(Backstory to serve as some excuse making and very modest humble bragging): at the end of 2015 I competed at Ironman 70.3WC in Zell Am See - an absolutely gorgeous and amazing venue - and “retired” from the sport. I had been competing as a “high performance” athlete for the past 12 years. I define(d) "high performance" as a year round athlete, someone who considers training as part of life, and life is built around training - job, social life, friends, relationships, etc. 4 years of rowing D1 in college (following 4 years of HS rowing + basketball), 3 years of post-college rowing trying to get traction in the national team selection process, and 5 years going full tilt in triathlon. By 2015 I was mentally exhausted. 70.3WC would be swan song and I hoped it would go out in a really positive direction. It didn’t.
2016, in my late 20s, moving in with my lovely beautiful (now) wife, I really struggled to find my identity independent of Sport. I threw myself into work, and with more disposable income came more dinner dates, more nice beers, way more nice whiskeys, lots of NY Rangers games, etc. I gained 35 pounds, going from an average race weight of 185 (having gotten down to 177 for IMFL in 2012) to a peak of 220. I started lifting weights and going to CrossFit type classes, because I missed comraderie and lifting and being strong. Maybe 5-10 of those pounds I added were muscle, but most were fat.
2017 and 2018 brought me back to biking, but absent of the drive and hunger to only do something to win. I tried mountain bike racing (XC, circuit, and the weakest attempt at endurance - 50k), and CX, which I enjoyed a lot. I got into Zwift because it’s time effective and I need that. And with being less concerned with my race day performance, it’s a bit harder to get out for 5am wake ups or 30 degree rides, so I can at least not bail on all of those workouts and ride Zwift. Over the past two years I’ve floated between 202-212 - an improvement, but nowhere that I’m happy with. It effects my confidence in all aspects of my life, my mood, of course my health, and probably a lot more that I don’t feel comfortable sharing. For the past 2 years I hit right around 300 hours on the bike.
2019 brought us a brand new puppy that has a TON of energy. And I’m 31, going to turn 32, and I need to make a change.
I always knew that running was the most effectiveness sport for losing weight, but it is the sport I’ve enjoyed the least in my life. Occasionally it would feel nice to nail a long run, or go run when I was pure pissed off, but generally, day in/day out, I wasn’t excited by it.
For 2019 I want to start running so that I can run with the new puppy (when he is appropriately trained), to keep him healthy, to keep the house standing, and to keep me healthy. I don’t need to be a super hero - I am thinking if I’m doing 5-6 runs of ~4 miles, consistently, that will be a huge step in the right direction. If I can do that consistently and maintain a similar bike training schedule, that will be a huge win for me for 2019.
So, some questions:
1. How TF do I train this puppy to run with me? (He’s 12 weeks, a rescue, a mix of Pit and ?, great temperament but a total chewer, and seemingly never ending energy)
2. I ran most of my triathlon life in Saucony kinvara #. What’s popular these days? What does a fatty need to worry about? What shoes are appropriate for me?
3. Has anyone ever had the switch go off with running and suddenly enjoy it?
4. Any other open suggestions or feedback?
(I suppose the backstory was more an opportunity to vent and get it all out there than anything else).
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@adamwfurlong
2016, in my late 20s, moving in with my lovely beautiful (now) wife, I really struggled to find my identity independent of Sport. I threw myself into work, and with more disposable income came more dinner dates, more nice beers, way more nice whiskeys, lots of NY Rangers games, etc. I gained 35 pounds, going from an average race weight of 185 (having gotten down to 177 for IMFL in 2012) to a peak of 220. I started lifting weights and going to CrossFit type classes, because I missed comraderie and lifting and being strong. Maybe 5-10 of those pounds I added were muscle, but most were fat.
2017 and 2018 brought me back to biking, but absent of the drive and hunger to only do something to win. I tried mountain bike racing (XC, circuit, and the weakest attempt at endurance - 50k), and CX, which I enjoyed a lot. I got into Zwift because it’s time effective and I need that. And with being less concerned with my race day performance, it’s a bit harder to get out for 5am wake ups or 30 degree rides, so I can at least not bail on all of those workouts and ride Zwift. Over the past two years I’ve floated between 202-212 - an improvement, but nowhere that I’m happy with. It effects my confidence in all aspects of my life, my mood, of course my health, and probably a lot more that I don’t feel comfortable sharing. For the past 2 years I hit right around 300 hours on the bike.
2019 brought us a brand new puppy that has a TON of energy. And I’m 31, going to turn 32, and I need to make a change.
I always knew that running was the most effectiveness sport for losing weight, but it is the sport I’ve enjoyed the least in my life. Occasionally it would feel nice to nail a long run, or go run when I was pure pissed off, but generally, day in/day out, I wasn’t excited by it.
For 2019 I want to start running so that I can run with the new puppy (when he is appropriately trained), to keep him healthy, to keep the house standing, and to keep me healthy. I don’t need to be a super hero - I am thinking if I’m doing 5-6 runs of ~4 miles, consistently, that will be a huge step in the right direction. If I can do that consistently and maintain a similar bike training schedule, that will be a huge win for me for 2019.
So, some questions:
1. How TF do I train this puppy to run with me? (He’s 12 weeks, a rescue, a mix of Pit and ?, great temperament but a total chewer, and seemingly never ending energy)
2. I ran most of my triathlon life in Saucony kinvara #. What’s popular these days? What does a fatty need to worry about? What shoes are appropriate for me?
3. Has anyone ever had the switch go off with running and suddenly enjoy it?
4. Any other open suggestions or feedback?
(I suppose the backstory was more an opportunity to vent and get it all out there than anything else).
----
@adamwfurlong