JUST WATCH ME!!!

The Tri has been registered for, I'm in full swing in my workouts, and I'm loving my new bike.

So, what's left to do? Well, maybe watch a Tri? And thanks to YouTube, Tri footage is at your finger tips 24/7. Now, if you're going to watch a Tri, what is a better Tri  to watch then the Mother of a all Tris. The Ford  Ironman Championship in Kona, Hawaii. A 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike, followed by a 26.2 marathon. To be an Ironman you must not only finish this 
140.6 mile journey but do it under 17 hours. 17 hours 1 minute? Thanks for trying.

 Oh, can I mention NO iPods, MP3 players, or Walkmen allowed.


Now, started with watching this.



Ironman Hawaii World Championship 2008 highlights.

And it so moved me. I wanted to know who these people were, what were their stories?

That in turn lead me to watch not only the complete recap of the 2008 championship, but the 2006, 2007, and 2009 championships as well. What did nearly 5 hours of Ironman footage do to me? It brought me to me knees.  It brought me to tears.

Of course I was blown away by the greats: Chrissie, Ferris (you got at love a man that runs a marathon in a speedo), Norman, Craig, Chris. I mean who doesn't dream of running at a 6 minute mile pace let alone doing it after nearly 5 hours of biking. These athletes opidomize what an Athlete is. They are beyond amazing, but they are not the ones that moved me. It was the ones that you have never heard of and probably never would.  The underdogs, the " no bodies" The ones that are running not for the spotlight and fame, but for an purpose known only to themselves. They are teachers, bankers, servicemen, postal workers, "regular joes." Just your average men and women, some overcoming obstacles that many of us could not begin to imagine. 

For example,

Jon Blais, a man handed the fatal diagnosis of ALS (Lou Gherig's disease) who had already lost the function of one of his hands ran the 2005 Ironman Hawaii to bring attention and hopefully a cure for ALS. By the 2006 ironman he was confined to a wheelchair and by 2007 had lost his battle with ALS but had won the hearts of Tri community.

Sister Madonna Buder, a Nun, who at the age of 76 finished the Kona Ironman in 2006 with less than a minute so spare.

An American soldier who lost his leg in Iraq. A blind man. Men and women in wheelchairs. And of course the empowering Team Hoyt, a father, Dick, that swam the 2.4 miles towing his son, Rick, in a special raft, biked the 112 miles with his son in a customized bike seat, then ran the 26.2 mile marathon pushing his son in a wheelchair. Why does Dick do this? Because Dick wanted to give his son, Rick, the experience his cerebral palsy body wouldn't allow him to do on this own.

These men and women are beyond remarkable. They embody the courage, faith, and perseverance that moves mountains. They take your breath away and make you drop to your knees.

If these men and women overcame obstacles that few said they could and became an Ironman. A title that must be earned with blood, sweat, and tears, and a boat load of faith. 

If they could overcome the obstacles in front of them, why couldn't I overcome mine. All my obstacles are trivial in comparison.

So this is where it starts.

I DARE you, I dare you to take the "I  can't" out of your vocabulary. I dare you to say I will figure a way to DO IT!!!! JUST DO IT! Push that extra mile, take that extra step, hold strong in your faith.

The Danskin Triathlon has now become the beginning of my new found journey. June 2012, I will be standing on the banks of Lake Stevens. A 1.2 mike swim, a 56 mile bike, a 13.1 mile run. A half Ironman. I may be 130 pounds. I may still be over 200. Either way, I am not going to let my weight be an obstacle in my life any longer. I am going to take life by the horns and charge on. One step at a time. One step at a time. Keeping the faith.

And an Ironman? It's on my to-do list. :) It won't be next year and it may not be in 5 years. But, I WILL be an IRONMAN. 

JUST WATCH ME!!!

Just call me Speedy Gonzalez!!!

I can't believe how behind I am in blogging!!! but it is all for a very good reason... I'm in training! Shortly, after signing up for the Danskin Triathalon a sign at the Northshore YMCA magically appeared. Try a Sprint Triathlon( or TST). Hmm? The class offered clinics on running, bike maintenance, nutrition, as well as group workouts. So what did I do? I signed up of course!

Well, this course has been PHENOMENAL!! The coaches and volunteers are amazing and oh so inspirational. I have had an amazing time, that is until I did my first bike ride two weeks ago, when we had our first Bike workout. Now, they told us not to go out and buy a new bike, just use what you have or borrow from a friend. Well, I didn't have a bike that as up to the challenge, so I borrowed one from my parents. It was a beautiful men's mountain bike. I adjusted the seat and thought I was ready to go. I even did a few test rides. That was all until I "really" went riding, all 16 miles of it. i was in trouble... BIG TIME. The majority of the group was on road bikes, and they cruised with easy and grace. I on the other hand was DYING!!!! I struggled with every peddle. My rear was aching and half of my right hand was numb. I could not understand why people biked for exercise let alone recreation!!! I ended the ride in near tears. I was the last one to arrive back to our cars by a long shot. I was really second guessing this whole triathlon decision. What had I gotten myself into!!!!

So the next week was filled with some tears (okay, a lot of tears), a bunch of research, support from my hubby, and a lot of prayers. What came out of all that was a NEW BIKE!!!! I got a Specialized Dolce 9 speed from Gregg's Cycle.




Not only was it pretty (It is isn't it?), it was super light, and made for a women's smaller frame. Derek, the sales guy took so much time and effort fitting me but also explaining to me what he was looking at in a good fit and how all the bike components worked. (Can I just mention that I brought the bike back to the store less then an hour after I got it, scared I had broken it. Turns our it was a rookie mistake with shifting). So along with the new bike, I sucked in my pride and got those padded bike shorts that I use to make fun over other people wearing and some padded ridding gloves. I was good to go, wasn't I? I prayed I was.

The following week I did a few long "test" rides, 12 miles on Tuesday and 14 miles (broken in to two legs) on Wednesday. But was I ready to ride with the "big boys" at our Saturday ride? I don't think I could take coming in dead last again.

But I sucked up my ego and showed up for our Saturday ride.

Now, I could easily write about what happened, but I am instead going to repost a blog from one of our volunteer riders, Peter, who brought me to tears ready his post this morning.

Here's Peter's Blog.

Todays ride was with the Y Tri group. Only 2 of the folks in the group showed up along with another “leader” and myself. One of the gals that showed up was an “accomplished” cyclist. In other words, cycling was certainly her strong point. She brought her husband along for a little workout. They’ve done lots of cycling before and were great to have along! Another gal had just recently purchased a new road bike and had very little time on it. Our previous group ride she was there with a Mens full suspension MTB. Now, please don’t get me wrong. Any bike is a good bike as long as your biking its a good thing! I could CARE LESS what you’re riding! But, I knew that if there was any means for her to get on a bike that suited her better, it would be a MUCH better experience for her.

So, we headed south from the park towards Marymoore at a leisurely pace. Just wanted to make sure we stayed together and it was a comfortable Zone 1-2 ride. Nothing fancy. We hit the turnaround point, paused for a little Q&A, a few sips of H2O and we were off again.

As we were headed back from Marymoore, Ryan was leading, the gal with the new bike was 2nd and I was pulling up the rear. Jill (the “accomplished cyclist” had gone on ahead with her husband. So the 3 of us were cruising along at a decent clip, and all of a sudden I hear this “HEY! Can we go FASTER!” (notice it wasn’t a question but more of a statement).

I laughed so hard I almost crashed into on coming traffic!

I have had many a “break through” rides, however, this is the first “break through” ride I’ve been apart of. I felt this overwhelming sense of joy and glee come across. I only hope that my friends have had a small glimpse of the same feeling that I had today when they were with me on a “break through” ride.

Christina - You freakin rocked it today! You kicked ARSE! Good for you! I’m honored that I got to be a part of your ride today. Thank you for empowering me to be there with you.

And, you know what she said at the end…”OK! Who’s ready for a 5K?”


NO! THANK YOU, PETER. Both my heart and ego needed that and yes, I was serious about that 5K. I had so much fun I think I am going to hit the trails again today. DANG! Biking is addicting!