Wednesday, August 27, 2008

wednesday weigh in

Even though I've been working out, I am having an extremely difficult time keeping up with my mother, despite the 38-year age difference and a bum knee that she needs to have replaced.

Mom gets up in the morning, gets dressed, unloads the dishwasher, starts a load of laundry, brings the trashcans around the side of the house, starts to cook breakfast, get the kids dressed, packs a lunch for the pool and makes a pot of coffee.

I have ... brushed my teeth.

Mom whips up banana bread, reads the newspaper, decides to try out a new recipe for dinner, prepares a grocery list, re-pots our basil plant, sorts through children's clothes, folds and puts away a load of laundry, and dusts all the wood furniture in the house.

I have ... taken a conference call and eaten half a bagel.

A bagel that mom toasted for me and topped with cream cheese.

It seems I'm standing still and mom is buzzing all around me. She'll have 10 projects going at once and there I am - looking at the vacuum and trying to remember how it works. I am so distracted by her hyper-efficiency that today, I didn't even realize that I was still wearing my pajama bottoms until 3 PM. My groove is all in a funk.

Mom takes a nap every afternoon and is in bed asleep every night by 9:00, but not me.

Oh no.

My magic hours are those between 9 PM and 1 AM when I clean the house, eat
banana muffins and update my blog. Although, what I should be doing are all the chores that I normally complete first thing in the morning. I don't know how mom would react if there was nothing for her to do. I'm afraid she might try to sweep out our chimney. Or worse yet, rotate the tires on the minivan.

But there's one more thing my mom can do, that I could never do.

Today, while she was resting on the couch, I read her all of the awesome "Challenge Yourself" entries ... and she was able to pick out a winner for the iPod shuffle. This was no easy task because there were so many inspiring entries that if mom wasn't here reminding me of the four college educations I need to fund - I would have shelled out a small fortune on iPods for Kathy and Ichan and Mama DB and Courtney All Things BD and Christine and Boston Sherill and Wendster and Mariah and Mindy and Jenn and Lori and Erica and Mystik and yes, you too.

But alas, there is only one. And the winner is: SANDRA!

Here's her story:

"When you first issued your fitness challenge, my 39th birthday was looming, and I was feeling fat and old and tired. Keeping up with my full time job and my two kids was wearing me out. I was exhausted by 5pm every day. So, I finally started the couch to 5K program that I had been thinking about doing for months.


The couch to 5K program has you start very slowly: warm up by walking 5 minutes, run for 1 minute and then walk for 2 for a total of 20 minutes. At first, doing this made me feel like I was going to have a heart attack! I was so incredibly out of shape! But now, a short 2 months later, I have joined a local USAfit group, and I am training to run a half marathon in January. I run 4 times a week, and I cannot believe I am saying this, but LAST SATURDAY I RAN 6 MILES!!!! I have never exercised before, and 2 months ago if you googled "couch potato" my picture would have come up! But I feel so much more energetic, and I am thrilled at my ability to do this. I never thought I could. Granted, I am only running at a 14 minute a mile pace, but I am sure I will be able to speed up with time.

So to those of you who are wavering, I promise you, if I can do this at almost 40, 30 lbs overweight, and never having exercised, so can you!"

Way to go, Sandra!! Please send me an e-mail with your contact information and I will get your new iPod shuffle off to you.

And for everyone else, keep up the great work. Even though your own success will be reward enough, there will be more fun prizes to follow.

Up for us next ... Charlie is competing in another sprint distance triathlon in early October and I am competing in an all-women's sprint distance triathlon to benefit ovarian cancer in mid-October. Currently, I'm strategizing how to increase my endurance. Something tells me that if I can keep up with my mother during the day, I should be all set.

13 comments:

  1. Did your mom bring a flat of wheatgrass with her by chance? That's how I feel when I'm on the "juice". Right now I'm on the juice here on vacation. It's called alcoholic juice. I can barely get dressed in the morning.

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  2. I'll do that Tri with you, if you promise not to run backwards with me! Mark can come down with Shayna... Let me know...

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  3. Your mom is amazing...

    Congratulations, Sondra!

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  4. holy cow, your mom is a whirling dervish! And congrats Sandra! I too am giving the couch to 5k a shot. So far, so good. I still come in, after "running" in the mornings and pant on the hardwood floor for about 15 minutes but I hope to get the panting down to 12 soon! heheh. I need to sign up for a 5k in the spring so I get the "fear" and train hard.

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  5. my mom is the same way!! even now (9:30 pm ET) she is ironing and I am sitting on the couch, eating ice cream and wasting time online.

    on another note - did you get the bunk bed????????

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  6. I was a semi-finalist!
    Congrats Sandra!

    Jen, don't worry, moms always seem much more efficient to their daughters, because when we were little we saw them do so much, and we think that they'll always be superior.

    They probably are, I'm sure Elizabeth and Carolyn will be thinking the same thing your thinking when they're your age.

    SUPERMOM'S ROCK!

    ***Mariah***

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  7. She's amazing that's for sure!! Great tribute! and Sounds like a very deserving candidate as well - Congrats.

    Wish that I could find a tri-atholon in the upstate. (or maybe not) Perhaps I should join you in one of yours. I love going out for a good cause...at least I know my money is well spent even if my body doesn't spend well at all!......Hugs to all. Marg.

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  8. So THAT'S where you get your energy! I've always wondered ;)

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  9. Do you think after your mom leaves your house she could come see me? I have been in such a funk all week and can not get anything accomplished.
    Congratulations Sandra, I too tried the couch potato program but something about the running, my feet (heels) were killing me, I went a week that I could barely put my heel on the floor, and that was after just three days. I just went back to all walking and so far so good. I would like to be able to run but until I figure what the heck the problem was and a solution to try I think I will stick to walking.
    Kathy

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  10. Yeah Sandra!!! My 10K is in two days I hope to finish within ten hours! It is so bad how little I have trained. Sad Sad Sad. My mother is the same way, she is outta town this week and I feel like its a vacation from guilt. She can get 10 things done to my half of one. LOL

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  11. Have you been following this story?

    http://cjanerun.com/

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  12. What a Mom!

    Congrats Sondra!

    Did you get the bed?

    I, too, have been following the story mentioned in the post above. Praying for a positive outcome. The family sounds wonderful and sooo loving.

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  13. Oh I don't know about how much energy she has....you say she takes naps????and is in bed at 9:00I think she just wants your kids and she is trying to impress Charlie She probably wants to bring him home with her. Just a little advice, watch your husband.

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