Going Public...

On June 21, 2009, assuming no major injuries or catastrophes between now and then, I will be an IRONMAN!

I decided to sign up this past summer. I'd done one sprint triathlon and decided hey, this triathlon thing is pretty fun, what else can I do with it? So I started reading about Ironman. I found out that you have to sign up for them a year in advance, since they sell out pretty much immediately when registration opens the day after the race. I was in no way ready to compete in an Ironman, but if I waited to sign up until I was ready, I'd have to wait another whole year.

I was considering Ironman Florida since it's pretty close to NOLA. And it's in November which would give me more time to train. I told my training buddy about it, and he said he was thinking of going for a full IM as well (he's already done a few half-IMs). He also told me I should sign up for the one in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, because it's a great course and a great town. But... that was only a year away! I couldn't go from zero to Ironman in a year, could I? Then Training Buddy made the good point that the Florida race would only be a few more months away, which is still not a very long time. So if I was gonna go for it, may as well really go for it!

The day we signed up was funny. We were each in our offices clicking refreshrefreshrefresh on the registration page, sending frantic messages back and forth- "OMG it's not loading!", "Help I'm nervous already!", "Only three minutes to go!" At noon on the dot, we scrambled to sign up as quickly as possible before it filled up. I don't remember when it sold out, but it wasn't long! Luckily we both got in. Then after the excitement died down, I had a realization: "You have not run further than five miles in a Very Long Time, and in 12 months you're going to be racing 140.6 miles." I needed help!

That was when I found my coach. I was embarrassed to even tell her that I'd signed up, thinking she'd laugh at me and tell me no way could you do that! So one of the first things we talked about was how I wanted to do this race in a year, and if we were going to be able to work together, I needed to know now whether she believed it was possible. She told me I needed to be committed, stick to the plan, and trust her, and yes it could be possible. So I've been doing that the best I can, and I'm really seeing progress. Just a year ago I couldn't even run because of shin splints. And now, I'm working out six days a week, two workouts a day most days, with NO pain. (well, just the good kind!)

So I'm training for a hilly race in a town that's below sea level. I'll be completing my first marathon and probably my first century ride on the day of the race. I'll have worn a wetsuit in the water maybe once before. And it'll be just over 12 months from the day of my first sprint triathlon.

I can't wait!!