Remembering my first triathlon

I saw on another tri blog site someone answering some fun questions, and the first was recalling your first triathlon. I thought this was a good one because it helps all of us remember where we started, so I figured I would answer this as well.

My first triathlon was back in 1995 I think. I was still in graduate school and a few buddies thought it would be fun to try one. One was my roommate so his job was to get me out of bed in the morning for our runs, even back then I was the slowest runner in the group. The race was in Panama City, FL and it was a Sprint distance. I was so pumped that I got some of my family to come out for it. When we drove up and saw some of these other competitors I thought this could get interesting. All four of us were so green it was funny. I was the only one of my group that had aero bars on my old bike and they were bright yellow,,,the bike was red (I still have that bike). None of us had a clue. We looked around and saw others with these tubs of water and figured out what they were for. A friend's dad rushed home to his garage and grabbed some containers for us to put water in. The race was so disorganized that my friends and I just racked out bikes together to share a couple of tubs of water. We didnt even wear race numbers other than body marks.

Swim:
I think we were the only ones in baggy swim suits. Back then most guys were wearing Speedo type suits and all I thought was if thats what I have to wear for this sport, this will be my last race. Thankfully fashions evolved by the time I took up the sport again five years later. When I looked at the swim distance (1/4 mile) course I thought, oh crap, can I swim that far. The gun sounded and all the men went first, I was freaking out. I think after about 20 yards I was exhausted. I spent the rest of the swim doing every stroke and float imaginable just to get through it. I also couldnt believe all the women passing me in the water. Now of course that is no big deal to me anymore because that is just part of triathlon with everybody being mixed together. We got out of the water and had to run up the beach and a boardwalk to get to our bikes. I grabbed my bike shorts and pulled them on over my bathing suit,,,yep you read that correctly. Put my cycling shoes on, helmet, and took off.

Bike:
I honestly dont remember much about the bike except it was flat. And I caught up to my roommate that left on the bike before me. That part was fun because he was ultra competitive and hated being caught and passed.

Run:
Finished the bike and pulled off my cycling shorts to go for a run in my bathing suit. Put my shoes on and took off. This was the first time I had ever transitioned from a bike to run so my legs felt really weird as I had never done a brick workout. The run was hot and flat. And as usual I was slow so I felt like everyone was done except me. I got every bit of water on the course that I could.

Finish:
To this day I have no clue what my time or place was in the race except to know that I wasnt last. The race was so disorganized, that when I crossed the finish line I was handed a Popsicle stick with a number on it and told to go hand it to somebody. I did and that was it. I dont remember the number on the stick. Of my 4 buddies I finished last. Yes, my roommate caught me on the run (story of my racing life). But interestingly enough, I am the only one of the group that took up the sport again and progressed all the way to Ironman. So now that 1/4 swim doesnt seem so bad:)

New Years Still Makes for Crowded Gym

I screwed up on my schedule yesterday morning so I had to go do my swim about 7:30pm last night. When I walked into the gym I could tell that everyone's New Year's resolution to join a gym and work out was still at its peak. To me its more funny than bothersome. Afterall these people are not taking up pool lanes. They are all crowded into the gym with the weight and cardio machines. Usually the free weight area is pretty normal too. I remember a couple of years ago I overheard a gym employeed giving a tour to a prospective member and it was around November I think. I remember laughing because I overheard her saying to the prospect...."It will get crowded at the first of the year, but give it about 6 to 8 weeks and it will clear out and get normal again."

Funny yes, but at the same time sad. I think it speaks of how many people dont stick with their commitments anymore. Being in an active lifestyle takes commitment but it also helps to have some encouragement. So next time a friend of yours wants to lose weight and get in shape, encourage them and dont just roll your eyes, sometimes it takes a push in the right direction. And you never know maybe they will end up racing a triathlon with you one day!

Last nights swim - 1,000yds
300 WU with drills
500 MS free at 1:40 base/100
200 CD with pull buoy

My dream bike

Ok, not to show any lack of respect for my Klein because that trusty steed did get me through my first Ironman, but the other day I saw this bike in a local bike shop and I stood there drooling for a few minutes. There are those times that I wish I had the money to burn to have a tri bike and a road bike. Currently I have a Klein Quantum Race road bike that is converted for triathlon. But as I saw this Specialized on display with its wheels, shiny cool red and black paint job and overall sleek design, I couldnt help but to picture myself on this flying down the road. The only thing I would have to change on it is the aero bars. They are a new single bar design which I dont like and wouldnt be able to use my aero bottle on, but no matter, I wont be bringing this one home anytime soon. But always ok to look!

Some things are more important than training

I didnt do any training yesterday. I planned on going to the pool late yesterday afternoon. But early afternoon I found out a friend of mine was sent into surgery at the hospital for a minor but needed procedure that if not taken care of could have caused a very serious internal infection with major organs. I decided it was more important to go visit her and spend some time at the hospital instead of training.

So I called another mutual friend and we went over and spent a couple of hours with her in the hospital room just talking and joking about stuff. I remembered what it was like years ago when I was hospitalized and how much it meant to have friends stop by. So I didnt get my swim in,,,big deal. Sometimes there are things more important than swimming biking or running, and I spent an hour on my bike this morning so I really dont think I lost all that much by not swimming yesterday:)

Taking time off plays with your head

Taking time off truly plays with the head of a triathlete. Its pretty simple really we all feel like we are losing our edge, losing fitness, which in some cases may be true but it gets to the point of ridiculous how much we worry about it. Yes sometimes its hard to start over building your base, and yes it can be demoralizing when you think, hey I just did an Ironman less than 12 weeks ago and now its a labor to run 3 miles.

But ultimately its not that big a deal to have to take some time off. It lets pains heal up, lets you get back in touch with other people in your life as well as just letting you have a deeper appreciation of the work you put into your training. Burn out can be a pretty serious thing for athletes and you need to be careful not to get to that point. When you cant find a little fun in what you are doing I think its time to take a break. So for all those that have had to take some time off of training, keep your chin up, its only temporary and eventually you will be back in the saddle.

Legs feeling a bit wobbly

I have taken too much time off of running as a result of the plantar issues and some knee issues as well. So I may as well be starting from scratch. I ran for the first time on the roads yesterday in a month and it was a very short 20 min run just to see how my legs and foot would feel. My legs felt ok, but my foot pain is still there. As I stated in an earlier post, this plantar faciitis stuff really sucks!

At this point I am resolved to just start building my running back and deal with the plantar issue and try to heal it up best that I can as I train. Thankfully I am not planning any Ironmans this year. I was hoping however to become a little more competitive in my running in 2007 but it may look like just a year of participating in racing much like I have done in the past.

Pro Sports and Triathlon

Last night as I watched the Indianapolis Colts overtake the Patriots to advance to the Super Bowl, I couldn't help but to feel good for Peyton Manning who has taken so much criticism for not being able to get his team to the big one. But at the same time it reminded me why I have become so disenchanted with big time professional sports thus increasing my appreciation for sports like triathlon and those that compete in triathlon. As I watched the game come to an end it occurred to me that somebody was missing. Yes, that would be the former running back for the Colts, Edgerrin James. A very talented back, that is now sitting at home, after playing for a losing team, watching his former team play in the Super Bowl because he went for the big time paycheck. Its attitudes like this that are killing pro sports and actually make me marvel at a team like the Patriots who have managed to hold the talent together for so many years.

But you don't really see this in a sport like Triathlon. This is not to say that triathlon doesn't have its own troubles. We cant forget some have been caught doping and that can put a black eye on the sport. But ultimately most people in the sport are there for the pure enjoyment and accomplishment that comes from working hard to achieve a goal. Even if you take the top elites in the sport, they are not signing multi-million dollar contracts and then whining because they deserve more money. You don't see the second string athletes in Triathlon making league minimums of 6 figures just because they are on the team.

In the sport of Triathlon I can stand on the same starting line as the elites, I can walk through an expo and stop and say hello to a world champion. I can even pass a former world champion in a race, yeah that happened. Oh yeah actually she (Karen Smyers) was finishing the run as I was starting,,,,,but I still passed her,,,just going in opposite directions :) The bottom line is sports like triathlon are still for the rest of us and not put out of reach. Although I watch pro sports sometimes on TV I am just not a fan anymore.

I really could have cared less who won last night. And to be honest I couldn't have told you who was even in the playoffs except for hearing about it in the news. Thats how much I keep up with big time pro sports anymore. And you wont catch me paying their ticket prices to attend.

But if you ask, I can tell you the last 5 Ironman World Champions.

Great Commercial!!!!

Triathlon Start - Funny!

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First Real Swim Since Ironman

Now I have been in the pool a couple of times since Ironman but just for very casual swims to remind myself of my technique. But today was the first day I felt like I really did a good workout for my "first time back" swim. Today's workout was as follows:

WU: 300 as 100x3, 50 swim 50 drill.
MS: 500 build with negative 100 splits
CD: 200 swim with pull buoy

I have to say other than feeling it a little in my muscles if you get down proper technique in your swim its easy to bounce back from being out of the water for a while. All the more reason to focus on technique and form more than speed. Once you get the technique down it becomes easier to work on your speed.

Plantar Faciitis Sux

I have finally gotten tired of dealing with my plantar issues. Most of last year during Ironman training I struggled with Plantar Faciitis. Most athletes that do some sort of running are familiar with the condition. It is an inflammation of the tough fibrous band of tissue (fascia) connecting your heel bone to the base of your toes. After dealing with the pain for so long I am trying to be proactive to get rid of it. I am seeing a physical therapy friend at ProFromPT to get some ultrasound and deep tissue massage on it, but I am also trying to take some time off of running. I am trying pool running for the first time to still try to get some running in as I have heard that is the next best alternative if you have to take time off. I have St. Anthony's triathlon in April so I dont have the luxury of taking too much time off if I want to race. For those that may stuggle with this condition here are a few tips.



1. Take some time off.
2. Stretch your calf muscles really well.
3. Roll your foot on some sort of ball (like golf or tennis) to massage the tissue to loosen it up.
4. Apply some ice but also some heat to loosen the tissue up for stretching.
5. Anti-inflammatory medicine.

I'm Back!!

Well its a new year and I am officially an Ironman for life! On November 4 2006 I completed a 15 year dream of doing an Ironman. I finished the Ironman Florida in Panama City Beach in 13hrs, 15min and 43sec. I had another blog that I used for tracking my training in 2006 but left that blog name and went to a new name and look post Ironman. So I will do my best to stay on top of the Triathlon world and my training posting now and again for those that are interested in 2007.

I think it will be a light year for me. Right now I am only planning on doing 3 international distance races. St. Anthony's in April, Disney in September, and another one if I can find a good one in the Southeast hopefully somewhere in the middle of Summer. I may mix in a few road races like 5k and 10k's but overall a pretty light year compared to 2006. Last year was a long road of Ironman Florida 70.3 (debacle), Disney Inernational Distance, then capping the year off with Ironman Florida in November. That all adds up to a ton of training time last year and I just am not up for that much this year. Maybe 2008 I will look at possibly doing a second Iron distance event.