Loss and Gain...my Triathablog retrospective

My apologies for somehow completely missing my last day to blog! Things got pretty busy here and time slipped away.

There has been a sudden interest in my story of being a female bike commuter since Self Magazine named Birmingham as the unhealthiest commute with the lowest % of women bike commuters. Within 2 days, I was approached by a magazine, the local news station and The Birmingham News. Crazy, huh? I am just glad to be getting the word out.

On my last commute of 08, I spent most of the ride thinking about what Triathablog has done in my life. At that point, I assumed that I had lost, but I couldn’t feel less like a loser. My goal for Triathablog was to make cycling a part of my life, for fitness and community. In these 3 months, I have become comfortable commuting to work (in a dress!), riding with the boys, got the wheels moving to start a Non-Profit Bike Co-op and met tons of amazing people.

I have learned that riding your bike to work is more than a ride, it is a statement. I learned the politicians love the idea of bikes on the roads, but are reticent to actually make it a reality. I have learned the nearly all children want to ride bikes and think adults who do are cool. I have learned as well that adults who don’t ride live sedentary lives seem to really dislike my riding. I have learned the fixed gear bikes are more than just a hipster trend and am saving for one now!

Most of all I have learned that cyclists are a unique bunch, who will welcome a new rider with open arms, whether you are dressed in spandex or a skirt and boots.

I may have lost Triathablog, but I have gained a new community and a new way of life. And for that I am not ashamed.

Thanks to Carrie and Amanda for being supportive and just competitive enough to make me bust my ass for 3 months! You girls are awesome and I am excited about our next adventure (girl’s Fight Club anyone??). Thanks to Heath for being a kick ass mechanic who kept Mick in shape for all my triathadventures. Thanks to the Brocyclers for all the fun and for letting a girl into the club of Birmingham urban cyclists. Thanks to all our readers for your support and cheerleading, I truly couldn't have finished this only 1 point behind without you.


Keep up with me and my cycling adventures at my new blog: BikeSkirt. If you ever want to ride, give me a shout.
See you on the roads in 2009 and beyond.
-elisa

(special thanks to T.Scott Carlisle for the amazing photos. See them all here: www.t-photographic.com/tsc/elisa )

It's Over! Contest Totals = Amanda 111, Carrie 121, Elisa 110

Settle up the office pools — the wait is finally over. And the winner is ...

CARRIE! (She looks pretty excited about the win ... and the new year.)

All the girls fought hard. Each had a turn looking ridiculous, getting sweaty, and emerging victorious. In our minds, they're all winners. But the numbers don't lie and, technically, Triathablog has only one champion.

"What's this all about — what's a Physical Challenge," you ask? Check out Contest Rules in the sidebar to the right for details.

AMANDA: 11 points (111 Cumulative)
5 points = Weekly Swims
3 points = This Week's OMG Challenge (Butterfly Stroke)
1 point = Team Challenge (Starbucks Walk-A-Thon Relay Ultimate Challenge)
1 point = Santa Challenge (Bellydancing)
1 point = Audience Choice Challenge (Mini Me)

CARRIE: 12 points (121 Cumulative)
5 points = Weekly Runs
3 points = This Week's OMG Challenge
1 point = Team Challenge (Starbucks Walk-A-Thon Relay Ultimate Challenge)
1 point = Apartment (Therapy) Challenge
1 point = Santa Challenge (Fitness Walking)
1 point = Masquerade Challenge (Shadow)

ELISA: 12 points (110 Cumulative)
5 points = Weekly Rides
3 points = This Week's OMG Challenge
1 point = Audience Choice Challenge (Mini Me)
1 point = Peace Love Blog (Meditation)
1 point = Team Challenge
1 point = Iron Challenge

Double Dare, Triathablog, and a Bittersweet Goodbye

It all started at Starbucks. Elisa, Amanda, Jenn (she's like our fifth Beatle who stayed out of the spotlight) and I developed Triathablog over Americanos and Wild Sweet Orange Tea (brewed with a bag of Refresh, naturally).

We started this contest to support each other in our attempts to work exercise into everyday life. Physical Challenges came as an afterthought, added to shake up the competition and make things more interesting for our readers.

Unexpectedly, I learned more from the challenges than from the everyday discipline of running. That wasn't my only surprise. I thought 20 minutes of yoga every day would be simple, but it was mentally and physically exhausting. I thought meditating for 30 minutes would be impossible, but I found it was easy and refreshing. I thought running in costume would get easier after the first wave of embarrassment — it doesn't.

The challenges that forced me to break my routine taught me the most. Running at a different time and place wreaked havoc on my running schedule and ended up costing me a couple weeks of points. But, in the long run (HA! I had to use it sometime), I learned to how to break my routine without getting completely off track (AGAIN! I'm ridiculous).

Due to a couple weeks of seemingly constant rain and sickness, I took solace in a gym and in my own apartment. I still kind of hate exercise videos, but I can lift weights, do yoga, and even do a little cardio (jumping jacks, jump rope ... various jump-centric activities) all while watching Gossip Girl. (Or, at least during the commercial breaks — no exercise is worth missing a minute of Chuck and Blair.)

For me, Triathablog's end is bittersweet. The challenges taught me a lot, but, like any good learning experience, I didn't always enjoy them. Sometimes, I loved sharing my thoughts on running with the world. But I'm also looking forward to long runs alone, without having a metaphorical audience looking over my shoulder. (I picture you — our blog audience — like those Verizon Wireless Network people, always there when you turn around ... a quality that can be good and bad.)

Thanks so much to our readers. You've been patient through reports on crosswalks, and you've laughed with me through elf costumes and James Franco daydreams. And thanks to Elisa and Amanda for taking this journey with me. You have been worthy competitors and amazing partners. I've enjoyed our adventure, and I am thankful for your support and for your friendship.

Weekly Totals = Amanda 100, Carrie 109, Elisa 98

It's been a hectic week of traveling, playing Santa, and unexpected pool closings — and a wonderful time with family and TOO MUCH food.

We can't believe the girls are still so close ... with less than a ten point difference between them, it's still anybody's game.

It's a short week, so stay tuned ... we'll have the results by New Year's Day! "What's a Physical Challenge," you ask? Check out Contest Rules in the sidebar to the right for details.

AMANDA: 8 points (100 Cumulative)
3 points = Weekly Swims
3 points = This Week's Santa Challenge (Pool Jogging)
1 point = Special Report: Timeline
1 point = Touch Your Toes Challenge

CARRIE: 9 points (109 Cumulative)
5 points = Weekly Runs
3 points = This Week's Santa Challenge (Softball)
1 point = Masquerade Challenge (Elf)

ELISA: 12 points (98 Cumulative)
5 points = Weekly Rides
3 points = This Week's Santa Challenge (Trampolining)
1 point = Flux Capacitor (Different Time AND Different Place)
1 point = Team Challenge (Family Trampolining)
1 point = Audience Choice Challenge (Mini Me)
1 point = Masquerade Challenge (Reindeer)

A Farewell Post

Life has funny ways of teaching lessons. I didn’t expect much from Triathablog other than exhaustion and nice arms (I’ll let you decide which of those I actually experienced). As my farewell post, I thought it would be nice to share some of the unexpected lessons this experience has taught me, and what I have gained from it.

As I’ve said before, when Carrie and Elisa approached me with this I thought I was crazy for taking it on, but loved the idea so much I couldn’t resist. That hasn’t changed – I still think I’m crazy for taking it on. But I’ve learned that I can be stretched beyond what I think are my limits and still be successful. This is a lesson that I needed to learn especially in this time of life, when I am making decisions that I have doubts about completing successfully. But I’ve learned that I can work two jobs, swim four days a week, squeeze in physical challenges, help lead a small group with my church, attend a Bible study, maintain a social life, find time to read, and still keep my sanity. If I can do those things, attending school and working full time should be easy. Okay, maybe “easy” is a strong word – doable.

In addition to learning to push the limits with time constraints, I also learned to push physical ones. As with any other sport, becoming adept takes time and determination, and is in no way hindered by a healthy portion of competition. I’ve been there with running, starting out in college not being able to run a full mile to completing my second half marathon last year. While I haven’t accomplished any noteworthy feats with swimming, I did learn that I can swim for an hour – something that seemed impossible in the beginning – and that I can do things in the water I never thought I could (i.e., the flip turn), all while managing to keep my eye makeup on, no less. These things will only improve with time, and I am proud of the strides I’ve made in the short three months that I’ve participated in this competition. While I am excited about getting to enjoy other activities when Triathablog is over, I still plan to keep swimming in the mix as one of my favorite forms of exercise.

Mostly, I’ve enjoyed making new friends through Triathablog, deepening the one that was just beginning with Elisa, and starting new with Carrie. Ladies – I have enjoyed you both, in spite of the smack talking, and look forward to continued friendships. I hope we never all like the same dude … with the fierce competition I’ve seen in the three of us, that could get really ugly.

I hope that we have inspired and entertained. It has been a pleasure.

Amanda, out.

Who needs therapy with Triathablog?

Hello internets,
Christmas is winding down, the tree is at the curb, leftovers are running out and all is quiet. The few days after Christmas is always a bit of a downer, with the Christmas high crashing and the 'oh my goodness, I ate SO much and spent SO much this year' settling in! Normally for me this is also a time of reflection and rest, this year being no different in that aspect.

However, today was a little different for me. (Deep Breath). A year ago today, someone very close to me died. It was sudden and terrible. Needless to say, I have been dreading today for about 364 days...

I woke up and Anna (who is visiting family in the same small town where I am!) and I went on a lovely bike ride downtown for coffee and strolling. Scott and I talked often about getting bikes and riding, so that felt fitting. Something in rememberence of him that also symbolizes hope in my life. Whenever I get on my bike I feel hopeful and alive. I am not sure what causes this, but I love it. Whether is it cold and gray or sunny and warm makes no difference, riding makes me feel like a kid. A kid who has never felt loss or death and calls it a good day if a bike ride and a popsicle happen.

To sum up (because this has been all over the place!), riding my bike turned what could have been a bad day into a quiet day spent with the wind in my hair and my feet on the pedals. A respite on 2 wheels.

I have never been so grateful for my bike as I was today

Special Report: A Timeline of the Early History of Swimming

Stone Age (7,000 years ago) - First recordings of swimming in the form of paintings.


2000 BC - Earliest written references to swimming.


1538 - Nikolaus Wynmann writes the first book about swimming, The Swimmer, or A Dialogue of the Art of Swimming.


1800 - Competitive swimming begins in Europe, mostly using the breaststroke.


1862 - The first indoor swimming pool was built in England.


1873 - John Arthur Trudgen introduced "the trudgen," sometimes called the racing stroke, to Western swimming after copying the front crawl used by Native Americans. Trudgen used a scissor kick rather than a flutter kick because of the British disregard for splashing.


1875 - Matthew Webb is the first man to swim the English Channel.


1891 - First synchronized swimming event held in Berlin - a men's only event.


1896 - Swimming is a part of the first Olympics in Athens, and consists of only four, men's only events.


1900 - The second Olympics in Paris included three unusual swimming events. One used an obstacle course; another was a test of underwater swimming endurance; the third was a 4,000-metre event, the longest competitive swimming event ever. None of the three was ever used in the Olympics again.


1902 - Richard Cavill introduced the front crawl to the Western world.


1907 - Annette Kellerman of Australia visited the U.S. as an "Underwater Ballerina," diving into glass tanks. She was arrested for indecent exposure.


1908 - The world swimming association, Federation Internationale de Natation (FINA), was founded.


1912 - Women are allowed to swim in the Olympics in Stockholm.


1922 - Johnny Weissmuller became the first person to swim the 100 m in less than a minute. He started the golden age of swimming and was the world's most famous swimmer, winning five Olympic medals and 36 national championships and never losing a race in his ten-year career. He retired and then played the character of Tarzan in film.


1928 - Start of the scientific study of swimming at the University of Iowa.

1930's - The butterfly was developed as a variant of the breaststroke (it ain't the Tootsie Roll).

1943 - The U.S. ordered the reduction of fabric in swimsuits by 10% due to wartime shortages, resulting in the first two piece swimsuits.


1956 - The flip turn was introduced at the Olympic Games in Melbourne.