Personal Challenge

(no photos of the swim portion - oh well.)

In my youth I was all about competitive athletics - track, cross country, soccer, etc. My dad had been quite the high school athlete so I had a built in coach in that regard. I continued to compete, recreationally, after I joined the Navy - 10K's mostly - back then, though, the multi-sport stuff hadn't really come to be - at least not mainstream. So anyway - when I saw the marketing for the Pleasant Prairie Triathlon - with a sprint distance that looked pretty 'doable' for this old frame - I registered. I know how not to drown, I've ridden a bike around a few times, and I knew how to run - so "why not" I figured!!!

I had a blast! It was a 1/2 mile swim, 12 mile bike, and 3 mile run. Honestly, I didn't train for it at all. I "intended" to train for it, but never got around to it. So on Aug 20th, my only goal was to finish without doing long-term damage to my body. Lake Andrea was great - 76 degF bathwater - so the swim was comfortable - though I was in the water for awhile - a 1/2 mile swim is a pretty good distance. Then the bike portion was nice and flat - but by the time I stepped off the bike my legs nearly went out from under me - took me a few steps before I could walk with confidence, and a few minutes after that before I could run without feeling like I was going to tip over.

If you haven't tried one of these short distance triathlons - I'd encourage you to give it a shot. If you're comfortable in the water, can ride a bike and walk/run 3 miles - it really is a nice little personal challenge. Man against the environment! I can easily tell, though, that I've been retired from the military for awhile - time to get back on a somewhat regular workout regime!!