Bragging Rights

I've started and then stopped several entries as of late. Some of which have grown very long, but I haven't posted them. What's the problem you ask? I'm just bitching about one thing or another. Like the dude that was almost run over by a car. Or the heat. Its been dreadfully hot. My best workouts are super early or during a rain storm and I don't feel like I have any control.  Well, yeah dummy. The only thing we ever have absolute control over is how we react to something (thanks Dali Lama), so shut the @#^%$! up already!

So I guess I want to acknowledge the limits we might face on a daily basis, rather than rolling into another bitch-session. Lord knows that some days are just plain easier than others. Some days I feel like a machine and some days I'm an Oopma Looma. But every day, I am able to...

Yesterday, Pete and I watched the recap of the 2009 Ironman. I've watched these recaps for years. I remember being a kid and watching the Ironman on TV. These people seemed invincible. I didn't know how they got there, but I knew that they were great people. I could not conceive of swimming 2.4 miles, riding 112 miles and then running a full marathon of 26.2 miles, back to back, in one day. Stop for a moment and think about that. You must be able to, beginning at 7am,  complete the 2.4 mile swim in 2 hours 20 minutes. Then no matter when you get on your bike, you must complete the 112 mile course by 5:30pm. And no matter when you finished your swim or how long it took you to ride, you must complete the 26.2 mile run by midnight.

This is the first year that I've watched the Ironman recap after having completed several multi-sport events. It blows me away to see the obstacles that people have overcome to get there. And their reward is the Ironman. From the outside perspective these people are crazy. Why on earth would they put themselves through something so (insert your most extreme adjective here). I think I know why, and it has nothing to do with you or me.

Next to giving birth, I can't think of any activity that (by choice) takes 17 continuous hours of every fiber of your being. I want to point out these details because when I've told people that I've done a triathlon, they assume that I'm talking about an Ironman. I did not. Make no mistake, for those that have completed an Ironman, they say "Ironman" not "triathlon" - with bragging rights.

Would I ever do an Ironman? Someone once asked me that, and I said yes. I thought of it as a challenge. I don't see it that way anymore. I wouldn't want to do an Ironman for that person. I would  do it for myself.

For all the people that I know that have done an Ironman, I am inspired by you.