“Swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, run 26.2 miles.
Brag for the rest of your life.”
– John Collins, 1978

Back in 1999, I got the “Congratulations!” letter telling me I’d been selected in the lottery to race the Ironman Triathlon World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. That one race reshaped my life in ways I couldn’t have imagined—and it’s still shaping me today.

Ironman was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, not just on race day, but in everything leading up to it: the thinking, planning, praying, training, eating, sleeping, studying, and balancing work and family. It taught me about myself and what is possible when you decide to go all-in.

That’s why I’m so excited to introduce you to Tana Jackson. Tana has completed fifty full‑distance Ironman triathlons with zero DNFs (did not finish). Fifty starts, fifty finishes — each one 140.6 miles of swim, bike, run in an incredible variance of weather conditions and course challenges. Her humble enthusiasm and confident approach to this incredible accomplishment is something you don’t want to miss.

In this 48-minute conversation, she shares the “simple but not easy” habits that helped her do it: consistent training, staying healthy, learning what her body needs on race day, and refusing to panic when the day goes off a cliff, which it often does in Ironman triathlons.

What do you do in the Canary Islands when your bike doesn’t show up for the race? How do you keep moving when a storm rolls in on Lake Tahoe during the swim, freezing your bike into an ice cube? How do you get your head right when your body tells you the day is over on a hot day in Texas, and you still have a 26.2-mile marathon in front of you?

Before I steal too much of Tana’s thunder, I would like to encourage you to watch it here:

• Video (YouTube)
• Audio only (great if you want to listen on a walk or drive)

If you enjoy it, please leave a comment on my blog—I’d love to hear which part of Tana’s journey grabbed you.