Im Backkkkk

I have been really negligent lately in both my training and posting. After the Smithfield Sprint, I took a week off of training and then traveled to Boston for work. After two weeks, I only ran twice in the next three weeks. This last week I managed to run three days.
An added bonus is that my 11 year old daughter has expressed an interest in training for a tri. When I told her that she was old enough to enter the Smithfield Sprint, she was excited. That night I went into her room and she had written a list of goals. They were
1) 300 meter swim
2) 10 mile bike
3) 3.2 miles

She is very excited and it is infectious. We started running this past week and she is really doing well. The plan is to take it easy at first and show her the distances are absolutely do-able. Last night we ran 3.2 miles with some walking thrown in. It took awhile, but that is ok. She can already swim well as last summer she was swimming with me, and has been on the swim team for a few summers before that.

Training for triathlons has already changed me for the better. Now it is helping me to show my daughter her inner strength. She can learn that she has a well of determination that she has yet to tap into. I really believe that the ability to positively affect someone else by setting a good example is a a joy that some never know. The fact that I can do something that I truly enjoy and spend time with one of my kids doing it is nothing short of amazing.

Smithfield Sprint complete

I have been slacking lately, but here is the race report for the Smithfield Sprint. The morning of the race it was in the mid 40s and gray out. There was some wind from the north so that was nice. I got to Smithfield around 8:30 and did not need to be in the transition area until 9:45 so some pre-race fuel was in order. McDonald's sausage "McMuffin"offers a great choice. Fully fueled, I made it to the race and set up the transition. The swim is indoors which works for me when it is that cold. The way the start works is that you send in your estimated time to swim 100 yds and they seeded you based on that. I think I did good as no one needed to pass me and I never needed to pass anyone. That might have been helped by the person in front of me was not there so there was a 30 second delay between the guy in front and me. The swim went well, and I felt strong the entire swim. I made it into transition and moved to the bike. I took my time because I wanted to ensure I did not get cold or forget anything. My t1 time was slowwww, but that is ok. I got on the bike and started to ride. As you can see, I had an issue getting the heart rate under control. It was cold windy and hilly, and as the song goes "these are a few of my favorite things". I was passed by about a dozen people and never passed anyone. I felt winded the entire bike ride and am seriously wondering how to get stronger. Spinning class appears to have not added any speed to my rides. I will need to work on this.





T2 was not bad as I only changed to my running shoes. As you can see, I still had an issue getting the HR under control.




I completed the race in 1:26:15 which is about 20 minutes longer than I was shooting for. I was not as fast as I wanted on either the bike or the swim and as thinking I swam a little harder than I should have. I really did enjoy this race and am looking forward to the next one. Every time you do one of these you learn a little more about yourself, training and execution.

Hard sometimes

Some days it is hard to get moving. On others, it is impossible. Yesterday it was hard but possible. I got up around 5:30 and went for a 3 mile run. As you can see I was able to keep it in zone 3 almost the whole run. I feel like I am almost ready for the Smithfield Sprint. I won't be on the podium but I also won't finish last.

Vote for Me

Thanks for reading! If you think I should be the next fully-sponsored member of Team Evotri, please write down the URL of this web site and have it ready for voting when you click the EVOTE button below. Thank you!

Making the Team: 2008

I am new to the sport of triathlon, and fairly new to athletics. If I were selected as the next team member, the coaches and other team members would be getting a blank canvas with a short but proven track record. I have successfully quit smoking, and lost up to 40 pounds. Unfortunately, I gained 20 of that back during the off season, so I have more work ahead. As a new triathlete, I am still searching. Searching for a better stride, better stroke, or training technique that works "best". I also a still searching for the way I can involve more people in this new sport that I enjoy. I have not found the best way to convey my passion and excitement that I have for the sport and people that I have discovered during this early stage of the journey.

The first steps

Several times in one's life, they get the opportunity to start something. We start school as a child, we start relationships, jobs, plans and journeys. This blog is about the journey I am currently in regarding triathlons and living a healthy lifestyle. I am a 43 year old married father of three. My journey started last year. I was an overweight, two pack a day smoker with a bad back. I was in horrible shape and considered a round of golf while riding in the cart exercise. After a business trip, I was in my office and started having chest pains. I had a pulmonary embolism and spent several days in the cardiac unit at the local hospital. I looked around and realized changes were in order. I started out by quitting smoking. For all of you out there fighting this issue, let me tell you: You.CAN.Quit. I also started to watch what I ate and began riding a stationary bike in the mornings. When the local pool opened, my children were on the swim team and I took them to practice. I realized I was sitting at the pool three nights a week and started to use that time wisely. Once I lost about 20 lbs, I started to run. I always hated running growing up...and now I was doing it for fun.

During these changes and additions to my exercise routines, I always said to myself, "it doesn't matter if you can swim fast, it's not like you are racing in a triathlon", or ""You can run slow, your not a triathlete". The seeds had been planted while I was not paying attention. I was having success losing weight with all of the exercising. My weight over many months went from 220 down to 200 down to 190, 185, 180. I really started to look and feel lots better. At some point, I decided to enter a triathlon. I chose the Sandman sprint in Virginia Beach VA.
I entered the race and trained for it. I was able to complete this race and met my goals. Now I am hooked. I am entering year two of my training and have the following goals:
1) complete two sprint races, the Smithfield Sprint at the end of March and the Sandman again this year while shattering my original times
3) race in and complete the Rock and roll half marathon.

Life is always about the journey, not the end. This was a very long first post, and I promise I will keep them shorter in the future. Follow along with me as I train for and live this new phase of my life. It ain't always pretty, and it might not always be funny, but it will always be from the heart.....