My favourite colour is purple. I like most colours, except that I'm not too fond of yellow. I'm a teacher, a student, a wife and a step-mom to four young adult-ish kids. My favourite room is my craft room. I like to play with photography, paper, scrapbooking, book and card making. Thanks for checking out my blog!

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Post-Triathlon

On July 13, I  completed the Vancouver Subaru sprint triathlon. It was really hard! I learned a lot about myself in preparing for this event. I learned that perseverance is a daily thing. Also that sometimes the goals you set can be altered instead of being abandoned altogether.

I'm so glad I finished this and ended smiling!

DISCIPLINE- my one little word for 2014, was a great companion.

SWIM 400 m 

time 11:00


The swim was hard. At half way I thought to myself, “I will NEVER do this again!” It was disorienting having so many swimmers around me, all flailing towards the same goal. I found sighting to be nearly impossible. I swam around longer distance swimmers who were going across my path in a different direction. I never found my steady swimming rhythm. Once I found my own place, away from other swimmers, I just put my head down and headed to shore. It was over quickly, but I was so thankful to be out of the water. My goal was to finish under 15 minutes. I did it in 11 minutes, even with all my struggles in the water.








How did discipline help me reach this achievement?
I swam twice a week. I swam early in the morning so I could get the longer distance lanes. I swam in the ocean. I wrote it into my calendar and was committed to the practice. 

BIKE 20km

time 59:41

The bike was hard. I didn’t settle into my breathing rhythm right away. I had to stop twice on the hill up to UBC. The hill I normally can get up. My legs cramped up and I needed water. I passed a few people. Many people passed me. It was fun to be encouraged by others and I started talking to people too. While riding, I decided to just give it my all and try to make my goal to do it in under an hour. I was 19 seconds under an hour. 




How did discipline help me reach this achievement? 
I stopped commuting by car to work and rode my bike everyday instead. I bought rainy day gear so that the rain would not be an excuse for me to not ride. I cycled longer on Saturday mornings even when I didn’t feel like it. I wrote it in my calendar.

RUN 5km

time 40:57

The run was hard. My legs felt heavy, it was really hot, and I felt exhausted the whole way. I had to hold my blood testing kit in my hand because it was too bouncy in my back pocket. I walked for about half the distance. The encouragement from other runners lifted me. There were three bunnies who hopped with me at one point and that helped me run a bit more. My goal was to run 5 km without stopping. I didn’t make this goal. But I sure ran across that finish line! Even the announcer said I had a great smile! I was so happy to finish!



How did discipline help me reach this achievement?
From the end of May on, I ran every other day on my treadmill. I used the Couch-to-5k app to help me build my endurance. Every time I went on the treadmill, I would at least complete 5km, even though every single time it meant some walking. I wrote it in my calendar to remind me of my goal. 



I guess I learned that even though something is hard, that I can do it. The whole reason I signed up for this in the first place was to have a goal that would get me moving everyday. Something to help me put discipline into practice. 

Now that it's over, I am still being active every day. My next goal is to run a 5 km without walking. So I signed up for a 5 km event on November 16. 

4 comments:

  1. Congratulations! Have you thought about putting in your profile your medical condition? I only comment on this because you mention your blood testing kit so it might put it in perspective for people checking out your blog who don't know your status. In any event, well done, you should be proud!

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  2. Joan, I am so so proud of you! Isn't it amazing what you're able to accomplish through discipline, commitment, perseverance, and faith? What once seemed so impossible and only for "the elites", is now something you can do and have done! I am beaming from ear to ear because I know and understand this journey you've been on - now we both have done triathlons that have pushed us far beyond what we thought ourselves capable of! And looky-looky, it seems like you've been bitten by the race bug. :) good on you to find a new goal that will keep you moving and help you grow! Love you!

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