Okay, so I'm super nervous to write this post. Probably because I actually feel like saying it to this forum means I'm really going to try it...

I have this dream...

And that dream is to complete an Ironman Triathlon. Not just any, but I have my eyes set on the Kona; Ironman World Championships. Not this year, or even next year...just, when I'm ready.

In case you don't know about Triathlons, here is a description per Wiki:
"A triathlon is a multiple-stage competition involving the completion of three continuous and sequential endurance disciplines. While many variations of the sport exist, triathlon, in its most popular form, involves swimming, cycling, and running in immediate succession over various distances."

Triathlons are several different distances. Here is a standard breakdown:

1.Sprint Distance; 750 metres (0.47 mi) swim, 20 kilometres (12 mi) bike, 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) run
2. Olympic Distance: 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) swim, 40 kilometres (25 mi) bike, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) run
3.1/2 Ironman; 1.2 miles (1.9 km) swim, 56 miles (90 km) ride, 13.1 miles (21.1 km) run, such as the Half Ironman)
4.Ironman; (2.4 miles (3.9 km) swim, 112 miles (180 km) ride, and a full marathon: 26.2 miles (42.2 km) run)

To date, I have completed something called a 'super sprint' which is just a little shorter than a sprint Triathlon. So, where did the dream to complete an Ironman Tri come from? A book, duh, haha. Called 'Know Regrets'. Not the greatest book of all time, but for some reason, it just, put that desire into me.

Over the past couple of years I haven't been training, and I've actually been sulking about not pursuing that dream. But, in my old age, haha, I realize that time is going by me, and it is what I choose to do with it that counts.

There are some simple steps I can take to achieving this goal. The first, and most obvious, is to compete in all levels of Triathlon, starting with the shortest. The second is, once I have completed them, to start trying to get into the world championships in Kona, Hawaii. Now, there are two ways to get in, qualifying and a drawing. I'm assuming that I'll have to get in via the drawing, which can take a while. But that's okay.

So...Step 1. Sprint Triathlon. And I'm aiming for the end of this August.

It occurs to me now, that maybe it is a little selfish to start this thread all about ME! But, it is what I need and so I'm going to do it. However, anyone else is welcome to post, and if there is some kindred spirit out there that has this same crazy dream, please chime in and we can hopefully work through it together.

Shortly I'll post my training plan for this coming week. And that is how I'm going to take it, week by week, step by step. And eventually, I am going to cross that finish line in Hawaii, and the announcer will say,

"Olivia, you are an Ironman!"

Wish me luck

Training Program:

Week: 5/9-5/15/2013

Thursday:C25K
60 Min Spin

Friday:
30 Min Bike
30 Min Swim

Saturday:
C25K

Sunday:
Hiking

Monday:
30 Min Bike
30 Min Swim

Tuesday:
C25K

Wednesday:
Rest Day

Notes:
30 Minute Bike: On a spin bike.
30 Minute Swim: This weeks goal is to do 4 laps in a row. The rest of the time can be slower with rests and maybe a board or whatever.


Thanks for reading!

I'll be watching for your updates. I'm thinking a lot about doing a tri one day. First, I'm going to tackle my first full marathon is Dec, but if the dates work, I'm doing Iron Girl Atlanta next year. (I'll be graduating next May, so it may mean choosing between Iron Girl and walking at graduation.) I'm actually going to buy a suit, cap, and googles tomorrow, so I can start using swimming for my cross training.

That is awesome Nikel! I'm excited to hear all about that adventure!

I posted on Facebook about thinking about swimming for cross training. A friend from high school, that was on the swim team, is meeting me at the pool at 8 am for my first swim lesson!

I can't wait to see how this goes for you!!!! I will be keeping an eye out in order to live vicariously, until I can get in some better shape and do it for real....this has been a dream for a long time! Congratulations, because the hardest part is starting, and you are on your way... good luck!

There are a few of us on here that are triathletes (TripSwitch, GoddessJessica and myself)

I think Trip has done an Ironman.

I do long distance sprints (the bike is around 20 miles and some of the swims are pushing .75 miles) and plan on doing an Olympic distance next year.

I love cycling (I'm doing a 45 mile ride/race this Saturday) and swimming, but hate running.

My site ( www.somuchfattitude.com ) talks a lot about my triathlons/endurance events and has my training schedule on it. We have an Athena Thread on the exercise forum somewhere. We're a crazy breed, us triathletes, but welcome!

Hi Olivia... I had the same dream... and I decided to make it a goal of mine... and it became a reality for me... I've done Ironman USA in Lake Placid twice... and I too have dreamed about qualifying for Hawaii since it's sort of the "holy grail" as far as the Ironman goes... I have several friends who have done it and I have always been a little bit secretly jealous of them... so who knows... maybe some day I'll make it to the "Big Island" too...

If you're interested I can tell you all about my training and my path to becoming an "Ironman" and I always love to share "war stories" about race day too... It really is a pretty amazing experience...

I wish you the best of luck on your quest to become an Ironman and I'll look forward to seeing your posts here...

I would LOVE to do something like this.....someday Honestly I'd just love to do anything with a "K" behind it

But, I have a long ways to go before I get to that point. I've been alternating walking/running and can run almost 2 miles (at a very slow pace) without stopping.

It's a dream of mine as well to compete in any sort of race and hope to do one sometime later this year!

I'll be watching for your updates as well, good luck!

Wow guys! Thank you so much for your support. Reading this morning put a HUGE smile on my face!

So far as my planned workout this morning, I completed my 1st day of Couch to 5K and did 20 minutes of spinning. Pretty good!

I have to say I kind of chuckle when I think of myself doing the first day of C25K and comparing that to the end goal of running a full marathon after swim/bike, but ya know, everyone has to start somewhere! And that I got through the run/walk this morning with relative ease gave me a boost of confidence!


Yay! That is so awesome! I had a buddy that was on the swim team that gave me pointers for my first Tri, and it was a wonderful experience. I hope you have a great time and get some valuable pointers!

Thanks so much! Definitely look forward to seeing you around. Really appreciate your support. Part of me wanted to wait until I got to my goal weight to 'train', but then I realized that I'd lose weight if I trained, haha. Thanks again!

AWESOME! Thanks for the heads up on the other Triathletes. Those are some great successes, and I'm sure you'll kick butt at the Olympic distance, no problem. I will definitely check out your website too.

WOW, you just gave me SO much inspiration! And yes, maybe someday we will both make it to the island. Thank you so much for sharing. I'd love to get some pointers from you. Right now I think I'm just working up to a base fitness level that will hopefully get me to the point of being able to complete a sprint in August. But after that I know I will really need to look into the nitty gritty of nutrition and hard core training.

You are ahead of me! Haha, I could maybe run 2 miles, but I'd be dying by the end! You can definitely do a race! Especially a 5K (3.1 miles), you could probably do that really soon. I remember my first 5K very clearly. It was an amazing experience, and I ran the whole thing. Ha, I STILL can't believe I never stopped!!!








Thanks again everyone! You all gave me some much needed inspiration this morning. Tomorrow morning I'm going to hit up the pool for the first time in a couple of years (yikes!) I'll definitely give you an update.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Olivia

I think your goal is awesome! Good luck!

Good morning! So, after a rocky start this morning (was seriously tempted to take a rest day and crawl back in bed) I am feeling pumped and good!

I am planning on giving myself a new challenge! Memorial day weekend we are going camping, and I really want to be at a new high point by that time. So I am going to take it all up a notch until that weekend, when I can really get some R&R.

Exercise Plan until Memorial Day Camping:

Monday (Today) -
W1D3 C25K
400 Crunches
30 Minute Walk

Tuesday -
Bike to Work (22 Miles, ~2.5 Hours)
400 Crunches

Wednesday -
W2D1 C25K
Swim 30 Minutes
400 Crunches

Thursday -
Bike to Work (22 Miles, ~2.5 Hours)
400 Crunches

Friday -
W2D2 C25K
Swim 30 Minutes
400 Crunches

Saturday -
W2D3 C25K
Bike 30 Min
Swim 30 Min
400 Crunches

Sunday -
Hiking (~3 Hours)

Monday -
W3D1 C25K
Swim 30 Min
600 Crunches

Tuesday -
Bike to Work (22 Miles, ~2.5 Hours)
600 Crunches

Wednesday -
W3D2 C25K
Swim 30 Minutes
600 Crunches

Thursday -
Bike to Work (22 Miles, ~2.5 Hours)
600 Crunches

Friday -
W3D3 C25K
60 Min Bike (Actually Ride my bike to the gym that day and back)
30 Min Swim
1000 Crunches!!!

Saturday - Go Camping! Relax, hike trails, kayak, swim

I'm going to be really strict with my caloric goals as well. Monday - Saturday will be 1000-1200 calories per day, and on Sunday I will allow myself up to 1500 calories. Beginning this coming Fiday I will do a 1 week salad challenge where i eat salad for breakfast lunch and dinner every day, with only fruits/veggies as snacks, except on Sundays, where I will allow myself certain hiking snack foods and one cheat meal after the hike.

As you can see I'm ramping up crunches, because I want to feel good about my stomach in a bathing suit and I think this will give me a head start.



On the emotional/motivational front, I'm reading 'A Life Without Limits' by Chrissie Wellington (Multiple time Kona World Champion). Here is a quote that has been sticking in my head from this book, along with other tid bits of motivation, "But I can't lift that weight, I can't run that fast, I can't complete an ironman. You may not be able to right now, but, with a positive frame of mind and a willingness to work, anything is possible." I am really trying to stay in the mindset that I am IN TRAINING. I'm not just exercising to lose weight. If I focus on the outcome of a race rather than losing weight, it seems to help with my anxiety. When I'm working out I find myself invisioning the ironman and how many times I will probably run into moments where I feel like I want to stop or when I feel like it is impossible...and that helps me get through my current workout. I kind of adopt the mindset that if I can beet this struggle now, I will be able to beat it then.


I am feeling strong and good. I can definitely feel improvements when it comes to my ability to workout. I'm really excited to see the results of pushing myself over the next two weeks.

Thanks for reading!!!

Just wanted to check in. The week is going well!

Monday and Tuesday Exercise goals were met.

Today I wasn't able to swim because I forgot my skirt for work at home in the dryer (doh!) and didn't have time to do both before work. SO I'm going to do it tomorrow before biking to work. It will be an early morning, but I'm excited!

I'm feeling strong.
The scale isn't dropping.
And there is this question floating around in my head;

"If I could complete an Ironman Triathlon RIGHT NOW, would I care that the scale isn't dropping?"

Two years ago, my answer would have been 'HECK YES! I NEED TO BE HOT!'

But my mentality has really started to change. Part of it is age, I know, and being comfortable with myself. And it was really a choice of, 'Do I want to spend the rest of my life feeling like crap about myself? Or do I want to start to like myself as I am right now. I'm never going to be perfect.' Trust me, I still have those days were I look in the mirror and I think UG! But it is very hard for me to believe that I wouldn't have those days if I weighed 100 pounds.

Another big factor is the man in my life. The man that loves me, accepts me, and PARTICIPATES with me the way I am now. By participate I mean he gets out with me, tries new things, he touches me in public (and private) as if he really does like the way I am...because he DOES! It is an amazing feeling, which made me feel uncomfortable at first because it just seemed too good to be true. But time has shown me that isn't the case.

So this leaves me with a thought...I have a habit because of my goals in the past to look thin, of focusing on the scale and that number dropping. But if I honestly asked myself, if I crossed that line in Hawaii and they announced that I was an Ironman...would I care if I weighed 250 pounds or 150 pounds? No I wouldn't! I can only imagine how happy and proud I would be of myself.

I'm not dumb. It would be much easier to achieve this goal at a lower weight, and I know that losing weight will be a bi product of training. But that is what I want it to be; a BI product. A secondary goal.

Oh my god, I can't believe I'm saying this and meaning it. Seriously, revelation happening RIGHT NOW.

I never never never thought I would rank the goal of fitness over weight loss. I heard people say that and secretly thought, 'they really don't believe that'. But I am starting too.

I have a CHOICE to focus on the positive. I have a CHOICE to view my body as the amazing machine it is at 250 pounds!!!! And it is SO amazing. Look what it does every day. I'm getting emotional just thinking about it.

I don't really know how to conclude this post. There really isn't a conclusion here. I'm still probably going to wake up and get on the scale tomorrow, and if it hasn't gone down I'm going to flinch. But something is changing, and it feels very very important.

Thanks for reading.

What an amazing goal 100Mother!

I have a secret dream of running a marathon someday. I don't know if I'll ever get there, but I know I'm going in the right direction right now. I'd also love to do a triathlon someday!

THIS IS AWESOME! I so commend you for making this commitment! Wow, what an incredible goal, your last update brought me to tears. I'm so happy for you, I'm striving to value fitness over appearances myself, and you have inspired me.