First Marathon in May

As part of my sometime-in-the-future goal to finish an Ironman Triathlon I have signed up for the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati on May 3rd. I figure I'll ease myself into the long course by doing one leg at a time over the next couple years. It is like a super-extended training program, I guess. The farthest I have ever ran is about 15 miles in training for my half-ironman two years ago.

I am about 4 weeks into one of Hal Higdon's famous training programs which seems very doable; between 20-30 miles a week for 17 weeks. I am really enjoying my running. I look forward to it. That is weird for me. But I am injury-free and taking on 15 miles at the end of this week.

Only thing is the topography in Columbus where I live and in Cincinnati are a lot different. I have virtually no hills to train on and the Flying Pig is quite hilly from what I understand. Looks like I'll be cranking up the incline on the treadmill. I hate the treadmill.

My latest tri gear

I think I'll make this an ongoing part of the blog whenever I acquire or am considering (when it is very expensive) a new piece of triathlon gear. I'll review it, recommend it or not, and hopefully help a marginal triathlete who may be considering something similar.

So here it is:

I have wanted a trainer for so long. Luckily for me, I have a good friend who hooked me up with this sweet one from CycleOps because of a challenge/bet we had going (thanks, Dave!).

This handy piece of equipment facilitates tri-training at the margins very nicely. For example, you may not have time to get a ride in when the sun is up but you can jump on this trainer, pop in a video and get 'er done anytime.

My first tri... part II

I left off in my last post going to sleep before my first triathlon, Spudman. They say sleep is important for endurance athletes. I can tell you that I have never slept more than 3 hours the night before a race. I'm more of a believer that two nights before the race is when you really need to get the zzzs.

I didn't know what a tri suit or tri shorts were. I jumped in the water with my trusty Adidas Climacool running shorts. I was surrounded by full-body wetsuits and it was a bit intimidating. I was all nerves. The gun went off for the elite athletes and my jaw hit the floor watching them take off down the river. It was beautiful. After what seemed to be an eternity of waiting and trying to stay warm my group was called to the starting line.

I was totally unprepared for the open water experience (even with the downstream current). I zig zaged across the river and was very well hydrated for the bike due to the fact that I sucked in at least a gallon of Snake River. It was (and still always is) such a relief to jump on that bike. The bike portion of the race has always been my strongest suit and it felt good to pass some of the people that had swam over me.

The course was full of rolling hills and I was pushing hard, throwing down about 20 miles per hour (that is fast for a marginal triathlete). This was my big rookie mistake. I emptied the tank on the bike and didn't have much left on the run. I never walked through the 10k but I definitely slowed to about a 10 minute mile in some spots. I sprinted to the finish line like I'd kept that pace all along. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. It was so exhilarating.

Everyone was congratulating each other and sharing stories from the course. My wife and buddies all went to Dennys to celebrate and I pounded a big 'ol sausage breakfast. Divine!
Afterwards, my wife and I went back to the river and floated the river before heading home. It was such a great weekend.

So that is how I got hooked on triathlon. If you haven't done one, do it! You won't regret it.

My first tri... part I

*If you have yet to compete in a triathlon you must know prior to reading this post that swapping stories about first races is a sacred ritual for triathletes. The rookie mistakes we all commit make for great pre and post-race fodder at the water tents. You'll have your special tale too some day. If you are a triathlete, I won't be offended if you skip this because you'll be hearing it, or one similar, on race day.*

I stumbled into my first triathlon in July 2006 with a couple buddies (pictured above, from left to right: me, Nolan, Joe) from work one day on a whim. I hadn't competed in any organized sports since high school (unless co-ed and city league softball counts) and I have never enjoyed anything that had to do with endurance. My excuse was that I just wasn't built for it.

But we decided to do the Spudman olympic distance (1 mile swim, 26 mile bike, 6.2 mile run) triathlon in Burley, Idaho. Back in those days, you didn't have to be waiting by your computer on New Years Eve to sign up for it. That race has become insanely popular and with good reason (I understand they moved to a lottery system this year). It is an excellent race with tons of community support.

Anyway, I didn't have a bike or a wetsuit, much less the fancy gear that I would later realize is part and parcel of the triathlon scene. My birthday was around the corner so I talked my wife into letting me get a road bike. I was blown away by what a new bike would set me back. Entry level road bikes were right around $700!

So I turned to e-bay and found a '98 Specialized M2 with a custom paint job for $400 with a great set of components. I managed to get out for a few rides a week and fell in love with it (I still race on this old war horse). I loosely followed a training program from BeginnerTriathlete but really had no idea what I was doing.

Finally, race day arrived. I was hooked from the moment I picked up my race packet the night before. After a heaping plate of spaghetti at the pre-race banquet I headed to the transition area to set up my bike. I did whatever the guy next to me did as he looked like it wasn't his first rodeo. The energy was through the roof and everyone was so friendly.

One of my buddies had a grandmother who lived in the area so we stayed at her place and clogged her shower drain with the hair from our legs that we ritualistically shaved... As if that was going to make some kind of difference in the water with my horrific swim stroke. I tossed and turned that night with excitement. It might as well have been Christmas Eve.

This seems like a good place to break... I'll write about the actual race day tomorrow.

What I mean by 'marginal'

Like all good wannabe triathletes, I subscribe to a major magazine dedicated to the sport. I also frequent several online forums, blogs and shopping sites for triathletes.

In my opinion, there is one audience that is largely neglected by all of these sources; the marginal triathletes. The men and women like you and me who aren't obsessed with shaving another 30 seconds off their transitions or upgrading their water-bottles because there is a new model that is two ounces lighter.

Don't get me wrong. Going fast is one of the greatest feelings in the world. And the hi-tech gear of triathlon is the coolest around. But we have lives! Husbands, wives, children, jobs, responsibilities in our churches and communities! People and things we cherish. And when we aren't wearing our shiny tight suits with padding in the backside we're ok without constantly plotting when our next workout will be or what sports gel we'll be testing out.

Sure, these big magazines and websites pay lip service to us marginal triathletes. There is always the annual 'beginners guide' and articles for the novice, but the assumption is always that you must want to become an uber-swim-bike-runner, otherwise you wouldn't do it at all.

But if you are ok with the fact that you'll never be on the podium in a big race yet you still want to enjoy this fantastic sport for the long haul, this blog is for you.

And when I say I am a marginal triathlete, I don't mean I won't be training hard and sprinting for the finish line in every race. I just mean that once the workout or race is over, I've got a lot more going for me.