I have been a triathlete since 2006. I’m always trying to improve upon my last event and expect nothing but the best effort from myself in training and (especially) on race day. This of course is just the proverbial “tip of the iceberg,” and there is so much more to my story. My path to becoming a triathlete certainly took a circuitous route as it took me just about 40 years to understand that the journey and trip into the world of triathlon was worth taking.
If you would have asked me over two years ago if I would be participating in triathlons starting at the young age of 40, with the intent on becoming an Ironman after I turned 42 years old, I would have laughed at you. Of course that would have been rude, but it probably would have been the truth. I would have apologized profusely for laughing directly at you; but seeing what shape I was in just over two years ago – my reaction to your comments would have been pretty understandable.
Now that I am a triathlete, I can’t see my life any other way. My story is like so many others who found their way into triathlons and like myself have made it a lifestyle choice.
But I’m getting ahead of myself…
Back in the fall of 2004 I was very heavy. I was tipping the scales at approximately 325 pounds and I was ashamed and embarrassed to see what I actually weighed so I was eventually afraid to weigh myself. I was just coming off of a job at a major national home theater magazine as Associate Editor; and due to the long hours I worked – pretty much 7 days a week along with averaging about 100 hours per week (at times more than 100 hours a week) for 10 months straight – I had put on the pounds and lots of them. Before working at that magazine, I usually worked out 5-6 days a week and stayed within a comfortable weight range. Due to the long hours of this Associate Editor job, my usual workouts went completely away. In fact they pretty much disappeard. In the 10 months I was at the magazine I think I worked out just 4 times. My diet suffered horribly as well. The majority of days I would eat restaurant food from places like Claim Jumper and Chili’s for lunch and dinner. Not just a meal, but usually an appetizer and desert, pretty much every day for a good 8 of the 10 months. Don’t get me wrong, because I love the great food at these places, but every meal I chose to consume involved huge portion sizes and was extremely high in calories.
Before I took the job at the magazine I weighed about 250 pounds.
When I left the magazine I was right around 325 pounds.
After leaving the magazine in October of 2004, my wife and I moved to Highlands Ranch, Colorado and started to workout again. Some of the weight came off slowly from late 2004 to mid 2005 – about 30 pounds worth – but my workouts had basically become boring, dull, and without true purpose.
I was now 39 ½ years old, looking at 40 years old in a few months and I was physically and mentally at a crossroads. Then I truly had an epiphany in the summer of 2005.
My wife and I had just gotten back home from another mediocre and somewhat meaningless workout on an early Saturday afternoon and I was waiting for my wife to get ready before we headed out to run some errands. I was flipping around the channels on the television and came across NBC’s coverage of the Lifetime Fitness Triathlon Series from Minneapolis, Minnesota. It looked pretty interesting and I needed something to watch to tide me over while I waited for my wife to get ready for the day’s activities. I started to watch a few moments into the broadcast. As the very fit athletes did their swim/bike/run thing, my eyes and mind started to focus in on their fitness level and the way they all seemed to look. And of course they all looked in pretty amazing shape.
I immediately thought, “Why couldn’t I look exactly like that as well?”
The fitness level demonstrated before me on the television screen was exactly what I thought I could definitely achieve (and eventually look like). Heck, if they could look like this then why not me?
Then it occurred to me, by participating in a triathlon, the fitness level of those extremely fit individuals could be eventually be acquired by me. I soon realized that the sport of “Triathlon” was a definite means to an end; and if I were to participate in one, I also could look great and eventually lose the weight I wanted to lose.
Yes, it would take dedication, a hard work ethic, and some serious determination to swim, bike, and run any distance; but I was no stranger to these sorts of levels of discipline and determination. To be honest I was craving to have these sort of personal goals again after almost a year of completely sacrificing everything in my life to make sure that magazine was a success.
The proverbial ‘light bulb’ went off above my head; and it was glowing extremely bright.
When my wife finally came downstairs after getting ready for the day – I believe toward the latter part of the broadcast — I confidently said that when I turn 40 years old in a few months, I will do a triathlon as a fitness gift to myself.
My vow of this new goal to her was said with such tremendous bravado, a very passionate tone, and with lots of energy I hadn’t expressed or felt in quite some time. I told her that I know I have it in myself that I can actually look like these people! This is what I had been missing in my workouts! I know I can do this to improve myself! I now have a goal I had been searching to find for quite some time!
It was time to train — and not just exercise. The goal was set that day and I’ve never looked back.
I currently weigh from 215-220 pounds with a goal of dropping approximately another 10-15 pounds so I can get into better race shape to become quicker and stronger.
Four months after my 40th birthday on December 31, 2005, I participated in the Lake Las Vegas Sprint Triathlon in Lake Las Vegas, Nevada. I won FIRST PLACE in my age group in my first-ever triathlon. Later in 2006, I did another Sprint Distance triathlon in Colorado Springs, CO; and moved up that year to the Olympic/International triathlon distance in Chicago, Illinois at the Accenture Chicago Triathlon. In 2007 I completed my first-ever Half Ironman distance triathlon in Boulder, Colorado. In 2008 I’ve signed up for IM Arizona in Tempe, Arizona which will take place on April 13; and I have also signed up for IM Louisville which will take place in Louisville, Kentucky on August 31.
As with any serious Ironman competitor, I have my dreams and sights set on eventually getting to Kona — not just once, but often.
Triathlon is now a part of me and my active lifestyle. I made a promise to myself in the summer of 2005 to lead a more healthy and active lifestyle so I can hope to live a longer and healthier life as I get older. What was once done to lose some excess weight has become a passionate endeavor in my life.
I feel like I am in my late 20’s and not in my early 40s. In triathlon, I found a new zest for life that was missing for such a long time.
