Flying Without a Plane

Over the weekend I had the good fortune of seeing both Kimmi and Rachel again. Both, as I’ve already told you, are newly crowned Ironmen. And in the back of my mind I’ve toyed very lightly with the idea of doing an Ironman myself. VERY LIGHTLY.

And that started last year when Julie and I watched Safety Bob and Coach Mike complete their Ironman races, also in Madison. But, as I said, the thought of doing one myself was only lightly entertained. That all changed last weekend when Julie and I witnessed the event firsthand.

As I sat down with Kimmi on Saturday it was obvious she was still on an emotional high and rightly so. I started picking her brain about all things Ironman, and it became even more solidified in my mind that this is something I too wanted to add to my endurance resume.

One thing that Kimmi highly recommended to me was that I keep a journal of my daily experiences, documenting the highs and lows which will be taking place over the next 24 months. I plan to do just that, and some of it I’m sure will appear on this very site.

Today I had an IM conversation with Kimmi, whom, along with the aforementioned Ironmen, I will be continually leaning on for inspiration, advice and support. I mentioned to her that only two months ago I was incredibly happy that I was only doing the sprint distance at Life Time and now I’m making a commitment to complete a half Ironman in 2009 and a full Ironman in 2010. Boy, how things change!

During our conversation I sent out my TNT Quote of the Day and as I searched for the right quote I saw a number of quotes that took on even more meaning now that I’ve made his commitment. One of them is below. This quote really made me think about what Kimmi and Rachel must have been feeling on race day and what they’re still feeling. They both appear to be on cloud nine, and you can’t remove the smile from their faces if you tried.

“It is the greatest shot of adrenaline to be doing what you’ve wanted to do so badly. You almost feel like you could fly without the plane.” – Charles Lindbergh

I sent the quote to Kimmi and asked for her thoughts. This was her response. “That's a pretty good idea of what it feels like - and how I felt the entire day out there. It wasn't that I was racing - it's that I was truly living for an entire day.”

Sometimes, and not very often, one gets so much adrenaline or endorphins or such a high that it's like your body is straining to contain your spirit - an almost out of body experience. That's what I picture it will be like when I cross that finish line in Madison. I want to do this, to push myself like I’ve never been pushed before. Quite frankly I’m scared to death thinking about it, but I can’t wait to experience it.