 Am I? I have discussed my wish to complete the Florida Ironman in 2008 with several friends and relatives and they all told me I was crazy. Maybe I am and just don't know it yet. Maybe they are seeing things correctly and I am in some kind of psychedelic dream world. Let's look at this in more detail. I am wanting to devote a major portion of my time and energy to train for an event that is as extreme as it gets. I will be swimming gobs of water, cycling many miles of asphalt and running tons of trails and roads. I want to be able to complete an event that calls for a 2.5 miles swim. 2.5 miles in the water. Most people won't even walk to the store if it's that far. God that's a long way to swim. Then if that is not enough, I will get out of the water and ride my bike for 112 miles. Now how crazy is that ! I have discussed the bike ride with several friend who are avid cyclist and they don't even want to ride that far as a single event. I will then run a marathon. My daughter/training partner will run a marathon but surely not after the previous 2 events. So am I crazy? If I talk to other "crazy" people - triathletes, I am not crazy. They feel that triathletes as a whole are living life to the greatest level that is possible. Do we want to go through life without challenging ourselves, just waiting for the next phase to come around. I think not. Why? Well, for one we have no idea what the future holds or how long we have to live. So why not live each day pushing ourselves. Grabbing life by the the horns and running with it. That is what motivates me. I am 42 years old and pushing harder now than I was when I was 20. I am in the best shape of my life and getting better with every training day. How many 42 year olds can say that. So maybe I am crazy. Maybe I could use a Head Doc. But I don't think it would help. My drive to compete in future triathlons comes from the heart - my mind is just along for the ride. So bring on the Ironman. As soon as registration opens up for the 2008 Florida Ironman I will be the first to sign up. Life is too short, Live while you can! Ciao! |
