bits and pieces of flair

so call me niave but i had no clue that what i am doing in two full weeks (112 miles on the bike, 2.5 mile in the water, and 26.2 miles on my feet) some people do in a day. one single, itty, bitty day. oh. my. lanta.

that just scream, "kill me now."

yet, this got me curious. the people who do these suicide missions - must have crazy muscles.
this is what i discovered. indeed, these people have muscles on their muscles...

look at those calves! geez. i'm jealous.
note to self: get one of those pointy helmets. definitely will make people think i am hard core.

think my knees will come out looking like that?

i also learned these facts about running an ironman:

• with three sports to master — swimming, cycling, and running — many triathletes work out twice daily to ensure that all three disciplines are trained regularly. It’s not uncommon for pros to train up to 40 hours a week, including two or even three workouts daily.
• You’ll likely burn anywhere from 8,500 to 11,500 calories during an Ironman.
• Most Ironman events have a strict time limit of 17 hours to complete the race, where the Ironman race starts at 7 AM, the mandatory swim cut off for the 2.4 mile swim is 2 hours 20 minutes, the bike cut off time is 5:30 PM, and all finishers must complete their marathon by midnight. The time limit to complete the race for Ironman Japan is 15 hours
• The current Ironman Hawaii course record was set in 1996 by Luc Van Lierde (Belgium), whose winning time was 8 hours 4 minutes 8 seconds. Chrissie Wellington (Great Britian) set the women's course record in 2009 with a winning time of 8 hours 54 minutes 2 seconds.

crazy right? and to think - i was complaining about my 20 laps this morning.

but, this whole experience is really pushing me to the limit. i know doing this triathlon will make me stronger and just so you can see my experience, i took a before picture and am excited to it with my after picture - side by side :) (you know, like those south beach diet pictures?)
i know.
you're shaking with excitement.
but believe you me - this girl will have something to show for this. just you wait :)