Why??

I was filling out the Ironman registration forms online and got stuck on this question: "Why do I want to do this race?"  I've been wanting to do this for years, but I've never really thought about why. I love challenging myself, and having a goal that seems so unattainable at first, and breaking it down into manageable blocks until the impossible becomes possible. And of course I love to swim, bike and run (swimming slightly less than biking and running). I have a great group of like-minded friends who think it's normal to do things like: get up at 4am and run on a track in complete darkness in subzero temps, drive out to the middle of the woods at the crack of dawn and swim in a pond with snapping turtles, or find a big hill and run up and down it until our lungs feel like they'll explode. So having this camaraderie certainly makes it more enjoyable. But then there are other reasons, too. I grew up with two parents with disabilities, so being able to do these things at all is something I don't take for granted. And while I played sports as a kid, I was definitely not super-athletic. Finding my inner-athlete as an adult gave me a chance to reinvent myself. And, last but not least, it keeps me sane! Being home with two small children can raise the blood-pressure of even the most zen-like parent. The physical activity and subsequent "me-time" I get from get from this keeps me, for the most part, on an even keel. I definitely notice my fuse gets much shorter after a few days off! I didn't get this detailed on the registration form, but it got me thinking more about the "why". And of course it's possible that I'm also a little deranged.