Hi. I’m Pat and I’m
addicted to triathlon. They say that
admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery. The problem is not that I want to quit and
can’t; the problem is that there isn’t enough time or money to train and race
as much as I would like.
I guess I should start
by saying that I’m nowhere near being an elite or professional athlete. I’m in my 40s and could easily compete in the
Clydesdale division (and no…it’s not muscle).
My times are in the lower end of the middle of the pack. I’m pretty sure that I will never stand on a
podium at the end of a race, but I sure do love the sport!
As a kid I would ride
my bike all over my small town. I spent
my summers at the local swimming pool. I
even joined a swim team one year because a girl that I liked was doing it. I ran track and cross country in high
school. In college, I relied on my
youthful corvette-like metabolism to process enough pizza, beer, and Ramen to feed a small country. I would occasionally go for a run to
recapture the glory days of my 5 minute miles in high school only to regret
even lacing up my old shoes. I quit
college to join the Navy and was forced (sort of) to get back into shape. Again, my youthful metabolism and moderate
muscle memory allowed me to pass my semi-annual physical training tests without
putting in much effort.
Then I turned 30.
It was like my corvette
metabolism had suddenly turned into a pinto trying to pull a camper through the
Rockies! Holy Crap! The number on the scale passed the 200 mark
and I could no longer rely on my youthful metabolism or muscle memory to get me
through my Navy PT tests. I started
running regularly to keep the scale in check.
I ran my first marathon at age 36.
Unfortunately, it didn’t do much to get the scale down.
Now there were a
handful of guys with whom I worked that were big-time cyclists. I remembered how much I enjoyed riding my
bike all over town as a kid. I convinced
my wife to let me spend a good chunk of change on a decent bike with the
promise that I would commute to work on most days and the bike would pay for
itself in time. It did! I rode a couple thousand miles in the first
year that I had the bike. I had
different commuting distances from 7 to 10 to 15 miles depending on how I was
feeling that day. My commutes now are about 17 miles one-way.
A few guys that I
worked with were active triathletes; I think three of them had even completed
multiple Ironman races. They talked me
into signing up for a sprint. At age 38,
I completed my first sprint…and I was hooked!
I was training, dieting, and doing great! I lost a ton of weight and was reaping the
benefits of my newfound addiction.
Then in 2014, while I
was training for an Olympic tri, I gained 20 pounds in about 6 weeks. What the hell!? After ruling out tumors and cancer, I was
diagnosed with hypothyroidism. Not life
threatening, but still not cool!
So now, at 41 and about
220 pounds, I certainly don’t look like a triathlete. I don’t see myself as
competing against anyone by myself, but I love the sport. I love the friends and family that I have who
push me to swim, ride, and run faster. I
love the comradery of the athletes at the races; everyone is supportive and
encouraging.
In 12 weeks, I will
complete my first Half Ironman. This is
my journey.
Awesome!
ReplyDeleteKeep training.
Keep writing.