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Christian Thorndike

@cthorndike233

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Full-time lawyer. Dad of 2.
Proof you can start before you’re ready
Future ironman
🏁 Dopey ‘27 —> Ironman Tx ‘27
📍 Greenville, SC
Partnerships: DM

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I am 34 and I am a bit embarrassed to admit that….

1. I am a Disney dad;

2. Some of my hardest and best times have come at the most magical place on earth;

3. The idea of being a lawyer, amateur distance athlete, and Disney dad are still conflicting to me;

4. I am putting myself out there on the internet and trying really hard;

5. I have no clue what I am doing a lot of the time but I am just now committing to at least showing up;

6. I am not showing up the way I want to and now always being the role model I want to be for my kids.

I have started to care more about trying than I am about the fear in my head of what would happen if I tried. I want my kids to be themselves as best as possible, and that starts with me being my best self possible.

If this sounds like you, I hope you’ll follow along as I showcase my zero to Ironman journey, my training for the dopey challenge, and all of the other fun unexpected surprises about being a dad along the way.
#rundisney #dadlife #disney #storytellingcontentchallenge #training by @cthorndike233

In 2015 I went to law school because I didn’t know what else to do.

By 2021 I dreaded going to work. Nothing exciting was happening. I spent most days looking forward to getting home. This was the job I’d been so excited for.

In January 2022 I gave myself six months to find something else or leave law altogether. I felt pigeonholed. I hadn’t built many connections, and I honestly didn’t know what else practicing law could even look like.

So I reached out to some old mentors. A month later I was in a new practice area, at a firm with two attorneys, telling myself “let’s give it six months.”

Four years later I’m a partner. And it’s almost always exciting going to work, even on the hard days (like a Monday!)

Sometimes a change of environment is all you really need. Not a career switch. Not starting over. You can be in the right career and the wrong place.

#storytellingcontentchallenge #burnout #career #lawyer #fyp by @cthorndike233

Now it’s the same every week all year:
- Some running always on the calendar, even with nothing to train for. The aerobic base never gets rebuilt from zero because it never drops to zero.

- Strength year-round, not just in an off season. It’s the half nobody keeps and the half that keeps you healthy.

- When a race does show up, it doesn’t start anything. It just tells me what to sharpen for the next training block.

That’s the whole thing. It means I’m never more than a month or two out from being ready for almost anything. It means I’m not starting over every new year.

If you’ve quit and restarted more times than you can count, just like me, put a race on the calendar, train for the race and then never stop moving forward from there. The first race is the motivation, the training after that is for life.

#running #training #dadlife #ironman #storytellingcontentchallenge by @cthorndike233

#running #training #snowboard #snow #runner by @cthorndike233

What goes through my mind every time I’m in the pool trying not to drown….

#training #ironmantraining #ironman #swimming #triathlon by @cthorndike233

Half marathon PR today: 2:06:50. That’s 3:01 faster than my last one.

Honestly, I wasn’t feeling ready for this race. I hadn’t put in the miles I would have liked.

I paced my buddy @willly_3 for the first 8 miles of his first half marathon. Then he took off and finished sub 2 hours. My training partner @jcglenn13 came in right around 2 hours. Good race for everybody.

When I run hard races, I wear all pink for my wife, who has been battling breast cancer. If she can go through hard things, so can I.

My legs cramped around mile 11.5, and that last mile cost me some time. But I still crossed the line with a PR.

Sometimes the people in your corner carry you to the finish line, even when you’re not feeling your best.

Next up: Disney in January.

#running #ironmantraining #runner #halfmarathon #yeahthatgreenville by @cthorndike233

We snapped a picture of the map before we walked in. Figured 20 minutes, tops.

Then we let the boys take charge.

“Left! No, the other left.” Same dead end, three different times. It took way longer than expected, and by the end the kids were running on fumes. But we found our way out and finished the whole maze. Their first one ever, and they had a blast.

Turns out you can’t get lost if you have nowhere to go.

#dadlife #fall #fallvibes #parenting #fyp by @cthorndike233

#dadlife #earlymorning #life #fyp #memories by @cthorndike233

Never not thinking about all the delicious food I’ve gotten to eat

#dadlife #food #foodpics #foodlover #foodie by @cthorndike233

Keeping in mind the journey is part of the process, but can’t wait to see where I end up after all this training.

#running #training #cycling #swimming #ironman by @cthorndike233

No apple was safe! 🍎 by @cthorndike233

Mornings sometimes get lonely, but I always try to remember what I’m training for.

I also notice on the days I don’t hold the standard and get up when I say I do, our mornings are out of whack. When I’m up early and my workout is done, everything runs more smoothly and efficiently. Less stress and calmer mornings.

If that isn’t the ultimate reason to get up early, idk what is.

#dadlife #training #rundisney #ironmantraining #earlymorning by @cthorndike233