Stu's blog

We’d like to introduce you to Stu Fisher, our guest blogger for the 2010 Noosa Tri. Stu has only taken up triathlon recently in a bid to lose some weight and get to the finish line at Noosa. We will follow his trials and tribulations on his road to Noosa over the coming months....

All Roads lead to Noosa

Wednesday, 1 September 2010

I’m starting to learn that all the equipment in the world doesn’t make you an athlete… I have my cool shoes, my Skins triathlon suit and have invested in a Garmin GPS watch. But, no matter how much I stare at that watch… the numbers won’t start ticking over until I actually get out and go for a run. (swim/cycle)

I have 6 weeks till my first “long” triathlon – the Gold Coast Super Sprint on October 3. (I’m using it as a lead up event for Noosa), and I’m starting to think about how my body is going to feel after 1km Swim, 33 km ride and 7 km run. The Only answer I have so far is – Sore…

I recently decided it was time to get my swimming back up, Soooo…. I jumped in the local pool. The sign said it was heated – but try telling that to my testicles! And I started swimming. My initial aim was 500 meters. I’ve done 400 for my first triathlon – so 100 more should be fine, but something clicked in me while I was swimming, and I realised I could probably go even further.

Aside: When you’ve lost a bit of weight a few things happen; you feel good about yourself, people say nice things and clothing get’s a bit baggy. When you’ve lost as much weight as I have (38kg since March, 48kg since last year) different things happen. You feel like someone totally different;, people ask if you’re sick and NOTHING fits anymore… in my case even my WEDDING RING needs to be resized.

So back to the swimming. I’m going well – well, I’m still going… My technique is akin to a seal swimming away from a shark attack – but I’m not stopping, after 400m I tell myself to do 750m, half of the Noosa Swim. And I’m doing it! At 600m I tell myself to go for the 1000m. ONE WHOLE KILOMETRE. If I can swim that – I’m set. I could even swim to safety in a plane crash (if it was no more then 1 km away from shore). But I reckon I can do it…

I found my ‘stride’ and just kept going. I’m coming up to 750 metres now… but my hand feels funny. Something’s missing. In between strokes I catch a glimpse and realise that the wedding band is not there… WTF! Moniek is going to KILL ME! I have no option but to stop, and try to find the ring. Three laps later and more bobbing up and down in the water than I can count I have no luck, and ask the waiting swim squad is they can help me find it!

“Oh, that’s what you’re doing… looking for a ring,” says one swimmer as the penny dropped. “We thought you were drowning or something.” (Well gee, don’t check to see if I’m ok). Even with their help – nothing. After a sad explanation to Moniek, not only did I not find the ring in the pool, but I didn’t reach my 1000m. She forgives me… and is proud of the efforts I made in the swim too.

The next weekend I decided to try the 1km swim again… and I did it! Long and tiring but I made it. Oh, and I found the ring in my jeans pocket! I’m on my way. Are you?

Love your Work

Stu Fisher

All Roads lead to Noosa

Wednesday, 14 July 2010

In just over 3 months I will do something that no sane person would ever do. But fortunately, I'm one of 8,500 other insane people competing in the Noosa Triathlon. 51.5km of swimming, riding and running and all so we can get back to where we started from. But I've come a long weigh (sic) to get to this point.

5 months ago, the thought of finishing an Olympic sized triathlon was not even on my radar. In fact, I would have been quite happy finishing a pizza, garlic bread and a bottle of cola. I weighed a hefty 142.3kg and was about as unfit as a person could be - literally. Sleep apnea, exhaustion, and back ache. I even ran out of breath running to the mailbox. But something snapped and I started a process.

A small super sprint triathlon, at the end of April, was offered to the people at my work, and I decided that if I was ever going to do a triathlon, a small one would be perfect. Except, I've never swum more than 100 meters in my life and; why run 4km when you can get home delivery? But nonetheless I started my training regime and in the process of learning how to swim again (you'd think all that fat would float… but NO!) and riding and even running I lost 18kg and finished my triathlon in a little over 68 minutes.

I was now a triathlete, in the same way a kid putting a mentos into a bottle of diet coke could call himself a scientist. But something even stranger occurred. I got hooked! I found the drug called Endorphins and I needed my next hit. But this drug isn't available in any back alley (unless you plan to run up and down that alley a number of times). You have to work at it.

And I have. Since that first triathlon, I've been training for Noosa. Lately, I've focused on running, rather than swimming, for the same reason I will wait 5 minutes for my shower to warm up before stepping in. (although cold water shrinkage might make me more hydrodynamic). I've run two 10km events so far and am entered in 3 more as well as a couple of other triathlons, all in the lead up to Noosa. I've got the 'gear'; including new shoes, those funky Five Finger glove style ones; and even some Skins compressions; and in all of this lead up I've lost a total of 33.4kg and plan to lose even more by Noosa. I'm starting to look like an athlete, albeit one with oversized shorts and a "smaller-than-before" pot belly. I'm on my way. Are you?

Love your Work

Stu Fisher