Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Back to Triathlon

My coach tells me to stop thinking in terms of who I used to be or you I think I should be- to face myself as I am, accept it and commit to working from there. So with that said: I'm a Triathlete.....again.

More than ten years after my first triathlon, and 7 years removed from my last one, I'm jumping back into the sport. A lot's changed since 2003. I have 2 children, I have changed jobs twice, bought a home and traveled a ton. The net effect? About 30 pounds and 3 minutes added onto my mile pace. This isn't exactly the picture of fitness you think of when the word "triathlete" comes to mind is it?

So what happened? Back in January, a friend suggested that we train for Wildflower. He's a dad like me- the only difference being he has one instead of two kids. Oh, and he's about 7 years younger and in better shape. (Round is a shape right?) So after I picked my chin up off the ground, I said "sure, why not?". Our "training together" consisted of 2 bike rides and one run. Everything else I did by myself.

I'm sure you are curious about my in-depth training plan for Wildflower- considered to be one of the toughest Olympic Distance courses in the sport: I didn't have one. I rode my bike a lot, I swam 3 times, with the longest swim being 1200 yards and I ran some, my longest run being about 6 miles, or just shy of the race distance.

The results? Predictable! My swim was a painful slog, my bike felt good and I survived the run! It wasn't my best day, but it wasn't my worst. What it did do was get me excited about triathlon again. Being at Wildflower with all that great energy and enthusiasm will do that to you. Everyone's fit, happy, excited and positive. I have a poster in my office from the race that calls it a "Life Changing Event" and it's true. Doing that race made me realize that I had put to the side one of the parts of my life that made me the happiest, and that just because I have a wife, kids, a job and a house to take care of doesn't mean I need to throw that part of my life away, I just need to manage my time better.

So this blog will be about my adventures getting back to the sport of Triathlon, and all the other parts of my life that are impacted- positively and negatively by my re-entry into the sport. I'm mostly doing this to be able to look back and see where I've come from, but maybe I can entertain or inform along the way.

Enjoy!

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