Do I Get Burned Out

Do I get burned out???  I have \done 11 Ironman’s, 1 Ultraman, and competed in over 80 triathlon’s in a little over 3 years and I have not ever felt burned out on the race itself.  Am I any faster than my first? Actually-no I am slower but I do this for a different reason than winning.  I do it because I love it and the experiences that come with it.  I qualified for Hawaii this year but decided not to go.  I have a new goal that is bigger and better than that….it’s called RAAM (race across America). 

The last year has been a bit frustrating and that is what I am going to tell you about.  I had chosen a new goal of fundraising after winning the Ultraman.  I was inspired by the people who were on stage at the Hawaii Ironman competing in the Janus

Charity Challenge.  These people not only qualified for Hawaii but they also made time to raise thousands of dollars for charity…these were the ones I most admired most on the stage.  I decided that if I ever went back to Hawaii, I would be on that stage for fundraising…it would be nice to get top ten my age group but that might be pushing it…hehehe!

  Fundraising is the hardest thing I have ever done and it can be a real downer when you see what the real world is like.  For the past 5 years I have been training and working and not had to deal with the general public. To fundraise you have to get out and about and you also have to find a beneficiary that works with you.  I chose the American cancer society since it is the 2nd leading cause of death in the U.S. and I entered the Janus Charity Challenge for Florida 2004. I got out in the world to fundraise using my Ultraman story.  First I started out with setting up speaking engagements which freaked me out, my body was covered in hives for my first one and I only raised $60.00….how pitiful!  That was when I realized I was a little fish in a big pond and could not compete with the other fundraisers for the American cancer society…nor did I want to.    I needed to find an organization that needed my help and I wanted to be involved with kids to maybe inspire the youth in some way.  I spoke with several organizations and none seemed to the place for me until I walked into the Boy’s and Girls Club….this was the place I chose and they needed me.  Along with my job of fundraising I created awareness that kids do have a place to go.  As the new spokesperson of the B&G Club I needed to begin learning facts about the club. To fundraise you need to know about the organization. Now I will say that all of this takes time and it wasn’t time that I had with training and work.  It sure would have helped if I had some sponsorship to help me with my racing but it also takes footwork to do that. Time was my main problem…..this was my frustration. I wanted to pursue two goals; one was to be a great athlete and the other was to raise money. I had to put the fundraising on hold and I decided to focus on Ironman Japan with the thought that if I qualified for Hawaii it would open the doors for some sponsourship---if someone helped pick up some of my racing expenses I would then have time to fundraise.  Did it work??  No.  It wasn’t until the Buffalo Lake Triathlon that things changed for me.

This year I decided to work the triathlon and that is when I met Guy Wells, the cardiologist that works the electrolyte tent.  We both have worked side by side at the triathlon for years but never really met. This year I was suckered into doing the swim for the ½ Ironman and then doing the sprint followed by working.  I spent some time in the tent getting an IV for the heck of it before I working my tail off at the massage tent.  It just so happened that Guy and I spent time talking about my goals of fundraising, RAAM, and the Swiss Gigathlon.  I told him of my idea of doing high mileage races and collecting money per mile.  Little did I know that I was talking to a terrific athlete that was interested in some of my ideas.  One month later he showed up at my shop and asked if I would do RAAM in 2005.  He was interested in doing it as a co-ed team with me and helping me fundraise for B&G Club.  I could see it in his eyes that he had the crazy mentality to do this and I knew we were in business.  Our team name is TEAM ENDORPHINES…that is what we are endorphin junkies.  What really makes this race even more exciting is that we are also doing an electrolyte study to benefit other athletes.  This man goes all out in anything he does so this is a dream come true.