How it began ....

TRI for Success.  Hmmm, clearly that's a reference to triathlons, right?  Wait a minute!  A quick glance at the About Us page reveals only our oldest son Julian has ever even done a triathlon.  Angelia has her first triathlon targeted for August.  Me?  Knee issues have me doubting my ability to ever run well enough to complete a tri.  Still, it may happen at some point.  Really this blog will be about a family and its activities in the world of endurance sports whether purely cycling, running, or full blown triathlons.  It will also include numerous tips and techniques for success in the demanding world of endurance sports.  Besides, a single triathlon back in 2009 served as the catalyst for all of this in the first place.

Let me take you back to July of 2009.  We'd ride bicycles occasionally in the neighborhood --- Ang on her comfort bike, Julian on a 18" kids bike, and me on a hybrid towing Connor in a trailer.  One day, I get an email from Rockwall Cycling mentioning a local kids' triathlon.  50m swim?  Eh, that could be tough for him but doable.  3mi bike?  Riding 2mi in the neighborhood already.  Shouldn't be a problem with some training.  1/2mi run?  No sweat for him.  While the technique is flawed, the ability to hold his pace over distance comes naturally.

So what happens?  I start training him for cycling and Ang takes control of the running part while he practices swimming in any pool he can access (usually my dad's).  As I ride with him more and more I start mixing in other rides and then sign up for 2 events, both as a member of the Cheesy Riders charity cycling team.  The 2nd of those events was the Livestrong Challenge in Austin and the whole family went.  Ang and Julian did a 5k run and I rode a hilly 22 miles on my hybrid.  The wind and hills absolutely kicked my butt as I still had no semblance of physical fitness.  I almost immediately decided to return the following year and ride one of the longer distances with greater success.  That decision prompted a year focused on improving on the bike which included learning a lot about training, nutrition, clothing, new road bikes, and more.

To be continued ...... in a recap of an exciting 2010!