The Beginning of an Epic Journey

The Intro

In 2016, I completed my first triathlon. After crossing that finish line, I set a personal goal to complete an Ironman. I'm here to share that the time has come, and I am committing to realizing that goal. This fall, I am setting out on a grueling journey to train for what will certainly be the hardest race of my life. 140.6 miles broken into a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and 26.2 mile run to cross the finish line that I've been chasing for almost a decade. 

The Background

What I left out of the intro is that this goal included a deadline of completing the race before I turned 40. I turned 40 just a couple of weeks ago and the fact that I haven't yet attempted a full Ironman has been eating at my all year. In 2019, I completed my 2nd half Ironman race at the Door County Triathlon. While I checked off a lot of goals and had a very successful racing season, I also burned out hard by the end of the year. I decided to take 2020 off of serious training and racing in preparation for a full Ironman in 2021. At this point, it is well documented that did not pan out as I had planned. 

I have learned a lot from training and racing over the last 11 years, but this race is a whole different level. At this point, both the swim and bike portion are longer than I've ever gone in a single activity. I was humbled by my first half Ironman race in 2017 as well as my first full marathon in 2019. The one thing that I am certain of is that I will not be going into this training plan or race overly confident. 

The Race

I've gone back and forth on which Ironman race I want to target, but I have finally settled on Ironman Wisconsin in early September. In the end, the deciding factors were the proximity to home and the time of year. A fall race gives me the best chance at maximizing the outdoor training that I can do. This also schedules most of my dedicated training outside of basketball season.

As a warm up to Ironman Wisconsin, I am planning to race Ironman 70.3 Des Moines in June. The timing falls almost perfectly in my training cycle and it gives me a chance to compete in another goal race in the same year. For those in the Des Moines area, it would be awesome to have a cheering section for this race. I will post more details when it gets closer.

The Disclaimer

With my current fitness level, I have a long ways to go to even begin training for a full Ironman. My formal training will start in February and I am in the process of setting benchmark goals for myself for the next 4 months. If I reach those benchmark goals, I will sign up for the Des Moines 70.3 and begin training. Based on how the base building phase of training goes, I will then sign up for Ironman Wisconsin. These races not only take A LOT of time to train for, they are extremely expensive. I want to be sure that I'm able to confidently toe the starting line before making that level of investment. 

Although I'm very confident in my commitment and abilities to do this, the past year has shown me that there are things in life that I cannot control. If, for some reason, I'm not ready in 2025, my back up plan will be targeting the same races in 2026. 

The Reality

Triathlon may be an individual sport, but I can't do this on my own. I have sat down with Erin and the girls to ensure that they are onboard and we all understand the sacrifices that I'm asking them to make. I have some very encouraging training buddies in Adam and Kyle that I know are going to help me along the way. For everyone else, I am asking for your support as well as your patience, grace, and understanding throughout 2025. 

The Conclusion

I am extremely excited to take on this challenge over the next year, but also a little uneasy and scared. This is something that I have to do for myself. There is a good chance that I will fall short, but trying and failing would be better than carrying around the regret of not trying at all. 

 “You can keep going and your legs might hurt for a week, or you can quit and your mind will hurt for a lifetime.” - Mark Allen.