Introduction

I started this blog as a record of my latest endeavor.  Yesterday (Nov. 1, 2012), I registered for an iron-distance triathlon being held in Wilmington, NC on October 26, 2013.  It's called PPD Beach 2 Battleship.  An iron distance race consists of a 2.4-mile swim, followed by a 112-mile bike ride, and finally a 26.2-mile marathon run.  The cutoff time to complete the race is 17 hours.  To some people, this sounds crazy, but thousands of people do it every year.  I want to do this because it's said to be the most challenging physical test on earth.  I want to do this to prove to myself that I can.  I want to do this because I want to feel what it means to push my body to it's limits.  I want to do this to be called an Ironman.

I started running for fitness in April of 2011 because I wanted to be in shape when I turned 30 the coming September.  I remember going to Dicks Sporting Goods and finding a sweet pair of Adidas running shoes.  I picked them because (a) they were Adidas, (b) they fit well...so I thought, and (c) they looked sweet.  The third reason being the most important, of course.  I remember my first few runs--I could barely make it half a mile without walking.  I had the desire to run fast and far, just not the fitness.

Those first running shoes

My latest running shoe

Since then, I have run a couple of 5K's, a couple of half-marathons, an ultra-distance trail run (31 miles), a sprint triathlon, an Olympic distance triathlon, and hundreds of training miles.  I bought a road bike, joined a triathlon training team, watched what I ate, ran a ton, biked a ton, and swam a ton.  I've trained, trained some more, and then trained even more.  

My road bike

Pinehurst International Triathlon
October 2012
3rd place in division
The awards were soup bowls, which I am holding.

Water is Basic 5k
March, 2012

Cane Creek Sprint Triathlon
September, 2012
I'm the one without the muscles.

Ironman logo

I'm going to update this blog on a regular basis and in an informal manner.  I can't promise it's going to be funny, dramatic, inspiring or even worth reading.  What I want for the blog is to keep track of my training.  Not to keep track of how many miles I run, bike and swim, but, the personal side of training for an Ironman.  That's another thing I have to explain.  "Ironman" is a brand, or an organization.  So, the race in Wilmington isn't technically an "Ironman" but an "iron distance."  I may refer to my race as an "Ironman" or "the race" or "iron-distance," but most likely I'll be calling it Ironman.

This wasn't what I had planned for the introduction, but like I said earlier, I'm going to keep it loose and just type what comes to mind.