Ernesto's group (4th season) - Closed (Page 67)

 Nice OWS today with a friend.  Last one before Alcatraz on Sunday!

That is not a question so easily answered.  On the surface I tell myself I do it for all those that say I can, in spite of all those that say I can't.  

For me, getting into endurance sports really changed my life...Saved me if you will (Scott had a bigger hand in that though).  For years (before Scott) I was a wreck...Bad marriage, abusive work environment, rough divorce, and subsequent bad rebound relationships left me a train wreck.  The kids kept me just sane enough to get out of bed and tough out another miserable day..  Scott's influence and his insite motivated me to change...  Reminded me of the me I lost a long time ago.... The fighter in me came back...  No longer was I sitting on the porch with my best friend drinking a case of beer complaining about life, Or trying to forget the week by partying all night....

I do Endurance Sports because I can.  Because I survived and didn't become a statistic, because my mind tells me I can do anything, because I am a powerful person in the lives of my children.  I don't always want to train, and I'm still adjusting to my new life... But I know how I feel after a long workout.  I want to push myself and see what I am really made out of.  I want to dig deep into my soul and question my sanity.  I want to do these things because they are not easy, because it takes my full commitment and because I love the me that doing these things has made me!

Bravo Jen! Well said!

It's as simple as waking up one morning at 45 years old and having trouble walking up a flight of stairs because of inactivity.

I think that is a good question- I have always liked running. Never far but just getting out and running. I got sick of running all the time to try loose weight as it was not happening. I wanted a challenge so i took up triathlon and now I'm stuck and hooked.

Part of it is that it feeds the OCD part of my personality in a productive fashion.  But the reality is that endurance training and racing forces to me answer the seeds of doubt in my own head and, sometimes, conquer them.

Today was my rest day so I went golfing.  I was 22 over par for 9 holes but it was still WAY better than being in the office.  I feel my body fighting off whatever Jennie nad my daughter have had recently, so hopefully I'm not getting sick.  I'll try to kill it off by drinking lots of chlorinated water during my swim/drowning workout tomorrow morning.

Mitch-here's hoping for good news from the bone scan.

Rachel-good to hear you are ok and lived to tell about it.  You're not a real cyclist until you've crashed, or so i've been told.

I do endurance sports because it's my version of crack.  I've been doing it for so long that if I don't workout I have withdrawls.  I started running the mile in high school at the age of 15 and I've been doing it ever since.  I need it for my mental and physical health.  I get depressed when I don't get to workout (like last month) and my legs actually hurt and cramp when I don't run.  Also, cycling feeds my adrenaline junkie thing.  I just can't imagine not doing endurance sports.

Why endurance Sports? It started when I was driving through town while the local triathlon was going on. I had just lost 30 lbs and was looking for a way to stay active. So I made the announcment, that next year I am going to do the triathlon. My wife's responce "if that's what you want to do?" Followed by my asking my wife, will you teach me how to swim?

Going on nearly three years later it has grown into something more. Training in 3 sports at the same time keeps it exciting. As I grow in the sport, my desire for greater challenges grows. I want to go faster, I want to go further. In the beginning it was when I don't want to workout I would tell myself that is when I have to workout. Now I get excited for my next workout. I loved running when I was young, that is what helped me keep my sanity in law school. The bicycle is just pure fun! The swim it is my greatest challenge and I am learning to enjoy it.

Why endurance sports its the challenge, the thrill, and the just pure joy of living in the moment. It started as my midlife crisis, cheaper than a corvette, it doesn't get me divorced, and hopefully it extends out the middle of my midlife crisis.

 Here's my run from earlier.

Ernesto,

How do you have your 910 screens set up?

I do endurance sports because there were NO sports for girls when I went to high school (before title ix) and because it's cheaper than diabetes, stroke, heart disease, etc.

I also do it to set an example for those younger than me.

OWS after work yesterday.  Didn't have time to go home in between, but was way early for the swim, so I took my running stuff and did a 30min easy run around the lake.  It was a beautiful evening.

- Jennie P : S 2/ B 2/ R 3/ Rest Days 1; Total = 7 : 06:07'18"
- Scott: S:2 / B 3 / R 2/ Rest days 1;Total = 7; 6:04:45
- Jim:S 2/B 3/R 2 / Rest Days 1: Total =7; 5:54':22"
- MatthewS: S 3 / B 3 / R 1/ Rest Days 1 ; Total = 7; 05:47'00"
- Barry : S 3 / B 1 / R 3/ Rest Days 1 ; Total = 7 ; 05:38'43"
- Rachel : S 2 / B 1 / R 3 / Rest Days 2; Total =6; 8:51'25"
- Chris : S 1/ B 3/ R 2/ Rest Days 1; Total = 6; 6:37:07
- Gabe : S 2 / B 1 / R 3/ Rest Days 1 ; Total = 6; 05:28'30"
- Jackie: S 1 / B 2 / R 3 / Rest Days 1: Total = 6; 4:23'18"
- Scott P : S 1/B 1/R 4/ Rest days 0; Total = 6; 4:07'01"
- Andy : S 2 / B 0 / R 4 / Rest Days 1; Total = 6; 3:52':25"
- Mike: S 1 / B 2 / R 2 / Rest Days 1: Total =5: 5;10'02"
- Ernesto : S 2 / B 1 / R 2/ Rest Days 2; Total = 5 ; 04:16'34" 
- Samyg: S 2 / B 1 / R 1 / Rest Days 1; Total = 4; 4:32'14
- MarkH: S 2 / B 1 / R 1 / Rest Days 0; Total = 4 ; 3:00'00"
- MarkZ : S 0 / B 1 / R 2/ Rest Days 1 ; Total = 3; 05:53':00"
- JoeP : S 0 / B 2 / R 1/ Rest Day 3; Total = 3; 3:05:54"
- Mitch : S 0 / B 0 / R 1 / Rest Days 2 ; Total = 1; 1:44':43"

I do it because I never thought I could.  I've always been quite active, but it's been less mainstream sports such as jiu jitsu.  I remember talking to my friend about doing ironman 2 years ago, just after I did my first sprint tri, and telling him that he had to be insane to even consider doing something like that.  I also remember thinking that he was super fit, and I wished I could be that "naturally gifted".  I got caught up in the bug along the way, and just got into the training groove last year.  When I finished Steelman (the HIM) it was the most amazing feeling in the world because I had genuinely believed that it wasn't possible for me to do something like that.  At that point it began to seem like anything is possible, and every time I run or cycle further than I ever have before I get a second of that feeling, that all I have to do is put the work in and I can achieve anything.  It's a good life lesson.

Why endurance sports?

That's a great question!

I guess endurance events fit some personalities in broader sense. Discipline, fitness, resourcefulness, looking at the bigger picture, being out there regardless of the weather and many other attributes
always apealed to me. And being slow... if you can't impress anybody or yourself with the speed, the next thing is the distance. 

As a teenager I was reading about cross-Atlantic or round-the-world singlehanded yacht races, mountain expeditions, Paris-Dakkar rally and Tour de France with great interest. Of course it's not easy to do that, but there's something similar in running a marathon or doing an IM. And it feels great to be able to do physical things in advanced age that seemed almost impossible long time ago.

30' swim at a really slow pace.  Last logged workout before the race on Sunday.

Despite what was once a promising forecast for Sunday, conditions for Eagleman (yet again) look daunting.  99% certainty that there will be no wetsuits, which is fine except for the fact that smaller jellyfish (sea nettles) have been spotted in the river.  High temps are expected to be at or above 90 degrees with zero clouds.  The run is fully exposed with not an ounce of shade.  I have started to up my hydration and my salt intake, but feel that I have to lower my performance expectations based on the conditions.  Since Sunday's conditions sound identical to last year's, I guess the one up side is that I will be able to compare performances on an apples to apples basis.

See you guys on the other side!

- Jennie P : S 2/ B 2/ R 3/ Rest Days 1; Total = 7 : 06:07'18"
- Scott: S:2 / B 3 / R 2/ Rest days 1;Total = 7; 6:04:45
- Jim:S 2/B 3/R 2 / Rest Days 1: Total =7; 5:54':22"
- MatthewS: S 3 / B 3 / R 1/ Rest Days 1 ; Total = 7; 05:47'00"
- Barry : S 3 / B 1 / R 3/ Rest Days 1 ; Total = 7 ; 05:38'43"
- Rachel : S 2 / B 1 / R 3 / Rest Days 2; Total =6; 8:51'25"
- Chris : S 1/ B 3/ R 2/ Rest Days 1; Total = 6; 6:37:07
- Gabe : S 2 / B 1 / R 3/ Rest Days 1 ; Total = 6; 05:28'30"
- Jackie: S 1 / B 2 / R 3 / Rest Days 1: Total = 6; 4:23'18"
- Scott P : S 1/B 1/R 4/ Rest days 0; Total = 6; 4:07'01"
- Andy : S 2 / B 0 / R 4 / Rest Days 1; Total = 6; 3:52':25"
- Mike: S 1 / B 2 / R 2 / Rest Days 1: Total =5: 5;10'02"
- Ernesto : S 2 / B 1 / R 2/ Rest Days 2; Total = 5 ; 04:16'34" 
- Samyg: S 2 / B 1 / R 1 / Rest Days 1; Total = 4; 4:32'14
- MarkH: S 2 / B 1 / R 1 / Rest Days 0; Total = 4 ; 3:00'00"
- MarkZ : S 0 / B 1 / R 2/ Rest Days 1 ; Total = 3; 05:53':00"
- JoeP : S 1 / B 2 / R 1/ Rest Day 3; Total = 4; 3:35:54"
- Mitch : S 0 / B 0 / R 1 / Rest Days 2 ; Total = 1; 1:44':43"

Joe,

Look for the sunscreen SafeSea.  It is advertised as having a jellyfish repellant.  The dive shops normally carry it.

I bought some for Corpus and then the swim was cancelled.

Why endurance sports?

I was hooked on cycling in the 80's when LeMond was racing and the Tour was covered on ABC.  Bought a Bianchi with my savings and spent my summers in KY cruising around the country roads on my bike.  Went to college (Go Blue!) and took a break from anything healthy for at least 15 years.  In my mid to late 30's I was reminded by a co-worker how out of shape I was and at least started exercising again.  Through spin classes I got back into cycling and then my Brother-In-Law got me into mountain biking on the state trails located throughout Michigan.

A year or so later, on the way back from a business trip one of my clients talked about Sprint Triathlon's.  I never knew there was something shorter than an Ironman.  I saw it as an opportunity to push my fitness and force me to get outside of my comfort zone by swimming and running.  I hated running at that time but knew it would make me healthier.  After a couple Sprint Triathlons my Brother-In-Law then pushed me to sign up for the Detroit Half Marathon.  I would say that is when I became a runner and really started to enjoy it.

So long answer - I guess I can thank my brother-in-law for getting me back on a bike and for pushing me to run further distances.  But in the end I do endurance sports because of the fitness factor and how good it makes me feel.  The endorphins from a workout are addictive.  I do races because it sets a hard deadline that I have to meet from a fitness / training perspective.  Without the goal I have a hard time motivating myself to get up at "O Dark Thirty" to workout.  I also agree that it is great modeling for our kids so that they see what a healthy lifestyle looks like. 

I managed 2150 yards of swimming/drowning this morning in the pool.  It felt alright so the rest day yesterday turned out to be a good idea.  I'll have to see what the weather does today to see if I can get in a second workout.

- Jennie P : S 2/ B 2/ R 3/ Rest Days 1; Total = 7 : 06:07'18"
- Scott: S:2 / B 3 / R 2/ Rest days 1;Total = 7; 6:04:45
- Jim:S 2/B 3/R 2 / Rest Days 1: Total =7; 5:54':22"
- MatthewS: S 3 / B 3 / R 1/ Rest Days 1 ; Total = 7; 05:47'00"
- Barry : S 3 / B 1 / R 3/ Rest Days 1 ; Total = 7 ; 05:38'43"
- Scott P : S 2/B 1/R 4/ Rest days 1; Total = 7; 4:54'46"
- Rachel : S 2 / B 1 / R 3 / Rest Days 2; Total =6; 8:51'25"
- Chris : S 1/ B 3/ R 2/ Rest Days 1; Total = 6; 6:37:07
- Gabe : S 2 / B 1 / R 3/ Rest Days 1 ; Total = 6; 05:28'30"
- Jackie: S 1 / B 2 / R 3 / Rest Days 1: Total = 6; 4:23'18"
- Andy : S 2 / B 0 / R 4 / Rest Days 1; Total = 6; 3:52':25"
- Mike: S 1 / B 2 / R 2 / Rest Days 1: Total =5: 5;10'02"
- Ernesto : S 2 / B 1 / R 2/ Rest Days 2; Total = 5 ; 04:16'34"
- Samyg: S 2 / B 1 / R 1 / Rest Days 1; Total = 4; 4:32'14
- MarkH: S 2 / B 1 / R 1 / Rest Days 0; Total = 4 ; 3:00'00"
- MarkZ : S 0 / B 1 / R 2/ Rest Days 1 ; Total = 3; 05:53':00"
- JoeP : S 1 / B 2 / R 1/ Rest Day 3; Total = 4; 3:35:54"
- Mitch : S 0 / B 0 / R 1 / Rest Days 2 ; Total = 1; 1:44':43"