My First Thoughts

This is my first posting. Please keep in mind I am not a writer. I am just a guy who wanted to put his thoughts about triathlon, family and life out there for others to think about. I was inspired to create this blog after my friend and triathlon training buddy Mark created his blog months ago. I am calling it "TRI TO DO IT ALL" because as a triathlete that's what life is all about. You are trying to fit an extraordinary amount of stuff into a small space of time. Most of us have full time jobs, families and homes. All of these involve responsibilities that must be met if you want to continue to have a job, family and home. So when I am not working, spending time with my family or taking care of my house I am trying to find time to swim, bike, run or weight train in the gym.

During the off season I would say I have a monkey on my back reminding me to train. When it is time to compete the monkey becomes the 800 pound gorilla in the room except the gorilla isn't just in the room. He is on my back telling me to get up early and run or do what ever I need to do to prepare for what ever event is next. I took a look at the training program I followed this past season to prepare for the Musselman half ironman. The hours spent training each week range from 7 hours to 10.5 hours. This time is only the actual physical training time. This does not take into account the time it takes to prepare for a workout. You may need to drive to the pool, get changed and get into the pool. After you get out of the pool you need to shower, get dressed and drive back home. I stretch before and after every run and before I hit the road on my bike I need to make sure I have enough air in my tires, full water bottles and enough food to carry me through the ride. If you do the math the preparation and cool down time can easily add up to another 3 to 4 hours each week. That means I can expect to spend 10 to 13.5 hours each week training on top of the 50 hours a week I put in at the office. That doesn't leave a lot of time for family and home.

That leads me to my next thought. Your family has to be behind you if you are going to do this crazy thing called triathlon. They have to understand that you have to be selfish with your time for about five or six months of the year. I am lucky because my wife gets as geeked out about my events as I do. I think her favorite part of the day is when she gets to ring the cow bell when she sees me in transition or coming into the finish. I have another family member who doesn't get it yet but hopefully she will. My daughter Isabelle who will be one year old this Sunday got some good nap time in with my on a couple of long runs this past summer.

The net net is triathlon consumes a great deal of time but also comes with many rewards. It keeps me fit and healthy. It inspires others around you to take action in regards to their fitness and will hopefully help my daughter understand why an active lifestyle is better than the inactive lifestyle that many of today's children chose to live.

Thanks for taking time to read about what is my mind and have a great day.