Why an ironman?

Well... I don't really know! It just came in my mind one day... Must have been a hell of a day!

I remember thinking in 2004 when I finished my first marathon... I'll never do that stuff again! It was so painful! 

Then I watched the ironman competition on TV & my first thought was: "These people must be out of their mind!" lol

I started triathlon not so long ago, in 2006. Before that what?

Middle School - Handball & Track

High School - Handball & Swimming
College - Swimming

Track & Road Cycling - 1978 To 1984

I loved the track! This is Le Havre track, it wasn't on great shape. I remember small rocks falling from the top of the rack... it was scary, I had always in my mind the thought of hitting a rock & falling... but I loved it! I was going there to train 3 times a week in the evening & on Saturday afternoon. My parents would sit on the stairs & watch us. Last time I saw them I asked them if they were bored waiting for us, especially because my brother started cycling 3 years before me... so for about 10 years they sat on concrete stairs... They said they had a great time meeting with the other parents that became their friends... Hum...   
Now it's closed...

Swimming - 1982 To 1991

Long break after college...

I remember one Saturday evening after I got the finalized divorce paper in the mail, Mathieu was @ his dad & I was sitting at the beach smoking & looking at the horizon... (yeah, I smoked for 3 weeks @ that crazy time...). Then thinking: "what the hell am I doing here? That's not me... Who am I? Who did I become these past years?" That's pretty scary when you don't know what you're doing anymore & you realized you gave up a lot of things that made who you are... including sports...
I went back to my car & drove to the store. I spent my trimester bonus on running & swimming stuff. I was so happy to buy running shoes, I almost slept with them!
The next day I woke up early & went to the forest... When I started running, lots of memories came back & I felt so good! That was the beginning of my new life... and that happiness, nobody will ever take it away from me. :) 

I still have that "galet" on my shelf that I brought home that evening... I know it may sounds crazy but I just cannot get rid of it... :)

Moving to the States in 1999.
I didn't have a work permit & was bored @ home, couldn't find anything else to do that was not costing me a fortune than swimming, mountain biking & running. 

Anyway, in 2006 I started triathlon with sprint distance, then last year I did an Olympic & a half-ironman... Call me crazy but I just love the feeling of being able to finish something different, I don't care about timing... and that's a good thing because I suck at it! lol
I love the atmosphere of the race & meeting new buddies each time... the harder it gets, the more you see everybody supporting each other & that kind of feeling is hard to find anywhere else. :)

So here I am, thinking ironman... I know that will be a lot of training, dedication & motivation but I'm slowly preparing for it. :)