Big (fat) guy from Houston Texas

Hello everybody. My name is Chip Dale; I am a big guy (6'4" / 340 lb) from Houston Texas; and I am brand new to triathlon and BT. I used to run a little bit (some 5k's) and barely finished one duathlon last year. Since then, I have slowed down, quit running, got fat and big-time out of shape!

Triathlon has always interested me, so I want to use it as a basis for some new fitness goals. Michael Pate's book "When Big Boy's Tri" really hit close to home, and his determination is a huge motivator for me. But right now, me finishing a sprint-tri is about as challenging as most people finishing an ironman; not impossible, but definitely a tough challenge.

My biggest fear is to jump in too hard and too fast and either burn-out, get injured, or just die in the streets. So I plan to start very slowly with walking and light riding. I do have a heart rate monitor, so I also plan to initially train by heart rate and time, and not by speed and distance.

I really enjoy all of the motivating stories and blogs on BT. Thanks. Hopefully I will be able to contibute someday soon.