Ready to Launch

Hey! 

I’m Tyler. I’m an elementary science teacher by day, triathlete-in-progress by night (and early morning). Here’s me, the guy in the white pullover, running a race last weekend: 

I’ve been toying with the idea of starting a blog for some time. There are plenty of things I thought about chronicling in a blog: car-free life in a small city, car-free life in a big city, science teaching, book club stuff; the list goes on. Enter my latest and, dare I say, greatest idea? 

I decided that I want to race Ironman Wisconsin in September 2023. For context, I’ve never completed a triathlon. I do have some familiarity in all three disciplines, however. Running is my bread and butter, I’ve swam in varying degrees of competitiveness since high school, and I’ve been hooked on the indoor bike trainer since I purchased one about a year ago. 

Why Ironman Wisconsin, you ask? I am a Wisco native, currently living in Atlanta, GA. Most of my friends and family live in Wisconsin, so this race seems like a natural homecoming of sorts, assuming people would show up for support, ha! Additionally, choosing a race in September gives me plenty of time to train. And why Ironman, in general? Because I have always wanted to push myself to my limits and feel that I haven’t quite done that yet. I’ve strung together a series of respectable athletic performances on a sporadic training schedule (recently a 1:17 half marathon, 16:55 5k). What could be possible if I get serious? 

To add some spice to endeavor, I’ve also determined that I want to qualify for the Ironman World Championships. And I want to do this as cheaply as possible – I am a teacher, after all. I thought about getting a second job to fund this pursuit but then I came to my senses. In what world should a professional with a Master’s degree need a second job to do a hobby? Not mine.

My launch plan is as follows (in a semi-particular order): 

• Take stock of my current gear
• Figure out facility access
• Read as much peer-reviewed research as possible
• Write my own training plan
• Get necessary gear
• Execute the plan

As it currently stands, I have a magnetic, wheel-on bike trainer that I received as a gift this Christmas. It’s been great so far, but I know it will become a limiting factor as my training progresses. I’ve heard good things about the Zwift Hub! I also do not yet have access to a pool, but that may be changing – finger’s crossed – with rumblings of a work-subsidized membership to Life Time going around. In the spirit of budget-mindedness, I’ll be utilizing library databases to scour sports journals for the latest and greatest in endurance athletic research. This will then be transformed into a training plan of my own creation. I’ll then source any remaining gear from eBay and Poshmark (love that site, Lululemon on a budget baby) and get to work!

Side note – I have been investigating ChatGPT’s applications as a tool for teaching, which made me wonder about its viability as a training tool. Stay tuned for more on this. 

I’ll bring you on a journey through each step of this plan. You can expect to hear from me a few times each week – I have some loose ideas of how this blog might evolve throughout the foreseeable future, but it’s subject to change. That just made me think of the Kelsea Ballerini song “SUBJECT TO CHANGE.” And that just made me come up with another idea: I’m going to curate playlists that capture the mood and theme of each post. Here you go: 

Short, sweet, on-the-nose. 

Anyway, let’s see what happens! I’m glad you’re here. 

<3 Tyler