I’m Going To Hawaii For the IRONMAN 70.3!

IRONMAN 70.3 Hawaii has invited me to participate in their upcoming race on their World Championship course on June 3rd! Here’s the proof, in all it’s glory:

AHH!! They are sending me to the Kohala Coast, Hawaii, to compete, and the Hawaii Visitors Bureau is covering all of the accompanying costs (thanks Hawaii)! This is a dream come true!

And this means I have one month to train for one of the hardest races in the world.

I feel like my life is one big “winging it” pattern. When I was thirteen, I showed up to my first triathlon in a baby blue bathing suit and a mountain bike. I quickly found out that mountain bikes were most definitely not made for hilly roads, and baby blue tankinis were not meant for competing in.

Flash forward to being nineteen, I showed up to another, longer triathlon with the right clothes and bike, but realized I needed a wet suit and goggles, both of which I didn’t have. I jumped into that fifty degree water like nobody’s business, and nearly lost my contacts as I swam (what was I thinking?!)

When I ran my first full marathon, I didn’t do any formal training, just ran one long (aka 9 mile) run per week.

Needless to say, I finished those races, even though I was entirely unprepared. I winged them. That’s basically the story of my life, accepting random opportunities and doing it even if I’m not prepared. But, hey, I’ll take it!

So here I am, at 23, accepting yet another challenge. I may not have swam in years (unless snorkeling in Mexico counts), but I know I’ll conquer that 1.2 mile swim, even if I’m the last one out of the water. And that 56 mile bike?! I’ll get through it. (Lord help me.)

Thankfully, the half marathon at the end will be no problem. Running through lava fields *should* be no big deal for this Florida native.

I’m trying not to FREAK OUT because I want to explode with nervousness. There’s butterflies in my tummy that I have a feeling won’t be going away until I cross the finish line.

But, hey, going to The Big Island has always been a dream of mine, and it turns out that if you write well enough you can get whatever the heck you want, so I’ll take this opportunity and run with it!

Here goes!

Stay tuned for updates on how I plan on training for the IRONMAN 70.3 in just four short weeks.