2008 Hy-Vee Triathlon June 22nd, 2008 Des Moines, IA
In July of 2007, working to complete the 2008 Hy-Vee Triathlon seemed like a great goal! Now, it's staring me right in the face and I've begun my first steps on this journey. I'm going to update this page with my thoughts weekly, (to keep myself honest mostly), and to let everyone know my progress.
A special thank you to Kyle McDonough who got me started off on the right foot, or was it the left? He provided me with a lot of resources to help me get on my way. Thank you Kyle!!!
I am doing this to help raise Colorectal Cancer Awareness, and in honor of David Kinman who lost his battle with the beast last year. I hope I make David, and all of my family and friends proud.
If you would like to donate towards our cause click here. Thank you for your support!
Deep Thoughts:
January 29th, 2008: What the hell am I thinking?!!!?
February 8th, 2008: It's getting better, I'm not quite as sore. Holy crap do I have a long way to go!
February 16th, 2008: I'm actually starting to look forward to my cardio workouts, which is absolutely amazing to me! I've started with interval training, and have been running and swimming. I'm also mixing in some strength training. It feels good to have my lungs back.
February 23rd, 2008: I've been told by many that the cardio training will get easier every time, and it is true. I have been experiencing some pretty extreme joint pain in my ankles and hands, and we're not sure what is causing the pain. So, I've been staying in the pool, and I'm getting stronger with each swim. I swam just over 6K this week!
March 1st, 2008: I've been a slacker this week, only worked out a couple of times. I've got to stay with it.
March 8th, 2008: Slacker week number two. It's harder to keep going then I thought it would be. I'm going to attribute it to a week of illness in the McCluskey house. I'll be back on the horse this week.
March 16th, 2008: Picked it up this week, and I'm feeling good. I've been shopping for bikes, and holy sh*t!, sticker shock!!!!! I'm thinking about going to Wal-Mart, getting a Huffy 10-speed, and calling it a day. ;-)
March 24th, 2008: Sick last week, but I still got a few workouts in despite a overnight stay in the hospital. I've had quite enough of that place, believe me. Anyway, I'd love to hear from those of you who are following my progress, (or lack thereof). Please take a minute and sign our guestbook. I need the encouragement.
April 15th, 2008: HELLO! It's been a crazy couple of weeks, but I feel like I'm in the best shape I've been in for 20 years! Which is great and not so great. Great being, "I'm glad I'm finally doing it." Not so great being, "What the heck have I been doing with myself all these years??" Better late than never. Thank God we caught the cancer when we did! Thank you for your support! 67 days to go!
May 4th, 2008: Well, I have the swim down to where I am comfortable, but I'm having trouble with the ride and the run, especially the run. This is much more difficult than I thought it would be. I have been training in Denver over the past week. I've been pushing myself pretty hard, and rewarded myself with some skiing at Arapahoe Basin. Some reward! I'm completely out of it today! That took everything out of me. I need prayers!!!! Only 49 days to go!
May 25th, 2008: Quite a roller coaster over the past couple of weeks! I finished up my training in Denver, (got about 1/2 done of what I wanted). When I got back home a had a case of the lazies, and then landed myself back in the hospital on May 15th to the 18th with yet another bowel obstruction. We got that worked out, but when I got back in the water on the 20th, I felt like I was back at square one, which was very disheartening. Well, instead of folding up shop, I started back at square one. I'm amazed how fast I've bounced back, and tonight I swam my fastest time yet!!! I really need to focus on the run over the next couple of weeks, have I told you that I HATE RUNNING!??!
A special thank you goes out to, of course my wife, for putting up with the time requirements, and the monetary side. I love you Winonah, thank you for supporting me in my journey towards this goal! Also, to my brother Greg & his wife Chris who check in with me almost daily in my progress, and to everyone who comes back to check on my through this website. We're planning a party, more details to follow!!
Another special thanks to Brian Dreesman, Chris Olson & Kyle McDonough, for all of the support and encouragment during training. Dreesman and I actually got to work out together on Friday, and it went very well. We're planning a mini-tri on this Friday. These guys are truly a great group of friends, and I'm looking forward to celebrating with them after this crazy race is over!!
ONLY 27 DAYS TO GO!!!!!!!!!
My Target Completion Time: 3:00:00 (3 hours) There, I said it.
June 2nd, 2008: I'm getting stronger every day. I feel very confident about the swim, and I know I can complete the bike portion. The area I'm struggling with is the run. I actually completed 6 miles today over 1 hour 20 minutes, so now I've actually traveled the distance by foot, but it takes a toll on me. It is definitely my achilles heal, pun intended. I'll get through it, but it isn't going to be pretty. I will probably be a oozing pile of goo by the 4th mile.
Less than 3 weeks left!!
June 21, 2008: Well, here we are the morning before the race!!! It has been a crazy week for those of you who don't live around here. The flooding has caused quite a few problems logisticially with the triathlon. They have moved the venue from Des Moines to West Des Moines, which is actually much closer to my home, and it works out great. Earlier this week they had eliminated the swim portion due to all of the flooding. But the flood waters have receeded and the waters are safe, so we're back on to a full fledged tri!
This makes me very happy because of all the time I have spent in the water training for this. I wish I would've spent some more time running, oh well! (Did I mention before that I hate running???) I FEEL GREAT! I'm looking forward to tackling this challenge.
Thank you to everyone for all your kind words and support!!!! It means a lot to me, and I'll have you with me in my thoughts while I tear up this course!
Remember to listen to your body! If you have any symptoms that you think are strange, don't hesitate to call me or go see your doctor immediately! David and I are proof that this is not just a older person's disease. If you wait, it could be too late for you. If you don't, you could be running beside me in the next triathlon, (or drinking a beer with me when it's over).
Colorectal Cancer is Preventable, Treatable & Beatable! Help us wipe it out!!!
June 24th, 2008: Well, I did it. I accomplished one goal by finishing the race. I didn't make my target time, but I have a great base to build from. I have a tremendous feeling of accomplishment, and I look forward to improving my time in the years to come.
Thanks again for all of your support! It means a great deal to me. This is just the beginning of a long battle. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, "Cancer picked the wrong guy to mess with!"
A special thank you to Kyle McDonough who got me started off on the right foot, or was it the left? He provided me with a lot of resources to help me get on my way. Thank you Kyle!!!
I am doing this to help raise Colorectal Cancer Awareness, and in honor of David Kinman who lost his battle with the beast last year. I hope I make David, and all of my family and friends proud.
If you would like to donate towards our cause click here. Thank you for your support!
Deep Thoughts:
January 29th, 2008: What the hell am I thinking?!!!?
February 8th, 2008: It's getting better, I'm not quite as sore. Holy crap do I have a long way to go!
February 16th, 2008: I'm actually starting to look forward to my cardio workouts, which is absolutely amazing to me! I've started with interval training, and have been running and swimming. I'm also mixing in some strength training. It feels good to have my lungs back.
February 23rd, 2008: I've been told by many that the cardio training will get easier every time, and it is true. I have been experiencing some pretty extreme joint pain in my ankles and hands, and we're not sure what is causing the pain. So, I've been staying in the pool, and I'm getting stronger with each swim. I swam just over 6K this week!
March 1st, 2008: I've been a slacker this week, only worked out a couple of times. I've got to stay with it.
March 8th, 2008: Slacker week number two. It's harder to keep going then I thought it would be. I'm going to attribute it to a week of illness in the McCluskey house. I'll be back on the horse this week.
March 16th, 2008: Picked it up this week, and I'm feeling good. I've been shopping for bikes, and holy sh*t!, sticker shock!!!!! I'm thinking about going to Wal-Mart, getting a Huffy 10-speed, and calling it a day. ;-)
March 24th, 2008: Sick last week, but I still got a few workouts in despite a overnight stay in the hospital. I've had quite enough of that place, believe me. Anyway, I'd love to hear from those of you who are following my progress, (or lack thereof). Please take a minute and sign our guestbook. I need the encouragement.
April 15th, 2008: HELLO! It's been a crazy couple of weeks, but I feel like I'm in the best shape I've been in for 20 years! Which is great and not so great. Great being, "I'm glad I'm finally doing it." Not so great being, "What the heck have I been doing with myself all these years??" Better late than never. Thank God we caught the cancer when we did! Thank you for your support! 67 days to go!
May 4th, 2008: Well, I have the swim down to where I am comfortable, but I'm having trouble with the ride and the run, especially the run. This is much more difficult than I thought it would be. I have been training in Denver over the past week. I've been pushing myself pretty hard, and rewarded myself with some skiing at Arapahoe Basin. Some reward! I'm completely out of it today! That took everything out of me. I need prayers!!!! Only 49 days to go!
May 25th, 2008: Quite a roller coaster over the past couple of weeks! I finished up my training in Denver, (got about 1/2 done of what I wanted). When I got back home a had a case of the lazies, and then landed myself back in the hospital on May 15th to the 18th with yet another bowel obstruction. We got that worked out, but when I got back in the water on the 20th, I felt like I was back at square one, which was very disheartening. Well, instead of folding up shop, I started back at square one. I'm amazed how fast I've bounced back, and tonight I swam my fastest time yet!!! I really need to focus on the run over the next couple of weeks, have I told you that I HATE RUNNING!??!
A special thank you goes out to, of course my wife, for putting up with the time requirements, and the monetary side. I love you Winonah, thank you for supporting me in my journey towards this goal! Also, to my brother Greg & his wife Chris who check in with me almost daily in my progress, and to everyone who comes back to check on my through this website. We're planning a party, more details to follow!!
Another special thanks to Brian Dreesman, Chris Olson & Kyle McDonough, for all of the support and encouragment during training. Dreesman and I actually got to work out together on Friday, and it went very well. We're planning a mini-tri on this Friday. These guys are truly a great group of friends, and I'm looking forward to celebrating with them after this crazy race is over!!
ONLY 27 DAYS TO GO!!!!!!!!!
My Target Completion Time: 3:00:00 (3 hours) There, I said it.
June 2nd, 2008: I'm getting stronger every day. I feel very confident about the swim, and I know I can complete the bike portion. The area I'm struggling with is the run. I actually completed 6 miles today over 1 hour 20 minutes, so now I've actually traveled the distance by foot, but it takes a toll on me. It is definitely my achilles heal, pun intended. I'll get through it, but it isn't going to be pretty. I will probably be a oozing pile of goo by the 4th mile.
Less than 3 weeks left!!
June 21, 2008: Well, here we are the morning before the race!!! It has been a crazy week for those of you who don't live around here. The flooding has caused quite a few problems logisticially with the triathlon. They have moved the venue from Des Moines to West Des Moines, which is actually much closer to my home, and it works out great. Earlier this week they had eliminated the swim portion due to all of the flooding. But the flood waters have receeded and the waters are safe, so we're back on to a full fledged tri!
This makes me very happy because of all the time I have spent in the water training for this. I wish I would've spent some more time running, oh well! (Did I mention before that I hate running???) I FEEL GREAT! I'm looking forward to tackling this challenge.
Thank you to everyone for all your kind words and support!!!! It means a lot to me, and I'll have you with me in my thoughts while I tear up this course!
Remember to listen to your body! If you have any symptoms that you think are strange, don't hesitate to call me or go see your doctor immediately! David and I are proof that this is not just a older person's disease. If you wait, it could be too late for you. If you don't, you could be running beside me in the next triathlon, (or drinking a beer with me when it's over).
Colorectal Cancer is Preventable, Treatable & Beatable! Help us wipe it out!!!
June 24th, 2008: Well, I did it. I accomplished one goal by finishing the race. I didn't make my target time, but I have a great base to build from. I have a tremendous feeling of accomplishment, and I look forward to improving my time in the years to come.
Thanks again for all of your support! It means a great deal to me. This is just the beginning of a long battle. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, "Cancer picked the wrong guy to mess with!"