The Journey: "Hey, at least I finished right?..."

So, save for some 21 minute and change 5k results in which I won some age groups...oh yea and a 2nd place Clydesdale triathlon finish ( I don't care if the swim times were off Nate)...my results over the last 4 years have been nothing special! My rationalization to sleep better at night has always been "hey, at least I finished!"

Truth is, even though "yea, I want to do well", the special thing about this journey has been about the personal growth from my training experiences, the people I have met on the way, and the camaraderie I have gotten by training with my friends. Nate Dogg, B-Nutz, Stiney-Hiney, Chuck-D, and J-Rock have been awesome with their commitment to a lifestyle of fitness and adventure. I am lucky they let me suck wheel on the weekends! And Nate...I will beat you one day...one day! But more about the cheesy stuff later...for myself...for my accountability...here are most of my results over the last 4 years...along with some observations...

Clemson 05/2004: Swim: 750: 16:19/ Bike 11 miles: 38:22/ 5k run: 25:04/ Overall: 1:19:44
(*I felt as if I was going to be kicked to death in the lake, almost drowned, evaded a panic attack)

Hurley 07/2004: S 500: 15:33/ B 12.5 miles: 41:06/ 2.75 miles run: 20:34/ OAll: 1:20:48
(*Several times I said to self: "Self, why do you do this?")

Tour of Tanglewood, 09/2005 My first Century, 100 mile bike ride
(*"There will be food for you at the finish"...yea at Brick Oven Pizza ya dirty liars!)

White Lake Sprint, 05/2007: S 750 20:11/ B 14 miles: 43:41/ 5k: 23:02/ OAll: 1:31:02
(*There were white caps on the surface and Loch Ness below)

Triad Tri, 08/2007: Swim 300 yds: 5:07/ B10 miles: 34:21/ 3.1 trail: 26:34/ OAll: 1:08:47
(*2nd place Clydesdale whoop whoop...yea the race folks messed up the swim...don't burst my bubble!)

Lake Lure, 09/2007: Swim 500 mtrs: 12:33/ B15.5 miles: 1:03:37/ 5k uphill: 29:03/ OAll 1:48:09 (*Kidney stones + mountains = enter the pain cave for a winter spell)

Big Sur International Marathon 04/08: 26.2 miles/ 4:39:56
(*Bonk at 20 miles, consider cliff jumping, Dean Karnazes is on the sauce)

Until next time, in which I will discuss about current barriers and my new adventure!
Zip it up and Zip it out!

The Initiation:

It all started when my brother in-law "to be" was planning on doing the Clemson Sprint Triathlon in 2004. This came at a time when I was wanting to challenge myself before I finished grad school and would have to enter the "real world"(marriage, dog, mortgage). It sounded like a ridiculously tough feat but somehow had an incredible allure to me.

Please keep in mind: as my grandfather says, "son , you are built like an Army mule."
1) I do not have a lean cyclist's body structure and had not ridden since middle school bmx...
2) When I was forced to swim on the swim team in elementary school--well I swam in the "exhibition" lane where it did not really count but they wanted me to feel "part of the team"...
3) I have always hated running--so much that in military school I felt lucky if I passed the 2 mile run on the PT test.
I liked the non-cardio sports: weight-lifting, wrestling...any sport in which I could stop and catch my breath.

Completing a triathlon would take me learning and doing 3 different skills that I was not born for, did not enjoy, and really, really were terrible at doing. My attitude at the time was kind of like the scene in Good Will Hunting when Matt Damon's character is asked why he picked the wrench for his dad to beat him with. He responds with "cause f%*k him, that's why." I guess I started this Quest because I felt the need for some personal growth and I had my own "beatings" to try make sense of..."cause f*$k them, that's why!"

So I picked a training plan off the net, bought an old steel road bike off E-bay with shifters on the down tubes, begged an old friend to teach me how to swim and borrowed my little brother's goggles.

I was off on my Quest.