Giving Back

As I trained through 2008 it quickly became apparent that undertaking an Ironman is a selfish endeavor. I also recognized that as I am legally blind as a result of a rare visual condition called Achromatopsia, my attempt at Ironman is somewhat unique, and presents an opportunity to give back to the community. As a result, Seeing Beyond was born. The campaign represents the coming together of my quest to complete Ironman in the face of the unique challenge my limited vision presents, and the opportunity to raise awareness and give back to CNIB – an organization that has helped me and thousands of others See Beyond the challenges of living with low or no vision.

While the www.seeingbeyond.ca site will give you all you need to understand the campaign, this blog will document my personal journey. I expect it will be a mix of elements including race reports and accounts of killer workouts to appeal to the athletic geek; some background on me, my visual impairment, and how it impacts my life; some of the events of my life that have brought me to where I am today; and a collection of the random thoughts that come to one while staring at the line on the bottom of the pool, or out on the roads at 5:00 am in the cold and wet Vancouver winter.

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The Journey Begins

I don’t remember the exact year that I first heard about Ironman; it would have been in the 1980’s at the height of the Scott Tinley, Dave Scott and Mark Allen years. The race immediately captured my imagination. Finding the will power and courage needed to set out on a day long journey like that, knowing that if you cross the finish line you accomplish something that stays with you for the rest of your life was something that I dreamed of experiencing.

Well, 20 years have past and despite peaks and valleys of personal physical fitness, I have not even come close to undertaking an Ironman. That changed in December of 2007. I was in the worst shape of my life and made a decision that something drastic had to be done. I made one of my more bold New Years resolutions of and committed to an 18 month journey to Ironman Canada 2009.

I am pleased to say that it has been a resolution that I have been able to keep on track. 1 year later, I am in the best shape of my life, I have worked through a few injuries, completed my first Olympic distance tri, run a PB in a half marathon, finished a 70.3 Ironman race, and run my first Marathon. Most importantly, I secured a spot for Ironman Canada 2009. I have a long way to go to be ready for August 30th 2009 in Penticton, but I actually feel like this crazy goal can become a reality.