This is fookin’ nutz!

 

My friends and family have talked me into registering for a triathlon.  A triathlon. Three sports – two of which I’ve never tried. At least not at all seriously.

 

OK, I can ride a bike. Most of us can ride a bike. So I borrowed a road bike and I’ve now been out on it twice. It’s got these little skinny wheels. How they hold up to the potholes around here with my 200 pound frame on top of them I’ll never know.  Still… I’m working it. The basics are easy. Now it’s all about the subtleties of cadence and aero position and other stuff I haven’t heard of yet.

 

The swim is a different story.  I went to the pool twice this week. The first time was the longest I’ve swam since I was 16 and following a canoe for my mile swim badge in Boy Scouts. I made it 12 laps – about 1/3 of a mile. I managed to get an uphill lane. About half way through my work out, a 100 year-old man showed up to share my lane. He lapped me. Twice. The lifeguard only had to jump in a couple times so I considered it a success. I went back a couple of days later and swam 18 laps – 1/2 mile. I decided it hadn’t been my lane that was uphill – I must be starting at the wrong end of the pool. They finally made me leave because I’d drunk enough water to lower the level of the pool.

 

You do get to buy a lot of cool stuff. I just got a pair of “Padded Butt Shorts” for biking. I can’t wait to try those out. And I got tire irons and swim goggles!  Whoo!

 

One of my running buddies who has been bitten by the Tri bug and is training for Ironman Wisconsin sends me an email the other day. He says “hey, let’s get on our bikes and ride 5-10 miles, then we’ll stop and run a mile or so, end then do it again!”  He’s nutz.  “And we’ll repeat that whole thing 4-6 times!”  Fookin’ nutz.