Back At It

As some people have pointed out to me, my last triathlon post was several weeks ago.  No, I did not forget to post.  I stopped working out.  Why? Let me tell you.

Moving to a new city is difficult.  Moving to a new state is even more difficult.  Selling all of your belongings, packing your few remaining possessions into storage boxes and suitcases and moving across the Pacific Ocean is an entirely different level of difficulty.  I am a firm believer in radical change and I appreciate the need to experience all of life's many adventures.  I am truly afraid of waking up one day and realizing that I never did anything of note, never saw anything spectacular, and never undertook any uncomfortable endeavors.  That being said, it is still challenging.  Having lived in England, the Dominican Republic, and a number of other U.S. cities, I find that there are a few ways to make the transition slightly easier: (1) join a team sport; (2) find roommates; and (3) develop a routine.

Now, please forgive the analogy, but I am about to compare living in Hawaii to living in prison.  It's all about routine and survival.  I have not personally been to prison, but I watch a lot of MSNBC and I am under the impression that the key to doing one's time is getting into a routine.  In Hawaii, it's very similar.  Survival is not so much about ass raping as it is dodging all the asian female drivers, but my point remains the same.  When that routine is disrupted, it becomes difficult to survive.  Training for a triathlon equally requires a routine.  Unfortunately, when people visit, it becomes difficult to follow that routine.  You go out to eat instead of cooking dinner.  You come home from work and entertain people rather than going to the gym and working out.  On weekends you don't have the opportunity to do laundry, go to the grocery store, run errands, or train for a triathlon because you have to play host.

Don't get me wrong, I love having visitors.  They are an important part of "doing one's time."  As a result, I continue to encourage friends and relatives to visit.  In fact, the last month and a half I have had 4 visitors.  I look forward to having more people visit in the future.  Having visitors forced me to explore different parts of the island, try new restaurants, and enjoy the Hawaiian outdoors.  As you can imagine, though, having four visitors over five weeks has also not been conducive to a rigorous triathlon-training schedule.  Unfortunately, entertaining visitors means that training has to take a backseat.  Well, to all my devoted readers, have no fear.  I am back at it.  I have gone back to the gym the last two days and am training for the triathlon once more.  The triathlon is April 17.  I have 19 days.  The last two days have proven that my month-long "detour" has left me DREADFULLY out of shape, but I am back.  I no longer hope to finish in the top 25 or so, but I should be able to complete the triathlon without stopping.  So that is the new goal: finish without stopping.