All In

It started with a simple question from a coworker. “Do you think I need to get a new bike?” Scott was referring to his mountain bike in the context of wanting to do a triathlon. I don’t claim to know everything there is to know about such subjects, but I try to help a friend out when I can. He knew I had done some triathlons, so naturally I was a quick reference. I told him he didn’t necessarily need a new bike, and he was quick to clarify he wanted to do an Ironman. I’m not sure if I stuttered or just assumed a deer-in-headlights look, but I was definitely taken aback. That’s no small commitment – it’s an Ironman!

Discussion ensued, and before I knew it he had me wanting to do one too. It didn’t take much, and in retrospect, I’m really not surprised because doing an Ironman has been periodically on and off my bucket list for years. We started researching calendars and races to find one that matched our minimal criteria: within one day’s drive away, something in July, August or September next year, and…um…that was pretty much it.

Only a couple days later I find myself writing this post having found a race, discussed it with my fiancée, created a blog to document the whole experience, pulled out my triathlete training book by Joe Friel and registered for what will be an incredible experience on August 3^rd, 2014 at the inaugural Boulder Ironman! There it is; I’m financially committed to it. It’s going to be the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It’s going to have a significant impact on my life and the lives of those closest to me. It will hurt; it will be challenging; it will take discipline I’m sure I do not yet have…. But in the end, I hope to come out of it healthier, happier, more disciplined, more organized and more consistently devoted to living a healthy and active lifestyle.

As I begin this journey, I want to take this moment to say, right from the start, that inasmuch as my life will change in order to accomplish this goal, no one will endure more sacrifices along the way than my beautiful fiancée, Lois. She has vowed to stand beside me and support me whole-heartedly – a commitment crucial to my success and one that I shall not take for granted. My appreciation for her is unwavering and unmatched.

Let’s do this.