To start: “What is IronMay?”  IronMay is a challenge to run/bike/swim the distance of an IronMan over the course of the month of May.

An IronMan consists of:

• 2.4 mile swim
• 112 mile bike ride
• 26.2 mile run

Sound like a lot?  Sound doable?  I have 31 days to find out!

Why did I decide to take this challenge?  Primarily, I saw it on a friend’s Instagram and thought it was a fun concept!  I was surprised I had never heard the term before.  There were a few other reasons as well:

• I haven’t had a numerical fitness goal in a long time.  I always want to be “healthy” and “in good shape” but sometimes it’s nice to be working with a concrete goal in mind.
• I have a race next week in which I’ll be running 7.5 miles.   That’s almost 30% of the running in one day!
• Every few years I tell myself I’m going to get into swimming.  [It’s a great full body exercise.  It’s easy on the joints.  It’ll be a great way to start the day.]  So every few years I swim about three times and call it good.
  • I’m not saying it’ll be different after this May, but I’ll at least have 2.4 miles done and can revisit the idea again in 2020!
• Seattle is SO nice in May!  I can’t wait for my first *warm* lap around Green Lake.

IronMay is a goal you could take up on your own, but I decided to register with an official “race” through my friend’s link on Instagram (www.IronMay.com).  Even though I don’t know anyone else competing, it had the right level of small town fun and camaraderie that I wanted.  Miles are logged on the honor system and it can also be completed as a team.  Plus, it was only $11 to enter and finishers get a t-shirt (I think?!).

Fun Fact: The world record for completing an IronMan is 7 hours and 45 minutes.  Wow! 

Have you ever completed an IronMay?  What about an IronMan?

Green Lake, May 2017