“Matthew Wells, you are an Ironman.” That’s what I want to hear in 2019 when I cross the finish line at my first Ironman Triathlon, a 140-mile endurance race, consisting of a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, followed by a 26.22-mile run. Over the next two years, I have decided to embark on a journey to complete the full Ironman and I’d love to take you all with me as I plan, train, and participate in the events that will lead to the destination I have in my sights.
It’s funny how five months ago, I never would’ve said I wanted to attempt the ultimate fitness challenge of completing a full Ironman triathlon. Swimming over two miles, biking 112-miles seems very daunting, but to have to run a full marathon after those two segments, just didn’t seem like something I’d ever want to do, until now.
I know it sounds so crazy, but over the past five months, I have gained so much confidence from my training and in my abilities, I have decided that I want to be an Ironman.
Back in May, I was just getting into a consistent training plan for sprint triathlons. Now, after months of training and participating in a couple of short-distance triathlons, I get the twitches if I go more than a day without exercising. Running five miles now is easy. Five months ago, I was struggling to run two.
I am ready for this challenge. I am ready to be an Ironman.
This journey is going to be tough, though. There will be lots of sweat, soreness and exhaustion as I strive to achieve this goal. I will have to make some sacrifices that are going to be difficult to make. There will probably even be times when I don’t want to train and thoughts of giving up may enter my mind. But, I’m going to give it everything I have to become an Ironman.
I want to share this journey because I feel my readers, along with the support of those close to me, will keep me accountable and keep encouraging me as I strive to accomplish this difficult goal. It’s not going to be easy. I realize that going into it.
Life as a working dad is hard enough on its own, but to add more training to the already packed calendar, will be tremendously challenging. My training plan will gradually increase to ten to fifteen hours a week. Currently, I’m spending about six hours a week running, preparing for a 10k race later this month. Once I get past this upcoming race, I’ll add more variety to my training over the winter with a regimen of weight training, swimming, biking and running.
With three very active kids, a demanding job and a very blessed life to live, a flexible training schedule is a necessity. My training plan will have to include many early morning training sessions, as well as some late evening sessions, if I’m going to accomplish my goal of becoming an Ironman in 2019.
I look forward to this challenge and to having you all join me on this journey. You’ll be able to follow me here on my blog and across my social media channels every step of the way.
It’s going to be raw, real and fun. Push me, pull me, motivate me and encourage me. Failure is not an option.
I know I have what it takes. In 2019, I will be an Ironman!
