The Journey Begins - Train, Fundraise, Train, Volunteer, Train, Travel, Train, Race!

To my complete and utter surprise I received a call from the Ironman Foundation – Newton Running Ambassador Triathlon Team on Thursday, March 28 inviting me to accept an invitation to the team, which I had applied for a few weeks prior with no expectation of being accepted.  The call brought about an abundance of emotions, all of which I expect to experience a lot more throughout this entire journey – excitement, fear, sense of accomplishment, discombobulation, pride, pressure, motivation, determination, passion, sense of adventure and many more I cannot even begin to put into words.

I took a day to consider this journey and ultimately decided Friday afternoon to accept this honor and begin a journey that is 88 Inspired.

Considering 88 Inspired is the title of this blog I feel it is very important to describe its origin.  But I will keep you on the edge of your seats guessing for a few days.  If you have an idea of why I have titled this blog 88 Inspired, I encourage you to contact me.  I think it would be fun to hear your various thoughts that 88 Inspired bring to mind, maybe I can use them for motivation during my journey.  I want all of you to be a part of my journey in so many ways; here is your first chance!

I guess in order to be involved in my journey and desire to follow my blog you may want to know - what is the Ironman Foundation – Newton Running Ambassador Triathlon Team and what will she be doing on this team?  I am sure this is something I will be explaining quite a bit over the next 5 months.  I will start with a more detailed explanation here, which I am sure will develop into a much shorter answer over time!

As a member of the team I will be competing in Ironman Canada in Whistler, BC on August 25, 2013.  For those of you that may not know, Ironman Triathlon is considered one of the worlds most challenging endurance races and is a one day event that involves completing a 2.4 mile open water swim, 112 mile bike and a full marathon/26.2 mile run, a total of 140.6 miles.  I will also be competing in a Half Ironman 70.3 (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike and 13.1 mile run), which I have not yet selected.  Beyond the abundance of training, two goal races and additional races for preparation purposes, I will also be contributing and giving back to the race community through a variety of service projects and fundraising a minimumof $3000.

I invite you to read the Press Release about the team if you would like more information about all of the stakeholders involved: Ironman, Ironman Foundation, Newton Running and of course all of the team members, including some exciting big names alongside myself as the only Michigander!