9 Months to Tri

Post race.

It doesn’t get any more post race than this.

Its Sunday; its been five days since the race. Physically, feeling much better, though I’m up too late tonight, and will most likely be tired tomorrow.  The initial effects of the race are already starting to drift away. The unease of the swim. The pain of the bike. The cramps and worries about being stuck in the woods during the run. They’re all starting to fade to the back.

I’m already making plans for the next race. Plans. From training to gear to food. Schemes? No, we’ll call them strategies.

One thing I wanted to clear up is about the Tuesday night races at Winding Trails. I WOULD have been doing them all along, except that Tuesday nights my family and I go as a family to a bible study. Its something we’ve always done. We do it as a family and as its part of my worship, I haven’t been willing to simply disregard it so I could race. However, we did make the decision to skip it for one week and we came as a family to watch me get my butt kicked.

Next year, our study will be shifting to Thursday night, and I’m going to see about rearranging the rest of my schedule so that I can do at least 5 of the 10 races. I’ll do that mountain bike route in 25 minutes. Just wait and see.

What have I learned?

• Train for the course you’ll be racing on.
• Go swim in a lake before you race in one for the first time. If possible, swim with a handful of buddies and ask them to swim right on top of you so you get a feel for it.
• Make sure you’ve got the right gear for the course you’ll be racing.
• Wear the gear during your training, not breaking it in new for the race.
• Even after training for 9 months, 268lbs is a LOT of weight to lug around. Working out and training is fine, but diet can’t be glossed over.
• Even though I wasn’t training daily with my colleagues, having them ride me until I actually SIGNED UP for a race was very helpful. My head has been so out of it, that I might not have actually done it.
• I enjoy the gym in the winter, but abhor it in the summer. I’d rather be out running/riding in nice weather. Spring and Fall can go either way depending on the actual day.
• 9 months is a long time to stay motivated about anything. Just ask your wife.
• Blogging takes a lot more time than I thought it would.
• Video podcasting takes even more. Especially if you’re going to do actual editing.

What am I going to do next?

• Well, I’m ordering road tires so I can race in the Lake Compounce Sprint Tri on September 21st.
• While exercise seems to be well underway, I’ve got to admit that diet has been slipping. I still eat much better than I used to, but not as healthy as I should be.
• After talking with Jamie, we also discussed the difference between eating for health and eating for weight loss. I’ve more or less been doing the first. I’d like to drop another 50 lbs, though, so we’ll be switching it up.
• I’m not sure what will become of this blog after September, but I’m going to continue training. Its worked out well for me, and kept me going to the long winter months.

So, what would I LIKE to see happen to this blog?

• Ideally, it would be great if someone else would step up in October and start their very own 9 Months to Tri experience, and document it in their own way.
• I will most likely continue to document training changes, diet, etc. along my course, but it would take back seat to someone who is starting their own 9M2T challenge.

Finally, what kinds of improvements have I seen overall during the last 10 1/2 months? Has it REALLY changed my life?

• Well, I dropped between 20-25 lbs.
• I’m wearing clothes AT LEAST 1 size smaller.
• I’ve successfully integrated regular workouts into my daily life, something that had vanished many years before.
• Between eating healthier and working out, I’ve increased my overall energy levels.
• Its been a while since I’ve had strain-related pain in my hips or legs.
• I actually CRAVE healthier foods now.
• I can do 45+ push-ups in a row.
• I no longer get these moments when my heart starts racing for no reason whatsoever.
• Focusing on all of this has FORCED me to reassess my work habits. I’ve stopped working evenings entirely, which has allowed me to get more rest, eat less, and has eliminated a lot of stress overall, I think.

Best of all, I think, is the impact that I’ve had on other people in my life that are important to me:

• The improvements that my wife has seen in me have inspired her to get back into shape. She’s joined a local gym with the goal of getting back to the mountain bike trails next spring.
• Without pushing her, or even mentioning that she SHOULD, my daughter has asked if next year she can run the Kid’s Tris at Winding Trails next year. She wants to start doing this with me. She’ll be 8 in a couple of months, so I’m not worried about her health. She’s active and enjoys playing. But wanting to compete is something else entirely, and its something I hope she decides she likes and will continue to pursue. Within reason.
• My mother, who has always been very keen on fitness, has renewed her recently waning determination to stay fit.
• While it was these other three, Brett, Mandy and Erik, that inspired me, as a group, I think we’ve also inspired other members of our team at work. My boss has been walking a lot more, eating a bit healthier, and in general seems to be more fit himself. Several people have been more active, using the gym and joining us at swimming.

So, that’s it. I’ll stick with you thru September, and we’ll see where it goes from there.

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