I am not Iron Man as the title of my post implies, nor do I have an Ironman Tri on my bucket list.  I did however go watch the running portion of the Ironman in our city today and it was inspiring.  As most of you know an Ironman consists of a swim, a bike, and a marathon length run.  The run portion of our city’s Ironman goes through the streets of the city two blocks from my house and I decided to walk down and humbly support the participants.

The location I chose to view the race was right before the 12 mile marker for the run.  To watch these amazing athletes was nothing short of breathtaking!  I have only participated in a 5K I cannot pretend to know how they felt at that point but I can tell you I found myself cheering and shouting words of encouragement.

These athletes are truly admirable and I am so glad I got to see their faces as they worked towards that finish line goal, although at that point what they have accomplished is astounding with or without a finish line.  Next year I am volunteering I want to be around that energy all day not just for the 60 minutes or so that I watched.  I also want to be at the finish line and meet every one of them, get their stories.  OK that last part sounds a bit stalkerish; I promise I will not follow anyone home.

170 days smoke free, 42 pounds down and 179 more nights sleep before the Disney Princess Half Marathon.  “There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.” – Beverly Sills