400m pool swim, 10 mile bike, 5k Run

Heading into this year’s race, I was a little c​oncerned; on the plus side, I had focused my offseason on swimming and biking, and upgraded to a new bike, this 2015 Felt B16.  The thing that had me worried, as it always had, was the run.  If you’ve been reading, you should know that my 2014 season ended with some injuries.  When race day came, I hadn’t run in three months.  I had done some light jogging here and there, and the occasional endurance WOD at the gym, but I just had this deep pain in my butt and on the point of my hip from last summer/fall that just never really went away.  My pre-ankle surgery athletic career involved thousands (probably an exaggeration, but you get the idea) of miles of running, all without incident or injury.  My post-ankle-surgery athletic career was still evolving, or devolving in this case.  Due to my lack of running and also lack of diet discipline, I was about 10 pounds heavier this year than last at 230 (and up overall about 25lbs).  I will defend myself a little bit because being in chronic and continuous pain is very taxing emotionally, and for me, the thing that pretty much always breaks down is my diet.   My love for pizza and beer is strong.

400 meter pool swim, 10 mile bike, 5k run
Long story short, someone bet me that I wouldn’t actually do a triathlon, and stoked the fires just enough for me to find the next race and register for it.  The 2014 Carmel Swim Club Sprint Triathlon was just 8 weeks away, and I hadn’t swam in close to 20 years, I had never cycled, and although I had pretty much a lifetime of running for other athletic reasons, running just for running was never something I enjoyed.  In summary, a perfect recipe for a triathlete!  In truth, I was just getting back in shape from a three-year injury induced break from exercise and I needed a challenge to keep motivated.  Training for three sports seemed like a great way to spend my time and avoid some of my other favorite things, pizza and beer!  Armed with the internet, a hand me down bike, and a little bit of determination, I set off on a quest to become a “triathlete.”  This is the race report however, so let’s just get to the race!