Preface...Breaking Limitations

Our lives are governed by limits.

Limits determine what we do. Who we set out to be. How far we are willing to go.

I’m not talking about geographical borders. Or laws that box us into this notion of a polished society. And not mathematical limits, either...

I'm talking about the mental limitations we put on ourselves which dictate what we're capable of.

But like Kati in Mean Girls, the limit truly does not exist, for me.

And that’s what set me on the path to Ironman.

Someone once told me, it's what you do in the dash that matters. The dash being the space between your birth and death dates. I want that dash to be so full, so exciting, so passionate. And I want that dash to be so long ... 140.6 miles long to be exact. I never want to regret the things I did not do. It's what I stand to gain, not lose, in the in between. So why not now?

I'm 27. I'm going through more growing pains than I know how to handle. But I'm growing in some pretty macro ways...however slowly it may be. But progress is progress, right?

Growing into this woman who ‘goes further’ is a relatively recent change for me. Pushing boundaries has forced me outside of my comfort zone – beyond an athletic way; it's shaped my whole being.

I was a shy kid growing up. I wasn’t typically one to voice my opinion readily. And I stayed so far from conflict you could say I was the United Nations in human form. I became a bystander of my own life. So afraid to create a wake that I stopped swimming at all.

Enter triathlon...toward the end of 2013, I was craving something outside of my life to make me feel "normal." At the time I was working a night shift, and everything felt like death. I wanted to live again. I needed a goal, a challenge. A finish line.

So I gave this whole tri thing a wing, and I instantly fell in love with it. I never thought I could do a sprint triathlon back then. Not because I wasn't in shape, but because I'd never dreamed of doing a multisport race in my life. But I did, and I placed second in my age group in my first tri. As if completing it alone wasn't already enough of a high!

It wasn’t until I started breaking down all of these physical limitations that this confidence and drive started spilling over into my work life, my personal life, and really every crevice of myself. I became more steadfast in my decisions, less of a doormat, more of a doorbell. I started standing up for myself, and my beliefs. I learned that NO was a perfectly acceptable answer, if it’s how I truly felt.

I became more open with what I wanted. I started taking a substantive stance in my own life. And I really truly have triathlon to thank for that.

I'm not 100% to where I want to be, not even close, but that's what this whole Ironman journey is about for me...opening the door more and more...discovering myself and who I am and most importantly -- who I want to become.

And just like everything else in my life, I’m generally a bit reticent to share with others. I’m still that shy girl underneath the strength I now embody. But I'm pushing myself to publish this blog. Not only for me to look back and witness this progress (and I'm sure, pain), but for others to know they can do the same -- break down that self-erected wall of "can't."

So now that you know who you’re working with, sort of, and why triathlon is so important to me, I’ll begin with the actual training component of this venture...

This week marks my first training week with a new tri group called ITL (In The Lab). Hat tip to my soul sister Stacy Perlis for the introduction. I am loving it. Such a wonderful and welcoming group of people. I couldn’t ask for a better crew to carry me through my Ironman journey.

The triathlon community is seriously one of the nicest, most lovely I've ever encountered. It's like an instant family. And I'm the little sister :).

Prior, I was winging it on my own. I’ve done a few half Ironmans before, and have had a coach in the past, so I kind of knew what I was doing. But I realized I really wanted a more structured plan and to train with a group of people. If I'm going to be cycling for 8 hours some days...I sure as hell don't want that to be all alone. I'd end up like Tom Hanks in Castaway. Hashtag delusional...

So, no volleyball friends here. Just some QT time in the saddle with some new gal pals tomorrow AM. Speaking of I should probably get some shut eye if I want to actually function on my bike tomorrow.

More to come.