Slow and steady sure doesn't win any races

The simple text message inquiry from my concerned and curious wife reached me up in the Wasatch Mountains shortly after noon this past Saturday.

"You survive?"

My body wasn't sure if it should answer that question in the affirmative after it slogged, suffered and sweated through the scenic, challenging and, yes, fun TriUtah Jordanelle Triathlon — my first attempt at a sprint-distance swim-bike-run race in more than a year.

But her choice of words sure brought a big smile to my salt-drenched face.

Survive?

That just happens to be my current theme — certainly before and especially during this triathlon, which took me about a half-hour longer to complete than similar races used to take me to finish before my most-body expansion of 50-plus pounds.

Yep, Rocky Balboa and myself, we're just a couple of men "with the will to survive."

While I joke about having the eye of the tiger with goals of losing another 100 pounds, completing an Ironman triathlon and fighting Clubber Lang and the dude who looks like Andrei Kirilenko next summer, my workouts seem to be struggles.

With my 5-foot-8 frame hauling around about 260 pounds, every single run or jog or walk/waddle I do turns out to be a tough task. Swims and bike rides aren't exactly easy at this weight, either.

Right now I feel like I'm in survival of the fatness mode.

But I know if I just keep plugging along, the blubber will melt away and my fitness will increase. Of course, being an impatient dieter, that process never happens quickly enough. I'm averaging a weight loss of about 1.5 pounds a week. Doctors and dietitians would love that slow-and-steady rate, but honestly it's driving me batty. I want big results, and I want them NOW!

I'm actually digging this new survival attitude of mine. Persevering through tough times is rewarding.

Hearing a phrase about surviving while jogging to Rocky's famous song — sung, of course, by Survivor! — gave me a boost during a run a day before my triathlon last week.

Before my tri at Jordanelle, a similar song was played that brought back that survivor. I couldn't help from chuckling while hearing "I will survive" blare out of the sound system while the athletes all prepared for the journey ahead on that hot morning in the mountains.

And I kept hoping I would survive during each leg of the race.