Goals

One of my goals for 2011 was to start my triathlon journey. In part to test the boundaries of my body, but also to test the limitless possibilities of my faith. At what point do I say, “I can’t do this?”… And at what point will my faith need to transcend my own physical abilities? I intend to find out.

Like so many people, I’ve watched and have been enthralled with the annual Ironman World Championships held in Kona, HI. I make it a point to watch it every year. I watch in complete awe at the accomplishments of people I do not know. I am moved by the extraordinary feats accomplished by the ordinary man and woman. I am inspired by their testaments to the pure power of the human spirit. To watch someone move their bodies for hours in order to travel 140.6 miles from start to finish… pure beauty. But despite what I would watch on TV, none of it was entirely personal to me… moved, inspired… yes… but enough to get me actually moving?… no. I guess it was because no matter how ordinary these athletes seemed, they were still a world away… heck, they were a universe away. What they do or were doing is not in me… deep down, I was limiting myself and setting my goals low. After all, not trying and wondering “what if?” was easier than trying and knowing… right? That was my thinking anyways… subconscious or not, I still wasn’t moving.

But this year was different… I started to do. And for the first time, I believed I could. That is the power of setting a goal and meeting it… So I decided that I would set a goal. A goal that is far beyond comfortable… something that will require an abundance of faith and determination… and of course a very supportive wife. I will sign up for the 2012 Oceanside Ironman distance event! Half Ironman distance of 70.3. Still a little scary, but still so very exciting.

First things first though. I have to actually know what I’m doing and myself into. My first step? Signing up for my first triathlon… which I did today! The Los Alamitos 30^th Annual Race on the Base that will be held on 2/26/11. It’s a sprint distance event that will cover all of 15.35 miles. A far cry from a half Ironman distance of 70.3 miles… and even further from a full Ironman distance of 140.6… but I’ll be 15.35 miles closer to experiencing a true Ironman distance. This will be my inaugural event that will hopefully lead me to finishing 5 times this distance a year from now…

What steps of faith will you take to reach your goals this year?