Losing Clyde - The Begining

I don’t really want to be a Clyde (not that there is anything wrong with it – Insert Jerry Seinfeld voice) There are many extremely talented athletes who are in the Clydesdale category. I just happen to not want to be one of them….This is the story of my journey out of the Clydesdale ranks.

The Vitals:
Weight (lbs): 231
Converted to Kilo's: 104.73
Quartlet Index Body Fat %(BM): 29.64
Body Fat (scale) %: 28.5%

So what does it take to be a Clyde? According to the USTA

Article 3.2 Section b

Clydesdale/Athena Categories. The official minimum weight standard for this category is 200 pounds for
men, 150 pounds for women, to be monitored by the local race director.

Or you can be an actual horse,

The birth of our racing namesake (paraphrased from Wikipedia)

The Clydesdale is a breed of draft horse derived from the very hard-working farm horses of Clydesdale, Scotland, and named for that region. Thought to be over 300 years old, the breed was extensively used for pulling heavy loads in rural, industrial and urban settings, their common use extending into the 1960s when they were a still a familiar sight pulling the carts of milk and vegetable vendors.
The Clydesdale is thought to have arisen from the mid-18th century cross breeding of local mares with larger English and Flemish stock perhaps originally developed for use as warhorses.

But I digress,

My own personal journey to Clyde status has taken place over a number of years and is the result of poor diet and limited activity. I freely admit these things, however I also believe that I can reverse the process as well.

Only time will tell....

Ironman Ethics

Today I was listing to the "Get your Geek on Podcast" and Iron Wil was talking about her Ironman Wisconsin experience. It is a great podcast and I won't waste a bunch of time recapping it. You should listen # 30, I believe.
Anyway the nuts and boltsof it is Triathlon is about the journey and not the destination. There are all these comments about triathletes being A-type personalities. What is an A-Type personality.

You Have A Type A Personality

You are hyper, energetic, and always on the mood You tend to succeed at everything you attempt And if you don't succeed at first, you quickly climb your way to the top! You could be called a workaholic, but you also make time for fun As long as it's high energy and competitive, you're interested You have the perfect personality for business and atheltic success

SO apparently I fit the bill. What does this have to with anything? It has to do with this. Sometimes I ask myself, Self, what the hell? Today I had a two hour dentist appointment. This included an hour or so of deep cleaning followed by enogh novacaine to deaden my mouth for about 4 hrs, in fact all of the feeling still hasn't returned and it's been 5 1\2 hours. I was told it would clear up in a couple of hours " feeling should return in about 20 minutes.: Not the filling did not hurt at all so I can't really complain. But where am I going with this? I still did my swim workout. Staright from the Dentist to the pool. My first question out the chair. Can I still do my swim workout? I guess this is what it means to be A-Type. I guess that is what it means to be a triathlete. Day 18 of Round One. Bring it On!

New Beginings

I started the weekend like almost any other. Thinking how am I going to relax away the stress of the week and be ready for the next one. It's an intricate dance of doing nothing whilst accomplishing something.

I stayed to true to my training goals and Road 52 miles, swam 1.5 and jogged 1 mile. So that is an accomplishment. Not so strong for the relaxing though. Time with friends is relaxing and that was nice.

So why new beginings? Because it's time for one. Like a caterpillar coming out of it's cocoon. It's time for me to shed some old ways. I have roughly 8 weeks to finish preparing myself for a half ironman distance race and i need to shed a few old habits and work to start some new ones. Rumor has it if you do something for 21 days its a habit. Well 60 days seems even better, so how about 3 20 day segments.

Today is day one only 19 to go for round one.

Personel Thoughts on South Beach

Week One Questions

* What is your main Challenge goal?

My main challenge goal is two fold. One I want to develop the proper blood chemistry that Dr. Agaston discusses in the book. Second, as a blooming triathlete, I would like to slim down and become more fit along the way. They really don't make flattering race clothes for the "big boned" triathlete.

* Have you tried healthy eating plans in the past that haven't worked — or made New Year's resolutions to become healthier — but then fallen off track?

Who hasn't made a new years resolution to become healthier and then fallen of the wagon. However, i haven't really tried any formal healthy eating plans in the past.

* Why is this the right time for you to start the Challenge?

There is no better time than now? How about the journey of a 1000 miles begins with the first step. Now is the right time because I don't want to be like many of the people i see around me addicted to a variety on medication to regulate their bodies. Aestically, I learned in order to get a six pack I need to get to 7% body fat.

* Are your friends and family aware of your plans and prepared to support you?

Yes and No, some of friends know, I haven't gone to far out of my way to tell everyone i am doing this.

Stuff Happens

Lots of things have happened since i last popped in here. Things that are probably perfect to write about. The are the workout updates.

Ran 18 miles
Felt pretty cool about it too. I never in my wildest dreams thought that I could run 18 miles and be well on my way to a marathon. Now I have done two weeks in a row. I need to watch out for my knees though. pesky things. Only 3 weeks to go and then it's 26.2. I must admit that I am rather proud of myself. 2 years ago I probably couldn't run 1 mile without resting.

I am thinking about tackling a birthday challenge of my own. Thanks Dirt Diva
Right now my thought, as it's my 35th is:
35 miles running
35 miles cycling
35 minutes of Napping
35 Push Ups
35 Jumping Jacks (I hate Jumping Jacks!)
35 Sit Ups
35 lbs of weight loss
35 oz of Beer that I have never tried before

I have also battled a short bit of holiday sadness. I made arrangements two weeks ago to get a German Shepherd. 7 month old female, seemed like a good thing then twist of fate. Someone got the dog before me. One week later, I made arrangements to rescue a 15 month shepherd from a woman who could no longer care for hers. She placed the dog two days before i was scheduled to come pick him up. Then sent me a text message to tell me she thought i was no longer interested. Now it may seem like a small thing, but for some reason, I don't know why these to events hit me rather heavily. It was during my run today that it sort of seemed OK. Like maybe it's all part of the cosmic plan... It's just that sometimes the cosmic plan seems to suck.

Any way. Still running and we'll see about that birthday challenge. If i survive the marathon, i can think about running 35 miles.