Who I am and where I am at...

Let me say up front, I am always looking for input or help.

Been road cycling for 5 years now.  Living in northern Ohio makes it a seasonal sport, so I try to make it to the gym keep up a base.  I did the Bike MS ride again this year which is two days @ 75 miles per day.  It’s not a race and some drafting was used.  My cyclo-computer put my pace at 16.8 mph on day one and 17.6 on day two, but my buddy’s Garmin had us about one mph faster.  (It cuts out the stopped times faster.)  If I start training for a tri, I’ll try to start riding with aero- bars.  I know I can sprint up to 28 mph for about a hundred meters or so and can cruise at 20 mph on shorter, flatter rides.

I am 5’ 11” and currently at 175 lbs down from 210 lbs (5 years ago), thanks to cycling and having a goal event ever year to get in shape for.  I turn 40 next year and think it would be a good goal for me to train for a half-Ironman, or maybe I’m just losing my mind. 

Food-wise, I tend to eat what I want, but not like when I was a teenager.  I do eat more turkey and whole grains than I used to, but I’ll still have ice cream or pizza when my wife or daughter has it.  I did use some Whey-Protein shake mix on the run up to the Bike MS ride and it seemed to help, but it may have been all mental. 

I started throwing in some jogging this year.  Not real far.  My longest jog was 3 miles on the indoor track at my gym, but it was after 20 minutes on the stationary bike and I average about an 8 and a half minute mile pace.  I left good and only stopped due to lack of time that day.  I don’t know any competitive runners, so I don’t know what’s good.  It just seems like I can get into a zone and stay there for a long time. 

The biggest problem I have is that I cannot swim properly.  I won’t drown if I’m in the water, but I don’t have a good free-style technique.   I am not sure where to start picking up this skill.  Most pools seem too short to get into a rhythm.  I live very close to Lake Erie and it would be good practice to swim there, but I would be by myself, which is scary.  Any pointers on where to start here are appreciated. 

My body seems to be geared toward endurance events more than pure speed.  My goals are just to finish strong.  I see there are several different types of tri’s, but Sprint and Olympic distances seem too short, not that they aren’t tough.  I’ll likely spend too much time in transition to make a good time on a shorter course. 

There is an R3 going on near here this month in Sandusky, OH.  It’s the only big tri I’ve seen advertised near me.  I was thinking about going to watch some of it this year and then participating next year in the Half or possible the Full. 

Can I do it?  I think I can…