I've never been into the blogging craze and have definitely never considered blogging until recently. The main reason for my new interest in it is due to my attempt at my first half ironman race. I figured that if I made my pursuit of this event public I would be more apt to stick to it. Also, I've been spending a majority of my free time researching training, nutrition, gear, etc. and thought I could share the findings with anyone who is interested. I was hesitant to start one because I didn't want to seem arrogant, but talking it over with a few friends I was assured that it's not as narcissistic as I was making it out to be...thanks Shannon and Jeremy. Okay, enough with the blithering justification and on with the subject.
The Beginning
Last year was my first debut in the triathlon world beginning with the Uwharrie, NC Xterra. It was an off-road triathlon which consisted of a 500 meter swim, 8 mile mountain bike, and 4 mile trail run. It was ON from that point! That summer I did another Xterra, two sprint distance, and one olympic distance. For those who are not familiar with the distances they are as follows:
- Sprint Distance or "Mini Triathlon" = < 1 mile swim, < 15 mile bike, 3.1 mile run
- Olympic Distance = .93 mile swim, 24.8 mile bike, 6.2 mile run
- Half Distance or "Half Ironman" = 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run
- Full Distance, a.k.a."Ironman" = 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run
I never fathomed doing triathlons. I remember going to a cubs game and sitting behind a guy who had an Ironman jacket on and thinking that it was something I would NEVER even consider doing. I ran my first 5k about five years ago and thought that was a big deal. Still remember my time, 30 min 28 sec. I started running on a regular basis about two years ago. It wasn't until I broke an hour that I really got hooked. Now I can't imagine going more than a couple days without running.
Biking is something I've been in and out of since a young lad. I used to race motocross and did some mountain biking here and there, which is why I went for the Xterra tri. As for road biking, I never thought I would be one of those guys riding down the road in the tight shorts and jersey. But after "spandexing up" and hammering out 30 miles at 20 mph I now have a lot more respect for the sport.
Swimming...my nemesis. If I had do characterize myself in water it would be a cinder-block with arms. I found that the swimming style I did during my first five races was something swimmers do for drills to practice/improve upper body strength; it's called "Tarzan swim" and you swim freestyle with your head constantly out of the water. Luckily and thankfully, the Gold's gym I go to has added a pool and I have been in it 3-4 times a week turning out laps. This is also a good example where the research came in tremendously. I ordered a training video, read articles/blogs and bugged anybody I could about how to improve, or survive the swim. I'm actually starting to enjoy it. At first I dreaded when looking at my training program and it said "1000 meter swim." Now I'm to the point where my warm-up is between 500 and 1000 meters. Practice, practice, practice!
THE Race
My obsession with these threesome engagements have driven me to register for the
Orlando Half Ironman in May; the 15th to be exact. It takes place in Fort Wilderness which is a part of Disney World. I chose Orlando because it was one of the closest races in the Half Ironman circuit that was still open. My other option was in the Pocono mountains of Pennsylvania in October, but I've been chomping at the bit since last season to get started and I have a good friend that just moved to Florida that I'm hoping to visit while on my journey.
