I’ve been fortunate as a soldier to have more time than I should to devote to my triathlon training. I’ve been able to afford approximately 10-14 workouts of 30 minutes to 1.5 hours each week and as a result I have been able to devote time to running, swimming, biking, and weight training.

I honestly believe that I am in the best shape of my life and I cannot wait to get back to the states and test my PR’s on the same routes I used to run. We found out that we’d be coming back early (In April as opposed to August), so not only will I get more training in early in the year, but I will be back in time to hit the beginning legs of the North Carolina Triathlon Series.

Keep an eye out for some videos and runcasts where I will try to chronicle my journey for you to see how I train and prepare for my 2009 triathlon season. I’ve got goals to carry the momentum from my high altitude sessions here in Afghanistan back to the US and place in the top 5 overall in the NCTS. I’m planning on Augusta Ironman 70.3 later in the year and believe me when I say this: I am going to race with a vengeance.

I may be a soldier, but I plan on earning my mantle of “The Triathlon Man,” so don’t be surprised when you see me on the cover of Triathlete magazine soon.

There are 3 Phases to my plan and they are broken down into a beginning phase, an intermediate amateur phase, and a final “pro-push” phase. Each phase contains a list of goals and achievements necessary to reach the next, as well as a date by which I hope to enter each phase.

Phase I: (Spring 2009)

• Finish a Sprint Triathlon
• Finish an Olympic Triathlon
• Reach top 10 in a Sprint Triathlon
• Reach top 10 in an Olympic Triathlon
• Become a USAT Member
• Enter the NC Triathlon Series and make the top 10%
• Reach a 1:25:00 time in a Sprint Triathlon
• Reach a 2:50:00 Olympic Triathlon Time

Phase II: (Fall 2009)

• Finish top 3 in a Sprint Triathlon
• Finish top 3 in an Olympic Triathlon
• Finish an Ironman 70.3 Race
• Get a Press Release or Article Published About My Efforts
• Finish top 10 in the NC Triathlon Series
• Rank in top 10% of  USAT Athletes
• Win a Local Triathlon

Phase III: (Fall 2010)

• Finish a Full Ironman
• Finish in the top 10% of an Ironman 70.3
• Reach #1 in NC Triathlon Series
• Reach the 70.3 Ironman Championships

I will keep regular training logs as well as updates to my plan if any changes need to be made due to circumstance or other external occurances. As you can see, I’ve got my work cut out for me!

My Story

A lot of people laugh when I tell them I am going to become a professional triathlete and ultramarathon runner. I often laugh in return and withold a response so that I don’t waste my time rationalizing my dreams to those that will never understand them. To quote one of my favorite poets:

But I, being poor, have only my dreams; I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

WB Yeats

Running is moving meditation. Running helps me restore sanity and peace to a chaotic world. Running is where I do my best thinking, where I reach my highest motivation, and where I find God. The more I run, the more I find that I am born to run. Running is primal and it feels great to reach that point where mind must override the body.  Simply put: I love running.

As for the rest of the equation, I never thought I would enjoy cycling. I used to watch cyclists and wonder why they would spend all day on a bike risking accidents and looking crazy in their clothes. Then I started cycling. There is something unique about hitting the open road on a bike and feeling the wind zip past you. Were it not for the discomfort of the saddle, I could spend all day on a bike travelling across the world. It is a fabulous way to connect with the spirit of the road.

Swimming is something I used to do as a child and then lost as I got older. However, being in the water is a very curious feeling, especially in the ocean. Swimming laps is ok, but swimming in open water is where the real fun is. Maybe it is the idea of reconnecting with our one-celled ancestors or just being in a different world, but like the other two sports, I could swim all day if time would allow.

My First Triathlon

I saw the Kona Championships on TV several years ago and was enthralled with the competitive spirit on display. I swore that someday I would become an Ironman, but years went by and I found myself moving in the opposite direction. Then, I went through some sort of internal metamorphasis and my life started changing in more ways than one. I stopped bad habits and started better habits and as my well-being and health increased, I realized that I’d left some dreams on the shelf. I started running and became addicted to it. I started 5k races, then 10k races, then moved on to half-marathons and 10 mile races. Pretty soon I was knocking things off of my list that I thought I’d never accomplish. I was becoming the guy I wanted to be and it was an amazing feeling.

I no longer went to bed feeling as if I hadn’t accomplished enough, for I was accomplishing more. However, there was still one thing left to do…a triathlon. The problem was I didn’t really have access to a pool or a bike, but I made it work by getting a 10 day trial to a local club and buying a cheap mountain bike. I was already in running shape, so I signed up for a sprint triathlon and figured if I didn’t do it now I’d never do it. So I spent the next 10 days training in the pool and on the road as much as I could. I didn’t get nearly as much training in as I wanted but nevertheless I showed up on race day nervous and excited. I was one of 2 or 3 with a mountain bike and I definiately got some strange looks, but I was not deterred.

The gun went off and I spent the next 15 minutes getting kicked in the face in freezing water, but the rush was amazing! Finally getting out of the lake I ran to my bike on exhausted legs and struggled for approximately an hour and 10 minutes covering the 17 mile 2nd leg. I dropped off my bike and started running and kept thinking to myself that I was amazed by how much fun I was having. I passed a good deal of people on the run and crossed the finish line with my family proudly watching. I’ll never forget the look in their eyes as they watched me accomplish a dream. I’d finally done it, and who knew it would be so fun?

The Aftermath

So now I’d been bitten by the Triathlon bug and there was nowhere to go but forward. I convinced my wife to let me buy a bike, a model similar to this: Trek 1000 Racing Bike and I have started training intensely. I am currently making my plan to become a pro-triathlete and I intend to reach Kona in 2 years. I know it won’t be easy, and there is a lot of sacrificing to do, but I’ll enjoy every minute of it. Once you’ve been bitten by the triathlon bug, there is no going back. It is time to become what I promised I would be. I’ll see you there.

I ran in the 12th Annual Army Birthday 10-miler as a chance to get some mileage in and see if I could get close to my current half-marathon pace goal, which is 1:35:00, 7:15 min/mile. The race started early, which was great but I really wasn’t as prepared as I would have liked to have been. I’d only run 1 other race this distance or more and I had been doing 4-5 mile runs as preparation, which is much less than I was doing before the heat wave came to town.

There were nearly 1,000 people for the run and they had us line up at markers with pace times. I went to the 7:45/min pace marker and found myself somewhere near the first 250 or so runners. At the gun, I was amazed by how many people sprinted out of the gate and as usual they drug me with them.

I hit the first mile at about 6:50 and started to panic, so I slowed down. I couldn’t believe I had run that fast for the first mile, but at the time I didn’t feel bad or winded, so I only slowed down a bit. I started to settle into a nice 7:15 pace and was happy to see the course was pretty flat.

As I neared the turn-around point, I started feeling a little dehydrated and my legs were aching. I used a water station to pour some water over my head and used the mental high of knowing I was halfway through to turn it up a notch. I could feel the humidity getting to me as I neared mile 7 and noticed my pace was slowing to  7:40 or so, but I couldn’t seem to pick it up. I hit the finish at 1:17:04 chip time and felt very much out of gas. Overall, I finished 133rd out of about 900, so I accomplished my usual goal of finishing in the top 25%, but I was disappointed I couldn’t do more than a 7:42 pace. I realize I have got to put in more mileage and speed work. I don’t have any races planned for the next few weeks, so I will take this time to get plenty of training in.