The I can do anything post

I did it.
I got my very first tattoo.

When I started running  the farthest I went was 5k. When I talked to people that had trained for and done a 10k I was amazed. That was twice as far as I had run. How could they do that and more importantly why? 6.2 miles? That's just crazy.

Then I registered for the Boilermaker. The Boilermaker is not a 10k but a 15k, so I was jumping from 3.1 miles to 9.3. Stupid I know...but I did it. I survived and I wasn't last. (I did do one 10k before the Boilermaker - the Swamp Rat just to make sure I wasn't going to die and I might as well do a 10 if I was going to do a 15 right?)

In 2012 I went a little crazy. I registered for a triathlon. And another Boilermaker. And a half Marathon. And a second half marathon. And a Full Marathon. The two halfs I did were kind of like the 10k. I registered for the full first and went backwards and registered for the halfs. Somehow I seem to skip over the smaller steps and just jump right in. Maybe it was if I do a half and realize the insanity of running 13.1 miles I will never go all in for the full...so in some messed up logic I registered for the full 26.2 first and then said well hell if I am doing a full I might as well do a half or two before just so I know I am going in the right direction.

Somewhere in my mind I made a deal with myself. Self, I said, if you can do a half marathon we are going to get a cicada tattooed on our foot. Why a cicada? Well there are two type of cicada brood...one has a 13 year life cycle and the other has a 17 year life cycle. So instead of getting a 13.1 I was going to get a cicada to represent my accomplishing a half marathon...and if I ever crossed that finish line on a full I would get him a friend. Two 13 year cicadas tattooed on my foot.

I finished my first marathon on Sunday,  November 11, 2012 I crossed the finish line in just under seven long hours and completed the full 26.2 miles.

Today, Saturday, January 25, 2014 I got my cicadas.

This is the sketch the artist sent to me.

Before I got the sketch I was a wee bit apprehensive, but as soon as I saw it I was in love. It was everything I had asked for.

I got my tattoo at Ascend Gallery in Cortland, NY. I could not have asked for a better experience. From beginning to end it was awesome. My artist was Adam Golden and he was beyond professional and I know I made the right choice. Thank you Adam!

So here is the final product. Something I can always look down and see and say I CAN DO ANYTHING!