so far i'm not feelin the effects of yesterdays ride. I think the squats and lunges helped out. The small amount of running i'm doing might help as well. Mo pointed out that the body remembers how to get back in shape so that's probably why my cardio isn't that bad. Its down right amazing considering how big i am at this point.
Crazy Cardio
Anyone that's ridden with me for any length of time knows i rarely get winded when riding. Clarence (mr. mad duck) suggested that because i did so much riding as kid that my heart and lungs have greater capacity than they otherwise might. When i was a kid it wasn't uncommon for me to ride 20 miles a day during the summers. I would leave the house with some sandwiches, soda and candy in my backpack and head out right after lunch. I wouldn't get home until it got dark a lot of times. where would i go? i would ride to my friends houses and ride these motorcycle dirt trails that were out by my house. when i got to middle school i would ride to school (10 miles round trip) and i would ride to the mall (20 miles round trip) because i didn't have a car. I would ride to putt-putt and play video games or 10 miles away to play pickup basketball. Doing all that before the age of 14 shaped my lungs and heart to do things that a 300lb guy shouldn't be able to do. Just a theory at this point. But i can tell you that i have never had a problem with endurance my entire life. When i played basketball i was rarely tired or winded just ask Joe (college roomate and the other half of "The Wrecking Crew". The dang near unstoppable scoring duo in pickup b-ball)
Bottom line
no matter what my lungs have the potential for it's irrelevant if i don't put the work in. potential without hard work is a waste.
Motivation
Mo (Muhammad), my best friend and college roomate, pointed out that he will take a break from studying for the Pennsylvania Bar Exam to come to freakin' Idaho to cheer me on. And in his words "i aint gettin' on the plane if you ass is out of shape and can't finish" "you need to declare jihad on cheeseburgers bro" (he didn't say that one but it would have been funny if he did) "yo ass better finish, cuz i went to 3 years of law school to pass this test and i will be sacrificing time to see you, so don't let me down"
I won't Mo, I won't.
Diet: I will commit to planning breakfast every day next week. once i do that i will concentrate on adding more planned meals. (thanks mo)
Weight: 288.2
Swim: start on thursday
Bike: will commit to spin class after i can get my job schedule worked out
Run:
I will be filling out the run after i go to the gym after work today.
stay tuned...
well the RUN will remain blank for today. After work my baby gurl (girlfriend) came over (not my baby mama cuz i don't have one) I did do the core and knee exercises along with some pushups at home. My girlfriend can vouch for me on that one. Anyways, I hope you all have a safe and Happy (and responsible) New Years eve.
-strawberrry milkshake flavored whoppers dominator (ate the whole box)
Monday, December 31, 2007
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Man Down, Man Down...
This is just the stub for todays post. After the game i will post my full entry. Let the title entice you to come back tonight. stay tuned...
Weight 288.8
Run (i had the runs... doesn't that count?) j/k
Bike 26.7 miles in 3 hours with a coffee break
Swim still thinking about it
MAN DOWN!!!
Ok, so i did go on the mad duck coffee ride this morning. I was in better shape that i thought. the saddle felt good but maintaining the aero tuck was hard. I forget how long it takes to ride on the aero bars comfortably. Legs were pretty strong, Lungs were a little out of shape, back didn't feel tight until the car ride home so far all is well... FOR ME anyways.
One of my duck friends didn't fair that well. He is a pretty experienced rider and he's in pretty good shape most of the time. He's built like a rugby player so he's strong. thank goodness he is because he took a wicked bad tumble. I didn't see it but by the looks of things he flew probably 10 feet after he lost control and hit a curb going about 20 miles an hour. I think he landed mostly on his bulky ass and shoulder so it could have been worse. I think he might have dislocated his shoulder but i think he'll be ok. Crashes happen to everyone you just hope when you do it's not a bad one. We were close enough that a few riders went back to their cars to pick him up. the rest of us waited with him. at least i can say he didn't scream like that dude from taser video.
On the ride today we went past probably a dozen turkey vultures eating some road kill. No not the friend that crashed although if you poured some bbq sauce on him he'd probably be good vulture food. ok that was corny but i tried.
I am working posting my polar heart rate data online. It was working but then i changed internet providers and it stopped so i have to fix it.
diet: stir fried broccoli and veggies with lean pork from my favorite thai restaurant. left over chipotle for dinner.
-brah crowly sturh fry dominator
Weight 288.8
Run (i had the runs... doesn't that count?) j/k
Bike 26.7 miles in 3 hours with a coffee break
Swim still thinking about it
MAN DOWN!!!
Ok, so i did go on the mad duck coffee ride this morning. I was in better shape that i thought. the saddle felt good but maintaining the aero tuck was hard. I forget how long it takes to ride on the aero bars comfortably. Legs were pretty strong, Lungs were a little out of shape, back didn't feel tight until the car ride home so far all is well... FOR ME anyways.
One of my duck friends didn't fair that well. He is a pretty experienced rider and he's in pretty good shape most of the time. He's built like a rugby player so he's strong. thank goodness he is because he took a wicked bad tumble. I didn't see it but by the looks of things he flew probably 10 feet after he lost control and hit a curb going about 20 miles an hour. I think he landed mostly on his bulky ass and shoulder so it could have been worse. I think he might have dislocated his shoulder but i think he'll be ok. Crashes happen to everyone you just hope when you do it's not a bad one. We were close enough that a few riders went back to their cars to pick him up. the rest of us waited with him. at least i can say he didn't scream like that dude from taser video.
On the ride today we went past probably a dozen turkey vultures eating some road kill. No not the friend that crashed although if you poured some bbq sauce on him he'd probably be good vulture food. ok that was corny but i tried.
I am working posting my polar heart rate data online. It was working but then i changed internet providers and it stopped so i have to fix it.
diet: stir fried broccoli and veggies with lean pork from my favorite thai restaurant. left over chipotle for dinner.
-brah crowly sturh fry dominator
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Don't Tase Me Bro...
i just can't get enough of this clip. I don't know what's funnier the him yelling Don't tase me bro! or him screaming like a little ***ch after he gets tased. Ok, If i was a cop and i had a taser in my hand and some punk kid is yelling "don't tase me BRO" I'd have to tase him. I wouldn't be able to stop myself. I have been looking for a reason to include this clip on the blog but haven't had a good reason.
Swim+bike+run = 0 for today anyways.
Weight 289.8
50 degrees. that's dominator's magic number. I really don't like riding when it's colder than that. Colder than that and you can't feel your hands after about an hour and whether or not you wear shoe covers you feet go numb. Not to mention the never ending trail of snot. Just keepin' it real. stay tuned...
Diet: 1 regular burger from McDonalds (didn't eat anything until 4:30pm so i was getting dizzy), 1/3 of chipotle burrito bowl. That's it.
Might go riding tomorrow morning depending on if i can get up in time and if it's not toooo cold. That's it for now. btw the stupid patriots just went 16-0 for the regular season.
-chipotle dominator
Swim+bike+run = 0 for today anyways.
Weight 289.8
50 degrees. that's dominator's magic number. I really don't like riding when it's colder than that. Colder than that and you can't feel your hands after about an hour and whether or not you wear shoe covers you feet go numb. Not to mention the never ending trail of snot. Just keepin' it real. stay tuned...
Diet: 1 regular burger from McDonalds (didn't eat anything until 4:30pm so i was getting dizzy), 1/3 of chipotle burrito bowl. That's it.
Might go riding tomorrow morning depending on if i can get up in time and if it's not toooo cold. That's it for now. btw the stupid patriots just went 16-0 for the regular season.
-chipotle dominator
Friday, December 28, 2007
Awake...
This is an early post but i will update it more later. I am trying to decide if I am going to the gym tonight. It's Friday so i am supposed to but I haven't figured out if i am or not because of the long weekend.
Anyways, I was thinking about when i started training for TRIs there was this commercial from nike that was CRAZY motivating. It didn't have anyone biking but it had people running and swimming and amare stoudemire doing his knee rehab exercises. It makes me want to jump out of bed and get my ass to work (and i don't mean writing software) FYI, the guy that owns the .com i work for is the same guy that owns the dallas mavericks. will add in my stats later today stay tuned...
alright i just got off the scale
288.4
I will be at the gym after work today fo' shizzle my nizzles. stay tuned...
Well, i did go the gym after work and did my usual.
Swim: i will start wednesday, thursday, or friday this week for sure.
Bike: below dominator approved temp today.
Run: .68 miles in 10 (getting better)
RUN NFO
Ok, so you're wondering what is going on with my run. basically, i run at 5mph until my hr monitor hits 190 bpm. then i walk it out well not like that but u know what i mean. 3.5 is my walk it out speed.
Diet: CRAP ALL DAY!!! Burrito, Chips and guac, Egg nog, Coffee, and sausage rolls.
4th meal
I played halo3 until like 4 in the morning then i ended up going the the donut shop and eating crap. I will do better today for sure...CUZ I CAN'T MUCH DO WORSE.
-sausage roll dominator
Anyways, I was thinking about when i started training for TRIs there was this commercial from nike that was CRAZY motivating. It didn't have anyone biking but it had people running and swimming and amare stoudemire doing his knee rehab exercises. It makes me want to jump out of bed and get my ass to work (and i don't mean writing software) FYI, the guy that owns the .com i work for is the same guy that owns the dallas mavericks. will add in my stats later today stay tuned...
alright i just got off the scale
288.4
I will be at the gym after work today fo' shizzle my nizzles. stay tuned...
Well, i did go the gym after work and did my usual.
Swim: i will start wednesday, thursday, or friday this week for sure.
Bike: below dominator approved temp today.
Run: .68 miles in 10 (getting better)
RUN NFO
Ok, so you're wondering what is going on with my run. basically, i run at 5mph until my hr monitor hits 190 bpm. then i walk it out well not like that but u know what i mean. 3.5 is my walk it out speed.
Diet: CRAP ALL DAY!!! Burrito, Chips and guac, Egg nog, Coffee, and sausage rolls.
4th meal
I played halo3 until like 4 in the morning then i ended up going the the donut shop and eating crap. I will do better today for sure...CUZ I CAN'T MUCH DO WORSE.
-sausage roll dominator
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Off Day...
I was too dang tired to do anything but talk to the girlfriend (Calisa, Luv ya babe) and lay in the bed. The back is troubling me a little but for the most part it's good. The core work is paying off cuz' i lost 2 inches in the waist. My belt went to the other notch with ease that's how i know.
My old roommate Jake was asking what my weight was when we lived together last December... I weighed 273 last December and when we started rooming together i weighed in at 248.
Weight 286.4
Swim+Bike+Run = 0 (it does say day off)
Diet: Coffee, Medium lunch (subway 6in), Dinner medium (12in subway) 9 candy canes total today.
I will be working out a minimum of 3 days a week from here till race day. My workouts are progressive. Meaning when i do start swimming and biking they won't drop off of the calendar. Next week I am committing to start swimming one day week till race day. I will be waiting for warmer weather before adding in the cycling.
Cycling...
What all y'all should know about me at this point is that LUUUUUUUVVVVV riding bikes. I love it. I have 3 Bikes. All are boutique bikes and all were purchased at my HOME SHOP. Much luv to Mad Duck. 2 of my bikes are custom, meaning they were made for my height, weight, body geometry. To say they fit like a glove is an understatement. they fit like my arm to my body. I have a Griffen Tri Bike, Moots Road bike, and a Moots Mountain bike. I will go more into the boring details of my bikes some other time but i am sure some of you wanted to know what i sit on for so many miles.
2007 Cycling Numbers (these are for all my bikes combined)
Mileage: 4754 Miles (ride from my house [dallas] to NY then to seattle)
Time: 1031 Hours (ride 24 hours a day for 6 weeks non stop)
Calories: 77,352 (don't even know how to equate that, maybe a cheese burger IV)
I missed my goal of 5000 but I will more than make up for it this year.
Dr. Phil (the asian one) my high school and college friend pointed out that I am don't have the best start at this point. I couldn't agree more. If you look how much i rode not even counting the distance i swam I should be 200lbs. But I love to eat. Hopefully this blog will keep me motivated and accountable so i choose more healthy and less bad foods.
that's it for now
-candy cane dominator
My old roommate Jake was asking what my weight was when we lived together last December... I weighed 273 last December and when we started rooming together i weighed in at 248.
Weight 286.4
Swim+Bike+Run = 0 (it does say day off)
Diet: Coffee, Medium lunch (subway 6in), Dinner medium (12in subway) 9 candy canes total today.
I will be working out a minimum of 3 days a week from here till race day. My workouts are progressive. Meaning when i do start swimming and biking they won't drop off of the calendar. Next week I am committing to start swimming one day week till race day. I will be waiting for warmer weather before adding in the cycling.
Cycling...
What all y'all should know about me at this point is that LUUUUUUUVVVVV riding bikes. I love it. I have 3 Bikes. All are boutique bikes and all were purchased at my HOME SHOP. Much luv to Mad Duck. 2 of my bikes are custom, meaning they were made for my height, weight, body geometry. To say they fit like a glove is an understatement. they fit like my arm to my body. I have a Griffen Tri Bike, Moots Road bike, and a Moots Mountain bike. I will go more into the boring details of my bikes some other time but i am sure some of you wanted to know what i sit on for so many miles.
2007 Cycling Numbers (these are for all my bikes combined)
Mileage: 4754 Miles (ride from my house [dallas] to NY then to seattle)
Time: 1031 Hours (ride 24 hours a day for 6 weeks non stop)
Calories: 77,352 (don't even know how to equate that, maybe a cheese burger IV)
I missed my goal of 5000 but I will more than make up for it this year.
Dr. Phil (the asian one) my high school and college friend pointed out that I am don't have the best start at this point. I couldn't agree more. If you look how much i rode not even counting the distance i swam I should be 200lbs. But I love to eat. Hopefully this blog will keep me motivated and accountable so i choose more healthy and less bad foods.
that's it for now
-candy cane dominator
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Day after Christmas...
Yo everybody, hope everybody had a good Christmas.
Today i went to gym and did the usual.
Swim...Thinking about it
Bike... TOO DANG COLD!!!
Run... .64 miles in 10 minutes
Weight 287.2
Diet: Coffee for breakfast, mid morning snack and after lunch (with cream and sugar of course) what should we call that...Medium??? Lunch was 6in roasted chicken from subway so we'll call it medium. Dinner... Steak and shake double burger combo. Hmmm... we'll call that medium too :-)
Motivation\Inspiration: [new section] If i have some some nugget of inspiration I will tell you guys also if it's a day where people are being discouraging then i'll share that too. Today my motivation came from my Iron-buddy Byron. He made a crack about my weight gain but it was all in fun. He told me he saw my name on the CDA Ironman list. YUP that's me i said. He told me to let him know anytime i need a training buddy and he'd help me out.
Iron-Byron
I met "iron-byron" at the gym in the pool one day. I gave him a couple of pointers because i was trained by a world class swimmer (stacy). I can swim a mile non-stop in just under 45 minutes. Not bad for a 287.2 pound man. [side note: the largest animal in the world is a whale and they swim all day. so in the water, for endurance, size doesn't matter] Back to the story. The next day i saw him again at a 5:45am spin class and the funny thing was after the spin class we both went to the treadmills. It was at that point i realized he was a triathlete too. We got to know each other a little better while we kept bumping into each other at the gym. He recommended the bike shop that i now call my home...Mad Duck. I'll talk more about Mad Duck at another time but lets just say they make you feel like family there. Anyways, Byron is a really good guy. All 5'2", 125lbs of him :-)
that's it for now
-steak n shake double burger dominator
Today i went to gym and did the usual.
Swim...Thinking about it
Bike... TOO DANG COLD!!!
Run... .64 miles in 10 minutes
Weight 287.2
Diet: Coffee for breakfast, mid morning snack and after lunch (with cream and sugar of course) what should we call that...Medium??? Lunch was 6in roasted chicken from subway so we'll call it medium. Dinner... Steak and shake double burger combo. Hmmm... we'll call that medium too :-)
Motivation\Inspiration: [new section] If i have some some nugget of inspiration I will tell you guys also if it's a day where people are being discouraging then i'll share that too. Today my motivation came from my Iron-buddy Byron. He made a crack about my weight gain but it was all in fun. He told me he saw my name on the CDA Ironman list. YUP that's me i said. He told me to let him know anytime i need a training buddy and he'd help me out.
Iron-Byron
I met "iron-byron" at the gym in the pool one day. I gave him a couple of pointers because i was trained by a world class swimmer (stacy). I can swim a mile non-stop in just under 45 minutes. Not bad for a 287.2 pound man. [side note: the largest animal in the world is a whale and they swim all day. so in the water, for endurance, size doesn't matter] Back to the story. The next day i saw him again at a 5:45am spin class and the funny thing was after the spin class we both went to the treadmills. It was at that point i realized he was a triathlete too. We got to know each other a little better while we kept bumping into each other at the gym. He recommended the bike shop that i now call my home...Mad Duck. I'll talk more about Mad Duck at another time but lets just say they make you feel like family there. Anyways, Byron is a really good guy. All 5'2", 125lbs of him :-)
that's it for now
-steak n shake double burger dominator
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Merry Christmas...
Merry Christmas Everyone
Didn't bother weighing this morning. Ate crap food all day and the best workout i had was swinging an axe at an empty can of popcorn. I had some stress to relieve so it felt good. I will try to get to the gym tomorrow after work fo' some mo' co', knee and back exercise and the obligatory treadmill challenge. When we the weather gets nicer i'll get some riding in. For now I am wish all my readers a very Merry Christmas.
-(egg nog) dominator
Didn't bother weighing this morning. Ate crap food all day and the best workout i had was swinging an axe at an empty can of popcorn. I had some stress to relieve so it felt good. I will try to get to the gym tomorrow after work fo' some mo' co', knee and back exercise and the obligatory treadmill challenge. When we the weather gets nicer i'll get some riding in. For now I am wish all my readers a very Merry Christmas.
-(egg nog) dominator
Christmas Eve...
All right, today this triathlete chick was at the bike shop with her kid and husband and she was like "YOU'RE going to do an IRONMAN..." "Do you know how HARD they are?" "Did you know Coure D'Alene is one of the toughest?" I was like "No i didn't but i can tell you that i will do it or get injured trying" She was like "Good luck" Geez, the nerve of some people. To the stats:
Weight 290.2
Diet Bad... It's the holidays whatcha expect?
Workout: Legs, core, pushups
Swim 0
Bike 0
New rules on the run. Until i can run a 10 minute mile I will record my run as distance run in 10 minutes. I am too fat and slow right now to stay on the treadmill longer than that. So you ready for it...
Run .62 miles in 10 minutes
yes that is a whopping POINT 62 miles in 10 minutes. I have to run a marathon in under six months (after swimming 2.4 miles and riding 112). How far have i run at one time??? 5.7 miles!!! I will do this. Stay tuned.
Weight 290.2
Diet Bad... It's the holidays whatcha expect?
Workout: Legs, core, pushups
Swim 0
Bike 0
New rules on the run. Until i can run a 10 minute mile I will record my run as distance run in 10 minutes. I am too fat and slow right now to stay on the treadmill longer than that. So you ready for it...
Run .62 miles in 10 minutes
yes that is a whopping POINT 62 miles in 10 minutes. I have to run a marathon in under six months (after swimming 2.4 miles and riding 112). How far have i run at one time??? 5.7 miles!!! I will do this. Stay tuned.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Pain in the back...
Workout: None
Weight: 288.2
Diet: Breakfast Bad, Lunch Good, Dinner Medium
I had to go the dr. today to get some meds for the ole back. Laid in bed most of the day but trying to make sure i can do a little working out tomorrow on Christmas Eve. Mostly back and core strenghening exercises. I wish playing Halo would count as a workout. Hopefully there will be more to discuss tomorrow. The only really bad news is that i bought some egg nog at the store and i will be drinking it ;-)
Happy Holidays Y'all
Weight: 288.2
Diet: Breakfast Bad, Lunch Good, Dinner Medium
I had to go the dr. today to get some meds for the ole back. Laid in bed most of the day but trying to make sure i can do a little working out tomorrow on Christmas Eve. Mostly back and core strenghening exercises. I wish playing Halo would count as a workout. Hopefully there will be more to discuss tomorrow. The only really bad news is that i bought some egg nog at the store and i will be drinking it ;-)
Happy Holidays Y'all
Saturday, December 22, 2007
The Journey Defined
Ironman = 140.6 miles of pain (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run[marathon distance])
The Accident
I have to start somewhere so here it goes. It all started one Sunday afternoon July 10th 2005. That was the day I tore my ACL for the 3rd time while playing basketball. Anyone who knew me before this date knew how passionate I was about playing basketball. In college I scheduled my classes around making sure I could be at Gimble Rec Center on Friday afternoons to get the best “runs” in.
Giving up B-Ball
I weighed my lowest in years on 7/10 225lbs. BTW I have not gotten back there since. It is amazing how many calories you burn playing basketball. Back to the story. I had ACL reconstruction surgery on July 29th that year. After that surgery I decided that I would have to put the sport that defined me as person for so many years behind me. I knew if I ever played basketball again I would tear my knee to shreds and it would be better for me to just give it up and do something else. But what???
The Commercial
I am guessing it was about August 1st 2005 (guessing because I was high on pain meds) when I saw this Gatorade commercial. The commercial had Keith Jackson narrating and it featured this Ironman triathlete named Chris Legh. The commercial talked about Chris had almost died of dehydration in 1997 while competing in the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii but how he “snapped the tape” at the 2004 Coeur D’Alene (Idaho) Ironman. After watching the commercial I thought “I can do that”. Mind you I was still high on pain meds but I was resolute “I can do this”.
The Meeting
I had been going to knee rehab for a few weeks when one fateful day my regular PT (physical therapist) wasn’t there. There was this kinda cute replacement that day named Stacy. Anyone who knows me knows I like to talk. Strangers are friends you haven’t made yet. Maybe I was still delirious from vicodin but I was telling Stacy about how I was going to the an Ironman. She must have thought I was crazy but she was like “I do triathlons” I was like really? I said let me guess you’re a swimmer? She was like how’d you know my shoulders? Yeah, its kinda obvious. But she said if I needed some swim lessons she’d be available. I told her I would take her up on it one day.
SWIM BIKE RUN
The truth is up to this point in my life the furthest I have swam nonstop was 25 meters (one trip down in a gym size pool), the furthest I had biked was about 20 miles on my mountain bike (I had never owned a road bike), the furthest I had run was a 5k which I did on a treadmill on my 30th birthday (about a month before the accident.
First Steps
October 10th(or close to it) I set up times to meet Stacy for swim practice. I bought a road bike. I bought some running shoes. I turned out be a decent swimmer, and my big legs and lungs helped me on the road bike more than I ever anticipated, but the run… let’s just say I am glad you don’t drown if you decide to walk.
Fast Forward
My first triathlon was on 3/11/2006 in Athens, TX. It was a sprint distance (300m swim, 14 mile bike, 5k run). I weighed in at 248. I of course was in the Clydesdale class and I had a respectable time considering I had my timer chip fall to the bottom of the pool twice. I did 2 other sprint triathlons that year along with riding in the MS 150 (150 mile bike over 2 days) with an average speed of around 19mph, I ran in a 5k and competed in 3 mountain bike races. I even got meet the guy in the Gatorade commercial and took a picture with him. I told him he inspired me and that I picked my first Ironman (CDA) because of him.
2007
I only did 1 triathlon and my weight had ballooned up to 294.4 at one point. I lost 17 lbs in November but put most of that back on so far in December. Today December 22nd 2007 I weigh in at 288.0.
Blog rules
This blog will document my 6 month journey from today 12/22/2007 till the day of the race 6/22/2008. This blog will only deal with my weight, diet and training. I will keep personal things about my job and family out the blog unless it is necessary and relevant. My meals will be categorized into 3 main groups. Bad, Medium, and Good. Bad, we all know (pizza, hamburgers, fries, sugary drinks), Medium are foods that could be bad but made healthier or good foods made a little bad (homemade burgers low in fat, salads with full fat dressing, subway sandwiches with cheese and dressing) then there’s the good stuff (steamed veggies, salads with vinaigrette, grilled chicken, salmon) you get the picture. I will at the very minimum document my weight and if I do a workout I will tell you what kind.
Reason
I need to keep myself accountable and by you reading this and knowing it’s out there will help me do that.
Current Stats
Weight 288, Swim 0 times weekly, Bike 0 times weekly, Run for 1m 40sec minutes at 5mph. My diet can best be described as transitional. Stay TUNED!
The Accident
I have to start somewhere so here it goes. It all started one Sunday afternoon July 10th 2005. That was the day I tore my ACL for the 3rd time while playing basketball. Anyone who knew me before this date knew how passionate I was about playing basketball. In college I scheduled my classes around making sure I could be at Gimble Rec Center on Friday afternoons to get the best “runs” in.
Giving up B-Ball
I weighed my lowest in years on 7/10 225lbs. BTW I have not gotten back there since. It is amazing how many calories you burn playing basketball. Back to the story. I had ACL reconstruction surgery on July 29th that year. After that surgery I decided that I would have to put the sport that defined me as person for so many years behind me. I knew if I ever played basketball again I would tear my knee to shreds and it would be better for me to just give it up and do something else. But what???
The Commercial
I am guessing it was about August 1st 2005 (guessing because I was high on pain meds) when I saw this Gatorade commercial. The commercial had Keith Jackson narrating and it featured this Ironman triathlete named Chris Legh. The commercial talked about Chris had almost died of dehydration in 1997 while competing in the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii but how he “snapped the tape” at the 2004 Coeur D’Alene (Idaho) Ironman. After watching the commercial I thought “I can do that”. Mind you I was still high on pain meds but I was resolute “I can do this”.
The Meeting
I had been going to knee rehab for a few weeks when one fateful day my regular PT (physical therapist) wasn’t there. There was this kinda cute replacement that day named Stacy. Anyone who knows me knows I like to talk. Strangers are friends you haven’t made yet. Maybe I was still delirious from vicodin but I was telling Stacy about how I was going to the an Ironman. She must have thought I was crazy but she was like “I do triathlons” I was like really? I said let me guess you’re a swimmer? She was like how’d you know my shoulders? Yeah, its kinda obvious. But she said if I needed some swim lessons she’d be available. I told her I would take her up on it one day.
SWIM BIKE RUN
The truth is up to this point in my life the furthest I have swam nonstop was 25 meters (one trip down in a gym size pool), the furthest I had biked was about 20 miles on my mountain bike (I had never owned a road bike), the furthest I had run was a 5k which I did on a treadmill on my 30th birthday (about a month before the accident.
First Steps
October 10th(or close to it) I set up times to meet Stacy for swim practice. I bought a road bike. I bought some running shoes. I turned out be a decent swimmer, and my big legs and lungs helped me on the road bike more than I ever anticipated, but the run… let’s just say I am glad you don’t drown if you decide to walk.
Fast Forward
My first triathlon was on 3/11/2006 in Athens, TX. It was a sprint distance (300m swim, 14 mile bike, 5k run). I weighed in at 248. I of course was in the Clydesdale class and I had a respectable time considering I had my timer chip fall to the bottom of the pool twice. I did 2 other sprint triathlons that year along with riding in the MS 150 (150 mile bike over 2 days) with an average speed of around 19mph, I ran in a 5k and competed in 3 mountain bike races. I even got meet the guy in the Gatorade commercial and took a picture with him. I told him he inspired me and that I picked my first Ironman (CDA) because of him.
2007
I only did 1 triathlon and my weight had ballooned up to 294.4 at one point. I lost 17 lbs in November but put most of that back on so far in December. Today December 22nd 2007 I weigh in at 288.0.
Blog rules
This blog will document my 6 month journey from today 12/22/2007 till the day of the race 6/22/2008. This blog will only deal with my weight, diet and training. I will keep personal things about my job and family out the blog unless it is necessary and relevant. My meals will be categorized into 3 main groups. Bad, Medium, and Good. Bad, we all know (pizza, hamburgers, fries, sugary drinks), Medium are foods that could be bad but made healthier or good foods made a little bad (homemade burgers low in fat, salads with full fat dressing, subway sandwiches with cheese and dressing) then there’s the good stuff (steamed veggies, salads with vinaigrette, grilled chicken, salmon) you get the picture. I will at the very minimum document my weight and if I do a workout I will tell you what kind.
Reason
I need to keep myself accountable and by you reading this and knowing it’s out there will help me do that.
Current Stats
Weight 288, Swim 0 times weekly, Bike 0 times weekly, Run for 1m 40sec minutes at 5mph. My diet can best be described as transitional. Stay TUNED!
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