Tom Aylward takes on the Ironman
Tom Aylward, 62, faced the biggest fitness challenge of his life at the Ford Ironman Coeur d'Alene on June 26. Aylward hired a trainer and trained at three different gyms throughout the week leading up to the event.
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Tom Aylward was 300 plus pounds when this picture was taken on the shores of Lake Tahoe in 1999.
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A dramatic lifestyle change has melted 78 pounds off Tom Aylward’s 6-foot-4-inch frame and introduced him to healthy eating habits for the first time in his 62 years.
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Tom Aylward weighs himself at his home on Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2011. He wants to lose 31 lbs before competing in Ironman Coeur d’Alene in June.
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Aylward’s new lifestyle of training and monitoring his nutrition helped lift him from the depression that hit him 2 1/2 years ago when his wife died.
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Tom Aylward works out in a fitness studio in Hayden, Idaho on Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011.
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Tom Aylward, right, works out with his trainer, Shawn Burke, at a fitness studio in Hayden, Idaho on Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011.
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Sweat pools on the floor of the workout room after Tom Aylward’s stationary bike ride at the workout studio in Hayden, Idaho on Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011.
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Tom Aylward shares a laugh with his training partner, Karin Walker, at a fitness studio in Hayden, Idaho on Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2011.
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Tom Aylward returns from a walk with his dogs Brandy,left, and Angel on Tuesday, Jan. 11,2011.
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When Aylward first started training, he bought a wetsuit rated for up to 256 pounds. He was crushed to discover he couldn’t fit into it.
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Tom Aylward watches for the clock during an early morning swim at The Kroc Center in Coeur d’Alene on Wednesday, February 2, 2011.
Tom Aylward starts with a swim at 6 a.m. on Wednesdays at The Kroc Center in Coeur d’Alene.
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“This year, it should fit pretty good,” Aylward said with a smile. He has lost 80 pounds and now weighs 239. He said swimming is his strongest of the three disciplines.
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Tom Aylward checks his shopping list at Walmart in Hayden on March 4, 2011. After deciding to compete in this years Ironman competition Tom has had to change his way of eating.
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Tom Aylward checks the amount of calories and physical activities accumulated for the morning of March 4, 2011. He wears a watch like device called bodybugg that helps him keep track.
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“We share breakfast every morning,” said Tom Aylward about his dog, Brandy, as the two shared a piece of peanut butter toast at 6:30 am on March 16, 2011.
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The Ford Ironman Coeur d’Alene race is in 10 weeks and Tom Aylward hasn’t been able to run for a month. The 62-year-old, who has been training for the grueling race for nearly two years, has a nagging nerve irritation in his left foot. He got two cortisone shots last week to relieve the pain and plans to get another in a few weeks.
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Tom Aylward listens to instruction during a visit to Inland Northwest Foot and Ankle in Post Falls. Aylward is working his way through a nerve problem with his foot.
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Personal trainers say the final three months before Ironman are the toughest. That’s when injuries crop up because athletes are increasing speed, distance and intensity. It’s also when self-doubt kicks in as the seeming enormity of the challenge sinks in.
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Tom Aylward talks with his trainer, Shawn Burke, as he prepares to aqua jog at The Kroc Center in Coeur d’Alene. Tom is dealing with a nerve problem in his left foot and jogging in the pool.
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Tom Aylward toughs it out while aqua jogging at The Kroc Center in Coeur d’Alene. He is dealing with a nerve problem in his left foot and jogging in the pool
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Aylward continues to push his miles up on his bike, and on April 9, he completed his longest ride: 84 miles in 5 1/2 hours. “I’m going to give it everything I have,” he said. “I’m just going to lay it on the table that day. It’s all I’m thinking about.”
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Tom Aylward, 61, prepares for a bike ride through Hayden on Wednesday, May 11, 2011.
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Tom Aylward, center listens to instruction from his trainer, Shawn Burke as he prepares for a bike ride with JT Patterson, left, in Hayden on May 11, 2011.
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“There’s nothing like it,” said Tom Aylward, 61, as he rides his bike through Hayden on Wednesday, May 11, 2011.
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Tom Aylward, 61, runs along Lakeshore drive in Coeur d’Alene on Thursday, May 12, 2011.
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Tom Aylward, 62, prepares for the swim portion of Ironman Coeur d’Alene on Sunday, June 26, 2011.
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Aylward emerges from the swim portion of Ironman Coeur d’Alene on Sunday, June 26, 2011.
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Aylward makes the transition from the swim portion of Ironman Coeur d’Alene on Sunday, June 26, 2011.
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Aylward bikes along during the Ironman Coeur d’Alene course on Sunday, June 26, 2011.
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Aylward grimaces at mile 90 during the 112-mile biking portion of Ironman Coeur d’Alene on Sunday June 26, 2011.
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“I’m ok, I did the best I could,” said Tom Aylward, 62, after competing in Ironman Coeur d’Alene on Sunday, June 26, 2011. He completed the swim and bike portions, but was unable to complete the marathon. “I knew when I got off the bike that it was over.”
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Stiff and sore and barely able to walk, Aylward acknowledged defeat with no regrets. By Monday morning, though his injured left foot was “killing” him, he was planning to begin training for next year’s half-Ironman in Boise.
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