The Time is Now

By Mike Sexton, Head Coach FWRFC

In June of 2008 I completed an Ironman Triathlon in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. An Ironman triathlon consists of a 2.4 mile open water swim, 112 mile bike, and finish with a marathon. At then end you get a medal and, in front of a crowd of thousands that line the last quarter mile of the finish line a fella named Mike Reilly announces over the loudspeaker “Mike Sexton! YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!” Just writing that out brought up some pretty big emotions.

It was one of my greatest athletic accomplishments ever.

Keep in mind, I had only learned how to properly swim 18 months prior, I had only ever run a marathon once, 6 months prior, and I had never ridden my bike 112 miles until that day. I trained, every single day, sometimes on a bike trainer for hours because it was too late to ride outside. I missed a handful of my workouts because life sometimes gets in the way but otherwise, I was a machine. One night, I got on the trainer at 9pm for a four hour ride. On a stationary bike from 9pm to 1am. That is the definition of miserable. My wife got out of bed and asked me why I didn’t just go to bed, and do it tomorrow. My response?

“Because I am not going to have any excuse for not finishing this thing.”

I logged hundreds of hours of swimming, biking, running and weights for that moment. I did something that, was unfathomable two years earlier. Something I would have never guessed I could do. Now you are thinking “Great coach, nice humble brag, so what?”

This season is going to be unlike any season most of you have ever played, in a system unlike most of you have ever executed, to finish a “race” we did NOT finish last season. We have 48 hours of actual practice before the playoffs. Thirteen and a half hours of game time before the playoffs. We have to WIN no less than 7 of the 9 games on our slate to make the playoffs, for a shot at redemption. We even get the chance to play the team that humbled us in the playoffs last season in a cup match. The level of skill and commitment required to pull this off is immense.

We only have 48 hours to train for this ironman. That is not enough. In the past, a number of players would skip the fall and come out in the spring. Those players have 24 hours to train for this ironman. Half the time to build up contact muscles, understand the system, learn to play with the team and their quirks, and to get “rugby fit.”

The reason why the older players get so beat up and so worn down in the “spring only” season is because they haven’t built up to play the game. They show up on January 10th, after destroying their stomachs and livers during the holidays, to play January 17th and then every two weeks after. Their bodies and minds are not ready for this gauntlet.

Training needs to start today. Running and lifting on your own or with teammates. For those that were out all summer with 7’s and touch training, they will have a leg up on the folks who show up next week. This season, the kicking game and pressure rugby will be critical to our success. Again, the system is going to be exciting, action oriented and built around a go forward mentality with quick decision making. That all starts in training.

This season remove any excuse for not finishing this thing. Block out your calendars on Tuesdays and Thursdays for training. When the schedule comes out, block out your calendars for those days too. Be prepared to mentally and physically take on this challenge. Do this and when the rugby version of Mike Riley announces, “Fort Worth Rugby Football Club, YOU ARE CHAMPIONS!” All of it, the sweat, the blood, maybe even the tears will be worth it.

So very worth it.