Quadathlon: Day 61

Evolution one – week nine

Friday, May 1, 2009

Hello Folks,

This afternoon I was able to fit my workout in after I left work. It definitely helps to get off work at 12:30 on Friday; I get so much more of my errands done. I ran around paying bills and buying dog food; stuff like that. When I came home I did my Continuous Training and Cardio workout.

As a way to continue to motivate myself on this weight loss journey; I am going to do a Quadathlon. It will give me a reason to not only cross-train, but also to train hard in the process. Originally, I had wanted to do a triathlon before I turn 40. I have always wanted to compete in a triathlon for as long as I can remember. I have competed in bike races and running races but not something with three exercises in one.

I love running and biking, but I am not a big fan of swimming. I am a pretty good swimmer, but my technique is weak. When I was little I had several drowning incidents. One time I was taking a class with other kids. I learned the front stroke, so I was doing pretty well. Then the teacher told us to doggy paddle across the pool. I started to doggy paddle with all the other kids but got tired quickly.

Because I sucked at it, half way across the pool I started to drown. The teacher told me to do the front stroke, but I was so panicked I didn’t understand her. She ended up jumping in and coaching me to swim the way I knew how. It was so embarrassing, I didn’t want to go back to the pool for a very long time.

Ever since that incident, I prefer to play in the water rather than swim laps or something. Anyway, I am not looking forward to the swimming part of the Quadathlon. The truth is, I was looking for a triathlon that has kayaking, biking and running- rather than swimming, biking and running. All I could find was this Quadathlon, which includes biking, running, swimming and kayaking.

When I found the Quadathlon on the internet I thought that it would be pretty cool to do. I was psyched that it included kayaking and I figure I will get over the swimming thing. What I like about this particular event is the distances for each event seem manageable to me.

It is called the Hendry Hudson Quadathlon. It will be held in Hudson, NY. It is an event to celebrate Henry Hudson’s historic voyage up the Hudson River. I will run high above the Hudson across the Rip Van Winkle Bridge, swim in Catskill Creek, cycle from Catskill to Athens along the bank of the Hudson and then paddle past the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse to finish in Hudson City. Sounds pretty cool huh?

It is a relatively short event, and who knows, if I really enjoy it I may do one or more of these every year for fun. The distances are pretty short too: run: 3.5 miles, Swim: ¼ mile, Bike: 7.1 miles, Kayak: 1.1 mile. It will be held on August 2nd. I am going to drive down with an old friend of mine, who is also interested in competing. Stay tuned for my video record of this historic event!

Exercise: Continuous Training, Interval (bike 30 mins.)

Menu: Veggies and Protein

Until next time…

Think, Believe, Act, Achieve

Dakota

Today’s Mantra: Better to kayak than swim; to run than walk; to bike than crawl