First Post: Intro and Background

  Alright, so, here we go. Welcome to my blog, and my first post.

  Here is a bit of background information about me, and a bit of my past. I am currently 25, and have always been somewhat athletic, but never really physically fit. University was not kind to me in terms of my fitness, and I managed to pack on the pounds. Being on my own, cooking for myself and no exercise for the first time didn't add up to a nutrient rich, low fat diet. Coming out of university, I tipped the scales at around 230 lbs. At 5'8" and a bit, that was very unhealthy.

  Living at home again, and having my parents doing the Dr. Bernstein Diet, I decided to join, with their strong urging and support. It worked. It worked incredibly at what it set out to do. In the 8 weeks (I believe, I can't really remember) that I was signed up for it, I dropped down to 190 lbs. The problem with Dr. Bernstein is, as someone once described it to me, that "it is an expensive way of starving yourself." This is very true. It is a great way to get rid of excess weight FAST. However, it is not sustainable. It is not possible to live healthily eating as little as they expect you to eat. It is not a way of life. It is a crash diet.

  This brings us to the winter of 2007. Playing hockey for the first time in a while was going great, and I had just purchased a season pass to the local ski hill. And then the most devastating thing to ever happen to me happened. I broke my leg on the ski hill. Spiral fracture of the tibia. On my 6th run of the season. After talking to the doctors and weighing all options, I decided to have surgery to repair it, and to this day, I have a plate and 9 screws in my leg. I'll upload the x-rays when I get the chance. Well, after surgery, I was absolutely crushed to learn that I was to be non-weight bearing for 2 months. Although I was not in great shape, I was still very active, so this was the worst news I could have received. This was very depressing for me, and so I took solace in my food. I started to put my weight back on, and it snowballed from there.

  Fast forward to Thanksgiving 2008. A friend of mine from high school gets engaged, and he asks me to be on of his groomsmen. Now, knowing who was going to be at the wedding (lots of other people from high school), I decided that I didn't want to be the "fat ass" in the wedding party, so I took it upon myself to begin to shed the fat. Stepping on the scale on January 6th, 2009, I weighed in at 230 lbs again. As I hadn't gotten any taller, you can imagine how bad this felt...

  This set me up for my long, and totally worthwhile year of 2009, in which I put myself through a LOT, mentally and physically, and underwent a huge physical transformations.  More to follow regarding the rigors of 2009.

  Now, for the crux of this blog.  Why am I writing this blog?  What is the purpose of it?

  Well, as you will hear in future posts, I am very proud of my physical accomplishments in the past year.  But there doesn't seem to be an end goal to it.  Enter the triathlon.  In December, I saw a documentary on Ironman triathlons.  I decided that, if I could lose over 50 lbs in 8 months that I could do anything; I could even do something as crazy as an Ironman.  So that became my goal.  As I approached my 25th birthday, I was doing research, and gave myself until my 30th birthday to complete my first Ironman.  Yes, that is a 140.6 mile race.  So I have given myself 5 years.  I am planning on completing at least 2, maybe up to 4 sprint triathlons this summer (explanations of the various distances to come), and many more, and 1/2 and full marathons next summer.  This blog will be used as a way to keep me accountable, to myself and to anyone who cares to regularly check in.  I am not accountable to people the world over (whether anyone reads this or not).

Stay tuned!  I promise that the future blogs will not be as long, drawn out or serious as this was!  Just wanted to get my feet wet, and all these words came out.  Sorry if I bored you!

Your Armchair Ironman