Jenna's Journey to Ironman 2012

It’s crazy to think that a girl who could barely run a mile has signed up to compete in an ironman.  In high school I was that girl who hated running, and dreaded the day in gym that we had to run the mile.  I was always an active person, but I viewed running as a punishment.  On the other hand, I have been swimming ever since I could walk.  I was on the swim team in high school and truly enjoyed my time in the water.  However, I believe it wasn’t until after college when I truly started to develop as an athlete.

            Without my sister, I know I would not be where I am today.  It was our brilliant idea to sign up for a local triathlon two weeks before the race, just to see if we could do it.  So you can imagine, there was very little training or preparation that went into this race.  I didn’t even have my own bike; I had to borrow one from a friend.  My sister and I quickly went from anxious and excited to nervous and scared when we arrived.  Seeing some extreme triathletes, we thought, “What have we gotten ourselves into?”  However, the race when surprisingly well, we both finished which is what we wanted to do.  This was the beginning of it all.

Since my first triathlon, I have come a long way.  Not only did I start training, but I also lost 60lbs in the process.  I went from just finishing to the head of the pack.  I have competed in triathlons in Evansville, Vincennes, and Nashville.  This year of the three sprint triathlons I did, I finished first in my age group in one race, and took second place in my age group at the other two.  All in all, I think I had a pretty successful triathlon season.        

            Unlike my sister, I have stuck with sprint triathlons yet I have trained with her for her Olympic triathlon as well as her half ironman.  I thought she was crazy when she said she wanted to do a half-iron man, and then she proposed this idea of doing an ironman.  I knew she was out of her mind.  On the day she went to Louisville to watch her first ever ironman, she called me during the race and said she was going to do it.  But she said she couldn’t do it unless she had my support.  I immediately said, I not only support you, but I will do it with you.  WHAT? Did I just agree to do an ironman?  Before I knew it, I had signed up, paid my entry fee, and began reading on what it takes to be an ironman.  This is going to be the greatest challenge I have ever faced, and I couldn’t imagine doing it with anyone else but my sister.