When I first started writing this post, it was December. And I had great intentions of following through with blogging at least once a week about my IM training. Then I got lazy and it's now the early June and here I am. Now, I don't really think I got lazy, but I got busy! Between work, training, spending time with friends and family, I'm hardly ever home. When I am home, I'm attempting to cook a quick meal, catch up on my favorite shows and get some sleep.
No one told me how exhausting this whole process was going to be mentally and physically. I always knew it would be tough, but figured I could handle it. I am handling it, but there are days when I really wish I wasn't doing Ironman. I can assure you, I am counting down the days to Life After Ironman. THAT is going to be a beautiful thing! I'll blog about that later, bc I have some GREAT ideas for living it up after the big day.
Ironman Wisconsin 2007 is now dangerously close. It's exactly 3 months and 9 days away. Sure, that's the better part of a year, but as I get older the time flies. I can't believe I am already finished with my first tri of the season. Lake Mills was last weekend - just a sprint tri, but it's the only race I have this year to really just hammer it and not have to worry about nutrition or proper pacing or anything. Plus, since it was my first tri ever it holds a special place in my heart. Check out my recent post on the Lake Mills Tri!
So, who am I and why am I blogging? I'm a young, active gal from Madison, WI. I had always exercised in some capacity and several years back developed an interest in running - particularly running marathons. I embraced this lifestyle for about 2 years until I made a classic mistake - Overtraining that lead to an injury. My injury was the nagging kind....my hamstring just really didn't want to cooperate with me for nearly a year. After nearly a year of physical therapy, I turned to a technique called 'Graston Technique'. Essentially, a trained professional goes over your muscle with a steel tool breaking up scar tissue. This promotes better circulation and healing....let me tell you, it's not fun, but it's damn near a miracle.
While I was injured, some of my friends encouraged me to take up road biking - a very popular activity here in Madison. I purchased my first road bike - a shiny new 2005 Trek 1500. I definitely was not a good road biker when I started out - I couldn't keep up or climb hills very well, but I fell in love. Being outside and being able to do something that didn't stress my hamstring like running - it was perfect. So, two pieces of the puzzle were in place - biking and running....What about that swimming thing?
I was never much of a swimmer. I hated the water, hated fish, seaweed, chlorine, the idea of my face being submerged in water - ICK! I made up mind to take some swim lessons and learn how to properly swim. I signed up for some Beginner Masters swim classes at a local club here in Madison. Oh man, my first class was a disaster! I couldn't swim 25 yards without gasping for breath. I had no idea how many times to breath and on which side. At first I think I was breathing 4 times on every side, then trying 3 times...and having no success. Finally, a friend of mine got me in the pool and said 'Breathe every 2 strokes'...and it clicked! I could swim the entire length of the pool! I was on my way! Four months of Beginner Masters led me to a Masters program which I have now been swimming in for just over 1 year. I've actually reached a point where I love swimming now.
All of that happened in the fall of 2005....A lot has happened since then to get me to decide to sign up for Ironman WI 2007. After a few months of success in the Masters Program, I signed up for my first triathlon. It was only a Sprint Tri....but the idea of me swimming in a lake, then biking and running? That was a pretty big deal.
My very first triathlon was the Lake Mills Sprint Tri. I was super nervous, but felt confident that I could get through it. I started the swim like a trooper....this isn't so bad! I could handle being kicked, hit, swallowing water....but what I couldn't handle was the anxiety. I got super nervous and essentially had to breast stroke the rest of the swim as my heart rate was skyrocketing. I was so disappointed and thought 'Why do people do this?! This sucks'. I was not prepared for how weird it would feel to get out of the water and have to run while stripping my wetsuit off. I pushed on, had an awesome bike and a great run! Overall - an excellent first tri. I was determined to conquer the swim....and so the triathlon life began.
In 2006, I participated in 4 sprints, 1 olympic, 1 half IM Relay (I was the biker!) and 1 duatholon. What a great season it was...I learned a lot about my ability to push through things that I thought I could never do. I had the opportunity to place in my age group at 2 races! What an amazing feeling that was! I had never really done well in anything athletic in my life before, so this was an awesome change of pace.
By the beginning of September 2006, I still wasn't sure if I would sign up for IM 07 or 08. I didn't have the swim confidence yet that I needed to feel like I could get through it. I was in an Open Water swim class and in the two weeks leading up to IM 06, I was able to swim 1.5 miles in Lake Monona. Now I felt I had the confidence.
On September 10th, 2006, I sat in my bed, laptop in hand and began the online registration race to attempt to get into one of the most sought after IM races in the series. After 25 minutes of waiting for web pages to load and $477, it was official. My journey to IM 2007 had begun. It felt scary and exciting all that same time. And at the time, it was so far away, it was hard for me to imagine the day actually arriving. Yet, here we are...less than 100 days away from the big day.
So why do it? And why now? Well, I think it's a good time in my life to attempt this. I have no kids, spouse, home or pets. I have a job that is very understanding of my lifestyle. It's on my home turf. It would be something that I put on the 'I could never do that' list years ago. I just want to prove to myself and anyone who ever doubted my mental toughness and will power that I can train for and complete an Ironman. Maybe I'll never do an IM race distance again, who knows. But for right now, it's my time to go on this amazing journey.
I'll begin blogging on a more regular basis now as the big day creeps up. Anyone who is interested can track my progress, read about the heartaches and the triumphs and everything in between.
Upcoming Posts: GMR Race Report, Post IM Dreams, Half IM Jitters
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