Yep, the training has officially begun for Ironman Texas which is May 21, 2011. We started the middle of September doing some sort training six days a week: Saturday to Thursday, with Friday being some make-up day. It has been interesting to say the least. The trick has been to fit in training with work and bowling and other commitments (races, parties). I have seen some improvements already: I have been able to go better on the bike, I feel better on the run and can hold a bit better pace. As far as the swim, I went to the International Swimming Hall of Fame and met with Swim and Tri Coach John Acton and after two sessions have made great strides (pun somewhat intended).

So this past weekend I had the pleasure of witnessing Larry Kagan and Gary King compete the 2010 Great Floridian Ultra Distance Triathlon (2.4m swim, 112m bike, 26.2m run). I have seen several years of Kona Ironman, and of course competed and volunteered for a few triathlons. But there is something different about watching when some of your best friends attempt one of the greatest physical challenges (other than a double-ultra or triple-ultra) and you are there to witness it. I have to admit that I was a bit teary-eyed when the horn sounded to start the race, and even when the two of them came around to start their second loop of the swim, it was like the start of the race. We actually had signed up for a “super” sprint (200yd swim, 8m bike, 2m run) which started after the ultra and intermediate competitors had finished their swim legs. So while the two of them were out on their bikes, we finished in under an hour. So after that we went out to work one of the water tents on the bike course; it was a three loop course so we got to see Larry and Gary at least once. Later that day we set up camp on the run course, which also was a three loop course.

When Larry came into view at the end of his last lap and was about to head to the chute, I can not describe the feeling. I remember when he said months ago that he was only go to do sprints. I also remember when he started doing Olympic distances. And then he decided to sign up the Great Floridian and everything changed: he made strides in running, got crazy on his bike, and stroked his swim endurance. He did have a few setbacks, mostly with his run training and injuries. But knowing what he went through, seeing him come into view to finish was truly emotional. I can say the same thing was going on with some of the other people in the group as most of us ran to the finish line screaming his name. It was, for lack of better term, inspirational. Knowing what I have been able to do in to this point, gives me hope that Texas will be possible.

Congratulations to Lawrence Kagan and Gary King!!!

I can finally say that with confidence. Wow, it has been quite awhile since I have posted here. I have been meaning to for several weeks, months. It’s just that I have been busy … around August I was taken to a meeting at work about the possibility of a company marathon team. Now I was not a runner, even though I was relatively active, having played basketball for most of my youth. But being one that likes group things, I decided to join in and started training with some of the co-workers at first. When I mentioned to a good friend of mine (Lawrence Kagan) that this little marathon training had started at work, he suggested I join his training group on Tuesday evenings. I figured that since the work group was doing spur-of-the-moment training that his regular weekly runs would be better. Not only that, but based on photos he had taken from one of the runs, the people in the group seemed to have more fun. 😉

So I started going up to Larry’s house every Tuesday for what he called Boca Deca and after a few weeks started to get better endurance. I went from not being able to run 2 miles consecutively to competing in my first half marathon on November 15, 2009 with a time of 2 hours 15 minutes. Now as it turns out, most of the people that met at Larry’s house for the running were also triathletes; even Larry himself had competed in a sprint or two. So needless to say, after a few weeks of running with Larry’s group, he convinced me to join him for the Sunday tri training session at John U Lloyd. It should be noted that the name of this group is called Try-a-Tri, so it made the training session welcome. Now I didn’t have a bike at the time, so Larry brought an extra one for me. I enjoyed it, even though I could barely do the 400m swim, 10 mile bike, and then run afterwards. This cute redhead actually convinced me to do at least one mile with her (much more about Jessica Snug in later posts). So, thanks to persistence of Larry, Becky, and other TaTers (short for members of Try-a-Tri) I completed my first multi-sport race in Waldo, Florida, albeit a duathlon. It was so cold up there in February that I smartly did not chose to add the swim to the race. According to Jessica and Larry, the water was frigid. So I did okay in my first race and then continued on do actually do a complete triathlon in Sarasota in March.

Fast forward to April, I decided to try my luck at an Olympic distance triathlon (1.5k swim, 40k bike, 10k run) in South Beach. The coolest parts were that two elite triathletes also competed in Nautica South Beach Tri and that it was held the day after my birthday. 😀  Here is where some people would say the rest is history, but for me most of it is still unwritten as I have yet to do the big ones: MiamiMan Half Iron (11/14/2010), Ironman Texas (5/21/2011), and the Goofy Marathon and a Half Challenge (1/7-8/2011). That Ironman is the big kahuna: 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and then a full 26.2 mile marathon. My plan is to blog about my experiences training for it. And Jessica, too. Yeah, we’re doing it together. More about her in later posts, too.