The Only Thing Standing Between You and Your Goal

About 2 weeks ago I stole this picture from a friend on Facebook.  (Supposedly, Jordan Belfort said it.)   I don't expect the quotes that inspire me to have such an immediate use in my life,  but this one meant something to me right away.  Around the same time, I had a tough decision to make. 

That decision was to quit racing for the rest of the year.

I raced – and romped, at non-race events – a LOT last year.  This year, I have already accomplished a lot – a huge 5k PR, even tried my first bike races.  I have made huge strides and shown a lot of promise.

I have been extremely fortunate.

The decision was super-hard.  I just committed to training with a cycling team (they're super-casual, so there's that).  And it's not like triathlon or marathon or cycling is something I do – it's who I am. 

I AM a cyclist.  I AM a runner.  I AM a swimmer. I AM a triathlete.

Unfortunately, as much as I've tried to stop talking about it, I AM also a cancer patient. And it ain't cheap.  It's just not possible to afford to race AND pay for my medical care AND put money away for a rainy day.

I'm not gonna lie – I threw a bit of a Bitch Fit (BF).  (See yesterday's entry.)  It seemed like a cruel paradox: the number one thing that got me out of bed and on with my life, even during my sickest, most hypo moment, was knowing that – if I just DID it – I could get stronger, faster, fitter enough to toe the line at another race, be even better than I was before the C-bomb, and maybe even win some bling.  

So, about 20 minutes into said BF, I thought to myself, well, hell.  I'm not going to stop training.

Then I thought to myself, WTF are you going to train for?  People are going to think you're batshit crazy, training for imaginary races.

And that's when it hit me.

This is MAJsicle 2012 we're talking about here. 

I'm not going to train for imaginary races.  I'm going to train for iMAJinary races.

Which is far less crazy, right?

I say to The B, "I am still going to train for Race X, Y, Z and possibly F, even though I can't do them.  I am going to run my own race series, find places to do them and make you come cheer for me when I cross the 'finish line.'"  And, bless his heart, instead of saying, "You're batshit crazy," he says, "Or maybe a Fat Fairy will bring you a gift and you can do some of the real ones." 

A Fat Fairy?  Really?

So here is the plan for (drumroll please) The iMAJination Race Series.  Our slogan will be The Only Thing Standing Between You and Your Dreams is a Little iMAJInation.(Ok, so the slogan needs work.) 

1. March 18, 2012 - Tour de Mom 2012 (this one is already taken care of, and the money was raised for the American Diabetes Association, so I can't take credit for this one.)
2. May 20, 2012 - The Central Florida iMAJination Sprint Triathlon.  This will be a sprint-distance triathlon somewhere in Central Florida with a cycling leg that is set up like a circuit race (5, 2.xx-mile loops)
3. Some time in summer, there will be a "Crit."
4. There will also be a 5k or 10k. Or both.
5. September 30, 2012 - IronMAJ 70.3.  This will be a 70.3-distance race most likely with the swim leg in Lake Tuscawilla.  But on the same day.  Unlike IronMAJ 2011, which was a full Ironman but across three months.
6. The NYC or DC iMAJathon:  on the date of one of those two races, in a location to be determined, I will design and run a full 26.2-mile course.

If the Fat Fairy comes, I'll do some real races, but otherwise, that's where the hard work comes in. I am going to have to set up courses, full-scale water and nutrition stops for myself and the whole 9.

I can still:

1. Swim 120,000+ yards (on my way!)
2. Ride 70 miles + per week (on my way!)
3. Run 10+ miles per week (this one needs some work)

Let's do this, Brutus.