written by Coach Amy Kuitse

Coach Amy Kuitse writes about the tough decision she was faced with when a Kona roll down slot was presented to her. Read on to learn what she did, why she did it, and why she is happy with her choice.

Stephen Covey once said, “First we make our choices, then our choices make us.” This is a statement that could be interpreted several different ways and is likely to be interpreted in different ways, based on how you apply it. For me, this statement took on two very different meanings this year. As a triathlete training for IM Louisville it was about the choice of registering for an Ironman, the challenges of training and balancing this with my family. The second meaning related to the choice I would have to make should my dream of qualifying for Kona present itself.

When I registered for IML 2009 in August of ‘08 I was very clear on what was to come regarding the training I would need to do for me to race an IM in the way I wanted to. For my family it was the knowledge that I would 100% committed and we would be juggling schedules and watching the many moods of IM appear in our house. Just as important was the knowledge that beginning August of ‘09 would be the start of our oldest daughter’s, Mariah, senior year in high school. This would be her last season of high school soccer. A brief run down of why this is so important…your senior year, you are a tri-captain and returning starter, your dad is the coach, your dad has coached at the HS for 23 years, and your blood has run Columbia blue (St. Joe Indians blue) for all 18 years of your life. GO INDIANS!!!

It was easy to take on the challenges of IM as it was simple, it was a choice; a decision. Taking on IM is much like the many things we do everyday of our life. We multi-task; we work with other people on a project, we juggle schedules around so we can train in a group for specific workouts, we schedule out our work week, and we schedule out our training week. IM is much more than the physical aspect of doing. It teaches us some great life lessons along the way. When you simply think about the choices we make in training for IM we can see the same thought processes in other aspects of our life.
When my husband confronted me in the spring this year, with the question I refused to think about, I was forced to discuss the choice I would make should one of those rare Kona slots present itself to me. Having been to Kona once before changed how I have looked at ironman ever since. IM is always about finishing first, but now it is the dream to go back. So, when he asked, “What are you going to do when you qualify?” First, I laughed and basically told him he was crazy. “Do you know how hard it is to qualify?” Of course he does, the poorbman!! Then I thanked him for his confidence and he asked me again. I was trying to avoid his question!

As hard as the challenge of IM training is, the choice of what to do, should the slot present itself, was easy to make. I would not go. My choice was to be home to see every moment of Mariah’s senior soccer season.
As faith would have it, I received the roll down slot to Kona at IML, on August 30th this year. Carlos Castaneda said, “We either make ourself miserable or make ourself strong. The amount of work is the same.” Everyday we make choices regarding things that are small or maybe big. We can allow ourselves to be “miserable” with our decision, if they are a difficult one to make, or we can know that we are making a choice that is right for us at that time. My decision to let the Kona slot roll was the right one for me. The couple of weeks following IML were interesting as some people understood my choice while others wondered how I could ever let the opportunity go by. I will not deny that on October 10th when I got on my computer, accessed the Ironman live broadcast, a few tears did fall on my keyboard when I saw the finish line on Alii Drive.

What I will say now, though; we do not ever stop growing or learning. Ironman is much more than swimming, biking, and running. It is something that can challenge us physically yes, but it also challenges us to be stronger mentally and emotionally. It tempts us to be better than we thought we could be, to push beyond preconceived limits and at the same time it reminds us about humility. It teaches us how to balance our life with the many things we do and can remind us of what is most important at the most unexpected times. It challenges us to give everything we have, while knowing there is no guarantee of any type of return. In that challenge also comes the opportunity of choice and the power of choice can be a great thing.

On October 31, 2009 I stood proudly as Mariah, and her younger sister Lindsey, played in the Final Four of the Indiana State Soccer Championships. As I watched Mariah cry while leaving the field after her final high school game my heart ached for her. And at the moment I remember being so thankful for not having missed a single moment of her journey to that point. I knew I had made my choice for all the right reasons, and that I could, and would, take on the challenge of IM and its life lessons again.