I pulled off the freeway and called Kelley, telling her that I was in a severe amount of pain and I didn't know if I'd make it to the final at all. I also told her that I was going to try and wait it out to see if the pain subsided at all.
After about 25 minutes I called her again telling her I was going to drive to the hospital and she made me promise to call her as soon as I got through the next canyon to let her know how I was doing. I would have done this, but she called me about every 5 minutes to check on me. I'm glad she did.
I arrived at the hospital about 20 minutes later and checked into the emergency room. Long story short, After a series of scans and blood tests, it was determined that I was suffering from multiple blood clots in my left lung. Also known as pulmonary embolisms.
I was expected to stay in the hospital for at least 5 days while they adjusted the blood thinning levels in my to a point at which my body could take over and dissolve the clot itself. Talk about a boring time.
Through all of this, I spent a lot of time watching television and I came across a program that was showing the Ironman championships in Hawaii. At that moment I decided I wanted to compete in a triathlon and set the goal for myself to be ready for my first triathlon two years after this medical drama.
That is why I am writing this blog; to chronicle my training attempts and events that lead up to my first triathlon. This is going to be an incredible task for me because I have all these factors playing against me:
- I am overweight by more than 55 pounds
- I have never been a good runner, let alone a distance runner
- I haven't done any serious cycling in over 16 years
- I've not been much of a swimmer and have poor form when I do swim
So, there you have it. A formidable mountain of obstacles before me, but I am bound and determined to rise to the occasion and accomplish this task.
Feel free to follow along as I report and offer tips, tricks, hints or meaningful words of encouragement for me. It will all be greatly appreciated.
Until next time.
Sounds like fun, Kevin. I'm sure you'll do well. A former student of mine at ITT also does triathlons - he lives up in Clearfield. I'm sure he can give you some good ideas for meeting your goal. Send me a private FB email and I'll hook the two of you up.
ReplyDeleteGood luck! Kevin
Hey Kevin,
ReplyDeleteI'm just glad you're alive & your lung didn't e'splode. If any sort of competition is what you aspire to, so be it...but in good time...don't push yourself TOO hard TOO fast. You may be interested in www.fromcouchto5k.com It's supposed to be a really good program for people who want to go from being sedentary to running/running again.
I am inspired by you Kevin! Not only have you set a goal, but doing so publicly as well! I will be following along and wishing you success. Good job!
ReplyDeleteGreat job!!! Can't wait to hear all about the adventures here and at game night.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes to you, Kevin. In running as in health rehab, the old cliche of one step at a time is truly helpful. Public declaration of the goal is a great way to dedicate yourself to the effort. I will be interested in seeing the updates!
ReplyDeleteWay to go Kev! Good luck, I'll be excited to hear how you're doing with this. You definitely have way more desires in that arena than I do.
ReplyDeleteAre you doing this to be healthy or so you can go to Hawaii? I'm so excited for you! I had no idea you had such big aspirations. I hope you're not expecting your sisters to get in shape now, too.
ReplyDeleteThis is great Kevin! I thank the Lord that you are alright now and am happy that you aspire to be a better you (even though we love you as you are). :) Next time I am out there we can train together. If you need any advice let me know. :)
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