The payoff for risk

"Why did you do an Ironman?"

People have asked me this on more than one occasion. And my answer is simple: I had never tried to do anything I didn't think I could do.

The day I signed up for the Ironman, I legitimately didn't think I would finish. I knew I had nine months to train, but after my first run where I huffed and puffed for a few miles, I thought I was doomed.

But I kept my eyes on race day with the hopes that my hard work would eventually work out.

Because that's what you're supposed to do, right?

What makes banalities like "take risks" and "dare to dream" so seductive is the promise that an eventual payoff will make today's discomfort worth it.

That was not my experience.

I got better, stronger, faster, tougher, and more patient with myself. But all of that happened well before race day.

Turns out, I learned and grew more from the daily grind than I did from the finish line.

The payoff for risk is not the result. It's the process.