Sometimes what I really need is a swift kick in the pants. I got one of those on Monday, and the kicker is now my Inspiration of the Week!
You may have noticed that I've been biding my time with getting back into shape, in no real hurry to reach my goals. Part of the reason is that in recent years, every time I have tried to "go all in," so to speak, I've ended up failing and getting frustrated and discouraged. This time around I thought it might be better to go easy on myself and slip back into healthy habits gradually.
I was motivated to commit to running again only after I was assaulted and felt a desperate need to get my power back. Though I've managed to stick with it and make steady progress, I wasn't ready to set any concrete goals in terms of what I want to achieve. I was kinda sorta starting to think maybe I'd run a 5K or two in the fall (and made some tentative plans with a friend to do that maybe), and I was kinda sorta starting to think maybe I could manage a 10K in the fall also, but still something is holding me back from making the commitment.
Maybe what has been missing is inspiration -- the kick in the pants, the lighting of a fire beneath me!
Remember the beginning of this blog, when I had a very specific goal? That idea has continued to exist in my mind, but more as a dream than as an actual goal. I have done nothing to work towards it in ages. I planned to revisit the idea once I was swimming regularly again, but I kept making excuses not to get back in the pool. My most recent excuse was that I wanted to get into the habit of getting up early every morning so I wouldn't be oversleeping and wasting my pool membership. Well now I'm taking the opposite approach -- I've paid for the pool membership, so that is my motivation to get my butt out of bed in the morning and not waste the money!
What led me to change tactics so suddenly and drastically? On Monday morning, my friend Candice sent me a Facebook message and said she wanted to try a triathlon -- did I want to do it with her? My first panicked thought was "OMG NO!!! I'm too out of shape! There's no way! I don't even own a bike!!!" But at the same time the thought excited me -- is it time to change the dream back into an actual goal?
As I explored the logistics, looked at training plans and researched events, I realized that it would be quite a challenge. We don't have a lot of time to get ready for the event that would probably work best for us. It actually might not be feasible. But we're going to give it a "tri" anyway! :) Our plan is to jump into training for the next month, and see what kind of progress we are able to make. If we're doing well, then we'll register for a women-only sprint tri that is in mid-August. If we're not doing well, we'll scrap that event and regroup. Maybe we can find another race later in the season, or maybe we'll have to give up for this year.
The destination is uncertain, but the path for now is clear -- I officially am training for a triathlon FINALLY!
There are still some tricky logistics to handle, such as finding a reasonably-priced bike, but I'm pleased to say I've really hit the ground running with the training. I designed my own plan based on a few I was looking at and what my needs are, and I've already been swimming once. I might write a whole separate post about that experience! I'm really excited to be working towards a goal again, beyond just wanting to be stronger and less fearful. This is more positive and perhaps even more therapeutic!
Naturally, I owe a huge thank you to my pants-kicker, fire igniter, inspirational friend, Candice. We haven't known each other very long, but I'm so grateful she has come into my life. She's a remarkable woman and I'm enjoying getting to know her. It will be fun to train for this race together and continue inspiring each other along the way! Okay, Candice, thanks for the jump start -- now let's do this!!
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