In late September, the Little Debbie Ironman Chattanooga attracted elite and not-so-elite athletes to a 144.6-mile rolling hill race course in Tennessee. Like every other full Ironman, the race consisted of a 2.4-mile swim, a 116-mile bike course (not a bike ride…), and a 26.2-mile run (or a full marathon). Most athletes who sign up for the full Ironman complete those three events together; however, the Chattanooga Ironman is one of the last remaining Ironman races that allows for a relay option, giving up to three athletes a chance to compete in this historic event. About a year ago, I signed up for the relay with two friends. And about two months before the race date, I bowed out. The reality was that I was not ready. I talked a big game for almost a year, telling family, friends, and colleagues that I was training for this momentous race. I even made it “Facebook official,” thinking that posting my intentions (and linking to my team page) on my social media profile might motivate me. But how did I get here in the first place?
Rewind to 2016. My youngest son, now 13, was in second grade. He came home one day beaming with newfound knowledge. That day, a student’s parent came to class and assisted with the math lesson. The parent — a mom of one of his classmates — taught the students how to convert miles to kilometers and used her recent triathlon as the teachable moment. To my recollection, the conversation during the car ride home went something like this:
Ben: Mom, did you know that Grayson’s mom did the math lesson today at school? She talked about her job and how it involves math.
Me: I did not. What kind of job does Grayson’s mom have that involves math, and what did you learn?
Ben: She told us that her job is to train for a race. It is the kind of race where you have three sports — swimming, biking, and running. And she taught us how to convert miles to kilometers.
Me: Oh, she was talking about a triathlon. Sometimes it is a job to train for a race like that. What else did she tell you about the race?
Ben: She said it is a race called an Ironman.
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