Today is February 2 — Groundhog’s Day in the US. Like many of you, I am reminded of the movie with Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell about the guy who keeps living the same day over and over. That day just happens to be in Punxsutawney, PA on Groundhog’s Day. It is kind of ironic for me, this year, that I feel like I finally broke out of my own groundhog’s day. Nothing is the same this year. My life is completely different from where I was for the past 19 February 2nds. I finally took the big step and decided to charge ahead with my coaching businesses — life coaching, running coaching and triathlon coaching. Combined, they add up to wellness coaching.

I am very lucky to have had so much experience in the corporate world before starting this venture. These companies I worked for, both small and large, taught me valuable lessons which I have found to be so important to starting my own company — how to be professional, develop my leadership skills, and understand different motivations people have. I am also very lucky that I took the time to continue learning and developing myself both mentally and physically and I am now at a point that I can help others.

This month my focus is on getting my business up and running. I am taking on new clients for life coaching and personal running/triathlon coaching. On March 15 LaGrange Adventure Boot Camp starts for women in the LaGrange area. It will be outside in Segwick park; all abilities welcome. To find out more visit www.lagrangebootcamp.com

Check back often, sign up for my newsletter, and when your ready, let me know how I can help you achieve your goals be they small or large.

I am two weeks into the new year and getting started on my goals for 2009. I am struggling to figure out the “how” of the “what.” Last year it seemed to easy and I was so focused. Finish Ironman Arizona. I did it. I set the “what” and the “how” came. It wasn’t easy getting to that goal but now that it’s over I am struggling with what’s next. And if I hadn’t finished the Ironman, would I still be struggling with setting my goals for 2009?

I am very lucky. I have a great life. I don’t want this to sound like a holiday card and I do have some struggles and concerns, but overall things are good. And I want it to be even better. So some of the things that I want:

* More time that feels like mine during the week. That 9 – 5 time that is usually governed by other people
* A business to call my own
* To be rich and famous (or famous and rich but I want both!)
* A clean house

So, what are my goals for this year?

* Start a thriving business
* Run a marathon and qualify for Boston (and the date is set, May 9 in Fargo, ND)
* A Sub-5:45 1/2 Ironman at Racine
* Have a better relationship with Megann
* And of course, lose 5 pounds

So some of these are easy like the marathon and 1/2 Ironman. The harder ones are the business and Megann. What does a thriving business look like? To me a thriving business is one where I am helping women to reach their goals. Where I get to make the decisions in alignment with what I value most. And a business that is self sustaining with a lot of money left over to travel and buy window treatments.

So I will keep thinking about what I really want for 2009 and promise to keep you posted. I would love to hear about your wants and your goals.

Be happy…

Summary:

I finished

Highlights of the day:

Finishing, Seeing Megann, Tom, and Karen on the bridge at the swim start, hearing “silly lady, don’t push me off the road” on the first bike loop, seeing Bev in the Bike to Run transition tent, Karen, Meg and Tom taking pictures during the run, and did I mention finishing?
My Times:

Total – 14:01:46

Swim – 1:17:28

Bike – 6:50:56

Run – 5:31:47

“Sally Head – you are an Ironman!” 3 years ago I got fixated on hearing those words as I crossed the finish line of an Ironman race. I was able to pull out the bucket list and put a check in that box yesterday as I completed Ironman Arizona 2008 in Tempe, Arizona.

A little about Ironman

For everyone reading this that is not familiar with the sport of triathlon, an Ironman (IM) is a triathlon where a competitor swims, bikes, and runs for 140.6 miles. The distance of an Ironman is ALWAYS a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and a 26.2 mile run. There are other triathlon distances but whenever someone says “IRONMAN” it is 140.6 miles. The race starts at 7:00 am and ends at midnight giving competitors 17 hours to get from the start to the finish.

Training for this race is usually harder than the race itself. I spent 15 – 25 hours each week training for the past 6 months. This meant getting up early and training before work as well as training after work. Weekends were spent training sometimes over 8 hours in one day. By the time I got to the start line, I definitely felt ready.

The days before the race

Tom and I got to Tempe Thursday and immediately went to the registration tent and checked in to the race – no turning back. After check in I went to the merchandise tent and spent a little money on some IM Arizona merchandise. Picking up Karen from the airport was the final thing we did Thursday and it was off to bed.

Friday morning, wetsuit in hand, Tom, Karen and I met Tom (MJ’s husband) and MJ, and MJ and I jumped into the 63 degree water. If you’ve never swam in water that is 63 degrees, it is quite an experience. After the swim, I picked up my bike from the people that drove it to Arizona. My front tire was flat so after an hour spent changing the tire, MJ and I were finally able to do a short ride to run through the gears and make sure everything was in working order. We went to the mandatory meeting Friday and then to bed. I knew I needed to sleep Friday because I wouldn’t be sleeping Saturday.

Saturday MJ and I did a short swim, bike, and run just for a confidence booster. We were joined by Derrick (SCTC) and Kurt (VQ.) After our ride, I checked my bike into transition. During a non-Ironman triathlon, transition is usually done the morning of the race and all of your gear is put by your bike for you to change into after the swim and the bike. The Ironman it is a bit different in that you put your bike in the transition area and you get a swim to bike gear bag and a bike to run gear bag. These bags go into another place where you can easily grab them when you are transitioning from the swim or the bike. I dropped my bags off later that afternoon and then I didn’t have anything else to do except obsess.

Pre-Race

I didn’t get any sleep Saturday night even though Karen set 3 alarms and I set 2 alarms. We were all up by 4:15 and we left the house around 5:10. Once we got to the transition area, I checked my bike, pumped up my tires, put additional gear in my transition bags, and handed in my special needs bag. A special needs bag is filled with things you think you might need during the bike or the run. Race officials hand you the bag, if you need it, at mile 63 on the bike or mile 13 on the run. I handed in my special needs bag, took off my warm, dry clothes, put them in a bag for after the race, and then it was off to the race.

This race is a mass swim start which means everyone starts together. We swam in Tempe Town Lake. You have to jump into the water from a dock and swim about 200 yards to the start. I wanted to jump in at the last minute so I wouldn’t be treading water too long but I had to plan it right because I didn’t want to start too far back. I jumped in at about 6:52 and swam easily to the start. As I was taking it all in, I turned around and looked at the bridge behind me. There were people standing on the bridge. I spotted Megann and yelled up to her and she spotted me. Then I saw Tom and Karen. I knew then it was going to be a great day.

Go-Time!

Swim

The race started on time and I was off swimming with 2500 other Ironman wannabees. The swim was much better than I expected. There was some of the usual jostling but nothing like I expected with the mass swim start. I was able to sight pretty well with the ASU stadium to my right and the huge Rural Rd bridge ahead. After the turnaround, I assume around 1.2 miles, I felt great. I got into a groove, there was no one around me, and I was cruising. That didn’t last long. My stomach started to hurt and I was having intense pain. Luckily I had a “panic plan” which was to roll over on my back and float. I put the plan into action and felt much better. I started swimming again but was very cold and my calves started cramping. I was not dropping out so I could only keep going. I just kept counting my strokes and breathing not thinking about anything else. I finished the swim in a little under 1 hour and 18 minutes.

When I got out of the water, someone pulled the zipper down from my wetsuit and then someone else pulled my wetsuit off of me. Off to transition and onto the bike.

My transition was really slow. There are women in the changing tent helping you get out of your wet clothes and into your dry biking clothes. The woman, although very helpful, slowed me down by trying to find things in my bag, putting things back in my bag that I needed, etc. Finally she left and I quickly changed and got on my bike. As soon as I was on my bike, I realized the new pump I had bought Saturday was gone – I hoped I wouldn’t need it.

Bike

I saw my cheering section about ¼ mile from transition. They were great at spotting me and were in a really good spot for me to see them. The bike course is 3 loops of about 38 miles per loop. We ride North East, turn around, and come back. My goal was to hold 16.5 miles per hour on the bike. The course has a few hills and during the first loop there was a head wind. At one point I looked down and was going just over 12 mph. I didn’t think I would make my goal in those conditions. After the turnaround though it was downhill with a tail wind and I was able to go 25+ mph. What a great feeling! Second time around I met a woman from Dallas and we rode together for a while. It was nice to have something to take my mind off the monotony. The other highlight of the second loop was the payday bar in my special needs bag.

During the third loop, around mile 80, I did a quick check on how I was feeling and I was feeling great. Not really what I had anticipated at mile 80. By mile 100, my feet were hurting and I couldn’t wait to get off the bike. I had stopped at a few of the aid stations during the ride just to get off the bike and wiggle my toes but it was now burning pain and all I wanted to do was finish the bike so I could get my shoes off.

The transition was really slow again, thanks in part to the helpful women. I didn’t see my support crew when I came in on the bike but was confident I would see them on the run. I left the transition area and my heart rate monitor wasn’t on right. I stopped in the first port-o-potty and did some adjusting. If I had seen Tom at that point, I would have given him the HR monitor.

Run

I started running at about 3:30 in the afternoon. It was hot at that point and the sun was out in full force. I was NOT feeling good. I got to the second aid station and there was Tom, Megann, Karen, Tom, and Michael (MJ’s brother.) Karen and Tom were taking pictures and I “mentioned” that they might have enough pictures at that point. I kept running with only 25 miles to go.

The run course is 3 loops of just under 9 miles each. The first loop was not pretty. I was walking more than I was running and was getting passed by many people. At the start of the second loop, the sun started going down and I started to feel better. I think that is when I got my glow stick to wear around my neck. It’s amazing what you look forward to. After the glow stick euphoria, I was looking forward to getting to my special needs bag with my long sleeve shirt because that meant I could stop for a little while. The second loop was much better than the first. I was still walking up all the hills but running a lot more than the first loop.

By the third loop, I felt great. I saw Tom and Meg around mile 17 and was actually running kind of fast. I had a plan for the race and part of the plan was drinking Coke after mile 18. I don’t know if it was the coke or just the anticipation of finishing but I was able to do a respectable run for the last loop. I saw Bev (SCTC) and Kurt on the run and near the end, Bev and I were leap frogging each other and I knew we would finish within minutes of each other.

The Finish

The finish line of the Ironman is like nothing I have experienced. Every person coming through the finish line gets to go through a tape and the announcer says your name and “You are an Ironman.” The photographers are great and the pictures last a lifetime. That is what I have been visualizing for 3 years and the time was here. For the finish, you go through a parking lot, round a corner, and run through bleachers packed with supporters. I ran through the finish line with a huge smile and my arms in the air.

Once through the finish line, a triage nurse assesses you and, if you are okay, you are escorted through the finish line area by a volunteer. Jim Moran, a good friend, was in the finish area and he put my medal on me. I quickly found Tom, Meg, and Karen and didn’t know what to do.

Thanks

And now I need to thank a few people who, without their support, I could not have done this.

Tom for being my biggest cheerleader.

Karen for always being there when I needed someone to just ride a few miles with me on the weekends and never turning down a run.

My sister Mary who got me into the sport. She was doing triathlons before they were popular.

MJ for helping me through this whole experience – if she hadn’t called last year and told me the race still had openings, I wouldn’t be an Ironman.

The list goes on and on. Thank you to everyone who called, e-mailed, and sent positive thoughts my way Sunday – your support means so much.

Lilly Scott is ready to go. She leaves Friday on a truck with all the other bikes being taken to Arizona by tri-bike transport. There was quite a bit of work that needed to be done so I am glad I took it in. One of the cables was snapped — that’s why it wasn’t shifting. They also put on a new back tire and changed the tube. They shined her up and she looks lovely.

Swam this morning and shoulder was sore. And then a muscle behind my shoulder started hurting so I just stopped and got out of the water after 2200 yds. I just don’t want anything to go wrong with such a short time to go. I am tired and ready to do this race.

Off to work. Why do people go to work when they are sick? Trying to avoid anyone who is even remotely sniffling.

Went running on the treadmill at Oasis because it was cold, under 40 degrees, and raining. Had a great workout while watching Biggest Loser. What a motivating show. I love Bob and Jillian, the trainers. I heard their Oprah interview. Neither one of them knew what it would be like working with the people on the show. Their was a lot of education and life issues to be dealt with.

Finally did a little grocery shopping. What is it they say — don’t shop when your hungry? I went to Trader Joe’s and bought a lot of stuff. Fortunately it was mostly healthy fruits and vegetables. I am eating very late tonight but will sleep in in the morning.

With 2 weeks to go until Ironman Arizona and some extra time on my hands because of the taper, I thought I would start a blog to help market my coaching business.