I was at the pool by 5, ready to begin a workout with a new swimming program. This morning the workout focussed mostly on kick drills.
Me no likey kick drills!
Kick drills suck! They hurt, and you don't go very fast. The longest set I did was 150 yds, and to make matters worse, the coach helped me get more power from my kick, and while it made me move it little faster, it hurt even more.
As I finished up the workout, I started thinking about the need to write a blog for the new year and what I could talk about.
I gained about 15 pounds last year. Something which I'm not too happy about, especially since more than 10 of that has been packed on in the last month.
As I hopped onto twitter this morning, someone had tweeted a speech by JK Rowling. I believe it was at the 2008 graduation ceremony at Harvard.
I'm only about half way through it, but I think my blog is ready to be written, so here I am...
Yes, I gained 15 pounds last year, but I also gained a whole lot else.
First, as Mrs Koda and I have faced some pretty big challenges in our lives, I think we've gotten much close through them, and I think that is truly the mark of a good relationship - when it weathers trials and grows as a result.
Second, despite gaining some weight, and finding myself significantly less fit now than I was at this time last year... I became an IronMan last year.
I also did my first ultra-distance running race, my third marathon, and got new best times in the half-iron triathlon distance and the half marathon.
I was part of a phenomenal team which tackled an ultra distance relay race and began to contribute more to my tri club and the tri community as a whole.
I think I got more patient with my kids as well - although there is still a long way to go there as well.
There was much else which was good about 2010 in addition to all I have mentioned above, and as I survey 2011...
I think it's going to be even better!
J.K. Rowling Speaks at Harvard Commencement from Harvard Magazine on Vimeo.
Yay ironman!! It sounds lint youhad a good year. The swim is what has kept me from doing another triathlon. I hate swimming.
ReplyDeleteI, too have discovered that it's the difficult challenges in my marriage that have drawn my husband and I closer together.
Cool!
ReplyDeleteThe funny thing for me is that swimming used to be my thing - swam competitively in High School and all of that, and yet... It's the think I've probably improved in least since I started doing tris 4 years ago...
Hopefully Master training will fix that!
You could always do a winter tri... Running, Mountain Biking and Cross-country skiing. If anything, I've heard it's good for one's ass!
Hmmm, but that would mean that I would have to go outside in the cold. No thanks. Besides, I don't think I have ever heard of one of those here on the East Coast. I'm more of a fairweather athlete anyway.
ReplyDeleteI'll stick to Bikram yoga and the occasional 5K for now.
I need to try that Bikram stuff one of these days!
ReplyDeleteYou know that muscle weighs more than fat right? You probably gained 15 pounds of muscle last year!
ReplyDeleteYou're too kind Becky.
ReplyDeleteI could talk about muscle catabolism... And how all the endurance training ate away my muscles and the recovery allowed them to grow back.
And there may be a little of that going on, but unfortunately, the large wobbly bit of flab sitting atop my magnificent abs is largely the reason.
And to be honest I'm not sure how magnificent the abs are, because I never got my weight down low enough to see them.
Maybe this year should be the year I try to get down to my abs... Of course that might require giving up cream in my coffee, the odd donut and my bi-weekly beer.