My Journey to an Ironman

So, I'm doing my typical browsing on facebook and I click on a fitness link.

Looks interesting enough and I can't get enough of this kind of stuff.

I start reading and my heart starts pounding out of my chest.

No joke, but every time I read something like this I get excited and nervous and even tearful.  And I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is something I HAVE to do.

An Ironman!

I have not always had this huge love for fitness, nor the desire to do triathlons.  It just started with 1 mile...

1 horrible mile I might add.

Thought I was going to throw up after that first mile.

Glad I didn't quit right then.  I would have missed this incredible journey of health and fitness that I have been on.

Then one day, after I went on a short run (I was still building my mileage at that point) I decided I felt good enough to go on a bike ride too. 

So I did.

That's when I got the crazy idea to do a Tri.  I'm not going to lie... There were a few people who laughed at me!

My first Tri was equally as awful as my first run.  I came down with some type of the flu the night before.  I ended up throwing up a few times and my fever broke sometime in the night.  I had trained so hard for this that there was no way I couldn't NOT complete it.  But I was a hot mess!

It's amazing what you can make your body do when you have the determination.  It was the worst/best race ever and I have done 4 more Tri's since that awful day (1 more will be added to that number in a couple weeks!)  :)

So while the Ironman is still years away (I'm hoping to do one in 2015!) I've decided I want to document my journey from Sprint Tri, to Olympic Tri, to Half Ironman and then on to the Ironman.

Sprint - .5 mile swim, 12 mile bike, 3.1 mile run
Olympic - 1.5 mile swim, 25 mile bike, 6.2 mile run
Half Ironman - 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run
Ironman - 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run


This documented journey really is more for myself than anyone else.  To remember all the ups and downs (because there will be plenty of those).  But in the process I hope it helps and inspires you to dream big and go for those dreams!  Because every accomplishments starts with the decision to try!