Midlife Crisis?!

Well, I might be having a midlife crisis, but a few months ago, after doing triathlons for the last five years, I signed up for an Ironman ... Ironman Louisville to be exact ... which will take place on August 26, 2012.  So the good news is that I have some time to get ready, but the bad news is that I feel like I'm already behind the curve.  I spent a good part of the fall running, and felt very good about it (I completed the Thanksgiving day 1/2 marathon in 1:38, which was about 7 minutes faster than my goal), but I have been slacking since then.  So today, I'm deciding that it is time to get off my butt and start training!

If you don't know, an Ironman is a triathlon (Swim, Bike, Run) event that consists of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, and 26.2 mile run.  That is right, the grueling event ends with a marathon (did I mention I have never done a marathon before, so this will be my first).  So why on earth would I decide to do this?  Well, ever since starting to compete in triathlons, I have always been in awe of the athletes that can train for and complete this grueling event.  I knew that someday, I wanted to be one of those athletes.  I did a 1/2 Ironman in 2009 (exactly 1/2 the above-listed distances) and although it felt great, I felt somehow that I had come up short.  I knew right then that I was going to have to do an Ironman at some point in my life (call it the number one thing on my bucket list right now).

So why now?  Well, this year (2012), I am turning 40!  In addition to realizing I'm not getting any younger, there are a number of things that have happened in my life this past year, and rather than dwell on the negatives of them, I decided to take advantage of the positive aspects of those changes and by channeling my energy into training for an Ironman.  So a few months ago, after trying unsuccessfully to sign up for Ironman Florida (which was my first choice because of the lack of hills), I turned right around and signed up for Ironman Louisville!  In many ways, I've been told its a better event, but I was really looking forward to a nice flat course ... guess that isn't going to happen.

Anyway, now that I've signed up, I really need to get training.  So what's the point of this blog?  Really, it's just to document the ups and downs of struggling through months of training for a very daunting event.  I know just as much as this will be physically challenging for me, it will also be mentally challenging, and I'm looking forward to the personal growth and insight into myself that will (hopefully) come out of it.  I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous, so for anyone who takes the time to read this blog, I hope you'll leave words of encouragement from time to time, and please feel free to ask questions.  Although this isn't my first triathlon, it is my first Ironman, so I'll be learning a lot on the way, and hope to share it with you, whether you are interested in trying an Ironman or just interested in hearing about it.

Until next time...