Ironman Louisville Training begins - for real this time

It's been awhile since my last post, almost a year actually.  In November I finished Ironman #2 - Ironman Florida.  It was probably one of the most memorable moments of my life, mainly because of my friends Thomas and Maureen Troncoso.  The race was great, but they made it unforgettable by completely surprising me by showing up completely unannounced.  The two of them along with the support of my family made it what it was.  Instead of rewriting my entire race report, here is a link on BT:

Ironman Florida Race Report

Below is a link to a video that Thomas and Maureen made showing the race from a spectators view.  Yes,  I do have awesome friends!

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IglCe5my-_I&feature=youtube_gdata

Jump forward to February...  I took the plunge again.  I signed up for Ironman Louisville.  It was just the most cost effective Ironman branded race I could do.  After a few months of getting fat, I decided to get back into things with some light running and cycling.  Unfortunately on my fifth day of running, I felt a sharp pain below my right calf.  It was a searing pain that wouldn't go away.  Therefore, after my run, I applied ice and stretched it well.  Even with the treatment, the pain was still there - even when I walked.  Not good.  I continued to do some easy running but still had pain so I decided to take a few days off to let it heal.  I let it rest for three days and tried it again.  Same thing, still had pain.  After repeating this for a couple days, I decided to shut it down for three weeks.

It's now the final day of April and I hopped on my bike two days ago and rode a steady 30 miles.  Not a long distance or fast pace, but I got it done pain free.  Yesterday, I threw on my running shoes and went out for a run.  I made it 3.7 miles and had a pretty good clip going (faster than I should have).  Today my legs are a little tired, but they feel pretty good.  I'm going out for another ride today and will probably hit the pool as well and maybe even the gym with Brian this evening.  My fingers are crossed that I stay in one piece!!!