Fatboy Not Slim

A quick catch-up: After the Boulder 70.3 in June, the herniated disc in my back (L4/L5, L5/S1) decided it was time to be an asshole again and pinch the nerve. I had another epidural in July with the hopes of racing Santa Cruz 70.3 in September, but it flared up again and kept me from training. I finally got another epidural in November and am feeling great. The downside to this is that I was not able to work out in the slightest for the last six months. Inactivity is not good for me. So to sum it up, I got fat again. Back up to 240lbs. Not quite the Shamu I was two years ago, but definitely a long way from where I was in June at 215lbs.

So… I need to start training again. One of the best ways to get me to fully commit to something is to put money behind it. I did just that when a few of the guys in my office decided to start a Fatboy Slim wager: $10 each, most weight lost by percentage takes the pot. It’s not much, a $30 pot, but it’s there. Which means I need to start working out again. Which gets us to racing again.

Sarah has had some concerns, and I agree, that nothing about me I built to run long mileage. I’m fine running up to 8-9 miles on dirt with no problems, however anything beyond that (especially on concrete) makes things hurt. With that being said, I’m changing my racing focus more towards what I am good at: dirt. There are three XTerra races in Colorado this year that are progressively longer through the season.

XTerra races are off-road triathlons with more focus on the bike. On dirt. On a bike. This is something that I might be good at. Seriously.

So it’s time to start training again. I got into the pool this morning 2 x 500yd, 9:06 and 8:50 pace. Given I haven’t done anything for six months, I am pretty excited by that. It will still be a while before I can start running again, but putting in mileage in the water and on the bike will be my start. Also, I need to lose 20lbs in three months, because I want that $30.