The Journey Begins

I am starting this blog to detail my journey & share my story with friends & family that I do not get to see on a regular basis.

My "story" begins on September 7, 2009 while working on a home improvement project.  During the project, a circular saw was being used to make a cut above my head as I held a door in place.  After the cut was made, the saw was lowered & came in contact with my arm.  Fortunately, the power was off & the guard covered MOST of the blade.  Unfortunately, the small portion not covered made a cut down to the bone & took out the extensor tendons in my right (dominant) arm.  The remainder of my day consisted of a helicopter ride to North Memorial's Level 1 Trauma Center, a few hours in surgery, and a lot of worry about what I would be able to do with this injury.  To this point, I had competed in six sprint triathlons over the preceding three summers.  When I came out of surgery, I told my family that 2010 would include five.

It took me about 3.5 months of occupational therapy & hard work to be able to return to work.  Needless to say, my biathlon season was "shot" by then!  I was, however, able to make my first triathlon of the year at the Chain of Lakes Triathlon in May.  That summer I completed six races!

Fast forward a few years to 2012.  After a good year of racing for me with many strong improvements, my triathlon season came to an end.  It was a couple of weeks later when I watched teammate Michelle Andres work her way to shattering the amateur course record at Ironman Wisconsin that I started to get inspired.  If she could put that effort in & have such a dominating performance, I could at least race it. (No dreams of a course record here!)  As I tracked her online that day, I knew that 2014 would be close to the 5 year anniversary of my injury (plus or minus a few days).




In 2013, I saw many more improvements in my racing.  I secretly carried a goal into my first 70.3 distance race.  This was my litmus test.  After that race, my fate of doing the IM distance was sealed.  I took the trip over to Wisconsin in September with multiple Lakes Area Multisport (LAMS) teammates to volunteer on the course & cheer on two of our own racing.  The atmosphere was intoxicating!  I cheered for Sara Carlson as she set out on an amazing 4th place AG finish in her first IM race.  I also cheered on Jarrod McKinney who 11 months earlier struggled to swim 25 yards in the pool next to me.  His smile crossing the finish line was contagious!  The morning after the race, I stood in line to secure my spot in the 2014 event.  It was almost eerie when the confirmation came in.  I would be racing ON the five year anniversary of my injury!

After some recovery time, I have started to work on my base training leading into this journey.  I invite you to follow along as I  tackle the challenge that lies ahead.

Thanks!

Josh