Hi, my name is Noel and I have a problem.  For whatever reason, I seem to love doing endurance races. Though in all fairness there is very little racing in what I do.  Most times I tend to refer to them as “events” since races makes people think of it as a competition.  Don’t get me wrong, triathlons, duathlons, 5k/10k and half marathons are seriously competitive events – it’s just that I am not.  My only goals when I do an event are to finish and not hurt myself.  Here is a basic overview of ME: I am 50, overweight, under trained and stubborn.  My build has been described as looking somewhat like a fire hydrant.  While nice for hockey it has not lent itself to running. I did my first triathlon back in 1994 (it will get discussed in a later entry) and was hooked after that.  I did take a nearly 10+ year break from the sport to get married and have a family (but that is a way different set of stories).  My return to the sport will definitely be the subject of a future entry (no spoilers).

This blog is going to be the view from the back of the parade.  This is the view that someone who is always in the bottom 10% of finishers has.  In short it is going to be me sharing, venting, reflecting and ruminating on past events, current events – plus some I am just considering doing.  I will also toss in the joys of training or what laughingly passes in my universe for it.  If I get overly motivated (or bored) there might be some insights on gear for non-traditional racers.  And what blog would be complete without some talk of nutrition both on and off the course.