Stupid and Irrational

In my previous post I alluded to a few decisions I have made recently which some would call stupid. Or irrational. Or both. Or a number of other things.

On Monday September 12th, at precisely 12 pm, I registered for Ironman Wisconsin 2012.  IMWI, or IMMoo as some affectionately refer to it, is a full distance triathlon.  2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and a 26.2 mile run through dairy country (or, as my friend Eric likes to call it, god's country or the land of milk and honey where by honey he means beer).

A few days after this rash decision set in I realized that I had never run a marathon before, let alone following a 2.4 mile swim and a more-than-century bike ride.  So I thought it would be "smart" to register for one of those too.  Most would say that signing up to run a marathon should not be considered a smart decision. Smart here is conditional on the previous decision (which also was probably not smart).

So on January 15th I will be in Phoenix to run the Rock N' Roll marathon.  Phoenix in January should be wonderful for running.  Training through November, December, and the first two weeks of January in Illinois - not so much.  It will build character, and give me a reason to not gain weight through the holidays, and whatever other justification I need to come up with to rationalize this decision.

So, to recap: I am voluntarily running 26.2 miles in January, and swimming/biking/running 140.6 miles next September in Madison, WI.  Wait, that's not right.  It isn't just voluntary. I am actually paying to do these things.

Like I said, stupid and irrational.  But it is going to be awesome.