What is a half ironman, you ask?
A 70.3 is a triathlon where the athletes swim 1.2 miles, bike 56 miles, and run 13.1 miles (half marathon). The total distance is 70.3 miles. It’s half of what a full Ironman is.

To give some history, I’ve done one single triathlon in my life. It was a sprint distance which is a half mile swim, 12.4 mile bike, and 3.1 mile run. I’ve also got a handful of half marathons under my belt. It’s been seven years since my last one, but that doesn’t matter, does it?

I feel very comfortable with swimming. Having done the half marathons in the past, I have faith in completing another. The biking part worries me a little as I’ve never biked more than 12.4 miles in one shot before.

I reached out to Kelcey and Mike to get their immediate feedback on the course and the training involved. Both were very helpful for me and my decision to commit. I’ve even been added to a few Facebook groups to help with my training, motivation, and even buy/sell equipment.

Do I commit?
If I commit, I’ll have 49 weeks before the 70.3 in Des Moines, so my runway to get into shape and ready for it is primed. I looked at professional training coaches and online training plans for days. I settled on a 48 week training plan through TrainingPeaks.

I’ve gone out and acquired my initial equipment, including a bike (Trek Domane AL 2 Disc), helmet, shoes, goggles, Garmin, and some other little items. My next few items I’ll need to consider for purchase will be a wetsuit and tri-suit. This is going to be an expensive hobby, but worth it in the end if it means I’m healthy and skiing all the runs with my kids when they get older!

Despite my all my apprehension, I told myself to just go for it. So, I committed to doing the Ironman 70.3 Des Moines in 2024.

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