Now that I am in the offseason I have had a little bit more time on my hands. It has been a little less hammering on the bike and more drinking of the seasonal fall beers. Less logging miles on the run and eating a lot more pizza. Not so many yards in the pool but more sweets being consumed. You get the picture.
I never posted a proper introduction when I started this blog, so why not start now. I came from a hockey background where running a mile was not even a thought in my mind. I used to hate running long distances. Yes I considered a mile, even 3 a long distance. Hockey specific training is more explosive movements, Olympic lifts and going all out for no more then a minute at a time, with plenty of rest. Running was our warm up and we all dreaded the laps around the track or dryland practice. It was so much easier to just hop on the ice and start skating. If you got lazy you can just glide. Dryland practice was a lot of sprinting 300 meters, bounds and hops, burpees and puking. How can anyone enjoy that??
After hockey was over and the competitive person that I am needed something more then just beer league puck. I signed up for a local 5k and placed in the top 50 overall. From there I was hooked. It was a slow start for me to really grasp the concept of running 3, 6, 10 miles. I couldn't fathom the concept that people actually did this for "fun." I decided after my 5k I would try a half marathon. I was still skeptical of how my body would react to this type of training. Was I doing to much? Was I doing enough? What do you eat during the race? Do you drink? There were a ton of questions that needed to be answered before I started my journey into the endurance world.
The first half marathon that I did was in Lake Placid NY. It was scenic, hilly and a challenging course. I had a great experience with the half marathon and posted my first PR. After the half I signed up for a sprint triathlon in my town, a little local event in Carmel, NY. Again, not having a clue what I was doing I went out and raced hard. I even pinned my bib number to tri top and swam with it on...who does that besides a newb?? Once again I had a positive experience with this race and wound up placing 3rd in my AG. Not really sure what that meant at the time, I accepted the award and went about the day. After the first sprint, I was hooked. I signed up for a sprint each month that summer. Placing well in all of my races(top 3) I knew I was ready for a bigger event. I went with Syracuse 70.3 in 2012 for my first half and the course was extremely challenging. I managed to get through the swim okay and struggled on the bike, followed by a walk/run to end my day.
I have come a long way since my first few steps on the treadmill. My season is packed with races for 2014. The goal for 2014 is to qualify for the Ironman World Championship at the half ironman distance at Syracuse, where it all started for me. I look forward to this challenge and I know with my competitive nature I will grab a spot for Worlds.
