Going public with my triathlon goals!

[Superfly]

Alright everybody,

Today I turned 30 years old and decided to get off my ass and start with the competitive sports again.

3 years ago I had a torn ACL, followed by a bone tumor biopsy, followed by arthroscopic surgery, all in the same knee. I've use that as an excuse (like anybody needs one) to drink beer and pack on 60 pounds.

Before I got lazy, I could maintain a 6 minute pace in long distance running, I was swimming a mile 3x a week, and I was in overall great shape. My resting heartrate was about 45 bpm and my blood pressure was about 110/70.

That's when I was 180 pounds. I am now quite a bit heavier and can't run a mile without feeling like I was kicked in the lungs by an elephant. I still swim frequently, but match my swimming yardage with equal amounts of beer, so the weight hasn't gone anywhere.

So, my fellow Demo(phats...if you're like me), here are my fitness goals:

1) By September of next year, compete in my first triathlon here in Virginia Beach. And I mean compete to the point where I am one of the leaders in the race.

2) Get back to 180 pounds. I am 6'3", so 180 pounds looks pretty good on me. I'm married, so I don't have to worry about attracting women (thank God), but I still would like to feel good about my looks.

3) In 2 years, get back into competitive whitewater kayaking. In my prime, I paddled with the German Kayak Team and was looking at a chance at going to the Olympics in Atlanta. Well, I decided to go to college instead, but my single regret in life is giving up that dream. I want to get back into a kevlar shell and get through some gates. Look for my name and a DU sticker on my boat in 2 years.

So, those are my most immediate fitness goals. Anybody else want to share theirs?

brian

[PunkinPi]

1. Happy Birthday

and good luck accomplishing your goals!!!

[DS1]

2. Dude, you sound a lot like me right now

I'm about to hit the 30 turnover point, and after living with a professional cyclist and watching the Tour de France, I'm ready to go balls out in the exercise thing. However, I think you're pushing yourself a little too far if you expect to be in the frontrunners of a given triathlon. Granted, some people are born oxygen pumps and can go all out much longer than others, but set your goals realistically, and you'll both be happier and be more likely to succeed. Do a 110 mile bike ride first, and see how you feel about it afterwards. Remember, you have to do it at full speed, after a swim. And the running part comes next.

[BiggJawn]

3. Lose 80 pounds and break 38 MPH in a sprint.

on level ground, I can already hit 36 downhill...

And get OFF these fuckin' Diabtetes and Hypertension pills!!!!!

BTW, I'm almost 47...

[Piltdown13]

4. Good luck!!

and happy birthday :-).

Wow, a triathlon...can't say my fitness goals are quite that lofty, but I am planning to get back into road racing later this summer. I did cross-country in high school and track all the way through college, but sort of got sidetracked when I started grad school. So, my goal is to be able to run a 5k this fall in under 30 minutes. I know, very slow, but I was a sprinter, who only did cross-country to stay in shape! :-) I do mostly interval training and weights these days, so the endurance is something I need to work on.

Oh, yeah...also aiming to get my body fat percentage to somewhere below 20%, which means losing another 5-6 lbs, I think.