Swot

My lifelong strategy has been trying to improve my physical fitness and get mentally stronger every day by whatever means necessary. This task cannot be achieved but improved, improved so much that you can finally come to satisfying terms with yourself. I have found this extremely satisfying and have helped me achieve lifelong balance and happiness. But what I do want to achieve is something called the Ironman Triathlon. An Ironman Triathlon is one of a series of long distance triathlon races organized by World Triathlon Corporation consisting a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and a 26.2 mile marathon run, raced in that order without a break. The race starts at 7am and ends at midnight. During the years 2002-2006 I was on the High School swim team. I went from occasionally swimming for fun to swimming competitively, so 2.4 mile swim isn’t a game changer for me. Swimming has always been one of my strong traits in the family, but swimming wasn’t the only thing I was actively participating in. After school sessions I would go bike riding with my cousin and neighbor almost every single day. I live in Laguna Hills, so you can imagine the slopes and hills we had to pedal. This was something I did recreationally for fun. So when the time has come for me to face the grueling 112 mile bike ride, I won’t sigh, I won’t beg for mercy, instead I’ll ride harder, faster, and challenge the 112 miles to break me. These are my experiences that will strengthen me for the challenges ahead. But my current challenge to prepare for the Ironman Championships is p90x. It’s an exercise program like I’ve never seen before, three months of extreme fitness every day. It has everything from upper body workouts, jump training, yoga, and even Kenpo. I’ve already completed 1 round of p90x and I’m currently on my 2nd round. I’ve never been healthier than at any point of my life, and it feels good. Running is my kryptonite, my weakness. Ever since I was little, I hated running. Going to school only to be forced to run 1 mile was devastating to me. I can run fairly decent, but the act of running doesn’t appeal to me, which is why I’m more engaged in swimming and biking rather than running. So I believe that the last 26.2 miles of that triathlon is where it would be the most challenging for me. My other weakness is that I have never participated in any types of marathons, let alone triathlons. My lack of experience in that field will make it more difficult for me, especially when I’m trying to qualify for the Ironman Championships. In this state of time I cannot accomplish this achievement. I’m a fulltime student, part time employee and I commute upwards about 80 miles a day to school and work every day. I’m constrained on both time and money, and we all know time is money. So time for me is extremely valuable and a lot of time I must use it to rest because of the physical & mental strain I put upon myself. What I currently do have though is opportunity, an opportunity to educate myself and finally graduate, and an opportunity to find a job and use that time start making money. Relieving myself of study time, commute time, school time, only to use that time to make substantially more then what I’ve been making part time. I would imagine I would have all the time in the world to accomplish my ultimate goal. The Ironman Triathlon only takes place once a year in Oahu, Hawaii. There are a total of 24 qualifying races around the world in 2010. In other words, I only have a few chances to qualify for the Ironman Triathlon, and 1 chance a year to achieve it. Ironman Triathlon will also be taking place in a total different environment from where I will be training. Oahu, Hawaii environment is hot and humid, and can rain randomly, while gusts of winds pick up; whereas the Southern California weather is nice, cool, breezy during certain seasons, and hot and humid during others. These factors, certainly threatens my success for the Ironman Triathlon. But by using my strengths, understanding my weaknesses, and taking advantage of my opportunities, I should be able to overcome these threats and finally achieve my lifelong goal, only to say “Swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, run 26.2 miles, and brag for the rest of your life.”