Journey to IRONMAN: 2 Months: Respect the Distance

Sometimes I have to just stop, stop thinking about my next training ride or race, stop thinking about all that is left to do, stop thinking about the day in day out schedule and just embrace the reality.

I am 8 weeks away from competing in my first ever IRONMAN!

I, Bethany, the overweight, movie queen, who swore I would never be able to run a marathon, am going to start on the banks of the Tempe Town Lake with thousands of other athletes ready to claim glory in the IRONMAN Arizona.  I am the first person of my family to attempt something so big. Oh how I wish my 14 year old self could see me now.

I have 6 more weeks of the most intense training of my life and I am SO EXCITED.  When Dawn sent me my 4 week schedule I was nearly giddy.  I turned to Bob and practically squealed...."Look at all that work I have to do! Isn't it exciting?"  Everyday from here to IRONMAN is filled with big things, big  physical stretches, speed work and distance work and volume, Volume, VOLUME.  I'm gonna be an IRONMAN!  And you know what?  I'm scared out of my excited mind.  All the what ifs and unexpected things that could happen over the final push. My dream is so close......

The time to get serious about this distance is now.  Not that I haven't been serious up until now, but in the wise words of someone very close to my training, "You have to respect the distance."  You see I run in circles where most of the athletes I know have competed in MULTIPLE IRON distance races.  I run in ultra marathon circles and even have connections to an amazing athlete who rode over 900 miles on his bike in 7 days...... (not even kidding).  I am a part of this incredible pocket of the population that thrives on distance and enduring and suffering and pushing the body harder and farther.  Its good, but there have been times where its easy to get lost in this idea that, "It's only an IRONMAN."  

Because it's not.  This is IRONMAN........less than 80,000 people a year finish the distance, over 100 have died in its pursuit over the past 30 years.   This is big.  So BIG........

I will respect the distance, I will give all that I have, I have worked tirelessly and will continue to do so. I will be a germaphobe and guard my health.  I will sleep, eat well, recover wisely and continue to be coachable.  I will be better tomorrow than I am today.

When I stand on the start line I will know without fear.......I'm gonna be an IRONMAN.