Half the Man I Used to be....
Not really, more like a third of the man I used to be.
I hit 74 pounds lost this morning. I'm down to 164 pounds and am still dropping! Can I get a "whoot-whoot," people?
However, I'm still recovering from the upper respiratory crud, so I haven't been really voracious of late. But I have been really meticulous about what I do eat, and it's working. I've been hitting the gym hard and I'm actually being smart about what I use as fuel. I'm protein-loading after my weight workouts, and I feel really, really good!
Haven't been on a bike in two weeks.
Hmm...Let me write that again: Haven't been on a bike in two weeks. Weird. I've actually not missed it. For one, I don't enjoy putting my lungs through hell by sucking freezing rain and wind at 20 mph. And two, I'm still pretty pissed over the whole team thing and I just don't have the desire to get back to it.
However however (I'm using however an awful lot tonight, aren't I?), I have been running a lot more. And I'm talking my favorite girlfriend into teaching me how to swim better. You can see it coming, right? "Oh, no! Jeffrey's going to become a triathlete!" you're saying to yourself. And you'd be right.
Now, I know all my friends know that I have often disparaged local triathletes for their lack of bike skill. And their goofy clothes (says the guy who shaves his legs). And their dipshit aero bars clipped onto their cheap road bikes. But, what else am I going to do? I mean, I don't have a team any more, so crits ain't exactly going to be fun. Road race? More like "hide in the pack and hope for a pack sprint" race!
I'm left with two viable options as an unattached rider. I can race mountain bike - which I plan to do as well. And I can compete in triathlons. And I have to admit, competing in triathlons is pretty much the epitome of pain and suffering. I swim like a rock and I run like a hippo, so I better kick serious ass on the bike. But, after doing a little research and watching those crazy sumbitches in the Ironman Championships in Hawai'i, I'm convinced that I can do it.
Why?
Because it's there. Because people will say "that's stupid crazy, man!" Because it's difficult, outrageous, and something that only a handful of people actually can say they've done (well, a few thousand anyways). I'm going to be 38 in April. I think I'd like to do an Ironman-length triathlon before I'm 40. And, you guessed it, wouldn't it be cool to race the Big Kahuna in honor of my fourth decade on the planet? Sounds extremely painful, brutal, and beautiful.
Now I just got to learn to swim. My left shoulder is still jacked up from my crash three years ago. I'm rueful of my comment to the doctor back then that "oh, I don't do much with my left arm, so 80% mobility is fine." Yeah, every time I throw my arm over my head in a swimming motion, the ball socket "pops" a bit. I don't think that's good, is it? Hmm, we'll see, I guess!
Well, I'm at least excited about something besides my weight loss. I've got a goal, and you know how I am about goals. All I need now is somebody to tell me that I'll never be able to do it. That would seal the deal. You know how I like to succeed when others have told me I'll fail. I'm a spiteful bitch that way.
So, tomorrow I set up my TT rig on the trainer and begin dialing in my fancy new handlebars. I'll tweak my seat position, and get after it. Supposed to rain and snow all damn day anyways, so it'll give me something to do.
Hope you're all doing well.
Jeffrey
I hit 74 pounds lost this morning. I'm down to 164 pounds and am still dropping! Can I get a "whoot-whoot," people?
However, I'm still recovering from the upper respiratory crud, so I haven't been really voracious of late. But I have been really meticulous about what I do eat, and it's working. I've been hitting the gym hard and I'm actually being smart about what I use as fuel. I'm protein-loading after my weight workouts, and I feel really, really good!
Haven't been on a bike in two weeks.
Hmm...Let me write that again: Haven't been on a bike in two weeks. Weird. I've actually not missed it. For one, I don't enjoy putting my lungs through hell by sucking freezing rain and wind at 20 mph. And two, I'm still pretty pissed over the whole team thing and I just don't have the desire to get back to it.
However however (I'm using however an awful lot tonight, aren't I?), I have been running a lot more. And I'm talking my favorite girlfriend into teaching me how to swim better. You can see it coming, right? "Oh, no! Jeffrey's going to become a triathlete!" you're saying to yourself. And you'd be right.
Now, I know all my friends know that I have often disparaged local triathletes for their lack of bike skill. And their goofy clothes (says the guy who shaves his legs). And their dipshit aero bars clipped onto their cheap road bikes. But, what else am I going to do? I mean, I don't have a team any more, so crits ain't exactly going to be fun. Road race? More like "hide in the pack and hope for a pack sprint" race!
I'm left with two viable options as an unattached rider. I can race mountain bike - which I plan to do as well. And I can compete in triathlons. And I have to admit, competing in triathlons is pretty much the epitome of pain and suffering. I swim like a rock and I run like a hippo, so I better kick serious ass on the bike. But, after doing a little research and watching those crazy sumbitches in the Ironman Championships in Hawai'i, I'm convinced that I can do it.
Why?
Because it's there. Because people will say "that's stupid crazy, man!" Because it's difficult, outrageous, and something that only a handful of people actually can say they've done (well, a few thousand anyways). I'm going to be 38 in April. I think I'd like to do an Ironman-length triathlon before I'm 40. And, you guessed it, wouldn't it be cool to race the Big Kahuna in honor of my fourth decade on the planet? Sounds extremely painful, brutal, and beautiful.
Now I just got to learn to swim. My left shoulder is still jacked up from my crash three years ago. I'm rueful of my comment to the doctor back then that "oh, I don't do much with my left arm, so 80% mobility is fine." Yeah, every time I throw my arm over my head in a swimming motion, the ball socket "pops" a bit. I don't think that's good, is it? Hmm, we'll see, I guess!
Well, I'm at least excited about something besides my weight loss. I've got a goal, and you know how I am about goals. All I need now is somebody to tell me that I'll never be able to do it. That would seal the deal. You know how I like to succeed when others have told me I'll fail. I'm a spiteful bitch that way.
So, tomorrow I set up my TT rig on the trainer and begin dialing in my fancy new handlebars. I'll tweak my seat position, and get after it. Supposed to rain and snow all damn day anyways, so it'll give me something to do.
Hope you're all doing well.
Jeffrey
posted by Jeffrey at
10:12 PM
2 Comments:
I will respect you immensely for competing in a triathlon...
I will also give you shit mercilessly.
Tri geeks are the worst of the worst. I expect you to show up to races with Stag or PBR in your water bottles listening to Bad Religion and showing those little tri shits what it's like to be a badass mother fucker.
How is that for my first comment, eh?
I would expect nothing less. And don't forget, Shannon, I'm also going to be racing Mountain Bike races this year! Oh, yeah...who's bad? I'm bad!
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