Holy Crap - I signed up for a full Ironman triathlon!!!

It's been a little over a month and I go from excited to scared to 'what the hell did I do'.  Peej and I had been talking about me signing up for a full Ironman since last year but talking about it and actually hitting the submit button..... a big difference.

From what I've been reading about doing a race this length is accepting that you have the take the conditions that you're given on that day and adjusting your plan and goals accordingly.  And I get it - its a huge commitment and you need to keep your head in the game. However, who knew that just selecting a race was going to be the first obstacle.

Originally I had planned on doing Ironman North Carolina - aka Beach to Battleship.  I had decided on this one because it's later in the year and it would give me more time to train outside.  I diligently followed both Facebook groups, trying to learn as much as I could, not only about the race itself but how other triathletes were preparing, the obstacles they were dealing with and how they were overcoming them.  I was heartened by the camaraderie within the group.  As the race got closer there were postings popping up saying there was not going to be a full IM in 2017.  A lot of these postings were ' my friend - who's in the know' kind of postings but never anything definitive.

Unfortunately these 'rumors' turned out to be true so I needed to find another venue.  So I started looking at Rev3's Cedar Point in Ohio - another race that's later in the season - again rumors were swirling that turned out to be true - no race in 2017.

So I was back to the drawing board - my other late season options were Louisville, Chattanooga or Maryland.  Maryland was quickly ruled out because in 2 years its had really lousy conditions and the logistics of the race are tough.  Looking at Louisville and Chattanooga - Peej and I decided that Chattanooga would be the best fit for me.  And so - I signed up and realized right away that I needed to get my lodging in place as well.  Done and done..... now comes the hard part.... training my butt off to make my big dream.... my goal.... come to fruition.