end.
I hope that everyone reading this will take some time to reflect on their own health goals, both short term and long term.
Let us know how we can help you reach your goals.
Yours in Health,
Dr. Olson
