"Next summer, I'd like to do a triathlon.
Overly ambitious? Maybe. For one, I can barely swim, so I'll need to take lessons and get some serious practice in. I also don't run. I'm still worried about the impact the extra weight I'm carrying will have on my knees. I do bike and I figure the 70 pounds of kids I pull in the trailer is a bonus for training.
I am setting a goal that I don't know if I can complete. But, I do know one thing. This time I'm going to try. Actually try."
Three and a half year ago was the first day that I dreamed about the world of triathlon. Setting the goal to do one was almost a whim. I wanted to think of something really hard. Something that pushed me. Something where I was going to have conquer some of my "can't"s.
So, rather then pick a single thing, I picked three, in the sport of triathlon. I had never ran, and I was terrified of deep water. I'd say it fulfilled my challenging requirement as well as defeating the voice that used to say "I can't do that".
When telling people about my triathlon goal, I remember saying more then once "I'm not going to do an Ironman or anything." The very idea was crazy at first. Then gradually it became less crazy. Then one day, it became a dream. It was a year before I did my first sprint triathlon and by then I was "dreaming of Iron".
Now, it's more then a dream. It's a goal. Because I am officially signed up for Ironman Arizona 2014.
I've had moments of being terrified and moments of not thinking about it. The Deb from 4 years ago would have told you it was impossible. I am a different Deb.
One of the most valuable lessons I've learned from triathlon is how to break things down into pieces. I'm not doing Ironman today. Today, I am going for a swim and then doing core work. Tomorrow an indoor spin and short run. One day at a time and one workout at a time. Pieces that put together will eventually form a ladder towards my big goal.
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| Getting ready for today's step. The swim. |
