Ironman Is . . .

I signed up for Ironman, Louisville on September 6, 2009 at 6:33 P.M. It is now July 12th, 2010 and I cannot believe how fast the time has passed and how much I have learned throughout the past few months on my Ironman Journey.

Obviously I haven't been involved in my first Ironman and my first half Ironman is still a few weeks away. However, on July 12, 2010, the Ironman to me is:

Taking the first step to sign up for the impossible. It is waking up each day thinking about what will need to be done to complete the goal and going to sleep believing that what was done to train for the race was enough to get you to that goal. Ironman is about sacrificing certain aspects of life to achieve a goal. It is about dedication and perseverance and waking up to a snow-covered world and still choosing to go for a run. The Ironman is about pushing through blizzards and below-zero temperatures. It is about trudging through the rain and defying 96 degree temperatures and high humidity. Ironman is about putting the impossible out of your mind and making it possible.

Thus far, I have learned that fear is only in mind. I control what my mind thinks about and where I let my mind go. I will swim 2.4 miles, then run 112 miles, and finish it all off with running 26.2 miles - all in under 17 hours (hopefully a lot less than that, but I am not going to count my chickens).

I have learned that Ironman is not about a race. Ironman Louisville will be about me - no-one else. I control how I manage my energy. I control my training and my nutrition. Race day is about how well I can implement all the pieces ...the training, nutrition, hydration, form ...

Ironman is about whatever reason I create to push my body to such a limit. This is a process and all the positives that have come out of this process. Ironman changes people and in ways never thought possible - hence why so many continue the journey into their 2nd, 3rd and 10th Ironman competitions.

There is something magnificent about being in control and working so hard to finish something so challenging. What a day this is going to be, what a year this has been. What a concept - Swim 2.4 Miles - Bike 112 Miles - Run 26.2 Miles - all in one day!