Metamorphosis

My wife had only one item on today's honey-do list for today. Last week was my daughter's "girls only" party and I served as the official photographer for the event. My wife is technically challenged so I get the task of getting all the pictures off the camera and onto the computer. Oh, the power.

While looking through the pictures I caught site of one taken of me from quite a few years back. At first I thought, "who's that"? At first I thought it was an old picture of my father or maybe my brother. There was a resemblance there. Then it occurred to me that it was a picture of me. A strikingly different me than the one that I have become. At the time I was a "social" smoker, out of shape, and 20lbs heavier. There was no confidence or determination in my eyes. I was just another shmo along for the ride.

Looking back along the path I've tread I can see how I became what I am from what I was. I even remember the day that the decision that put me on my current path was made. Walking up one flight of stairs to my office (elevator was broken) I paused at the top of the stairs. The sound of my heart beating in my ears, the sound of my breath coming in gasps. I remember thinking to myself, "I'm 30 years old - this is not right". I remember thinking it was time for a change.

I started out slow - step aerobics, dusted off and pumped up the tires on my old mountain bike. After a while I started going on longer bike rides (10 miles was a big ride for me then). I started riding more and more and talked myself into a century ride. I finished it. I bought a road bike, signed up for TOMRV (see my event links) and met a group of friends there that I ride with to this day. I did a 7 day bike tour in Vermont and was strong. I began riding with the local racing club, started out at the back of the slow pack, and over time worked my way to the fast group. I got more serious about my physical conditioning and nutritional habits. I signed up for a triathlon and joined a local health club. I trained for a few months and finished. I signed up for more Triathlons, and a marathon. I signed up for Ironman Wisconsin, trained for an entire year, and finished. I am now in the best shape I have been at any point in my life - both physically as well as mentally.

Looking over the span of a decade at where I've come from there have been a lot of changes. The biggest changes came during the last year where a year of dedicated, disciplined, patient training forged the mind and body of an Ironman. It has not been an easy path. It has been a lot of work. I was never an athlete in what I now consider to be my "past life". It took more drive and determination than I thought I had in me. If anyone back then would have suggested that I'd be doing Triathlons, marathons and century rides I would have laughed at them and then went down for a smoke.

When I look at myself in the mirror now the eyes that stare back at me reveal confidence and determination. The path I have chosen was not the easy one, but looking back at what I was and the path I was on, it has definitely turned out to be the right one.