Much of my life is characterized by my love of… just about any and everything. Call me “foodie,” call me “gear-stasher,” heck, even call me “label-whore,” in some ways I will have to concede. I’m the kind of person who finds the buffet at Bellagio anxiety-provoking, simply because I know I will not be able to fit tastes of every culinary offer into my body (I know, I’ve tried). I continue to live under the optimistic if not ridiculous guise that yes, some day I will achieve enough time-efficient scheduling that I will be able to use every piece of sports equipment I have accumulated (lovingly) in a single week… which would mean seven days crammed full of tennis, running, snow-shoeing, SCUBA diving, rock climbing, yoga, hiking, a little ultimate, swimming, skiing, road cycling and mountain-biking, and of course, surfing. Of course I perform none of these activities exceptionally well, but I do have a fun time out there, whether it’s missing the umpteenth wave of the day, falling over in another failed attempt at bakasana, or letting someone else lead the 5-9 climb.
All of this leads me to admit that much of the motives behind my latest absurd self-challenge, are that this time, the challenge befits my attention-impairment. The challenge, is itself a set of physical challenges, which are of course greater than the sum of all parts, but in essence, they are a multisport challenge. Of course, I am referring to the triathlon. Not just any, but the super-duper length version, the Ironman.
I’ve dreamed of entering an Ironman shortly after I discovered that a friend of mine, Jackie, who I trained for a half-ironman distance (70.3 miles) with, had decided to double-down. She’s now training for second, Ironman New Zealand, and I’m absolutely thrilled for her and wish I could come along in her bike box!I made the ultimate plunge last November, when Jackie and I watched our friend Meredith literally sprint her way through Ironman Arizona, to finish tenth in her age group and rock out an under-11 hour finish. Totally inspired, I woke up the next morning, waited over two hours in line, paid my $551 entrance fee, and have felt a strange mix of nerves, excitement, and awe at what lies ahead these next 11 months.
I also decided to start a weekly blog to keep myself accountable, motivated, and keep track of my training follies. I was inspired to do so by Kara Douglass Thom’s book Becoming an Ironman, whose accounts of newbie iron men and women are really making me believe that the totally insane is possible and the impossible can come true! Stay tuned, whoever’s out there!
All of this leads me to admit that much of the motives behind my latest absurd self-challenge, are that this time, the challenge befits my attention-impairment. The challenge, is itself a set of physical challenges, which are of course greater than the sum of all parts, but in essence, they are a multisport challenge. Of course, I am referring to the triathlon. Not just any, but the super-duper length version, the Ironman.
I’ve dreamed of entering an Ironman shortly after I discovered that a friend of mine, Jackie, who I trained for a half-ironman distance (70.3 miles) with, had decided to double-down. She’s now training for second, Ironman New Zealand, and I’m absolutely thrilled for her and wish I could come along in her bike box!I made the ultimate plunge last November, when Jackie and I watched our friend Meredith literally sprint her way through Ironman Arizona, to finish tenth in her age group and rock out an under-11 hour finish. Totally inspired, I woke up the next morning, waited over two hours in line, paid my $551 entrance fee, and have felt a strange mix of nerves, excitement, and awe at what lies ahead these next 11 months.
I also decided to start a weekly blog to keep myself accountable, motivated, and keep track of my training follies. I was inspired to do so by Kara Douglass Thom’s book Becoming an Ironman, whose accounts of newbie iron men and women are really making me believe that the totally insane is possible and the impossible can come true! Stay tuned, whoever’s out there!
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