My journey to Ironman began more than a year ago, when I watched the Ford Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. Over the years I had seen this event on TV, the heartwarming (and often heartbreaking) stories of contestant that have traveled great distances and overcome huge obstacles to make it to one of the most prestigious athletic events in the world. Not to mention that little business of swimming 2.5mi, biking 112mi, and then running a full marathon (26.2mi). I watched these people who had changed their lives in dramatic ways and pushed their bodies to the limit to join the elite club of those called Ironman.
I wanted to join that club.
And I did nothing.
I talked with a friend about doing the Pasadena Triathlon last April, but another friend talked me out of it. She made it seem like not having a good bike would for sure cause me irreparable harm. So I chickened out.
And I did nothing.
Then I lost my job. And my fiance. And my place to live.
So I decided to do something. I made a plan. I began to read everything I could about the sport. I listened to podcasts. I got a job I could walk to at a running store where I could get discounts on equipment and advice on training. Not to mention the inspiration and support I receive from fellow athletes that come into the store.
Then came the
Long Beach Losers competition. That provided an alternative motivation to begin working out. So I started my training plan, changed my diet, and went from doing nothing more than walking to work to going to the gym 5-6 times a week.
A month later I ran my first road race: The Nike Human Race 10k. I had never run a 10k in my life. I have never run further than 3.7mi. But I went out there and did it in 1hr 3min. Not a great time, but not a bad time either. I was encouraged. The experience was amazing. I felt great. I had made new friends and I had been apart of making history. 1 million people around the world ran that day. You can read about my experience
here.
7 weeks after that I ran a 5k at the Long Beach Marathon. It was half the distance, but i was able to go from 10min miles in the 10k to 7:42min miles for a time of 23min 55sec. This time my family came out to support me and it turned out to be a great weekend of fellowship, fitness, and chicken and waffles (which you must try if you have not...watch
this if you're not convinced).
The Long Beach Losers came to a close and my team won third place and I took fourth overall. I lost 49lbs in 12 weeks and completely changed my life.
The amazing thing through this entire process has been all the new friends I've made and their incredible generosity. I have been given a bike (which was stolen), a wetsuit, a great deal on a trisuit, a heart rate monitor, and a ton of advice. A friend is even letting me borrow his race bike for my race tomorrow.
And now I stand on the eve of a new chapter in my life. Tomorrow I take the next step on my road to Ironman. Tomorrow I stop being just a guy talking about doing a triathlon. Tomorrow I do of what less than 1% of the population has been able to do.
Tomorrow I become a triathlete.
