Motivation

Dear Crazy Relative,

As road racing, hiking, sunbathing, and string bikinis are now the fad, let me share a piece of my history with you, if only to give you motivation to keep up with said fads.

Once upon a time, when I was a teenager  -  wow, it's been THAT long?! -  I attempted my first non-scholastic sport competition by (sadly) walking the Bloomsday 12k race. When my legs got the hang of it, and I learned that proper equipment and clothing actually ward off blisters and rashes, I started running the St. Patrick's 5k race. Proudly, I got bored, and so stepped it up notch after notch through the years. 

I graduated to 1/2 marathons  -  that's 21.1 kilometers, by the way.

When that wasn't enough, I TRIed (no pun intended) my muscles at sprint distance TRIathlons.  

400-meter Swim

21k Bike

5k Run

Since I had the legs to carry me at this point, I decided to take it further with my first marathon. 

That is 42.2 kilometers. 

Before I get any further into this spiel about athletic prowess and grace (ngee!), let me reiterate:

A marathon is 42.2 kilometers. 

A half marathon is 21.1 kilometers.

A 5k race is 5 kilometers. 

A 5k fun run is NOT A MARATHON!

Any distance less than 42.2 kilometers, for that matter is, NOT A MARATHON!

Any distance more than 42.2k is an ultra-marathon. And that, my crazy relatives, is the next race I tackled. 

I toiled over 3,000 vertical feet of elevation gain, through the cold mid-March air drenched with spring rains, lugging the extra kilogram of mud on my shoes for 50 kilometers! 

Two winters ago I decided to clean out my sports locker. That's when I found my cross coutnry skis, which I've had since my early 20's, and hadn't yet christened them with a race. And so I did just that! I don't recall the distance, but I do recall the fear that I felt every time I crested a hill, because that meant I had to go DOWN the hill. Even though skiers will say it again again, "speed is your friend", speed scares the breath out of me!

Last summer, Alfonsina had the crazy idea to enlist ourselves and four other friends in the 100 Mile Mountains To Sound Race: Mt. Bike 17 Mi. / Road Bike 46 Mi. / Canoe - Kayak 12 Mi. / Run Legs Half Marathon (13.1) and 5.3 Mi. We did it as a relay, but there were seriously crazy folks who did the entire race solo!

Then I turned 36, and Five-Star Scotty gave me a Nikon D60 for my birthday. From then on, all I wanted to do was stand in the sidelines to take photos of all those crazy people who are now doing the same crazy things I did. 

The last craziness I partook of was this dragon boat race. 

So, to all you crazy relatives out there who are doing things that only crazy people do (you know who you are!), enjoy it! Live it! And for goodness sakes, smile! You may be on candid camera!

Love,

Netty