April Update

We're 31 weeks out from race date. Here is an update on what I've been up to.

Health: I've been having a problem with my breathing. It reached a critical point a couple of Saturday's ago when I had to cut a run short because I was gasping for air. What was even worse was that I was running very slow. My heart rate was skyrocketing and I was literally wheezing and gasping for each breathe. I decided to see a doctor. The doctor did some tests on me and concluded that I have asthma. Dr. Geyer prescribed Albuterol as treatment.

Workouts: The weather has finally turned warm. I've cut back on the heavy weight lifting and am doing a lot of pullups, pushups, dips and core work. I have run a handful of times since the run that I cut short which was on April 4. I have not run longer than 45 minutes in about a month. I did not ride on the tri bike until today. I rode 40 miles with KDOG and Chad. Eric Goetz and Patrick Serfass showed up at the meeting point. I was thinking, oh great... how am I going to keep up with these guys. The only riding I've done has been on my Schwinn and it's been on the jogging path. Very low intensity riding. Then, we get to Georgetown and Bobby Grohs joins in. This guy WON the Reston Triathlon in 2007 and did a 10:42 Ironman Lake Placid in 2008. He is total stud on the bike. I just shook my head and hung on for the ride. It wasn't pretty but it wasn't ugly, either. Overall, I am encouraged by how the ride went.

I still have not been in the pool since the day after Thanksgiving but I believe that Friday is the day I'll get back in. I will try to get a run in on Tuesday or Thursday... I have managed to get in a little run while Jessica Rose is at lacrosse practice. They practice at White Oak Junior High on Tu and Th and there is a nice paved trail that I've managed to run at least one day a week. Now that it is warm, perhaps I can do it both days. We'll see how it goes.

Diet: Readers of my blog last year know that diet is a challenge for me. I have not been good so far this year. But, I've really reached a bottom and have turned a corner. Now that the weather has warmed up, I'm committed to getting on a eating plan and I intend to get down to 205 by June 21. Today, I weighed in at 214 at the gym.

Please contribute to Wilie's Team in Training fundraising efforts.

- TJ