Good morning!
Thank you so much for all of your amazing comments in last night’s Kicking the Coke habit!!! Eric and I read through all of them together and we were blown away by your encouragement and personal stories. I think he definitely feels like this is something he can conquer!! :) If you are looking for some encouragement to kick the soda habit or to just stick to a healthier lifestyle, I suggest reading over the comments because they are super motivating!
I purchased two huge bins of organic spinach at Costco on the weekend only to come home and realize that I already had two bags of spinach in the fridge! Opps. This week has been deemed SPINACH week in our house.
My morning consisted of a beautiful Green Monster packed with as much spinach as I could fit…
[Winter was hard on our Ikea outdoor table this winter!!! Guess we should have brought it inside…oops]
Enjoyed outside in the sun. I love Spring!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 2 ice cubes
- 4 cups spinach
- 1/4 cup pumpkin
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1 tablespoon Artisana Raw Almond Butter
- 1/2 teaspoon raw maca powder
- 1 frozen banana
- 1 scoop Amazing Grass Chocolate Meal Powder
Eric wants to tear out our rotting deck this summer and build a new one (not sure if the budget will allow for this however!). We are also talking about building a vegetable garden!
Exciting Announcement!
Yesterday Eric and I had quite the interesting discussion on our hike!
We got on the topic of fun outdoor activities that we can do this summer and Eric started talking about how he wants to get into Mountain biking. We have so many conservation parks within a few miles of us and there are so many challenging trails to tackle. He also wants to get clip-ins for his mountain bike which is something I wouldn’t mind getting myself, especially if we were going to do it on a regular basis.
THEN…we started talking about swimming in lakes. Saturday at Costco, we came across these awesome wet suits for just $33 (don’t you love Costco?). We’d love to get some to wear in the lake up at Eric’s parent’s house (the water doesn’t warm up until about July or August!).
We chatted some more and then Eric said it would be fun to train for a triathlon!!!!!
[source]
My jaw dropped. I have never heard Eric say he wanted to compete in a sport. He used to play sports in high school (football, basketball, volleyball, etc), but he was turned off by the overly competitive nature of it. He really dislikes when people take sports too seriously and he says it took the fun out of it for him.
Here’s the thing.
Eric is not a swimmer (from his lips, not mine!). He never took lessons and he considers himself a very poor swimmer. He loves swimming in lakes, but as for actually doing strokes and whatnot, he says he is horrible at it and really doubts his ability.
He also really dislikes running.
So you can see my total shock at him saying that he wanted to try a triathlon! This is bringing him WAY out of his comfort zone.
I told Eric about the Subaru Triathlon Series with TriSport Canada that is really popular in Ontario. I know about it because I was going to train for a triathlon last June (and didn’t tell you guys!!), because I chickened out and never signed up! I just couldn’t bring myself to try it. This time last year I was also scared to run in a RACE and after my first 10k race I discovered that it wasn’t scary at all!
The Subaru Triathlon Series offers an entry level race called ‘TRY A TRI’ for beginners doing their first triathlon.
We checked it out online last night and Eric told me that he wants to SIGN UP! GAH!
The great thing about this Subaru Triathlon Series is that they have several locations in Ontario and different dates to chose from. We decided on the Milton Kelso location because we will be able to do some of our training on the actual course as it isn’t too far from us!
The TRY A TRI is VERY beginner friendly and I think anyone could do it:
- Swim 375m, Bike 10km, Run 2.5km
Course Map [click to enlarge]:
Eric and I will be not only competing in our first triathlon on JUNE 6th 2010, but we will be doing it TOGETHER!
I am just so excited that he wants to do this. I would run to Yukon and back if he asked me to. I want us to support each other during our training and conquer our fear of swimming in lakes! I can’t believe we are really signed up!!
Today’s question- Do you consider yourself a good swimmer? Do you have a fear of swimming in open water like we do? Would you ever train for a triathlon or have you ever competed in one?
I consider myself an OK swimmer. When I was young I used to take swimming lessons and I swam competitively in grade 1, however I have not done any lessons in over 12 years and I feel really out of tune. I have always had a fear of swimming in lakes and not being able to see all the wonderful creatures around me…I’m hoping with some practice (and a wet suit) we will feel more comfortable.
Enjoy your day!
I’ve completed several short distance triathlons and in June/09 I completed a half ironman. It was such an amazingly crazy experience. The tri community in general is such a welcoming and helpful bunch. You’ll have a fantastic time. If Eric is leery about swimming, I’d definitely suggest a few lessons. I joined a masters swimming group which was wonderful. I was a strong swimmer, but the coaches helped to tweak my technique to make me a more effective swimmer :)
I’m so excited for you! One tri and you’ll be hooked!
I have a feeling with my personality I will be hooked. Eric said, ‘Don’t assume I am going to go all race crazy just because I signed up for this.’ haha. Im trying to take it one day at a time!
Your green monster is so….GREEN!!! You must have packed a ton of Popeye in there!
How exciting! Go Ang & Eric!!
I consider myself a decent swimmer – used to be strong but out of practice. I grew up in the ocean and lakes, so no prob with open water, but it looks like people soup in the swim portion of a tri! I’d be more afraid of someone kicking me in the noggin than of swimming in open water, LOL.
Can’t wait to follow your training together!
Hi!!!
I’ve been reading your blog for a few months now but never really comment… i was sooo excited though to see that you and eric want to train and compete in a triathlon!!! I did my first tri-a-try in windsor, ontario in grade 10 and was from then on hooked!! Now I train with a triathlon club at my university.
I think that you both will really love it! You will find that running and swimming and great cross training for your running. If eric is new to swimming then lessons would be a good idea i think. but once he gets the technique down and swims a few times a week he could really be ready for the race.
Open water swimming can be a lot better than swimming in the pool – you dont have to keep turning at the wall around every 25 m lol. But like someone said above, it can get pretty crowded with a bunch of people swimming so close to you.
I wish you all the best and cant wait to see how your training goes!! I’m looking forward to being done exams in the next few weeks and can really focus on my training! The MultiSprort Canada Triathlon Series also has great races!
-Andrea
Thanks so much for your tips and encouragement! :) Im excited :)
YAY!!!!! so awesome :) i was in the same boat when i wanted to do a tri… well, i ran, but didn’t swim at all! the first time i got in the pool i couldn’t swim the whole length of the pool. I’d definitely try swimming in a lake or other form of open water, the more you do it the more comfortable you’ll feel when it comes time for the event! let me know if you have any more questions :)
I am super excited about this announcement because I actually just decided Saturday that I want to do a tri near my home. Still trying to convince my husband — he’s afraid of lake swimming…
Ever since I started running I’ve wanted to train for a triathlon, but something keeps holding me back. I love running, I have been a swimmer all my life and I’m okay on the bike (as long as it isn’t in the gym). Like you’re husband I struggle with overly competitive sports, but more because I don’t want to lose. I also am afraid I can’t cut it, my current roommate is a serious triathlete and he trains every single day. I have never competed in a race but I just signed up for my first 10K. Once I have that under my belt maybe I’ll explore bigger and better things :)
This brought a smile to my face :) so happy for both of you’s!
That is so awesome!!! Go Ange and Eric!!!
The Try a Tri distance is totally doable!!! I did a sprint tri (first and only) last summer. It was a lot of work, even though the individual distances are short. The open water swim was the worst part. My advice is to get LOTS of practice swimming in lakes, and it won’t feel like such a shock. Maybe get Eric to swim over top of you a few times, as people will actually do that during the race too :P
I consider myself a good swimmer just because I swam competitively all throughout highschool. I got into running more after that though but now that I’m pregnant I definitely will be doing more swimming once running gets to be too much with my belly! Hopefully that day doesn’t come too soon.
I’m a little late and didn’t read through all the comments above, but I just wanted to say definitely plant a veggie garden if you can! It’s so rewarding to grow your own food. I started my garden two years ago and I love it! There’s nothing like walking out your back door to get stuff for dinner. It’s the best!
Yay for you and Eric! I’m too chicken to try a Tri. I don’t like swimming in open water, especially when I might get kicked in the face or something. And I haven’t ridden a bike since I was a kid (and I’m totally okay with that!) My friends are trying to talk me into a sprint tri though… and you can donate money to charity and start a little earlier than everyone else (read: not get kicked in the face).
It’s awesome that you and Eric have something to train together for and participate in. I think it’s great that you both have each other to support during the training for the triathlon.
And it’s at Kelso conversation area? My BF grew up in Milton (moved from Quebec) and a couple summers ago he took me there and we had a fantastic day hiking and then visiting the area he grew up in. You’re so lucky you live in the area…the scenery was gorgeous!
That is so exciting. I was you just a year ago…trying my first tri…..then….month after month I did one! Now I am addicted and am in it for season two.
Mind you- I am not the best runner, biker or swimmer- I simply do them to finish and have finished every one!
Open water swims can be scary but as I was first starting I was told always to swim buoy to buoy. It really does the trick. You just head for that one mark and you can even tap it if you need. As for the getting kicked part- just stay to the side or back for your first one at the start and that won’t be a huge problem.
Good luck- but honestly once you do one you certainly will be hooked.