From Fat to Ironman Is Not Easy...

Days to Ironman -> 334

I am starting my journey to Ironman as a 6 foot tall 292.5 lb male. Well, it's been about 30 days since I signed up for Ironman Couer D'Alene (CDA) 2009, which can be found at www.ironmancda.com. Amazingly, after 20 days of training, I find myself more excited to continue training. However, the pain has increased as my ability and devotion to training increased, so rest will be necessary. I plan to keep a blog of my most of my workouts, so I have a good journal as I progress. However, we'll snapshot to now and the previous 3 weeks or so.

Swimming has been hard, but is my favorite event so far. I progressed from having trouble swimming 1000 meters to swimming over 2500 meters in an hour. I think the fast progress goes to show that my years of swimming as a kids was beneficial somehow. So far, we have done 3 - 1 hour swim workouts with the Woodlands Masters Swim Team. The coaches there have really pushed us to be better and that helps. Plus, 4 other swimmers there are going to CDA with me next June.

Biking is fun, but difficult. I bought a 2005 Felt S32 triathlon bike. I did my first long ride today after a few test rides and tuning. I spent about 1.5 hours riding just under 25miles (21% of the Ironman distance). The word to describe the pain is ouch. Apparently, running and biking do not use the same muscles. I think it will be important to go have my bike fit to me so that it's less of a strain over the long run. That will have to wait though because I spent over $1200 buying my bike, accessories, and other gear for the tri. I want to start riding 3 times per week for at least 1-1.5 hours. Have to get comfortable for the 7-8 ride at CDA.

Running...I hate running, but it is necessary. Christine (my wife) and I have been doing a 5.1 mile workout. I'm only able to run about half the distance, but it feels good to go out and get the exercise. I'm trying to run 2-3 times per week, though my goal at Ironman is to walk the whole marathon, running only downhill sections and maybe a mile or two. We'll see how this pans out over the course of my training.

For anyone else training, I am recommending lots of stretching, a good replenishing drink (I'm using Endurox R4 and it rocks), and staying consistent.

My goal at Ironman is a full 17 hours to complete a 2.4 mile swim, 116 mile bike, and 26.2 mile "run" and be a finisher. I feel that the race is only icing on the cake of a year of training. I have a half Ironman in New Orleans in April 2009 and some other tris that I'm considering in November in Texas to help gauge my shortcomings. I plan to lose about 50-60 lbs over the course of this year and I'm already seeing some gains. No weight loss, but lots of new muscle.

Wish me luck and come back for more updates. Tomorrow is a swim workout...