This past weekend I did two major things. I signed up for my first marathon and my first Ironman. For those of you just joining the conversation, an Ironman is a brand of triathlon events where the distances are extremely long. 2.4 mile swim, 112 bike ride, and a 26.2 mile run.
My ultimate triathlon goal is to do Ironman Louisville a year from now. I signed up for Ironman Louisville today and I’m already starting to plan out the next year! Marathon in November, Half Ironman in May, a few tri’s during the summer and end with Ironman Louisville for next season. Makes sense right? No you say? Sounds crazy? Believe me…it is.
This past Sunday was one of the greatest experiences of a day I have had in a long time. I went with a few of
my tri friends in this picture to Louisville to cheer on a couple of other friends as they swam, biked and ran in their first Ironman. We met up with a few other tri friends which was way more fun than I expected, seeing as we planted ourselves at two tables outside a restaurant that overlooked the finish line. We sat their from 4pm till about 10:30pm. And yes…we tipped our server very well for putting up with us.
I know what it is to train for triathlons and the amount of work that goes into it and if you are some one who can appreciate this amount of effort then you know watching this event is way more than waving a few people on as they race by on a bike or run by with a look of pain on their faces.
As we started out the day checking out the the transition area and watching cyclists arrive back from their 112 mile ride I was immediately in awe and overwhelmed emotionally. First because the concentration on their faces were saying a lot to me and two…this is going to be me one year from now.
When we finished watching the transition from bike to run, we walked over to the finish line which is no where near the transition area for this race. It was nestled right in the middle a block of restaurants off 4th avenue called Fourth Live. It was a perfect place for a finish because it was like running into an outdoor food court with all these people cheering all day and night. As a spectator, you can sit outside while you eat, drink and be merry all while athletes are finishing 140.6 miles of day long endurance.
What I took away from it was this.
First, I’m really excited knowing I’m going to train for this and do it. Second, I’m so glad to be doing this
with friends. Third, I’m glad it’s close enough for friends a family to come watch…and last…this year of training is going to be tough and exciting. After watching this event I was overwhelmed with the how big this really is. I’m thankful to be at a place in my life to even try it.
It’s going to be tough. It’s going to hurt. But it’s going to be fun. For those of you wanting to watch something like this, the start time is around 7am and lasts until midnight. Thus the finish line picture at night. Just to give you an idea of what one would experience in a day as a triathlete…in order to get a good starting place in the swim, you should be in the swim line by 5:15am and for someone like me, no matter when I start, it’s going to be night time by the time i finish. So plan to be there for a while!
I’m excited to know I’m doing this before I turn 40.
09/01/2008
Triathlon