It all started so innocently with a single 10k running race. That was then, this is now.

Back in July of 2002, I participated in the Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta, Georgia. I'm not sure how I had so much fun and excitement while suffering so much. That race eventually led to a half marathon which led to a full marathon. In 2003, I purchased a bike and signed up for swim lessons. I ended up registering for an Ironman despite my obvious lack of triathlon skills. Something just drew me to the sport and the challenge. My life has never been the same since that first Ironman.

A few years have no passed which leads us to the purpose and mission of this website which is;

•  To promote the sport of Ironman which gives many of us so much joy in life,

•  To encourage, motivate and inspire individuals to participate in the sport regardless of abilities,

•  To educate and provide knowledge into the process of training and racing Ironman to help others improve,

•  To entertain and amuse the members of the Ironman community (albeit sometimes not on purpose).

Having trained, raced and completed multiple Ironman races, I've made my fair share of mistakes. There were so many times that I just didn't know any better. Then there were often times where in hindsight, I really did know better but made some poor decisions along the way. This leads me to some quotes that I'd like to share relating to making mistakes;

“In my experience, we learn the most from our mistakes. If we are unusually open minded, we learn from the mistakes of others.”

- KEVIN ‘KP' PURCELL, ( www.coachkp.com ), Ironman athlete, coach and role model extraordinaire.

“An expert is a person who has made all the mistakes that can be made in a very narrow field.”

- NIELS BOHR, Danish Physicist and Nobel Prize Winner

“Would you like me to give you a formula for success? It's quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure. You are thinking of failure as the enemy of success. But it isn't at all. You can be discouraged by failure or, you can learn from it. So go ahead and make mistakes. Make all you can. Because remember, that's where you will find success.

- THOMAS J. WATSON, SR., Founder and former CEO of IBM.

I couldn't come up with three better quotes to help explain the purpose of this website. It's my intent to one day become an ‘expert' at Ironman. Please realize the difference in definitions between the use of the words ‘expert' with ‘elite' or ‘professional.' I don't seem to be inclined to desire the title of ‘elite' or ‘professional.' I do however, feel a deep desire to become an “expert” at Ironman racing.

I, like so many other Ironman athletes, dream of qualifying for Kona one day. I still have a lot of unanswered questions regarding Ironman. I hope to one day obtain answers to those questions which would allow me to become a much better athlete in the sport. Some of my questions are;

1. Is it possible for me, a guy with arguably ‘average' athletic talent, with no background in swimming, cycling or running to one day qualify for Kona as the sport continues to get more and more competitive? Translation – Can a CPA/Finance guy with a job do it and if so, could you learn to do it?
   
2. If it is possible, how long would it take? Translation – For goodness sake I hope not too long. At the rate I'm going, all I have to do is hold my times for 15 more years, get a sex change, and I'M SOOO THERE!!!
   
3. What would it take especially taking into consideration the fact that I didn't begin an endurance athletic career until buying a pair of running shoes for the first time at 32 years old. Translation – I'm not fast!
   
4. How could it be accomplished for people who have careers, or families, or hobbies, outside of triathlon? Translation – I'm not willing to quit my job, give up all of my hobbies and friends, move to Colorado, live at altitude, and adjust my standard of living downward to that of an illegal immigrant out on disability.

I believe that many before me have accomplished what I want to accomplish for myself (i.e. they made it to Kona without quitting their jobs and abandoning all other things in life). What I would like to do different is to document the process, the learning experiences, and all of the mistakes along the way and provide others the opportunity to become better athletes for themselves and enjoy the wonderful sport of Ironman (Did I tell you that I love the sport?).

What could turn out to be my greatest contribution to the reader is not necessarily "what to do" but rather "what not to do?" It's an opportunity for the reader to learn from the mistakes of others (uhhh, that would be me) and along the way become an expert in Ironman for themselves.

There is no doubt that I love Ironman racing and thoroughly enjoy reading about the topic. Yet it's most common to find writings and publications about elite athletes, how great they are, how much they dominate, and how physically talented they are. I don't think I can offer the reader that perspective here but I also know there is no shortage of that information out there in other media outlets. Rather, I hope to bring you an account from the inside of a person who has a dream and a passion for the sport. Quite frankly, I have no idea if I'll ever qualify for Kona but I don't think that is as important as the overall journey. If I didn't love the sport, the lifestyle, the people and the opportunity, I wouldn't do it.

I also hope you could bear with me. It's not a natural thing for a person to open up on their own personal set-backs, disappointments, lost opportunities and temporary failures. In all other areas of my life, I probably would be the last guy willing to show weakness or fear. I don't seem to be too worried about that in this case though. I seem to fancy number crunching and in some weird way I'm comforted by numbers in this situation. I know that generally a person has to be approximately in the top 3% of their age group to get a ticket to The Big Show. I doubt that those top 3% will end up being too interested in the struggles of an age-group athlete with a job and other activities. It's perhaps the remaining 97% of Ironman athletes that will say, "I know how this guy feels because that has happened to me. I have some of those same limiters."

If along the way, I generate a few laughs (many probably unintentionally) at least I know I'm amongst a tight knit group of people that could relate to my perils and struggles and offer some support.

And most importantly, if you ever see me at a race, feel free to come up, give me a slap on the back and say, "Paully, I feel your pain."

Lastly, I hope that the Ironman experience brings you as much joy and learning opportunities about life and about your soul as it has done for me. I'm so glad I stumbled upon this crazy underworld with all of you other nutcases and took a detour on a road less traveled. It's been an awesome journey. Thank you for being part of it.