The Doubt Zone!

This was posted on the Facebook Ironman Louisville 2011 page and man did I need these encouraging words.

Welcome to the Doubt Zone. For any first-timers out there (and the rest of us who still feel like it every time), the next few days can see huge doubts bubbling up as you pack, load up, head to Louisville, and especially when you arrive and "everyone looks more fit" than you. This is where the mental work really starts. You thought it took a lot during those long boring yards chasing the black lane line, the long hot uncomfortable bikes, the long painful runs? In the next few days, you may hear those long-whispering internal voices start screaming, "What in the world was I thinking? Who am I fooling? Why am I doing this?" Don't listen to that voice! You did everything you needed to do, even if you didn't do everything you thought you'd do. You are ready. Your body is ready. Nine days from now, it's all going to come together. Soon after 7:00 a.m., you're going to jump off the dock and start swimming with a couple thousand of your brothers and sisters, and you're not going to stop until you hear Mike Reilly''s voice booming through the energy of the finish line, "You Are An Ironman!" Congratulations.