Andy: So The Journey Begins

Here it is, my first blog post ever. I guess I should start by restating what this blog is about and who it is for. My sister-in-law (Laura) and I have decided to do the Lake Stevens Half Ironman triathlon on July 6th of this year. Since Laura lives in Madison, WI and I live in Portland, OR, we are going to post our training progress on this blog so we can encourage and support each other over the next 6 months. This will also be a place where our friends and family can come and see how our training is going and maybe provide an extra kick in pants when we need it. And finally, this blog is for anyone who is interested in reading about the trials and tribulations of two individuals who are training for their first half ironman.

So, with all that being said, here is my first training update. I am already behind schedule!!! The first day of our official training schedule was supposed to be Sunday, December 30th, 2007. However, for those of you in the know, I was a little preoccupied that day with the birth of my third child, Charlie. I didn't really start on the schedule until last Friday. I did an easy 4 mile run in the morning with my little running group. That night, I hit the pool for the first time in years. Oh boy! I have some work ahead of me. By far, the swimming is going to be my weakest event. I did 30 minutes and it about killed me. I did find some helpful tips on the web over the weekend, and it made my 45 minute swim on Monday a little easier, but not much. I am definitely going to need some help with the swim.

I have also joined a tri-club at my local gym. It meets every Monday night and I love it. It is really going to help with some of the conditioning and strength exercises that I seem to avoid when I train by myself. I am also hoping to get some help with the swimming.

Well, that's it for now. In the next day or so, I am going to try and figure out how to get our training schedules posted on this blog so anyone how visits can check out what we are planning to do.