Post_Op_PRs
Personal challenges as motivation
Personal challenges
For me I remember the humiliation of the Presidents physical fitness tests in high school.
Run, do push ups, do pull ups, Those were always failures for me. It go to the point where I wouldn't even try them. I'd just look at the coach and say give me the F I can't do em.
Another challenge is the damned 6 foot wall from the police academy. Law enforcement was my original major in college. I was kicking ass academically and in all other aspects except for the physical agility tests. I couldn't get my fat ass over the damn wall, and I couldn't run fast enough to make up enough points to cover for that defficiency. I had to watch all of my friends graduate without me because of this. Between college and the police academy, It was a waste of several years of my life all because of my weight.
Anybody else have physical challenges that haunt them from their past.
Just thinking about all the challenges I have for myself this year.
Average 3 miles of running each day for a year
do 100 push ups
do 10 unassisted pull ups
get over that 6 foot wall
and of course every race is a challenge. This year I have 1 sprint, 1 olympic and 1 70.3 triathlon that I am already registered for.
I want to do a Muddy Buddy
I'd like to do the Rock and Roll 1/2 marathon
I'd like to do a couple century rides.
I'm starting to wonder if I should slim the list down and focus on a couple of them, get them completed and then move on to the next one.
For me I remember the humiliation of the Presidents physical fitness tests in high school.
Run, do push ups, do pull ups, Those were always failures for me. It go to the point where I wouldn't even try them. I'd just look at the coach and say give me the F I can't do em.
Another challenge is the damned 6 foot wall from the police academy. Law enforcement was my original major in college. I was kicking ass academically and in all other aspects except for the physical agility tests. I couldn't get my fat ass over the damn wall, and I couldn't run fast enough to make up enough points to cover for that defficiency. I had to watch all of my friends graduate without me because of this. Between college and the police academy, It was a waste of several years of my life all because of my weight.
Anybody else have physical challenges that haunt them from their past.
Just thinking about all the challenges I have for myself this year.
Average 3 miles of running each day for a year
do 100 push ups
do 10 unassisted pull ups
get over that 6 foot wall
and of course every race is a challenge. This year I have 1 sprint, 1 olympic and 1 70.3 triathlon that I am already registered for.
I want to do a Muddy Buddy
I'd like to do the Rock and Roll 1/2 marathon
I'd like to do a couple century rides.
I'm starting to wonder if I should slim the list down and focus on a couple of them, get them completed and then move on to the next one.
The first time you do something - It's going to be a personal record!
To answer your last question first, I'd keep the whole list and just pick 1 or 2 to knock off at a time rather than say the list is for this year. I have a running list of goals that I continuously update for this purpose. It's separate from my season goals. And that is separate from my monthly goals. 
The interesting thing to me is that I also remember PE as being humiliating. Yet, I was not really that overweight -- I wasn't overweight at all in HS -- I didn't get obese until my late 20s. But early on I was the one picked last for the team, the one everyone made fun of for not being able to catch or run or hit the ball, etc.
In particular, I remember being forced to go to ballet class and they decided to give everyone who could do a split a trophy. I figured, no big deal, I'll never be able to do a split, so I'll just not get a trophy that I didn't want anyway. But then they said they weren't going to give out the trophies until EVERYONE had done a split. So there I was, knowing that only myself and one other kid were keeping the entire class from getting their trophies.
I felt as fat as the kids today who are obese at age 10 even though I was only about 10 pound over my ideal weight. And I still remember that specifically while the PE humiliations have mostly faded away and blended into one generic, not so bad feeling.
Oh another memory is not being able to vault over the pommel horse -- I was scared to death -- and trying out for the swim team in HS and being 10x slower than anyone else, not knowing how to do a flip turn and the coach paying not one bit of attention to me because he clearly thought i was hopeless.
One of the things that I love about my triathlon club is that the coaches help everyone and don't just pay attention to the fast people.
And one of the things I love about triathlon is that I'm no longer the one being picked last who can't do anything!
The interesting thing to me is that I also remember PE as being humiliating. Yet, I was not really that overweight -- I wasn't overweight at all in HS -- I didn't get obese until my late 20s. But early on I was the one picked last for the team, the one everyone made fun of for not being able to catch or run or hit the ball, etc.
In particular, I remember being forced to go to ballet class and they decided to give everyone who could do a split a trophy. I figured, no big deal, I'll never be able to do a split, so I'll just not get a trophy that I didn't want anyway. But then they said they weren't going to give out the trophies until EVERYONE had done a split. So there I was, knowing that only myself and one other kid were keeping the entire class from getting their trophies.
I felt as fat as the kids today who are obese at age 10 even though I was only about 10 pound over my ideal weight. And I still remember that specifically while the PE humiliations have mostly faded away and blended into one generic, not so bad feeling.
Oh another memory is not being able to vault over the pommel horse -- I was scared to death -- and trying out for the swim team in HS and being 10x slower than anyone else, not knowing how to do a flip turn and the coach paying not one bit of attention to me because he clearly thought i was hopeless.
One of the things that I love about my triathlon club is that the coaches help everyone and don't just pay attention to the fast people.
And one of the things I love about triathlon is that I'm no longer the one being picked last who can't do anything!
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I was on the track team in high school. I was a thrower - varsity, all five seasons (indoor & outdoor), captain my senior year....and yet, still couldn't make it a full running lap around the track. It was SOOO embarressing. Last weekend I went to my high school track to run, made it 5.1 miles on the track, TWENTY LAPS!!!!!!! Couldn't believe it..
I made a list of stuff to accomplish the year I turn 30 (which starts Monday)...
~run a 10k
~Warrior Dash on 10/9/10
~run 1000 miles for the year
~run a half marathon (signed up for the Wicked Half 9/25/10 and maybe the Worcester Half in June..)
~spend the day at Six Flags riding the rollercoasters - because I could never fit in them before
~run at least 30 competitive miles
~run 1/4 marathon (signed up for Greater Hartford 4/3/10)
~do the zipline canopy tour (there's a 250lb weight limit...which I am well under now!!)
~kayak in every state in new england
~waterpark
I want to do the Muddy Buddy in NY as well..
I think having those physical challenges from our pasts that haunt us is great - I know that helps to push me forward and keep going. The nay-sayers do as well. One of my good friends told me he didn't think I'd be successful with my RNY, which pissed me off and has done nothing but motivate me. When I told him about my half-marathon, he said "well, you're going to have to stop at some point, so it's more of a journey, not a race so much." That's all I needed to hear to motivate me to run the ENTIRE thing...which I will!!
I made a list of stuff to accomplish the year I turn 30 (which starts Monday)...
~run a 10k
~Warrior Dash on 10/9/10
~run 1000 miles for the year
~run a half marathon (signed up for the Wicked Half 9/25/10 and maybe the Worcester Half in June..)
~spend the day at Six Flags riding the rollercoasters - because I could never fit in them before
~run at least 30 competitive miles
~run 1/4 marathon (signed up for Greater Hartford 4/3/10)
~do the zipline canopy tour (there's a 250lb weight limit...which I am well under now!!)
~kayak in every state in new england
~waterpark
I want to do the Muddy Buddy in NY as well..
I think having those physical challenges from our pasts that haunt us is great - I know that helps to push me forward and keep going. The nay-sayers do as well. One of my good friends told me he didn't think I'd be successful with my RNY, which pissed me off and has done nothing but motivate me. When I told him about my half-marathon, he said "well, you're going to have to stop at some point, so it's more of a journey, not a race so much." That's all I needed to hear to motivate me to run the ENTIRE thing...which I will!!
"Running has the power to change your life. It will make you fitter, healthier, even happier." ~Selene Yeager, "Let's Get Started," May 2010 issue of Runner's World
Absolutely. That is one of the things that motivates me more than anything else is having someone tell me I can't do something.
It may partially have helped keep me fat though. People would tell me I couldn't do things because I was fat. I'd find a way to do them. It really irritated me to be told I couldn't do something just because I was big.
You will run that race and you will be successful. I hope you serve you friend a big eat **** burger when you fini****
Scott
It may partially have helped keep me fat though. People would tell me I couldn't do things because I was fat. I'd find a way to do them. It really irritated me to be told I couldn't do something just because I was big.
You will run that race and you will be successful. I hope you serve you friend a big eat **** burger when you fini****
Scott
The first time you do something - It's going to be a personal record!
I had serious issues with the obstacle courses in the army. The one that always got me was that stupid ladder obstacle (the same one the guy in Full Metal Jacket had issues with :) ) Its one of the reasons that muddy buddy looks pretty cool to me.
I also never, ever could do a pull up. I'm already doing a couple, but I want to get where I can do a full workout of unassisted pull ups.
I'm doing the half marathon in April, and I want to sign up for a full in the fall. If I can get through the full, I want to start looking at the sprint triathalons as swimming was always another nemesis from my past..
Great thread by the way!
I also never, ever could do a pull up. I'm already doing a couple, but I want to get where I can do a full workout of unassisted pull ups.
I'm doing the half marathon in April, and I want to sign up for a full in the fall. If I can get through the full, I want to start looking at the sprint triathalons as swimming was always another nemesis from my past..
Great thread by the way!
Scott,
I am mixed here. When Dan put together his race goals and listed them out last year, I thought he was bananas. But, he completed everything on the list. I think it is good to list them out but for me, I break them down into monthly goals.
If anything be sure that your goals that you have matchup with your training and recovery. So if your goal is to do a 70.3 and a marathon, just make sure you space them out. I say make a wishlist of everything you want to do and then work your plan around that.
For me, the 3 miles per day or 1,000 miles in a year is a nice goal. I am not sure how that matches up with you 70.3 training and tapering. That is the only one for me that doesn't seem to make sense. But again, Dan's races last year didn't make sense and it totally changed his life.
So I would just throw that out there and make sure that your race schedule and goals match up with what you can realistically train for and recover for. So is it realistic for you to run a marathon and then 3 miles the next day or run your 70.3 and feel shattered and then run 3 miles the next day? I don't know. Something to think about.
I love the list and I think you could add more to it.
Jeff
I am mixed here. When Dan put together his race goals and listed them out last year, I thought he was bananas. But, he completed everything on the list. I think it is good to list them out but for me, I break them down into monthly goals.
If anything be sure that your goals that you have matchup with your training and recovery. So if your goal is to do a 70.3 and a marathon, just make sure you space them out. I say make a wishlist of everything you want to do and then work your plan around that.
For me, the 3 miles per day or 1,000 miles in a year is a nice goal. I am not sure how that matches up with you 70.3 training and tapering. That is the only one for me that doesn't seem to make sense. But again, Dan's races last year didn't make sense and it totally changed his life.
So I would just throw that out there and make sure that your race schedule and goals match up with what you can realistically train for and recover for. So is it realistic for you to run a marathon and then 3 miles the next day or run your 70.3 and feel shattered and then run 3 miles the next day? I don't know. Something to think about.
I love the list and I think you could add more to it.
Jeff
