"Back at It"

My contract with Ballou Skies has been signed, sealed, and delivered.  It's amazing how just being part of a team that works toward a good cause provides extra motivation.  There is a bigger purpose and that's exactly what I was hoping for.  I got some extra motivation this morning as I returned to swimming with my co-workers at school.  There is a group of teachers at Mount Lebanon that swim in the mornings twice a week.  I haven't been able to join them because I've been on morning Luke duty, but Laura and I worked out a new schedule that will allow me to swim in the mornings twice a week again.  My friend and fellow triathlete, Jon Ptachcinski, coaches for the Lebo swim team and was a competitive swimmer himself.  He provides the extra motivation for me each time I see him swim by me like I'm treading water.  It's good to be pushed again.

I have set my race schedule for this season with still the possibility of signing-up for two more races.

• The Columbia Triathlon, Columbia MD - May 20th
• Ironman 70.3 Eagleman, Cambridge, MD - June 10th
• Giant Eagle Triathlon, Columbus, OH - July 29th
• Rev 3 Full Rev Cedar Point, Sandusky, OH - September 9th
• Ironman 70.3 Steelhead, Benton Harbor, MI - August 19th (TBD)
• Ironman 70.3 Pocono Mountains, Stroudsburg, PA - September 30th (TBD)

The climax of my season will be my first full ironman distance triathlon at the Rev 3 Full Rev Cedar Point on September 9th.  There is a lot of work to do between now and then.  I'm very excited and feeling good about the training and racing ahead of me.

2012!!!

Happy New Year to everyone!  I know we're more than halfway through January, but since this is my first post of 2012, I'll extend my good wishes for a safe, happy, and successful 2012.

My 2012 has gotten off to a precarious start.  My general training plan was to start "training" for the upcoming season after the New Year's Holiday.  However, the winter cold season has targeted the Erdeljac household.  Actually, we've probably been targeted ever since Luke started daycare back in the fall.  Many people have told us that daycare can be the root of all sickness.  Oh well, still love the little guy to death.  He's now almost 9 months old and army crawling all over the house.


Luke and his first pair of Nikes.

My cold season has consisted of pink-eye, which I haven't had since I was a kid, a sinus infection, which I've never had, and an ear infection, which I've never had.  Oh, not to mention the ever present sinus and chest congestion.  Usually I'm the kind of person that trains right through sickness, but since my parental responsibilities have limited the number of hours of sleep I get each night, I've had to focus on getting healthy before asking my body to withstand the rigors of training.

In my last post prior to the Holidays, I wrote about three possible opportunities I was looking into for the upcoming season.  Unfortunately, I was not chosen to receive the free year of coaching that Jen Harrison offers as part of her "Pay It Forward" initiative.  I am still waiting to hear from PowerBar about their sponsorship.  Finally, I am very happy to report that I have been selected to be part of the 2012 Ballou Skies Triathlon Team.

Ballou Skies Logo

2011 Ballou Skies Kona Qualifiers

 The Ballou Skies Triathlon Team was started by Ty Ballou and his son Ryan to help raise money and awareness for Muscular Dystrophy.  Ryan has lived his life with Duchenne Muscular Dystophy (DMD), a degenerative muscle disorder that affects all muscles within the body.  With the treatment from the heart clinic at Ohio State University, Ryan continues to beat the odds currently in his twenties and living and working independently.  Ryan and the entire Ballou Skies Team have a tremendous story that you can check-out at http://ballouskies.com/ and look for me in Ballou Skies Blue this year at my races.