Mountain Man Triathlon

OK. I'm tired of not being in shape. I mean athlete-shape. Most of you are probably rolling your eyes. Hey, it's not my fault I got good genes. But being skinny doesn't mean I'm in shape, and I'm no where near competitive athlete shape.

So, I've made a decision. I'm going to be a triathlete. Maybe not a good one at first, but I have a plan. A 4-year plan actually. Yes, I know I'm probably biting off more than I can chew, but I've tried to at least tear this beast off into swallowable pieces.

Here's the plan:
Year 1-- This year is the base year. I'll get back into shape and compete in a couple of sprint triathlons (700 meter swim, 18 km bike, 5km run). I'm thinking the first one will be the Mountain Man Triathlon in Flagstaff in late July. Anyone want to join me? (Not Kidding. Any takers? Court? It's gotta be better than Brasstown Bald! he,he. Invite Jaimie if you want) There's another sprint tri at Lake Powell in mid October that I want to shoot for too.

Year 2-- Be top competitor in sprints and race a couple of Olympic races (1.5km swim, 40km bike, 10km run).

Year 3-- Be competitive in Olympic races and race a couple of half-Ironmans, (1.9km swim, 90km bike, 21.09km run).

Year 4-- Compete in half-Ironmans and race in an Ironman (3.8km swim, 180km bike, 42.2km run).

So far, I'm in Week 3, Year 1 of training. The first two weeks were great and I steadily increased my bike, run, and swim distances, but this week's been tough. I've been tired, and my legs have ached when I've tried to run and bike.

I am realizing that I probably need to join a triathlon group in Tempe so I can learn more about nutrition and gradual training, etc., so i don't kill myself. Fortunately, ASU has its own triathlon group. They mostly look very, very young...

And I definitely need a swim coach. I mean I can stay afloat and make it from one end of the pool to the other, and I actually don't think I have a bad stroke, but I'm whipped by the time I get to the other end, and it takes me twenty minutes of swimming lengths before I feel at home in the water. And what do you know? There's a masters swimming group that meets at ASU's pool, too. These are the real benefits of being at a D-I institution. More to come, I'm sure. :)

I'll keep you posted on the quest for Kona...