Dreaming Big

Well, one of my good friends challenged me to announce one of my big dreams. I've often wondered what the difference is between goals and dreams and can you ever dream too big? I think a few of you know that I want to race at Kona in the Ironman World Championships. I struggle with putting this out there because while I really really really want to do this, I'm not sure that it's possible, even with all of the hard work I can possibly do, I just don't know if I will be good enough or fast enough or strong enough to actually qualify for Kona. That said, it's still on my list of things I dream about.

So, while I'm not sure if this is a possible dream, I do know that I want to do everything in my power to race at Kona. What am I doing to accomplish this dream? Well, here's my list...and while it might not seem like much, at least I have some sort of plan that will definitely be evolving.

On my wall at home, I've started building my Kona Dream bulletin board. I have course maps and how to qualify. I have a list of races that you can qualify for Kona attached to this bulletin board. I actually dream about the race and watch myself actually being in the race and running down Ali'i Drive and swimming in Kailua Bay and riding out to Hawi.

I've committed to completing my first 1/2 Ironman on August 9 in Provo, UT. I've started my training and its going well. It's actually been empowering to know that I can do this.

I'm signing up for Ironman Wisconsin in September and will be racing in Madison in September 2009. This will be my first ironman distance race and will definitely be a defining moment.

While these may seem like small tasks to get me to Kona, I think that's what I can do for right now to at least start on the path towards my dream. I have a feeling that I may not actually accomplish this dream until I'm on my way to being elderly, but I still want to shoot for this.

So, there's my big dream. It truly is a dream, but maybe, just maybe, I'll actually be able to live it out!