I was sitting in a doctors office in Tennessee in late 2006. I was 204 lbs. The doc walked in and told me, in a thick french accent, that the reason the nurses had taken my blood pressure so many times was that it was extremely high. He glanced at my chart and then said "and your fat.". I came home and broke the news to Knikie. Knikie being a nurse immediately put me on a diet and suggested that we find some kind of exercise for me to start doing. Apparently Hooters wings and Sonic chili dogs are not good for you on a daily basis, who knew? The next day we went and bought an elliptical running machine for me to start on in the house. I was only 30 years old (with a 50 year olds body) and still thought I was 22. At 22 I was in the best shape of my life in the Navy and playing soccer on 2 teams at the same time. 5 minutes of the elliptical and I thought death would swoop in at any minute and take me away. It was, to say the least, very humbling.
By April of 2007 I had gotten my weight down a little and my blood pressure under control. When we moved back to Florida I was around 190 lbs and stuck there. We were staying with my mother in law and the only means of exercising was for me to run. Living with your mother in law, while not my favorite place to live, is a great place to start running. Before long I was knocking down 3 mile runs on a daily basis and enjoying it. My weight was dropping quickly and I was starting to look like me again. When I had first gotten out of the Navy I wanted to try a triathlon, but having a family and a new career it just never happened. So here I was very close to being in good shape or so I thought, so I started looking for a race. Found one for that August. It was the Loggerhead Triathlon a sprint. It consisted of a 600m swim in the ocean, followed by a 12 mile bike ride and then a 3.1 mile run. I then bought a book on triathlon training and a gym membership. By June I was down to 170 lbs and I was ready to get a bike. Knikie had seen enough commitment so she agreed to let me buy a real time trial/triathlon bike. Before I knew it August hit and I was running into the water to start my first triathlon. I didn't do very well. I swam like a rock and by the time I got out of the water my oldest son was looking very scared and doubtful that I was going to make it. Rightfully so as every fat woman on the planet had just out swam me. I hit the bike and averaged a blistering 17.9 mph on the 12 mile course. My run turned into a walk and I finished in 1 hour 37 min and 28 seconds. While my results were pretty horrible, it was too late, I was addicted.
In 2008 I would run 8 more tri's and a hand full of running races. I also tried my first half iron distance race. Where I again didn't live up to my expectations. On the first lap of the run when I passed my family they were very excited, "Your doing great Cale!" they yelled. On the second lap I could tell I didn't look so good as the cheering had turned into "You can make it!". I finished and was happy with that.
In 2009 I turned a corner. I ran 21 tri's and 10 running races. I had started to finish in the upper end of my age group and even managed to podium on some of the short races. I got a slot for the coveted Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon and we squeezed together the funds to make the trip. I had one of the best races I have ever had and I had a blast in the process. I ran another half iron just before Alcatraz and improved dramatically. At the end of the year I knew it was time to make the leap to the big one. I spoke with Knike in October and she was all in.
I volunteered for the Ironman Florida event in November which guaranteed me a slot in the race the following year. Had a friend who had done the same race while raising a ton of money for a charity that was very dear to her doing the same race. So I took a page from her book and signed up to raise funds for the NODCC. I also signed that same friend up to be my coach (one of the best decisions I have made so far on this little journey).
So after three years of doing triathlon I am 20 days out from attempting one of the hardest events in the sport. We have raised over $9600 for an awesome organization and we are on pace to reach the $10k mark before its all said and done. I did my last really long training ride today, sadly, I only averaged 1/10th of a mile an hour faster than my first race, 18 mph. The good news, the ride was 120 miles. 10 times as far as the first rodeo. While that seems impressive it still doesn't measure up to 20X effort my little guy, Cody, puts out everyday just to be like everyone else. That is my motivation!
With that said, my family is ready, my friends are ready and I'm ready (162lbs). I just hope that little m-dot Ironman guy is ready for what I have in store for him....Ironman here we come!
