What’s next?
By Linda
Supersprint triathlon: COMPLETED.
(Oh my god, it feels so good to say that.)
So . . . uh. Now what?
Man, I spent practically my whole summer fretting about this one race and now it’s over. So is summer, for that matter. The days are getting shorter and the temperatures are dropping and as a result I find myself doing more and more daydreaming about the various pumpkin-related things I’d like to bake. The cute little sundresses have been put away and the pumpkin-muffintop-covering sweaters have come out. I’ve gained about 5 pounds in the last few weeks, which is no big deal, unless they turn into 10, 15, etc as the rainy season sets in and I come up with excuse after excuse not to keep working out on a regular basis.
If I’ve learned anything about my fitness motivation over the years, it’s that events really help me out—it’s much easier for me to think of a workout as “training” rather than “this sweaty, uncomfortable thing I have to keep doing for the rest of my damn life“. When I’m not at the gym, what do I want to be doing this winter? I want to be working towards some goals, even if the weather sucks and the pumpkins are calling my name. Here’s what I’ve got on tap for the next few months:
This coming Sunday: a 5K run. No reason, really, it just seemed like good timing so I don’t lose momentum from the triathlon.
November 14: the Winter Pineapple Classic, which is a 5K course with obstacles that you do with a team member. My husband’s going to do it with me and I’m sure it’ll be just like the Amazing Race! Hopefully without the divorce at the end.
December 3: the Washington StairClimb, where I’ll try and run up 56 floors of Seattle’s Washington Mutual building.
Active is a great resource for finding events in your area, from walks to marathons. I also plan to do some volunteering at events, because those people are such an amazing help—at least in my opinion, as a total novice racer—and I’d like to spend some time in the cheering section to pay my gratitude forward.
How about you? Are you doing any group events this fall/winter?
September 23rd, 2009 at 12:37 pm
I am still a little scared of group events because even though I work out regularly I feel so much less fit than most people who are attracted to events like this. I am still in the mental place where I feel like I need to keep working out on my own and getting fitter for awhile before I’m ready to start trying stuff like this. It’s weird because I have this common interest with a lot of people in that I want to be fit and I like working out and I want to do a triathlon, but the other people who are interested in that stuff, even beginners, are starting from a much higher base fitness level, like you. And maybe I shouldn’t let this get in my way but for the moment, I totally am.
Maybe in the spring when I’m down another who-knows-how-many pounds and I’m a lot stronger and fitter, then I’ll be ready. I’m trying not to put pressure on myself. But in the meantime I am just admiring all the cool fitness stuff you do and mentally storing away tips like active.com for later.
But actually, I could totally do a walk. I’m a very good walker. I should look into that. You have to start somewhere, right?
September 23rd, 2009 at 1:03 pm
I’m actually planning to do my first 5k this fall, which reminds me that I need to start training. One of the communities near where I live do what they call a Turkey Run on Thanksgiving. It a 5K walk/run. Of course all I will be doing is burning off all the calories that I eat on Thanksgiving but, oh well.
Good for you for having all those events lined up. Training for an event is a good motivator. In the military it was always our quarterly PT test.
September 23rd, 2009 at 1:13 pm
Good for you for wanting to volunteer, and what a great idea! Those people ARE amazing, especially the cheesy dude on the loud speaker at the start/finish line. Me, I’m uhhh…. marathoning it in 2.5 weeks hahaha (peealittle). But after that… I don’t know. My run mojo may go, but I’m thinking of a half in Feb, or making a goal of swimming once a week, or working on my PB for a 10k, or… I don’t know… biking more?
September 23rd, 2009 at 1:19 pm
Jess: I TOTALLY encourage you to check one out when you’re ready. Lots of 5Ks are a run/walk choice. Also, the really, really, really cool thing about local events (as opposed to, say, the Ironman world championship or something) is that there are people of all fitness levels, shapes/sizes, abilities who participate, and everyone is so supportive. At the race last Saturday I saw all kinds of people, including a much older lady, not in shape at all, wearing a shirt that read “The miracle is not that I finished, it’s that I had the courage to start.” So inspiring.
September 23rd, 2009 at 2:15 pm
Jess I have to second what Linda said. I did my first 5k early in the summer and was floored to see the following: an elderly runner pass us walkers with a tank of oxygen strapped to his back, a REALLY old man with a cane walking it, and then we watched the last person cross the finish line to a crowd of cheers, she was severely obese with a cane sporting a Weight Watchers t-shirt. So that is probably the extreme you might see at one of these events, and then every type of person in between. We did our second 5k recently and saw similar stories, all types do this, no one is judged, it’s pure AWESOMENESS! Do it!
And Linda, as always, such an inspiration
September 23rd, 2009 at 2:40 pm
Yay for you! Your blog totally motivated me to do more to get in shape. I am taking a rowing class at Lake Washington and while the rowing does NOTHING for weight loss, it is super fun and improves my self esteem and makes me think about gaining muscle mass, strength, flexibility, and balance, instead of just worrying about my dress size.
September 24th, 2009 at 9:28 am
Awesome job on your triathlon! And your desire to keep going is so motivating.
September 25th, 2009 at 8:01 am
I’m doing the half in the San Antonio Rock and Roll Marathon, and have been training with a group since June. I’m already anxious about the event being over (November 15th!), and not having my running group to be my entire social life. We keep asking our team leader “What’s next? What are we doing next?” I never thought I would enjoy training with a group, and now it’s all I want to do. I can’t imagine running or working out without a HUGE goal looming on the horizon.
So instead of thinking “I want to keep running, so I’m going to stay with this group”, I’m thinking “I want to stay with this group, so I’m going to keep running in these events.”
September 26th, 2009 at 7:40 pm
I just went to active and found a five mile run for Nov 1 I am going to do. So excited! Way to go on your triathlon!
September 29th, 2009 at 10:45 am
I’ve found that I like to train for races also. That being said, I have a race this weekend (15K) and my last one was at the end of April (10K). Sometimes my races aren’t close together, but I train all year round with the idea that there will be a race eventually.
Plus it doesn’t hurt in case I find a race I want to participate in at the last minute.
October 2nd, 2009 at 5:04 pm
Thanks to all this hyberbole about how much fun this running is, I have signed up for a triathlon in January. 3 mile run, 13.5 mile bike and 25 yard polar bear swim. POLAR BEAR SWIM! As in NON heated pool. In January. oh jeez. The last time I have run one complete mile was waaaay back in highschool. Crap.