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 think the best part about this is the fact that y’all will be tackling it together! i can’t wait to read about training as a couple :) i wouldn’t call myself an excellent swimmer, but i love doing it and find joy in it…that’s what counts, right?! hurray and congrats!
My husband has been wanting to get into Adventure Races/Triathalons again. He likes them because it’s the chance to train for different things, and not just running. Exciting news!
Jessica
Yayy! You guys should definitely do it! I did my first sprint triathlon last summer and swimming was definitely the scariest part for me, especially because it was an open water swim in the ocean. It was very scary but I ended up being fine on that day. That said, if I did it again I’d probably still be nervous about swimming in the open water because I’d be worried it would be rougher that day or something. It ended up being SUCh a fun experience and I’m so glad you are thinking of taking it on! That sounds like a perfect one to start with! A lot of the difficulty of a triathlon is the logistics so it will be great to focus less on distance and more on transitions and knowing how to do all the sports for your first time :)
Congrats on doing the tri together. How exciting! I’m definitely not a competitive swimmer, but I can swim, and LOVE being in the water. I grew up on a lake and have swam in many northern Wisconsin lakes (which I’m assuming are quite similar to the lakes in Canada). I’ve never had any bad experiences in the lakes – I’m sure you both will do great! Can’t wait to hear how your training goes!
What an exciting adventure! Good luck to both of your during your training!
Neither my husband or I are good swimmers. I took swimming lessons as a kid but it has never really been my thing.
How exciting!! That’s even more awesome that it was his idea and you’ll be training together.:)
I have always liked swimming, but had never done much open water swimming before I did my first tri. It is soooo much fun. I highly recommend joining a training group that has organized workouts. This way you can swim in a group in the open water for practice. It makes a big difference. You really need to swim in the open water at least twice, if not more, before your race.
That is fantastic!!! I laughed when you talked about your jaw dropping. Sometimes our men can say the darndest things!! Like – did that JUST come out of your mouth???
the Try an TRI is a wicked concept!! Very cool!
Good luck to you both!
How exciting!!!! I grew up swimming in summer swim leagues- I was never the best (ok, ok I was the worst) on the team, but I guess I still know how to swim pretty decently. I didn’t realize I was a decent swimmer til I took my hubby to the pool with my one day and he was absolutely wiped out in minutes. I did my first triathlon last year, and it was amazing!! I think it would be awesome to train together- my husband has toyed with the idea but not enough to commit yet :)
Yay!! That is awesome news!
I never swam competitively but my family had a huge pool when I was a kid (our property used to be a day camp and my family basically bought the land and build a house on it) and I spent all my time in the summers in the pool. So I am not bother by swimming and am actually swimming with a friend who is training for a tri. I’ve only gone a couple of times but your endurance builds up pretty fast. I was huffing and puffing about 30 yards into my 50 yard laps the first time, and now I’m doing the same thing 75 yards into 100 yard laps. Haha.
I actually have no desire to do a triathalon b/c I really don’t enjoy riding a bike- it really makes the bones in my butt hurt! (sorry for the TMI)
YAY!! That sounds like so much fun. My husband wants to do some road races together this year. He started focusing more on his health and fitness at the start of this year and it’s so fun to be able to see him feel good and stick with it. He used to run cross country in high school so I have a feeling he’s going to be kicking my butt soon!
Looking forward to seeing you both complete this. Inspiring! I am also not a strong swimmer. Actually thinking about taking some lessons to brush up on my kicking. Don’t be embarrassed about it :)
I freeze my spinach when I have too much!
My hubby to be did one of those TRY-athalons 2 summers ago and it was awesome! He LOVED it. It was intense enough that he felt like he was doing a Tri… but easy enough that it made him want to do it again.
He did mention however, he was totally fine for the running and biking part… he trained intensely for the swimming part, but found that part really really hard. The water was super cold, and all the people splashing around him made it hard for him. He panicked a little I think, he ended up coming out of the water last :(
So excited for you guys! That will be loads of fun!! :)
Congrats! I’ve never seen a try a tri here, wish I could!
WOW, congratulations!!!!! I’m a terrible swimmer but I actually love it! I’d really like to do a tri one day!
I’m like you…I’m scared of the little creatures in the lake :( I think that TRI sounds great apart from the swimming part of it, totally doable.
I think that’s awesome that you are going to do it together. Good for you both!
You should try a duathlon (run-bike-run)! Many triathlon series will also have duathlons at the same event.
yup I think this location even has a DU!
I loved this post. It got me all emotional, and inspired because I have been waaay too intimidated to ever attempt a triathalon. In southern Cali, the swimming portion is in the ocean, and I’m afraid of it! I’m not a very strong swimmer. (I’m strong at treading water, but actual strokes leave me swallowing water, and really tired). I’m also less than graceful on a bike.
I can’t wait to follow along on your journey for the triathalon training! It just might motivate me to try it too. I also want to improve my swimming so I can learn to surf (my husband’s an avid surfer), and somewhat get over my fear of the ocean.
Thanks for sharing!
I cant wait to share my journey with you! :)
So awesome! I keep dreaming for the day my hubs will want to sign up for a race.
How exciting! I tried to get my hunny to run a 10-miler with me… as we were signing up for it, we discovered that we had a conflict on the date of the race :( I will try again. I hope you two enjoy the experience together.
I did my first try-a-tri last June and then completed a sprint tri in September. Both races were in Lakeside, Ontario and part of the MultiSport Canada Triathlon Series (formerly HSBC Triathlon Series). http://www.msctriathlon.com/ms/index.cfm
I am not a strong swimmer but I’m “ok” enough. I found the open-water swim for the sprint to be a lot tougher and more intimidating than the try-a-tri. The good news is if you wear a wetsuit you will float a little more and you can always flip over on your back and take some strokes if you need a rest or to catch your breath.
I agree with you that anyone can do it. I’d even say anyone could do a sprint distance – it takes under 2 hours. You’ll find people of all ages, shapes, sizes and abilities at the event and from my experience people are very friendly and encouraging – even during the race! Good luck with your training and let me know if you need any beginner tips. I’m going back for more this summer!!
Hi Steph! I have done Lakeside as well! Loved it. Will you be doing woodstock this year? See you there!
Probably!! I’ll be doing the Lakeside sprint in September again for sure. It’s so convenient for me to race in that area because my family lives nearby.
Do you have a recap of the Try a Tri on your blog??? I would love to read it??
Fae – unfortunately my blog is only a couple months old so I don’t have a recap. Are you thinking about doing one?
Yes, thanks to Angela’s post!!! I’m looking into right now. :)
I only have a cheapie bike that I got at Canadian Tire. Would you recommend getting a proper one for the Try a Tri??
Also, what are these clip-ins that Angela mentioned in the post??
I love this comment notification, awesome!
Also glad that you guys can connect through my post :) So fun. Keep me posted.
Dont quote me on the clip ins…I have no idea what im talking about!
Hey ladies… I’ve got a lengthy reply with pedal and bike info that won’t post for some reason. If you send me an email stephnairn [at] gmail [dot] com I can fill you in!
i am SUCH a water sissy! otherwise i’d love to do a tri! you guys are going to be GREAT :)