Ironwoman in the Making by Lindsay Carmichael

Lindsay at the 2010 Rock 'n' Roll
San Diego Marathon

“Ironman”….never in a million years did I ever think I would be training to become an Ironman. I have been an athlete my entire life and my whole family was very involved in athletics. My dad played college football, my mom ran track at The University of Georgia and both of my brothers play college ball. I cheered competitively for twenty years and ran track for eight years. However, I was a sprinter and anything over 400 yds was out of the question. In November 2008, I completed my first 5K which in May 2009 turned into a 10K. I signed up for an indoor triathlon two weeks before the event, never having swam a day in my life. It was tough, but with the help of a pair of nose plugs I finished a 10 min swim, 30 min bike and a 20 min run. Thinking it wasn’t so bad, I did my first outdoor mini-sprint triathlon in June 2009. After that, I guess you can say I caught the triathlon bug.


My first actual sprint triathlon was in Amelia Island in August 2009….an ocean swim. Holy crap was that tough! Not to mention it was right after shark week, so all I can think about was whether or not, I was going to drown or get eaten by a shark…or both!

In October, I decided to try out a half marathon. I ran with a slight IT band injury and was sore for a few days, but the real nerves were that I knew what the next step was…a full marathon. My friend, Christian Dodder, kept telling me I needed to do my first marathon with Team In Training because of the great cause and outstanding support from the team. Although my grandmother passed away from cancer, I had no real connection with Leukemia or knew of anyone that had it. I was on the fence, but then on Christmas Eve 2009 my family and I received a call that a good friend of ours’ 18 year old son was just diagnosed with Leukemia. My mind was made up and the day after Christmas I signed up for my first full marathon that I completed in June 2010. With a miscarriage in April and many weeks off from training, there is no way I could have gotten through that marathon without the support and encouragement from Team In Training. During the 2010 triathlon season, I completed four sprints and my first Olympic distance triathlon. With the twist of my arm from a few of my teammates, I was talked into signing up for the Ironman 70.3 Augusta and there was no doubt I was going to sign up with Team In Training. At some point during all this I thought that maybe I could complete a full Ironman, but had some doubts. After my Olympic triathlon finish and further training for Augusta I thought, “you know, I can do that!” and in August I signed up for the inaugural Team In Training Ironteam and the Ironman Arizona to be completed November 22nd 2011 in Tempe, Arizona.

On September 26th 2010, I will complete my first Half Ironman, a huge accomplishment! Never would I have thought I would be ready and I give so much credit for the amazing coaches I have had and teammates that keep me going. I also thank my parents, friends, and significant others for the love, support, and praise along the way, Last, I thank my two heroes for giving me the inspiration and reason to cross the finish line.

I have decided to train and compete in Ironman Arizona in Memory of my grandmother, Helen King, who passed away December 6th 2005 from Mesothelioma. In the 20 years of athletics, she NEVER missed a single competition, meet, game, etc., and I know without a doubt she will be there watching over me and carrying me through the finish line in Arizona! GO TEAM!!!!!

Lindsay Carmichael first joined TNT this past January and finished the 2010 Rock 'n' Roll San Diego Marathon. She is currently training and fundraising with the Ironman 70.3 Augusta team and has also joined the TNT IronTeam.