Any other nuts out there?

Wow, you are too cool! :-) I'd love to start doing adventure racing! How did you get into that (and the off road tri's)?

Welcome!

WEll, I'm your age. Well...okay.... 45. I'm not a grandmother yet. I hope that's a ways away yet-just because my brain's not quite ready to make that leap into grandmother-hood. But I don't get to vote about that one, I suppose. But I'm certainly a nut.

I haven't competed in a tri, yet. But I have done week-long bike rides, hiked the Appalachian Trail, caving....seriously nutty things, if you ask me. So... yeah, you'll find some like-minded souls around here. Welcome!

Andrea

I'm puzzled ... your screen name is ordinaryaverageguy but you're a grandmother? Now that's nutty!

Nice to have a fellow nut join us other nuts!

OK, you want nuts, I am 35yo and as of this morning, I am a grandfather.....

As a relative newbie to this stuff I can honestly say that we are all nuts. I used to spend all my free time gardening, sewing, canning tomatoes and volunteering for an animal rescue group when I wasn't working 60 hour weeks. Now, my garden is overgrown with weeds, the sewing machine has cobwebs, all tomatoes come in a can from Hunts and my bosses don't think of me as super-employee anymore. And I'm happier than I've ever been! This weekend I have a race in South Carolina on Saturday (XTerra Series) and Sunday I'm doing an 8 hour bike/ hike in preparation for next weekend's 8 hour NOC adventure race and I'm looking forward to it. Now that's nuts!

How did I get into off road tri's and adventure racing? Long story short:

Married for a LONG time.
Divorced 4 years ago.
Met a crazy 50 year old triathlete who convinced me that I could run, bike and swim.
Did one regular triathlon.
Did one off road triathlon.
Put the road bike on the trainer and left it there.

Adventure racing was just a natural extension of the off road tri's. I'm really slow (one reason I'm here and getting into more structured training) and I found out that in adventure racing it isn't just how fast you can go but also how well you can plot UTM coordinates, how developed your sense of direction is and how well you know yourself and limitations so you don't blow up after 8, 10 or 20 hours. Even old folks can do well in an adventure race. We have wisdom on our side!

Looking forward to a long association with you guys. I plan to keep a training log so watch for me.

No your not nuts, I'm 52 and started off by running in my middle 40's. Started with short 5k races, then 10k, then 1/2 marathon, then marathon. Decided I needed to branch out with my training, thus a new chapter in my life -- triathlon. I still plan on competitive running, but will not be going long. First tri is in July, plan on a couple in August but have not decided which one. My husband is very proud of me along with my two kids (ages 17 & 13).

I hope to be like this well into my 80's...and to think in high school (1969) there was not a competitive bone in my body.

The people you meet within the running and tri arena are great. Nothing but encouragement all the way!

Evelyn

Hmmm, the adventure racing sounds cool. I was a boy scout growing up, so I know orienteering. I also always rocked the Land Navigation courses in ROTC.

I'm fairly new to tri's myself ( but not new to the 3 disciplines ), may look into the adventure racing as yet another thing I can do to get outside and stay off the couch.

Welcome to the site!

-Chris

Welcome to the site! Sounds like you are having the time of your life! How wonderful.

I'm volunteering at an Xterra tri in August, but am not brave enough to compete in one in my first tri season. Maybe next year!

Kelly

Just be very careful... Once you do an off road tri you may never go back!

I'm nutty, but it's a nice nutty...

(o:

Welcome Alisa! I saw the Xterra Championships on TV--and was totally blown away by it. It's a little--well, nuts--to find yourself nearly moved to tears watching strangers cross the finish line!!! I want to do it someday... but as I don't OWN a mountain bike and can't AFFORD a mountain bike, I'll have to set that goal for sometime in the future!

Best to you on your NOC!

Dana

This user's post has been ignored.

Hey, welcome aboard. You're old and you're nuts...you'll fit right in. Old is relative of course...they say that we start getting old as soon as we leave the womb. As for being nuts, it helps if you want to be a triathlete or any other kind of athletes who is not doing it for multimillion dollar contracts. I've been called a nut, and worse, for years for cycling to work, jogging, wearing a helmet, not guzzling beer and eating pizza with the "boys" at work...etc.

oops wrong thread

Edited by soupaman 2004-04-16 12:59 PM

I love adventure racing! rock climbing/abseiling, mountain biking, trail running, rogaining, kayaking, snorkelling... who could ask for a better sport? goodluck with your competitive racing!

aidan

I love reading everyone's different stories! But what is with the young grandparents we have in the group??? (Speaking as one who had a child in my forties!!)
Best of luck moving from "surviving" to "racing"!

Nuts? But of course. I'm way older than most of you (chronologically) - and decided to get "nuts" about 14 months ago. Back when I was "sane" - I was 55 pounds heavier, had to sit down to catch my breath after a 200 yard walk from the parking lot to my office, and was supersizing my way to open heart surgery (if I was lucky). I have a nine year old daughter and a seven year old granddaughter (yup - remarried and committed to the "dad" thing again).

Long story short - being "nuts" feels way the heck better than being sane did! Let's stay this way gang! The nuttier the gbetter I say.