Ta da!
I got my wetsuit! Actually, I got it two weeks ago but life has been busy and it takes me quite awhile to get into this sucker. Ten minutes and 30 pounds of sweat, to be exact.
But I feel kind of bad ass in it.
Also like I should never fart.
p.s. For those of you who are interested in wetsuits, I bought the Pipeline by Nineteen which is an entry level suit and costs $280.
p.p.s. It’s way easier to get out of than to get into.
p.p.p.s. I’m signing up to do another triathlon in September.
In 8 minutes and 24 seconds I can:
Unload the dishwasher
Fold a basket of laundry
Answer my emails
Send a card to a friend
Play a game of UNO with my kids
Pitch a story
Make a run to the LCBO
8 minutes and 24 seconds is the amount of time I took off my 10k time in four months of training with Suzanne.
Aside, from asking me if I’ve lost any weight one of the questions I get asked most is “How do you do it?” as in, how do you make yourself do the workouts. The answer is Accountability.
Having a trainer simply makes me accountable *shrugs shoulders*
It’s one thing to be at home working out when you can stop whenever you want and nobody will ever know but you. It’s a whole other story when you finish your workout and have to let someone know you’ve completed it.
Having a trainer has changed the way I work out. She’s able to push me beyond what I think I’m capable of. I’ll read my workout and think, “well, I thought she liked me but I guess she wants to kill me” and then I go do it.
To date, I have not died although there are times I felt like it.
And here’s a little secret for those of you who think you don’t have time to meet with a trainer. Suzanne and I have only met in person once–when we met for coffee. This is not for lack of trying on Suzanne’s part but life is busy and I have a husband who works weekends so the meeting up has just not happened. All our planning and communication is done virtually. We use a program called Training Peaks and she plugs in all my workouts there. When I’m done, I write in that it’s completed and any notes about the workout –whether I could finish it or not, areas where I was weak, areas I was strong. We also email and chat on the phone.
But it’s the accountability that has made all the difference. The same goes for boot camp. I’m accountable for showing up twice a week. Then when I’m there it’s pretty hard to crap out when you see everyone else around you pushing through.
Suffice it to say, if you can I would highly recommend hiring a trainer to jump start an exercise program and help you learn what you’re capable of but there are other ways to make yourself accountable.
Find an exercise partner. Even if it’s not someone you can meet with in person, having someone to report to will make you more likely to stick to your workouts.
Join a class. Just the fact that you’ve already paid for it means you’re more likely to show up. And there’s something about a group setting that pushes you to try harder.
When all else fails, be accountable to yourself. It’s easy to talk yourself out of a workout–I’m too tired, I’ll do it tomorrow, I don’t have time. And the truth of the matter is lying to yourself gets easier and easier each time you do it and the next thing you know you’re always too tired, there’s always a tomorrow, and you’ll never have time.
But if you make yourself accountable you may even make some extra time for yourself.
Maybe even 8 minutes and 24 seconds.
Just enough time to drink this hot cup of coffee.
