Client: Bruce MacFarlane
Coach: Cheryl Bayuk

1. Town/State: La Plata Maryland
   
   
2. Training Focus: Half Iron and Ironman with emphasis on IM distance
   
   
3. A Race: IM Florida 2006
   
   
4. #1 Goal: Finish! I say finish because that was the focal point to my training this season. But, long term, it’s fitness. Between my job and commute I’m forced to be sedentary about 12 hours a day. I knew the only way to counter that was consistent rigorous exercise. In order to maintain consistency, I knew I needed a challenging long term goal, and it had to be fun. What better place to  be than long course triathlon!
   
   
5. Athletic Accomplishment Most Proud Of: IM Florida, hands down! I’m sure most athletes will have a special feeling for their first Ironman. But, it was more than that to me. Three years ago I was in such sad shape. I couldn’t run a mile with a bear chasing me. One lap of the pool left me breathless. And, I hadn’t been on a bike since I got my driver’s license 35 years ago. To say that I felt an Ironman would be impossible would be a major understatement! Even this year as I improved dramatically under Coach Cheryl’s guidance, my pace was barely inside the time limits for each sport. I felt I needed to do everything right and conditions needed to be perfect. Well, conditions were far from perfect: 2-4 foot swells on the swim, headwinds on the bike and I strained my calf getting out of the water. I had to do the last 15 hours on  1-1/2 legs. I stuck to the plan Coach Cheryl had worked out with me and finished with time to spare anyway, 16:42! I hope to do faster Ironman races in the future. But, it’s going to be hard to top the way this one felt!
   
   
6. Favorite snack: Anything. Seriously, I started the year at 245 pounds. I was able to drop 30 this year without starving. A wonderful benefit of IM training. I like raisins and nuts for a healthy snack, ice cream as a reward for a good training week , and Fosters for the post race party!
   
   
7. I'd rather be: Faster, if only to qualify for Kona! But I wouldn’t trade this year for anything. I actually think having to work hard just to finish allowed me to appreciate the result that much more. Besides, I have much more room for improvement than my friends who were fast right out of the box. I figure I’ve got two or three years of solid training before I get near whatever limits my genes have placed on me. And, I’m going to have fun getting there!

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