Sincerely, Dandelion

Two months ago I registered for a full distance IRONMAN. No one knows. Not even my sisters whom I am very close to. Just me, myself, and God. I blame the pop-up ADs that appeared in my social media apps. They have a way of convincing you with their uplifting and inspirational messages. Or maybe it was the neurotransmitters in my brain, signaling the subconsciousness of my deep unfulfilling desires. Whatever it was, I had convinced my mind I was going to do it, no matter what anyone said.

Yet minutes later after registration I did the most contradicting thing, I asked my triathlon coach if doing a full ironman was possible. Based on my statistical efforts and achievements, I believed I had something more than nothing to show for. And I was more than 60% confident she would tell me it can be done. But instead, she responded with “I’d aim for 2025 and spend this year getting more experience with your new bike and at 70.3 distances” I stared at my phone for minutes at a time as my ego crumbled in silence. You know, life does that to me more often than I can count. It humbles me very quickly and hard so I’ll never forget. Damn, I just spent over $800 in registration fees to receive what felt like a slap in the face and a kick to the stomach.

Well, lets push through and see what happens. Maybe by the 6 month mark I can convince my coach that I am capable of doing a full distance ironman. Or do I need to seek approval of my capabilities? Lets push forward, wait, and see.