I had no clue what I was getting myself into when I embarked on this journey in May 2007. But I’m glad I did.
Earlier that year in the spring, I had hit a new personal low in fitness. No physical activity, coupled with a terrible diet and high stress at work had left me as heavy as I had ever been, struggling with some health issues and just downright miserable. I was heading in the wrong direction and knew I had to do something about it, but not exactly sure what or how.
I was talking with my good friend, Nick, at a church picnic in May. He mentioned he had just signed up for this marathon training program, called USA Fit Charlotte. It was a 28-week program for novices preparing for the December Thunder Road Marathon in Charlotte. I needed something and thought this could be it. I had always wanted to say I finished a marathon. I needed to get myself on track physically. The program and the end goal could keep me in line. And man did it ever…
We started in June, settling into the USA Fit ‘Yellow Group,’ which was catered toward those looking to finish their marathon at an 8:45-9:00 minute per mile pace. Led by Coach Eddie, a dozen of us regulars followed the training schedule during the week, then would come together on Saturday mornings before the sun was up (literally) to do our long runs together.
I could write for hours about this group, but in short – this was and still is, a special group of people. Unlike any of the other USA Fit groups, we instantly bonded not only as training partners, but also as friends. So much so that that the marathon came and went in December and we have been getting together and running ever since. Here’s to Nicole, Sarah, Carol Ann, Cari, Eddie, Walt, Jeff, Mike, Kevin and Nick - all great runners, but more importantly great friends. I look forward to many more miles together training and at various events.
We all finished Charlotte (or Kiawah) in December. I told my wife, Allyson, later that day that someone may as well have strapped me to a table and shot me with heroin. I was completely hooked. The race day experience, gratification, achievement, results, life changes, and on and on and on snagged me hook line and sinker and their was no looking back. She was all for it and supportive as she had been all along the way.
As much as I love running and plan on it being a life long journey, I also had the new aspiration of being a triathlete. More and more I was hearing about and reading about triathlon, a sport that has been burgeoning over the past decade in particular. I was drawn to the level of personal fitness that could be achieved and the challenge of mastering the three individual disciplines of swim, bike and run. Only issue was I hadn’t swum a lap in my life and I didn’t even own a bike.
After Charlotte, I began preparing for my next marathon on February 16 in Myrtle Beach, SC and at the same time, bought a bike and began teaching myself to swim. A friend of mine introduced me to the Total Immersion swim technique book and DVD. I had an extremely rough start swimming and this info really helped pull everything together. I signed up for my first sprint triathlon on March 29. I was officially off and running toward a future of marathon and triathlon.
As I write this, I sit in the back seat of the minivan on our way home from Nashville having just completed my third marathon in five months and my first triathlon under my belt (and I just adjusted in my seat with my laptop on my lap and words can’t describe the pain I am in. You marathoners know of this pain…)
The experiences thus far have been priceless and the memories are ones I’ll have forever, though being the typical guy, it’s sometimes hard to retain those memories, great as they may be. So here are my accounts of the races I’ve been blessed to participate in so far. My hope and prayer is that there are many, many more to come. I know each will be unique in it’s own way, even the repeat ones. I look forward to what I’ll learn, the people I will meet, sharing the race experiences with other athletes, friends and family. Here it goes…
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