Improve the Finishing Moments

My goal this past 4 months has been to improve my time at the Sand Hollow Triathlon course, as organized by BBSC Endurance Sports. I'm sure some of you were thinking that my goal was something else - like finishing Lego Harry Potter Years 1-4. And while I intend to do that, at some point, that was not my goal this past 4 months.

It's interesting, in my quest to achieve greatness (or, in my case, less awfulness) in Triathlon, I lost more poundage. How much, you ask? Well, what kind of nosy person are you, reading around in others' blogs to find out personal information that is only to be shared with their closest billion friends on the internet? Okay, then. 15 pounds. Since May. 2010.

I started losing weight a couple of years ago when the doctor told me I was going to die. I wasn't really surprised by this information. I could practice medicine with THAT kind of prediction. "We're ALL going to die."

Actually, the doctor said my cholesterol and blood pressure were approaching the high end. I didn't want to be under doctor's orders to do something about it, so I took matters into my own hands. Some matters one should not take into one's own hands. This matter seemed like an exception.

So I started by moving my legs to carry my body at a faster-than-walking pace. Over the past two years, it's come to resemble running. By last summer I had lost 25 pounds and thought I had pretty much reached my goal. My ultimate goal was actually another 5 pounds. Here I am 10 pounds beyond my "ultimate goal." I am such an overachiever.

See, my brother V convinced me to participate in a triathlon in Orem. The Share-a-Smile. Quite frankly, I had a lot of fun and wanted to do more.

Then I bought a bike and a bunch of exercise-y clothes. I ran in an organized 5k "fun run" and placed in my age group - last year. (This year, they altered the rules which had me competing against guys 8 years younger than I, but I am not bitter.) I didn't start swimming until shortly before the May triathlon. Since then, I swam at least twice a week and increased my exercise to 6 days a week.

My time this past weekend? 15 minutes faster than May. That's a pound per minute. So, if I lose another 30 pounds, I will be placing in my age division. No, that's not how it really works. This time around, I could have been another 12 minutes faster. I should have been.

I am not disappointed. Now I just need to find a way to keep up the program, even though I have no more races planned until next year. Bib 513.