Beginnings: My background to today

Published on Monday 5th 2006f June, 2006

A little background here on Centripedal.com. Before I set off on the journey of wherever this takes me, a quick look at the past that brought me here.

Note: This post was a little difficult. I enjoy sharing experiences, but this is more history, then anything, and I ask myself who might care about this? Indeed not many people may give two shakes about what is written below, however I feel that it will be useful for the context of this blog in the future.

Some context

I thought that it would be a good idea to start this blog by looking back at how I got to the point that I am at the moment, in an effort to give myself and this website a reference point, and to give you, the reader, some context of the person that you are reading about (at least something more then the about page offers).

So where did it all start?

Nothing but soccer

I played soccer from quite a young age. I can't remember when I started, but I can remember the day that I made the local 'rep' team. The team was a collection of talented athletes coached by a man who, I would later realize, trained us with what were some cutting edge methods for training.

I must admit, I wasn't one of the talented players - I was the goalkeeper, and more than anything I had good reflexes. But I could run distance with the best on the team.

Anyways, through the years I stuck with soccer, some more than others, and I was always running on the side. In high-school, I hit the gym in order to beef up a bit so as to be a little more intimidating on the pitch.

My soccer career pretty much culminated in university. I made the top team, second string, and had blast with daily training and some of the other perks on offer. I was even invited out to train with some national team players, where a few good sessions wowed one coach who came over to talk with me, only to leave when he found out I was "already 24".

At this point it was either go down to the U.S. and have a go at the M.L.S. in it's sophomore year, or take a pretty good job offer I had on the table.

I took the job.

Fast forward

Skip forward 6 years from this point. I'd been working in northern Canada and Alaska as an exploration geologist. The work was incredibly fun. I had winters off to ski and run and cycle, and having become accustomed to training from my soccer days, I began to funnel my training efforts into short distance triathlons.

Things tired on the work front, though, and after the many summers away from friends and my beautiful home in Vancouver, I decided it was time for a break. So as my last contract was coming to an end, a good friend bought me an entry ticket for Ironman Canada (IMC), 2001 (well, I bought the entry, he lined up for me :), and I started to make my plans.

That winter, I took a job with an internet based company (I had always been 'the computer guy' as a geologist), and began my training.

Oh right, that nagging injury

One thing I haven't mentioned until now, was that through the years I'd somehow managed to do something to my left Achilles tendon. Now, years later, I've learned that it wasn't a tendinitis issue. Nonetheless, 'tendinitis' is the injury that I battled with while training for IMC.

I remember walking limping out onto the pool deck for the first swim session of 2001; somehow I managed to get myself sorted out for IMC (well, to be honest it was with a mix of physio and acupuncture - thanks Sam!).

IMC - The training and the glory

I've already written too much here, so the short story on IMC was that training was a blast, and the race was euphoric. I finished in 12:50 hrs, blowing well past my planned (hoped?) 11 hours, mostly due to the fact that I hadn't trained well enough for the run, and, umm, I also had met the woman who is now my wife that summer (lets just say that meeting her shifted my priorities for the summer :).

Today

2006 finds me having moved to a new country, Spain, with a great marriage, a successful career and new house to boot. Alas, I am seriously not fit, but I have been rehabbing the 'Achilles' injury.

So that is where I am. Essentially ground zero with respect to fitness, but the ball is rolling :)

I must say a big thank you if you've actually made it to the end of this post. Thanks for reading, please feel free to say hello in the comments.

Tags: beginnings, ironman, triathlon

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