This week, I made a decision to partake in my first Ironman Triathlon, so I decided to start this blog as a way to keep record of my progress and training for this challenging event. First, for those of you not familiar with what the Ironman is, it is a type of triathlon race that consists of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike race and a 26.2 mile marathon run. There are different Ironman races throughout the year that take places in different parts of the world with the ultimate Ironman taking place in Kona, HI which is usually televised on NBC Sports.
The particular race I am running in will be the Ironman that takes place in Louisvile, Ky on August 28, 2011. I choose this race due to the fact that I was born and raised there, and so I felt this would be the perfect place to achieve my goal for completing an Ironman.
The first question people usually ask me when I tell them I am doing this, after they manage to get the "are you crazy" look off their faces, is why? Honestly, I don't have a clear cut answer to that. I am certainly not running it with the idea I have any chance of winning, nor am I even looking to try and get a time fast enough to qualify for the big Ironman race in Hawaii, though going to the Islands would be sweet. No, since I have never run a Triathlon before, though I will be doing a smaller one in June here in Washington, my main goal is just to finish, and be able to say I have run in an Ironman before. It's hard to describe the feeling you get when you set a daunting goal and then achieving it. Two years ago, I decided to run my first Marathon (The Marine Corps Marathon), and though I was exhausted at the end of the race, it was such an awesome feeling of having done so, with a fairly respectable time of 4:29.15 no less.
Besides the great feeling you get when you accomplish a goal like this, I guess I would be lying if I also didn't admit that being less than two years away from turning 40 years old, I feel a need to show myself that I can still do something like this.
So with just under 8 months to go before race day, you might be asking what am I doing to get ready for this race, especially since I have never even run a Triathlon before? First, I have been working out pretty hard and pretty steadily since last August, not specifically for the Ironman that I just decided to do. Still, I am probably in the best running shape I have been in my entire life and probably weight less than I ever have as well. Last summer I weighed somewhere in the neighborhood of 240-230 lbs, and today I am down to 165 lbs. During the winter months, I have focused primarily on running, strength training and changing my eating habits so that I am consuming much healthier foods, lots of fruits and vegetables and fish and chicken. I know it doesn't sound exciting, but honestly there are a lot of good recipes out there for these kinds of foods and when you eat this way you don't need to starve yourself. In recent weeks, I have picked up swimming at the indoor pool at my local gym and riding the stationary bike. I have also begun taking some triathlon clinics for the smaller triathlon I mentioned earlier that I am doing in June. Right now, besides becoming a better swimmer, my biggest fear in running the triathlon is getting down the transition periods (thats the period when you transition from one leg of the race such as going from swimming to biking, or biking to running). Starting this week, I will be starting Spinning classes at my local gym and plan to begin working on a real bike when we start to move into the warmer months.
Over the course of this year, I will be running in a number of races to also help prepare me for the Ironman. Those races are as follows:
March 26 - National Marathon
June 4 - Susan G Komen Race For A Cure 5k
June 19 - Washington DC Triathlon (Swim 1.5k, Bike 40k, Run 10k)
I honestly don't know how often I will update this blog, as I mentioned above, my goal for writing this is basically to keep a record of my training and preparations for getting ready for the Ironman. Admittedly, I will probably be the only person interested in what is written here, though who knows, if you are reading along and have any ambitions for running in a long-distance race or wanting to get in shape by running, then perhaps you will come across a few tidbits of useful information as well. If nothing else, it might be interesting to see if someone who has never run a triathlon manages to finish a Ironman :)
