The Mid-Term Exam
June 1st has a lot of meaning for me. It serves as a date I will never forget.
On May 31, 2005, I left Boston to move to Philadelphia to start my new life with Silvia. Boston was a wonderful place to live for eight years. Four years in the best college town in the world followed by four very formative years as a hard-working young man. Boston is also where I met the love of my life as well as some of the closest friends a guy could ever ask for. For all of the positive memories that were created in Boston, it is also the place where I lost sight of my health. In college I was in really great shape. I was a Division I varsity swimmer and carried a very fit 5'11" 175 pound frame. After college I was completely burned out from sports after a very long and challenging career as a competitive swimmer. My competitive personality drove me to focus on succeeding at work rather than my health. To a large degree, I lost a big sense of my personality - the Life Athlete. It's amazing how life can pass you by when you're not paying attention. One day you are in amazing health, the next day you can barely break a sweat.
On June 1, 2005, I woke up in Wayne, Pennsylvania and decided I was going to make a major change in my life. I decided that I was going to run for the first time in years. I didn't have a goal for how long I wanted to run for. I just wanted to see how long I could last. It was a horrible experience. I managed to run for a grand total of 4 minutes. Four shitty minutes for a guy only four years prior who felt like he was on top of the world with his fitness. June 1, 2005 was an incredibly depressing day. I refused to sulk though. I decided on that day that I was going to make sweeping changes in my life. I was about to get married and I was no longer just living for myself. I was becoming a we. Throughout 2005 I slowly but surely tried to continue my exercise routine. 10 minutes. 15 minutes. 25 minutes became my long run.
Shortly after getting married in 2006 I went to the doctor to get my first physical in years. Although I had been exercising lightly for months, I was still frightened to weigh myself out of fear over what the scale would say. I weighed 209 pounds. I was in utter shock. I have no idea what I weighed on June 1, 2005, but I would venture to say it was a few pounds more than this. Pretty scary weight gain in only 4 years. I knew if I really wanted to change my life I needed more focus. For my entire athletic career I exercised for a purpose - to become a faster swimmer. I knew I needed a legitimate challenge to be put in front of me if I really wanted to change my life. Enter the sport of triathlon.
In 2006 I competed in the Philadelphia Sprint Triathlon with a modest amount of swim, bike and run training. I was incredibly proud of myself for crossing the line. It was a huge accomplishment in retrospect. I could have raced as a Clydesdale, but opted to race as an M25-29. After taking on the sprint tri, an idea popped into my mind. Why not go really really big if I want to make a really really big life change. Ignorance is bliss! Enter the Ironman triathlon.
In the fall of 2006 I devised a plan to complete the equivalent of my Ironman training "C-Races". The Philadelphia Distance Run (Half Mary distance) and the Philadelphia Marathon. I achieved both goals and could not have been prouder of myself. By November of 2006 I finished my marathon in 4 hours and 13 minutes and weighed in at 191 pounds on race day. After two weeks off following the marathon I began my 33-week Ironman training plan. I began learning how to go long in swimming, biking and running. I've put in what I believe to be a respectable amount of training with some weeks topping 15 hours of training thus far and as I sit at my computer tonight at 184 pounds, I am ready to take on my biggest test yet - My Mid-Term exam. On Sunday, June 3, 2007, I will tackle 70.3 miles at the Black Bear half iron distance triathlon. I have one goal. Finish.
Today is June 1, 2007. If you told me on June 1, 2005 that I would go balls to the wall in a half ironman in two years, I'd tell you that you were effing nuts. On June 1, 2005, I lasted four minutes. On Sunday I plan to be on course for many hours. Following my race I am hopping a plane for Chicago to see one of my closest friends graduate from medical school. You'll have to forgive me if it takes a few days to post a race report.
I have never felt more alive than I do right now. See you on the other side of 70.3.
On May 31, 2005, I left Boston to move to Philadelphia to start my new life with Silvia. Boston was a wonderful place to live for eight years. Four years in the best college town in the world followed by four very formative years as a hard-working young man. Boston is also where I met the love of my life as well as some of the closest friends a guy could ever ask for. For all of the positive memories that were created in Boston, it is also the place where I lost sight of my health. In college I was in really great shape. I was a Division I varsity swimmer and carried a very fit 5'11" 175 pound frame. After college I was completely burned out from sports after a very long and challenging career as a competitive swimmer. My competitive personality drove me to focus on succeeding at work rather than my health. To a large degree, I lost a big sense of my personality - the Life Athlete. It's amazing how life can pass you by when you're not paying attention. One day you are in amazing health, the next day you can barely break a sweat.
On June 1, 2005, I woke up in Wayne, Pennsylvania and decided I was going to make a major change in my life. I decided that I was going to run for the first time in years. I didn't have a goal for how long I wanted to run for. I just wanted to see how long I could last. It was a horrible experience. I managed to run for a grand total of 4 minutes. Four shitty minutes for a guy only four years prior who felt like he was on top of the world with his fitness. June 1, 2005 was an incredibly depressing day. I refused to sulk though. I decided on that day that I was going to make sweeping changes in my life. I was about to get married and I was no longer just living for myself. I was becoming a we. Throughout 2005 I slowly but surely tried to continue my exercise routine. 10 minutes. 15 minutes. 25 minutes became my long run.
Shortly after getting married in 2006 I went to the doctor to get my first physical in years. Although I had been exercising lightly for months, I was still frightened to weigh myself out of fear over what the scale would say. I weighed 209 pounds. I was in utter shock. I have no idea what I weighed on June 1, 2005, but I would venture to say it was a few pounds more than this. Pretty scary weight gain in only 4 years. I knew if I really wanted to change my life I needed more focus. For my entire athletic career I exercised for a purpose - to become a faster swimmer. I knew I needed a legitimate challenge to be put in front of me if I really wanted to change my life. Enter the sport of triathlon.
In 2006 I competed in the Philadelphia Sprint Triathlon with a modest amount of swim, bike and run training. I was incredibly proud of myself for crossing the line. It was a huge accomplishment in retrospect. I could have raced as a Clydesdale, but opted to race as an M25-29. After taking on the sprint tri, an idea popped into my mind. Why not go really really big if I want to make a really really big life change. Ignorance is bliss! Enter the Ironman triathlon.
In the fall of 2006 I devised a plan to complete the equivalent of my Ironman training "C-Races". The Philadelphia Distance Run (Half Mary distance) and the Philadelphia Marathon. I achieved both goals and could not have been prouder of myself. By November of 2006 I finished my marathon in 4 hours and 13 minutes and weighed in at 191 pounds on race day. After two weeks off following the marathon I began my 33-week Ironman training plan. I began learning how to go long in swimming, biking and running. I've put in what I believe to be a respectable amount of training with some weeks topping 15 hours of training thus far and as I sit at my computer tonight at 184 pounds, I am ready to take on my biggest test yet - My Mid-Term exam. On Sunday, June 3, 2007, I will tackle 70.3 miles at the Black Bear half iron distance triathlon. I have one goal. Finish.
Today is June 1, 2007. If you told me on June 1, 2005 that I would go balls to the wall in a half ironman in two years, I'd tell you that you were effing nuts. On June 1, 2005, I lasted four minutes. On Sunday I plan to be on course for many hours. Following my race I am hopping a plane for Chicago to see one of my closest friends graduate from medical school. You'll have to forgive me if it takes a few days to post a race report.
I have never felt more alive than I do right now. See you on the other side of 70.3.
posted by Jeremy at 10:01 PM
5 Comments:
Looking forward to your race report! Good job!
Quite the journey Jeremy...very cool to hear how you have come full circle and now pretty close to the fitness level you carried in college. Your blog is very inspirational- keep rocking! Have a great race out there!!
Also- great review in your last post. That shop sounds pretty bogus..turning off the pool 3 minutes in while a customer is trying on a suit!?! Bogus. They should have let you stay in there all day as far as I'm concerned...not like there was a line of guys behind you. Also, uuuh...you don't need the bells and whistles of a 600 suit man...your swimming background definitely overides the extra what? 5-10 seconds maybe, those suits provide!!
Ignorance is bliss!
Yeah, two years ago i decided to do an ironman. That was the night right before i was racing my first triathlon.
Few more weeks and we will be hitting Lake Placid...life is good!
We will talk more as the day comes. Perhaps we can meet up on Sat...or on the race :)
GOOD LUCK!
and what an inspiring post - thatn you for sharing it with us :)
Looking forward to your race report
that was actually "thank you" for sharing with us (when will I learn to type?)
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