67 Days Until Ironman Wisconsin

I signed up 364 days before the race and nearly 300 have passed.  I’m tied to the tracks and Ironman Wisconsin is pounding the rails in my direction. 

For months it seemed like a mirage.  I’d look at “swim start” pictures from Lake Monona and get goose bumps imagining the sound of the cannon.  I still get excited, but it manifests in more of a reality because my feet are nearly wet.   

I will be attempting a full Ironman in just over two months and I’ve yet to race a half.  That will come in 12 days at the Muncie 70.3.  

In some ways IMWI is the ultimate test of trust and patience.  My training has certainly prepared me for a half, but doubling that output will take extreme faith and confidence.  It’s especially crazy to me considering at this point last year I’d never even completed a sprint. 

What I have learned in this relatively short period of time is that you should never doubt your potential.  I have transformed from a couch potato into a spirit that believes he can complete 140.6 miles of swim, bike, and run in one day.  If that’s possible, what isn’t?

And that’s what remains to be seen.  Where can I take this momentum?  Will I wake up that morning and Madison, Wisconsin a new man, or a nervous child?  I hope it’s a little of both.

Throughout this process I have been chipping away layers of numb.  I had been living in a shell, honestly dead to the world in many ways.  The passion smoldered below, but I wanted a fire.  I wanted to burn the masquerade.  I wanted to ignite a flame that would force change. 

Hitting “send” and transferring $650 into the hands of Ironman was a major step toward re-discovering myself, but this journey is just beginning.  The intensity of our workouts and the relentless support of everyone training with me has pushed my limits further than I ever dreamed. 

None of this has been comfortable, but that’s what I wanted.  I wanted to feel the pain.  The highs, the lows.  I wanted to swing open the doors that were nailed shut.  I wanted to push my boundaries off the map.  I wanted to explore living by coming apart at the seams to find genuine purpose in this life.  It’s still not clear, but I’m paying close attention and knowing that two of my close friends and training buddies just finished Ironman Coeur d’Alene inspires me to forget the bad swim I had tonight and go back for more in the morning.