WELCOME TO SWIM.BIKE.RUN. BLAKE STYLE

HONESTY IS KEY TO ANY RELATIONSHIP SO IF YOU'RE GOING TO TAKE THESE POST SERIOUSLY, I'LL BE BLUNT RIGHT UP FRONT. HOW DOES A FAT KID IN GRADE SCHOOL BECOME AN IRONMAN FINISHER? YOU'RE ABOUT TO FIND OUT IF YOU STAY FOCUSED LONG ENOUGH. IF I HAVEN'T LOST YOU ALREADY, YOU'RE ABOUT TO FIND OUT HOW I GOT STARTED IN THIS CRAZY SPORT.

​THERE I WAS, SITTING IN ROW 5 AT THE XCEL CENTER WATCHING A STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF GAME AND IT WAS THE 1ST INTERMISSION. AS I WATCHED THE ZAMBONI CIRCLE THE ICE I OPENED THIS APP THAT REFERS TO A CAMPFIRE OR SOMETHING AND GOT A MATCH. THE GAME ENDED, I WENT HOME AND EVENTUALLY STARTED TEXTING THIS GIRL AND THE CONVERSATION LED TO MARATHONS AND TRIATHLONS. SHE WAS INTO TRIATHLONS AND THE ONLY THING I KNEW ABOUT THEM WAS FROM THE YEARLY KONA SPECIAL ON TV.

IT ENDED UP THAT I FOUND MYSELF AT THE GRANITEMAN BUFFALO RACE TO WATCH AND BEING MYSELF, IT SEEMED EASY ENOUGH BUT I HAD ONE PROBLEM, I HAD NO GEAR. THAT FOLLOWING WEEKEND MY CREDIT CARD AN I WENT SHOPPING AND WE CAME HOME WITH A ROAD BIKE (HUGE MISTAKE) AND A WETSUIT. I HAD ABOUT 2 WEEKS TO FIGURE THIS SPORT OUT BECAUSE I SIGNED UP FOR MY FIRST RACE ALREADY. MY FIRST EVER TRIATHLON WOULD BE AVERAGE JO IN PERHAM, MN.

MY SWIMMING EXPERIENCE WAS LIMITED TO JUMPING OFF OF BOATS AND JETSKIS AND BIKING WAS NO BETTER BUT I WAS A MARATHON RUNNER AND HAD JUST FINISHED GRANDMAS MARATHON IN 4:03:33 THE WEEK BEFORE. FROM PEELING OFF THE WETSUIT TO FINDING MY LEGS OFF THE BIKE IT WAS A STRUGGLE ALL DAY LONG. I ENDED UP FINISHING 45TH OUT OF 98TH AND FINISHED AHEAD OF THE GIRL WHICH PROBABLY LEAD TO MY DEMISE. THE BEST PART OF THE DAY WAS FINISHERS GOT A FREE BEER AT THE ZORBAZ JUST DOWN THE ROAD SO I HAD THAT GOING FOR ME! FROM THAT DAY FORWARD, I WAS A TRIATHLETE AND HAD MY EYES SET ON IRONMAN!