Giant Journeys: Becoming an Ironman

By Douglas W. Thomson

Ironman finisher Douglas Thomson shares his incredible journey of preparing for and completing an Ironman race in honor of his brother-in-law, Stu Mills. Stu was diagnosed with cancer while in his twenties and fought his own "giant journey" to overcome this life-threatening illness. Stu's odyssey inspired Thomson to attempt something far beyond his own physical limits. Giant Journeys: Becoming an Ironman is a compilation of Thomson's competition, Mills' battle and universal life lessons.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Douglas W. Thomson
• Release date: Aug 15, 2016
• ISBN: 9780997729207

Douglas W. Thomson

Douglas W. Thomson has been on the Board of Directors and Secretary of Matthew 25: Ministries since its inception. A life changing experience was a mission trip to Nicaragua after the conclusion of its civil war. In addition to participating with Matthew 25: Ministries, Mr. Thomson is also the owner of several businesses. He has served as Mayor of the City of Milford and as general counsel to a high technology company. Mr. Thomson received his undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University, his J.D. from Ohio Northern University and his MBA from Xavier University. Mr. Thomson has been happily married to his wife, Gretchen, for 33 years and they have three children, Joshua, Emily and Samuel.

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DOUGLAS W. THOMSON

Giant Journeys: Becoming an Ironman

By Douglas W. Thomson

Kenwood Publishing Group

www.kenwoodpublishinggroup.com

Cincinnati, Ohio

Copyright © 2015 by Douglas W. Thomson

All rights reserved. Published by Kenwood Publishing Group.

If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as unsold and destroyed to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment from this stripped book.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrievable system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher. For more information regarding permission, write to Kenwood Publishing Group, Attention: Permission Department,

11060 Kenwood Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45242.

Ebook formatting by Maureen Cutajar

www.gopublished.com

ISBN: 978-0-9977292-0-7

To Stu Mills—the brother I never had, whose undaunted courage and contagious optimism provide a lifetime of inspiration.

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

Preface

1: A Most Remarkable Man

2: Louisville Ironman: Joyous Suffering

3: Hang With Positive People

4: Live Beyond Yourself

5: Go Big or Go Home

6: Embrace Life’s Detours

7: Be in the Zone

8: Build In Rest

9: Break it Down into Small Pieces

10: Train for Time, Not Distance

11: Do Something

12: Welcome Surprises

13: Never Quit

14: Dress Rehearsal

15: Improvise

16: You Can Do More Than You Think

17: The Eye of the Tiger

18: Grow Where You Are Planted

19: All In

20: End Strong

21: Lessons from the Finish

22: Final Thoughts

Postlude: Matthew 25: Ministries

About the Author

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank my beloved wife, Gretchen, for supporting me through this endeavor. She had to endure nearly a year of my training, during which I was gone most weekends on a long bike ride or run. At the conclusion, I was often too exhausted to be of much help to her during the remainder of the weekend. Following the Ironman, I had a different focus in writing this book, but it was a time-consuming endeavor nevertheless. Her support to pursue this dream means more than she can imagine.

Again, I want to acknowledge the support of Stu, who provided the inspiration for my training and words of encouragement during a critical moment in the race. I want to thank my daughter for running with me during the last mile. That was a special time that is embedded in my memory.

I want to thank the staff of Matthew 25: Ministries for encouraging me to write about the race. Karen Otto, Joodi Archer, Katie Hallum, and Tim Mettey provided valuable suggestions for making this work flow. And I want to thank Lauren Fogle for the cover design. They are a remarkably talented team who is impacting the world. I also want to acknowledge Rev. Wendell Mettey, the founder and president of Matthew 25: Ministries. His vision for helping the poorest of the poor has made scripture come alive to many in the world.

PREFACE

Some stories just need to be told. The journey of my brother-in-law, Stu Mills, is one such story. Stu is the inspiration for this book, which tells the story of how he battled and survived a life-threatening illness. All who meet him are uplifted and improved by the experience. He certainly has been an inspiration to me. Despite the trials he has been through, he has a contagious optimism. Stu’s journey back to health is a remarkable and giant journey. I hope that as you get to know him through these pages, you will gain an appreciation for his life.

At first glance, you may think there is not much in common between battling an illness and training for a race. In a race, you may have a bad day and not finish, but there is always another day. There will always be another event. Even though you may have invested a year of your life in training, if for some reason you cannot complete the race, life goes on. In contrast, the stakes could not be higher when fighting a life-threatening illness. If you lose, you will die. There is no tomorrow, at least not on this earth. Those are the stark options.

In training for an Ironman competition, I discovered there are certain universal and timeless lessons that can be learned, whether battling an illness or training for a race. I dedicated my race to Stu and embarked on my own year-long journey of self-discovery. This work is an amalgamation of Stu’s story, my own journey and stories of other people. Some of these others I have met, and some I will never meet because our lives are separated by time and distance. Despite the differences in our backgrounds and life experiences, there is a common thread, a giant journey, running through each story. It is my hope that you will be encouraged by this work, and that it might give you the strength and courage to embark on a giant journey of your own.

People may wonder: Why attempt something as audacious as an Ironman at the age of 59? Why attempt to cover 140.6 miles in one day? That is far enough to go in a car, let alone trying to cover that distance by swimming, biking and running. There is no simple answer to that question. My own answer and drive came from the confluence of many different factors.

The first time I saw an Ironman competition on television; my emotions ranged from fascination to admiration and even disbelief, as the athletes staggered and crawled across the finish line at the Kona Ironman in Hawaii. I knew from experience that running a marathon was tough. I had run three marathons in my life, with the first two in my early 40s and the last when I turned 50. I could not imagine running a marathon after a 2.4-mile swim and a 112-mile bike ride. An Ironman seemed to be the ultimate physical challenge, and seeing those athletes stagger across the finish line only reinforced that impression. That day, I began to wonder if I could complete such an epic test of endurance. I wanted to find out exactly what my physical limits were. Could I achieve what these people had done? Did I have the mental toughness and discipline to complete the training and finish the race?

As I continued to contemplate this challenge, I realized that if I did not attempt the Ironman that specific year, I never would. My health was good, and I did not have any nagging or recurring injuries. I was not getting any younger, and the longer I waited, the tougher it would be for me to train and compete.

I also got a glimpse of the bookends of my own life. My dad turned ninety that year; my mother had died all too early of cancer at the age of sixty-four, after a brave seventeen-year battle. Dad had enjoyed good health until age eighty-seven, when he wrenched his back playing golf. The last time we played golf together, I remember watching him tee off. When he swung, he almost lost his balance and fell. He gave me a sheepish look as he regained his footing. We both knew that there would not be many more opportunities for us to play together. As matters turned out, we just played once more, and now his health renders him incapable of ever playing again.

Finally and most importantly, I decided to attempt an Ironman as a way of honoring my brother-in-law, Stu Mills. If there ever were a person who would be justified in shaking his fist at the sky in anger, it is Stu. Life has dealt him a tough hand to play. He contracted cancer while still in his twenties, and his odyssey to recovery has been an ordeal. His story is told in this book. Stu’s example keeps me grounded and helps me remember what is truly important. I dedicated both the race and this book to him.

All proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to Matthew 25: Ministries, which is a charity devoted to helping the poorest of the poor and disaster victims by providing food, water, clothing and other basic necessities to those in need. This ministry has been particularly active in responding to natural disasters and has been rated as one of the nation’s most efficient charities. If you care to find out more about this charity, there will be a link at the end of this book.

A MOST REMARKABLE MAN

CHAPTER ONE

STU’S JOURNEY

One day, my brother-in-law Stu noticed some lumps in his lymph nodes. I happened to be visiting him the following weekend, and while we were out on a run, Stu commented that he had found these lumps. He thought they would go away, but they did not. He finally arranged an appointment with the doctor, who told him the lumps could be the residual effects of flu or mononucleosis. The doctor told Stu not to worry, but if they were not gone in ten weeks to come back and see him. Physically, Stu felt great, so at this point he was not concerned.

Hoping the lumps would go away, Stu waited sixteen weeks to return to the doctor. This time the doctor found more lumps in his arm and neck. The doctor was not alarmed, but as a precaution, he ordered tests, which ruled out mononucleosis and tropical viruses. Next, he removed the largest lump for biopsy testing. Still, at that time, Stu did not consider this to be anything serious.

Several days later, the surgeon called Stu and informed him the biopsy showed that the lump was malignant. Stu asked him what that meant. The doctor said, It means you have cancer. This happened about twenty weeks after Stu’s first visit to the doctor. At that time, he was twenty-seven years old and his wife, Barb, was three months pregnant with their first child. Stu thought the results of the biopsy would show he had Hodgkin’s disease, which is often curable. But the doctor explained that it was non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma—an incurable form of cancer. He explained that this was a slow-growing form of cancer, which is why Stu had not felt any other symptoms. The average life expectancy for someone with this type of cancer is about a decade.

Stu then went to a cancer specialist, who outlined a plan of treatment. Since this particular lymphoma was a slow-moving cancer, the doctor’s recommendation was to treat it as it affected Stu, which would take a couple of years. The doctor also suggested that Stu get a second opinion.

The second doctor disagreed. He said that since Stu was feeling well and the cancer

Reviews for Giant Journeys

[jenniferrobb · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

An inspiring story of an older athlete being motivated to compete in an Ironman Triathlon with the goal of finishing it in the time allotted.

[Astraes Locke · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

How many of us just give up and break down because of the immensity of our dreams? How many of us can't fathom how we can even achieve them? Douglas W. Thomson's book Giant Journeys: Becoming an Ironman gives us a guide on how to move forward in that path. A must read for anyone who's trying to become the best version of themselves.

It was very easy to read and understand the lessons in the book (my 5 year old son even was interested in the story, but after a week of reading, he of course wanted to see more cartoon books--maybe a children's version will be available someday). The stories throughout and the way the writer flowed between his reflection of similar stories and his own experiences placed me in his shoes. My heart went out to Stu through his trials and tribulations, and Douglas W. Thomson's fight to pursue his quest for being just a little better every day reminded me of another success mentor whom I aspire to emulate (Darren Hardy). I found that several parts of this book inspired me to be a better version of myself through the various lessons that were detailed within (a goal I have been working to achieve for some time now).

Some major takeaways (there are more throughout the book along with a multitude of short stories to emphasize and encourage the reader):
1) Never Quit! - the determination to do what seems impossible is key to becoming the best version of yourself and whenever I have given up on a goal, I always feel pangs of regret and depressed as a result. As Ethan Hawk had done in Gattica, we must "swim" with the mindset that we won't go back in order to break the glass ceiling that stops us from being "ironmen" generally. He wouldn't quit, and planned on swimming forever even if it resulted in his death. Tenacity is powerful and this book represents that and gives an excellent guide as to how it can be accomplished.
2) Enjoy the View! - so many of us are stuck in our own heads, or in the news, or in our jobs, and we can't take time to go outside, look up at the sky and just breathe the air or feel the sun/wind across our face... There is so much wonder out there, along with so many people who we hardly notice each day - we can brighten our days by noticing and making a point to stop and have a conversation here and there. Enjoy interaction, enjoy these moments, enjoy what the possibilities are, enjoy the view-all this is expanded upon within Giant Journeys: Becoming an Ironman by Douglas W. Thomson.
3) Train for Time, Not Distance! - perhaps my favorite reflection and piece of advice within the book. This gave me definition for where I have failed in the past as it relates to my goals. I have always had large dreams, wanting to be a professional break-dancer in my youth, then aspiring to be a stuntman who jumped off buildings for a living (loved the Fall Guy from the 80's), being in a band and performing in front of thousands of people, writing and directing a blockbuster movie, winning the heavy weight title in the UFC, becoming a recognized animator, creating children's books with life lessons to grow their self-confidence and persistence, and the list goes on. All of these dreams had one tiny problem - time. I was overwhelmed at how to begin. I felt that in each of these, I couldn't go the distance I needed to in order to achieve any of these goals. I didn't realize that I didn't have to go the distance so fast, but that I just needed to work on these goals daily, for a set period of time. I greatly appreciate Douglas W. Thomson's insight on this, as it has opened my eyes to my biggest problem in achieving my goals - creating set times for working on my dreams. At 59, he was able to complete one of the most grueling forms of physical exertion that most of us would not even attempt to try due to the overwhelming commitment it would take. This was all because of a mindset that he referenced, making the time the priority - "doing something" within that timeframe, even if it wasn't his original planned task in order to move forward daily toward his goal.

The book is loaded with inspiration and is a true hero's journey, since he was not the young 20-40 year old who still has youthfulness on their side. Like Rocky I, he accomplished what he set out to do, going the distance in a scenario that seems impossible to the average American. He had the will, the heart and the intelligence to achieve this goal and I plan to re-read this book whenever I feel stuck in a mire of depression or self-doubt. Hope you all enjoy it as much as I have, and wish you the best on your own versions of becoming an Ironman!

Note: As I was reading the end of this book, I was on day 7 of my first 7 day Fast (water, coffee, tea, multivitamins and salt were all I would ingest). Typically I would revert to old habits after such a feat, but this book gave me motivation to keep moving forward daily, eating less, and exercising more, so that I will achieve a goal I've always had of having defined abs instead of a Dad/pizza bod. I will become an Ironman, and I won't quit! - Thanks Doug!