Ok, this is just getting creepy now!!
Last night Eric and I went on our first Brick workout and look what we came across…
Harold’s brother!
Why have I not noticed these before?! Is my town just really creepy or something? lol.
We went on a beautiful 5 mile sunset bike ride! Half on the roads and half on the trails.
My partner in crime…
It was a great first leg of the workout!
- Distance: 4.98 miles
- Time: 35:27 mins
- Avg speed: 8.4 mph
- Max Speed: 15.9 mph
- Ascent (total climb): 380 feet
Eric pointed out a very hardcore looking grease mark on my leg when we were finished.
Just a battle wound… ;)
And then the unthinkable happened…
I got my man to run!!!!!!
Doesn’t his face scream thrilled? :mrgreen:
Let me put this into context for you a little so you can understand my excitement for him to be running.
Eric has told me numerous times that he will NEVER RUN and he will never start running with me. I think in the 10 years we have been together we have been on 2 runs together total (and I’m not quite sure how those 2 runs ever happened, I think I dreamed them up…) I used to beg him to go running with me and I think that pushed him away even more.
I said to Eric at the beginning of this run- ‘You call the shots. If you want to stop, just let me know.’
We started running, and get this, he blew me out of the water! (err…off the road?)
I had such a hard time keeping up with him! Remember- his long, gazelle-like legs (he is 6 foot 2!) Well, those gazelle legs are fast let me tell you. He had to slow down for ME! It was a hoot!
He was like, ‘Wow I feel like I have to take such short strides.’ Normally a piece of me would have died inside with that comment, but I put my ego aside because I was just so thrilled that he was running beside me. ;)
He ran 2.5 k/1.55 m virtually effortlessly. We clocked in at 14:29 minutes. I said, ‘Wow I think I am more out of breath than you are.’ And he said, ‘Bigger lungs’ :mrgreen: Not only is he a natural, but he’s also modest!
The run:
Distance: 2.5k/1.55 miles
Time: 14:29 mins
Pace: 9:21 min/mile
Ascent: 189 feet
My motto is to kill em with kindness. I think one of the keys to encouraging people to workout is to flood them with praise and compliments. By the end of the run, I think Eric was feeling really proud and he maybe started to realize that he can do this…try-a-tri after all?
The Try-a-tri debate:
Now we are also having a little debate about our try-a-tri!
I have told Eric from the beginning that I want to do the try-a-tri by his side the entire event. I want to swim beside him, I want to bike with him, and I want to hold his hand crossing the finish line (I’m a sap like that).
However, my husband wants me to ‘go on ahead’ and do my absolute best, even if this means leaving him behind along the way. He doesn’t want to hold me back, he said.
We are having this little debate! I still would like to be by his side. I think it would make the experience more special, and to be quite honest, I don’t think he will be holding me back at all! I think he is capable of much more than he gives himself credit for, and if anything, I might have a hard time keeping up with him!
My questions to you tonight- What would you do in our situation? Have you ever trained for and competed in a race with a friend, family member, or significant other? Did you stick together or part ways?
Updates:
- A delicious looking Vegan overnight oats spotting!
- In A Jiffy Veggie Spelt Burgers spotting!
Ta-ta mes amies! :) Going to get back to work. Eric and I are off for a late-night swim at 9pm tonight…hopefully I can sleep! See you for a late-night post…might be a 1,000 words, not sure yet. :)
That’s really cool that Eric ran with you! :)
My first race was the only race that I finished with someone, and my best friend was kind enough to walk with me since it was my first half marathon and I hadn’t trained at all. I’m really lucky to run with a group of gals who are really easy going. We carpool over together, then find our spots according to pace and just see each other at the finish line. And we go out for drinks and lunch afterwards, so we still get to enjoy each others’ company :)
Thanks for posting the link to my overnight oats!
With regards to your little debate…I’ve only done one race with my dad before, it was a 10km and we stuck together the whole way. It was my first race ever and I liked how my dad stuck with me the whole time, it made me feel more comfortable. Even though I didn’t care if he went ahead, it was nice that he decided to stick with me. If I were in your shoes, I would stick with your husband the whole time, as it’s both your first time and doing it together and being able to motivate one another would be pretty awesome!
My husband and I have run some races together. He’s a former x-country runner getting back into it, so I know I’m in for some competition, but I find it’s fun no matter who gets ahead – the best part is afterwards when we get to relax, enjoy post-race festivities. However I do remember when he first got me into running on the track near his apartment – I got my butt kicked!! :)
Thanks for your comment about setting your ego aside to support someone else…I really needed that tonight!!
I have been trying for years to get my fiance to exercise…even if it’s not with me!! I really haven’t had much luck at all. Maybe if I stop nagging him, he’ll do it. Considering I’m a personal trainer, I wish he’d hop on the fitness bandwagon!!
I would opt for the together option, all the way! First, it would be way more significant in terms of “we did this together” if you actually did it together. Second, competition isn’t everything. The more important part of this is that you are both doing something new, together, and you are bonding over it. Third, would you really kick yourself if you went a little slower just to stay with him? (and hey, he is a natural, perhaps he could beat you! ;-) To me, the point of a short triathlon like this is to see how you like the EVENT, not to see if you can beat everyone around you. You’ll probably finish in the middle of the pack, and have a blast doing it!
My husband and I have a hard time running with one another. He has to take very short strides while I try to elongate mine to try to keep up! It probably has something to do with the fact that I am 5’4” barely and he is 6’8”
I just told 2 people today that my motto is “kill em with kindness” … but it was regarding something different :-)
Good motto!
I say you each do your best, that way you can be there to cheer him on as he runs through the finish line which I think is even better than crossing it with him.
I actually think you should do it apart. I mean, it’s your first triathlon and I understand if you’d want to do it together, but you might want to think about how it might affect your results… If you continue and do more triathlons in the future you’d want to look back and see your progress!
Hahaha I’m so jealous of natural runners. :P Have fun at your swim! :)
Wei-Wei
Interesting debate. My boyfriend and I ran our first 1/2 marathon last weekend. I’ve been running much longer than him and he pushed me to go ahead without him. We decided that before race day and it was the right decision for us. We were both able to meet our goals and feel great about the race without any guilt or regret. Have fun!
I can see it from your husband’s point of view. I really like to run/race by myself, because the feeling that I might hold the other person back causes a lot of stress and anxiety. It is much more enjoyable (for the less experienced or slower person) when we can just stick to our own pace and not have to worry about keeping up with anyone else.
I think its good to set a goal ahead of time. You can train together and then both try to do your best, or make it a team effort and stick together. One person will have to slow down a bit, but thats ok if you plan for it ahead of time! Its so great you guys are training together, either way!
Ihad a similar experience… I had been riding my bike for about a year when my husband decided he wanted to start riding with me. I was riding 5 days a week and felt like I was in pretty good shape… his first day out, it was all i could do to try and keep up with him! I had to ask him to slow down. ;P
Don’t tell your hubby this but I decided to do a triathelon this summer Aug 29….I fiqured if your husband could do so could I. :)
This question is perfectly timed as I am in this type of situation right now.
My husband has joined me in races and that means that I have to slow my pace and walk quite frequently. I signed up for a 1/2 in the Fall and thought that he would not want to participate… well, he does. So that means that I will not get to make it what I had intended, an adventure in athleticism for myself. Instead, it will be us doing something together. I have mixed feelings about this as it was a goal that I had for myself. So I think that I will have to pick races and tell him that I am doing this one alone, but then we can do this one together, etc, etc. I need to make a plan for this!
In my humble opinion, I think that you are correct that you should stay with Eric and hold hands as you cross the finish line. Imagine yourself in 20 years looking back….. which finish will bring you more joy? That tells you what you should do.
Okay, so my first reaction was to do it together, hold hands, and all that other sappy crap :P But after reading through the comments, I think I’ve changed my mind! It’s one thing to run or bike a race together, but triathlons are a different animal. You’ve got to get through three different sports and two transitions. That’s a lot of opportunities to have to wait, or get messed up. I now say do your own thing. I think training together is more important than finishing together anyways :)