Ironman Training Has Begun

Ok, Ironman training has officially begun. Now, true, it's not as though I have been sitting on my ass in the months prior to this. I heard a triathlon coach once say that it takes 7 years to prepare for an Ironman. So, perhaps one could argue I've been prepping for the last 6-1/2 years for this July's Ironman. That would mean my training had begun in July 1999. That July I already had multiple marathons on my resume. However, swimming to me meant tooling around at the pool or beach. And biking, well, a 15-mile ride was plenty for me.

However, soon thereafter, I decided it was time to raise the bar. I had already proven to myself I could finish a marathon. Increasing the distance to ultra-marathons (beyond 26.2 miles) did not quite seem to make sense. After all, as I've mentioned, my knees were not built for running. (Side note: they've been holding out well as of late, thanks to proper training, proper nursing, and glycosamine.) I thought I would give triathlon a try.

My first triathlon was the Cajun Man triathlon in Lafayette, Louisiana. I was completely ill-prepared. I had friends who were triathletes, and had an idea of what to expect, but I certainly did not look the part. I had my old mountain bike, a swimsuit, and running shorts. I had never swum in open water. Karma was not on my side. My goggles broke off in the water during the swim and as well as my watchband. I was completely out of my element during the swim. I was spooked by placing my face in the water, so I wound up swimming on my back. It was a tough 600 yards, but I managed to finish the swim. The bike was 14 miles, shortened from 20 as it had been during previous years due to flooded roads. And then a 5K run.

I remember the post-race party, Cajun band and all, but I wasn't quite hooked on triathlon. Not yet. But it was a start.

I would have never guessed I would ever embark on finishing an Ironman. Yet here I am. Officially starting Ironman training.