And they're off!!!

Uhh boy...what have I gotten myself into!?!?! I have been looking for an athletic goal for the past six months but nothing really inspired me. I've done a couple of marathons, qualified for Boston (though I didn't run it) and achieved some big time goals (sub-2:45 marathon). However, I've realized that my body style wasn't meant for sub 2:25s/2:30s and I've always been interested in many sports -- not just running. I've also always been inspired by the Ironman since an early teenager. In fact, I used to do light bricks during the summer instead of doing full cross country workouts just to see what it feels like. I also like the idea that if my body gets injured somehow, I could still keep fit by doing one of the other sports.

So...why not qualify for Kona when I'm forty!?!?! Talk about an awesome goal! If I trained hard and smart, I'm sure I could do it, right? And talk about a great journey - two years of building experience, skill, strength and memories!!!

One thing is certain: I am definitely a novice at both the swim and the bike -- which makes the journey that much more interesting!!! I get to experience huge improvements while learning techniques, strengthening new systems and gaining experiences. Of course, putting it all together will be even more daunting/exhilirating.

And the training!!! How the heck do I train for 24 months to optimize the performance in each sport while not overtraining in one area and undertraining in another? Also, since I'll be "racing" for 10+ hours, how do I pace myself and what race strategies must I employ? If the marathon was a chess match (over a 2-3 hour period), imagine the strategies necessary for optiminizing efficiencies for three difficult sports and their combination!!! Wow!!! My mind is hurting. :)

Finally, triathletes are phenomenal people. They have to juggle all sorts of huge blocks off work (training and actual work) while ensuring that family/friends get their fair share. Everyone I've met seem to have an implicit 'wink', as if they know what the other is going through in order to achieve their goal of hearing the words, "xxx, you are an Ironman!!". I can't wait to hang out in these crowds!!!

So...I decided that I needed to get a coach with certain criteria:
a) understands the bike and swim sports REALLY well;
b) has gone to Kona at least twice;
c) has a full family/friends agenda to juggle with training/work (in her/his case, coaching);
d) is local so that he/she can critique my technique and/or knows experts in the community who could help me technique;
e) instructs a relatively large team and does it with a sense of fun versus bravato; teammates should be friends first!! and
d) can be flexible with my goals/training if various life/work events arise.

As luck would have it, five or ten people recommended Jill Fry after listening to my criteria. I met her in mid July and have been impressed ever since. Tomorrow will be my first 'official' meeting with her to go over training calendars for the next three-four months (I'll be training on my own until early January).

My workouts have been primarily running oriented, as I've been trying to build a fitness base with a training regimen that I'm relatively familiar with. However, I've begun to throw in some swimming and biking/spinning sessions (with a few bricks on Mondays and Fridays) in August and will begin to build those sessions up over the coming months -- unless Jill suggests otherwise.

All events (including IMC 2009) are stages running up to the goal race that will qualify me for Kona in 2010. With that mindset, I can focus less on racing and more on time trials and experience building. This approach will also allow me to focus on the long term and should reduce frustration if short-terms aren't met (due to injury, sickness or lack of time). My next 'time trial' is the Issaquah 10K, which will be used to determine workout paces for the next fall/winter periods. That race is October 6th, so there's plenty of time to gain some speed while also continuing to develop my aerobic base.