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EXERCISE 08.25.2008 BY WEETABIX

day three of the lazy waister's triathlon: the honeymoon phase?

Oh boy, this thing I suggested? This thing with the Lazy Waister'sTriathlon (can we think of a better name than that? Anyone? Bueller?) that has me so excited and thrilled and also, scared out of my gourd? I swam this weekend, in an outside pool, and dutifully did laps and made my arms move water until the little premie muscles ached. Then yesterday, it was beautiful outside, not too hot or sunny or humid, so I went for a walk with my iPod and a bottle of water. And then I put the info on the spreadsheet and immediately felt like an underachiever because holy crap, you guys are kicking ass and taking names already! Collectively, the Triathlon Army has already run (etc.) 23 miles and biked 52 miles. That's, you know, a lot of miles. But then I remind myself that this is not a race, this is an experiment. I fully understand that this glorious collective of Triathletes represent varying fitness levels and totally different lifestyles. I cannot measure myself against another participant, I can only ask myself if I'm doing my own personal best. Right now, I don't think I am, but it's the journey, not the reward, and other vaguely Hallmarkian bull like that. Right? Right. So far, so good.

Also, I don't know about you guys, but I'm definitely still in the honeymoon phase, in that I'm excited to make time in my schedule to get some miles done so that I can mark them off on the spreadsheet.

Some things I've learned in my Triathlon-ing this weekend:

I think I need to buy one of those waterproof mp3 players, because whoa nelly, it's boring doing laps. This one is relatively cheap.

I need better walking shoes. My old ones have very little spring left in their step and there's no way I'm going to want to jog in them. I'm thinking that I will get a pair that doesn't match anything in my wardrobe so that I'm not tempted to wear them with street clothes. Zappos, here I come.

I gave myself a raging case of hives because I am apparently allergic to the sunscreen I used, so now I don't want to go to the gym and use their lap pool until the hives look a little less angry, so I guess I'll be treadmilling it up this week.

I kind of want a heart monitor and also, some super cute workout clothes, but at the same time, I'm worried that this is just an excuse to exorcise my shopping demon. After all, I started golfing only because it involved buying a ton of weird accessories that are currently hosting spiders in my basement. Hey, I could go to the driving range and get some of those miles done!

I am very glad that I have a bunch of people watching my progress on this thing because I already want to slough off.

Hey, do you want to play along? It's not too late! Send me an email and I can get you signed up. Sure, you lost two days, but the deadline is October 3, so it's not like you are screwed. Hell, Sue biked an awesome 23 miles this weekend and might I remind you that actual triathlons happen over the course of a single day? And October 3rd is so very far away into the future. You have plenty of time. Come on in, the water's fine.

The comments want to hear how your weekend went and what your goals are for the upcoming week.

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5 Comments

ladyloo said:

Argh. Feeling very underachieving. It rained the entire weekend, so no outdoor pooling or walking for me. And although I had thought to check that my elliptical tracked distance, it doesn't tell me what distance. Miles? Feet? Steps? Argh.

I'm feeling a little defeated. Thankfully, my health nutty, lap swimming best friend is coming to visit for a week, so I'll have a buddy to workout with (and watch kick my butt).

August 25, 2008 3:40 PM

Hutch said:

I need to buy a bathing suit that isn't a tankini :) then I will hit the pool hopefully which I haven't done since I was ten. This morning saw me split my time between the bike and running. I agree I am in the honeymoon phase still, and I hope I stay there a bit longer :)

August 25, 2008 3:44 PM

Shana said:

I am waiting for (1) the weather to clear so I can bike and (2) the pool to be open for lap swim (meaning not splash your ass off unsupervised children swim). Then I'll tackle those. Until then, I'm all run all the time. Thanks, Weet, for being the event organizer!

Name suggestions:
Dare You To Tri
Die Tri-ing
... Tri, Tri Again

August 25, 2008 4:02 PM

Ghaleka said:

I have to say, GO SUE!
I biked 8 miles on Sunday, and I still have a very sore butt! Sadly, my bike's tire is flat, so it is at the shop right now. I will get it back on Thursday! In the meantime, I have been walking/jogging (mostly walking) and today will be my first try at the pool.

I am SO in the honeymoon phase! But seriously, if I can actualy stick with it to the end, that will be a major acomplishment for me.

August 26, 2008 10:26 AM

pixifer said:

I definitely recommend tunes while doing laps. I got a waterproof case for my iPod - it's called an Otterbox and it works great. I've had it for a few years now. The waterproof headphones are H2O brand and they work well for everyone but me! Just be careful what you listen to. I've found 80s music has the right beats per minute for me but if I try to listen to Black Eyed Peas I swim too fast and tire myself out.

August 26, 2008 11:22 AM

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