I've always been pretty active in sports like snowboarding, skateboarding and skimboarding, but for as long as I can remember (back to the middle of my Air Force days) I've had a few extra pounds. I would occasionally take up running, and enjoy it, but would get sidelined by something that would cause me to lose interest. This past may, I drove to Utah to cheer for my dad and brother while they did the St George Ironman. On the way home, I had an epiphany that there was no reason I couldn't do this stuff too. I was already a good swimmer, and knew I could train and do well as a runner...so why not? I got gome and asked Lisa what she thought about me training for a triathlon. Always supportive, she said "go for it." I also knew I'd have an awesome cheering section in my parents and brothers. That very same day I signed up for the Santa Cruz Olympic Distance Triathlon, and my dad did the same. The race was almost 5 months away, and I dove headlong into training. I started swimming at the Cal State Long Beach pool, and found my fitness in that discipline very quickly. I started running with Avery in the jogging stroller, and with Lisa's financial help I sold of some stuff on Craigslist and bought a used roadbike/tribike conversion.
6 weeks later, we were in Lake Tahoe for a family vacation and I did the Donner Summit Sprint triathlon. It was a fantastic experience. I finished in the top half overall and in my age group. Training continued, and a month later I did the Hansen Dam Triathlon here in SoCal. Again, another great experience, and I was really happy with my finish. September finally came around and I was ready. I had lost 25 pounds over the 5 months, had upgraded to a new bike, had suffered no injuries and I was ready to race. At the end of the day, both my dad and I were very happy with our results. Our overall times were just minutes apart. Again, I finished in the top half of my age group.
After that race, I knew I wanted more. Pa (my dad) really wanted to do Ironman Couer d Alene, so $600 later (thank you Lisa!)I was registered for my first Ironman. In November we also signed up for Ironman AZ in Tempe, AZ. There we will be racing with my brother Josh and a whole bunch of friends.
I can't wait to see where these two challenges take me!
