General Discussion Introduce Yourself!!! » Long slog ahead... Rss Feed  
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2014-12-10 10:27 AM

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Kings Mountain, North Carolina
Subject: Long slog ahead...
Introduction time...

I'm 43 years old, and was in dire need of ramping up my physical activity. My wife and I were always very active with hiking and me with windsurfing and mountain biking until four or five years ago when we had our first (and only) kid. I love being a father, but these past four years I've gotten lazy and used being tired with all the parenthood stuff as an excuse. I've always felt really good around 185 lbs., but now I'm about 220 and miserable. The reason I want to get into shape is that I want to be around for my four year old kid and be healthy enough to do stuff with him later in life... He's awesome, and he makes me want to take care of myself.

Some of the guys I work with have had pretty inspiring stories lately. One ran in the Marine Corp Marathon last month, and another guy's wife did a full Ironman down in Wilmington, NC a couple months ago. That really made me feel lazy...

So I got online last week, started doing some research, and got what I think to be a steal of a deal on a bike. I bought a 2010 Quintana Roo CD0.1 off Craigslist for $800. It took some searching, but finally one came up that was 58cm. I went to check it out and it is in pristine condition and the guy I bought if off of had ridden it in a couple of Ironmans (he looked like a catalog model darnit..). He was 6' 2", same height as me, so the bike setup feels really good.

This morning I went out on my first ride. I felt pretty silly because I don't have any real road bike gear yet other than the shoes. So I have my goofy mountain biking helmet, some thermals on with swim trunks over those and a long sleeve thermal shirt. Who cares..I live off a highway access road, so I don't think anyone even saw me . I have some *real* clothes ordered and coming, so maybe I won't look as dorky in a couple weeks. I also ordered a bright flashing rear blinker light thingy..because that is my real fear, getting run over. I have a really nice area to ride though, with good roads with light traffic. In fact, it was earlier this year that I started thinking about getting into triathlon because I was at a nearby McDonald's eating a breakfast sandwich when all of the sudden all these bikes started whizzing by. It was the Over the Mountain Triathlon here in Kings Mountain. There I am with a bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit in my hand, feeling like the world's biggest dope while all these amazing athletes are zipping down the road.

The bike is fast, and pretty responsive. Definitely a bit more of an active ride than what I would have imagined a road bike to be. I didn't get into the aero position much, that will come later. We have some rounded hills in the neighborhood that kicked my butt this morning. I only rode for thirty minutes and was extremely winded by the end. I almost felt like puking. I rode a whole 6.2 km...pretty pathetic, but I'm a good 40 pounds overweight right now. Diet and exercise is the plan.

Anyway, sorry for the long initial post. I'm looking forward to learning about this sport and participating. I have a zillion questions, so I'll be reading a lot of older posts.

BeachAV8R




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2014-12-10 6:35 PM
in reply to: BeachAV8R

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Subject: RE: Long slog ahead...

Welcome to your new addiction and to BT.  Don't worry about how you look--what's important is that you are getting out there.  Congrats on your decision to get back to a healthier weight.  There is a ton of good information on the site, and lots of amazing people to help you on your journey.  Best of luck to you!

2014-12-11 5:37 AM
in reply to: IronOx

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30
25
Kings Mountain, North Carolina
Subject: RE: Long slog ahead...
Thanks for the warm welcome. Now I'm on the hunt for a YMCA between where I live and work that would be convenient for doing laps. And my order from Nashbar arrived yesterday, so now I will only look half as goofy..

BeachAV8R
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