Week 70 – Back on the saddle

Posted on May 26, 2014 by specialk

It’s been a long month of no updates.

Over the last four weeks:

Week 67 – managed to bonk while running

Week 68 – go to Hawaii

Week 69 – do a hard week of exercise and reflect on the end of the journey

Week 70 – do a hard week of exercise

Unfortunately I also managed to flat-line my weight loss. There are two distinct possibilities, the first is that my scale stopped working and I ate a lot. The second is that I stopped posting to this blog.

To support theory #1, we have the visual evidence from Hawaii, and the Bachelor Party in Vegas where we ate at Joel Robuchon’s restaurant. We also have the broken scale providing further evidence that the Internet of Things Sucks.

To support theory #2, we have my amazing intuition that has worked so well in the past!

I’ll go with theory #2.

The last few weeks my coach has transitioned me from doing miles to doing miles and speed training. Let me just say, I prefer the miles. A 3 hour bike ride, no problem, a 45 minute bike ride with 30 minutes at tempo, I dread.

And now for the weekly update:

You can see that there has been a flat-lining of sorts around 200 pounds. My take is that a combination of not posting to this blog, my scale not working and opportunities for eating excessive amounts created this break …

My journey to Ithaka is coming to an end.

Posted on May 20, 2014 by specialk

Over the last two weeks, I have begun to look at what Ironman races I will register for, and the act of looking depressed me. My voyage to my Ithaka is coming to an end.

Cavafis, a great Greek poet, writes about Ithaka says it best:

Keep Ithaka always in your mind.
Arriving there is what you are destined for.
But do not hurry the journey at all.
Better if it lasts for years,
so you are old by the time you reach the island,
wealthy with all you have gained on the way,
not expecting Ithaka to make you rich.

Ithaka gave you the marvelous journey.
Without her you would not have set out.
She has nothing left to give you now.

And if you find her poor, Ithaka won’t have fooled you.
Wise as you will have become, so full of experience,
you will have understood by then what these Ithakas mean.

Two years ago when I started, an Ironman felt like an absurd quest of a middle aged man who should know better. 70 pounds overweight, unable to be on a bike for 30 minutes, exhausted from running a single marathon, the whole thing seemed ridiculous.

And yet here I am.

Getting ready to run my first half, I realized that an Ironman although hard was no longer absurd. That it was something I could and will do.

And I got sad.

Another hill that I had wanted to climb, ready to be climbed. Another mountain that seemed smaller than it had … And for a moment, I wavered.

The journey has been so much fun, the trip to Ithaka so much fun that I almost wanted to prolong the training for one more year.

But every good thing must come to end. Every adventure has its climax and the hero has his day.

So here we go, must pick an Ironman. Current favorites are: