Is a triathlon a step to far?

[Mike1942]

After a miss diagnosis of dementia ,( I walked round for a year with frontal temporal lobe dementia ). It came as a relief to be told I had PD. That was nearly ,,4 years ago. Some 3"years before I had an aortic valve replacement. So at this point it looked like the end of the line and the wooden box was the only option.

I signed my body over to the Biomedical research unit in Sheffield and waited for the ," inevitable,"

Last July my wife signed up for C25K. She followed the course and progressed to half marathon !ast week. . Mike. ," That plack on the wall says you did 5k in 29mins and 15secs in 1983 why not try and run again ". So I pulled on my 30+ old blue shorts and went to a Parkrun. Off to bed now will continue tomorrow.

[Mike1942 Graduate10]

Must get time for bed that time should have read ,19 Mins _15 secs. !!!!!

[Razouski in reply to Mike1942]

Wow, you were fast. Are you going to use the C25K programme? It sounds like you can already run 5K if you managed a Parkrun.

It sounds like you've been through a lot physically and emotionally. I have no idea about triathlon, but it sounds like running will be good for you.

[Mike1942 Graduate10 in reply to Razouski]

Yes I suppose that I was fast but as in many things that I do "I'm a yesterday s man". So off I went to Sherwood Pines in my vintage blue shorts. It all went well until top off the last hill ( 4k+) I looked over my shoulder to see were my wife was and ............ I came too face down in the gravel. With red stuff coming out of my right elbow /shoulder and head. Luckily I had just passed a young nurse who deceided that I needed help. She took off her running top and rapped it round my head. Little did she realise what effects can happen to. a "many off a certain age" when faced with these situation s. The wife ran by. . This was my first big learning curve. For the next 3 months I fell regularly and needed catchers at the finish. I seemed to want to stop (and did,) but something was wanting me to carry on running so I fell, time and time again.it was no good looking at my watch to check for my PB and another mistake was looking down for pot holes. I t took time and dedication but I got there. We ran in Chichester /London /York / Leeds and of course all over the Midlands. If I started to stumble or fall I said to myself "F**k the PD stand tall swing your arms.... you are a runner.". My times started to fall (not me) down towards 35 mins for 5k not bad for someone born in ,1942. Then the injuries started and that was when the running really started. I meet my sports physio ( who is now my personal trainer,) She is a regular triathlon competitor.Once a week I undergo a full sports massage. Some will know it can be painful but if you got PD get. running and massage you may never beat PD but you can bloody we'll hold it back. To be continued. Nite nite.

[ancientrunner Graduate10]

Goodness that's an impressive time even if it was long ago!!! I would think it maybe worth consolidating your parkruns bit and then think of taking it further. Good luck.

[RebeccaSK]

Depends what kind of triathlon I would say. I started the C25K because I had signed up to a novice triathlon and needed to master the run. I did the triathlon five months later. It was pure hell and, in hindsight, I had neglected the cycling discipline in favour of running which made things very difficult on the day - but I did it.

[Tomas Graduate10]

19:15?!! Wow!

I'm impressed by how positive you sound after all you've been through.

[skysue16 Graduate10]

What an inspirational story, thanks for sharing Mike1942

[Mike1942 Graduate10 in reply to skysue16]

Continued. So there I was on my regular Wednesday afternoon sestion on the massage table ( or bed or couch ) we are not sure what to describe the torture unit , when K said to me . " Mike you like running off road and in the past you did a lot of Motocross why not try an off road duathlon," .

I really should shut up about my past. ," You like ,and know Sherwood Pines why not have a go at the duathlon on November 4th".

Well I suppose having represented my country many moons ago I( Motocross,) I should still remember what to do.

Last year I retaught myself to run after a 35 yr layoff so why not learn to ride bike again ,",off road".

So here I am to-date now 3 weeks into my training . New mountain bike delivered this week.

If you thought running with P D was problematical you should try ridding an Fff..in mountain bike. I can't ride on the road as I wobble too much. I can't get on it without standing on a box. And stopping and getting off are as dodgy as stopping after my early running experiences.

Did an hour at Pines this morning in the mud.

To be continued.

[Mike1942 Graduate10 in reply to Mike1942]

And today. ( being retired is a help). Tom Tom says I did 20.3 k bike ride ( all )off road )in 1.32.10 hrs followed by 3.01k run in28.23 also off road in Clumber Park. The times are coming down. But you say that's for the duathlon. What this about a triathlon.

Well as usual I was talking about my past experience s to my physio , that in the past ( as you do when on massage table,) I had sum from Pompey to the Isle of white. " So 500 meters open water is nothing to you" she said. " I recon with some coaching you can do an open water Tri next year"

Why o why don I keep my big mouth shut.

s)