Inked and officially back to training

  Since my last blog I have received some lovely comments congratulating me on my Ironman achievement and commending my decision to honour Rosie's memory by trying to get to the World Championships in Kona. I have also had some surprising messages which claim that I am an inspiration. I never thought I would be that and don't consider myself to be one but it is an honour to know that someone thinks I am. In my head I am still the unfit chubby kid attempting the 1500metres at school during sports day because no-one else would. I wanted to become an Ironman for my own personal reasons. I wanted to know what it would be like to be within the community who share the common nature of being an Ironman. I wanted to be an Ironman to see what it is like to push your body and mind to the limits. Throughout my journey I cannot lie I enjoyed the attention that comes with being associated to Ironman. I still enjoy explaining what an Ironman involves and what I have achieved. I am now in a small network of endurance athletes and that feels great, to have achieved something not everyone has. However, although it may sound like I am a glory seeker and only do what I do for others gratification, I can assure you I am not. I would urge anyone to achieve their dreams. Mine was becoming an Ironman and I liked the stigma that came with it. However, if yours is to complete a marathon then do it. I have encountered so many people (including my best friends) who have said that their wish is to do an marathon and say to me "I could never do a marathon". YES YOU CAN! I am testament that this is true. With training and the right mental attitude, anything is possible! If I am said to be an inspiration I would hope that the one thing that follows through from this is that I came from a low level of fitness to be able to become an Ironman. I was not athletically gifted from a young age I just have the mental attitude to not give up. Be persistent. If you can gain that then you are the majority of the way to achieving any goal you want.

  A major thing that I did in the last few days that could also make me seem like a show off is that I got an 'M-Dot' tattoo (pretty self explanatory when you see what it looks like). This is the logo of Ironman and many athletes decide to get this when they have completed an Ironman. I'm not going to deny it, maybe it is showing off, after all why else would I do it? I want people to see it and to recognise my achievement. I do have some bragging rights now after all. Although this will mainly be noticed by the other athletes I encounter when doing my events as these are likely to be the people who will know what the 'M-Dot' symbolises.
  First of all I had to chose a location on my body that would be noticeable, after all people have to see it for the reasons I described. The majority of men get theirs' on the calf, however I don't think this is very ladylike. I am also not a fan of random tattoo's on the body, be that male or female. This does not mean I dislike tattoos (pretty impossible really as Dan has a sleeve). In fact I do like tattoos when they are thought through and can appreciate them as pieces of art (as Dan's is). With this in mind I seriously considered where I was going to get my tattoo. I had debated my thigh but then no-one would see it except when swimming in a pool or when on holiday. I also get some pretty horrific tan lines during my triathlon season where my shorts have been so if it was on my thigh it would draw even more embarrasing attention to this. I did not want to get it on my shoulder, back or arm as I worry when I get married it will be visible. I basically wanted it somewhere that can be hidden if need be. This is when I decided on my inner ankle. It can be seen easily to all when training and competing but can be hidden with tights and trousers if need be such as at an interview (although I don't plan to leave my job anytime soon and know my boss does not bat an eyelid at tattoos). I did also worry about when going to a posh 'do' and didn't want to wear tights would my tattoo bring my outfit down but I then realised that anyone I go to an event with will know me and at the end of the day I am not ashamed at all to show my achievement off to anyone.

 However, although it may seem like I am trying to gain more gratification, getting this tattoo is more importantly a personal symbol to me and for this reason I needed it to be easily visible to me as well. It shows me what I have achieved and what I want to achieve in the future. I know that any tattoo should be seriously considered as it is for life. For this reason I researched many times into whether I should do it. There are countless opinions on the Internet about the 'M-Dot' tattoo. I have seen many people who have got the tattoo but there are many people who argue, "why would you want a corporate logo engraved on yourself?". These opinions did begin get to me at first and made me question my decision. I am much like many people, I want to be liked and don't want someone thinking I am an idiot. I understand that Ironman has become a brand so in many peoples eyes it is like getting 'Coca-Cola' tattooed on your body. I began arguing in my head how debate these opinions to make sure I was making the right decision. First of all, I thought would the people against 'M-Dot' tattoos say to an Olympic athlete who got the Olympic rings tattooed on them that they are wrong to do so? That they are in fact tattooing a logo and brand on themselves? The same could be argued for a soldier who gets their regiment on themselves. It is something they are proud to be a part of, becoming an Ironman is something I am proud of. Secondly another major argument is, "if someone wants to get it, it is their body" (the same with any tattoos someone decides to get). I debated this in my head for a while and the more negative comments I read the more wild and angry I was getting. This to me showed just how much I cared about getting an Ironman tattoo. I came to my own strong conclusion that the term 'Ironman' was coined by John Collins, a keen triathlete, in 1977 when he challenged the ordinary and wanted to increase the short distance triathlons that were only available in a small demand then (see blog 'suffer, reward and how it all started' from May 2013 for the full story). Yes since then Ironman has become an eventing company and 'brand' but to me the story behind how the name Ironman was decided upon is still there. In my eyes all Ironman (the brand) have done is help people who want to tattoo their achievement on themselves by picking an eye catching logo with which many people have adapted to suit their personal journey (see below for some examples).

  In hindsight I'm glad that these opinionated views did make me question my decision otherwise how would I have been able to know that my mind is strong enough to make the right decision? I know that peoples' strong opinions against the 'M-Dot' tattoo won't stop but I know in myself I have made the right choice. This tattoo is for me and me only, why do I care what others think? We all have our own opinions and I'm sure that some I am strongly for and against would make others wild. After all our views only make us human.

  So it was decided, I would get the 'M-Dot' on my right inner ankle. I went to the tattooist with my Ironman Wales magazine which had the logo on it which they photocopied and cut out to get the exact dimensions. The next question was size. I hadn't wanted it to be too big and imposing and didn't want a black outline as many get as I thought it made it look too bold as well as the fact the real logo does not have a black outline. I was also really keen on getting the Union Jack in the 'dot' to symbolise that I did my first Ironman in the UK but more so to show my patriotism. This would also make it that much more personal. The issue then was that the smaller size I had in mind was not big enough to have the Union Jack. So I had to make a decision as to whether to go bigger or stay smaller and have the 'dot' in plain red like the 'M' would be. When I put the stencil on my ankle to check it out the bigger size did look big, even if Dan and the tattooist said that it was tiny in comparison to the industry shop I was standing in. In hindsight I believe it looked much bigger because of what I had previously had in mind. I was passionate about having the Union Jack in the tattoo so I went with the bigger size. Even with the increased size the tattooist said he would struggle to include the Union Jack and was going to do an 'artistic impression' which meant I just had to trust him and his experience which wasn't amazingly reassuring to begin with. The inner ankle is said to be one of the most painful places to get a tattoo and I have to say it hurt like a bitch! The tattooist even asked me whether the pain was worse than the Ironman, to which I said "it can't have been that bad as I'm doing two more next year but I don't think I'll go through this again" (my parents will be pleased to hear). However, when it was finished I was over the moon with the result. The tattooist's 'artistic impression' is great. I am getting used to the increased size, which on the plus side will help me to show it off which is something I cannot wait to do!

It's official now - I am an Ironman!

  So with training well and truly started my first event to show off my new tattoo is the 'Lungbuster Duathlon' in Oxfordshire on the 20th October. This consists of a 8k run, 30k bike, 5k run. This will be a little event to keep me motivated even though the triathlon season has finished. My need until the New Year is just to maintain the fitness I have acquired and then from around March I shall upping the effort to increase my fitness to improve my speed. I need to do my plan well so that I peak at the right point i.e. at Ironman Wales on September 14th 2014. The Lungbuster was not the only event I signed up to for the rest of 2013. I have got a local half marathon in Marlow on 3rd November which will be a great way to set a benchmark and then I am doing a Chiltern Tri arranged 10mile run on the 29th December. Although this date sounds pretty horrible as it is during the Christmas period it makes it appealing to me as it means I cannot let my standards slip and may help me lose some of the Xmas gained pounds! I even entered an event for February 2014, another Duathlon which consists of 7.5k run, 21k bike, 5k run. This is again to make sure I don't slack over those tough winter months where triathletes can lose fitness. I know that Beau, my brothers triathlon friend who I have previously spoken about, puts on nearly 2 stone from the end of the triathlon season and then loses it all when he begins training again for the next season.
  These events are all part of my big plan. I began writing down dates and distances I wanted to be doing all the way through to September 2014. I want to do at least two marathons, at least two 100 mile bike rides, an Olympic distance triathlon and a half Ironman. I would ideally like to do Wimbleball half Ironman again as I have unfinished business there after last year but it all depends on whether I get the finance before the entries run out. If I do manage to get a place however I will definitely be camping to reduce costs as well to try and avoid the nightmare it was to travel to the event site.
   It was when I was trawling through Runners World, British Cycling and Triathlon 220 searching for events that I would have killed for someone i.e. a coach to do it all for me. It was giving me a headache! However, I finally managed to get a rough event plan together which gives me time to assess my progress and hopefully get quicker! Another thing I have made sure I have done is get my events close to home. I do not want the added cost of travel and hotels. The only two training events I would like to do elsewhere is obviously Wimbleball and the Snowdonia Slateman in Wales that I did last year. This was a very challenging and enjoyable event. It would also be a great event for me to assess my improvement from last year, particularly on the very very tough run.

  Furthermore, I also sent an email to all the people who are included in the channel swim relay in August next year. Dan is concerned that I am doing too much especially as my new goal is considerably tougher, trying to qualify to Kona. Therefore, he believes that this should be my main focus, which it definitely is. To me the channel swim is just an addition to training and would aid the Ironman. However, my worry is doing it non-wetsuit. Firstly, I will not have the time to give to acclimatise myself to cold water, I am a woos as it is when cold and although I would still be up for any group channel swim training this would take a lot of extra work. As well as that I will be losing weight with the added training I will be doing for my Ironman aims and am trying to get my body fat percentage as low as possible. Therefore, I will not have the extra fat as natural insulation. I am not writing this challenge off as it is something I committed to and is something I am desperate to achieve but I am asking the opinion of the members who have completed the channel. If it was firmly decided to be a non-wetsuit channel crossing however, I would seriously consider my involvement.

  Another challenge to add to all this that has been suggested recently is the John o'Groats to Lands End cycle ride (again something I have always wanted to do). This was a discussion Ryan, Rosie's boyfriend, Des, Dad, Dan and I had (whilst rather drunk it has to be said). We all decided that we would do this challenge to raise money for the charity 'SUDEP' (Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy) in honour of Rosie. I am more than up for this as for me it would aid my training. However, I know that I may need to take a step back and assess what I am doing before rushing in and possibly physically exhaust myself before Ironman Wales. I may be an Ironman now but I am not invincible or unbreakable and will burn out if I peak too soon in training. Furthermore, such an event is not cheap and requires a lot of organisation. I have no doubt we will do it for Rose, but I may have to be the one to say lets hold back for a year despite how keen we are. My Dad is also concerned as with his recent hip replacement if he has a fall it could mean some serious long-term problems, so he is still mulling it over.

  So, I have to say it again, I am now officially an Ironman and can show it off with my 'M-Dot' tattoo and have booked three events for 2013. I am well and truly back to training. Bring it on 2014, it's going to be a very tough year of training but I am itching with excitement already.