Why??

When I was home last many people (family included) asked me why I am doing this. Throughout the last couple years of training I ask myself the same question. Now as I begin a journey to what hopefully ends in an Ironman completion in the summer of 2006 I, again, am asking myself the same question.

I wouldn't do this if I didn't enjoy it. I enjoy the training (most of the time), I enjoy the competition, and I enjoy the transformation I have made to my body and my life, but there has to be more to it than that. To want to swim 3.8km, bike 180km, and run 42km there has to be more to it than enjoying it. Frankly, there are as many times that it just plain hurts as is enjoyable.

To answer why I really have to go back to why I started in the first place. This is the easy part and a continual reminder of why I am trying to do what I am doing. My wife believed in me. When I thought endurance events were behind me and I was too old and out of shape, and my body too worn down, my wife believed that I (we) could do this. We began training for a running event, and after completing that I moved in to tri training. What I discovered from the training was that it made me a better person. It made me more motivated in other areas of my life. I had more energy throughout the day. I was more focused throughout the day. I felt a sense of accomplishment and felt like I was someone she could be proud of.

We battle from time to time about the amount of time training takes up and the time that I am away with other things as well as training. But ultimately, my wife is my biggest supproter, and my greatest motivation. I think we both recognize how difficult I would be to live with without this in my life right now and this is why we make the time for this.

I now have a new motivation to do what I am doing: (SEE THE PICTURE ABOVE!!)

My daughter is 9 weeks old. I want her to have a father who is a good role model, who is active, healthy, and most importantly alive. I want her to be proud of her father and I want her to think "that's amazing that my dad can do that!"

So really when I think about why, I find myself thinking how can I not!