Time to Think

I did it! I signed up for the 2009 Ford Coeur d'Alene Ironman! Yikes, bikes!

I realized that I forgot to post about actually signing up! Here is what I wrote the day that I registered:

I was so stressed and nervous this morning. I kept watching the clock as it inched toward noon, which is when online registration opened. I rushed through my final and flew to the computer lab at Western. I logged on and hit the "Register Online" button only to encounter a busy page. "OH NO!" Internal monologue said. "What if it fills before I get a chance to register?!"

I was nervous. My foot would not stop twitching. FINALLY the page loaded, only to show the busy page at least 5 more times until I was fully able to register. Then there were problems with the credit card. Throughout all of this, I had to consider whether or not I would be able to register? What if I could not register?! I thought about the crushed dream and having to tell everyone it was not going to happen. All of it made me want to cry.

And then I pulled myself together, started thinking positive thoughts, had to RESTART the application again, and sure enough, I made it in!! I printed off my registration confirmation and headed to work.

I'M GOING TO DO THE 2009 COEUR D'ALENE IRONMAN NEXT YEAR!!!!

I am not sure that the reality of this dream/goal has set in yet.

I was so excited that I mass texted a bunch of people in my phone book. And just a few minutes ago, I got a text back from my coach Jane. She reminded me that in a postcard I filled out at the end of Team in Training, Pacific Crest, and completing my first half Ironman last year, I had wrote that my dream/goal was to race a full Ironman. And this is my chance. Not even a year later, I am registered for my first race! Wow, so exciting. Words cannot even begin to express what I am feeling/going through.

So much can happen in a year! And my race is a YEAR away! This whole experience is going to teach me so much about myself...I can't wait!

Now I've just got to get through my Pacific Crest Half Ironman, which just might kill me. Oh man, I should have trained A LOT more, and yes, I'm nervous.

Over a month later, the nervousness has subsided a bit. Now it is a matter of making sure I do not lose all of the base training I did over the last five months. I have plenty of time to train but I do not want that to cause me to become lazy.

I found a free online training schedule at: Beginner Triathlete dot Com

My focus right now is getting my nutrition under control and habitual. Basically cutting out the processed carbs, bad fats, and evil sugars. :-) I like eating healthy but I have much to learn.

Until Next Time!

Nutrition, Gonna Be A Challenge

As if racing and training are not going to be hard enough, I am also realizing that what I eat is going to play a critical role in how this journey turns out.

I do not eat horribly, but I definitely make some bad choices here and there. And more critically, I am not a calorie counter. I hate keeping track of what I eat and the caloric index of what I have consumed, burned, need, don't need, etc.

My naive hope is that I will eat healthy, listen to my body and "wing" it. Probably not a good plan.

I guess nutrition is just one more thing to research. I will keep you posted.

Am I Ready for This?!

The registration date for IM Coeur d'Alene is fast approaching (June 23rd) and I have to admit that I'm a bit nervous. I am having doubts about my ability to do this race, particularly doubts about my ability to commit to training this next year. My doubts probably have a lot to do with my lack of motivation to complete my training for this year's Pacific Crest Half Ironman race on June 28th.

If I am not training like I should now for my Half Ironman race, what will change in my attitude to get me to train for the Ironman? I am not sure, which is why I am a bit nervous.

Ironman training is serious and is something I cannot fake my way through or half-a**. I have to do it. I cannot wake up, see rain, and punk out of a 75+ mile bike ride. And this is where I am not sure I am ready.

There is a lot going on in my life. I'm working full-time, I'm in graduate school, and I'm going to take on a second job soon to pay down some debt. All of that is without adding 20+ hours a week for training, which is about what I will need to do to be in shape by June 2009.

And yet, I REALLY want to do this race. I really want to work toward this goal. I want to complete my first Ironman before I have to give up training to finish my degree.

And maybe that is it. This race is sort of my last hurrah before I have to put training aside to get serious about my schooling. I can always pick training back up once my counseling internships are done (I have to do 2 over 5 semesters, which will probably take about 2 years), but to wait 3 years to train for an Ironman seems torturous. Part of me feels like this is my last chance to do this race (before life happens). Why I feel that I cannot quite explain. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I am single and this seems like the most ideal time to give so much of myself to a goal.

I guess I will keep moving forward, as I always do. I will leave it up to "whatever happens, happens." If I get a spot in the race, then I will give it my all (training and racing). If not, then I will wait to do this race after I graduate.

We shall see...

T Minus 48 Days and Counting...

Well in 48 days, 6 hours, and roughly 45 minutes, I will find out if I can do the 2009 Coeur d'Alene Ironman. Gosh, I am actually nervous and I have not even registered yet.

I have been searching for pictures of Coeur d'Alene to pump myself up about this monumental challenge I am setting for myself. This is going to be huge! This will be a life goal item checked off before I even turn 30! Ok, but I am way ahead of myself. I first have to get my registration in before the race sells out. Last year the online registration was open for at least 24 hours before it filled, so the hope is that this year it will be the same, but who knows! I won't know until I try to register bright and early on the 23rd of June.

T minus 48 days...

A Long, Long Way to Go

I am starting this blog as a way to chronicle my potentially epic journey to complete my very first Ironman Triathlon race.

The goal
2009 Coeur d'Alene Ironman.

The Plan
At this point, it is to register for the race. The 2008 race is this June. Registration will open online the day after the race. I have to have about $500 to register, and I need to be online as soon as the registration opens. Then it will be about a years worth of endurance training. I still have not solidified what my training plan will consist of (that and I need to create a good nutrition plan as well - there is much prep work and research to be done yet).

The Potential Obstacles
As if training for an Ironman is not enough of an obstacle, of course there are other significant factors that could stand in my way.

1. I am in graduate school and work full time, so I will need to fit 20+ hours of training per week along with these other two activities.

2. I do not have $500 saved in my bank account. There are several hopes here. The first is that I will get my stimulus check before June and that it will be close to enough to cover the race entry fee. If this fails, then I have a family member that has offered to sponsor me. This obstacle may not be as impossible as I think.

3. Online registration! If it fills before I can sign up and get a spot, then I will not be doing an Ironman Race in 2009.

What is an Ironman Triathlon?
An Ironman (IM) is an endurance race composed of a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride, and a 26.2 mile run. During each leg of the race, there are time cutoff markers to beat in order to keep racing. The final cutoff is midnight. If you do not cross the line before midnight, then you do not get a finisher's medal and you are not technically an Ironman. Pretty brutal. Many hearts have been broken and dreams have been smashed on IM race courses.

So Why IM Coeur d'Alene?
Great question! I have run into several IM triathletes that have mentioned that they love this race, which has only served as a "sign" that this is what I should do. Also, there are not many official IM races. Coeur d'Alene is the closest one to Portland. That and I went to school in Spokane, WA, which is not far from Coeur d'Alene. The area has significance and sentimentality for me.

Why set this goal?
I have been doing triathlons for several years now (this is my 3rd season to be exact), and I love these races! The IM distance is the sort of Mecca race for triathletes. That and I think I am built for more longer endurance events. I am not fast. Instead, I am slow and steady. Just last year I completed my first half ironman race, which is a 1.2 mile swim, a 56 mile bike, and a 13.1 mile run. I found that I loved the longer distance training verses the shorter distance speed training.

My hopes are that by blogging about this journey, I will be able to share a piece of what I learn about myself and about training/racing. My hope is to encourage others to live boldly and to pursue their dreams. I guess first things first, I've got to get registered.

Until next time...

Carpe Diem!