Thursday, October 16, 2008

wednesday weigh in

I think I forgot to mention that Charlie competed in his triathlon last weekend. He was able to carve a solid 30 minutes off the time it took him to complete his first triathlon.

Remember, the one he did with me?

Where he ran backwards for three miles so we could talk?

When he arrived home from his most recent race, he told me that he could have finished the race a little faster, but he was late crossing the start line. Apparently, the swimmers had a "water" start which means that they had to swim approximately 100 yards off shore to a buoy and listen for the starting gun. Charlie was approximately 50 yards from the start and was leisurely paddling along, wondering why there were so many "older" grey-haired men in the water near his start wave.

It dawned on my husband, just about the time that he heard the starting gun sound, he himself is an 'older' guy. While he was scrambling to get to the start line, he realized that within the past few years, he has graduated from the 30-something age range to the 40- and up.

This depression inspiration only intensified when he was riding along, and he heard a group of people that were going crazy cheering. He thought that maybe they were cheering for him, so he started to pedal a little stronger. But just then, he heard a voice yell "On your LEFT!" and he was passed by a 77-year old man.

He knew the age of the man because every triathlete's age is written on the back of their calf with black sharpie. So when Charlie was passed while running by a group of women that were in their 50's, he felt determined that he could do better. He's been swimming almost every day since and is currently running on the treadmill in the hotel exercise room.

Then, there's me.

I am scheduled to compete in my second triathlon this coming Sunday. With the exception of hiking up hill for two miles today while pushing two children in a stroller and carrying one child on my back ... I have done nothing to prepare for this race while I've been sick with strep throat for the past several weeks. Actually, I did go to the gym one day a few weeks ago and ride the stationary bike for 50 minutes, but if I'm being perfectly honest, I mostly sat and watched post-season baseball. (Joe Torre is the coach for the Dodgers? When did that happen?!)

It seems that the only thing that I can do to prepare for my race on Sunday at this point in time, is to convince myself that climbing out of a warm bed at 5:00 AM and jumping in to a 62-degree ocean at 7:00 AM, is a good idea.

*****
How are you doing with your goals? Please, inspire me!!

11 comments:

  1. How am I doing? Not the best but I am trying. For some reason I can't get to the point where I want to exercise. I know I feel better when I do, so I need to get my act together. I have been watching what I eat and eating smaller portions and that does seem to help. I have slacked off of journaling what I eat so I need to start that again.
    Maybe you could do half of your routine daily for the next couple of days (today also, it is still early;))? You have a lot of determination so I have faith that you will do fine Sunday.
    I do better when I have goal. When I was working out so I could ride a 17 mile mountainous bike trail I didn't miss a day. So what is your goal (after Sunday)? I am going to have to think about a new one for myself.
    I know worrying about your parents and being sick has not helped you but you will do great.

    Kathy

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  2. I am doing well excercising, I upped my workout time to 30 minutes a workout, 5 consecutive days a week. By the fifth day, my muscles were killing me. So that's really good.
    I am getting a bit bored with my diet though and fell off the bandwagon at a Girl Scout party. Somehow those extra pieces of pizza made me gain two pounds! So unfair! Hopefully I will lose them again soon.
    Keep at it! With all the things you do, excercising ought to be about the least difficult thing you do, and I mean that in the best way possible.

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  3. I have lost 11.4 pounds! But I haven't started working out yet. My workout buddy and I discussed our plan for the winter and realized we didn't want to put our infants (mine was a preemie) in the gym nursery in the winter. Now I need to figure out how I am going to fit exercise in with 3 kids, 3 and under, who nap at completely opposite times in the winter without hitting the gym...

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  4. You are gonna do great!!  Just go out there and do your best. I'm scheduled to do my first 5K (well first one since like high school) on November 1st!  YEAH!  Can't wait :)Thanks for the motivation girl.

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  5. uggh, goals: i am doing good with walking the babies five days a week. i've been consistent for a good month now. it makes all four of us feel much better to get that fresh air and walk in the woods.
    i've done yoga several (2-3) times a week for two or three weeks. i think i can tell that it is starting to help my back.
    the eating: blaahch. sugar is always my downfall. i did good with phase one of the south beach for two and a half weeks (lost 8 pounds). then, i've fallen off the past week or two (gained 3 back). i've got to do better. i feel so much better when i eat right and exercise. so...why is it so hard to stick to?
    sorry, not much inspiration. just honesty.
    my goals for this next week are just to keep walking and do yoga 2-3 times and not eat my weight in sugar.
    i wish you lots of luck completing the triathlon.

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  6. Well, my initial goal was to complete my first 5k race this upcoming weekend in under 45 minutes. However, my husband and I discovered that there was a 5k race to support the library at the university where he teaches, so we went ahead and ran that one last weekend. And it was a blast.

    I posted about it (complete with insults to a 12 yr old girl who wouldn't let me pass her... so I feel Charlie's pain on being out-competed by someone who by virtue of age should not be our competition), but I don't think I emphasized enough how much I want to do more and more and more of these things.

    My time (compared to my indoor treadmill time) was pretty dismal (43:something). But when I discovered that my never-runs, allergic-to-everything, 40-something, smoker husband finished nearly 6 minutes ahead of me, I decided it was time for another visit to my doctor to address my asthma. I got a new kind of inhaler, and gave it a try on Tuesday, and it seems to have helped. We'll give it another go today, and give it a real test on Saturday when temps are expected to be in the 40s the morning of the race. Brr!

    I've had a pretty awful week, but to be honest, the one part of my life that hasn't left me spitting and cursing is running. Right now, it's kind of the only thing that is keeping me even-keeled. And so, I met my goal of running my first competitive 5k in under 45 minutes, and I get to do another one this weekend, and I can't wait.

    So I've met my first goal. My next goal is to get my outdoor time to match my indoor time, or if due to asthma that doesn't work, then I will be working on improving my indoor time.

    I can't WAIT to hear how your triathalon goes this weekend. It makes me wish I lived someplace where a triathalon was feasable!

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  7. I vote for "let your body heal" and skip the event! Why do that to yourself? You have enough goings on this weekend! Just pick up your "free" T-shirt and participate next year...

    I'm just saying...

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  8. I'm not sure how I am doing -- but I run my first half marathon on Saturday, so I will have to let you know after that!

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  9. After being sick I just have had the get up and go to actually get up and go. Plus, B12 supplements really just make me more tired and have insomnia. I'm quite used to not having B12, thankyouverymuch. I need to get off my butt and out of the house and just can't find any reason to.

    I'm still planning on doing my 5k on November 9. I figure, I haven't heard of one killing anybody, so I"ll be ok, right?

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  10. Ha. I'd love to inspire you, but with Greg gone for 14 days now, I have neither the time, the ability, nor the drive to exercise. I'm mostly falling into bed into a deep exhaustion. If he isn't home this weekend, I may run all the way to Houston and kidnap him.

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  11. Well.....I have lost 22lbs but I don't think any of you would want to do it the way I did....Cancer. But I am completing my goal to kick it's cancer's ASS!!!!

    As for you Jane ;) I think you are crazy to do a triathlon this weekend w/ no real chance to train for it. Be careful & don't get hurt.

    Good luck my friend.

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