Well, the running has stopped for a week or so now. I'm rehabbing an ankle injury. In lieu of running I have climbed back on my old bike.
In my youth I was inspired by my mother who, in her 30's, became a lifeguard, and a cyclist. She was in the best shape of her life. She rode the MS 150 which as the name implies was 150 miles and took 2nd place in the Tulsa City Triathlon one year despite missing a turn and having to turn around. These are only the most memorable ones there were others. She has a whole dresser drawer full of awards and medals. All this on a second hand Schwinn road bike my Uncle gave her after he bought a new one.
I wanted to cycle too. My parents knew me well and bought me a cheap Wal-Mart mountain bike to ride until I became bored with it. Weeks after they bought it, I won my first event. It was a youth bike ride that was measured in laps accomplished in a set amount of time with a person keeping track of your laps. I continued to ride that bike for a few years before my parents had me fitted for a real bike at a bike shop. This was a Schwinn made back before they sold their souls to the Devil and began selling out of Wal-Mart stores. My dad had gotten involved in his own way by creating a bicycle tour with distances of 15, 40 and 70 miles. This event just had its 16th annual ride this past April. High School ended and I went off to the Army and I left my bike behind. I spent the next four years only running.
Now I'm a little older (in fact, today is my 31st birthday Hooray for me!!) and I still attack all of my interests full speed ahead. "Anything worth doing is worth overdoing" I always say. I wound up with a sore ankle that wouldn't go away for a few days. I had to stop running temporarily. I hopped in the truck and started scouting routes locally and checking distances. I found a nice little 5 mile stretch that I could do back to back to back and increase my ride by 5 miles at a time. I have started at 10 miles. Oh and I'm still riding my old bike. Except now it has a baby carrier on the back.
So, I have adjusted my goals a little. I originally wanted to run a 5K but now that seems so pedestrian and ordinary. Hell, everybody runs a 5k it seems. So, I have my sights set on running a triathlon next spring. More specifically a sprint triathlon. And now its not sponsored by sprint the phone company. It's a faster, or rather, shorter version. Usually consisting of a 750 meter (.465 mi) swim, 20 kilometer (12.5 mi) bike, 5 kilometer (3.1 mi) run. I really don't know where I will get the swimming practice at in this part of the country. Swimming in the winter is unheard of with the lack of indoor swimming pools. There are alternate ways to do triathlons too. You can do them as a relay with a team. Perhaps I will find a good swimmer and do the rest myself.
Anyways, for the update. The diet is going pretty well. I have lost 10 lbs and am going strong and resisting temptations. No birthday cake for me this year.
Be sure to follow me on twitter @MurseWisdom
Also follow @JustSomeMurse and @That1Murse
My partner in fitness @RyanwithanS is starting a blog that ties in with my NurseStrong movement. When he has it up and running I will link to it here and at www.NurseStrong.org
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