I have Brave on my left achilles and Courage on my right in Kanji. A Japanese friend of mine drew them, so that they would be accurate and authentic. I love Courage because it looks like a runner with wings. My husband isn't a fan of tatoos, these weren't my first and won't be my last. Each of mine tell a story about my life and experiences. I'm not sure I'd get an M-Dot, but whatever you choose to put on your body should be something you are passionate about and are excited to share with others. My kanji came when I was climbing hard and traveling a lot, so rather than get something climbing related, I got who/what I am-- brave and full of courage! My next will be a half sleeve Cherry blossom tree that wraps around my arm with three brighter blossoms falling. In Chinese culture it is all about power- feminine power specifically and in Japanese culture it is about how life is so fleeting. I have three very good friends who passed long before their time, but I know they are forever and always with me and when I'm in need of strength to dig down and make something happen, I just think of how they always believed in me and wanted to see me make those amazing dreams come true!
Corny? Perhaps. I'd rather think of it as my own living memorial, telling another story in my adventurous life.

I don't have an Mdot tattoo. But I'm planning on getting one on my big toe the next time I loose a nail from a race. I know it will hurt like hell, but I'm going for it. Wish I would have a couple years ago when I lost my toenail, but was afraid of the pain.

I have an M-dot tattoo on the inside of my right wrist. It's just the black outline, no filling (I thought filling, esp with red, would make it look like a bruise. I really like it and am very glad I got it.

Things I considered when trying to decide on design and location:
I wanted it to be somewhere that wasn't covered up because I feel that the point of a tattoo is to show it off...but I work in a professional environment and didn't want it "out and about" every day at work.
I didn't want it to be in a stretchy location...stretch marks on a tattoo are bad, mkay?
I wanted it to be somewhere that was easily concealed if needed - interview, formal events, etc..
I wanted it to be somewhere that was obvious all other times.

I ended up going with my right wrist for all these reasons. I went with the right over the left because I didn't want my watch to cover it up. I also wore a fake tattoo every day for about a month in preparation...just to verify location. Haha. I just got a bunch in the vending machine at the grocery store. And who says triathletes are anal? Ha.

the only thing I regret is that I really thought it would be more covered for work because I wear long sleeves all year long. BUT, as it turns out, I wear 3/4 length sleeves all year long which means it's visibly every single day. Had I really thought about my wardrobe, I would have gotten it a little further up my arm...closer my elbow. But so far, no one at my office has said anything derogatory or seems offended by it. Most people say they like it because it's dainty...it's about the size of a quarter. Who knows though! It's definitely an intensely personal decision.

Oh jeez that makes my feet HURT to think about!

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

I had another laser treatment this week, so essentially I have a puffy M-Dot shaped blister on my ankle. It's lovely. :-)

IMC tat

Middle one is a guy

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Wanda

I don't do the whole tatoo thing. I know you are proud of your accomplishment as you well should be, but ironman is a branded name, would you tatoo "Ford" or "Kraft" or "Coca-Cola" on your body? I would think long and hard about any tatoo, especially as trends change, styles change, etc.

curious why you're having it removed?

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

I want to be tattoo free. For several years, triathlon and IM really defined who I was. I'm not at the point anymore and don't need a tattoo to remind me of what I accomplished. No judgement to others that have or get them, in fact I love tattoo watching at IM events and other tris. Some are quite impressive!

hey chicks!

I've been wanting a tattoo for years and years, and when I did my first Ironman 9yrs ago (I was 20), my training partners (who were 40+) all went and got M-dots and tried to convince me to get one too. But since I was young and also wanted something more unique, I did the smart thing and waited until I thought up a design I would want forever. Which took a while. I also said I'd wait until I qualified for Kona, and that never happened.

So now I've decided on a couple designs I really want, which incidentally aren't triathlon-related any more, and incidentally I now find myself racing as a pro. Which means it's actually my job to swim practically every day and I've heard you shouldn't get in chlorinated water with a new tattoo for 2 weeks. SOOO...this may need to wait til the off season, but how do y'all know how long you actually need to stay out of the water post-tattoo?

Jocelyn

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:: I came, I saw, I conquered. then I ran out of money, crashed into a car during an Ironman, and now work a bad-ass job making prosthetic legs for wounded warriors. ::

the blog: My So-Called Civilian Life :: theWongstar.com :: follow me @theWongstar