The Enormous Turnip (triathlon)

Once upon a time there was an old man, a fifty-five year old man to be exact. The old man became a runner, a "real" runner, when his oldest daughter turned one. The beautiful smiling baby recently celebrated her thirty-second birthday. This made the old man feel even more ancient.

The old man's wife, a sprightly fifty-two year old, began competing in triathlons, along with two friends, about four years ago. She continually encouraged him to begin cycling and swimming, but he only wanted to run. The old man loved running. He dreamed about how fast he once was, or at least thought he was. The older he became, the faster he used to be. When the man's wife decided to train for an Ironman, he knew in order to see her he would have to learn to swim and begin biking.

After two IM attempts that ended up with the old woman in the medical tent due to dehydration from the 90+ degree heat, her stubborness prevailed and she completed the Lake Placid Ironman. During this time the old man learned to bike up to 80 miles and swim, albeit extremely slowly, over a mile. He really relied on a wetsuit to stay afloat in open water. The old man lost his mind and challenged his wife and a daughter to a 1/2 IM at DisneyWorld. It was hot and humid (big surprise). He ended up in the medical tent with IV's, the daughter and old woman finished the race.

So the saga continues. The old man feels he must redeem himself and the bruised ego he carries around. The old man is going to grab hold of a 1/2 IM in 2012, one in which he can wear a wetsuit for the swim (maybe Tupper Lake Tinman?). In The Enormous Turnip the old man, a farmer, gets help from an old woman, a child, a dog, cat and mouse to pull a giant turnip out of the ground. A tale of cooperation, perseverance, and sharing of the final reward. Now the old man will need the help of his family and friends, who may also attempt the Tinman race, to train for and possibly complete his first 1/2 IM. Approximately 2200 yards of swimming, 56 mile rolling hills of biking and a half-marathon run will complete the ''enormous" task. It's really the months of training, staying healthy and motivated before the race that is the main challenge.  Stay tuned to see what happens over the coming months.

The End.