I was able to talk my wonderful wife and both kids into coming with me on my run tonight. I thought I’d warmup with them (5 min) and they’d head home while I continued on my way. They had different plans.

We started together, Elin and I broke ahead for a minute or two, and the warmup was complete. My Garmin (training plan) said to go into the 30 min active run and stay within the range of 9-11min/mile pace. “Easy peasy!” Elin and I both needed to turn this into a walk/run and average 14min/mi pace for the first half mile. I was proud she had gone this far with me!

I spoke too soon.

Elin and I turned around at Bobby’s driveway and started back. This is when the wheels started to come off for her. My legs seemed fine during this time, but I couldn’t just leave her… Could I? I did. Knowing Evonne and Axel were coming towards her, I took off to get back within the desired pace and managed to make it another quarter mile before needing to catch my breath and walk. All of a sudden, I heard foot steps behind me. Not the Brian Cunningham-type footsteps either. It was Elin. She got her wind back and caught me! We walked for a couple of telephone pole lengths and jogged some more.

When we were three poles from the driveway, she was out of gas. She claimed she was going to faint and throw up at the same time. I literally laughed out loud. I lightly jogged and encouraged her the rest of the way, hugged her, told her how proud of her I was, and took off to finish my test. She had just ran her first mile!

FINISH STRONG

When I left Elin and continued on my own, I had 13 minutes left of my test. I thought “I can make it to the highway (.5 miles) in six and a half minutes and then back.” I was able to walk/run and get back with a minute to spare.

I struggled with my numbers initially, but Evonne reminded me it was my first time back out and to just stick with it. I appreciated that more than she knows. I’ve now got my initial tests behind me and I’m looking forward to being back in the pool tomorrow.

Moving forward, I hope to post weekly so I can look back at where I came from and maybe inspire others to get fit for whatever personal reason they may have. Mine is to be able to ski and be active with my kids into their adult life. Here’s to everyone’s journey! SKOL!

The post Day 4 – Run Test appeared first on Becoming an Ironman (70.3).

What is a half ironman, you ask?
A 70.3 is a triathlon where the athletes swim 1.2 miles, bike 56 miles, and run 13.1 miles (half marathon). The total distance is 70.3 miles. It’s half of what a full Ironman is.

To give some history, I’ve done one single triathlon in my life. It was a sprint distance which is a half mile swim, 12.4 mile bike, and 3.1 mile run. I’ve also got a handful of half marathons under my belt. It’s been seven years since my last one, but that doesn’t matter, does it?

I feel very comfortable with swimming. Having done the half marathons in the past, I have faith in completing another. The biking part worries me a little as I’ve never biked more than 12.4 miles in one shot before.

I reached out to Kelcey and Mike to get their immediate feedback on the course and the training involved. Both were very helpful for me and my decision to commit. I’ve even been added to a few Facebook groups to help with my training, motivation, and even buy/sell equipment.

Do I commit?
If I commit, I’ll have 49 weeks before the 70.3 in Des Moines, so my runway to get into shape and ready for it is primed. I looked at professional training coaches and online training plans for days. I settled on a 48 week training plan through TrainingPeaks.

I’ve gone out and acquired my initial equipment, including a bike (Trek Domane AL 2 Disc), helmet, shoes, goggles, Garmin, and some other little items. My next few items I’ll need to consider for purchase will be a wetsuit and tri-suit. This is going to be an expensive hobby, but worth it in the end if it means I’m healthy and skiing all the runs with my kids when they get older!

Despite my all my apprehension, I told myself to just go for it. So, I committed to doing the Ironman 70.3 Des Moines in 2024.

The post What Am I Doing? appeared first on Becoming an Ironman (70.3).