Day 6

I never believed that I would be doing this. It was not a matter of determination, I just didn't think triathlons were for me. I remember promising a friend in high school, John Carr, that I would complete an Ironman; a promise that seemed hard to keep. Never did I believe that I would become so passionate and dedicated to a goal, a long ago-made promise.

At some point in the beginning of 2010, something changed. A burning desire to push my self, mentally and physically, rose up within me. Crazy as it may have seemed, I was embarking on a journey that to this day is far from over. The thought of finishing a full marathon was my initial drive, but a training regiment that may have been too intense made me lower my goal to a half marathon. I never realized just of hard running for 13.1 miles would be. I had wrestled for 10 years, I felt I could do anything.

After 6 months of training, hours on my feet, and miles of footprints I completed the Waddell and Reed half marathon in Kansas City. The feeling was incredible and at that point I knew what I had to do. That same weekend, I signed up for my next half marathon in Tulsa. Following that one and taking 5 mins off my time in 4 weeks, I was ready to embark on my first triathlon journey.

No ever told me how much it was going to cost to be a triathlete. Between the cost of equipment and the time invested, I was struggling at times to manage the training and being a student. I pushed through and was able to make it work .

Training was intense at times but the drive inside of me grew with every day I was in the water, on the bike or in my running shoes. I knew that the glory of crossing that finish line was going to be amazing. It was a feeling that I could not wait to achieve.

That's all for now.