The Story So Far . . . .

I would like to introduce myself, my name is Brad, I live in north central Ohio and on September 11^th I will be competing in my first Ironman distance triathlon, but I am getting ahead of myself, this being the first blog post, I feel obligated to start at the beginning. In the summer of the year 2000 I found myself weighing 300 pounds (Fatman) with severe high blood pressure, high cholesterol and showing early signs of Diabetes. I smoked and got winded while walking up the stairs. I was a classic couch potato. My doctor told me that if I didn’t do something about my weight I would have many more serious health issues for the rest of my life. This was not the future I wanted.

Me (Fatman) Summer 2000

In  October of 2000 my wife and I joined the YMCA and started an exercise and diet regiment. This was very hard at first, it was hard to stay motivated to exercise and to watch what I ate. It all became more than a little overwhelming. There were days that I just wanted to admit defeat and sit on the couch and eat a big juicy bacon cheeseburger. After about 6 months of this dismal attitude I realized that in order to achieve this new level of health that I wanted, I had to make this lifestyle permanent, I had to find a way to embrace this way of life and not see it as torture. I had to succeed in losing weight and keeping it off AND enjoy life! So I made a bargain with myself, I told myself that if 90% of the foods that I ate are healthy then 10% could be whatever, as long as I didn’t eat too much. If 90% of my activity was healthy then 10% could be napping on the couch. This worked wonderfully; I called it the 90% plan. If I REALLY feel like sitting on the couch and eating a big juicy bacon cheeseburger I do, and I don’t make myself feel guilty about it because even a big juicy bacon cheeseburger is healthy in limited quantities. I lost about 100 pounds in less than three years and have kept it off easily, I was also able stop taking medication for high blood pressure and cholesterol and quit smoking. My health is under control and physical fitness is now such a huge part of my life I look forward to going bicycling or running or playing soccer with my grandkids.  This is a lifestyle that I can sustain for a lifetime.

A few years ago I decided to enter a sprint triathlon, this one took place at the Shelby YMCA; it consisted of a 300-meter swim, a 12-mile bike ride and a 5k run. I had no illusions of winning; I just wanted to finish the race. I hadn’t competed in anything since junior high and just wanted to see how I would do.  I came in second in my age group and yes there were more than 2 in my age group. I loved it, it was exciting, exhilarating and such a thrill that as soon as I finished I knew I wanted to do it again. I have found that for me, competing is a great motivator, it gives me a reason to stay in shape (besides that health thing); it makes me want to work a little harder to do a little better in the next event. And when my friends ask me how I did, I can tell them that I did great, I finished.

Since that first triathlon I have competed in many 5k races, several sprint triathlons and duathlons, some informal cycling time trials, half marathons, four half ironman triathlons and a full marathon. This year I plan on running, two half marathons, a half ironman triathlon, a full ironman triathlon, quite a few 5k races with my wife and many bike rides with my friends. And in all of these I will give it everything I’ve got…90% because for me, winning isn’t crossing the finish line first, it’s crossing it many times and for years to come.

Between now and September I plan to report details about my preparation for the most physically difficult thing that I have ever attempted, so stay tuned, it should be quite a ride.

Brad