Around this time last year I was running the final couple miles along Tempe Town Lake towards my first and only Ironman finish. Tonight I am sitting in a hotel room in Richmond, VA and I just watched my Blogger friend Skip Slade finish IM Arizona in 11:47:00 (at least that is what I think it read as he finished). It was awesome to watch a friend finish an Ironman, but deep down it really ate at me that I wasn't there doing it as well. I am a bit depressed because I am so far removed from it, so far from any type of race shape. A 5K would be a significant undertaking right now.
So, what am I going to do about it? Here is my plan, my philosophy, my proposed journey:
- Tomorrow morning, November 21st - get up and go for a run. After that, I am going to head over to the local triathlon shop, "3 Sports" (it opens at 10AM) to pick up a cheap pair of goggles and swim shorts so that I can go swimming at the YMCA adjacent to the hotel. I am fortunate that I can use the facilities free of charge.
- Tuesday morning, November 22nd - get up early and hit the pool, and follow that up with a run. My first appointment is at 9:30AM, so I should have plenty of time to get this all in.
- Wednesday, November 23rd (an onward) - set an off-season training program, concentrate on losing some of the excess 20 lbs I have packed on over the past year, get back into P90X, and set a race calendar for 2012.
That is what I am missing right now, a goal. All of my life, the times when I have gained weight and lost fitness, it was because I lacked a goal...a race to train for. I have finally gotten a handle on my business travel and I am going to take advantage of it and use it to my advantage. There is no reason that I can't find the time to train (even with a one month old daughter at home).
So, the next question is, what is going to be my "A" race for 2012? I already know that I want to do Ironman Arizona in 2013, but what is going to be my races for 2012? Here are some ideas:
- Ironman 70.3 - Pocono Mountains
- Bassman Triathlon (Half Ironman)
- Others???
I would love to do Ironman 70.3 San Juan, but I think that might be tough since it is a March race and I don't have the cash for that right now. Any ideas, please post.
That is it for now, it is time to hit the hay, I have a big day ahead of me. It all starts tomorrow!!!! Cheers!
I was selected by Theia to think of 7 random facts about me (see list below) and try to have other blogger folks do the same. Here goes:
1. My first real job (with salary and benefits) was with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Newark, NJ. It was an entry level job but I still had Top Secret Clearance (not as cool as it sounds).
2. I was a two-time All-American lacrosse player at Rutgers University....that was a long time ago though.
3. I can count on one hand the number of alcoholic drinks I have ever had in my life, thus I have never been drunk. Along those line, I have never gotten high or intoxicated in anyway. This is the result of my father instilling the fear of God in me if I were to have come home drunk in high school. Then in college I didn't want to flunk out of school because of drinking.
4. I not afraid of too many things, but the one thing that I will forever be afraid of is SNAKES!!! I hate all snakes, even the little garter snakes that I see occassionally in my back yard.
5. I love to make chocolate chip cookies, and consequently eat them. I am also fond of trying to bake random things here and there. I even attempted to recreate Emeril's Banana Cream Pie (easily the best pie I have ever eaten).
6. I first got the idea for my oldest daughter’s first name from a song by Black 47 - "Funky Céilí". I mentioned it to my wife and she liked it, but not the spelling, so we changed it up completely.
7. I ran my first marathon (New York City Marathon) when I was 29, did my first Ironman (Ironman Arizona) at 39 and have no clue what I am going to do at 49.
There you have it, some random things about me. Hopefully the folks below will take part in this exercise so that I and other can learn a bit about you (unfortunately I don't have a whole lot of people that read this blog):
TrevorD - http://inspired2tri.blogspot.com/
Skip - http://www.coachslade.com/
Yasi - http://yasimotraining.blogspot.com/
Miguel - http://roadtoironmandaddy.blogspot.com/
Thor - http://ironboy.wordpress.com/
On October 20, 2011, at 9:24AM, my wife and I welcomed the newest addition to the family:
Our newest little girl weighed in at a trim 6 lbs 4 ozs and a length of 17". Both Mommy and baby are doing terrific. I can't believe that I now have three daughters. Either I was not good to women in my younger years or someone thinks that I am strong enough to handle it. Whatever the reason, I couldn't be happier.
I will get back to blogging in a few days, when I catch up with work and actually start doing some sort of training. Yeah, I have been on a long sabbatical. I think the hardest part is going to go for the first run or ride, then get up the next day and go again. I really need a swift kick in the ass.
Oh, Theia, I will do the Big Daddy Diesel thing this week. Things have been super hectic...to be honest, I am actually shocked that I posted this today.
Cheers!
