The Marathon Meal

As I set my mind on what I have to do, I take small sips of water to start my metabolism and get my mind ready. The thoughts in my head race from the hard concrete to the uphill battle of pedaling my bike faster and faster to accomplish my goal.  I brace myself for the hardships that I am about to enter and that I will have to push myself through until the end. I think about the three phases of the adventure that I am about to endure.
 First is the long three mile run that intertwines through hills and woods that will push my legs to keep going but will warm up my muscles for what comes next. I start out slow taking small strides and keeping a steady pace, to make sure that I will have enough energy to keep going. My steps move through the path trying to get a taste of everything but not wear myself out. I feel my heart beat start to increase as if I am excited to see what will be ahead of me. I can smell the trees and the grass filling my nose of greatness and I can almost smell the aroma of the salt from the ocean that will be ahead of me. Smelling all of the different smells outside reminds me as if I were in a kitchen and I could smell all of the different kinds of food being cooked.  I pump my arms to push myself to the next level so that I will be able to enjoy it all. My legs start to feel hungry for more and my mind wants to keep moving faster to the next course. This run through the woods, the beginning of the marathon is what I call the appetizer. A small taste of what is ahead but not too much that you don’t want to keep moving forward.  It is like a preview of the harder level that is coming up next, bracing your mind for the slow pace that I will have to take so that I will be able to save my energy to finish the main course. As I approach the next part of the marathon I mentally prepare myself.
I strap my shoes into the straps of the bike and get myself comfortably sitting on the seat. Almost as if you would readjust yourself sitting at a table getting ready for the amount of food that you will consume. In my mind all I can think of is the twelve mile bike ride that I have started and a part of me wants to move so quickly so that I can get through it and touch the last course, but on the other hand I also want to enjoy my time and see the scenery around me. It’s almost as if I was to stuff my face with an entire steak, slurp down my three glasses of water and pile mashed potatoes into my mouth. I want to finish the race quicker than I can even think about what I am doing that it almost doesn’t seem real. But as I think to myself that if I am going to endure such a journey I want to be able to appreciate what I am doing. I take my time and experience each piece of the land around me as if I could smell the flowers and know what they would taste like. My mind moves slowly through time as I pedal at a steady pace to make sure that I am able to push through the next couple of miles. I realize that the phrase “slow and steady” is not only used for things such as sporting events but also things in life that you would not really expect. Being able to move slow and steady lets someone truly enjoy what they are experiencing in the moment in every aspect. I start to feel my muscles beginning to ache and I just hope that I will be able to push through until the end. I can almost taste the finish line and what will come after I finish this marathon. As I move closer to the end my muscles feel fatigued and my body feeling weak I want to power through and be able to reward myself in the end with the taste of victory against my tongue. Pushing through to the last second I can feel my blood starting to boil with excitement. Out of breath with a salty after taste of sweat I crave sweetness in my mouth.
Changing my attire in something more comfortable that allows my body to stretch and flow freely my bathing suit molds my body as I prepare myself for the last part of this marathon. The half a mile swim is short and sweet practically like a dessert. After my body is tired and sore from the previous events the current helps glide my body to through the water as I press on to reach my final destination. My abdominals are sore from all the different types of movements that my body has experienced today to the point where I am not sure if my stomach will expand any farther. The last course is the sweetest, you can taste victory and you can also reflect over all that you have accomplished.
 Starting out small and experiencing all of the different smells, sights and feelings and moving slowly to the next level your body starts to feel the pressure. As you wait patiently why moving steadily you enter he main course where you must prepare yourself for something that will push yourself to the limits. You are unsure if your body will be able to handle it but you want to be able to experience everything to the fullest. You push yourself so that you can achieve each level to the point of where you feel success. Feeling extremely fatigued and over worked pushing myself to the last limits my body could handle and reaching the last course I knew it was worth it. Finishing that last part and crossing the finish line after tasting all kinds of victories in all three courses my triathlon can be related to a three course meal. Progressing through time and succeeding to a bright finish I know that what I worked through was worth every second.