Training for my first tri-Olympic

STORY: I've never raced or trained for a Tri. before Feb of this year.   I'm 42 years old, and have run 2 marathons.  My first was brutal, finishing (hobbling) in with a time of 5:03.  My second one was better with a finish time of 4:22.  The course for both was the Akron Road Runner Marathon which is an awesome race but very hilly.  I've struggled with injury over the years mostly because of inconsistency and lack of 'restraint'; too much too soon.  I get delusional sometimes.....I can win, I can win, I know I can!  I swam in high school and have lifted weights consistently inconsistent over the years =).  I  do my training alone.

FAMILY STATUS: Married 23 years, 4 children ages 20, 17, 15, and 13, 2 boys and 2 girls.  My wife is awesome having completed 6 marathons and being a huge blessing to many other women who never thought they could do it.  She is responsible for over 17 marathons from people who never ran competitively before.  Stay away from her....you'll find yourself running 26.2!!

CURRENT TRAINING:  I just finished my 9th week of Tri-Training.   I'm following idiots guide for Triathlon Training.  Okay, I'm stupid....I'm following the training program for the ironman, but I'm only going to race the Olympic.  I looked at the time requirements and decided I could pull it off.  I'll need to do some adjusting toward the end to tailor my program to the Olympic distance. 

LAST YEARS RACES:  None.  I pulled my hamstring in the spring playing 40's and over division 3 men's soccer.  I didn't do anything over the summer in the hopes that it would heal.  It didn't.  Over the late fall and early winter, I started doing Yoga and some running. The yoga, stretching, and deep tissue massage seems to have 'healed' my ham. 

2010 RACES:  The only race I have on my calender is the Portage Lakes Triathlon, Olympic distance on Sept. 19th, the day after my 43rd birthday. I started training early and am off to a great start.  I'm looking at other races along the way that I can squeeze in to my schedule and work into my current training plan.

WEIGHT LOSS:  I lost at least 14 lbs of fat and gained about 3 lbs of muscle in the last 8 weeks and am at 160 lbs.  I am 5' 7" and could lose another 5 lbs of fat around my belly.  I'm not sure about body fat percentages.  I just know I lost alotta lard and my legs have toned up a bit and are noticeably bigger.

GOALS:  Of course I enjoy competing and hope to do well.  Along the way, I'd like to make some friends, compete out of state, and overall have a richer life through my experiences and friendships.  I'd like to bring home some hardware too .  As a given, I hope to live healthy and not have too much concern about the cardiovascular disease that has been prevalent in my family (poor diet, stressful living, unhealthy relationships, and too much shlivavitz). 

Looking forward to a fun and blessed year,

Dan