WTF?! ... Frequently Asked Questions

Why are you doing this?

We are good friends, good sisters, good daughters, and good employees. We are the go-to girls for baking “get well soon” cookies, cooking you a delicious meal or finishing an Excel report on time.

We’re proud of the lives and careers that we’ve built. But we’re unhealthy.

Being a single woman means there are fewer people to pick up after. But there is also never, ever, anyone to pick up the slack. Work has made us tired and stress is, quite literally, making us sick. We know—from magazines, from TV, from our mothers, from our therapists—that exercise will make us healthier and happier. But, still, we don’t do it.

Triathablog is an attempt to use healthy competition and a dose of internet accountability to change that, and to build good habits for our future.

Why three months?

Three friends. Three sports. Why not three months? Plus, it’s long enough to make lasting change (we hope). And, if we can get through the end of Daylight Savings (November 2), Thanksgiving, AND Christmas, we can do anything!

Why Carrie and Elisa and Amanda?

All three of us live in the corporate world while trying to make our dreams reality. Carrie writes marketing materials, but she wants to be a novelist (or professional blogger, naturally). Amanda works a day job as a marketing guru and moonlights wearing the green apron of a Barista, saving to attend Culinary School. Elisa loves being a book buyer, but she searches for more meaning and beauty in life through photography, crafting, and writing. We all have similar life situations and parallel fitness goals—why not work together to reach them?

Why don’t you blog on Sundays?

God took a day off, and so will our blog, damn it!

Why not do this privately?

We’ve been accused of over-sharing, and we’re okay with that. We’ve made this project into a competition that we can have fun with and make jokes about, but living an unhealthy life is serious. You don’t have to do much research to realize that, especially in the U.S., our inactive lifestyles have become an epic problem. If sharing our struggles and successes helps other people follow in our footsteps (or bike path, or swimmer’s wake), then letting people into our lives is worth it.

How do I advertise?

Email triathablog@gmail.com.

How did you come up with this idea?

Once upon a time, Elisa and Carrie ran Cheap Women, a similar blog-centric contest focused on personal finances. Not only was the project really fun, it helped us face our personal economic mistakes (no bailouts here, thanks Congress!) and promote real change. Turning the blog spotlight onto our personal fitness seemed like a smart plan. Check out Cheap Women at cheapwomen.org.

Elisa was already a biker. Carrie was already a runner. And Amanda is already a fledgling swimmer. But we all struggled with making time and reaching goals. A blog seemed like a great way to raise accountability, and our chosen sports already spelled, “Triathlon!”

What are the rules?

Keep scrolling—the contest is explained below.

How are you this creative?

Celibacy does that to people.