So I watched Husband do the Cohutta Tri today. As he ran to the transition from swim to bike, I ran along beside him on the other side of the boundary ribbon and hollered and cheered for him. He was fairly-well ignoring me as he stripped his wetsuit off mid-run, so I yelled at him, "Come on! Enjoy the cheering, 'cause this is my last time to cheer you on!" He grinned in recognition of what this means and picked up the pace as he continued on.
Being at a Triathlon event is very inspiring to me. It is not unusual at all for me to have tears running down my face as I think of all the effort and determination that has gone behind most of the athletes represented, to say nothing of the amazing bodies God has given each one of us! I come away wishing I was one of "them". Today was no different, except that I actually TOLD people that next year it would be me as one of "them". For awhile, early on in the process, I considered telling no one about my goals, as, if I copped out, I would not be breaking my promise to anyone. It's truly been a hard mental decision to determine to do this. It's not like the goal is only a week or a month away. I am committing to a full year of training, which will hopefully be one step along the path of the rest of my life. So telling people of my goal has been a way to cement the decision to go down this road.
Coming home from the triathlon, we changed into swimsuits, got into the car, and drove to the pool. Yes, my first drowning -- I mean swimming -- lesson! Husband had told me that for my first lesson he would teach me how to float. Yes, float! Admittedly, I have no style or form, but I CAN doggie paddle, and I CAN float! So I was a bit miffed about my first lesson's plan. But we did indeed work on floating -- properly. And surprisingly, Husband thought I did quite well. Ha! We moved on to some more things, like how to turn and breathe while keeping the body in alignment. There IS a science to this, apparently. Husband thinks I will be a natural. "WILL" and "BE" are the key words I heard. I told him that if I didn't have to breathe, I was sure I could do quite well at this sport. Hey! How about a snorkel?!! (I HAVE actually seen this in a triathlon, believe it or not!)
Aside from snorting several cups of pool water up my nose and obsessing over the water droplets in those wicked goggles that give me the coon look and suck out my eyeballs, I think I survived my first lesson. Feeling satisfied, we happily enjoyed the hot tub till I almost passed out.
* * *
Aunt N is following my progress and encouraging my attempts. In an email of "harrah's", she ended with a phrase that I'm adopting as my mantra through this process. Here it is:
~Faster by Forty!
Being at a Triathlon event is very inspiring to me. It is not unusual at all for me to have tears running down my face as I think of all the effort and determination that has gone behind most of the athletes represented, to say nothing of the amazing bodies God has given each one of us! I come away wishing I was one of "them". Today was no different, except that I actually TOLD people that next year it would be me as one of "them". For awhile, early on in the process, I considered telling no one about my goals, as, if I copped out, I would not be breaking my promise to anyone. It's truly been a hard mental decision to determine to do this. It's not like the goal is only a week or a month away. I am committing to a full year of training, which will hopefully be one step along the path of the rest of my life. So telling people of my goal has been a way to cement the decision to go down this road.
Coming home from the triathlon, we changed into swimsuits, got into the car, and drove to the pool. Yes, my first drowning -- I mean swimming -- lesson! Husband had told me that for my first lesson he would teach me how to float. Yes, float! Admittedly, I have no style or form, but I CAN doggie paddle, and I CAN float! So I was a bit miffed about my first lesson's plan. But we did indeed work on floating -- properly. And surprisingly, Husband thought I did quite well. Ha! We moved on to some more things, like how to turn and breathe while keeping the body in alignment. There IS a science to this, apparently. Husband thinks I will be a natural. "WILL" and "BE" are the key words I heard. I told him that if I didn't have to breathe, I was sure I could do quite well at this sport. Hey! How about a snorkel?!! (I HAVE actually seen this in a triathlon, believe it or not!)
Aside from snorting several cups of pool water up my nose and obsessing over the water droplets in those wicked goggles that give me the coon look and suck out my eyeballs, I think I survived my first lesson. Feeling satisfied, we happily enjoyed the hot tub till I almost passed out.
* * *
Aunt N is following my progress and encouraging my attempts. In an email of "harrah's", she ended with a phrase that I'm adopting as my mantra through this process. Here it is:
~Faster by Forty!
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