See previous two entries if you need an explanation.
Hobbitbabe asked for:
Five athletic accomplishments you’re proud of (not necessarily competition results).
Hm. The hard part here is how to define “athletic”; earning a private pilot’s license is one of my proudest acomplishments, but though flying counts as a sport in some cases, I guess it’s not really athletic.
- The next question is how to count the marathons; I’ve done five, so it’s probably best to lump them together so they don’t take up the whole list. I’m proud of my first marathon (on a rowing machine), my first marathon on the water (in a double), my next marathon on the erg in which I took a lot of time off the previous year, my first marathon on the water in a single all myself, and the marathon I erged in Taiwan just to have a goal to strive for, with nothing to push me but me.
- We tend to videotape races, so we can see how we’ve done. There was one, years ago in Long Beach, when I was way behind the others in the race and you could tell I’d given up – terrible form, not even trying for maximum power. I swore to myself then that I’d never have to see a video like that again, and I’m proud that I never have. I still come in dead fucking last sometimes (the difference between dead last and dead fucking last is a fair bit of open water) but at least I’m trying the whole way for the best time I can achieve.
- I’m proud to say I’ve not only rowed but competed on four continents, that I’m in my mid-40s and still rowin regularly, and that I’m pretty limber for age
- I’m proud that I completed the Concept 2 Holiday Challenge (goal is to erg 200,000m from American Thanksgiving to Christmas) most years since 2002, excepting only years I was rendered unable to do it due to illness, injury, and last year when I did the shorter 100,000 challenge version instead because I only had access to an erg for about 10 days in that period.
- I’m proud that I can still pike to a headstand. Start with head and feet on the floor, hands making a tripod with hear, legs straight and toes pointed. Then use your ab muscles to pull both legs up a once, slowly, gracefully and without kicking, into a headstand.