"What on earth is wrong with you?"

That seems to be the question on the minds of the vast majority of people that I have told about my endeavor, and I can't say I blame them. What could possibly possess someone to put them-self through 140.6 miles of pain? Through endless hours of training sucking down slug-textured gels,  creating and subsequently popping blisters on top of blisters that have already been created and popped, sacrificing that completely adorable dress for an analysis of your swim stroke because you can't afford both, and dragging yourself out of bed at 5 AM to do more exercise than most people will do all day before lots of people wake up?

This is what possessed me.

The story of Dick and Rick Hoyt. I had just gotten home from Boulder for Christmas break
 and I was sick. On top of the altitude sickness (which seems to have a stronger effect on me than on most other people) I was just plain old sick. My family was out doing miscellaneous festive holiday activities with the extended family we had in town, and I was left at home to lay on the couch and try not to die...or get sick on said couch.

At some point during the day I woke up and the TV was set on Universal Sports, who just happened to be showing Ironman World Championship footage (including features on Team Hoyt and Jon "Blazeman" Blais). I was instantly hooked. I was fascinated by these ordinary people doing extraordinary things. The more I watched, the stronger my desire to be around this type of people grew.

I've had a wonderful life. I was adopted into a loving family that gave me everything I asked for (within reason). They provided me with food, clothing, an education, and more emotional support than I knew what to do with at times. Despite all of the opportunities I have been given, I never felt that I pushed myself to my full potential. My mom says I'm too much of a perfectionist, but I say that there is always room for improvement.

Ironman provides me with the opportunity to to push myself as far as I can, while giving back to the community at the same time.

It is for this reason that I have created 3 fundraising pages:

One for The Orange Show

One for Habitat for Horses

And one for The Blazeman Foundation for ALS

Personally I am much more likely to contribute to a charity that I am passionate about,  so I selected 3 of my favorite charities to attempt to fundraise for. In the links above you will find information about each of the organizations, and a place to donate money to each of them. Whether you are passionate about the arts and self-expression, animals in need, or finding a cure for diseases there is an option for you.

I know the economy is tough right now, but think about how tough it is for these non-profits who are only trying to help. I'm not asking for hundreds of dollars. Whatever you can spare (even $1) would be greatly appreciated. If you can't spare any monetary amount, your moral support and encouragement is enough. It would also be wonderful if you forwarded the links to the fundraising pages to others who might donate.

They say you never learn as much about yourself as you do in the last hour of an Ironman. I'd like to get to know myself a little bit better.

I will do this.