Jan 26, 2006

inspiration vs. lack of motivation

Posted by Mary |

Don't blame me for not going to the gym when it's -45 degrees F. I just don't want to stop work, get all bundled up, walk over to the gym, thaw out, exercise, shower, rebundle, rewalk, rethaw and resume work. (You like that re-re-re-re alliteration? That's the sign of an editor, baby) So I'll do some free weights when I get home and maybe hit the free yoga at the commune tonight.

But the temperature hasn't stopped me from starting to fixate on a goal. Perhaps inspired by Jill, who is blogging her training for the Susitna 100, I've started to consider setting a goal to work towards. One that's a bit more tangible than, say, "lose 10 pounds."

To make it more real, I'll just say it here: I'm thinking of running a mini-triathlon this summer. Emphasis on the mini. Tom and I have been talking about taking a trip to Nome (City slogan: There's no place like Nome.) for a few years, and we both have the miles for free tickets. A friend who lives out there has offered to kick her dogs off the couch for us. It's all starting to look like a distinct possibility.

OK, all except for my level of physical fitness. While I dance a lot and hit the elliptical, I'm not exactly a triathlete. However, this is a mini-triathlon. A 1-mile swim (in an indoor pool, no less), 3.5-mile run and 7.5-mile bike ride. Plus, Nome is pretty flat, so I shouldn't have to worry about hills. I think that with a careful training plan (plus the help of TriathaNewbie) I could actually do this.

Oh hell. Let's just say it: I'm going to do it. I'm going to Nome in May to run the Stroke and Croak mini-triathlon. If only for the free T-shirt and the joy of dropping "Oh, yeah, well, I did run that triathlon in Nome once..." (yes, I will forget to add the "mini-"), I will do this. So in the spirit of Jill, I'm adding a donation button to my sidebar. Just in case you want to help me scrounge up the $5 entry fee. Any money left over from the entry fees will be used to stimulate the economy in Nome by means of purchasing copious amounts of beer after the race.

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