Ha! Made ya look! But that is my other big news.
Truth is, I am going to Kona! I did qualify. But not for the Ironman World Championships. Back in January, I applied for the USA Triathlon Level II Endurance Certification course. And I got accepted. So, I'm headed to THEBIGISLAND for three and a half days of triathlon education!
But, I WILL get to see THE Ironman. It's my Super Bowl. It happens to be the weekend after my certification class. So, I will get to see it all first-hand. Ace and I have even signed up to volunteer for body marking on race day. I'm hoping to spot a few of my favorite pros (Alicia Kaye and Sarah Piampiano and Mareen Hufe) and meet some amazing age-groupers. I really, really, really want to see Chrissie Wellington get inducted into the IM Hall of Fame.
Right now, I'm more excited about the certification than the race. In the last week, we've gotten the schedule and some content. I've been re-reading some of my content from USAT Level I certification and studying up on TRIATHLON SCIENCE. I've read up on the case studies we'll be assigned and prepping for a presentation we'll have to give on the last day. I am totally nerding out.
Honestly, I've never really wanted to do the Hawaii Ironman. I will never qualify by time - I'd have to be top one or two in my age-group (although IRONMAN's motto is: ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE). I may someday qualify for the Legacy program - but that would be years from now. Plus, Kona is hotter than White Lake hot.
I will say that I have always wanted to coach an athlete to Ironman. That is my Kona dream. This experience is going to launch me in that direction. I already have the athletes on my roster that are poised to become Kona qualifiers. This is the tipping point for all of us and I can't wait to see what happens.
