Celebrate!

I thought it would be good timing after the previou post about self-doubt to take a moment and celebrate!!

I know - you're wondering "What are we celebrating?"  As the title may hint at, Becoming An Ironman made it to double digit followers (haha, I sound like the radio hosts I used to listen to who argued over who had the most followers on Twitter).  Anyways, I wanted to simply take a moment and thank each one of you for following along on what for me has been an incredible journey and will only continue to grow I'm sure.  I also wanted to take a moment and recap the goals of this blog and my journey because let's face it, who really goes back and reads all the back posts?!  If you do, Go You!  I know I don't. 

So first off, here's the blog in a nutshell...

First and foremost, as I hope the title of the blog makes obvious, I am here to log my experience in becoming an Ironman.  After being easily convinced to give a triathlon a try this past May, I quickly became wrapped up in the sport and at the end of the season put the Ironman as my main goal.  I used to watch the Ironman Hawaii on tv every summer as a kid, but never considered it doable.  Also, if you had asked me to go running prior to this triathlon adventure, I would have laughed.  So it's quite incredible to now be working towards the "impossible" goal and doing so through activities I used to dread; who would have guessed.

As far as why I am choosing to make this journey public, my first post HERE still summarizes the project quite well.   My reasons for starting and continuing to run this blog are the same:
1.  By making my goal(s) public, it will help me stick to them.
2.  I'm hoping I can find people to help me learn things (how to train, nutrition, racing tips, etc.)
3.  I want to use this opportunity to see if I can inspire even just one person to be more active and healthy

I've thus far been able to hold to each one.  I set a goal of a half marathon and finished it last October!  I keep a page of goals where you can find all of my short and long term fitness goals.  I've picked up plenty of tips from friends both local and afar on how to train, how to recover from injuries, and how rest is an okay thing (in special circumstances).   I've also been able to take on the responsibility of training two of my close friends.  And I hope that is only the beginning!

On top of that, I've taken some time to use the blog as a medium to flesh out my opinions on various fitness related topics such as nutrition, training schedules, types of training, etc.  This comes from my side "project" of wanting to become a personal trainer.  In a nutshell - that's why I'm here.


And now I just want to thank you guys for being a part of this journey.

Kristin, you were probably the first person keeping up with this whole journey.  You're own blog gave me the idea of starting this one myself, so tips to you on that!  You've been there for every up and down I've hit thus far and I hope we can both be there for each other through many more.

Collin, you remind me a lot of myself when I started swimming; "We just have to finish this and then we can go in the hot tub, right?"  Haha.  You're an inspiration in your own right and I admire the amount of effort you put forward every day.  I wish you the best of luck with your leg, but until then you and I shall rule the pool!

Liangfang, you were an amazing source of support this summer at the triathlons and even gave one a try yourself!  As always, I hope your heel turns in a positive direction and you're able to get out to race more this coming season.

Blair, as my resident massage therapist and anatomy guru friend, you have been a non-stop source of information from the start and I cannot thank you enough.  I venture to guess that even Jim finds our conversations a bit too intellectual sometimes; that or he feels you're feeding into my crazy fitness schemes more than I need.  haha  Either way, I'm psyched to have you around.  And yes, I know that it would be easier if I moved to N.C.!

Amanda, your blog 5 Miles Past Empty was the first Ironman (or should I say Ironwoman) blog I really connected with.  I always read your posts and think "That's so me!" or "I just had that happen last week."  I'm glad to have a fellow blogger in the same shoes to follow along with.  And after reading some of this Triathlete's Training Bible, you and I will have PLENTY to talk about.  haha  I wish you the best of luck in your Iron(wo)man journey!

Tonia, I started following your running blog because I was focusing on the running portion of my race and it is now one of my top favorite blogs to see an new entry for.  You use the best mix of training info, personal stories, and stories about your hilarious little girls!  Every time I see a new entry I smile.  And I will honestly say you are an inspiration for my future parenting (stressing FUTURE).  You're an amazing fitness role model for your kids and I'm always happy to see kids exposed to healthy lifestyles!!

Stacey, you said something in a recent post that I just laughed at.  "Now, I don't normally do half marathons...I am an all 26.2 or nothing type of gal..."  I couldn't help but laugh.  I still have a bit of the non-runner in me, but I really hope I can make it to that type of level some day.  I'm sure having 25 marathons under your belt helps to mold you into that mentality.  I will certainly be looking for tips on how to get there!

Danny, I must admit I underestimated your blog the first few times I read it.  I certainly was wrong to do so.  Maybe it was the math teacher persona, but either way, with 5 marathons under your belt and the fact that you still don't consider any of those a PR, I see more and more similarities between you and I; setting very high goals and sticking to that bar.  I may be focusing on the Ironman now, but after that, I'll be moving onto the Boston Marathon.  So I'm behind you 100% on your goal to make it to the NYC Marathon.

Monica, you have a goal that I probably hold to the highest respect.  I've met a lot of people who have goals of winning a race, being able to do a certain activity, or alike, but the ones I most respect are people who simply get into fitness because they want to change themselves.  I know a guy in N.C. who did just that and now is a three (maybe four) time Ironman.  He has changed his life around more than he ever would have guessed and you are doing so every single day.  So my heart goes out to you and of course I wish you the best at every step!  You'll hit your goal, I have no doubt.

Stephanie, you were the official #10.  And I am looking forward to sifting through your previous posts to see how your raw food adventure went in January.  I stumbled across a guy named Tim VanOrden who runs the website RunningRaw.com and have since become incredibly interested in the nutrition benefits of raw food, but haven't yet been able to try it. 


I'm really happy to be able to do this entry.  If I ever hit triple digits, this is going to get a lot more difficult, but I would welcome the extra work any day!!


Stay fit.  Stay healthy.