The last 3 mornings I have got up at 5.30am, blearily staggered to the Mojo-Mobile and driven to San Mateo Park to join between 5 and 20 other women to run, skip, jog, jump, lunge, crunch, squat and sweat our way to fitness. It's tough and I ache all over, but strangely, I'm enjoying it.
It seemed like I'd used up my entire allowance of willpower and determination in getting myself across the Atlantic this year. I just couldn't find the motivation to train, and the pounds were piling on. The BootCamp has been my salvation.
The exercises are varied and every day is different, so I almost forget I'm doing training. An added bonus is the drive up the I-280 just as the sun is rising and the mist is crawling across the forested mountains on either side.
It gets the day off to the right kind of start - once I've had that one-hour workout in the morning, it seems a shame to spoil it all by eating the wrong foods, so it's like a virtuous double-whammy: exercise PLUS better diet.
Best of all, it's fun to train with other women. We're a varied bunch of all shapes and sizes, but we can take it at our own pace so everybody gets a good workout. The camaraderie and mutual support are really helping this prodigal rower get back on track. It's a physical and psychological restart, a reboot.
|
Comments [0]
My Mini Cooper - on loan from a very kind friend. Who just happens to be British - not that you'd ever have guessed...
|
If you're looking for inspiration, look no further. Read the incredible story of Dick and Rick Hoyt. To whet your appetite, here's the first paragraph:
'I try to be a good father. Give my kids mulligans*. Work nights to Pay for their text messaging. Take them to swimsuit shoots. But compared with Dick Hoyt, I suck. Eighty-five times he's pushed his disabled son, Rick, 26.2 miles in marathons. Eight times he's not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a wheelchair but also towed him 2.4 miles in a dinghy while swimming and pedaled him 112 miles in a seat on the handlebars -- all in the same day (doing the Ironman Triathlon). Dick's also pulled him cross-country skiing, taken him on his back mountain climbing and once hauled him across the U.S. on a bike. Makes taking your son bowling look a little lame, right?'
[With thanks to James at Narragansett Rowing Club for sending me this story.]
* For non-golfers, here's the definition of a Mulligan
|
Me and my big mouth. If you read yesterday's blog, you'll know that last night I signed up to run a marathon with UltraMarathon Man Dean Karzanes - a rash move inspired by a fit of guilt after a particularly over-indulgent weekend in the Napa Valley. When I woke up this morning and remembered what I'd done, there was an odd mix of emotions.
It was a kind of giggly feeling - a combination of 'Waaaah, what was I thinking of?!' plus a sense of anticipation and excitement, that powerful sense of urgent purpose that I've been missing since I finished the Atlantic row. I felt like a kid waking up and realising it's their birthday.
Even if I had been thinking about wimping out, as soon as I logged on to my email I discovered that was no longer an option. There was a message, via my website, from the UltraMarathon Man himself.
"I am delighted and honored that Roz will be running a marathon with me in New Jersey. As a big fan of hers, I can hardly contain my excitement! Roz is a true inspiration and hero of mine, and I am hopeful that you can pass this message along to her from me."
Who me?!
My response...
"Dear Dean
No way! YOU are a huge inspiration and hero to ME!
I was given a copy of your book at the Timex stand at the Outdoor Retailer show just over a week ago. I couldn't put it down. Since the Atlantic row I've really struggled to find my motivation - seemed I'd used up all my willpower and determination for 2006 out there on the ocean. But your book gave me the impetus I needed to get going again.
I am in your part of the world at the moment - I am temporarily based in Woodside, about 25 miles south of San Francisco. I just chose the New Jersey run because:
a) it is marginally more likely that I will be in that area (briefly) at the start of November, and
b) because I need as much time as I can get to prepare, having lost a frightening amount of fitness since arriving in Antigua, and
c) I reckoned that it might be one of your slower races, before your final flourish in New York, so I might have a chance of keeping up with you!
Good luck with your final preparations for the Endurance 50. Respect!
Roz"
So that's it. Even if I wanted to, there's no backing out now. For better or worse (probably worse) I'm headed for New Jersey...
Excellent!
|
