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November 15, 2005
Inspired and motivated
The tri club hosted a showing of Ironman Hawaii at the Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse on Saturday, so R. and I went with some of our runner friends. Of course I was in awe of the professional athletes who had put in too many hours to count to be the best of the best. What was truly inspiring, however, were the average athletes who, despite their handicaps, took on this tremendous endeavor. One man had Lou Gehrig’s disease (and is expected to die in 2-5 years), and another woman was an amputee who attempted Hawaii last year but did not make the bike cut off. I think just about everyone in the theater had a tear or two in their eyes when the athletes’ stories of courage and perseverance were being told. Seeing the challenges they overcame and for the man who won’t get another opportunity to do Ironman because his body is deteriorating, really made me appreciate my good health and all the other blessings in life. They were incredibly inspirational.
Back up to Thursday. I biked for an hour and did a few legs exercises - one-legged squats with twist on one of those inflated balance things that looks like a Frisbee, abductor/adductor machines, and the butt-blaster machine – before I got too tired and unmotivated. Strangely, my legs weren’t sore from track, but my ankles were achy and tight…must’ve been those hard 200s. On Friday, I just lifted arms and did my 3 x (12 pull ups, 30 push ups, variety abs exercises). Since we had evening dinner plans with our goddaughter and her parents, and also because I didn’t want to ruin my long run by incurring more tightness in the hips from the squats, I was able to yank myself from the gym without too much guilt. Our dinner company, they were a hoot. We always poke fun of each other and others around us. We ate at a new restaurant called Pauli Moto’s Asian Bistro, which is supposed to based off the iron chef competitions on the Food Network. We weren’t all that impressed, though. It seemed it was trying to be like PF Changs.
On Saturday, I ran 11 miles from Arlington to the National Zoo (with a stop to see the pinnipeds) with two different girls in the club, both of whom do their long runs faster than me. But because the discussion topics were too interesting, I had to hang in there. Sunday ended up being another gorgeous day for outdoor activities. R., our friend R., and I biked 50 miles on the W&OD trail, the farthest I’ve gone since my 63-mile ride in June. Not only were my legs tired from the long run, but I was overdressed (long sleeve, fleece vest, wind breaker, fleece tights, and shoe covers) when the temps eventually climbed into the 60s. Those elements combined with ravenous hunger late in the ride (I only brought one Clif bar and was craving protein) made for a grumpy biker. We passed by a stand selling pit BBQ and I contemplated getting a sandwich, but that would’ve been a dumb move considering we had about 15 miles to go. It wouldn’t have been unheard of, though, as I’ve made ridiculous food choices all in the name of hunger and cravings (i.e. Taco Bell before track or the night before my first marathon).
After a school conference call on Sunday night, I had to drive 3-½ hours to Suffolk for a work meeting on Monday morning. I managed to be fully aware for the entire drive and got in before 1am. The hard weekend workouts and all the driving made for phooey workouts once I got home Monday night but that should have been expected. In retrospect, I probably should’ve taken the day off. I tried to run at Burke Lake Park but made it 15 minutes before I felt completely wiped, so I just turned around and jog-walked back to the parking lot instead of doing the entire loop. R. and I also went to the pool, but I only swam 1000m because even easy swimming felt taxing. He is adapting to his training for Ironman Arizona very well. He’s following a customized training plan that his friend used previously and has gotten in considerably better shape over the past few months. He’s even keeping a workout log now which he never used to do (oh mister “I’m a couch potato that happens to do triathlons”). I guess I was concerned because he started the formal program the day after running Chicago marathon, and I was worried he might get sick or injured. I hope he keeps up the positive streak through April. He’ll surely keep me motivated over the winter months.
Well, it’s time to run and lift. Cross my fingers that my legs and hips feel springy again.
Posted by Leilani at November 15, 2005 04:03 PM
Comments
I had to google "pinniped" after reading this. Are they really earless seals? You can tell that I took the most important message home from your entry...
R will have to start making guest entries on your blog, or start his own!
Posted by: Alison at November 16, 2005 06:35 PM
Couple comments:
1) I didn't know what a pinniped was either. I'm thinking I might have to see one in person to truly understand.
2) I also watched the Ironman Hawaii coverage and it was very awe inspiring! I am amazed at Ironmen (and women!) Is R really doing on? Will this be his first or has he done other full Ironman distances?
3) Hope the training goes well. What are you training for now?
Posted by: Beth at November 17, 2005 09:23 PM