I've been tagged by Morgan.....who is apparently in Runners Edge and I didnt know it! Well, i guess perhaps I would have known if I had been going :) So anyway, here goes:
1. How would I describe my running 10 years ago?
Nada. 10 years ago I was in college, and MAYBE worked out a couple of times a month. Running was never involved though, and it sounded like a horrible way to exercise. I thought anyone who ran marathons was stupid.
2. What is your best and worst race experience?
The worst was HalfMax in 2006. That was my one and only DNF to date. It was awful. It was painful, and humiliating. It made me never want to do another race again. Conversely, my best race experience was HalfMax 2007! (surprised that it's not IMFL?? :) Since it had been so awful the year before, finishing it the second time around was awesome. I loved every second of the race, and was more than trained for it. It was great.
3. Why do you run?
It is sort of an means to an end. I HAVE gotten to the point where I usually enjoy it, but typically it's to fulfill some higher goal. Like finishing a tri, or maybe shooting for the 50-States club.
4. What is the best or worst piece of advice you've been given about running?
Like Morgan said, the best piece of advice that I have ever gotten is that you are only competing against yourself. I am slow. I mean, 70-year old woman slow. Slow slow. I will never win any age group awards....unless maybe I'm still running when I'm 85 and I'm the only one in my AG. I used to be embarassed about my pace, but pretty soon I realized that nobody else thinks anything of it, so I shouldnt either. Nobody is looking at me thinking "damn, that chick is slow". Well, maybe they are, but they keep it to themselves! So I just stopped caring about how fast or slow I run in comparison to other people and decided to focus on how fast or slow I run in comparison to my own previous times.
5. Tell us something surprising about yourself that not many people would know.
Anyone who has been reading my blog for the past year knows quite a bit, so lets see..... I'm so terrified of spiders that I have started going to a different floor to use the bathroom at work because 2 of the ceiling tiles are missing in the one on my floor, and I'm afraid a spider will jump out onto me. Even if I'm not in the stall under the missing tiles.
And I would tag people, but pretty much everyone I know who blogs has already been tagged :P
Monday, June 16, 2008
Friday, May 30, 2008
A little motivation
Some days, I look down at my M-dot and think "gee, I really dont deserve this". Usually it's when I'm sitting on the couch feeling guilty about deciding to stay in and watch an episode of CSI that I've already seen 5 times rather than go for a run. More often than not, if I'm looking at it while I'm in the process of trying to decide "CSI or run", it will motivate me to go out and run.
It's funny that 7 months (and 10, erh, 15 lbs) later I can still be motivated and pushed along by my Ironman experience even though I'm not really training for anything, and have no plans to train for any big races in the near future. While I was training, it was the thought of finishing that motivated me, and I guess it's still the same today. And I think now 140.6 miles seems longer than it did before I completed it.
Dawn had this posted on her blog, I found it pretty relevant:
Ironman It follows you everywhere. Like an ever-present shadow or an alter ego, and at times it can follow you like an annoying guilt-inducing time management stalker. But most often it follows you around as a confidence-inspiring best friend. Ironman is always with you.
You realize in this crazy and dynamic sport that Ironman is not just a logo on the products that appear everywhere around us---on supermarket shelves, in clothing stores and bike stores. Ironman is not just a race or a goal. Ironman is a life-changing experience that irrevocably gifts you with intense lessons about yourself and a fitness level that is often unsurpassed.
Whether you are training to race in your first Ironman, or you’ve finished nine World Championship Ironman races in Hawaii, this experience stays with you. When you mention the words of Ironman triathlon to other people, it changes things. It changes things in you, and it changes things in them. Telling someone you’re an Ironman or that you are going to do one commits you in a binding way. It has been said that when you fully commit to something or someone, you find it easier to tell other people. It’s also been said that once you are fully committed to something or someone, you are bound by your word and your internal commitment to yourself.
Wearing an Ironman T-shirt opens the door for people to talk to you in airports, on the street, or in restaurants. And like a club with a secret handshake, when you see other people who have finished an Ironman, there is a silent understanding. Most relationships are forged with a common experience, and the bond of experiencing an Ironman is one that breaks conventional relationship boundaries. Just go to Kona---or Lake Placid or France---to witness people from all over the world with ultra-diverse backgrounds becoming part of a very special and supportive family.
With the commitment to train and race in an Ironman, you’ve started along the yellow brick road that will present you with far more than the lions and tigers and bears of your own self-doubt and fear. Training gives you a strong heart, physiologically and emotionally. Racing will grant you courage. Finishing will give you dauntless confidence. This yellow brick road to Kona, Hawaii---or to any Ironman race worldwide---will be jammed with lessons. You’ll rapidly learn that biking shoes are like ice skates on the slippery floors of grocery stores and that a bike can seem just a few pounds lighter than your running shoes. You will also learn very difficult lessons that will shake and sort your priorities in life like a powerful earthquake, revealing the basic truths that support who is really important to you.
If you’re not myopically focused on the size of your chain ring, or your finishing time, then Ironman just may teach you what you honestly value in your life. You will learn the basic lessons of what to eat, how to train, and how to run a marathon after being glued to your bike seat for more than 112 miles. You will learn that the wind, the rain, the heat and the struggle are often overshadowed, even forgotten, when you reach the last few miles of an Ironman and find the courage to break through your own boundaries. It is inevitable that when you watch an Ironman, or when you do an Ironman, the words never or never again will pass through your mind as you click your running shoes together at mile 15 of the run and say, “I wish I was home, I wish I was home.” But then you’ll realize that it’s within the Ironman experience that you just may find yourself more at home than laying in your bed on a rainy Sunday afternoon.
Ironman may follow you like a shadow, but like all kids, you’re destined to find out that your shadow is a mere representative image cast by an object blocking illuminating rays. And that object is you, rebuilt with the adventurous fortitude of the Ironman experience. Let your running shoes click together in your next stride and glance down at your shadow. You’re home.
It's funny that 7 months (and 10, erh, 15 lbs) later I can still be motivated and pushed along by my Ironman experience even though I'm not really training for anything, and have no plans to train for any big races in the near future. While I was training, it was the thought of finishing that motivated me, and I guess it's still the same today. And I think now 140.6 miles seems longer than it did before I completed it.
Dawn had this posted on her blog, I found it pretty relevant:
Ironman It follows you everywhere. Like an ever-present shadow or an alter ego, and at times it can follow you like an annoying guilt-inducing time management stalker. But most often it follows you around as a confidence-inspiring best friend. Ironman is always with you.
You realize in this crazy and dynamic sport that Ironman is not just a logo on the products that appear everywhere around us---on supermarket shelves, in clothing stores and bike stores. Ironman is not just a race or a goal. Ironman is a life-changing experience that irrevocably gifts you with intense lessons about yourself and a fitness level that is often unsurpassed.
Whether you are training to race in your first Ironman, or you’ve finished nine World Championship Ironman races in Hawaii, this experience stays with you. When you mention the words of Ironman triathlon to other people, it changes things. It changes things in you, and it changes things in them. Telling someone you’re an Ironman or that you are going to do one commits you in a binding way. It has been said that when you fully commit to something or someone, you find it easier to tell other people. It’s also been said that once you are fully committed to something or someone, you are bound by your word and your internal commitment to yourself.
Wearing an Ironman T-shirt opens the door for people to talk to you in airports, on the street, or in restaurants. And like a club with a secret handshake, when you see other people who have finished an Ironman, there is a silent understanding. Most relationships are forged with a common experience, and the bond of experiencing an Ironman is one that breaks conventional relationship boundaries. Just go to Kona---or Lake Placid or France---to witness people from all over the world with ultra-diverse backgrounds becoming part of a very special and supportive family.
With the commitment to train and race in an Ironman, you’ve started along the yellow brick road that will present you with far more than the lions and tigers and bears of your own self-doubt and fear. Training gives you a strong heart, physiologically and emotionally. Racing will grant you courage. Finishing will give you dauntless confidence. This yellow brick road to Kona, Hawaii---or to any Ironman race worldwide---will be jammed with lessons. You’ll rapidly learn that biking shoes are like ice skates on the slippery floors of grocery stores and that a bike can seem just a few pounds lighter than your running shoes. You will also learn very difficult lessons that will shake and sort your priorities in life like a powerful earthquake, revealing the basic truths that support who is really important to you.
If you’re not myopically focused on the size of your chain ring, or your finishing time, then Ironman just may teach you what you honestly value in your life. You will learn the basic lessons of what to eat, how to train, and how to run a marathon after being glued to your bike seat for more than 112 miles. You will learn that the wind, the rain, the heat and the struggle are often overshadowed, even forgotten, when you reach the last few miles of an Ironman and find the courage to break through your own boundaries. It is inevitable that when you watch an Ironman, or when you do an Ironman, the words never or never again will pass through your mind as you click your running shoes together at mile 15 of the run and say, “I wish I was home, I wish I was home.” But then you’ll realize that it’s within the Ironman experience that you just may find yourself more at home than laying in your bed on a rainy Sunday afternoon.
Ironman may follow you like a shadow, but like all kids, you’re destined to find out that your shadow is a mere representative image cast by an object blocking illuminating rays. And that object is you, rebuilt with the adventurous fortitude of the Ironman experience. Let your running shoes click together in your next stride and glance down at your shadow. You’re home.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
New goal
I have to get faster. I HAVE to. I NEED to be faster. So, last night I started working on it. I ran 2 miles in 18:35. That is pretty darn fast for me! I would like to be able to run a sub-30 5K by the end of the summer, I think it's doable. Especially if I pick one with a flat course. I never did any speed work last year (I know, bad Ironman training), so I'm kind of looking forward to have something new and different to work on this summer. I've accepted the fact that I have now trained for and raced the longest distance I will ever cover, so speed is going to need to replace distance in my training.
Oh, and someone found my blog this week by googling "triathlons and dislike of swimming". Is it that obvious?!!?
Oh, and someone found my blog this week by googling "triathlons and dislike of swimming". Is it that obvious?!!?
Monday, May 19, 2008
I earned a burrito!
There are only two instances in which I feel justified eating an 1100 calorie Chipotle burrito: after a long workout (and I haven’t had any of those recently) or after a race. So what did I have for lunch yesterday?? Chipotle, of course!
For not having trained much this spring, Heritage Park went surprisingly well. My friend Audrey came out to watch and take pics, so hopefully she’ll have some up on her blog soon since I told Dan not to bother bringing my camera. I think this might be the first race where I’ve had absolutely NO nervousness at all beforehand. Which was definitely nice, because it meant no emergency trips to the port-a-john right before the start.
My swim time was about a minute slower than last year, which I’m OK with considering this was my first OWS of the season. Ok, I lied, it was my first swim at all since IMFL. I guess that’s not a total lie, because it WAS my first OWS…..it just happened to be my first swim of any sort. But it went OK, and I was happy to see that I hadn’t forgotten how to swim. I was also pleased that my wetsuit still fit. My only problem was that I discovered when we got down there that I was out of anti-fog, so I just had to lick out my goggles, which never works as well. So they kept fogging over and I had to stop a couple of times to sight.
The bike was a little bit of a different story. I didn’t have trouble with it or anything, it was just SLOW. Last year I averaged 17.8 mph on the bike leg, this year I averaged 14.1. Uh yeah, guess I need to be riding more. It’s kind of frustrating to have lost so much strength on the bike, but I know it’s just a matter of getting back out there and riding regularly. So no worries. Bryce passed me as I was starting my second loop and he was starting his first, I was a little concerned that he might lap me before I finished, but I managed to stay ahead of him.
The run was actually OK, I kept an 11:07 pace, which isn’t too bad for me. Last year I had a 10:42 pace, and I had been doing a LOT more running in the spring since I had just done Lincoln marathon a few weeks before. I felt good on the whole run, just walked through the two aid stations and ran the rest of the time. I saw Bryce as he was heading out on an out-and-back portion and I was finishing it, and figured he would catch me since he’s a much faster runner, but he didn’t until RIGHT at the very end, I crossed the finish line literally about a second before he did. Of course, his swim heat started 15 minutes after mine, but whatever, I still won.
My overall time was 1:34:02, about 7 minutes slower than last year, but about 7 minutes faster than 06.
Audrey ended up having an extra ticket to the Brigade game since her husband had an early soccer game, so I spent the afternoon with her at that. Good times. It was my first AFL game, a little different, but still fun. I would like to note that we were sitting behind a group of swingers. Dudes don’t rub each others’ shoulders. They just don’t.
For not having trained much this spring, Heritage Park went surprisingly well. My friend Audrey came out to watch and take pics, so hopefully she’ll have some up on her blog soon since I told Dan not to bother bringing my camera. I think this might be the first race where I’ve had absolutely NO nervousness at all beforehand. Which was definitely nice, because it meant no emergency trips to the port-a-john right before the start.
My swim time was about a minute slower than last year, which I’m OK with considering this was my first OWS of the season. Ok, I lied, it was my first swim at all since IMFL. I guess that’s not a total lie, because it WAS my first OWS…..it just happened to be my first swim of any sort. But it went OK, and I was happy to see that I hadn’t forgotten how to swim. I was also pleased that my wetsuit still fit. My only problem was that I discovered when we got down there that I was out of anti-fog, so I just had to lick out my goggles, which never works as well. So they kept fogging over and I had to stop a couple of times to sight.
The bike was a little bit of a different story. I didn’t have trouble with it or anything, it was just SLOW. Last year I averaged 17.8 mph on the bike leg, this year I averaged 14.1. Uh yeah, guess I need to be riding more. It’s kind of frustrating to have lost so much strength on the bike, but I know it’s just a matter of getting back out there and riding regularly. So no worries. Bryce passed me as I was starting my second loop and he was starting his first, I was a little concerned that he might lap me before I finished, but I managed to stay ahead of him.
The run was actually OK, I kept an 11:07 pace, which isn’t too bad for me. Last year I had a 10:42 pace, and I had been doing a LOT more running in the spring since I had just done Lincoln marathon a few weeks before. I felt good on the whole run, just walked through the two aid stations and ran the rest of the time. I saw Bryce as he was heading out on an out-and-back portion and I was finishing it, and figured he would catch me since he’s a much faster runner, but he didn’t until RIGHT at the very end, I crossed the finish line literally about a second before he did. Of course, his swim heat started 15 minutes after mine, but whatever, I still won.
My overall time was 1:34:02, about 7 minutes slower than last year, but about 7 minutes faster than 06.
Audrey ended up having an extra ticket to the Brigade game since her husband had an early soccer game, so I spent the afternoon with her at that. Good times. It was my first AFL game, a little different, but still fun. I would like to note that we were sitting behind a group of swingers. Dudes don’t rub each others’ shoulders. They just don’t.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Wetsuit for HP
I see a lot of people have been finding my blog this week based on a Google search of "heritage park triathlon wetsuit", or some form of that. It's funny to see the ways people find your blog, I think the funniest one I ever got was "peeing while running", but I digress.
Yes, wear a wetsuit. The water temp is about 64 degrees, which is damn cold. Last year, most people wore a wetsuit, and we'd had a warmer spring than we have this year. I will be wearing mine....assuming it still fits.
Yes, wear a wetsuit. The water temp is about 64 degrees, which is damn cold. Last year, most people wore a wetsuit, and we'd had a warmer spring than we have this year. I will be wearing mine....assuming it still fits.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
What is the point?!
So, my first race of the season is coming up this Sunday, Heritage Park. You'd think I would be excited for it like I always have been in the past, but I'm just not this year. I think mostly due to the fact that last wekend I realized that the entire race is going to take less time than my swim at IM. Well, SHOULD take less time than my swim. So either a) I am a really slow swimmer, or b) HP is just a really short course. I think a combination of the two. I'm sitting here thinking, what is the point of a 90 minute race! Really, dragging my ass out of bed at 5am for a race that short just doesnt hold the same appeal that it used to.
Not to mention, in years past I've had a pretty good sized group of friends doing the race, but this year I only know one other person who is doing it. It's always fun to have your friends there, but this time it will be just Dan and Bryce, who will just be on the lookout for the chick in the school girl outfit. Oh well. While I'm on my bike and when I'm running, I'll just remind myself "hey, at least you're not still swimming!". BUT, I'm sure it will be fun, I just need to get there. Here's my recap of last years race:
Penny gives Heritage Park a big 'ol stink eye!
Monday, April 28, 2008
Ok, Ok, I get it!
I have been informed by multiple sources that I suck for not updating my blog, so here goes. I finally got another job and just started last week. So that is good. I had a nice 4 month hiatus....too bad the weather was craptastic the entire time. You would think that with all that free time I might have been motivated to do some serious training, but no. I just sat on the couch watching Food Network and Lifetime, getting fatter and fatter. Ok well I didn't get fat, but I sure feel like a lardo after 5 months of barely working out.
I did finally sign up for my first race of the season, Heritage Park tri the 18th of May. At least, I think it's the 18th. Obviously I'm not nearly as concerned with the details, like when races actually are, as I was last year. And now that the weather is starting to turn nice again, I'm actually beginning to get the itch to get out there and train. Of course, I havent really scratched that itch yet, but it's coming!
I've ridden my bike a total of once, swam zero times, and run an average of maybe once a week. So yeah, I need to get my butt in gear for HP. It's just a sprint and I can handle it no problem, but I dont exactly want to come out with a worse time than last year. Also, I aged up this year. I'm now competing in the 30-34 AG. Yikes! No more 20-somethings for me. Maybe I should go run after work.
In other news, we just got done remodeling the bathroom. And I say "done", meaning that the bathroom is functional, it's not quite finished yet. Our house was built in the 50's and the bathroom looked like it hadnt been updated since then. I know it had, but it was still in pretty bad shape. Yellow tile covering the entire room, oversized vanity directly across from the toilet that required you to sit sideways on the toilet, rotting window frame in the shower that sprouted mushrooms last summer, the works. Yes, we actually had mushrooms growing IN the shower. Dan did most of the work with the help of a few guys who know more what they're doing, and it looks pretty good for a few amateurs who gave it the ol' college try. Just dont look too closely at the walls. (see Dan, I talk about you in my blog)
Next up on the home repair list, replacing the kitchen counters and back splash and installing a tile floor, and refninishing the hardwoods in the rest of the house. Then it will be time to put it on the market and hope it doesnt take a year to sell.
I did finally sign up for my first race of the season, Heritage Park tri the 18th of May. At least, I think it's the 18th. Obviously I'm not nearly as concerned with the details, like when races actually are, as I was last year. And now that the weather is starting to turn nice again, I'm actually beginning to get the itch to get out there and train. Of course, I havent really scratched that itch yet, but it's coming!
I've ridden my bike a total of once, swam zero times, and run an average of maybe once a week. So yeah, I need to get my butt in gear for HP. It's just a sprint and I can handle it no problem, but I dont exactly want to come out with a worse time than last year. Also, I aged up this year. I'm now competing in the 30-34 AG. Yikes! No more 20-somethings for me. Maybe I should go run after work.
In other news, we just got done remodeling the bathroom. And I say "done", meaning that the bathroom is functional, it's not quite finished yet. Our house was built in the 50's and the bathroom looked like it hadnt been updated since then. I know it had, but it was still in pretty bad shape. Yellow tile covering the entire room, oversized vanity directly across from the toilet that required you to sit sideways on the toilet, rotting window frame in the shower that sprouted mushrooms last summer, the works. Yes, we actually had mushrooms growing IN the shower. Dan did most of the work with the help of a few guys who know more what they're doing, and it looks pretty good for a few amateurs who gave it the ol' college try. Just dont look too closely at the walls. (see Dan, I talk about you in my blog)
Next up on the home repair list, replacing the kitchen counters and back splash and installing a tile floor, and refninishing the hardwoods in the rest of the house. Then it will be time to put it on the market and hope it doesnt take a year to sell.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Back in the Saddle
Well, I guess I'm not technically back in the saddle since I haven't been on my bike yet since November, but I'm at least working out. I took almost 3 full month off from doing anything physical, I figured I just needed the break. And it has been oh so nice not HAVING to get up early to go run or whatever. I signed up for Runners Edge again and went to the first session at the end of January, then skipped every week until this last weekend. It's just so hard getting on a schedule again! But I finally feel like I'm ready to really start training again.
People keep asking me what races I'm doing this year, and I truly dont know yet. This time last year I had my whole season mapped out, and now I have nothing. I know I dont want to do anything longer than an Oly and a half marathon. No half IM's, and no marathons for me this year. Long mileage just doesnt sound appealing right now.
So, I will PROBABLY be doing the following races, though I havent really taken the time or effort to look up any race calendars to see when things are.
- Heritage Park Tri
- Hospital Hill half mary
- Shawnee Mission long course
- KC Womens Tri
- Quarter Max
I hear there's another all women's tri in the area this year, but I dont know when. So maybe that one too. It's SO nice not having to be as hard core and serious about it as I was last year! I still want to do more IM's in the future, but not for a long while. And some day soon, i will get my bike down out of the rafters and actually clean it off so I can start riding again. It still has my IMFL numbers and dried, sticky Gatorade all over it.
In other news, I got laid off from my job in December. I'm still not working, but at least I've finally started getting called for interviews. Where was all this free time when I was training for Florida!?
People keep asking me what races I'm doing this year, and I truly dont know yet. This time last year I had my whole season mapped out, and now I have nothing. I know I dont want to do anything longer than an Oly and a half marathon. No half IM's, and no marathons for me this year. Long mileage just doesnt sound appealing right now.
So, I will PROBABLY be doing the following races, though I havent really taken the time or effort to look up any race calendars to see when things are.
- Heritage Park Tri
- Hospital Hill half mary
- Shawnee Mission long course
- KC Womens Tri
- Quarter Max
I hear there's another all women's tri in the area this year, but I dont know when. So maybe that one too. It's SO nice not having to be as hard core and serious about it as I was last year! I still want to do more IM's in the future, but not for a long while. And some day soon, i will get my bike down out of the rafters and actually clean it off so I can start riding again. It still has my IMFL numbers and dried, sticky Gatorade all over it.
In other news, I got laid off from my job in December. I'm still not working, but at least I've finally started getting called for interviews. Where was all this free time when I was training for Florida!?
Monday, December 10, 2007
The art of IM
It's a dreary Monday afternoon, and Court and I are both bored at work. So we spent the afternoon creating portraits of each other. I think we are true arteests.....
My depiction of Court riding her bike along Front Beach Road:
Courts rendering of my finish:
Monday, December 3, 2007
Thoughts 1 month post race
It’s exactly one month since Ironman. The black eye is gone, the tattoo is healed up, and my feet are starting to look normal again. Well, my pinky toes are permanently deformed, but my blisters and calloused have peeled off. One month ago today I was just starting the run. I was less than 26 miles from the end of my day, and from the end of my year-long journey.
I guess now that I’ve had some time to sit back and reflect on things, I can allow myself to be a little philosophical :) Ironman isn’t one day. It starts the day you sign up and doesn’t end until you cross the finish line a year later. It’s also not just about you. It’s about every single one of your friends and family members that is going to be making sacrifices right along with you. They say that the top two causes of arguments between married couples are sex and money. If you’re training for Ironman, add a third to that list.
I learned that I am much stronger than I ever thought I was. I’ll admit, I’ve always been the type who wanted and expected things to come easy. Ironman doesn’t come easy. I am so proud of myself for finishing that race, but I am even more proud of everything I did to get to that finish line. I was up by 5am EVERY SINGLE Saturday starting in January so that I could go for a long run. I cried during more workouts than I care to admit. I ran 14 miles during the worst thunderstorm of the year, and was disappointed in myself because it was supposed to have been a 20 miler. I ran on feet that were so badly blistered it hurt to even touch them. I learned how to put my cassette back together when it fell apart in the middle of nowhere and it was either figure it out, or carry my bike 15 miles back to my car. I rode 60 miles in heat that was so bad that I passed out under a tree as soon as I got off my bike. I carried my bike through a creek because the bridge was out and dammit, we were going to finish that ride. I beat a race that beat me the year before.
I didn’t WANT to do any of that. I didn’t WANT to get up early, or destroy my feet, or go home when everyone else was going out because I had an early run in the morning. Because all of that stuff sucks, and it’s hard, and it made me cry. But I wanted to be an Ironman, and I knew that I was going to love that finish line more than I hated everything I had to do to get to it. And I did. Every single thing I did to finish was absolutely worth it. And it made me realize that I CAN do anything I set my mind to. Anyone can. If you want it bad enough, and are willing to put in the time and the effort, anything is possible. Just like there is no crying in baseball, there are no excuses in Ironman. “I’m too tired, I’m too busy, I don’t feel like it” are not part of the vocabulary of an Ironman. You do the work before you even get to race day, the race is the fun part. That’s when you get to enjoy the fruits of your labor. That’s when you get to say “suck it!” to all the people who gave you a raised eyebrow, or rolled their eyes, or told you how crazy you were when you talked about your training.
Crossing the finish line wasn’t emotional for me. I had thought it would be, but it wasn’t. I was exhausted and thrilled to be able to finally sit down. But now it is emotional. Now that I get to think about all that went into it, I can realize just how big of a deal it was. I went through the lowest of lows, and the highest of highs, and I can be proud of myself.
I guess now that I’ve had some time to sit back and reflect on things, I can allow myself to be a little philosophical :) Ironman isn’t one day. It starts the day you sign up and doesn’t end until you cross the finish line a year later. It’s also not just about you. It’s about every single one of your friends and family members that is going to be making sacrifices right along with you. They say that the top two causes of arguments between married couples are sex and money. If you’re training for Ironman, add a third to that list.
I learned that I am much stronger than I ever thought I was. I’ll admit, I’ve always been the type who wanted and expected things to come easy. Ironman doesn’t come easy. I am so proud of myself for finishing that race, but I am even more proud of everything I did to get to that finish line. I was up by 5am EVERY SINGLE Saturday starting in January so that I could go for a long run. I cried during more workouts than I care to admit. I ran 14 miles during the worst thunderstorm of the year, and was disappointed in myself because it was supposed to have been a 20 miler. I ran on feet that were so badly blistered it hurt to even touch them. I learned how to put my cassette back together when it fell apart in the middle of nowhere and it was either figure it out, or carry my bike 15 miles back to my car. I rode 60 miles in heat that was so bad that I passed out under a tree as soon as I got off my bike. I carried my bike through a creek because the bridge was out and dammit, we were going to finish that ride. I beat a race that beat me the year before.
I didn’t WANT to do any of that. I didn’t WANT to get up early, or destroy my feet, or go home when everyone else was going out because I had an early run in the morning. Because all of that stuff sucks, and it’s hard, and it made me cry. But I wanted to be an Ironman, and I knew that I was going to love that finish line more than I hated everything I had to do to get to it. And I did. Every single thing I did to finish was absolutely worth it. And it made me realize that I CAN do anything I set my mind to. Anyone can. If you want it bad enough, and are willing to put in the time and the effort, anything is possible. Just like there is no crying in baseball, there are no excuses in Ironman. “I’m too tired, I’m too busy, I don’t feel like it” are not part of the vocabulary of an Ironman. You do the work before you even get to race day, the race is the fun part. That’s when you get to enjoy the fruits of your labor. That’s when you get to say “suck it!” to all the people who gave you a raised eyebrow, or rolled their eyes, or told you how crazy you were when you talked about your training.
Crossing the finish line wasn’t emotional for me. I had thought it would be, but it wasn’t. I was exhausted and thrilled to be able to finally sit down. But now it is emotional. Now that I get to think about all that went into it, I can realize just how big of a deal it was. I went through the lowest of lows, and the highest of highs, and I can be proud of myself.
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