I know these blogs might seem off-subject in some ways, since I'm not specifically trying to lose weight, but I found myself in awe of some of these individuals, for their openness, their perseverance, patience, and levity. What these folks are achieving is a boost to my morale and I count them among my virtual circle of inspiring peers. I love reading their stories and blogs. If they can create change in their lives with little outside help- to change their lifestyles so dramatically- so can I. I can become the athlete I need to be to do this race. And let me just go ahead and give myself permission to admit it and say it out loud:
I can become the elite athlete I WANT to become.
There. It gives me butterflies to read that sentence. After all, aren't you past the athletic curve? With no history of being athletic? I don't care. It's the dream that fires me up right now. Not terribly intellectual, the snob in my head sniffs. It doesn't benefit others, the Puritan in me scolds. Sure it is. Yes it does. Go to hell, little voices!
Shall I be the good girl, who stays in her quiet role? After years of childbearing and nursing, my body wants to fly! Why not let it? Who knows where that might lead: opportunities to inspire others or even directly help others. I don't have to see where this will take me to know that it's a good path to travel down right now.
So check out some of these blogs, where good tips on eating and exercise accompany amazing life stories (this is how I learned about the 100 Push Ups Challenge I'm doing).
http://fitmindbodyspirit.blogspot.com/
http://solongfatass.com/
http://amerrylife.com/
http://enduranceisntonlyphysical.blogspot.com/
http://www.35andshrinking.com/
100 Pounds in a Year
http://www.344pounds.com/about/
http://www.andrewisgettingfit.com/
Andrew's Blog
http://www.geekgirlrunner.com/
http://mamawantsasixpack.wordpress.com/
weight loss mama
http://didijusteatthatoutloud.blogspot.com/
http://www.yourinnerskinny.ca/
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Here Gear, Gear, Gear!
My kingdom for a used whitewater paddle!
I have this sweet little boat, and nobody- and I mean NOBODY will part with a paddle. I guess people fork out good money for one and can use it on any boat, so they don't replace them. Or they break. Bummer.
I have my PDF and spray skirt finally. Both are made for women, so there's room for The Girls in the life vest and the spray skirt sits just under them too. I got them both from Outdoor Divas for 50% off because, sadly, they won't be carrying paddling equipment any more. Not enough demand. Same with REI. No whitewater stuff even at their enormous, we-have-everything-under-the-sun flagship store in Denver. I was shocked.
Fortunately, there's a local place called Confluence Kayaks where they'll outfit my Crossfire with the padding and seat it needs, check out my inflatables, and fill in the gaps- they have helmets, paddles, wet wear, odds and ends. They know I don't want to spend much, so hopefully we can keep this low.
Confluence also offers classes. I plan on taking a class on paddling technique and another on rolling first thing. I can even rent gear to see what I like before buying something. The evening classes are in a pool, which is nice, but they're Tuesday nights, which is not so great since I have tai chi 5-7. They have all-day clinics coming up too on a reservoir. I'm not sure which I'll do.
I'll post a gear list once I have everything in place, and my scheduled classes too. I'm going to try to rustle up a paddle from a guiding company ($40-60?) before forking out cash for a new one through Confluence ($110-ish). I hope to keep gear down to less than $300. Ideally that would include the boat.
I have this sweet little boat, and nobody- and I mean NOBODY will part with a paddle. I guess people fork out good money for one and can use it on any boat, so they don't replace them. Or they break. Bummer.
I have my PDF and spray skirt finally. Both are made for women, so there's room for The Girls in the life vest and the spray skirt sits just under them too. I got them both from Outdoor Divas for 50% off because, sadly, they won't be carrying paddling equipment any more. Not enough demand. Same with REI. No whitewater stuff even at their enormous, we-have-everything-under-the-sun flagship store in Denver. I was shocked.
Fortunately, there's a local place called Confluence Kayaks where they'll outfit my Crossfire with the padding and seat it needs, check out my inflatables, and fill in the gaps- they have helmets, paddles, wet wear, odds and ends. They know I don't want to spend much, so hopefully we can keep this low.
Confluence also offers classes. I plan on taking a class on paddling technique and another on rolling first thing. I can even rent gear to see what I like before buying something. The evening classes are in a pool, which is nice, but they're Tuesday nights, which is not so great since I have tai chi 5-7. They have all-day clinics coming up too on a reservoir. I'm not sure which I'll do.
I'll post a gear list once I have everything in place, and my scheduled classes too. I'm going to try to rustle up a paddle from a guiding company ($40-60?) before forking out cash for a new one through Confluence ($110-ish). I hope to keep gear down to less than $300. Ideally that would include the boat.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Can a boat make you fly?
My boat. She's a kayak, and she's my paddling buddy. Heh.
I can't recall a single piece of gear ever thrilling me like this does. Buying a bike didn't make me dance. Climbing gear? Cool, but not the same. Snowboard? Close. Skate skis? Sadly, no. My first boat? YEEEEEEEEEE!
It must be in my blood. My Dad loved being on the water, and had a wonderful 24-foot Crestliner for years. Later, he had a Bass boat, and would talk his friends into letting him skipper their boats, too, in exchange for puttering on the engine, treating the teak wood, offering fishing lessons, whatever it would take to get on their boats and play: motorized or sailing, big or small.
Some of my best memories are of being on a boat with Dad. We would get up at 3:30 in the morning and head out to sea, eager to reach the "Hundredth Fathom" mark, an imposing tower looming out of the depths, letting us know we were 100 miles from shore. There we would sit, in the Gulf Stream, watching whales, sharks, sail fish, mahi mahi, flying fish, and the dance of the water for hours.
He died two years ago, and I still think of him often. He got to meet my daughter, but not my son. Maybe that's part of the attraction too- I don't know- but suddenly this little kayak makes me feel closer to Dad. I think I finally understand the joy it brought him as an adult, which is a different shade of the same pleasure I felt as a kid.
I have my first boat. I love writing that. I'm giddy. Not only am I closer to water for it, but I'm closer to my dream. She isn't just a boat, she is my wings.
I can't recall a single piece of gear ever thrilling me like this does. Buying a bike didn't make me dance. Climbing gear? Cool, but not the same. Snowboard? Close. Skate skis? Sadly, no. My first boat? YEEEEEEEEEE!
It must be in my blood. My Dad loved being on the water, and had a wonderful 24-foot Crestliner for years. Later, he had a Bass boat, and would talk his friends into letting him skipper their boats, too, in exchange for puttering on the engine, treating the teak wood, offering fishing lessons, whatever it would take to get on their boats and play: motorized or sailing, big or small.
Some of my best memories are of being on a boat with Dad. We would get up at 3:30 in the morning and head out to sea, eager to reach the "Hundredth Fathom" mark, an imposing tower looming out of the depths, letting us know we were 100 miles from shore. There we would sit, in the Gulf Stream, watching whales, sharks, sail fish, mahi mahi, flying fish, and the dance of the water for hours.
He died two years ago, and I still think of him often. He got to meet my daughter, but not my son. Maybe that's part of the attraction too- I don't know- but suddenly this little kayak makes me feel closer to Dad. I think I finally understand the joy it brought him as an adult, which is a different shade of the same pleasure I felt as a kid.
I have my first boat. I love writing that. I'm giddy. Not only am I closer to water for it, but I'm closer to my dream. She isn't just a boat, she is my wings.
Got Kayak?
I did it! I bought my first boat!
I've failed to post notes on my research, but I've been reading up on all the boats out there and still can't decide if I want to race a fast, streamlined sea kayak or pick a more comfortable cruiser for the big race. I did, however, figure out what my first kayak should be:
Something sturdy, forgiving, easy to roll, but long enough to get a feel for longer kayaks, and something that demands I learn good technique, rather than the ease of newer technology. What did I pick? A Dagger Crossfire! Whee! Go vintage! These beauties have been discontinued, but in their heyday they revolutionized kayaking as we know it. They're still one of the best out there, especially for a new paddler. I'm thrilled.
I found it on craigslist for $80 (yes, eighty!) and was intrigued by the photo. I checked out reviews online and got more excited. Even the one negative review (the rest were mostly 5 stars) was simply that it was too long for the whitewater tricks. Someone responded to say that tricks in a Dagger require true skill, unlike modern play boats- touche!
It's eleven feet long, and just under twenty-four inches wide, and weighs 39 pounds, so I should be able to lift in on and off of the car easily enough.
This weekend is the gear/boat swap that I have been waiting for. I hope to pick up a paddle, some knee/hip padding for the cockpit, fresh webbing/help with the seat, and a life vest. The local reservoir is free until labor day, so I'll be trying to sneak in little trips whenever I can! Whee!
I love that I'm figuring out how to do this without breaking the bank. The one expense I'm planning on is that I'll take a paddling clinic to learn proper paddling technique and rolling asap.
SO. HAPPY.
I've failed to post notes on my research, but I've been reading up on all the boats out there and still can't decide if I want to race a fast, streamlined sea kayak or pick a more comfortable cruiser for the big race. I did, however, figure out what my first kayak should be:
Something sturdy, forgiving, easy to roll, but long enough to get a feel for longer kayaks, and something that demands I learn good technique, rather than the ease of newer technology. What did I pick? A Dagger Crossfire! Whee! Go vintage! These beauties have been discontinued, but in their heyday they revolutionized kayaking as we know it. They're still one of the best out there, especially for a new paddler. I'm thrilled.
I found it on craigslist for $80 (yes, eighty!) and was intrigued by the photo. I checked out reviews online and got more excited. Even the one negative review (the rest were mostly 5 stars) was simply that it was too long for the whitewater tricks. Someone responded to say that tricks in a Dagger require true skill, unlike modern play boats- touche!
It's eleven feet long, and just under twenty-four inches wide, and weighs 39 pounds, so I should be able to lift in on and off of the car easily enough.
This weekend is the gear/boat swap that I have been waiting for. I hope to pick up a paddle, some knee/hip padding for the cockpit, fresh webbing/help with the seat, and a life vest. The local reservoir is free until labor day, so I'll be trying to sneak in little trips whenever I can! Whee!
I love that I'm figuring out how to do this without breaking the bank. The one expense I'm planning on is that I'll take a paddling clinic to learn proper paddling technique and rolling asap.
SO. HAPPY.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
March Exercise Confessional
Week 1
Tues Mar 2 - tai chi (2 hrs)
Sun Mar 7 - tai chi (2 hrs)
Week 2
Tues Mar 9 - tai chi (2 hrs)
Thur Mar 11 - Bike to preschool pulling both kids in a Chariot (total of about 65 lbs), about 4 miles
Sun Mar 14 - tai chi (2 hrs)
Week 3
Tues Mar 16 - tai chi (2 hrs)
Sat Mar 20 - Duathlon (swim 1/2 mile, bike 12 miles, swim 1/2 mile)
Sun Mar 21 - missed tai chi because my husband had to work that whole day.
Week 4
Tues Mar 23 - tai chi (2 hrs)
Sat Mar 27 - 100 squats (what the heck was I thinking?)
6 real push ups, 9 more on my knees
Sun Mar 28 - tai chi (2 agonizing hrs- legs screamed the whole time)
50 crunches
Week 5
Mon Mar 29 - 14 real push ups
Tues Mar 30 - 112 crunches,
short bike ride- 1.5 miles
missed tai chi b/c of husband's work again...
Wed Mar 31 - 17 real push ups
Tues Mar 2 - tai chi (2 hrs)
Sun Mar 7 - tai chi (2 hrs)
Week 2
Tues Mar 9 - tai chi (2 hrs)
Thur Mar 11 - Bike to preschool pulling both kids in a Chariot (total of about 65 lbs), about 4 miles
Sun Mar 14 - tai chi (2 hrs)
Week 3
Tues Mar 16 - tai chi (2 hrs)
Sat Mar 20 - Duathlon (swim 1/2 mile, bike 12 miles, swim 1/2 mile)
Sun Mar 21 - missed tai chi because my husband had to work that whole day.
Week 4
Tues Mar 23 - tai chi (2 hrs)
Sat Mar 27 - 100 squats (what the heck was I thinking?)
6 real push ups, 9 more on my knees
Sun Mar 28 - tai chi (2 agonizing hrs- legs screamed the whole time)
50 crunches
Week 5
Mon Mar 29 - 14 real push ups
Tues Mar 30 - 112 crunches,
short bike ride- 1.5 miles
missed tai chi b/c of husband's work again...
Wed Mar 31 - 17 real push ups
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