Why did you start triathlon? (Page 2)

Does anyone know a man who has recently turned 40, suddenly has an episode where he thinks he is having a heart attack, goes to the doctor and has a battery of tests done, and never says anything more about the heart problem? That's because he was having an anxiety attack, not a heart attack. It happened to me too and that's why I do triathlons.

Once I figured out what was going on, I knew my life and career were in serious jeopardy. I had to figure out how to deal with the anxiety. I was opposed to taking any form of anxiety pill because I feared the side effects and wanted to get to the root of the problem anyway, not just mask its effects. First I dropped all stimulants. I was already 50 pounds overweight and figured dropping caffeine and nicotine would only make my metabolism slower. I figured being out of shape was a part of the problem. I decided I would start an exercise program. I had been a pretty good swimmer from 5th grade through high school so I started swimming in the mornings before work. I found this was extremely therapeutic. Burning off the excess energy before work really took the edge off the anxiety. I felt I had the answer but getting up at 5 am wasn't always easy so to ensure I would continue doing it I decided I should sign up for some kind of competition. I chose triathlon pretty randomly. I think it sounded hard core to me.

Since then I have been able to manage quite well. I've never been on any medication and haven't made any return trips to the emergency room. I am now to the point where even normal anxiety, like pre-race anxiety, is minimal.

I've dropped 30 pounds, feel great, and in position where I feel like I can be competitive this upcoming season, not just a finisher. I've made friends who help keep me accountable.

A bunch of awesome stories, with a common thread being desire to get active and usually some kind of epiphany leading to triathlons.  Same story here, I won't bore you with it, but I am glad that I've found the tri community in my area and also BT.  Gives me something to do everyday.  I'm been down with an injury since beginning of November, but I know I've got my first Oly end of April so I've got something to look forward to.

Rock on!

to complete iron man.

Growing up, I didn't do anything remotely athletic (unless you count marching band, which I don't). My family comes from a long line of non-athletes. I remember doing situps one day at home and my dad asked what I was doing. I said I was exercising. He responded, "Why would you want to do that?"

In college, I watched the Hawaii Ironman on Wide World of Sports and thought, “This looks intriguing. I want to do that.” I went out and bought an Ironman Triathlon Timex watch because I had no earthly idea how else to go about achieving this goal. That was the end of my triathlon training for 20+ years. Note: purchasing the gear isn’t always enough.

Work, marriage, life and kids derailed me for awhile. But then three summers ago, a friend of mine told me that she was competing in a local triathlon (The Hope Triathlon in Hope, ME – a sprint). I live about a half mile off the bike route and decided to go out and cheer her on as she cranked up a fairly nasty hill. It was great! I really enjoyed watching all these people (a surprising number that I knew) really challenging themselves. My friend said that she thought I would do the triathlon the next year. I was thinking, “Yeah – not going to happen. I don’t run, I haven’t ridden my bike in years and while I can swim, it’s not in a straight line and it is S.L.O.W.”

I started running with a friend. She started me off slow (run until you can’t, walk until you can run again, repeat) and I competed in my first 5K. I wasn’t dead last – but I was close - but I finished. I kept running that summer and through the fall. Let me clear something up right now, some may confuse my running with fast walking – I am REALLY slow. I know I am slow. I know I will always be slow. But I kept running.

I biked some in college and shortly after graduation, so I felt comfortable on a bike (not fast, but comfortable) and I knew how to swim. I found BT, read all of the "First Tri" stories, a lot of the training articles and lurked on the message boards, gleaning what knowledge I could.

I DNF'ed my first attempt (my chain jumped off and got wrapped so tightly around the crank that I had to get the mechanic to release it) and was so crushed by the experience (after all that training to get halfway through the bike and know I wouldn't be able to run across the finish line as I had in my mind's eye so many times) that I almost gave up...but then I realized I really *liked* the training. I liked the focus I had to have in order to meet the goal I set for myself. I liked the drive I had to finish all the workouts so I would be able to finish the triathlon. I liked the people I met while training. I liked the people I met while racing. And most importantly - I liked the person I had become. Instead of the overweight grumpy mother of two in a frustrating job, I became the fit mom in a rewarding career that has something to brag about ("Yes, that was me you saw running this morning at the end of a long run." "We swam at Hosmer Pond yesterday, two times around the island...almost a mile each time" "I've biked that hill!").

Even after a frustrating last season (only got to do one tri because of injury, and frankly - I had no business doing that one), I am still motivated to do a HIM in 2012 and an IM in 2013. Now - to get the body to cooperate.

I started for several reasons. 

1)  I had always been athletic while growing up and wanted to get fit again.  I had watched the Aitoman in Tahiti while on vacation and was so impressed that the following week after my return, I was signed onto a triathlon training club.

2)   The other reason that I got into triathlons was for a mental distraction.  My boyfriend and I had broken up and I was looking for something to help me distract my thoughts and also to feel good about myself.

I didn't have any health issues, so that wasn't the reason.  Maybe I do now as a result of doing many...my hips, knees and right shoulder are pretty worn out.  LOL.  I'm stiff when I get out of bed in the mornings and I not in my 50's - 70's.  I'm still in my 40's.

Thanks for the question.

??I was injured in a motor vehicle accident when I was 16 years old.  I broke my back and was paralyzed from the chest down. One of my best friends passed away in the car I was driving.  Now I ive my life for both of us.  I set goals; achieve them; and set bar higher.  I started wheelchair racing when I was in a spinal chord rehabilitation hospital.  One of my therapists was a Paralympic wheelchair race and got me involved in the sport.  When I first started, I could barely push 1 lap around the track.  I set attainble goals and gradually increased my distance and speed.

After completing my first marathon in a racing wheelchair, I started riding a handccle.  It just seemd natural to do a triathlon.  I started with a sprint distance and gradually worked my way up to a long course DU(4r 56b  13.1r). After I completed the long course I set my sites on Triathlon.  I completed 2 sprints this summer and I am hooked.  I hope to do a half later this year, and hopefully Ironman FL 2013.  This year had several milestones for me.  It was the 20 year anniversary of my car accident, I completed my first Tri, and I married the love of my life.

1 - Why did you start training for a triathlon?
2 - Did you start training for medical reasons?  If yes, give as much of a description as you feel comfortable giving.
3 - How has triathlon training helped your medical issues? Has training helped you cut down on medication?
4 - How has triathlon training improved your lifestyle?

I started training for triathlons as a suggestion from my wife.  We had just had our 5th child and I was a medical mess.  Topping out at 300 pounds, high blood pressure, cholestrol, and sugar out of wack.  I was taking medicine for all but my sugar, but very close to that.  Also was taking daily doses of prilosec for an acid reflux condition that I could just not understand why I was having to do.  I had gone to to the doctor and she had basically told me that I better start doing something soon or I would not see my daughter graduate from high school.  At 38 years old this terrified me.  Training for the last 2 and a half years has allowed me to go off of all medication besides the occassional tylenol or motrin for soreness.  As for improving my lifestyle having lost around 85 pounds has improved my outlook on many things, given me much more energy, and allowed me to do things I did not think my body was capable of doing.  I also feel that the example I am portraying for my kids shows that with hard work you can accomplish what you did not think is possible as well as showing them the importance of a balanced lifestyle.  It has also shown my daughters that there is a difference in being skinny and healthy, as I would consider myself healthly now, but definitely not skinny. 

1. I did my first to challenge myself to prove that I had changed. I had lost weight and was working on being active and fit. When I decided to do one, I gave myself a year, as I hadn't been active in 15+ years.

4. Training and racing triathlons has changed my life; brought me joy; helped keep my weight under control; met wonderful new friends; found a lot about myself I didn't know was part of me; opportunity to grow, change and push boundaries

Sadly I have significant knee issues and my long term ability to participate in triathlons is uncertain. This past year I did 2 relays with my family; couple aquabikes; and only triathlon I did was Ironman Florida with intent to walk the run which I did.

With the bad medical news and loss of what has come to be my passion, I struggled quite a bit and still trying to find out how to adjust to new way of life and keep that spark alive.

1.  I did it basically on accident.  WhenI started two years ago I was too fat so I spentmost of mytime in the pool or on a stationary bike.

2.  Yes.  I gained a substantial amount of weight when I moved.  Two parts.  1) I went to the Doctor for a pre sinus surgery physical and the nurses comment when she took my blood pressure was "holy crap, the last time I saw blood pressure that high my husband died the next day".  She then tried three other blood pressure cuffs to make sure it was not a mistake.  BP was approximately 168/139. 2) My 17 yo son (at the time) challenged me to a short sprint race.  Like a lot of people I was in denial in regards to my overall health so I accepted.  I made it approx 20 yards before tearing both hamstrings.  The bright side is that had I finished the race I probably would have been rushed to the hospital.  As it stands I almost passed out from an exceptionally high heart rate and I couldn't breathe.  Both events forced me to acknowledge overall health for the first time.

3.  I don't take medication because...well, I can be a stubborn dumb@^$.  My blood pressure is now well within the normal range and my resting hr is 47.  I forgot my one and only medication, it was a prescription strength heartburn/acid reflux medication. I stopped taking it a month after starting my training and have not needed it since then.  

4.  This sounds very cliche' but it has improved every part of my life.  I have more energy for family, work, friends and activities I enjoy.  I am not good at exercising for the sake of exercising.  I need a focus for my continued physical activity and triathlon is the perfect sporting event simply because anyone can do it and really you are only competing against yourself.

For what it's worth, my first treadmill run was 30 minutes of run (approx 6 mph) for 20-30 seconds, walk for 2-3 minutes or until my hr dropped below 150. 

I finished running a marathon in all 50 states 2 times (July 2008) and was looking for something different.  I have always wanted to run (participate in) an Ironman ever since I saw The Battle of Mark (Allen) and Dave (Scott) but never thought I could. When I saw the ad for the inaugural Augusta70.3 (Sept. 2009) I knew this was the time to begin.

I bought a bike (haven't owned one since the early '80s) and a swimsuit (also not in a pool since the '80s) and began looking into the tri-thing.  I was told about BT early on and it has made a huge difference with my training and questions about tris. 

My very first tri was actually called "My First Tri" (at Lake Lanier).  I was hooked!  I did several tris before Augusta.  At each one I learned more and more about transitions, etc.  I can not explain the elation for doing the Augusta70.3 - a dream I never thought I would be able to do.

I still run marathons, 1/2 marathons, etc. but now I have added biking and swimming to my traiining.  I like the cross-training effect of it all.  Ironman, well, that is still on my bucket list for now.  But one day I know my goal will come true.

I got started because after years of running, I cut back a little.  I had always wanted to try one but never got around to it.  I couldn’t swim.  Then came the day when my wife thought I was messing around by sticking my stomach out and she grinned and said “stop that”.  While I was asking her what she was talking about I saw the direction of her eyes and knew the answer.  My weight had crept up to just over 200 pounds.  I used to be 175.  I decided to set my sights on a local 5K race and while I was training for that, I had heard of a local tri and signed up for it.  I trained in a local river doing the side stroke and back stroke.  Anything to keep my face out of the water.  I finished the race somewhere in the middle of the pack.  (I finished the swim second to last). 

That was 1997 and I was 37 years old.  I was going to stick with the short races but 4 years ago, what I thought was asthma, ended up being a 95% blockage to one of my major arteries.  The doctor told me even though I was active, I could have had a heart attack at any time.  After the stent, I set a higher goal and decided to train for my first HIM and in 2010 competed in the Timberman 70.3 in New Hampshire and finished again, in the middle of the pack.

 I had gone from competing in my first 2 races side-stroking the swim, to a 39 minute 1.2 miler in my first HIM.  I love the sport.  I love meeting all the all the competitors, and to top it all off, I had my finisher’s medal handed to me by Chrissie Wellington.  How sweet is that?

2011 has been a wash due to a back injury last March, (I hate ice).  Looking forward to 2012.

Got injured in soccer. Knees started to hurt. I later learned that it was due to muscle imbalances. I ended up quitting. After healing, I ran a half marathon and had my butt handed to me by several 70 year olds.

I decided to try triathlon because it looked hard, it was grassroots, and looked like it was easier on the knees with the cross training.

I did my first one with very minimum training and had my behind handed to me. I thought the sport would respect me, but no...I had to respect the sport. Thus, why I'm doing it. LOL

I turned 40 this year a basicly thought, why not? Always been into my bikes and do a little running. Ironman Wales in 2012, I like to set myself big targets.

Looking back at my last 40 years Idecided that i wanted some sort of legacy, something i could be proud of, something for myself, and triathlon is it, or Ironman anyway.

Thought about it for years, but sea duty and transfers (USCG) somehow kept me from getting going with the program.  After CG retirement, I started training for a sprint at about age 45 when a younger Coast Guard officer friend at gym said he was interested, but needed a training partner.  I was already swimming regularly (if not competively fast), and riding a 20 year old road bike just for fun; didn't like running too much.  Found out that I really did like running and - especially - all three.  Did HIM at age 50.  Year and a half later discovered I had heart problems, which led to mitral valve repair surgery earlier this year.  Had it not been for tri fitness, I never would have known - so triathlon is what kept me alive!  Now recovered and training again, I am looking forward to getting back into the program this next season.

Not sure how inspirational it is, but....

It started as part of a resolution to get back into shape when I turned forty. I have been a distance runner at some level since age 10, but it was very much on the back burner most of the time since I finished school at 21.  I had just quit a job I hated that left me no time to do much of anything else, and gone back to international teaching. At that point I was running maybe 4 or 5 miles once or twice a week. I had insomnia almost nightly, and a miserable month-long bout of an arthritis-like ailment that my doctor couldn't figure out; maybe stress-related autoimmune stuff or a reaction to an infection or antibiotics. When it finally went away I decided that was it, I was going to get a job that allowed me to keep in shape and stay that way as long as I could move forward.

After I moved to Vietnam, I tried running every day but found it miserable due to the heat, and it also aggravated some old traumatic injuries that can make my hamstrings and lower back very sore. A master's swim program was offered at our school so I started going 2-3 times a week and running 3-4 times a week. This combo worked really well and I quickly felt a lot better (swimming is the world's best sleep aid!), lost a little weight, and gained a lot of fitness. Gradually I realized that most of the other swimmers were triathletes; a few of the guys even did Ironman and HIM. Got talked into my first tri (an off-road sprint) by colleagues and teammates, was second overall despite total lack of bike training and almost walking on the run, and got hooked.  

I've always loved to run and find I enjoy it more when I'm not doing it every day. Likewise with swimming-- I swam competitively (distances and fly) from ages 10-16 and got pretty burned out with intense 8,000-10,000m a day training; I really enjoy it now that it's just 2,000 to 3,000 2-3 times a week. Never really a fan of biking except for easy touring, but I can put up with it 3 times a week. And I love to compete. So the sport works for me. If only I could live somewhere where almost all competition didn't involve an international trip!

Restarted running back in '07 was gearing up for a HM when I hurt my knee working at MIL's house.  Surgery, Dr said cut back on running and try swimming or biking as an alternative.  A couple of running folks who had already moved to BT encouraged me to train for a Tri.  Hooked ever since.

For the rest of the questions, the life span of males in my family isn't great due to sedentary lifestyle.  At 44 my Dr said the avg male (starting at age 40) gains 2 lbs a year and I was well on my way.  Now at 49 I weigh less than I did then and am much better shape.  Not quite down to my college weight (by 10 lbs) but am very happy.