Daily Archives: July 24, 2006

Initial Workouts

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This is my first workout post, so I’ll briefly sum up what I have done. Hopefully I’ll keep these updated with my workouts each day, or week.

Last week I swam three times, Tueday, Wednesday, and Friday. Each swim was between 45 minutes and an hour, and in each one I swam for 1350 yards, or roughly 3/4 of a mile. I did not and can not swim the whole thing at once. For the first two swims I would swim 2 laps (50 yards), then rest for 30 seconds, then go again. Once I had done 450 yards (~1/4 mile), I would allow myself a longer rest. My heartrate fluctuated between 150 and 170. The third swim I was able to swim 4 laps (100 yards) at a time, with 30 seconds rest in between.

Today I swam, the same as the last swim. Rests every 4 laps for 30 seconds, with longer rests in between each quarter mile. My heart rate was consistently around 150 whenever I remembered to check it, although I’m sure it went higher at times. For a frame of reference, my resting heartrate seems to be between 85 and 90.

The Beginning

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This is my first entry. I am going to complete a Sprint Triathlon in June of ’07.

That may not seem so special to many people, but at the moment I am 6’1″ and 320 pounds (no, that’s not my picture up there).  My exercise routine before I made this decision was something close to nil.  I decided to pursue completing a triathlon after reading about the “Sprint” length triathlons in an article 2 weeks ago.  A Sprint Triathlon apparently consists of a 200 – 400 yard swim, ~15 mile bike, and ~3.1 mile run.  Not bad, eh?  Since then I have ordered 3 books, joined a local pool, and lost 4 pounds!   

Why did I decide to go with a triathlon?  I have always been interested in them, but thought that the Ironman was the only length available.  Learning that they come in all different lengths and difficulties is what convinced me. 

I grew up playing soccer, riding my bike, and swimming on a recreational swim team.  I can do all three sports.  It’s going to take a while, but my goal is for next June.  That’s long enough. 

If you don’t think someone my size can do this, take a look at Michael Pate at www.whenbigboystri.com.  He has an amazing story.  I just finished reading his book.  It’s a fun read, and very inspiring.  I will probably read it many times over before I complete my first triathlon.  It seems that many of the fears he relays in his book are very similar to my own. 

That’s it for now.  I’ll continue to post my thoughts along the way, as well as workout-specific posts.  I’ll also let you know more about me.

Jeff