Yoo 401 - On Not Doing An Ironman

Don't worry, Calvin and Hobbes are added sporadically for comedic relief. (via)

Remember how I'm supposed to be competing in an Ironman right now?

Me too.

Wednesday I was thinking: "I should be starting the long road trip up to Lake Tahoe..."

Thursday I was thinking: "I should be acclimatizing, renting a wet suit and going for a test swim..."

Friday I was thinking: "I should be picking up my race packet, checking in my bike and feeling really, really nervous..."

Right now I'm thinking: "I should be finishing the swim and getting ready to jump on my bike..."

Tomorrow I'll be thinking: "I should be an Ironman Finisher right now..."

It's kind of painful and bitter. I hate giving up on something I'm passionate about. Something I know I can do and have wanted to do for a while.

I hate quitting.

But it was too much. Juggling work and the part-time job of training and planning a wedding. I never officially made up my mind to not do the Ironman, it just kind of happened each Saturday as I wasn't able to put in the longer and longer training hours.

Not to mention the cost of getting to Lake Tahoe.

In one way, it was a relief. Getting my Saturdays back and not having to push my body thru 10+ hours of strenuous activity. I mean, that wears a mere mortal down.

However in another way I feel like I took the easy road out. I could have pushed myself harder! It would almost be over now! Everything eventually ends, you've just gone to hang in there!

 Sigh.

There's going to be a big, bold "DNS" next to my name. How's that for shameful?

Good thing I have a new last name!

Ha.

Excuse my while I hole up and read Calvin and Hobbes for the rest of the day, in a futile attempt to adopt the imagination of a 6-year-old and distract my mind from what should have been.

Have a great day :-)

Yoo 359 - Weekly Mileage Report

Longest week so far. Saturday was a 7 hour training day by itself. Not including transitions. Four hours on the bike and 3 hours on the run. I was so naive when I registered for this thing! I knew it was going to be a lot of training but you don't really comprehend it until you get up before 5am on a Saturday and do nothing but bike and run until 12:30pm.

And then you think to yourself, "Wow, this is only half of what I need to build up to..."

Oy vey!

But I'm going to do it. I just keep envisioning what it will be like to cross that finish line. To have pushed and tested my limits beyond what I think is possible. There is something so raw and revealing about that kind of effort.

But only once.

After this Ironman I'm determined to go back to "normal" workouts that don't qualify as a part-time volunteer job.

A few things learned:

• Many have said it before and I will finally add my voice to the chorus: "Vaseline is your friend!"
• Having a bike computer has turned me into a cyclist. Throw numbers into the mix and suddenly it's fun!
• Runner's World has an article after my own heart: "How to Deal with Snakes". The article is one thing. What really got me was the comments!
• After long Saturday workouts, just take some Tylenol and nap. For as long as you need to. Do not try to function as a normal human being. Or plan a wedding. It is futile and potentially disastrous.

Have a great day :-)

Yoo 346 - It Finally Happened

The thing I knew would happen at some point, from the very first day I installed "clipless" pedals on my bike.

That's right. I stopped without releasing my cleats and toppled over, still very much attached to the Kyoo bike.

I didn't lie there long enough for anyone take a picture, but it looked very much like this.

 via

Actually, the most embarrassing part was that I did release one foot from the pedals. But then all my weight was on the other side and I couldn't shift my body right to land on the side with the free foot. *CRASH* Right in front of a public restroom, no less.

"Disregard the amateur trying to use the bathroom over here...I got this!"

Luckily, I landed on the grass.

Unluckily, I'm sure at least a million people saw. But they all awkwardly pretended not to see, I'm sure laughing into their bike gloves as they looked away.

And then a small boy ran past and told me I had a nice bike.

It was going to happen sometime. Kind of glad it's over. That's the kind of thing you only have to experience once, right??

Have a great day :-)

Yoo 343 - Weekly Mileage Report

It doesn't look like much but this week was PROGRESS! I can say that because last week, my bike total just barely made it into the double digits...and I only ran a half-marathon. Remember, that is over the course of 7 days.

Plus, the fact that I even got a swim workout in? Major plus!

The motivation is slowly returning. Probably because I know I get to take a week off for vacation soon.

I spent my Friday night wrestling with my bike in preparation for my long Saturday ride. Did you know you can patch small tire holes with a dollar bill? True story. I'll just keep patching them and then one day, when the whole tire finally explodes...it'll go down in a momentous display of flying money.

Cool, right?

And, just to reiterate how expensive and high-maintenance road biking is, necessary bike purchases this week:  new bike seat, headlamp (i settled for just 300 lumens...the 750 lumen light cost $250...on sale!), tire tubes, new taillight.

Yeesh!

All worth it though. The seat made a world of difference on my long ride and, if I'm going to be riding in the dark, it's generally safer to see and be seen. Especially with all the darting bunnies around here...those will take you out!

I ditched meeting up with my biking group on Saturday to avoid starting my long run at noon. Something about running around in tortuously hot weather during prime weekend hours was more than I could bear. Instead I got up super early and finished most of my bike ride and run before my mind woke up and realized what I was doing.

My "day" started at 5am and by 9:30am I was half-way thru my run and having fantasies about jumping into the pool. That got me thru the last hour and oh was it sweet relief to finally jump in!

This Ironman training is no joke. I haven't even hit my long days yet...

Have a great day :-)

Yoo 343 - Spontaneous Beach Day

I'll admit it. I'm in a bit of a mental funk when it comes to my Ironman training right now. I won't delve into the depths of it, but I will say it's pretty bad. So bad, in fact, that last Saturday morning, when I should have been on a 40-mile bike ride, I was actually downing a breakfast taco while listening to Jack Johnson on my way to the beach with the Katiefriend.

Physically I was ready for the training. Mentally? No.

Escaping to the beach for the day seemed like the best prescription.

We drove Suby Sue along the edge of the dunes for miles until we found our own little remote stretch of untamed beach to claim.

Hand-flying.

Afternoon nap.

Outback on the beach.

Boogie-boarding!

Did you know the Portuguese Man-of-War is not actually a jellyfish? Wikipedia told me so! It's a colonial organism which essentially means it's made up of a bunch of "specialized individuals" that can't survive without each other. Weird, huh?

Katie's sexy beach-hair glamor shot.

And mine.

I really need a haircut.

Seafood dinner at Pier 99.

Nueces Bay Bridge at night.

It was a late, looooong drive home, wherein we sang along as loud as we could to songs while struggling to stay awake.

But oh it was worth it.

I almost feel ready to tackle another week...

Have a great day :-)

Yoo 342 - An Excuse

I woke up this morning with no motivation.

NONE.

I had more desire to go to work than I did to go on my planned 40-mile bike ride and 14-mile run. Even toyed with the idea for half an hour while I tried to focus on my scripture study.

Sometimes this happens before a long Saturday workout. But I pushed thru it like I always try to do, gathering up my gear and driving 30 minutes out to where my bike group was meeting.

And the whole way there I tried desperately to firmly set my mind on starting and finishing my workout, despite every fiber in my being not wanting to.

But then I discovered a gaping (gaping i tell you!) hole as I was putting my bike together. And came to a sudden, drastic conclusion.

Clearly the universe wants me to lay aside plans and go to the beach today.

TO THE BEACH!

Have a great day :-)

Yoo 334 - Gracing the Kyoofeet

I spent 4 1/2 hours biking and running yesterday. That was 4 1/2 hours of temperatures in the upper 90s, steady winds of 15-20+ mph, and not-so-gently rolling hills.

And STILL the worst part of my day was the 2 hours I spent clothes shopping.

Nothing beats me up physically/mentally/emotionally like clothes shopping.

Apparently it shows too. At least one of my coworkers questioned the other day, "Didn't you wear that shirt at least every week on your internship...4 years ago?"

"Ummmm...possibly...."

So maybe it's a little obvious that I never buy new clothes. At least clothes to wear during the day. Clothes for running and biking?

Different. Story.

Here's what the Kyoofeet are loving nowadays:

CEP Compression socks
All the cool athletes are wearing them...
I'll admit, these aren't miracle workers. But they do help. I wear them on my long runs and for several hours after to prevent my calves from being so darn tight the next day. (especially since i'm training in the newtons...). I have noticed a difference. They're pricey, but if you do a lot of running and can get them on sale, it's worth it.

Newton Gravitas for Women
These have changed my running for the better. It's been a long 2+ month adjustment and buildup, but I'm getting there. I run more efficiently and faster, longer now. Seriously. I just love these shoes! Again, pricey, but you can get last year's model at a decent discount and they last longer than most running shoes if you run in them correctly.

DryMax Socks
Best. Socks. Ever. At least that I've ever worn. These keep the feet dry and pampered. AND! I swear you never have to wash them. I mean, you could probably wear them on every trail run for an entire week and not have them stink one bit. Not that I've actually tested out that theory...ok, I've tested out that theory! And it was true. I love these socks!

Shopping for gear trumps shopping for clothes any day. Now if only my spandex and dri-fit somehow met the dress code at work...

Have a great day :-)

Yoo 329 - A Note From the Training Section

It's been a longish kind of while since I've delved into a really good endorphin-inspired post. Do you miss them?

I didn't think so.

But I went on a run at Government Canyon last night so brace yourself.

First, the glorious:

Second, the not-so-glorious (unpictured). BUGS. There were invisible swarms of those miniscule gnat creatures EVERYWHERE. I definitely choked down more than one [handful]. When I got back they were stuck to my arms and face and neck like some kind of trail glitter. It was in that moment of rugged beauty that I realized there is a certain amount of passion involved...

It was a great run.

And I did some thinking about how different my approach to training is now, compared to last year. Let's compare.

Kyoo training for last year's marathon:
Detailed mileage plan for everyday
Multiple workouts a day
Early morning workouts
Calorie counting
NEVER skipped a run or workout

Kyoo training for this year's Ironman:
No daily training plan
Max one workout session a day
Sleeps in until, well, until she wakes up sans alarm clock
No calorie counting
Skips a workout when needed

I've eased up a bit. Not really in intensity or amount of time spent training, but in how anal I am following a "plan". I don't have a training plan for this Ironman. Running, biking, swimming, and lifting weights are a stress release for me. I want to look forward to doing them (almost) every day. I want them to be sustainable, life-long activities.

I'm an avid planner. It's a strength and a flaw. Sometimes plans kind of suck the fun out of life though, me thinks. And they usually get changed at execution time anyways. When I have a specific workout planned, it becomes yet another thing I have to do, instead of something I want to do.

Now, I have a general idea about what I should be doing each day, and I try not to deviate from that much. But not having specifics really makes each session more spontaneous and enjoyable.

And I usually end up doing more. Because I want to.

Also, did you know that getting enough sleep at night can change your life? Ok, we all know this. I've put a priority on sleeping more and it has made a huge difference. Maybe it's a luxury I have right now, this time for sleep thing, but I'm going to take advantage of it as long as I can.

Have a great day :-)

Yoo 298 - Oreo Legs and Cinnamon Rolls

Wednesday "date night" was a fun little two month spree.

Oh what an adventurous mid-week reprieve that used to be!

But then I registered for an Ironman (could this post get any linky-er, you ask?) and the Gregbeau got all these grand ideas about doing a sprint triathlon and so Wednesday nights are now reserved for "swim training".

Isn't this exciting?

Once a Wednesday we suit up and join the locals at a pool downtown, usually fighting for an open lane. It's mostly older men taking up the non-swim-team-practice lanes, so you'd think I'd be able to flash a little leg or something to get my way.

I thought that too.

But then I looked down at my legs and realized that even if they were "shapely" (they're not) they still have the runner/bike nerd tan line right smack dab in the thigh middle.

It's hard to bring sexy back when you look like half an Oreo.

Actually, if you count my sock tan line, you could say I'm a double-stuffed Uh-oh! Oreo.

Now I sound cool...

Where was I going with this?

I don't know. But I swam 2 miles (and 80 yards...) tonight. Partially drill. Entirely in a lane with the Gregfish. (and, just for the record, sharing a lane with him counts as open-water triathlon practice...). It took me a little over an hour and I didn't feel tired so my confidence level on the swim portion is still high.

The bike though...well, lets just cue the bomb dropping sound effect and say I was walking funny after another hilly ride yesterday.

Is this terribly boring you to death? Yes? Ok, in an effort to salvage this post, I didn't find $5 but, on the post-swim Schlotzsky's run, we got a free cinnamon roll.

 All because we couldn't make up our minds, too!

We eyed them, drooling and aimlessly debating aloud, while they made our sandwiches. Then we wandered to our table with those sandwiches while little thought bubbles of cinnamon rolls floated above our heads. And then as we sat there, happily devouring those deliciously over-priced creations, the cinnamon roll thought bubbles kept giving us away like blinking neon signs. So much so that the cashier lady swung by and asked if we were surely sure that we didn't want a cinnamon roll.

She was very convincing but I instinctively gave the Gregchild "the eye" and he gave the cashier a dejected "no".

And then there was this long, but happened in an instant, debate between my left shoulder devil ("indulge!") and my right shoulder angel ("huge thighs!") in which I caved hard for the left dude and in turn set the Gregdude chasing after the cashier.

But! We were too late! They'd already closed the cash registers.

(cue the Gregactor's kicked puppy dog face).

And just like that, they just gave us one. A fresh and goey and warm (just like that shoulder devil said it would be) cinnamon roll.

And now you know.

How's that for a Wednesday night?? Yeah, I think I miss our real dates too...

Have a great day :-)

Yoo 291 - I Am Not A Cyclist

I met up with a few guys from work for a group bicycle ride today.

It was everything I expected it to be.

They looked like this:

I did not. I was wearing my one and only generic yellow bicycle jersey, (same one i got in canada years ago at mec...elizabeth!), massively diapered bike shorts, a mismatched helmet, and no gloves.

Oh, and I broke my sport sunglasses on the way there so I had to resort to my bright green aviators, too.

(one and the same)

Also, and maybe this is just me, I feel like a dork wearing a yellow bicycle jersey. Like everyone is judging me. "Who does she think she is, Lance Armstrong?".  Like it's just reserved for The Tour, or something. Never again will I buy a yellow bicycle jersey.

But back to the point.

They were riding these:

I felt like I was riding this:

(they advised me to cut the streamers off before the ride...something about aerodynamics? i think it helped...)

(and just for the kyoodad...i'm kidding...you're old road bike is performing like a champ!)

I'm sure they, with their massively muscled bike legs, viewed the route like so:

While I, with my massive but not muscled legs, viewed it more like so:

(except stack that picture on top of itself 5 times and then repeat 50 times)

For some reason I looked at their list of scheduled rides and thought the one marked "Very Difficult" and nicknamed the "Hills of Terror" by seasoned riders was a good first ride to join them for.

Go Kyoo!

The whole 90 minutes was terribly exhausting and terribly exhilarating at the same time. I loved being on the bike and conquering hill after hill but I couldn't stop thinking "112 miles of this...and then a marathon...112 miles of this...and then a marathon?!"

It hit me a lot little more tonight.

But they're a great group of riders and pushed me waaaaaay more than I would have pushed myself. So it was good. And the hill country sunset was amazing! As we regrouped back at our vehicles they told me I was quite the trooper. I'm new to this but I'm guessing that's bike speak for "nice try". I thanked them for waiting for me.

It was kind of a slice of humble pie and when I saw the Gregbeau later I let out a "What was I thinking??" exclamation to which he echoed with a "What were you thinking??" exclamation and that was about the end of that sob fest.

Mostly because my phone started playing Ace of Base and that got us sidetracked on the most random of musical journeys with friends like Avril Lavigne and Boston and Veggie Tales and even a tiny bit of Backstreet Boys in there.

Hardly worth mentioning on the blog but I just did.

(also hardly worth mentioning but happening anyways...) I had Costco frozen yogurt for dinner. (you're loving this play by play, i'm sure of it). And I was resorting to counting out pennies to pay for it except I ended two short. And I almost panicked but the Costco dude was nice and still went thru with the sale...though I suspect he didn't fill the cup as full...

It was hardly the dinner of champions. I need to work on that.

And did I mention I'm not a cyclist? I really need to work on that, too.

Have a great day :-)

Yoo 288 - The Doctor and Celebrex

I really do not love going to the doctor.

Now, I know you're thinking "Cool, Kyoo, who does?".

And I'm here to say "No, I really do not love going to the doctor."

Actually, it's probably more that I hate trying to find a new doctor. But actually scheduling an appointment and going to the doctor is still not favorite.

Like, I will call my mom and start to whine and complain like a small child and maybe even go as far as ask her to call and schedule an appointment for me. Or just call one of my old doctors and ask them my question. Or even delay an appointment until I'm back "home" in Nebraska and can go to one of my old doctors myself. And by myself I mean with my mom.

I've gone as far as finding a friend with a similar problem (acne) and having them schedule an appointment for us (me) to see a new doctor (dermatologist) together (for fun).

I need to grow up! But I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon.

For example: my right foot. There's been this pain of sorts in my metatarsally region that's been affecting things like, oh, running and walking and jumping and standing.

Not a big deal.

I've been ignoring it. Because that's what most athletes do. DO NOT TELL ME TO TAKE A FEW DAYS OFF I CAN IGNORE THIS WHAT LIMP? That approach. (stupid...stubborn...hard-headed, yes all apply).

But then people were pestering me about that limp and telling me all sorts of horror stories like they're so good at ("and so and so couldn't run for two years and her foot was permanently maimed because she ignored it...") and then I started fixating on those horror stories and what two years without running would do to me ("anyone else see 200 on the bathroom scale?") because of course that's what was going on with my foot and then it became really hard to ignore the problem.

So, after deliberating with the Gregbeau, and the Alishafriend, and 5 of my coworkers and the Kyoomom, I decided I should actually go to the doctor.

Except the conversation with the Kyoomom lasted a while and consisted of me slouching in an abandoned chair at work almost with tears welling up in my eyes while begging and pleading. "Can you just call Dr. Maynard and ask him if I can ignore this? No I can't call him! He'll remember you better. His nurse, Jackie? She loves me?? Ask her then! I don't want to call! I'll feel so stupid calling and won't know what to say!! Moms call all the time!"

She didn't call. Something about how I need to grow up? Lame.

Still feeling stubborn at this point and desperate to find ANY other solution to the problem, I spent hours researching podiatry and sports medicine websites trying to diagnose my own problem. But it didn't sound like anything described therein.

Great. None of the medical journals can describe my problem. How am I supposed to??

So, when self-diagnosis didn't work and I knew I didn't have the resolve to take a couple weeks off and just let it heal without someone telling me to, I found a doctor and scheduled an appointment.

By myself.

Please recognize the magnitude of that.

And do you know how that doctor's appointment went?

A little like this.

I filled out the paperwork like a pro. Until I realized my health insurance card was expired. Probably because I never use it?  So I had to drive home, rifle thru months of mail until I found the new one, activated it, and drove to the doctor. Then I nervously sat in the waiting room and pretended to blog about Costco Frozen Yogurt but actually I was doing all sorts of things with my right foot trying to prepare my "it hurts when i do this..." statements ahead of time.

I knew words would escape me in the exam room. I almost wrote down notes...

The exam room was scary. Foot skeleton models and all sorts of muscle images of ankles and toes bending ways they should not bend...

The nurse told me to take my right shoe and sock off while she asked me a bunch of questions. Then she told me I didn't need to hug my shoe and could just set it on the floor.

"No need to hug that dirty shoe ma, just set it on the floor. We won't bite."

I wanted to love her but she just called out my nerves!

The doctor came in and was super cool and a runner himself. That wasn't the problem. The problem was that he started looking at my foot and squeezing and pushing it and, just like any other time I break down and go to the doctor, all of a sudden nothing hurt.

"Does it hurt when I do this?"

"No."

"Does it hurt when I do this?"

"No."

"What do you feel when I do this?"

(thinking real hard...trying to feel pain...) "Nothing...should that hurt?"

I felt so dumb. I went into a hurried explanation of the "pain" and how it wasn't horrific and I could compensate for it in my foot strike and ignore it mostly and I just didn't want to be maimed and not able to run!

He gave me a sympathetic look and ordered x-rays.

I wanted to hug my shoe again.

I almost smiled for the x-rays. But that would have been silly.

When that was all done, the doctor studied my glowing foot bones, darkening and changing angles, for several minutes, before telling me they were perfect.

And then I felt really really silly. And fake. And like a pansy.

He couldn't find anything wrong!

We talked about several possibilities and how most foot injuries only show up in MRIs. And then he told me to take it easy for a week and prescribed Celebrex.

Celebrex, people.

Like, this Celebrex.

I didn't think much about it until I was leaving his office and remembered what Celebrex was. Actually, all the commercials I saw for it in between cartoon reruns as a teenager came back to me in flash sequence like some haunting dream with slasher music accompaniment.

If that's not a blow to the ego I don't know what is.

So, for the next week, this Kyoo will be "taking it easy" and ingesting old people pills.

And by taking it easy I mean I'm about to go on a hilly, double-digit trail run.

If my darn foot didn't hurt in the doctor's office, then either it's fine or I'm going to make sure it hurts the next time I have to go in there...

And that, my friends, is an extremely lengthy example of why I do not love going to the doctor.

Have a great day :-)

Yoo 273 - Clipless bike pedals

I began the bike portion of my Ironman training today. Probably long overdue. I'm fairly confident with the swim and the run...but that bike. Just thinking about it makes me ache.

The Katiefriend overheard me mulling about biking at one point and offered to kick me in the crotch every morning as preparation for sitting on a bike seat all day. She thinks it would substitute for hours of training. I had to decline. {Im}Politely. Though I'll admit it's hard to be skeptical about the effectiveness of that approach...


Instead I ventured into the REI last Saturday, bought the clipless pedals I've been eying for a while, and set to fixing up my dad's old road bike.

Today's goal was to install the pedals on my bike, add the cleats to my bike shoes (that I've owned for over 2 years now and still haven't put to use...), and wear my padded bike shorts for over an hour. Kind of like diaper training?

Baby steps.

I mean, just getting the bike out of my kitchen and on the road was a big (baby) step! It's been the eyesore of my house since Christmas. Well, that and the dead plant. I walk into my house every day, see that plant, think "I should replace that plant", and then get over it and move on with my evening.

It's so much of a ritual now, I think the plant will have to stay. I mean, I might miss it more than I would enjoy the looks of a live plant.  The dead one's just a part of the family now. And I kind of have this thing for dead plants. In college I bought a miniature rose bush, only to have it die a few weeks later during finals week. (neglect...it was a necessary sacrifice). But I felt bad about it and kept the potted plant skeleton as decor for the next few semesters. I just couldn't part with the thing. (his name was jake).

But back to the bike.

Installing the cleats and pedals took all of 15 minutes. I was kind of disappointed because I was expecting it to be an ordeal and give me a good blog story but no such luck. A couple rice crispies and a screwdriver and the job was done.

(if you read between the lines, the instructions did suggest eating 2 rice crispies for dinner, while installing, for best results. i wanted best results.)

Seeing as how I had planned on playing bike shop for a significant portion of the evening, I took this freed up time to do some actual riding. I figured that might be slightly more effective than walking around in bike shorts all evening.

It took me a few standing practice tries to get used to the "clipping-in" of the "clipless" pedals (don't get me started on that...if something makes a distinctive "click" sound, there is clipping involved! but maybe that's just me...). But, after 5 minutes, I was ready to hit the trail.

Have I ever mentioned that sometimes I go a little overboard? Maybe once or twice? Yeah, well, tonight was no exception. I got on that bike and it was such a great feeling. The pedals are crazy good! Being able to "pull up" on the pedal makes tackling hills seem almost effortless...and kind of fun...and I can keep a good speed. It's like I was one with the bike....meditative hummmmmmmmmmmmmmm...and it made for a really good ride. Until I realized how far I'd gone...oops!

So, over two hours later, I finally made it back. I think for a first training ride, it was pretty successful. I haven't put more than 2 miles at a time on my bike since September though so we'll see how I feel in the morning!

Now excuse me while I go nurse feeling back into my lower extremities.

Have a great day :-)

Yoo 271 - Registering for an "Ironman"...

...is a little anticlimactic.

I sat up in bed late Tuesday night, awoken by the memory of a reminder I'd set, who knows when, that had popped up on my phone earlier that evening.

"Register for Expedition Man"

I'd brushed it to the side thinking "I'll remember later and have time to think about it more before committing". Like actually committing to do a full Ironman requires thought.  Pshaw.

(it should).

But then, when I woke up and realized waiting and "thinking" about it more was going to cost me at least 25 bucks, I just did it.  I got up in a daze, sat at my computer, filled out all my personals, and clicked "Register".

And that was about it.  I crawled right back into bed.  When I woke up the next morning, I half thought it was a dream.  "Did I really register for that??".  Uh, yeah.  There was definitely a confirmation email in my inbox.

So, August 25th is the day.  It's not an "Ironman" trademark event because you should knows those are expensive, sell out early, and are generally held on Sundays. (the one that isn't sold out that isn't on a Sunday is the same day as my sister's high school graduation). (which is a shame because it was the St. George, UT one which would have been awesome). (smilmeister...you're worth it). But the Expedition Man is the same grueling distances.  2.4 mile swim. 112 mile bike. 26.2 mile run.

And, at only 275 bucks, it's way cheaper.

And, also, despite registering for it in a bit of a slumber, I did put a lot of thought and research into this before committing. It's been a dream of mine for a while to complete an Ironman.

I remember when I first heard about the Ironman. I was watching TV with my dad in our basement living room in Lincoln, NE. He was flipping channels between the Ironman championship and something else. I thought the Ironman was pretty boring. I mean, it was just a bunch of really fit people running and running and still running every time we went to that station. I didn't understand it. He tried to explain that the athletes had been swimming/biking/running all day. That didn't mean anything to me until I saw a girl collapse. She was just yards away from the finish line, and she just collapsed. That caught my attention!

"She's so close! Why can't she just finish?" I remember exclaiming.

That's when my intrigue began. This girl had nothing left. She was walking like an unbalanced chimpanzee who couldn't stay upright.  Step-step-collapse. Step-step-collapse. Another competitor was gaining on her with the same routine. The will to finish was INTENSE. So intense, when they both couldn't stand back up, they started crawling to the finish! In a competition for fourth place!

It was inspiring, in a maniacal sort of way. Though I didn't set my mind to finishing an Ironman that day. The opposite, actually. The Ironman seemed like something only for super humans.

But over the years, as I swam, biked, and ran more, it started to seem a little less daunting and a little more achievable.  I finished my first marathon. I swam over two miles in the pool one night. I finished my first sprint triathlon. I finished my first ultra-marathon. I ran all day. All this gave me a little more confidence. The dream of finishing an Ironman has been in my head for a while, and I finally feel like I'm in a place where I can make this dream happen.

And on January 31st, whether it was a fateful sleep-walk or not, I committed to that dream. Despite it's anticlimactic inception, this is going to be an adventure!

(random yoga picture....)

Stay tuned?

Have a great day :-)