Coeur d'Alene Ironman 2013

Ironman... say what?! I couldn't run two blocks without being out of breath before the summer of 2007 and the thought of attempting a marathon, much less a full distance Ironman, had never crossed my mind. Over the previous two years, I had been a husband, step-father, small business owner, full-time student, full-time employee, all at the same time, and eventually divorced. Needless to say, these were some stressful times and I learned more about myself in these two years than my entire life combined.

Fortunately, I had some good people to lean on during these times and it was not long before a friend asked if I'd be interested in running the Tulsa Route 66 Half Marathon. I had always looked up to my friends that ran in high school but lacked the motivation and required discipline to do it myself. The thought of this and the fact that my best friend had been running regularly over the past few years made my ponder the idea. Challenge accepted!

This was the beginning of a life-style transformation. Many of my close friends were married and had begun starting their own families, which means us single folks don't see them very often. My other friends and I continued our regular pattern of indulging in libations on a very regular basis and I was growing tired of feeling like crap the next day. The combination of running and a seed the former wife had planted, “Why do you drink everyday after work?”, reinforced my desire for something different... something better. I had realized I had grown content and didn't particularly care for the thought.

From the beginning, it has been the challenge to run farther and faster. And once I could make it a couple miles, it became therapeutic, and I found myself wanting to run more than I wanted to hang out in the bar. I was more alert, focused, and happy. What's this? Replace a depressant with endorphins and all the sudden you're feeling, looking, and sleeping better. Is this what makes us runners and triathletes crazy? Whatever the reasons, it's damn addictive.

November 18th, 2007, after being sure I was going to die and contemplating pushing the old man in front of me down before I crossed the finish line, I completed my first half marathon in 01:50:57. Many thanks Ryan Craig and Sean Slape for challenging me and pushing me beyond my comfort zone. Now I wanted more!

Let's get back to this seed. Why? Well, it came down to three core things. One, it was a social and physical habit. Two, it was a stress reliever and escape. I had spent the past several years of my life avoiding issues. Three, it was primarily what my current group of friends did on a daily basis. The first was easy to address with running. What to do about the other two? These were difficult. I wound the business down in the summer of 2007 but I was currently a full-time student and full-time employee at a job that was stressing me the hell out on top of still recovering from a divorce. These are the reasons sleeping pills were invented!

Winter break was coming up and I needed a little vacation. My friends Dede and Miah were gracious enough to offer me a place to stay in Denver and I wanted to learn how to snowboard so it was road trip time! My very awesome friend Barton had introduced me to the outdoors over the past several years and to see the Rockies for the first time was jaw dropping. So much room for activities!! Inception had begun...

In February of 2008, knowing that I wanted to move and the job was wrecking me, I gave notice to my employer and thirty days later I walked out of the door of my former client and then employer, no hard feelings, and it was if a mountain had been lifted off my shoulders. I will never forget how I felt at that moment and how I visualized my smiling face walking to my car.

Another seed had been planted on my visit to Denver. Miah had traveled the world solo and I found his worldly stories intriguing. I had never traveled alone nor truly experienced other cultures and I desperately wanted to experience this. Thailand ended up being my destination for four main reasons: they spoke English in most areas, I had a friend in a neighboring country that I wanted to visit, it was cheap compared to Europe, and Miah spoke very highly of his time here. This trip was an eye opener and is a story all on it's own. I made great friends, had fascinating conversations, some sober and some not so sober, with unedited views from other cultures regarding politics, religion, what was important in life, etc. All of this solidified that the changes I had set in motion were where I wanted to go.

Within two weeks of my return from Thailand I had made the move to Denver and found myself without a car or job for two months. Plenty of time to train for the Denver Half Marathon! While moving in my new place, a six foot blonde caught my eye while pushing her bike, rather hurriedly, down the hall. “Training for a triathlon she says with a big smile.” She looked like she was having fun... triathlon, aye? Chelsea would soon become a dear friend and continue to inspire me.

The following spring I found myself piecing together a road bike. I had never owned one but I figured if I could put one together and ride it for a good distance following the next Denver Half Marathon, then I could pull off a triathlon and sure enough in 2010 I completed the Harvest Moon Half Ironman. Start off small, they said. Go big or go home, I said. Slip and slide at the end?! I got this!!

I caught the bug from the get go. A triathlon race is an entirely different animal than a marathon. After running regularly, they start to loose a little luster. I can wake up, throw on some shorts, shoes, shirt, watch, and jog to the race without much thought. A triathlon takes planning and a more in-depth strategy. This takes time, which gives you longer to have anxiety and excitement! Did I remember my goggles, my wet-suit (ya Courtney, I'm calling you out), my gels, bike shoes, running shoes, socks, sun glasses, visor, on and on. It's best to have a list!

The thought of a full Ironman is rather daunting, especially when you finish a 70.3 and ask yourself if you could do it all over again, right then and there. But hey, it's the same thought as running a full marathon after finishing a half. A few years ago, I couldn't run two blocks and I found that I was actually doubting myself. Hell yes you can do it!

In the Spring of 2012 I had met an awesome group of runners and triathletes on a ride in Boulder and many of them were doing the Boulder Tri Series. It wasn't long after the Boulder Half Ironman that Jay posted on FaceBook that he had signed up for Coeur d'Alene, a full Ironman. Well shit... someone beat me to it and I couldn't have that. I signed up, then Renee signed up before she even completed her first 70.3, and then, one by one, they were sucked in. If you're in the sport, you're competitive and if a friend is going to do it, by god you're going to do it too! All said we ended up with 14 racers, most first timers, and over 20 people came out to support us. I'm still blown away at the comeradery, and peer pressure, of this group and sport. And I can't say enough how much it meant to me to have these awesome people to train with and have their support.

Race day! I'm going to be a little brief here because this story is how I got here and not about the race. But please make no mistake, this was one of, if not the most, amazing moments in my life.

We were so fortunate to have spectacular weather for race day! As I've told everyone I race with, I've never had bad weather for a race. You are all very welcome, and remember that the next time you plan a big race! ;) The keys things for me in this race were: the unbelievable support on the course from the volunteers, remembering to pace myself, fluids... lots and lots of fluids, food... way way too much food, porta potty with tp (did I say way too much food?), being able to see my fellow racers and support out on the course multiple times, and something Mike Reilly, “The Voice of Ironman”, said at the athletes dinner, “When you come down the final stretch, don't worry about your time. Take it all in; the sound of your shoes hitting the pavement, the crowd cheering you on, the racers next to you, the anticipation of hearing “Joel Golden, you are an Ironman!”. When you do this your emotions over power any pain you may be feeling and damn if you don't have to fight back the tears. All of the hard work and sacrifices you've made over the past several months and the acknowledgment that you have what it takes to make this accomplishment is quite overwhelming. It is still surreal.

If you are tagged in this photo it is because you have inspired me along the way. I can't express the gratitude I have for every one of you for being part of my journey and I can only hope that I have inspired you as much as you have me and I hope that we can continue to do so.

Never give up!  And always do what you're afraid to do.

 +Sean Slape, Megan Parkinson, Steve McAnnally, Krissy Gutierrez, Kana Ng, Justin Beck, Ted Dunst, Chelsea King, Bronwen Halse, Sara Beck, Jeannene Gonzales, +James Coon, Jennifer Schumm, +Courtney Szubielak, +Erin Brumleve, +ryan craig, Jim Mayo, Renee Wheelock, Steve Fredricks, Sarah Bettman, Jason Worrell, Julie Chase Mayo, Josh Smith, Sarah Inglis DiCroce, Tim Lohrmann, +Franklin Campo, +dede ferrall, Fred Santillan, Chris DiCroce, +Katie Marshall, Ashley Hill, +Jeff Marsalis, +Barton Hodges, +Quin Thompson, Kari Jensen and Greg Hawke.