Full Circle

My name is Barry O’Sullivan, I’m 6’4” and while my time for the 100 metres (on land) has not been officially clocked, I’m definitely faster than JOB... FACT! I put my hand up from the start because it was I who first put the idea of a taking part in the Chicago Triathlon to John and Shane, the most athletic, competitive and motivated men I have ever met ...FACT!

My first encounter with the notion of a triathlon occurred while spending a J1 summer in the Windy City. On one particular drunken Sunday morning a group of us happened to be stumbling home from another late bar to discover that our normal route was closed due to the “Chicago Triathlon”. Overburdened with the hassle of trying to find another way home we sat and watched these “mental people” cycling up and down the lakeshore. During the course of “shouting encouragement” at the competitors, I quite naively suggested how hard would it really be to do a triathlon?! Now the aspiration to become a “mental” person is in full motion! Hence, a return to the scene of the crime is imminent and I have no doubt there will a new crop of J1er’s heckling from the sidelines!

In global terms, the Accenture Chicago triathlon is not only the largest but definitely one of the most competitive! Its popularity continues to grow year on year and it’s a must on the circuit for elite tri-athletes. It’s about to get a whole lot more competitive... the 3 fat men will be flying the Limerick, Kildare and the Meath flags respectively and taking into account that most Olympians will be in Beijing this August, we’re quietly confident of taking the bookies to the cleaners J please bet early and bet often: http://www.cmrf.org/SponsorshipManager/Usr_EventDonation.asp?EventId=75

In real terms, this event is all about the betting and this is one bet you’re guaranteed to win! The trials and tribulations we will experience and document for your entertainment, pales into insignificance in comparison to the daily miracles performed in Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital in Crumlin. To echo John’s sentiments this event is much greater than any of us... we are doing this to raise awareness, to generate funds, to help the staff and patients, to bring a smile and to give children a future. We now need your help!

Nobody Calls me Chicken.

OK so there I was. 2 sessions into my training plan. Feeling pretty good about myself after finishing my first proper swim. Doing the crawl with my goggles, hat, with the breathing and the kicking of the legs. Basically the whole shebang.

So I'm driving home afterwards trying to figure out what I'd have for a healthy tea when I decided to get a chicken sandwich from a local (unnamed) shop. Good I thought to myself a nice plate of pasta for lunch and a sandwich for tea. How healthy am I? Now I know everyone says that loads of different foods taste like chicken. Well let me tell you now. It all tastes the same in reverse :(.

5 days later and 7 pounds lighter let me just say I have never experienced anything like the dose of food poisoning I've just survived. I still don't feel right. If this is God testing me for this triathlon then he has started with a whopper. While my resolve remains steadfast my training plan has taken a hit. 7 days in and only 2 days training completed. I do hope to get back on the saddle (I mean this literally) tomorrow morning and try to make up for my missing days this week.

1 thing I can confirm for all you good people is that I'm never eating chicken again. I realise that I use the words "I'm never (insert word) again" a lot. Generally they can be heard muttered around 6 nations Mondays or Heineken Cup Sunday mornings but this time I mean it. Its been added to my list of Tequila, Jack Daniels and Brussels Sprouts as my Kryptonite.

Triathlon - What was I thinking....

"A triathlon is an endurance sports event consisting of swimming, cycling and running over various distances. "

Standard race distances
The International Triathlon Union (ITU) accepts a 5% margin of error in the cycle and run course distances.

Name: Sprint
Swim: 750 m(0.5 mi)
Bicycle: 20 km(12.4 mi)
Run: 5 km(3.1 mi)
Notes: A 500 m swim is also common. The Sprint Distance is the fastest growing triathlon race distance in the United States

Name: Olympic
Swim: 1.5 km(0.93 mi)
Bicycle: 40 km(24.8 mi)
Run: 10 km(6.2 mi)
Notes: Also known as "international distance", "standard course", or "short course".

Name: Full
Swim: 3.8 km(2.4 mi)
Bicycle: 180 km(112 mi)
Run: 42.2 km(26.2 mi) marathon
Notes: Also known as "long distance" or "Ironman triathlon".[2]

The Chicago Triathlon is an Olympic standard.

Training Session 1

Week 1 Day 1.
Weight 15stone 6pounds

My training plan for the first 4 weeks provided by my local gym consists of a 4 day weekday
schedule and a weekend cycle.

Monday: 1 Hour Run 30min Swim
Tuesday: 1 Hour Run 30min Swim
Thursday: 1 Hour Run 30min Swim
Friday: 1 Hour Run 30min Swim
Saturday: Open Road Cycle

To build up to this routine it was recommended for the 1st 2days to do 30minutes on the bike followed by a 30min Swim. My times and distances can be seen in the Workout Results link located in the links section on the right of the page.

I just about completed both 30 minute routines.

• 17km Cycle in 30Min's.
• 14laps of a 25M pool.

One way to look at it is that I can only improve from here :)

You only Lose if you Quit

Firstly let me welcome you to the 3 Fat Men and a Lady Blog spot.

My name is John O'Brien, I am 6foot tall, dark hair, I can run 100m in 12.2seconds and I have a six pack. If you have ever played the game 4 truths and a lie you will have guessed that only 1 of the above is true. My name is John O'Brien, I am 5f 11", its about 10 years (more say some) since I had dark hair and the only 6 pack I saw lately was in an off license.

I am a huge rugby and soccer supporter in layman's terms what is commonly referred to as an armchair supporter. I talk a good game, shout at the players when they do what I perceive to be wrong but if I had a football at my feet or a rugby ball in my hands I would struggle to actually dribble around or sidestep my armchair.

About a month or so ago Barry (who will introduce himself to you all soon) asked me if I wanted to get fit. Excellent I thought; Barry has discovered a new way to get fit and loose weight without actually exercising. "Sure" I said "What do you have in mind". Barry suggested we do a Triathlon. For some reason before my brain actually processed what he had said my mouth had replied "Ya that would be fun". It is because of this that I am here writing for you all on this the first day of my training program.

To understand what exactly this event means to me you need to know something about me. I am as lazy as anyone you will ever meet. If the battery's were gone in the TV remote control I could end up watching Judge Judy for hours rather than get off the couch and change the channel. My boss said to me in my last review that I wasn't a finisher. I have great intentions, spirit and drive in starting things up. It was the closing them out where I let myself down. This was possibly the first time anyone described me so perfectly in such a short sentence since my 1st year Irish teacher told me my digestive system was quicker than my brain.

Now don't get me wrong I'm not a selfish person. If a friend asked me to give him a kidney it would be done without hesitation. It is generally things for myself I fail to finish. If Barry had said to me about joining a running team or a cycling club I would have joined, gone a few times and then my "dodgy" knee injury would have flared up.

This event however is much bigger then me. The training, the effort, the fund raising the 1500m Swim, the 40K cycle, the 10K run, its not about getting fit. Its about the kids. Its about the charity, the hospital, the lives that are saved and the families that are reunited. Anybody can give 10Euro not everyone gives their time.

I'm putting this blog up for all to witness:

• I will raise this money.
• I will finish this race.
• Getting fit is just a bonus.

"You only lose if you quit" is my motto for this event and I am not going to lose this one.