"Do, or do not. There is no try."
At first glance, this seems perfect advice for aspiring endurance athletes. Get out there and do it. Remove all hints of negativity, and forget about "trying to finish." Just get out there and finish.
I'm not sure Yoda and I see eye to eye on this one, though. Then again, I'm not sure Yoda was entirely sold on his own comment.
If you recall, the setting is the swamp planet Dagobah and Luke Skywalker really wants to get his X-Wing fighter out of the water. Yoda tells him to use the force, and Luke says he'll "try." Yoda isn't very keen on the idea of "trying." Luke does try, and obviously fails.
Yoda then demonstrates what he REALLY wanted Luke to learn. There is no such thing as "can't." With very few exceptions, the force makes all things possible. With little effort at all, Yoda does what Luke failed to do. When Luke responded with, "I don't believe it," Yoda's response is, "That is why you failed."
I'm becoming a big believer in "There is no Can't." And I disagree with Yoda. "Try" is a huge part of "can." In life, we sometimes fail. That is often the springboard to success. Instead of Star Wars, think Meet the Robinsons. Sometimes failure should be celebrated as the foundation for future success.
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...
Okay, eight years ago in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, I was encouraged to run 1.5 miles two or three times a week. My first thought and immediate response was that I could barely run 1.5 miles twice a year. Doing that twice a week was out of the question. I knew I didn't WANT to do it, and questioned whether I COULD do it.
Through the years, many things have changed. More important than any physical change is the mental change. Faced with some new physical challenge, the question is no longer, "Can I do this?" The question is, "What would be required to do it?" and, "Do I want to tackle this challenge."
Failure is always a possibility. But I'd rather fail to succeed then fail to try.
The question that we (endurance athletes) must ask ourselves is, "How do we share this belief system with others?"
As part of the answer for myself, I'm looking at ways to develop the "There is no Can't" philosophy. I will share it with the 8th graders I mentor at the Boys' and Girls' Brigade and use it to expand our youth triathlon club. Together with the Brigade I will pursue grants to allow us to reach more youth in the community. The youth in the program will learn what they CAN do, rather than be told what they aren't allowed to do.
Co-workers are aware of what CAN be done after watching me run 40 miles. Now, our goal is to encourage others to get out and think about what they can accomplish. Rather than focus on, "I can't run 40 miles," we'll focus on, "I can walk for 15 minutes" or, "I can run 3.1 miles."
It's been said that a person who can complete an Ironman can accomplish anything. What is sometimes forgotten is the long road to that achievement. As endurance athletes, we will always remember. Others around us might forget, or be altogether unaware of the long journey. Helping them to see that goes a long way toward removing "can't" from the picture.
So, Master Yoda, I'm sorry to disagree, but there is "try." But rest easy knowing I believe in the real lesson. "Long you must train if an Ironman you will be. Remove from your thoughts "can't" you must do." Along the way, there might be some failures, kind of like Luke and that X-Wing fighter.
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