Test your Limits....

During the training and planning of this, my third Ironman, I had so many tests to pass, so many roadblocks to get over, and so many things to just set aside, that I look back and shake my head. When I first started working with my coach Mark, I had been relatively sedentary for five years. Part of this was due to a really nasty hip injury, and part of it was because I let others control my life. Any of you who have known me for any length of time may find this hard to believe, but it took a lot of courage to decide that since this is one of the things that makes me happy, and with the big 50 approaching, I had to at least give this a shot.

Rewind the life of LaGrange; since I was a kid, I ran competitively in fits and starts. I was a pretty good middle distance runner until my mid teens, when the fun things in life took over... partying, exploring life, working to make a living, my career in the military, morphing into civilian life and working for a big corporation....just to name a few. I ran competitively for many years, competing internationally for the military and placing in my age group in nearly every race I ran. I got into triathlon by accident.... serious abdominal surgery made it too exhausting to run as much as I needed to be a top age group runner again, so I crosstrained by necessity.... it was either that or take one step forward and two steps back. My success came relatively fast, as my running background made me someone to fear as soon as I hopped off my bike and pulled on my runners. I usually placed well in my age group, went to a few world championships and enjoyed the experience (read: got my ass kicked but had fun!) then found my niche.... I loved the training and racing that Ironman entailed. I completed two Ironman races and then suffered a serious fall that dislocated my hip and threw my whole pelvis so far out of alignment I couldn't run 20 minutes without pain. Two years of inflammation, cortisone shots and strengthening exercises got me to a point where I could begin to believe it might happen again.... Thanks, Dr Boyko, you saved my ass... literally!!!

But this AGE thing... I let it rule my training until I realized that the biggest limiting factor was something I stared at in the mirror every day..... ME. The beauty of triathlon in general and Ironman in particular is that the only person you are really competing against is yourself... Yup, the girl in the mirror controlled the destiny of the girl in the water, the girl on the bike and the girl in runners.... as soon as I started not giving a rat's behind what others thought about me travelling half way around the world to chase my dream, it was like waking up and having my life back..... still, I had to convert this new belief in Lagrange into some results.

Since the swim has always been my weakest sport, I had to get comfortable with the idea that I was never going to catch the people who swam since they were kids. Won't happen, but it doesn't mean I can't narrow the gap. Believing in myself, getting in the pool 4 times a week and working on my technique and endurance has given me enough confidence that when I walk into Lake Taupo at 0700 on March 1st, I know I will be able to pull off the best swim on MY day. I hope it's around 1:10, but if it's not, no panic, there's always that run!

Bike training has been the biggest challenge... I am training through a Canadian winter to race 180 km in a New Zealand summer. I have ridden so many hours on my bike trainer watching TV in my living room that I may go into shock unless someone puts a TV in front of me in New Zealand with a hockey game playing! Yes, Rob, I will be logging onto TSN to check out the NHL scores and making sure your beloved Leafs are winning! And of course, my Oilers are always on my mind ... hey, isn't that a song?

Coming from a running background and always having that ace in my back pocket might lead you to believe that my running is just a breeze.... remember those painful 20 minute torture sessions? I truly believed those would never end.... the biggest hurdle I had to get over was running for any length of time.... I psyched myself out of running so many times that I would be going out in the dark to get it done.... and surprise.... it got done! I am now over 2 hours at a stretch.... a far cry from that 20 painful minutes... I am not fast, but I don't care.... I am steady, I am determined, and on March 1st, even though I have heard it before, I think this time when I hear my name and "you are an Ironman!!" in Taupo, it will mean so much more than the other two (and they mean a LOT) because I know that I have overcome obstacles, the biggest one being ..... my limits were set by me... and now I know I HAVE no limits.....

I have the greatest co-workers, the greatest friends, and the greatest family anyone could ask for.... even though I know many of you don't understand my obsession and probably think I am a little off center for doing this, your belief in me has revved up my belief in myself. When I am racing in 6 weeks, through 3.8 km in the water, 180 km on two wheels, and 42.2 km pounding the pavement, each and every one of you will be in my thoughts... you helped me garner the courage to follow my dream.... rock on!

LaG