The Story Begins...

Energy and persistence conquer all things. -Benjamin Franklin
 
Its only fitting that my first post explain the insanity of trying to complete an Ironman. Well, I'm crazy and everyone who knows me already knows that part. I was never a major athlete in any of the major sports. In fact my sport of choice only makes the news once every 4 years when the Olympics roll around again. Swimming is a great way to keep up with a full body workout, but its not enough to prove ultimate endurance.
 
Next came the biking, about 4 years ago my older brother passed away a month after completing and Olympic Triathlon in North Texas. He has such a blast he wanted to do it again. He had plans to bike with my mom from North Dallas to the Oklahoma/Texas state boarder (80 miles or so). Well, after he passed most of my family turned into bikers. I got his bike that October, flew it back to Tucson and trained for 2 and a half weeks to be ready for the 60 mile portion of El Tour De Tucson. I loved it so much the next year I took the next step, 109 miles. If you've ever heard of athletes talk about the wall when they are doing long events (and most everyone hits it). I hit my wall at 100 miles when my body screamed, "You can quit now!" I didn't listen I fought each of the last several hills and peddled my way (with the help of motivation from my friend Julie) to the finish line were I collapsed and held my metal proudly.
 
The last bit is the running. Over the past year I've been preparing my body for distance running. I have worked to build bone density in my feet; I've corrected my diet to eat healthy and full meals; I have even started to watch the pattern of my run. My first marathon will be next spring in the mist of my training for my Ironman, in the mean time. Its all about building up endurance. Cardiorespiratory endurance, Muscular endurance, and most importantly mental endurance. Cause as Ben Franklin said, Persistence conquers all things.