There are few things in life that I truly hate: going to the dentist, the stomach flu, migraines, ...and...running. Really, I hate it that much. The only reasons I find it semi-tolerable are that 1) it seems to be the only way to shed the pounds that are clinging to me like blackberry bushes, 2) the people who are kind enough to run with me are really fun to be around, and 3)...hmmmm, I can't think of a third. I'm hoping to change that though.
Since I began my quest to go from couch potato to triathlete, I think that I've done a respectable job of building my swim and bike skills. I do have a long way to go, but I've also come a long way. I work out religiously and on any given day you will find me in the weight room, in the pool, or on a nice country backroad spinning away. You probably will not find me jogging on a local running trail. Nor will you find me on a treadmill. Or at the high school track. Once in awhile -- if Nadine or Denise or somebody has pretty much pulled me by my hair out the door -- you may find me within 2 miles of the gym, sweating profusely, half jogging/half limping, with snot dripping out of my face, and a whole lot of complaining coming out of my mouth. But I have painfully come to the realization that a triathlete is called a TRIathlete because, obviously, you need to be skilled in three things. Not 2. And unfortunately for me duathlons are not a swim-bike-swim event.
Not only do I not like it, it scares me. I've always been a slow runner and I don't like being bad at something. I've been lucky to figure out how to use my body to my advantage in other sports: good hand eye coordination in high school sports like softball; hefty center of gravity for downhill sports like skiing and kayaking. With swimming I was taught good technique...and my booty-girl-booty certainly doesn't hurt. With cycling I've worked on shifting at the right time, using the mechanical advantage of the gearing, and taking damn good advantage of the downhills. Running -- it's just me and the ground.
Okay, enough whining. So, what am I going to do about it? I may never enjoy running, but I'm determined to become sort of competent in it. Coach Denise from the gym has urged us to sign up for a half-marathon and is forming a beginner running group. Who knows, maybe a future blog post will be titled, "how much I love running", but I wouldn't check back too often if I were you...
Since I began my quest to go from couch potato to triathlete, I think that I've done a respectable job of building my swim and bike skills. I do have a long way to go, but I've also come a long way. I work out religiously and on any given day you will find me in the weight room, in the pool, or on a nice country backroad spinning away. You probably will not find me jogging on a local running trail. Nor will you find me on a treadmill. Or at the high school track. Once in awhile -- if Nadine or Denise or somebody has pretty much pulled me by my hair out the door -- you may find me within 2 miles of the gym, sweating profusely, half jogging/half limping, with snot dripping out of my face, and a whole lot of complaining coming out of my mouth. But I have painfully come to the realization that a triathlete is called a TRIathlete because, obviously, you need to be skilled in three things. Not 2. And unfortunately for me duathlons are not a swim-bike-swim event.
Not only do I not like it, it scares me. I've always been a slow runner and I don't like being bad at something. I've been lucky to figure out how to use my body to my advantage in other sports: good hand eye coordination in high school sports like softball; hefty center of gravity for downhill sports like skiing and kayaking. With swimming I was taught good technique...and my booty-girl-booty certainly doesn't hurt. With cycling I've worked on shifting at the right time, using the mechanical advantage of the gearing, and taking damn good advantage of the downhills. Running -- it's just me and the ground.
Okay, enough whining. So, what am I going to do about it? I may never enjoy running, but I'm determined to become sort of competent in it. Coach Denise from the gym has urged us to sign up for a half-marathon and is forming a beginner running group. Who knows, maybe a future blog post will be titled, "how much I love running", but I wouldn't check back too often if I were you...
No comments:
Post a Comment