About Me

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Austin, Texas, United States
I'll make you laugh, or break my neck trying. This is usually accomplished with daily bouts of swimming, biking and running. A former "chub-a-holic," I got fit and healthy the good old fashioned way and went from a mid-pack athlete to top age group runner and triathlete. I'm a Writer and USAT Level 1 Certified Triathlon Coach. I guess that makes me part Tina Fey and part Jillian Michaels. Visit my coaching site at www.fomotraining.com

Friday, March 14, 2008

Ironman Swim



See that person hiding underneath the tree on the bottom left hand side? Do you see her? No? Well, me neither, but that WILL be me on race day as I patiently wait for the fast swimmers to start their 2.4 mile journey. I'll file in behind them and hopefully feel the draft tidal wave as I begin my own odyssey.

Today's 2.4 mile uninterrupted swim at Barton Springs was a very comfortable 1: 25:18 . (2:07 pace) Only a few "sloppy" moments, but totally in control of stroke and breathing the entire time.

Last year, I was doing each lap in about 10 minutes which would've garnered me a 1:40:00 at best. Sometimes, it's hard to see how far you've come until you look back. I always said I just wanted to be an average swimmer. I just wanted to be able to hold my own in this distance.

I'm doing it.

Less than a month to go.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

FYI - 4000 meters is further than 2.4 miles YAHOO for you! You rock.

kd

Sarah said...

I am sooo stoked to watch you race on race day!! I'll be cheering you on!

Anonymous said...

how are you timed in an ironman? is there a chip-time? how does that work with the swim?

kevin.
fellow buckeye (and closet dayton flyer fan).

davegibb said...

Make sure you wear a different color swip cap so we can pick you out of the photo

Unknown said...

Great question Kevin! Yes, Ironmans are chip timed, which means as soon as that gun goes off, the timer starts. So yes, I'll lose a few minutes by being patient and letting the fast people go ahead. Believe me, my only goal is to finish at this point and 2min at the beginning of a 14 hour race shouldn't make much difference!

TriBoomer a.k.a. Brian said...

Great job in brining down your swim times. You are sooooooooo ready for your Ironman.

Stay tuned...

Scott and Lindsey said...

It's all down hill from here!!!! Don't you just hate when people say that at a race? Rrrr. Makes me mad. But seriously, you're doing great. Not that much longer and your home free. ENJOY YOUR TAPER! You've earned it!!

ShirleyPerly said...

Way to go! A fifteen minute improvement in an IM swim is awesome. I hope I can go at least 6 minutes faster next time I attempt an IM so I can go on to the bike segment :-)

greyhound said...

You'll be great. In fact, you'll find yourself swimming up on people and looking for ways around, but just deciding to be patient and go with it. That's what happened to me, and I only swam 2:15/100 pace.