In triathlon, as in life, we must persevere. Triathlon training brings you intimately close with this character trait. It becomes a daily physical, mental and emotional companion to the training journey.
Merriam Webster dictionary defines perseverance in two beautiful ways:
1. Steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success. 2. Continuance in a state of grace leading finally to a state of glory.
I love them both, and have discovered them both to be true in triathlon. Completing any triathlon requires months of daily training. Much of the training involves laying a sound endurance foundation, and this time is not as grueling physically as it can be mentally building with long relatively easy workouts. You never know how long a minute is until you are doing Zone 5 training.
In the word perseverance, most of us grimace. It is hard to look past the word "severe."
But there is any important second aspect of perseverance that is often overlooked: achieving success, or coming into a state of glory (in the second definition). To one who perseveres, glory and success COME. They do not come swiftly (as both definitions are clear), nor do they come easily (the first definition). The steadfastness we show, however "despite difficulty," leads to a certain glory, and herein is the hard-earned, sweet reward for perseverance.
I like to focus on the second definition when the going gets rough both in triathlon or life: "continuance in a state of grace..." in the knowledge that my efforts are indeed "leading finally to a state of glory."
In triathlon, every completitor (deliberate spelling) is a victor. Glory comes to ALL who persevere.