The Training Has Begun

Now that fall semester is over, I have about 24 days to completely focus on my training. Today, I decided to do a short bike ride due to storm clouds forming by my house this morning. I rode 12.7 miles from my house to Starbucks and back. It may not seem like that is very far but from my driveway it is all hill for the first mile. Guess that is just one of the joys of living in hill country. After I rode home, I spent some time with my two dogs and then proceeded to clean the entire house. This afternoon I am going to go for a run around the neighborhood; once again it is all hill. At least it will give me a good workout.

I am still working on finding a pool in town that is open year round and does not cost an arm and a leg for a membership. The best pool I have seen so far is Lifetime Fitness but a) it is on the other side of town...about 45 mins without traffic and b) the membership fee is almost the same price of our U-Verse internet/cable bill. So, that's a definite no go!

Starting December 26, I am going to start eating clean again. Why wait? Well, in the meantime I am just trying to make sure I eat every three hours. I forgot how hard it was to eat six meals a day when you are busy and not used to it. Thankfully, I can set my alarm to remind me. Although, another issue is going to be figuring out exactly how much I need to eat once my training gets more intense. I had a meal plan for sprint distances but I have no idea what to do for a 70.3 distance. I have been looking online but the information varies by the person's training level, body weight, etc.

The Beginning of the Madness

This is my path toward becoming a 70.3 Ironman triathlete. I have completed two sprint tri's so far but the last one was in 2013. However, with a new outlook on life and a new bike to ride I am hoping to compete in the 2015 70.3 Ironman Austin. I love sprint triathlons but I am striving for more of a challenge, something that not everyone can do. So this is where everything will be documented so I can see where I need to make improvements. Hopefully, in time I will not only meet my goal of competing and finishing Ironman Austin but I will compete in many other 70.3's as well.

For those interested below is a glimpse at what I wrote after my very first triathlon in August 2012:

I remember this morning how nervous I was and then after leaving my room became pretty calm about the triathlon. Then as soon as I rode up to the event I saw how many people were there and panic started to set in. Everyone was very nice during the whole sign-in process and everything though which was great. A lot of my co-workers and friends were there volunteering and so it was nice to be around familiar faces.

Once I signed in they put #19 on both my arms and legs and I went to set up my bike for the transition process. I remember lining up in order by number to get into the pool. I was the 19th person to get into the water. I was so nervous but ended up passing two people in the swim. As soon as I got out of the water I started running toward the transition area. I put my shoes on (without socks), grabbed my helmet and a gu gel and headed out of T1. Once I hopped onto the bike and turned a corner the gu gel fell onto the ground. I got passed by at least 20 people while on the bike but I kept reminding myself that most of them were competing in teams and had a fresh pair of legs. I just kept riding and knew that once I was off the bike I would be doing what I do best...running.

After I was out of T2 I grabbed a water and a gu gel. I drank a few sips of water and sucked down the gu gel. My legs felt like jello and I could not seem to get my stride open which was making me wonder if I was actually going to finish the run. I think once the gu got into my system I was able to start running a little faster. I was able to get my stride back and at the top of Wolfpack Park I ended up having to stop and throw up. The gel was nasty coming back up so thank goodness there was a water station there. I could tell I was dehydrated but I thought I would be fine. Then at the start of my second time going up Wolfpack Park my right quad started cramping extremely bad. I kept running though and once I got down the hill I knew I was almost done. I just had to get back to the front of the gym. I made my pace a little quicker and once I got by the flags I could hear a whistle. The whistle Kellie was blowing at me during training...I just had to get to where she was and I would be done. I got to the edge of the intersection and my co-workers were cheering for me telling me to sprint. I sprinted as much as I could and I could see my friends at the finish line. So I kept running toward them and when I crossed that line, it felt so good! I was done! I finished in 1:34.00 for my first triathlon. I was beyond ecstatic!

I would like to thank all my friends and co-workers for coming out and supporting me today. Kellie, for giving me the workouts and helping me train for this day. You guys are awesome and I could not have done this without all of your cheering and support. Thanks for helping motivate me and know that being there for me today meant the absolute world to me. =)