A few months I was presented with a challenge from a co-worker about training for and completing a triathlon. I had toyed with the idea a few times; told Sondra a time or two that I will do a triathlon someday; and then on occassion thought, "That's crazy! I will run but triathlons sound crazy." Consider me crazy. Some of you do already anyway.
I started getting in the pool, got some goggles and earplugs and a short pair of running shorts and swam. Three strokes, breath; three strokes, breath; sounded easy enough but I found it a little overwhelming and challenging. But I am competitive and kept after it. I swam a few hundred meters; spit out water, coughed, gasped numerous times and tried it again later in the week. A quarter mile became and half-mile became a mile became a mile and half. I was considered a somewhat controlled flailer. I always thanked the lifeguard at the Y for not letting me drown. They thought I was kidding and laughed. I do not joke about getting out of the water alive. I also began to climb on the stationary bike at the Y. 20 minutes turned into 40 minutes turned into an hour. Soon I was riding an hour and running for 30 min. I knew how to run but the transition from the bike to running was a little wobbly the first few yards but it got better. And I got a nice bike from my friend, DiMarco who had one hanging in his garage for a few years because he had blown out his Achilles tendon a few years before. I still owe him some money on that bike too.
Fast forward to last weekend. After about 5 months of training, I put it all together at an event called the Iron
Nugget. It consisted of a .5 mile swim (in open water), a 17 mile bike ride, and a 3.1 mile ride. It took place at Montgomery Bell State Park just west of Nashville a few miles. It is somewhat of a demanding beginner's triathlon but not totally unfair. The weather was perfect. Mid-50s and overcast and the water temp was about 68 degrees. Burrrr. But Mike Harry let me borrow his wetsuit so I was not very cold. (I did a practice swim of a couple hundred yards the day before in the wetsuit just get the feel for it.) I was nervous as a cat but excited to see if the training that I had done had properly prepared me for the event. I swam okay, I transitioned slowly from the swim to the bike, I biked about what I thought I would do and I ran. I ran pretty well. It was the one part of the event I had a lot of confidence and I pushed it a little. My goal in the run portion was to pass some people and not be passed. Mission accomplished. I had set an overall goal of 2 hours or less and I finished in 1:53:40. I was pleased and much to Sondra's demise, I was hooked. I can see my self doing more of these kinds of events. I do not see a full Iron Man any time or actually ever, but who knows. It was a great experience. I am glad I did it. And, I am thankful for a guy named Dave MacNeill who challenged me to try doing a triathlon. There were actually 5 of us from my work area who participated.
On another note and an important one - on Saturday, May 11, Sondra and I celebrated 28 years of marriage. She was there at the triathlon encouraging and supporting me just like she has for our whole married life. She is the best. Period.
I started getting in the pool, got some goggles and earplugs and a short pair of running shorts and swam. Three strokes, breath; three strokes, breath; sounded easy enough but I found it a little overwhelming and challenging. But I am competitive and kept after it. I swam a few hundred meters; spit out water, coughed, gasped numerous times and tried it again later in the week. A quarter mile became and half-mile became a mile became a mile and half. I was considered a somewhat controlled flailer. I always thanked the lifeguard at the Y for not letting me drown. They thought I was kidding and laughed. I do not joke about getting out of the water alive. I also began to climb on the stationary bike at the Y. 20 minutes turned into 40 minutes turned into an hour. Soon I was riding an hour and running for 30 min. I knew how to run but the transition from the bike to running was a little wobbly the first few yards but it got better. And I got a nice bike from my friend, DiMarco who had one hanging in his garage for a few years because he had blown out his Achilles tendon a few years before. I still owe him some money on that bike too.
Fast forward to last weekend. After about 5 months of training, I put it all together at an event called the Iron
Nugget. It consisted of a .5 mile swim (in open water), a 17 mile bike ride, and a 3.1 mile ride. It took place at Montgomery Bell State Park just west of Nashville a few miles. It is somewhat of a demanding beginner's triathlon but not totally unfair. The weather was perfect. Mid-50s and overcast and the water temp was about 68 degrees. Burrrr. But Mike Harry let me borrow his wetsuit so I was not very cold. (I did a practice swim of a couple hundred yards the day before in the wetsuit just get the feel for it.) I was nervous as a cat but excited to see if the training that I had done had properly prepared me for the event. I swam okay, I transitioned slowly from the swim to the bike, I biked about what I thought I would do and I ran. I ran pretty well. It was the one part of the event I had a lot of confidence and I pushed it a little. My goal in the run portion was to pass some people and not be passed. Mission accomplished. I had set an overall goal of 2 hours or less and I finished in 1:53:40. I was pleased and much to Sondra's demise, I was hooked. I can see my self doing more of these kinds of events. I do not see a full Iron Man any time or actually ever, but who knows. It was a great experience. I am glad I did it. And, I am thankful for a guy named Dave MacNeill who challenged me to try doing a triathlon. There were actually 5 of us from my work area who participated.
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