How I stayed hooked

Okay, so I started triathlon as way to possibly lose some weight and stay fit. My goal was to do an Ironman in 4 years, so I started with a sprint in year one, I was going to do an Olympic distance in year 2, a half-ironman in year 3, and a full in year 4. I ended up breaking my ankle in year two after my second sprint, so I was out for the season. I rehabbed my ankle and came back in year 3 and did both the olympic and half-iron distances, then I took a break due to injuries and health issues (and being engaged and planning a wedding took up a whole tri season in itself).

One of the things that kept me hooked, though, was that there are so many gadgets that triathletes have. One of the biggest, of course, is the bike. They have road bikes, triathlon specific bikes, mountain bikes, cruisers, bikes for commuting to work, pricey bikes, cheap bikes, just about anything you want in a bike is out there! And then you get to pick accessories to go on the bike! You can put on aerobars, a speedometer, a pedal stroke counter (i.e. cadence sensor), a bag with spare tubes and air pumps, racing saddles, race wheels, disc wheels, cleats and clip in (or clipless) pedals, and bike shoes. You also HAVE to have cool clothes like cycling shorts, tri shorts, jerseys, and tri tops with pockets. Swim gear like pull bouys and paddles help you train for the swim, and you can also get a wetsuit to make you faster in the races. Running shoes are basically all you need for the run, but if you put cool bungee cord laces on them, you can shave 30 seconds off your total time by not having to tie your shoes! So for a gadget and gear junkie, triathlon REALLY had me hooked!

The other thing I really thought was that if I trained for and did an Ironman, I would surely have a rock hard, healthy body. Well...lets just say that by the end of the half-ironman I was healthy, but my body was definitely not rock hard. But I still felt really good about myself, and to this day the half-ironman is one of my proudest accomplishments.

I also really like challenging myself. I like knowing that if I had to I could participate in a 7 hour race. I like knowing that I can ride my bike 56 miles and still run a half marathon. I have done one organized distance bike ride since then, which was a 67.5 mile ride in Georgia. I enjoy doing long distance training rides here in the Smoky Mountains with some of my friends and my sister.

So, I guess the point of how I stayed hooked this long began with a vision of how I wanted my body to look, coupled with a drive to challenge myself and enough gear to buy that I wouldn't get bored with the hobby any time soon. And the absolute best part about triathlon is finding training partners to compete with and challenge me to be better (although I REALLY don't like it when they beat me!).

A Little Bit About Me...

I started "running" in grad school in about 2001 or so. After running a few 10ks, I decided, with the help of some people at my church, that I would try to do a triathlon. I used to swim on the team as a kid, and I would swim laps in college for exercise, so the only thing I really needed to add to my skillset was cycling. I did my first triathlon in Charleston, SC the weekend after hurricane Charley hit. The race was planned for the day after Charley, but they postponed it for obvious reasons. When I finished the tri (I used a borrowed mountain bike for the pancake flat road course), I was so proud of myself! I was hooked! I loved the way I felt and I loved that I did something that much of America has never even considered! So, that's pretty much how it all started!