Why I Tri

If you were to see me at work you would never, in a million years, guess that I do triathlons. You wouldn't guess that I'm also an avid horseback rider, past rodeo queen, or any of my other past times. To put it bluntly, I'm not athletic looking, at all. I'm carrying the typical spare tire and thunder thighs... So why do I tri?
Laughingly, that's simple. Because in the end, every time I cross that finish line, I'm healthier! Every day of training and every race is another step towards my goal of getting down to a 'normal' weight and a healthier me. It's also one experience closer to toeing up to that start line of Ironman Wisconsin.
Which brings another question up... Why on earth would I subject myself, willingly, to the brutal torture that is an Ironman race? Again the answer is quite simple, because the athletes that begin an Ironman race are at the top of their physical shape. They are aware of every muscle quiver no matter how preoccupied they appear to be with course conditions. They are... Iron. Not in the sense that they are all muscle or perfectly toned... To be honest, many aren't perfectly toned. Sure, the elites chasing Kona are... But the average 'age grouper' person entering an Ironman is in the top of THEIR physical condition. Some are round, some are squat, some are short, some are tall... But ALL are athletes and ALL are going to tackle the SAME course and the same distances (that would be a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and 26.2 mile run). And every one of them are mentally tough as well... Triathlon is as much mental as it is physical, if not more so. Ironman Wisconsin, for me, is my way of proving to SO MANY that I can do what I set out to do and I WILL do what I said I will do. I'll fall along the way, I'll break down, and certainly I'll have failures... But I WILL cross that finish line and I WILL hear...
Dana Laufenberg, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN.
And that day will forever be engrained in my memory as the day that I defeated every demon in my life, chased after every hard fought mini win, and proved to myself and everyone around me that I AM IRON.
So, where do I begin? Small my friend, small. My first triathlon was a teeny tiny little sprint in Hudson, WI in Sept 2009 and I'm still doing sprints now. This season I have two sprint triathlons planned and my first half marathon (gulp). I'm doing a 'step' program to build up to the Iron distances while first tackling a Half Iron distance penciled in for July of 2013. Between now and my Ironman event I'll tackle many half marathon distances, a few marathons, century (100 mile) bike rides galore, and more swim miles than the average person would ever care to ponder.
I've already proven to the world that ANYONE can do a triathlon, now I'd like to show everyone that with a little determination and a lot of hard work anyone can do an Ironman.
Who's in???
I AM!