Triathlon: Let's Discuss Distance

    I am pretty sure most people, when hearing the word "Triathlon" immediately think of The Ironman Races. Those epic battles of humans versus distance, where finishers stagger across the finish line after hours and hours of pushing themselves beyond anything they probably believed possible to endure. Yes, those are triathlons, but they are the pinnacle. So to clarify, I want to post the different race distances. Yes, there are easier distances.

The Sprint: The distances in a Sprint vary, but are usually as follows (more or less): Swim 1/2 mile, Bike 12-14 miles, Run 5K. This is the Beginner race, and should be fairly easy (I say that with more than a hint of finger crossing).
The Olympic: This gets a bit tougher, but still on the manageable level. Swim 1.5K (just short of 1 mile), Bike  40K (roughly 25 miles), Run 10K (6.2 miles).
Half Ironman: Yes, this gets a bit more serious. Swim 1.2 miles, Bike 56 miles, Run 13.1 miles.
Ironman: The Gold Standard. Swim 2.4 miles, Bike 112 miles, Run 26.2 miles.

    So, there you have it, everything from a sensible, pleasant morning workout to a radically painful way to spend the better part of a weekend. And this is what I am setting myself up for. My goal is to complete a Sprint no later than mid-September. I would like to do one earlier, but there is an odd dearth of races in August in this area. So, maybe one in September and another in October? I would like to be ready for Olympic distance by next spring, and maybe manage a Half Ironman by the end of next season. I don't think this is an unreasonable goal. Insane yes, unreasonable no. And, in a crazy corner of my mind, oh wait, that would be most of my mind, I would like to complete one full Ironman. It is honestly something that has intrigued me for years, but self doubt made it seem just another pipe dream. Honestly, I am tired of pipe dreams, I want dreams to become reality. I want my reality to be my dreams realized. No one in the world will realize my dreams but me, and so I will train. I will train hard. I will strive to reach goals that others would deem unreachable. I have faith in my abilities. I have faith in Me.