Well, here goes...an attempt to explain why I would put my body through the pain and suffering of a 140.3 mile race, not to mention, waste a year of my life training for one.
I wish I could take full credit for getting into triathlon all by myself. However, I owe at least some of this crazy journey to a college buddy (the COL). In 2004, COL brought up the idea of running a Sprint tri together when I returned from Japan. I considered it, and knew I needed some new direction. But at that time, I was too worn out, too out of shape and lacking the drive to accomplish the challenge. I was full of self doubt and twinkies Crawling out of the hole I’d dug myself into (which was getting deeper and deeper every day) was not gonna be easy. However, COL kept hounding me about it and by the next summer I'd had about enough of where life had taken me. I was starting to feel old (at 26) and was definitely out of shape. I thought long and hard about where my current lifestyle was taking me. I pondered my family medical history (scary background), the unhealthy lifestyle choices I was making, and a lot about the athlete I once was. At that point I was 60LBS overweight and headed for an unhappy life as a fat and out of shape mess. I took one last look in the mirror and decided something had to be done. COL and I set a date for a triathlon and I began my journey from coach potato to TRIATHLETE.
In the beginning I started with some will power and a diet modification. I added 6-7 workouts a week, and before I knew it, I was wearing spandex and shedding lbs like it was my job. Eating right and training again gave me back the confidence and pride I'd lost somewhere in the previous few years. By the end of the summer I'd been training for 3.5 months and I was ready for my first Sprint. COL and his GF came into town for a Sprint Tri in Barrington, RI. I still remember the race start frenzy…clad in a tight wetsuit, goofy yellow swim cap, wet sand between my toes. I remember how cold the water felt and how exhilarating the bike ride was (even if my bike was in Miami Vice colors and 2 sizes too small ). I remember the endorphin rush from a strong run (I get it almost every workout now). But mostly I remember the feeling of joy and pride I felt when I crossed that finish line with spectators cheering...WHAT A RUSH! From that moment on I was hooked.
That’s a little background about how I got into this awesome sport. Now to the question at hand…WHY IRONMAN? WHY PUT MY BODY THROUGH THAT MUCH STRESS AND PAIN JUST FOR ONE DAY OF SATISFACTION? Well, there are three simple reasons. 1- Because I can. 2- Because I will. 3- Because the fun is in the challenge. I’ve never been one to take things in life for granted. However, we all need a little reminder from time to time about how to live. My philosophy in life is also simple…always go for it (whatever IT is), and never forget to enjoy the journey. Triathlon helps me live out my philosophy. Triathlon makes me feel like a kid again…riding my bike to the pool, jumping off the diving board to swim with friends, and running around the neighborhood till Mom called us home for dinner. It keeps my head out of the clouds and brings me down to earth. It balances my nerves and gives me direction. It pushes me to my limits and beyond. It shows me that no challenge in life is too hard to undertake. But the most important reason I want to race an IRONMAN is because I know that the journey is more important than the race itself.
That journey that began in the spring of 2005 is now much more focused and ambitions. So far I’ve completed 5 Sprints, a Half Marathon, an Olympic, and a Half Ironman. I’m now ready to take the next step. The road to IRONMAN begins Monday (I get my first workout from my tri coach then) October 2nd. I know the road will be long and difficult, but I'm ready for all it will bring...good, bad and otherwise. IRONMAN, HERE I COME!
I wish I could take full credit for getting into triathlon all by myself. However, I owe at least some of this crazy journey to a college buddy (the COL). In 2004, COL brought up the idea of running a Sprint tri together when I returned from Japan. I considered it, and knew I needed some new direction. But at that time, I was too worn out, too out of shape and lacking the drive to accomplish the challenge. I was full of self doubt and twinkies Crawling out of the hole I’d dug myself into (which was getting deeper and deeper every day) was not gonna be easy. However, COL kept hounding me about it and by the next summer I'd had about enough of where life had taken me. I was starting to feel old (at 26) and was definitely out of shape. I thought long and hard about where my current lifestyle was taking me. I pondered my family medical history (scary background), the unhealthy lifestyle choices I was making, and a lot about the athlete I once was. At that point I was 60LBS overweight and headed for an unhappy life as a fat and out of shape mess. I took one last look in the mirror and decided something had to be done. COL and I set a date for a triathlon and I began my journey from coach potato to TRIATHLETE.
In the beginning I started with some will power and a diet modification. I added 6-7 workouts a week, and before I knew it, I was wearing spandex and shedding lbs like it was my job. Eating right and training again gave me back the confidence and pride I'd lost somewhere in the previous few years. By the end of the summer I'd been training for 3.5 months and I was ready for my first Sprint. COL and his GF came into town for a Sprint Tri in Barrington, RI. I still remember the race start frenzy…clad in a tight wetsuit, goofy yellow swim cap, wet sand between my toes. I remember how cold the water felt and how exhilarating the bike ride was (even if my bike was in Miami Vice colors and 2 sizes too small ). I remember the endorphin rush from a strong run (I get it almost every workout now). But mostly I remember the feeling of joy and pride I felt when I crossed that finish line with spectators cheering...WHAT A RUSH! From that moment on I was hooked.
That’s a little background about how I got into this awesome sport. Now to the question at hand…WHY IRONMAN? WHY PUT MY BODY THROUGH THAT MUCH STRESS AND PAIN JUST FOR ONE DAY OF SATISFACTION? Well, there are three simple reasons. 1- Because I can. 2- Because I will. 3- Because the fun is in the challenge. I’ve never been one to take things in life for granted. However, we all need a little reminder from time to time about how to live. My philosophy in life is also simple…always go for it (whatever IT is), and never forget to enjoy the journey. Triathlon helps me live out my philosophy. Triathlon makes me feel like a kid again…riding my bike to the pool, jumping off the diving board to swim with friends, and running around the neighborhood till Mom called us home for dinner. It keeps my head out of the clouds and brings me down to earth. It balances my nerves and gives me direction. It pushes me to my limits and beyond. It shows me that no challenge in life is too hard to undertake. But the most important reason I want to race an IRONMAN is because I know that the journey is more important than the race itself.
That journey that began in the spring of 2005 is now much more focused and ambitions. So far I’ve completed 5 Sprints, a Half Marathon, an Olympic, and a Half Ironman. I’m now ready to take the next step. The road to IRONMAN begins Monday (I get my first workout from my tri coach then) October 2nd. I know the road will be long and difficult, but I'm ready for all it will bring...good, bad and otherwise. IRONMAN, HERE I COME!