Another Entry for the Bucket List

My bucket list has a few events on it that one day I hope to participate in. The Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon is one such event. Today, I learned of another one.

The RocketMan Triathlon. 

What makes this event worthy of a spot on the bucket list? The triathlon takes place on central Florida's Space Coast, and the bike course takes place inside the gates of the Kennedy Space Center, around the major landmarks of America's space program!

Biking around some of the historic areas and scenery of the American space era? Yes please! For me this is yet another example of geek worlds colliding. 

Three distances will be offered, Classic+ (sprint), International+ (Olympic), and half Iron. The "+" for the Classic and International is because the bike course will be 34 miles for both to allow for the ride through the Kennedy Space Center. 

Registration for the inaugural race on May 5, 2013 opens on September 1st, and it is almost assured that the 800 spots available for each distance will fill up quickly. 

How *not* to Train for a Triathlon

Those who are regular visitors to this blog may remember me saying several months ago that I was racing in the Spudman Triathlon again this year. Well, that is still the case.

What also hasn’t changed since that announcement is my preparations for this year’s race. Back then, I hadn’t ran for several months due to a tear in my right ankle, and the only swimming I had done was taking my kids to the pool – this was in part to my work schedule changing, preventing me from going in to the gym early in the morning before work. I am not happy to report that I still haven’t swam any more than a couple of laps, and the only running I have done has been on a hotel treadmill.

Cycling is the only part of the triathlon that I have had any regular, continuing exposure to, with my multi-modal commuting to work, regular charity and group rides, and having a friend who wants to go riding at almost any and all opportunity.

So with a little more than 2 weeks to go, I finally renewed my membership to the local pool/gym, and will spend several evenings there relearning my form and working on my stroke. I will also be getting out on the trails around town and try to get some miles under the sneakers.

I don’t doubt my ability to finish an Olympic-distance triathlon such as the Spudman, but I do doubt my chances of improving on last year’s time – which wasn’t stellar by any means.

Definitely not the way to train for a triathlon.

Planters Tree-Athlon

Saw this commercial on the TV yesterday. 

It is so on...

My 15-year-old daughter just texted me saying that she's knocked 2 minutes off of her indoor mile. I guess they make them run track for gym at her high school.

I text her back saying that's great and she is probably faster than me in the run, but I can crush her on the bike.

I guess some explaining is in order here.

Last August, my daughter participated in her first sprint triathlon, she did this for her personal progress portion of the Young Women medallion from our church. I sat on the sidelines, cheering her on, the whole time kicking myself for not signing up to race with her. I participated in my firs triathlon later on in November.

Both of us are signed up for the Bountiful Triathlon on August 14th this year.

The text-smack talk continues: "You're hilarious. I'm young and stretchy. I could come close to beating you"

Sounds like a challenge. Oh, it is so on....

Spudman!

After reading the title, some of you may be wondering what this post is about.  You may think that I picked up my subscription to Spudman magazine,

"The Voice of the Potato Industry"

While it does look like a compelling read, sadly that is not the case.  What the title is referring to is the Burley Lions Club Spudman Triathlon.

everything is blurrier in Idaho - seriously, I could only find this one logo for the Spudman Tri online.

Thanks to a friend (Thanks, Steve) who works for one of the sponsors of the Spudman Tri, I was able to get into it even though registration was closed. 

So, I have an Olympic-distance triathlon coming up in slightly less than 3 months time.  Probably should put down the diet-coke, and start training. 

Seriously, with only 3 months until the race there are a few things that I need to do.

1. Hotel room - this is a popular race.  We checked a few of the hotels to see if we could get a room... no vacancy.  Fortunately, Kelly has family living in the Burley area.  Hope they don't mind having a houseguest for an evening? 
2. Wetsuit - I went down to PowerTri to rent a wetsuit. This was the first time that I have tried on a wetsuit.   That was an interesting sensation, being encased in a rubber suit from my wrists to my ankles.  I felt like a sausage. 
3. Training - I haven't been near a swimming pool to swim laps since last November, and haven't ran since then either.  I need to get going. 

I'm sure that there are many other things I need to do in the next three months, I just can't think of them right now.

Oh, and another note.  I'll be doing this triathlon on a completely plant-based diet.  Go vegan!

I'm doing a Triathlon!

I have a little less than a year until I am 40 (April 2nd, for those of you who would like to get me a gift

A couple of years ago, I decided that I wanted to do something big, something extraordinary to herald in 40 years of breathing. But I didn't have any clue what. Most of my ideas centered around the bicycle, since that is what I enjoy doing

I had mentioned wanting to do a triathlon in the past, but seeing how I hate to run, and didn't have access to a swimming pool - let me re-phrase that. There is a pool relatively near my house, but my work and commuting schedule made it impossible to get to the pool for a workout - that didn't seem likely

I have several friends who run, and a couple who have done a triathlon. they have said that I could do a triathlon, especially with my strength on the bicycle. I always brushed it off, falling back on my lack of access to a facility to train in. I would chant the mantra, "if only... if only..." to deflect any further prodding from them . While deep in the back of my mind wish, "if I could figure out a way..."

After a while, that little voice in the back of my mind got quieter, and I didn't think about it much any more.

Then one of my cyclist friends said that he was going to do the Spudman Triathlon in Burley, Idaho, and that little voice gained some strength (the Burley area is, for those of you who don't know, is where my lovely wife, Kelly grew up) Then I found a childhood friend on Facebook who is a triathlete, and the little voice got a bit louder. Then, some ladies in my ward mentioned training for a local triathlon, and the little voice gained some more strength, Then my commuting arrangements changed, which would give me time to go to the pool before work, and suddenly that voice in the back of my mind wasn't so little. Then I talked to a guy at church who is training with his wife for a triathlon, and talked a friend who just completed the Ragnar Relay Wasatch Back 170 mile relay race as part of a 12 man team, and the voice was screaming "YOU CAN DO A TRIATHLON!"

So I decided that I am going to do a triathlon sometime before I turn 41. Everything I have read says that if you intend to do something, the first step is to announce it, so you have people who will publicly and mercilessly ridicule you if you wuss out of it. Then you send in your non-refundable, non-transferable registration fee so you are financially tied to that race. I am currently somewhere inbetween steps 1 and 2. This, along with telling my friends, is my anouncement that I am going to do a triathlon. I just haven't decided on which one, and what distance I want to do; sprint (.5 mi swim, 12.4 mi bike and 3.1 mi run) or olympic (.93 mi swim, 24.8 mi bike and 6.2 mi run) The main reason I am considering an olympic distance is the afore mentioned Spudman is an olympic distance.

I do have a few other things to do before I am ready. First off, I need to get a membership to the pool, so I can go swim and run at 5:00 AM before I go to work. Then I need to get a pair of running shoes, shorts and swim goggles.

As I have mentioned, I don't like running, never have. But for some reason now, I am actually looking forward to doing this. I will post updates to my training here on my blog. Wish me luck!