Not much has been happening. I am leaving for a 2 week camping trip tonight, and when I get back, I have 2 days before I leave for a 3 day camping bike trip. I'm very excited.
I've been trying to work out more lately. I'm tired of being tired, and I would like to lose weight before my wedding next October. I am short and round, and I'm tired of that shape. My problem is that I often start going to the gym, and in a few weeks, maybe a month or two, I lose my motivation to go. I think the problem is that I have no goal. While it may be sad to say that losing weight and getting in shape and being healthier should be goal enough, it's not.
My fiance loves to run. He ran cross-country in high school and college, and occasionally runs now. He's one of those lucky few that is tall and thin with a high metabolism (though it is starting to slow down). A good friend of ours, who is also working on losing weight, has discovered that he also likes to run, and is training for 5K races. His wife, who hates running, will be entering a body fitness competition next fall (Fall of 2011) at the ripe age of 54.
So I decided I needed a goal. Something to train for. A specific item to work towards, rather than the more nebulous finish line of 'lose 'X' pounds by 'Y' date. I thought back to the activities I like to do. I do like to lift weights, but there is no way I could be ready for any kind of body competition in less than 2 or 3 years. I like to bike ride, and I love to swim (I am a fish). I remembered that in the early days of my pre-teen and teenage years, I would spend the summer in the pool and on my bike, and when I saw my first triathlon on TV. I would swim several laps in the pool, then jump out and hop on my bike and ride around the neighborhood a few times, then drop off my bike and run the same route. So, I decided that next summer I would run a triathlon.
Now, I have no doubt that I will not win. But that really isn't the point. The point is to finish, be in good enough shape that I won't die on the route, and be happy when I finish so that I want to continue. In the future, should I continue, I am sure I will start competing to place, given my competitive nature, but for the first one, I just want to finish.
And before anyone thinks I'm totally off my rocker, triathlons come in various sizes. There is the Ironman, the half-Ironman, Olympic distance, and sprints. The sprints are the shortest ones, consisting of about a half mile swim, a 13 mile or so bike ride, and a 5K run. If I work hard on training, I should be more than ready to do one by next summer.
My one concern is school. This year, I only have classes twice a week, with clinicals the other 3 days. I'm concerned with how the clinicals will affect my training, given that the hospitals do not have workout rooms, nor do some of the fire stations I'm in. Time is another factor, as clinicals don't exactly have time built in to work out. But, it doesn't take long to knock out some push-ups and sit-ups, squats and lunges, and there are always pylometrics to bust your ass some. Nutrition will be a challenge too, but I think that eating properly will almost be easier than working out. I just have to say 'No' when the medics go out to eat.
So that is my plan. I've already started the past 2 weeks, by doing some interval training, circuits, and other fairly intensive workouts. Spinning is now playing a large role, and I am going once a week. I'd like to bump it to twice a week, but my schedule will not allow that once school starts. I have a good beginning cycling program that I will be starting when I am home from all my trips, and I will likely add swimming in the mornings twice a week before classes.
My goal is a sprint triathlon in July next summer. I probably won't be posting too much of my progress here, because I have a workout journal on Livejournal. If you happen to have an account on Livejournal and want to be added, let me know.
Anyway, that's the plan. I have some EMS related posts swirling around in my head, and I will probably work on them during my 3 week of relaxation.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Monday, July 12, 2010
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