Let the Ironman journey begin!

One of my favorite stories as a child was Aesop's "The Tortoise and the Hare," probably in large part due to the fact that I was much more of a tortoise (slowly plodding along) than a hare (lightening-fast and able to nap while others caught up).  That story gave me some glimmer of hope that one day I might actually win ... something.  I wasn't really an athletic kid.  I spent much more time on the bench than on the volleyball court, and although an okay discus thrower, my short-lived track career abrubtly ended when I hit Mike Stevens in the head with a discus. 

Then I went to Baylor, and early in my freshman year a friend asked if I wanted to go "run the Bear Trail."  Excuse me?  Chineyere was a perfectly-sculpted Nigerian who looked amazing in a sports bra and hot pants.  Why on earth did she think I would want to run anywhere near her or, more importantly, that I could?  Whatever her reasons, one evening she talked me into this Bear Trail business.  Within 100 yards she stopped:  "Jennie, you will never make it around this loop (2.5 miles) running that fast."   So we slowed down, and she insisted that we talk the entire run.  No doubt, we were tortoises, but we ran the whole loop.  Before that day, the longest I'd run was a mile, and that was only because Coach Melton tracked my heels, threatening to make me run another if I walked.  Evening runs around the Bear Trail became an integral part of my life at Baylor, and the running continued when I moved to Austin.

 

In 2004, my friend Michelle convinced me to do the Danskin sprint tri with her.  I did it the next year, improved my time, and started to get caught up in Austin's triathlon scene.  I bought a bike, and my boyfriend (now husband) dragged me out on Hwy 360 and taught me to like cycling - love it!  I tried an olympic distance triathlon, then a half-ironman.   I certainly wasn't competitive in any of these races, but for me, the race was - and is - against myself.  Can I improve on my last time or go a longer distance?  By following the mantra "slow and steady wins the race," I've had a lot of success in those races against myself.  So when the World Triathlon Corporation announced last summer that it would be bringing the Ironman to Texas for the first time in May 2011, I knew it would be the ultimate race opportunity and one I couldn't resist.

 

Make no mistake about it, I will be a tortoise in this race, and the hares won't be stopping for naps.  The fastest women will probably finish in 9 hours, maybe faster.  I will be lucky to finish in 13.   But this race is against myself alone to see if I can break the barriers that my mind has set for my body.  My hope is that with consistent training and mental stamina the tortoise within me can finish, which for me will be a big, fat WIN.   My official six-month training program started this morning.  Let the Ironman journey begin!