Couch to Ironman? Yes please!

Technology freaking rocks.  I've been fortunate over the last 2 days to witness 2 incredible endurance races.  From my living room.  This boggles my mind.

I spent literally 6 hours Saturday night watching the Ironman World Championship from Kona.  It is like crack.  Or a train wreck.  You can't look away.  You don't want to look away.  You cheer and cry for elite athletes and total strangers.  And you want to be there, to experience all those emotions in person.  But even if I actually was in Kona, I wouldn't have the views or the information that I had from my living room.  Being able to watch the entire race as it unfolds does amazing things for this sport.  The exposure that was once only available 3 months after the race on some sports network that condensed 18 hours of competition into a 1 hour program is now live and in person.  If you didn't watch Craig Alexander or Chrissie Wellington or Mirinda Carfrae cross the finish line last night, you missed an incredible show.  Google it...seriously.

Chrissie Wellington - you're my hero!!

If the pros don't do it for you, keep watching.  Hearing Mike Reilly announce "You are an Ironman" to the age groupers is even more emotional & inspiring.  Seeing the looks of triumph and pride as the "normal" people cross the line makes me tear up every time.

Watching the Ironman Championship makes me want to do triathlons.  Nope, I can't really swim and I don't own a bike but darn it, I can run so that's a start right?

And yesterday morning I watched the Chicago Marathon...yes, I was rooting for Ryan Hall of course, but I was rooting more for the 45,000 other people out there leaving it all on the road.  These people that set a goal for themselves and achieved it with blood, sweat and tears.  I love to watch people cross the finish line and if it wasn't for live streaming of these races, I'd never be able to see these incredible moments.

Liliya Shobukhova - Winning Chicago for the 3RD time in a row!  

I have to wonder how many people who never ran a day in their lives watched one of these live events and said, "Yeah, I can do that".  Or are like me and can't swim competitively or own a bike and thought, "I can be a triathlete".  And how many of these same people really will finish a marathon or triathlon someday? There is something about watching these events that brings out the competitor in every one of us.  It reminds us of what we can accomplish if we really honestly try to achieve greatness.

We hear stories all the time about formerly overweight people who complete great feats.  When asked "Why?", they respond with "Because I watched x, y or z race and it inspired me to get off the couch."  And it doesn't have to be the Ironman or the Boston Marathon, it can be a local 5k.  How powerful is that?  Who wouldn't want to inspire people?  I know after feeling that vicarious adrenaline rush, I went and ran the most happy 5 miles I've ran in ages.  On the treadmill.  In my basement.  Which to me is proof that your mental state is everything.

We all have the power to affect change in people, whether we realize it or not.  So remember that when you tell someone you went for a run or finished a race, you might be inspiring them to do great things too.  Running "only 2 miles" to you might not sound like much but to someone who has never ran in their life, it's pretty amazing.

What will you do to inspire someone today? :)

By the way, check out my Facebook page for some fun fitness tips, motivational moments & general silliness - PeakFit @ Peak Sport Solutions