Las Vegas Multisport

Like many people, I was first exposed to the Ironman triathlon by watching Julie Moss crawl across the line in 1982. Two things that really struck me: 1. The sheer will and determination needed to get across the line, and 2. “Hey wasn’t that a woman that just passed her for first place just right before the finish line?!?!”

Fast forward to 2004. My running “career” if you can call it that, is stagnant. I’m 40 lbs overweight,and I need some inspiration. I know, why not sign up to do an Ironman triathlon, one if the hardest sporting events in the world? Never mind that I’d never done a triathlon in my life. I’ve only swam in the ocean once,and I bumped into a surfer and we both thought Jaws was coming to get us; I’ve never rode my bike farther than 65 miles, and the farthest I’ve ever ran is 20 miles,over 20 years ago. Minor details.

I immediately look for a race to enter,and I notice they’re all sold out, and they sell out quickly. I do notice that Ironman Florida is coming up soon,and it seems like the best race because it’s a flat course. Now at the time, signing up for an Ironman race meant you had to either be at the race the day after, and wait in line, or you had to sign up online. I remember coming home very early on Sunday morning the day after the 2004 race, and waiting in front of the computer. As I go to Active.com, I hesitate for some reason. I think to myself that I’ll go to sleep for a little bit, and when I wake up, if there’s still an opening, I’ll do it. I go to bed, and a little part of me hopes the race is sold out when I wake up. I wake up around 1:30pm or so, and I go to the computer. The race isn’t sold out. !@#$% Well, I promised myself I’d do it, and I do. Now I have something to look forward to. I think of Rick and Dick Hoyt, Sister Madonna Buder, Carlos Moleda, and all those that have done an Ironman facing huge obstacles. I figure that if they can do it then so can I.

Despite being severely undertrained, I finished the 2005 Ironman Florida in 14:15:59, just barely missing my goal time of 12 hours I learned alot in that race, and since then I’ve improved my time to 11:42:49. In this blog I’ll detsail what works for me in training, as well as the highs and lows of the daily grind. Maybe I’ll inspire someone to finish something they never thought they’d ever do.

Thanks for reading