Husband, Dad and wannabe Ironman.
As the site states, I’m what I consider a Super Clydesdale. Although not an official category in the sport of triathlon, when you see some of the competitors that meet the 220 lb. Clydesdale requirement, you soon realize why the truly big guys dream of a category expansion. Hopefully as the training continues, the scale drops as well so at least I can somewhat narrow the gap. HA!
The purpose of the blog is to document my triathlon journey and what works well for me because as a super clyde, I have spent quite a bit of time looking for properly fit clothing and any advantage possible but more importantly, this is about my desire to become an Ironman. As most Ironman or those aspiring to become one, we all have our reasons. For me, the short and simple…to get in better shape for my family.
You see, in 2012 I had just lost my job with a newborn and 20 month old. I was fortunate enough to receive a very nice severance package and should also mention I definitely “married up” so was able to take some time off for myself. The next day I went to the gym and decided to do the inevitable and step on the scale. ARE YOU SERIOUS? I stepped on and off again because something wasn’t right. I moved back to zero out and made sure it was balanced before stepping back on yet again. You have to be kidding me?! 331 POUNDS! I knew I had gotten large but never imagined THAT large. WOW was about all I could think or say (well, actually some much more colorful words which I’ll spare).
I didn’t find my Cinderella until later in life so naturally had kids at a much later age than most so here I am 42 years old with 2 little boys…it was time for a change not just for me but more importantly for my family. It is there on May 1st when the weight loss journey began. I start hitting the weights and decided to get a new road bike. I won’t bore with all the details but let’s just say there were a few setbacks along the way.
In Jan. 2013, I’m still trying to lose the weight so decided to start playing basketball again for some cardio work. During one of the pick up games I stop and turn to run down the court when suddenly…POP. My ego won’t let me stop playing so I finish out the game, although not much help to my team, then afterwards slowly limp out the gym doors not saying a word to anyone. I finally get an appointment with my doctor, one of the best orthopedic surgeons in the business, Dr. Walt Lowe. Yep, the suspected became reality. I tore my ACL and meniscus so had those replaced along with an additional repair to my MCL that he performed 9 years previously. Yes, 3 different procedures to my knee. In the back of my mind, the thoughts linger of a friend who did IMTX in back to back years and I still had the hope of doing it as well so thought what better place to do physical therapy (PT) than at Memorial Hermann Ironman Sports Institute. Now I’m ready for the long road to recovery but after a few months, I realize something still wasn’t right. It’s true when you hear no one knows your body better than you because even the results of another MRI couldn’t specifically determine the reason for pain and swelling so I had another minor surgery in September. We thought there was still a small tear in my meniscus but as it turned out, the graft repair to my meniscus didn’t take. So here we go again but only about a month setback.
During my first few months in PT, I realize I need a goal. I needed…wanted something more to train for and for anyone that has gone through a major surgery can probably relate. You’re at your weakest, who doesn’t want to get back to certainly in my case, better than what I was before. I mean come on, Adrian Peterson did it, can’t we all? HA! In reality, I’m over 40 with 2 young boys that need me to be active so I made a point to go to PT 3 times per week for almost a year making me the punch line of many jokes from my good friends. However, I wanted to get my knee back to something short of normal. There is an amazing staff at the MH Ironman Institute in The Woodlands. They not only provided me with the encouragement I needed during this sometimes monotonous process but the therapists were also into running or triathlons as well which made my PT sessions much more enjoyable with the friendly banter. It was also during this time that my mind was made up. For months I did minor leg squats in every imaginable fashion while on the TRX all the while staring at the wall that read…
”Swim 2.4 miles, Bike 112 miles, Run 26.2 miles
BRAG FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE” – – IRONMAN Founder, John Collins
This is it. I’m doing it. I want to be an Ironman but when…
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