Ironman/Marriage

I think that marriage is a lot like the Ironman. James and I were talking about this the other day, and he did not really like my analogy, but I thought it was pretty good.

Ironman races are broke up into three parts, a swim, a bike and a run. So, is marriage. Let’s start with the swim (the honeymoon phase). In the Ironman, everyone jumps into the swim with enthusiasm! You may be a little nervous, but you are still very excited. This is the same with marriage. You enter in with a sense of excitement and nerves. The honeymoon stage goes by quickly (as does the swim) and you must move on into something different.

The bike…at 112 miles, the bike is by far the longest part of the Ironman. This is the longest part of marriage, too. The part where you settle into a routine, and just go. This part takes a lot of endurance and determination. There are hills and valleys, and sometimes even some obstacles in the road. There are different people to cheer for you along the way. Are you starting to see the similarity with marriage? Sometimes the bike seems endless, but it really is just taking you to the run.

The last part of an Ironman is running a marathon. Now running a marathon seems tough. And, don’t get me wrong, it is! Many people do not ever make it to the marathon stage of Ironman/marriage. But, this is the homestretch, the retirement period. The part of the race where you are so comfortable that you just cruise on in. You may slow down a little bit, and take in all that is around you. Yes, you are still working hard, but in a different way. The finish line is in sight, and you know that you have run a good race!

So, you see, Ironman and marriage are not all that different!