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July 24, 2006
T-Minus 364 Days
Today I signed up for Ironman Lake Placid. In 364 days I'll attempt to swim 2.4 miles, cycle 112 and run 26.2. One after the other after the other. I feel like I'm going to throw up.
Here's the truth. I've never swam 2.4 miles. I've never biked 112 miles. I've run 26.2 miles but the two times I've done that I've hurt so badly at the end I thought I would never do it again. I've never completed a triathlon farther than the sprint distance. The more I type, the faster my heart beats.
But here's the other side of the truth. Triathlon to me IS Ironman. It's what I watched on tv when I was in high school. It's what I think of when I think triathlon. I'd hazard to guess that's what most people think of. And even before I did my first sprint race in June of this year I talked with O about doing an Ironman next summer. If I'm really truthful with myself, I've been dreaming about doing this for years. Ever since I watched that darn race in Hawaii on tv in high school.
In typical O style, he encouraged me to do it when I approached him about it 2 months ago. I knew he would but I protested that it would be expensive, it would be more time consuming than any other race I've wanted to do...times ten. The training would be hard and long and I would be tired and stressed and overwhelmed. We'd have to put off starting a family for another year. I'd spend more time with my training partner K than him. It didn't phase him. He said that all didn't matter. He told me he would do anything he could to help me reach that goal. I knew I married him for a reason.
And so I talked with my coach and I talked with K and we picked Lake Placid. You have to sign up for the race a year in advance. Ironman Lake Placid took place yesterday and so this morning at 9 am race entry for next year opened. I got on my computer at work at 9:01 and filled out the longest race entry I've ever filled out. They ask you scary stuff like who your insurance carrier is! And I paid the $480 to enter. And then I called O. And that was that. The race sold out in 90 minutes. Thankfully K got in too so we talked on the phone after and I told her she can't get sick of me now. We'll be seeing a lot of each other over the next year... :)
I've known I was going to sign up for this race for several weeks but now it seems so much more real. I hope above all things that I'm not just in love with the idea of the race because real soon I'm going to have to be in love with the training for it too. It's a big undertaking no doubt but the scariest thing of it all for me is that I'm not 100% sure I can do it. And I've never started something I wasn't sure I couldn't do. I knew I could finish my first marathon, it was just a matter of how quickly I would run it. I knew I would finish college. I knew I would pass my registration exam for my profession. I know I'll finish my masters (some day). But 140.6 miles of swimming, cycling and running, I'm not so sure.
When one of my co-workers saw me signing up for a race this morning she asked what I was doing. I explained. And then she said "you don't do anything half-way do you". No, no I don't. Let's hope I can go all the way with this one too.
Posted by beth at July 24, 2006 7:46 PM
Comments
This should be a fun year!
Posted by: O at July 24, 2006 8:33 PM
You need to write that swim distance in yards (or, better, meters); that should break it down into something you can wrap your head around.
Posted by: pjm at July 24, 2006 8:41 PM
! WOAH ! I'm so surprised!! I KNOW you can conquer IM, I just, obviously, didn't know you were thinking about it! I cannot WAIT to read all about your training. How exciting and congratulations for taking on the challenge!!!!
Posted by: Audrey at July 24, 2006 9:37 PM
Go Beth-O-K! B OK! OK? It will be a fun year for sure...
Posted by: corrado giambalvo at July 25, 2006 3:32 AM
Philippians 4:13... you can do it...
Posted by: Kranky C Dale at July 25, 2006 8:29 AM
You can do it.
Posted by: brian at July 25, 2006 9:50 AM
Beth that is SO EXCITING!!!!!!!!!!! You are totally going to rock Lake Placid.
My best friend Betsy just finished it, you should email her and get advice and stuff. She is going to post about it eventually at http://ironbetsy.blogspot.com/, if you want to get in touch with her just post a comment on her blog.
Posted by: barb at July 25, 2006 1:26 PM
Beth,
I'm just catching up on your blog. You are going to have a most marvelous adventure in the next year. Wowowowowow. And you have an incredibly supportive husband! I look forward to following along with your adventure!
Posted by: Meghan at July 28, 2006 5:24 AM