By Dan Courtney, NIFS Correspondent
The first time NIFS member Jeff Craig completed a lap in the IU Natatorium, he thought “he was going to die.” Craig also had unpleasant thoughts of running as well. “I hated to run.”
So it may have come as quite a shock to some when he trained and completed his first triathlon last month in Terre Haute. Craig is now hooked on the swim, bike and run endurance event.
“I’ve talked about doing others…maybe 2 – 3 more. I want to be competitive with it,” said the 6-foot-1, 188-pounder.
Craig can thank his girlfriend, Brandi, who coaxed him into running. He started small with 3K and 5K runs. He had always loved to bike, so that was not a problem. Then last December he had the exhausting swim experience at the Natatorium.
“Last winter I decided to do it…train for the triathlon,” said the VP of private banking at Fifth/Third Bank.
Craig targeted the 22nd annual Thunder in the Valley Triathlon in Terre Haute as his race. But he also knew he would need some helpful training advice. He received it from NIFS personal trainer and tri-athlete Kris Simpson.
“Craig was in pretty good shape; we just needed to strengthen some areas like the running and swimming,” Simpson said.
His training encountered a setback when a mild cough in March turned into bronchitis. He was out three weeks and when he returned to training, Craig said he “felt like I was back to square one.”
The NIFS member put in six solid weeks of training after the illness, and he and Simpson felt he was as ready as he would ever be for the triathlon.
“I told him to trust his training because he put in the time to get there,” said Simpson.
On a chilly morning, Craig tackled the 800-meter lake swim first and finished in 19 minutes. He said he knew he would get kicked by other athletes in the water, but wasn’t expecting the trouble with his goggles.
“About 100 yards out I started to panic. Then my goggles started to fog up and it was hard to breath. So I switched between free and backstroke and battled through it,” he said.
The 40K bike ride was much more to his liking despite losing precious time transitioning from his swim garb to his bicycle gear. He finished in 1:22, about seven minutes off his bike goal.
During the last leg, the 8K run, Craig said the adrenaline started pumping with all the people cheering him on. He ran a 9-minute pace per mile and overcame two steep hills near the finish line. He finished about 200th out of 280 competitors in 2:28, which was eight minutes off his goal.
“NIFs made all the difference in my training,” added Craig. “I sort of knew what to expect, but I was taught some of the little things in preparing for the triathlon.”
Very interesting comments from a guy who once did not like to run or swim.
