I’m in Training

It’s true. I actually am in training. Officially. I entered a contest. I won. And now I’m in training.

The contest was sponsored by a local triathlon team, Raise the Bar, and a medical consulting firm, Blue Zone Consulting. The announcement on the website said:

“Raise the Bar Multisport and Blue Zone are teaming together to present an opportunity for 2 athletes – one man and one woman – to improve their health and longevity through multisport in 2013.”

It was as if they had created a contest just for me. I’ve been working on health and longevity for a few years, and in the last couple of years really started making some strides.

After I got started in cycling a couple of years ago, a friend suggested I try a triathlon last summer. So I signed up. About the same time, my wife decided she wanted to run a 1/2 marathon before she turned 40. And she wanted me to go with her. So we signed up. The triathlon and marathon combined with the Seattle to Portland bike ride became pinnacle events in what has been one of the best summers of my life….  Ever.

At summer’s end I was so excited about what we’d done I decided to set new goals of finishing longer triathlons and marathons. So after the race season was over I kept training. The problem is, I don’t know what I’m doing, and you can only learn so much from books and You Tube. I was logging the miles on the bike, on the run, and in the pool, but I wasn’t getting any faster and I was pretty sure I wasn’t getting any better.

I started talking to people. The woman doing swim lessons at the YMCA, the folks at the bike shop, the colleague who’s a marathon runner. They were all friendly and helpful but it wasn’t enough. I needed a coach and I knew it

And then I learned about the contest.  So I told them my story in response to their essay questions, and eventually I got an email congratulating me on being selected!

So what did wining mean? For me it meant getting the help I needed but could not quite pull off on my own. My prizes consisted of a membership on the Raise the Bar triathlon team (including a uniform), and access to a professional coach for the 2013 season!

So now, I’m in training. Officially. I’ve since met my coach and he’s already crafted my initial training plan, which I started this week

I’m looking forward to telling the story of how this goes. I’ve already started several posts about the night of the kick-off party and what it was like to hang out in a room full of accomplished triathletes, the experience of starting to work with a coach, what I’m learning in the workouts, how my races go, about the wonderful people I’m meeting, how my life is improving, and the lessons life has to offer in the water, on the bike and on the run.

For now I just want to tell the folks at Raise the Bar, Blue Zone, and Northwest Tri and Bike that I’m excited, honored, nervous, and humbled by their generosity, their willingness to invest in me, and the opportunity to make a difference in my life. And with any luck, if I tell my story, it just might help some other people see that they can do it too.

I wish I could write more right now but I’ve got to get going. I have to run 7 miles. I’m in training. Officially!