Finishing triathlon a proud accomplishment

The last segment of the Memphis in May triathlon, the run, was the hardest part for Dr. Brad Adkins, above. “By then I was tired,” he says.

Dr. Michael Ibach and Dr. Brad Adkins reached new milestones in their lives for fitness when they finished their first triathlon at Memphis in May in Spring 2005.

“It was great,” says Dr. Ibach, a gastroenterologist at Medical Specialty Clinic. “We’re all kind of proud of ourselves,” adds Dr. Adkins, an obstetrician/gynecologist at the Woman’s Clinic.

Training for an event like the triathlon gives you a goal to get in shape, says Dr. David Johnson, who ran the Memphis in May triathlon this spring for the second time. His wife, Stephanie, has completed the event several times, he says. “I got tired of just going and spectating.”

A triathlon combines swimming, biking and running. The Memphis in May triathlon attracts about 1,500 professional and amateur competitors. Held in Edmond Orgill Park in Millington, the triathlon consisted of a 1.5k swim, a 40k bike ride and a 10k run. The bike course is flat and the run is moderately hilly.

• Dr. Ibach finished the triathlon in two hours, 40 minutes and 18 seconds. A competitive swimmer in high school, he was most proud of his ninth place finish in his age group of 109 competitors in the swim portion of the triathlon.
• Dr. Adkins finished in two hours, 39 minutes and 10 seconds.
• Dr. Johnson, an orthopedic surgeon at West Tennessee Bone & Joint Clinic, finished the triathlon in two hours, 57 minutes and eight seconds.

For the last two years, Dr. David Johnson has joined his wife, Stephanie, in the Memphis in May triathlon.

The hardest part for Dr. Ibach and Dr. Adkins was the run, while Dr. Johnson found the swimming part the most difficult for him. “The run was the hardest,” says Dr. Adkins, “because it was last. By then, I was tired.”

For all three doctors, training for the triathlon was a way to get back in shape. “It feels good,” Dr. Ibach says. “I’ve lost about 20 pounds and three inches off my waist.”

Dr. Adkins says he prepared for the triathlon for two main reasons: “I turn the big 4-0 this year and I set a goal to do something like the triathlon. I’ve also quit playing basketball and wanted to stay physically fit.”

Training for the triathlon involved about an hour a day, six days a week, Dr. Johnson says. “We trained for at least one event each day.”

Since he ran his first triathlon a year ago, Dr. Johnson has completed two century (100-mile) bike rides, four one-half marathons (13.1 miles), and two more tri-athlons. For him, the key to losing weight and getting in shape was the goal to run in that first Memphis in May triathlon.

“If I just do the New Year’s resolution thing, saying I want to get in shape, it’s too easy to quit,” Dr. Johnson says. “Too many things get in the way. If I pick a goal and give myself plenty of time to train, I am better able to stay on track.”

Dr. Michael Ibach competes in the bicycling segment of the Memphis in May triathlon.

And that’s part of his advice to others who were in shape at one point in their lives and are tired of being sedentary. He suggests…

• Pick an event that’s reasonable in which you want to compete.
• Give yourself plenty of time to meet that goal.
• Once you decide you like the routine, it’s easier to stay in that routine.
• Have a training partner who will help keep you on a training schedule.

“It’s also helpful,” Dr. Johnson says, “to have someone who will encourage you. Having my wife train with me was a great help.”

Completing an event like a triathlon gives you a lot of self satisfaction, Dr. Adkins says. “I enjoy staying physically fit. It’s a good example for my patients. If they ask me about losing weight, I can encourage them to diet and to exercise.”