Reason for masochist

Great posts!  I'm doing it to see if I can.  I think I can, but most of the people who know me are skeptical.  That's why everyone here is so great.  Personally, I've always enjoyed being not quite normal - part of the attraction of tris for me is that they are not a 'normal' thing to do either.  Although given how much happier my body is with the training I don't see why there aren't more people doing this.

Am I a masochist?  No way.  I've always looked for fun and pleasure in what I do, and I'm finding it here.  Then again, I enjoy following my wife straight up mountainsides while my legs burn and a wet 40 mph wind blows at me.  And I enjoyed math, and tearing my fingers up on a guitar, and well...I don't know.  If finding pleasure in difficult things is masochistic then that's not so bad.

I do it because I can as well.  I work in physical therapy and see people all the time who have Parkinson's, paraplegia, strokes, and a multitude of orthopedic ailments, etc. who wish they could do 1/10th of what I do. 

I also do it because I had a real scare thrown at me. This time last year, a neurologist told me that I had a mass growing on one of my cranial nerves, causing numbness on the left side of my face.  By June, I also couldn't eat because that same nerve works the muscles of chewing as well as sensation to that side of the face.  I lost 13 lbs in 1 month (didn't even know I had that much to lose) and was very weak and scared.  It wasn't until December that it was officially confirmed that it wasn't a tumor, but neuropathy of the nerve.  I still have the same symptoms, but learned to deal with it better.  It may take years to get better or not heal at all.  Using the deficits to my advantage, now that I'm lighter my running times have REALLY decreased!  I feel blessed that it is only neuropathy and nothing worse.  I definitely don't take my health for granted.

Sharon

I have no doubt you will cross that finish line and to be honest, anyone who would see you and say " look at that big triathlete....."  I mean anyone with half a brain would realize the absurdness of the statemant.  Triathlete.  Something 99% of the folks in the US couldn't do, wouldn't think of doing or couldn't even imagine doing.   As for your statement on cholestroral, I went and had mine tested for the first time last June and I surprised the doctor with how low it was.  Surprised because the town I live in is fat and lazy.  We were voted Fattest City in the US in one of those national magazines.  Are we really?  I don't know but from what I see....  Having said that though, even in this town it never ceases to amaze me the number of people I run into who know someone that has competed in a tri or is training for one.  This sport is growing very quickly, just look at the number of races that are  available in every state and around the world.  However it is growing quietly, the more people we talk to the more word spreads around  and hopefully we connect with someone and get them healthier. 

The running will come slowly but take it slowly.  You do more good training in a lower HR zone than anything else.  It is good you can swim, I, well I am getting better.  Biking is still a relative unknown since I don't have the bike I will be using and I have been riding in the gym.  Good Luck, cross that finish line and everyone here will be waiting to call you a Triathlete.

All these posts hit home with me in one way or another. The only thing I can ad is I am still the a little kid at heart. I realized this when reading to my kids..."I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.". Ok back to the land of the Lost Boys for I don't want to ever grow up at the core.

Joe