I get asked this question a lot. So far the only honest response that I have is, “Why not?”
History
A lot of seeds were planted when I quit swimming back in 1999. Until that point, I’d only ever known myself as an athlete. My earliest memories involved the smell of chlorine and competitions to the other end of the pool. Thus from an early age, I only knew of myself as an athlete. However I had grown tired of the competitive aspect of the sport and I yearned for a more inward challenge.
Over the next several years I gravitated towards weight lifting and other gym activities. I enjoyed the instant feedback and the time efficiency. Few things in life are as simple as picking up heavy things. Plus it only takes about three or four trips to the gym in a week to see results. Unfortunately, I found the sport very isolating as I didn’t identify with gym rats, and I also had bulked up well over 200 lbs. The worst part is that if you quit lifting, it only takes a few weeks for that muscle to convert to something less desirable. After reading a great book called Muscle by Sam Fussell, I began to look for another athletic challenge.
By this point, I was entering my mid twenties and very much missing the feeling of being in shape and in tune with my body. While I had grown tired of competition, I yearned to test my fitness and extend my limits. Over time I’d come to realize that I much preferred competing with myself rather than anyone else. I just selfish like that. I also missed the camaraderie of team mates. I missed workouts that were so hard that your brain shuts down and all you can do is just focus on breathing. So it was with this in mind that I signed up for a half marathon with my co-workers.
Running
I hated running as a kid. I didn’t feel any different about it after two months of training. Still, I had committed to a goal and I needed some sort of accomplishment to build on. Then one night about eight weeks out from the event, I had a magical moment while on a six mile run. About three miles into my usual lap through downtown, my legs stopped aching and my head began to clear. By mile four, I was riding an endorphin high. I remembered this euphoria from swimming, however this time it was different. This time there was an added component of time and space rather than just a black line on the bottom of the pool. There was a sense of freedom, I felt as if I could run for miles. Suddenly the entire city seemed accessible by foot, all I had to do was run. This single experience overhauled a lifetime of negative running memories.
Eight weeks later I finished my first 13.1 race in just under 2 hours. I found the crowds and experience so emotional that I smiled the entire way. From that day forward I was hooked.
“You’re better than you think you are and you can do more than you think you can!” – Ken Chlouber at Leadville 100 mile trail race
Ironman
Two years after that 13.1, I figured I could complete a half Ironman distance race. The swimming portion seemed like cake and I enjoyed riding my bike, how hard could this be? I began to read the literature about triathlons. Compared to marathons or cycling events, triathlons were still considered a young sport and very much a niche area. Still, most medium to large cities had tri groups and local races began to pop up everywhere. I considered entering in a local sprint or olympic distance event to try it out, however those distances wouldn’t give me the challenge that I sought. Besides, I was never a good sprinter in any discipline. My mind and body respond to distance and that’s where I get the greatest sense of accomplishment. So if I was going to try on a triathlon, it was going to be a half-ironman distance.
In June of 2005, Roberta and I both completed the Honu Half Ironman. Like most challenges in life, I learned a lot. First of all I seriously underestimated the training and secondly, I was taken by the sport. I had found a sport that fit what I was looking for. This sport might take a lifetime to master and still there will be things I could still learn from it. I could train and race with friends but compete with myself. There’s enough organization in the sport that I can find literature and groups to learn more about the training, yet it’s still somewhat in the early years and most of my discoveries will happen while training. Plus, given that I was passed by a 72 year old Japanese guy about two miles from the finish line, this was a sport that I can do for the rest of my life.
No Plan, No coach.
Three years after finishing 70.3 miles in a triathlon, I had built up to an Ironman distance race. I did it without any coaches or organized training programs. I wanted this accomplishment to be mine. For once, I wanted to be an amateur without professional help. Hell, half of the fun is the self discovery. I ran with my friends and mostly cycled alone. I enjoyed nearly every minute of training. The beauty of going far, is that it’s easier to get there if you’re not in a rush. Pace yourself just right and you can go forever. That was my goal, find the fastest pace that I could maintain and stick with it till someone tells me to stop (hopefully on the far side of the finish line). Two years later, I still feel this way. I had coaches for my first athletic career, this time I’d like to learn those lessons on my own. Sure, I know I’ll waste time and energy repeating other’s mistakes, yet I’ll get to figure things out on my own and to me, there’s value in that lesson alone.
Surprises at Ironman
What surprised me the most at the first event (Ironman Florida), is that less than 800 of the 2500 in the race were first timers like me. In other words, over sixty percent of the athletes at the starting line had done this before. Until that moment, I figured that a 140.6 mile race was a once in a lifetime event. Yet standing next to me on the gulf coast at 6:45 am were 1700 veterans of the sport who called this event a “lifestyle”.
The second major surprise of the event was the mass marketing that was everywhere. 
Harley Davidson owners don’t have this kind of loyalty to a brand. Everywhere you looked, there was an MDot logo and some sort of product for Ironman athletes. On the course, it seemed as if every other athlete had an Ironman tattoo on their calf. I too wanted one for a while.
In a way, the marketing both increased the hype for the sport while also in some ways, diminished my appeal for the sport. After all, the great lessons from finishing an Ironman are self lessons that apply only to the individual. I learned so much about my body, spirit, and mind from participating in this event. I learned what happens to my legs when I don’t eat enough on the bike course. I learned about lower back pain after six hours in an aero bike position. I learned that most triathletes are terrible swimmers and more importantly, how little that it matters how well you swim. I learned that red bull at mile 13 on the run is a magical thing. I also learned that chicken broth can be the best food in the world when you’re tired, sore, and cramping. Yet when someone asks me what I learned from Ironman, I’m at a loss for words. Bill Bowerman once said “The magic is in the man, not the miles.” I think that applies to this event. Journey 140.6 miles on your own power and then we’ll talk.
I do Ironman events because they challenge my physical and mental resolve. I enjoy the tests and relish the self discovery that accompanies each day of training. If you’re at all curious about your own self discovery via Ironman, I urge you to sign up and give it a shot.
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I have always described myself as half fatalist, half optimist. In my father’s words, while we know that most of what influences our lives is beyond our control, we’re empowered to make the best of any situation. I learned this week, that this 50/50 view isn’t always 50/50, rather it’s more like a pendulum that sways back and forth such that the balance is more like 80/20 at any given time. However, this week with my folks in town and all of us looking after the little man, that 20% made all the difference.
his is the new site layout for nzdiary.com. I’m busy thinking of new topics to add to the site: barefoot running, Ironman Coeur D’Alene, treadmill desks, Birmingham, wellness programs, child raising, dining out, and many other ideas.
