Fat to fit!

[Gvn71]

Hello everyone! I haven't been on here in awhile, or at least I haven't been posting much!

Between training for my 70.3 Triathlon, work, kids, and life in general I just haven't had much time. Now that my race is over (I'm actually quite sad about it) I will try to make more of an appearance in here.

Now for the good stuff!

I ran my first ever 70.3 Triathlon last weekend! I had a blast!

I smoked the swim 23:40 for 1.2 miles!

Rode like the wind on the bike.... 2:48:35 for 56 miles!

And then self destructed on the run..... 2:08:13 for the 13.1 mile run.

5:25:50 total time for 70.3 miles.

I made a huge mistake and dropped my electrolyte tablets in transition after coming off the bike and I paid the price around 8 miles into the race when the cramps started. I walked most of mile 10 and then was able to dig deep and run the last few to the finish line. But my 8:25 pace (for the first 8 miles) suffered those last few miles and I ended up with a overall pace of 9:48 per mile.

But the amazing part of this is....

I won 2nd place in my age group (45 - 49 year old men)! Holy crap!

All and all it was a blast though! I would have never thought it possible for me to have even thought about entering a race like this! It would have killed me 2 years ago!

Here are some pictures of my day!

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We're off! Rolling start so it's two athletes every 5 seconds. I was in the 5th group to start the swim.

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Coming out of the water! It felt quick and it was 23 minutes for 1.2 miles!

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Taking a peak to see where I was in relation to other swimmers. I was in 15th place (overall) at this point!

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Headed out on the bike. I was cold here, still wet from the swim and it was only 60 degrees or so.

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56 miles later and I am headed out on the run! I was feeling really good at this point. I ran 8:20 miles for a while (Mile 6 it got interesting) and then the cramps hit.

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Mile 11 of the run. I was in serious pain here and had just started running again after having walked a considerable part of mile #10. I knew I was going to be running by family and friends so I dug deep and ran from around mile 11 to the finish.

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Finish Line! I was exhausted and really thought about laying down.... I found some crazy energy and actually sprinted the last 1/2 mile or so. Later another racer told me I was grunting loudly while I ran! I never heard it!

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I'm done! What a race. I still had no idea how I had done at this point. I thought I was in the top 5 for my age group, but I really had no idea.

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Standing on the podium having won 2nd place in my age group! What a feeling! I have never been on the podium before and it felt good. If these people had any idea of where I came from (320 lbs) they would never believe it!

AWESOME, AWESOME, AWESOME!!!!

I LOVE MY SLEEVE! THIS SURGERY SAVED MY LIFE!

[elllie]

Well done!

[sraebaer]

Amazing!

[GlennA18]

Congrats! AWESOME!

I'm planning on doing my first post-op 5K on Oct 13th - my birthday. Can't wait!

[KiwiGal]

How wonderful Glenn. What a huge achievement. You are an inspiration.

[CodeMonkeyRoss]

That is truly incredible and an inspiration! I hope I have the same results as you do!

[Juanita62]

You are one of the many people on this forum who give all of us newbies hope! Congratulations!!

[Ann2]

Glenn, this is just freakin' wonderful!

Dude, you really do look great. Those leg muscles in one shot are truly awesome.

You're really challenging me to set higher fitness goals for myself, even at my age (nearly 73).

[AnnieStillG]

Glenn - you have replaced The Rock as my new hero!

[nlee]

Amazing! Congratulations!!

[Gvn71]

Congrats! AWESOME!

I'm planning on doing my first post-op 5K on Oct 13th - my birthday. Can't wait!

Thanks! I'm running the Hartford 1/2 Marathon on the 13th as well! Happy Birthday! Crazy how much I enjoy running..... used to hate it (no actually loathed it)....

Good luck on the 5k. They are a lot of fun and usually have decent crowds! Kill it!

[Christie13]

Glenn that is amazing. I had to laugh when you said your run sucked because for a half marathon that pace is actually quite great!!! You never cease to amaze me. And even though I have seen the fat Glenn pictures I look at the new and improved Glenn and it is so hard for me to see you as a formerly fat person. No one would ever guess you had surgery You don't look like it. Rock on dude!

[Gvn71]

Glenn that is amazing. I had to laugh when you said your run sucked because for a half marathon that pace is actually quite great!!! You never cease to amaze me. And even though I have seen the fat Glenn pictures I look at the new and improved Glenn and it is so hard for me to see you as a formerly fat person. No one would ever guess you had surgery You don't look like it. Rock on dude!

Thanks Christie! Yeah, the run wasn't that bad pace wise, but I had been running around 8:20 miles up until I crashed..... I would of had first place in my age group if not for the.......

I had a great time though. 4 weeks till the Hartford 1/2 marathon! Gotta get back in gear!

[Stacey03]

Whooooppp you're a legend Glenn soooo good :-)

[Loveangel104]

Glenn,
You are an inspiration! I don't know how you looked before, but I can tell you feel amazing from your new pictures.

I'm not envisioning myself as a runner, but I would like to be able to bike and swim at a good rate. Id like to walk quicker first, lol.

Thanks for the post!

~*~Christina~*~