Joining the fray . . .

My bio, in brief:

Married, father of two little boys (my inspiration).
Started getting back in shape last year, enough so to run a couple of 5K's. Then came the dreary NW winter and a work schedule that did not make exercising easy.

I have terrible eating habits (sweet freak), but since about Feb., I've changed, now only having light or no breakfast, a bowl of soup for lunch, and a light dinner. I have probably lost 15 pounds since then, but am not positive, as I'm not sure exactly how high I was.

March '04 - crashed my little Honda against a big F250. I came out of it unscathed, but the Honda was totaled. So I decided to make a bold decision, based partly on changing my lifestyle and partly on the pittance I received from the insurance company. I did not replace the car, choosing instead to commute to work by bike. At the time, the commute was 12 miles round trip, and VERY hilly.

Have since moved to within .75 miles of work, so the commute is no longer really exercise. But as I don't have a car, and my wife takes the minivan to work most evenings, if I wish to do anything outside of the house I've got to power myself. This, of course, has resulted in a much higher level of activity. (You want good training - try jogging while pushing a double stroller in a place with no flat land).

So, as with so many others whose posts I've read, I'm hooked. I soon realized I was actively doing 2/3 of the triathlon's elements, so I've also started swimming (definitely my weakest link). My goal is to complete a sprint tri in the Aug. - Sept. timeframe. Still much too much out of shape to aspire for anything more - but that's what next year's for, right?

Cheers,

Jeff