One View Point

So now my wife really thinks I'm crazy. I have now signed up for my third triathlon for the season. This again is a sprint level tri, but should be challenging in its own right since my son will be arriving just a few weeks prior to it. The challenge is going to be keeping up with my training while adding the new responsibilities of having an infant around including the lack of sleep that is sure to happen. I imagine that I'll cope with the sleep thing. If you know me well, you know that I can sleep where-ever and when-ever I need to. So there it is, my first triathlon season now has three triathlons in it. 1 is complete and the other two are yet to come.

Train well in whatever you do!

One Tri down, Who knows how many to go!!

Just a short report on my very first Triathlon! In a word, it was tough!! Now, I don't think it was unbearable, but it was definitely challenging. The swim was great. Water temp may have been a little on the cool side, and I did get a mouthful at one point, but 15 minutes for a half mile swim is easily something I never could have done if it weren't for my triathlon training. Next came the Bike. Thankfully, I started in the third wave of contestants (out of 9), so I got passed more than I had to pass other riders in this portion. Some of those guys on their bikes are really speedy, passing me as though I were standing still. An hour for the biking segment is about what I expected. Finally came the run. This is easily where I need to spend more time training. The start of the run kicked my butt. I think part of it was having too much still in my stomach when I got off the bike. There were a few times during the first mile when I had walk because my stomach was not feeling very good. Mind you though I did not stop during those times. By the 1 mile mark though my stomach had settled and I completed the run in a little under a half hour. All in all my unofficial time was 1:45, which is where I thought I would be. Of course the after race festivities were cool as well. Along with some breakfast (fresh fruit, pancakes and bagels) there was beer from a local micro brew there to wash it all down. In between beers I also had a short massage and my legs really needed that! Well, I think it is time to start training for my next race in July. This was a truly great experience!!

Later,
Jeff

The time has come!!

My anticipation is building. Not just for the birth of my son in a few weeks, but also for my first triathlon in a couple of days. This summer is definitely a life changing time. Now it’s going to be a much more complex juggling of priorities, goals and sufficient rest. Of course certain priorities are already decided. Being a contributing member to my sons growth is number 1, but that also requires that I am healthy (read as restful, not in-shape). One of the key reasons for my objective to get in shape though was the desire to be able to keep up with the kids (yes, I used the plural word) as they grow. I just couldn’t see myself finding the focus to trim down once one of them was around and growing. Now though since I am starting off in good shape and know just how good it feels to be this way and eating healthy, it’ll be easier to stay that way. But now back to my triathlon coming up this weekend. I hope that any one reading this on Saturday the 14th or Sunday morning the 15th will keep me in their thoughts while I race. It starts around 7:30 and I am shooting for less than 2 hours, which is well within my means. That’s all for now.

Have a great weekend!!
Jeff

3D Ultrasound Images

Misty and I visited a 3D Ultrasound facility yesterday and the little guy cooperated some. He was keeping his hands up by his face which made getting good shots a little difficult. Misty also mentioned that there areonly 11 weeks until his expected arrival!! I call this first shot "I have a question!"

50 Mile Bike Ride

So I completed the 50 mile route of the Elephant Rock Charity ride this past Sunday!! It was tough. The first 15 miles were uphill and into a stiff wind. That also was the most crowded portion of the ride with shoulder to shoulder cyclists. During that segment of the ride I was lucky enough to catch onto a couple of fast moving groups of riders and for my first experience in group cycling that was a pretty neat experience! I never really realized how much of a benefit it is to riders to be in a group like that. I now more fully understand why it is not allowed in non-ITU triathlons. Once I reached Palmer Lake, there was only a little more uphill to struggle through, but there was a whole lot of downhill to relax and enjoy! The finishing banner was a welcome site as was seeing my wife waiting there for me to catch a picture of my completion. All in all it was a great ride and I fully expect to do it again next year!

Below are a couple of pictures of me at the cycling event.

Leaving the Douglas County Fair Grounds

Finishing 3 and a half hours later!!

Now I do also need to mention that before the event, I finally got my hair cut. :)