Ironman Year

This is the year that I am supposed to do an Ironman. Yahoo!!! I say ‘supposed to’ because so many things could happen between now and July 22 but I have full intentions of racing!! My training schedule is made up, I have training buddies lined up and it all begins tomorrow!!! Today, the first day of the year, is my last day of recovery!!! Currently I am fighting a cold so feel as though this coming week will be a little slower than anticipated but that’s okay.

  When I think about the Ironman I get excited and super nervous. During the coming year of training I want to work on calming my nerves.  I also have to work on making running my comfort zone. Currently, biking is my strong point. My goal is to become so comfortable with running that when I start that portion during the race I feel ‘at home’. I am including running in my schedule more than ever before. Hopefully, running will become second nature!!

  Ironman is going to take so much of my time but it will only be 7 months until it’s all over with. I hope to make the most of the next 7 months. It’s my understanding that I will have ups and downs but I hope to stay positive and do my best.   I am going to have to go to bed early, get up early, eat according to my training, take some naps, and put in hours and hours of training. This is what it all comes down too…the effort I put into training.  A real motivator is the cost of the race. Jamie and I really don’t have the money for me to be doing this but I have gotten extra jobs and am paying it all off.  Another motivator is that this is my last chance for awhile. We cannot afford doing an ironman yearly AND when I finish the ironman this year we are planning on baby number 2!! Kiddo number 2 is going to change a lot of things including our financial situation. It will be unfair to my family of 2 children to train so much so I will stick with half ironman distance for awhile. So this is my time and my chance to accomplish something I have dreamed about for years!!!

  Because of the magnitude of the race so much of my thoughts and energy is devoted to training. My goal is train hard when it’s time but to keep my eyes on God and to keep my relationship with Jesus first and for most. My pastor once said that one way to find idols in your life is to pay attention to what you dwell upon most, what you constantly think about, what your financial focus is, etc. To be completely honest with you I find myself thinking about ironman too much. Ironman is not our financial focus but it certainly does take a chunk of change to do it. So, even though Ironman is going to take more time then I like out of each day I want my primary focus (and my families focus) to be on Jesus!! We need hope in this world. I cannot imagine not having hope in a better future. There is so much loss, so much suffering, so much pain in this world. Early today I was watching a segment on morning news about this past year. It’s so sad; so much death, so much sorrow, so much grief. My ironman training matters little compared to what is really going on in this world. Being able to train and do the Ironman is a privilege. I thank the Lord for giving me this opportunity but may my focus be on what really matters: God.

  Happy New Year to you all!!! Best wishes toward your goals and aspirations for this coming year. Let’s make 2012 count in more ways than one!!!!