Triathlon has... (Page 2)

...changed my life for the better.  After 20 years in the Army, where I was in descent shape, I turned into a fat and lazy slob!!!  My weight jumped up to close to 250 lbs and was trying to figure out why all of my cloths were shrinking while hanging in the closet.  Then one Saturday while I was veging out on the couch flipping through the channels, I came across the Ironman Championships.    I was intrigued and found a race being run in a local park the next day and went to watch.  I was blown away, it was so much fun, even as a spectator, by how everyone pulled for each other.  So I borrowed a bikeand decided to try a Sprint.  It took me nearly 30 minutes to finish the 400m swim, over an hour to finish the 12 mile ride, and close to an hour to run 5k.  I was completely exhausted, but very proud of myself for not quitting. 

Being a type A retired combat helicopter pilot, I wasn't going to let this get the better of me.  So I bought a bike, a good pair of running shoes and joined the gym.  And now it is 2 years later and I am running top 20 in AG at the Olympic distance, planning on a 70.3 in 2013, and an Ironman in 2014.  I am running a half marathon in January and a full marathon in March.  Oh and I have lost more than 60 lbs along the way.

BT was the first website I came across when I was trying to figure out how to train.  It has been great!!!  Thanks.

+1 and the "gave my OCD a focus" so true!

I really gave me a physical outlet - and allowed me to be an 'athlete' for the first time in my life. I always liked being active but not being particularly talented in any of the team sports in school I ended up sitting out.  I first discovered running which taught me so much about goal setting and putting in the work.  And triathlon is a whole other thing.  This is a sport for life. 

I truly believe that my pursuit of this sport (and running to start) changed the course of my adult life - it upped my confidence and gave me an outlet outside of work in which to apply myself when things weren't going well or were outside of my control.  I feel well, healthy, balanced and generally positive about my life and experiences - that I can still do more and have so much ahead of me.  

Also, it doesn't hurt that it has helped me stay around the same weight I was in high school despite working a sedentary job. 

Down 52#

One more good lab and Doc is taking me off my 2 remaining meds.

However, the big one for me is Triathlon gives me a reason to train. I'm a life long failure at exercising but now that I race Tris I can train all year round without slipping off the plan. 

Im a new guy but since I started this triathlon journey (last September I completed my first race) this is what it has done fore me.

helped me loose weight and keep it off, Gave me a REASON to train. before that I knew I could train i knew I could be in great shape and healthy but why? the normal reasons weren't enough for me I have to be DRIVEN by a force/goal. To me competing gave m that. I am a competitive person at heart and always want to be the best at ANYthing I do. so that's why this works for me.

I checked these:
- Made me lots of new friends
- Made me look and feel sexy
- Introduced me to the sport of __mountain_biking__ which I now do instead

I started triathlon in 2010. My timeline looks like this:

Nov 2009: Skinny couch potato
Jan 2010: Started using Wii Fit
May 2010: Started swimming after 20 years off
May 2010: Bought a road bike
May 2010: Signed up at Beginner Triathlete
July 2010: Learned to mountain bike (after my husband nagging me for 20 years)
Aug 2010: Completed my first sprint tri 

2011:
Competed in a swim meet
Did another couple tris
*** Decided that the pain in my bunion from running is not worth it ***
Tried a couple road bike races
Did my first mountain bike race

2012: 
Did all 10 races of the local mountain bike race series and came in 2nd in Sport Class

Soooooooo…

I still owe it all to triathlon, and I train (swim and spin class) with my tri club (gotta love those new friends!) every winter, but triathlon made me a mountain biker.

And even better… My 12-year-old daughter is on swim team, does very well at mountain bike races in the jr category, and is trying cross country.

Oh, and… my husband has lost extra weight and gotten really fit because of how hard he has to work to stay better than me at "his" sport (mountain biking).