Day 16 - April 13th

Its been a while since i have written on here. Been busy, mostly with school and some training. So far i have dropped about 8 pounds and am feeling alot better already. We started swimming the other day, i swam 32 laps. Boy was i sore the next day. Also the bike distances have increased to between 10-15 miles per ride. Today im going to doing my first bike to run transition. that is one of the toughest parts of the triathlon, is to jump off your bike after riding some great distance, your legs burning, trying not to collapse, and start running. Im looking for a distance in the neighbor hood of 5 miles on the bike and the a mile running but we shall see what happens.

Day 4 - March 30th

Was going to go riding on the parkway today but the weather kept me inside. Luckily i have this new cycle trainer i can hook my bike up to and it is as if i am really riding. I cant measure distance on it tho so i have to just pick a specific time and shoot for it. My goal was 30 minutes straight. I set the resistance to make it as if i was climbing a gradual hill and went for it. 30 minutes later my legs felt like jello. But i made it, i estimated my distance at around 9 miles or so equivalent.

On a side note i must add that the withdrawals im  having because of not drinking Mt Dew are becoming drug like. must.... not..... give..... in

Day 3 - March 29th

Went for a run after class last night at about 830. Was planning on doing about a mile but without knowing exactly how far a mile was i settled on jogging down to the nearest gas station to return our red box movie that we have had for several days. The run went good, took it easy as i haven't ran in about a year and didnt know how my legs or knees would hold up. After wards followed  up with some good stretching and then mapped my course on google maps. 1.2 miles, sweet!! a little farther than i expected. I think i have found my jogging course until i have to up my distances.

Day 2 - March 28th

Its snowing outside. There goes a full day of training.  I have to admit I am pretty disappointed, I was looking forward to a nice long ride.

Day 1 - March 27th

So the goal for today was a nice easy 10 mile bike ride. My chosen path, the Jordan River Parkway. My wife and son were going to take the opportunity to bask in the nice sunlight and take a walk while i hopefully biked 5 miles in one direction and then 5 in return. I made it out to the 2.5 mile marker and found one of the tunnels flooded. Being the wonderfully bright guy that i am, i figured that if i built up momentum and kept my feet level at the highest point, i could just ride through it with no problems. Well about 1/3 of the way through, my speed falling and the water already at the base of my shoes and rising i realized my mistake. It was quite a bit deeper than i had anticipated. After making it through the water my feet felt like sponges. Soaked and dripping. I decided continuing would be a bad idea so i turned around. I met my wife somewhere around the 1.7 mile mark and let her know i would take my bike to the car and then walk back to meet her. At the car i had 5 miles ridden at an average speed of 13.5 MPH. Not a bad start to the training program as long as i can avoid any more 18 inch deep puddles for the rest of the time.

Intro

So last week a friend from work and i decided upon a crazy plan. Train for, and run a Triathlon. Okay, im still coming to grips with what i just said. Its freaking crazy right? then again...... it is me saying it. So, we began making plans, pooling our resources and deciding on a time frame. First some background, i served in the Army for a couple years before being discharged due to a knee injury, so there was a time in my adult life that i was in excellent shape. that was 3+ years ago. Since then, i have been working a job where i sit in a very comfy chair and fix peoples computers over the phone and the only exercise i get is opening my MT Dew bottles (which i drink too much of) and occasionally adjusting my position in my chair. This is the classic definition of a sedentary lifestyle. And i am completely out of shape. I do have that base that the army created, but i have a long hard road and 40 pounds to drop before i can claim that kind of fitness again. But there in lies the goal.

The Triathlon we have set our sights on is at the end of July. Its a double sprint, so we swim 300 meters, bike 5.5 miles, run 1.5 miles and then repeat the whole thing. Currently i weigh in at 215, the goal is to be down to the 175 - 180 range by the day of the race. I will be weighing myself each week on friday to see the improvements. We have 18 weeks to get in tip top shape before we get to see how good we really are. Were starting out training 6 days a week, starting with shorter distances and slower paces and then working up. I will try to give an accurate account of how it goes. Check back soon!!