Merry Xmas

Hey Everyone in tri-blog-land.

Things are going ok. I have not been back to the doctor but my shoulder and my knee have been ok. Not great but ok. So I will take it as progress. I started spinning on Sunday(15minutes) and today (15 minutes and felt pretty good.

I miss my bike.

I am getting the urge to go back to the pool again. I may go check it out in a week or 2.

Thanks to everyone for the kind words and support throughout this crazy-ass year. I am very grateful. I have been going over the last year and shit....I DID 2 TRIATHLONS!!!!! Now if i was ever feeling bad about my situation...just that alone is enough to shut my lame ass up:)

Oh and I promised my friend, Janet, that we would do the LI 1/2 marathon this year...so here goes...its on my blog...I gotta do it:)

And let me say...I cannot wait to put this year behind me.

Damn gimpy shoulder

Hey all. Hope everyone is doing well.

I am good. I have been back on my food plan. Lost about 13lbs since the last weighing(a month ago).

My offseason tri program is on hold indefinitely. My shoulder is becoming a HUGE problem. Had a cortisone shot...did no exercise for a few weeks and it still hurts. Probably an MRI in my near future. The xray shows a bone spur in the joint so that could be it.....well i guess we will see. I will focus on losing weight and all the other craziness in my life right now.

Tina and I are separated and living in the same house. Weird. Hurts. But due to financial constraints, neither one of us can move out. House is going on the market and hopefully we can sell it in a reasonable amount of time. I will miss my house....I did a lot of the work myself and I am proud of it. It's a weird situation for sure. Part of me wants the freedom (both financially and physically) but part of me wants not change.....I dont know....

Peace out

Bob

Working my way back....

Hey Folks,

Things are actually going pretty well. Tina and I are getting separated. I am still working on me, the inside parts.....I have been working my food plan for about 15 days now. My head feels pretty good cause i have been talking with a professional.....very good...I highly recommend it. I have not been training at all lately and really don't expect to for another few weeks. The reconstruction of bob has begun and I need to work on the foundation before I can work on anything else.

We are selling the house. And I am moving into another bedroom. I have been working on clearing out this bedroom(formerly storage). My shoulder is sore from lifting the boxes but we will see how it feels in a week or 2 when I go back swimming. Cleaning up boxes from your past is kind of like the cleaning i am doing with my head.....its sucks to do but ultimately it helps you later.

I have not weighed myself in a few weeks on purpose. My focus is not on the food its on my head. I am following a simple food plan. 3 meals a day nothing in between and 1 day at at time. The meals are balanced: protein, carbs, and fat. That's it. I have a few red-light foods:

nacho chips, taco bell, cheese and crackers, any kind of dip.

So for now i will avoid any of these foods until my head gets a little clearer.


Thanks to all my peeps for all the kind words....i will check in again soon:)

Bob

hi-deeee hi-deeeee hoooooo

Hey everyone. I just wanted to say HI. As you all know i have had some trials and tribulations in my personal life. All I can say is i am working on it. I am calling this PROJECT BOB: THE RECONSTRUCTION. I am in the process of reconstructing me. I am tearing a lot of crap down and throwing it out and I am going to build ME back up. Been some low points this past few weeks but I think mentally i am coming into a clearing. SOOOOOOOOOO

I am going to try to get back to the pool this week. Test out the bum shoulder and see if its ready for some swim-fun.

I also have been itching to get out on the bike again. I did that 50 miler a few weeks ago and i have done zero riding since.

Congrats to TEA on a marathon well done!!!!

On the weight front, I put on a few more pounds but I am back working the program. What else is there to do when everything goes to shit but pick yourself up and start again:)

Peace love and sooooouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuullllll

Getting back to what is IMPORTANT

ME

That is what is important. If I don't take care of myself, then I will not be able to handle everything else. Sooooo today I am going to focus on taking care of myself.

I went to the gym. Ran for a little while...intervals....not too long but I will build on it. Then abs...

Work has been pretty crazy and so has home so I need to make sure that I am taking care of numero uno:)

5-0 thats right 50, and I dont mean the artist

50 miles

That's right folks....biked 50 miles today. I know some of you its like a walk in the park but i never biked this far.....IT WAS GREAT....

Started out a 6am with some friends(4 to be exact). It was dark and chilly (50) but clear and the wind didn't seem that bad. I have to say that biking into the sunrise is amazing. I don't have too much technical data on this one cause i didn't think i was going to make it last night. But the biking gods shined down and i woke up on time...hehehe

The first 35 was great....felt great and then i hit the wall. The last 10 or 15 was tough. Painful and tough. I was alone cause we all spread out. I was not fast enough for the 2 fast guys and i wasn't slow enough for the 2 in the back. I was pretty happy cause i just kept telling myself that I can do this. Just keep putting the hammers down and i made it.

It took about 4 hours(including some rest stops).

And just one shout out:

GO TEA GO.....

and now its time to watch some FOOTBALLLLLLLLLL

And now for the quickest reversal of all time

So I posted yesterday before we went out for drinks and some dinner. We get to the restaurant and we started talking. I have to say the last few days have been weird. She has been trying to be the loving old Tina but I still feel like part of her still wants to be something else. I am sitting at a bar in this restaurant and the answer comes....its over. Not in the sense of hatred and nastiness that usually comes with breakups but the love one has for another person to let them go and explore the world in the way that they need to. I will not hold her back and she will not hold me back.

thats all....i am a little scared cause i dont know what is next but i will do what i do in triathlon when the going gets rough....just put 1 foot in front of the other......and it will get better....

Just a quick update

Thanks to everyone for the words of encouragement. Tina and I have decided to try and work things out. I am not sure what the future holds but for today we are trying and that is all I have ever asked for. We will seek out a therapist to assist us in sorting through our issues. Today I spoke to a woman who was married for 54 years and she told me about some of the trials and tribulations that she faced. Similar issues and they made it...hopefully we can make it too. If it winds up not working out, I will be able to say that I exhausted all options.

Food has been pretty bad.

I am going to make an appt with an orthopedist to get some advice on my shoulder.....been rehabbing for a while now and still its not feeling better.....

Bobito

TODAY IS A GREAT TRI-DAY

Congrats to DUANE!!!!! He came back to revisit the site of his first tri and kicked some major butt!!! I am looking forward to racing with you in 2009.

I also have been tracking Iron Wil in her 2nd attempt at IM Wisconsin. The big Kahuna and Iron Wil are the 2 tri-geeks that got me to jump in the pool. She is an inspiration. She is also the first person that I emailed and revealed my tri-dreams...and she emailed me back and no she did not laugh but instead she encouraged me. Today, I have been tracking her blog and so far she looks great....sounds like she will hear the famous words:

Iron Wil, YOU ARE NOW AN IRON MAN!!!!

I hope to hear these words one day......

I also want to thank everyone for their support and kind words (especially Tea and Duane) in this really difficult time in my life. It has been tough and not everyone at home understands but its always nice to have some friends that unconditionally love me and keep me afloat.....

Bob

9/8/2007

It is an important date in my world...Kind of the day my world just fell to pieces. Its been a really bad week...and its culminated with Tina and I agreeing to separate. God I feel like shit...
We are both not happy but she is done with us. I am not going to sit around passively and be this door mat to just wipe your feet on. I also realized something very important. I have spent a lot of time in the last few years trying to keep other people happy but i never seem to take care of myself. Well GUESS WHAT......

This is going to be my time.....

I will ride the wave and see what happens.....I know that emotionally and financially this is going to be really tough on me. And i am going to get back on track.....

Bob

The value of the written word

I really believe in writing down my thoughts each day. Instead of letting all the crap in your head build up and reek havoc, I like to take a few minutes to write down what is on my mind. I did this today but for a specific purpose......my marriage issues. I think it was a good thing. I am actually writing a letter to my wife kind of explaining how i feel. This way she can read it, digest it, and then respond. Since this is so close to the heart, we usually get either defensive or heated or both when we talk. Hopefully she will hear what I am saying(want to work it out not divorce).

No exercise today or yesterday. Had other stuff on my mind. Food has been ok. Not great but ok. Got to an OA meeting today....this helps a lot. There is nothing like sitting in a room with people who have similar food issues.

Shooting for a bike ride tomorrow.

Over and out:)

Weekend ramblings

This weekend has been kind of rough. I am dealing some things in my married life that I never thought would come up. Its been tough going for a few months now and its getting time to make some serious decisions. I did not get married to get divorced but I feel like only one of us is willing to sit down and work on our issues and the other one is emotionally (and physically) absent. Its heartbreaking. It sucks.

Went for a kick-ass mountain bike ride yesterday(2hours). It felt great because it was the first time that I've been on serious trails in about 6 years. WOW what a rush.......

Saturday I went to the beach and spoke with my cousin. We had beers and hung out all day. The weather was perfect then we got some chow....really good day but no Tina(wife).....she was out with her friends all day...

I am not ultra religious. But i do believe in a higher power. I do pray. Its funny...I used to pray like I was ordering Chinese food. I want a number 1, 5, 7 , and 15......I still pray but I am just praying for guidance and to make the right decision(either way).

Take care

Labor Day

Hey Everyone:)

As part of Labor day weekend, I will......Labor....I have to work...can you believe it. Big corporations these days hold nothing sacred. Anyway most of today will be spent working. If I get done early, I am going to the beach.

Maybe get a bike ride in.....tomorrow i think i am heading up to new paltz. Home of the shawangunks...great hiking.....we'll see how it goes....

Not much today

I work evenings(1pm - 9pm). Today I had to come in early to meet my new boss. The day was really hectic but I thought I gave a good impression. My food was good until dinner. I ate a steak sandwich and fries(and 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream). I never am home for dinner so Tina and I went out and well....I went a little overboard. I am not going to make a big deal out of it. It was a nice date night and it was something that we needed. So tomorrow I go for a nice bike ride to repent for my sins. 1 meal does not make a week. I just need to get back on track tomorrow.

ok see you tmro:)

DAY 3 - GREAT WORKOUT DAY

Well boys and girls if you look to the left corner of your screen, you will see that I have posted my weight loss ticker. I will update it each week. So today was a great workout. I rode about 20 miles in an hour and did some aerobics. It was great. Felt really good. This "feeling good" starts to happen for me when I start eating right. Speaking of which...food was good today too :)

I was also very happy to get my mountain bike fixed today. Had some work done on it cause I wanna get back out on the "real" trails near me. I have been sticking to flat off road for a few months but I think the changes i made will make me more comfortable.....

Also i will keep you posted on more IRON related posts....waiting on a few friends....hehehe

Food:

1 light yogurt
1 high fiber muffin

6 oz chicken grilled
1 salad
2 oz dressing

Grilled chicken pasta salad(with some mozzarella).

3 sushi rolls (tuna, soft shell crab, eel)

I really wanna come in next Tuesday on the lower end of the scale.....REALLY REALLY WANT THIS

Day 2

Day 2 has been good. Food was good. Workout was good. I missed my PT appointment because I overslept. I spoke to TJ(the PT) and we will meet on Friday. I did a great step-aerobics class today. My HR was in the 145-155 range almost the whole time.

I went to another OA meeting today. Meeting was good. I love to hear other peoples experiences and hope. If they are kind enough to share their story, then the least i can do it try to learn from it.


Food is good.

1 weight watcher 2pt bar

1 6inch subway turkey and swiss
1 small bag of light chips

3 chicken legs
1 cup of grilled veggies

1 turkey, swiss, lettuce, pickle, mustard on whole wheat wrap

Feel good. I had too much diet soda today....need to drink more water......


I am so happy to hear other's triathlon stories.....I read Geek Girl's story of her Kentucky Ironman victory....in my eyes finishing any Ironman is a HUGE victory.....I don't know her yet i feel very proud of her....yes proud....love rooting for the underdog......she finishes just before the cutoff.....amazing....I am humbled reading her story. Hopefully you will read my IM story in 2 years....

ACCOUNTABILITY

Today is day 1. Decent day food wise. Stuck to my plan and I feel good. I have to be vigilant tonight and not give in to my evil urges(food/take over the world/ depends on the night haha).

I went to a OA meeting today. It really felt good to go back. I swear it's the one place I go where I can truly feel comfortable.

Now its time for accountability:
So let me fill you in on this past weekend. Friday: I had a really crappy week at work so I went out for a few drinks. Which was A LOT of fun but i eventually ended the night eating chicken fingers and sweet potato fries at the Pisces cafe. Great food but not so good if you are trying to lose weight. Bad choice...had a nice buzz and gave in....

Woke up Saturday and trained. Did plyometrics and some weights. Food ok. Finally took a big step in organizing my tool area in the basement. Sat night went to a party but no drinkin and ate well. But then got home at 11pm and ate a pbj and chocolate milk.

Sunday: I did kick-boxing class at 8am. Felt great. Ate pretty good but had chinese for dinner. Although it was on my plan, it made me feel bloated and crappy this morning.

Monday morning: Trained my back and shoulders(light weights). Felt good but shoulder is still sore even with little or no weight.

Food today:

1 light yogurt
1 high fiber muffin

2 slices pizza
1 salad
2 oz balsamic dressing

1 cup of chicken and broccoli
1 cup brown rice

1 chicken burrito (no cheese no guac)
15 chips
salsa

I have to watch my portions. 1 less slice of pizza and no chips with the burrito.

Special thanks to TEA for kicking me in the ass to get back online:)

peace out

The season is over

Yep folks...my tri season is officially over:(

With some advice from friends, I have decided to focus on rehabbing my shoulder(and other ailments) and target coming into next season in better shape with the hope of not going through the injury bug....

So tomorrow starts my off-season training. I go see TJ the PT and he will determine my fate. Most likely i will not do much for the next 2 weeks and start taking anti-inflammatories(as much as i hate them).

Like my friend Duane, I too will start posting my weight and food. If i start messing up, i expect you all to jump on me and whip me into shape:)

Goals for next year:

(1) Lose 100 lbs (come in at around 240)
(1a) I want to be able to fit into a wetsuit. Thus part of goal #1...hehehe
(2) Complete a OLY tri in the beg or mid season
(3) Ride a century (100 miles) on bike
(4) Complete a half iron by end of the season ***BIG GOAL****
(5) I want to hike the part of the Appalachian trail. We are not talking day hiking...i want to camp and make my way across VT and NH. This includes going thru the white mountains.


In some ways, I feel like my weight issues has kept me down for too long.

This is gonna seem like a rant but here I go:

Food for me has been a drug. I use it to cover up my feelings. I use food the same way other addicts use booze or drugs. I bury my feelings down but the problem is it is only temporary. Sooner or later you are forced to deal with your feelings. If I bury everything down, it usually comes out as anger or depression. I feel like i have wasted a good 10 years of my life sitting in front of the TV eating tortilla chips, cheese and salsa at 11pm. I work evenings so when i get home at around 11 I usually want something to make me feel good or something to make me tired so i used to choose to stuff food down and then pass out. The next morning is spent being tired and cranky. If I am beat then i dont want to workout or do anything else. And this begins the cycle i was caught in for the last 10 years or so.....

It permeates everything i do.

This is my cross to bear.

I think I am gonna cut this cross up and make a campfire out of the wood cause I dont want/need to carry this with me anymore. NO MORE.


Ok so now you think i am crazy but that is how i feel today......

Life is a pain in the......

SHOULDER. My right shoulder is pretty sore. I think its bicep tendinitis. Its really sore and it sucks cause that means that i cant swim in the last last outdoor swim of the season:(

I called my physical therapist and i want to start therapy asap. I need to get this fixed.

As far as exercise goes...yesterday i did a kick ass step class and today i did abs and shoulders(no weights).

Food has been up and down. I need to re-commit myself and get back on the program. I am not sure why but i tend to sit in this "in-between" world food wise. I dont really eat bad but i dont really eat good. It stinks to be honest and i dont like the way it feels.

Changes are a-comin

Katlin Boyle Memorial Bike ride

So today I planned to do a leisurely bike 7 miles mountain bike ride....Fundraiser for a friends daughter that died from meningitis at 21 years old.....

Leisurely....I am not sure what happened but I got on my bike an man did i light it up. I know it wasn't a race but i set a pretty fast pace and was the first one finished....I felt so good. And to think that last winter I struggled finishing this course....I just hammered from start to finish.

Maybe it was breakfast...got up and made pancakes from scratch....only had 2 but it was yummy and I had great energy.....

I am a semi-pro photographer so I took a bunch of pictures.

TKA

Congrats to my tri-friend TEA for a PR in the rattlesnake OLY triathlon. She is going to do a sprint tomorrow and hopefully become the proud owner of the rattlesnake belt buckle.....

I had a great day today. I have the pleasure of training high school age kiddos. Its so much fun. Basically it helps the kids get stronger for the sports they play in over the year. I really enjoy it. And I do a lot of the exercises with them so i word up a good sweat too:) My specialty is plyometrics and agility drills. I try to mix it up so we never do the same thing twice. I want to keep them challenged.

Tomorrow I am doing a memorial bike ride for a friend. I may hit the water tmro too.....we will see:)

Ciao for now

NOT TOO SHABBY

Had a great training day today. I got in 700 meters swimming and a 20 mile bike ride. Man I felt great. I was able to get up at around 6am, got to the pool at 6:15, swam, and then got a nice ride in.....

My shoulders are sore tonight but other than that i feel good.


Over and out:)

moving and shaking

Yep folks....i am moving and shaking...bobbing and weaving......at work.

Work has been nuts. There was a big corporate re-org. I am not sure what my new responsibilities are but my old boss seems to be very good and keeping me busy. One thing at a time.......just like running....1 foot in front of the other.....

My food has been OK the last 2 days. I weighed in and lost 6lbs. This is a good thing. This loss is just gaining ground i lost(cause i have gained about 15 over the summer).

My shoulder and knee tendinitis has been bothering me but i have been icing. I may go back to PT for both if it will help.

No formal tri training this week. Cross training mostly. I did a kick ass step class on Tuesday and a fun interval training class today. Man that stuff kicks my butt. I rate it on how much i sweat. Both days i sweat through my shirt and 3/4 of my shorts......love it....too much fun.....

I will try to make swimming tmro morning. It is hard because i get home very late some nights(midnight) so getting up at 5am is tough.

Words of wisdom for today:

Sometimes in life we need to have blinders. We need to focus only on the thing that is in front of us. Focus is key in this world. Get the 1st thing done and then move on the next thing.......sometimes its that simple.

1st day back to work from vacation

Well vacation is over:(

Back to work...work work and fitness/diet work.

Plan on swimming tmro as long as my good friend, Sean, opens up the pool at 6am.

No workout today. Cooked food for the week this morning.

I decided to pass on the job opportunity that came my way. The green wasn't green enough. I am a little disappointed.

todays food was ok. did great until later in the evening. I really should not eat anything after 7 or 8pm.....

breakfast 9am
3 egg whites
2 oz turkey
1 oz swiss
2 sl whole wheat bread
water

lunch 1pm
4 oz turkey
1 oz cheese
1 whole wheat pita
1/2 cup german potatoe salad(no mayo)
1 cup grapes
water

dinner 4pm
5 oz chicken
1 cup of string beans
diet coke (can)

snack
1 rice crispy treat 6pm
hand full of tortilla chips 11pm
some pretzels with peanut butter 11pm
diet sprite (can)

Obviously the snack thing got out of control. I had the right food all day but (as usual) i always want to fill the emptiness(or whatever is bothering me) in my world with food. I have to stop this...it doesn't make me feel better.....

anyway tomorrow is another day and a chance to get it right and get in some training:)

There are people that train the way they want to and people that train the way they have to.

Reality check time!!!!!

My good friend TEA said this today and these are words that I NEED to live by. I have been training how I want to but not how I need to. I have been ignoring my diet. When I start messing up my food plan.....my training is not far behind. I am going to start posting my food on this blog everyday(at the end). This is for me because I really need to commit my food each day and not deviate from my plan. This is how i get into trouble.

SOOOOOO

Onto this weekends events: I had the funnest most bestest weekend. We had our annual block party on Saturday and what a great time it was. Lots of friends came over and it was a blast. We were in the pool. We had pie in the face free-for-all...dancing....water balloon fights.... All sorts of craziness......

Then today I had a bunch of people over to finish off the food we didn't eat yesterday. It was great to relax and hand out. Cooked up burgers and dogs. and just relaxed.

So as you can tell my food this weekend was horrible. But i am going let it go and begin again tomorrow.

keep putting one foot in front of the other.....

Rainy days.......

Hey everyone!

I am happy to announce that I still have a job. Althought my title has changed (yet again) I have a feeling i will still be taking care of the same old stuff.

I think I ate bad chinese food on Thursday night. I was up all night with montazumas revenge. I was tired and beat up all thursday. Still feel crappy but a little better. Moral to the story: bring my food in from home and i almost never get sick......

I did some weight training today(chest and tri's).

I took today off to get my yard ready for the big block party tomorrow but it is raining right now so I am cleaning up inside the house. Tomorrow should be a lot of fun. We (the block) have a water slide, martian walk(bouncy thing), and many other activities(pie in the face contest). The kids (ie me) love it.

I may go back to the gym later for a great step class....we'll see how i feel.

Okey dokey smokey...i am out:)

hot hot hot

It is in the high 80's and very humid. There was a tsunami-like storm this morning and there are no subways running downtown in Manhattan. So after a 1 hour train ride into the city I had to wait a half hour for the subway in what felt like 100 degree temps(its always hotter in the subway...you would think it would be cooler underground but its actually hotter) we got kicked off at 14 th street and i had to walk out in the oppressive heat for a while. Oh well.....life goes on.

Worked out today. I did a cardio-interval class at my gym. The owner/teacher, Corrine, is possibly the best fitness/aerobics teacher in the world. She is uplifting and fun. And you never do the same thing twice so you never catch on:) Its great cardio. My heart rate is always in the 140-150 range for over an hour. And did i mention fun.....

It feels really good to be in the air-conditioning. On a not-so-good note, we are about to hear about he company "re-org". I hear they are chopping heads...hopefully i will survive the cut:)

Bob

Monday for me....tuesday for everyone else:)

Today is my Monday. The first Monday back from vacation. This sucks. 1800 emails. And tomorrow they announce the latest company re-org. But i may have some positive career news soon...keeping fingers crossed.


No workout today. Too busy dealing with life issues and i have a cold.

I did learn a few very important things:

(1) Everyday I need to make sure that I take care of ME. If i dont take care of me, i wont have the energy to help out anyone else.

(2) I am not in control of the universe(God is). I am overly religious but i do believe that there is a God out there and more than anything.....I am not in control:)

(3) If i get my food for the day right, everything else seems to fall into place. I am a compulsive overeater. I eat when things are good, bad, or anything in between. So i need to always be vigilant in monitoring my food intake. Besides i am tired of winning super-duper clydesdale category in triathlon (over 300).

(4) Life's gains are made in small increments. One of my friends calls this little by slowly. We make progress on God's time not ours.


I am really beginning to like this blogging thing......

PERSEVEREANCE

I am the type of person who seems to perceive everything in the extreme. If a little is good then a lot is better. If the news is discouraging, then the end of the world is near. Or as i like to say, " I throw all my toys out of the playpen." Life is about perseverance. Life is about getting better a little a time. Sometimes the little bit is so small you don't realize it but it adds up over time. Triathlons are a metaphor for life. When my friend TEA blogged about her run that was a total mess and the range of emotions is unbelievable. Tea is my tri-mentor and friend. I learn about life and triathlons through her writings. The biggest part of her story that she told was that she regrouped and started putting 1 foot in front of the other. Life is this way for me. When everything starts falling apart, i usually need to step back and regroup. But ultimately i need to keep putting 1 foot in front of the other and persevere.

Today i went for a walk/run of 5 miles in the rain at the long beach boardwalk. I love the boardwalk. Makes me feel like rocky or something. Plus who does not love running at the beach with the smell of the salt air and sounds of the waves crashing....very cool.

So enough waxing poetic

Ok enough re-hashing the past. Its already behind us. Althought it was fun now onto new adventures.

No training today. Put up fence. Hard work but not too bad. Weather is great today. 80's with lower humidity and cool breeze. I have all the windows open to get some fresh air in the house cause the AC has been on all week.

I am going to join beginnertriathlete.com. I need to get be more focused with my training. I have been nursing a few injuries(piriformus inflamation, patellar and bicep tendonitis) so my training has been on the light side. But i am feeling better(85%) and i am tired of not doing anything. Overall I need to be more focused. I want to complete an olympic tri at the beginning of next year so i need to start getting focused(both diet and exercise).

I need to get out on my bike either tonight or tomorrow morning.

that all folks:)

Race report of 1st sprint triathlon

Here is my race report from the mossman triathlon....my 1st sprint (with the flu)

I DID IT!! My first real sprint tri:)

2:15 (1/2 mile swim, 15 mile bike, and 3 mile run)

It was the toughest thing i have done so far.


I got up a 3:30am today to drive the 1.5 hour ride From Lindenhurst,
NY to Norwalk, CT. I had everything prepared and even bought a new
insulated bottle for my bike. I drove up...no traffic...I know you
are saying its 4 in the morning but driving near NYC you see traffic
at all times. I got up there and checked in. The weather was
perfect 72 degrees, sunny, slight breeze. Not too humid. Its 95
right now so the weather was very very nice.

They gave me a yellow swim cap and i didn't realize that it determined
what group you went into the swim with. So i was walking over to the
start and i hear them saying 30 seconds for yellow to start. So i ran
over but missed my group so i started 5 minutes later. I think that
was the best thing that happened to me cause i wasn't thinking about
swimming. I just ran in (it was cold-66 degrees). I started swimming
freestyle but keeping my head out of the water cause I kept
involuntarily gasping. But mentally i was ok- the important part. I
just kept telling myself that i will get used to this and I will do
it. So i finally made it head-in into the water and for a while i
alternated freestyle and backstroke. So the swim was a 100 meter
swim out to a big yellow buoy across like 600 or 700 and then another
100 back to land. So there we 3 buoys only i didn't realize it so i
am crawling along an my pace and i see the 2nd buoy but i really think
its the 3rd. And i am like, " this is a piece of cake!" but when i
got closer i realized that no one was turning..hahahaaa.. This 2nd
buoy was more or less the halfway point. So i told myself the just
keep doing what you are doing. There were volunteer lifeguards on
board and kayaks and they were so awesome. Asking politely if i am ok
or just encouraging me. It was great. I would give them a thumbs up
to let them know i was ok. When i turned the last buoy i was really
tired and i was a little off course so this 70 year old woman in a
kayak tells me to start nosing over and tells me i am doing great. I
am not sure if these people know what that does when you are tired and
starting to question why you jumped in 66 degree water to swim a half
mile. So i correct and i go another 50 meters and i look up to see
if i am on course and there she is yelling at me to keep going. I
look at her and say hey didn't i pass you back there or am i not
moving:) So at the end of the swim i went hard. The problem was that
i started feeling queasy. When i got out of the pool i was dizzy and
nauseous. I just walked over to the transition area and tried to get
my head on straight. Changed quickly. And then started riding. My
legs felt pretty bad. I actually thought i had a flat (haha) cause my
legs weren't working right. I told myself to just ride easy for a
bit. I did and i turn this corner and there is a short steep hill.
I is nothing on fresh legs but i was tired. Got up it and turned
another corner and there was a long steady climb. I swear i could
have taken this with no problem but my legs were jello so i went into
mountain biking mode and just took and easy gear and spin spin spin up
the hill. I was sipping on my new insulated 10$ bike bottle and my
liquid was nice and cool. I go to put it back in the holder and
ka-plunk...it goes falling across the street...needless to say it was
a donation and i hope that some local kid got a new water bottle.
This sucked cause i really needed the fluids but forget the things you
cant control(and i am NOT going back for it). Oh did i tell you there
is another loop. Yep short hill and heartbreak slow climb another
time but I felt better so i think my 2nd lap was better. Passed a few
and got passed by a few. Again people encouraging us all the way.
Only one negative issue was some "uber" athlete yelled at me for being
on the left even though the race people were telling us to get left.
So I thanked him in the NY way and kept racing. Finished up the bike
and the run transition was great but...you guessed it....wobbly legs.
So i walked for a bit and scarfed some water. The run was hard. Just
plain old hard. I was really tired so i just ran and walked according
to how i felt. I walked too much but i am ok with it cause i was beat
by that point. But let me tell you about the finish. I ended up
running more at the end of the race. Coming into the finish line they
announced my name and let me tell you..
I have to tell you I got choked up when they announced me coming in to
the finish. Life has been tough lately, not just injuries, but
everything so this finish meant more to me. So i finished 2:15 . I
do not have my splits yet but should have them tonight.

This race is representative of how all tri's should be run. They
were excellent.

Oh and i won a portable foot bath for answering this trivia question:
what were the names of both Rocky's fishes in rocky 1? (cuff and
link) hahaha

My story...continued

So in April I did a small triathlon. It was great. I was so freaked out a the beginning of my swim that I almost quit. I wanted to very badly but something inside me said something very profound:

BOB TURN ON YOUR BACK AND JUST BREATHE!!!!

Wow whoever gave me that advice was a saint. I did the backstroke and caught my breath. I felt like as a swim went on I got faster. I was swimming with a few other newbies and I waited for them at either side of the pool telling them WE could do this....only a little farther. Little did they know i was pretty freaked out but encouraging them helped me. I was 4th from the back of the pack out of the pool and that was a major accomplishment.


The bike went great. I got a huge rush coming out of the transition with everyone cheering. I passed a bunch of people. Since it was only 6 miles, I went all out.

The best thing i did on the run was i stuck to my plan. I just did my intervals(1.5 minutes running/1 minute walk). The finish was amazing. Everyone cheering and encouraging us. Very cool. AND.....I FELT GREAT!!!!!

Well that was the beginning.

Since then I did a sprint triathlon (with the flu). I will post my race report from that later.

a lovely self portrait of Tina and I

The phoenix rises from the ashes......

Well folks. Here it is. My blog.

A little background info:

I used to weight nearly 400 lbs. I have lost over 50 since last year. I have been on a journey of sorts. Trying to figure out my life, my head, and where i fit in this world. I spent about 1o years compulsively overeating which lead to my huge waist and some really terrible feelings. So one day i was lucky enough to wake up and decided i didn't really like wallowing in my own crap....

My wife and I joined Weight watchers. we go every week and we stay for the meetings. We always get something good from the meetings. By the way, my wife has lost over 80 lbs.

I decided to get more into fitness cause one day i had to run for the train and i was so out of breath. I took 15 minutes for my heart rate to get back down to normal. So i started at my local gym (Fitness Incentive). I am very lucky because the people at the gym are fantastic. I have so many friends. Today these people are part of my extended family. I progressed from beginner classes to expert.

A few years ago I saw the Ironman Hawaii on TV and i was amazed but I thought I could never do it. Two years ago i saw a triathlon magazine and bought it. I was always a strong bicyclist. The run i figured that I could always run/walk(which i later found out are called intervals). But I did not swim. I kept saying "all i need to do is figure out how to swim." In April 2006, Tina and I went to Fort Lauderdale, FL. Fort Lauderdale just happens to be the home of the swimming hall of fame and has one of the coolest outdoor swim facilities in the country:) It is located on A1A. The tri gods must have known. I walked in and set up a lesson. It was started. I had my lesson with Dan the swim coach. He helped me out and i actually was able to swim 25 meters without dying or drowning. The quest had begun......

Shoot forward to this past January. I did not swim much since april. Wanted to but never happened. I am one of those people who has excuses. I made every excuse up in the book not to swim. One day my friend Derek proposed we meet and swim and he would give me a few tips. It went pretty good so we started meeting every sunday and we would swim for an hour or so. I saw a small tri (mini-mighty man) that was something i thought i could complete(without drowning). I finished the mini-mighty (400m,6miles,2miles) in 1:07:59.

More to come:)