A couple weeks ago I made the trip to Raleigh, NC (not that far from here) to be a spectator at the 2nd annual Ironman 70.3 Raleigh race. Tyler, my brother, and me went to hang out near the finish line since it would be very difficult to drive around on the course. Around 11am, the first finishers started to come down Fayetteville Street. I was going crazy at the finish line, leaning over the barricade and SCREAMING at the triathletes in a verbal push to the finish! After a while I began to wonder if I would have a voice the next day. As more and more people came in, I clapped and shouted at every single one of them. Many I called by name, as their name was printed on their bib. I got a lot of smiles, a couple of hanging out tongues, and lots of high fives. A couple people came in looking like death and as they passed by me I shouted louder than anyone in the crowd. I MADE some people pick up their pace and push to the finish. It felt amazing. These athletes were doing something I only dream of... until today.
It is interesting to me how cheering on others can make you think about your own goals and dreams. My first thought after the race was, "I have to do this one day!" I went to Facebook that evening and said, "Okay here is the deal: Next year I either volunteer at the finish line, or I race it." My friends instantly told me that I had to race it. (Big shock if you know these people!) The more I thought about it, the more I thought, "You know, I could actually do this!" I gave it a little more thought and talked to Tyler about the amount of time and the kind of commitment this was going to take. He was on board and said that he would support me anyway that he could. I have experienced several of his marathon training cycles so he knew it was only fair. :-) That next week I took my training up a notch. I was getting up earlier on the weekends than I do during the workweek to get in workouts. Once I said out loud, "I am training for a half Ironman" it became my new commitment. There is no turning back now. There is no, "I changed my mind" about this. This is going to happen. May 31, 2015 I will cross that finish line and I will prove to myself that anything is possible with an open mind, a faithful heart, and a family support team. And maybe a little bit of insanity on the side. Let's do this!
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