Seventeen Hours

I’m back after a brief hiatus due to extreme busy-ness and subsequent vacation! Here’s an update:

I’m officially registered for my IRONMAN next year.  That was an event in itself.  The original plan was to volunteer at this year’s IM which would have given me the ability sign up on site.  But I got some amazing speaking opportunities (Looking at you Cornell, IvyQ conference!) and I chose to do that instead, and to register online.

This plan was not without risk – last year the conference filled with onsite registrations and people never had a chance to register online. There are other ways to register but they are more expensive, so I had my fingers crossed.  Luckily the weather for the full this year was pretty crappy, people didn’t stay to brave the elements on Monday morning, and I had no problem registering online.

Since my failed attempt at the IRONMAN 70.3 (and the accompanying creepy cyber and in person stalking) I’ve been thinking a lot about what lessons I’ve learned and how I want to approach my training for the full.

More Prepared

There were a lot of setbacks to getting prepared for the 70.3 – it took way longer to get my bike and wetsuit than I expected.  Then I missed almost two weeks on my bike because I was speaking in Europe (which I do not regret at all!). I went into the 70.3 knowing that every single thing would have to break my way in order to finish in time, and that was not a good feeling. Though I worked very hard, I regret every time in training that I didn’t work as absolutely hard as I could.  I’m grateful that I have all my stuff and I can just focus on a solid year of training

More Races

I had planned to do several races last year and it just didn’t work out.  This year we’re creating a race calendar so that I can be more used to race day conditions. I’m really glad that I did the 70.3 in Tempe.  I had a chance to set up my transitions, practice the swim start. and get the lay of the land.

So much gratitude

I’ve had, and continue to have, so much support all through my training over the last year including during and after the 70.3 and I really can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.  Huge thanks to everyone who offered advice, support and kind words, to the fabulous people who took time out of their schedules to hang out with me while I was in Tempe for the 70.3, to my coach Steve and my swim coach Ingrid who have both been just incredible, to my Mom, Kelrick, and Kenny who have go way above and beyond the call of duty, to my partner Julianne who offers constant support, listens to me whine, massages my feet, and makes me pre-workout PB&J sandwiches.  It’s like having my very own Team Ragen to get me though and I really can’t even express how much I appreciate all of you!

I can do this.  

Now that I’ve seen how far I was able to come, now that I’ve spent a year doing the training, I know I can do this and I’m looking forward to November.

Seventeen Hours

That’s the theme for this year.  2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 run/walk all in no more than seventeen hours.

Cross finish line. Get medal.  Seventeen hours.

Like this blog?  Here’s more cool stuff!

IRONMAN Sale:  I’m having a sale on my books and DVDs and downloads to help pay for my IM – you get books and dance classes, I get spandex clothes and bike parts. Everybody wins! To check it out, you can go to https://ironfatblog.wordpress.com/support-my-ironman/ No money?  No problem!  If you feel like it, you can leave a comment or send me an e-mail (ragen@ironfat.com) saying something encouraging, that’s incredibly helpful as well!

If you have questions about my IRONMAN journey  the FAQ might help!

If you’re looking for a place to talk about fitness from a weight neutral perspective, check out the Fit Fatties Forum. and the Fit Fatties Facebook page.

Book Me!  I’m a professional speaker and I’d love to speak to your organization. You can get more information on topics, previous engagements and reviews here or just e-mail me at ragen at danceswithfat dot org!

Buy my book:  Fat:  The Owner’s Manual  The E-Book is Name Your Own Price! Click here for details