WHATEVER IT TAKES
Mr Tea: I could go for some candy. I have to go to the store.
A: Don't you have any at home?
Mr. Tea: We don't have junk food at home. No cookies. No candy.
A: You have chips though, right?
Mr. Tea: No. We don't have chips at home. We have nothing. No junk food at home. No soda. Nothing with added sugar. Tea is pretty particular about her nutrition. We don't keep it in the house. I can have it, but I have to go buy it when I want it.
A....staring.....with her jaw on the floor.
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A: Tea exercises a lot right?
Mr Tea: Yeah, she's pretty fit.
A: So, she's a triathlete. That means she does like a run today, a bike the next day, like that?
Mr. Tea: You see. Tea "trains". She doesn't exercise. She does 12-15 hours of training a week. Sometimes she has as many as 3 workouts in a day. Every day has a different purpose.
A.....staring....with her jaw on the floor.
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A: Does Tea take vitamins?
Mr. Tea: Yes, she does.
A: I have a friend who sells vitamins. Do you think Tea would want to check them out?
Mr. Tea: No. She won't. I know this sounds strange. Everything Tea does is to be a better athlete. Every thing she eats is to help her recovery from hard workouts and be ready for the next. She doesn't count calories. She workouts more than a week than most people do in 6 months. She has a nutritionist. That nutritionist helps her figure out which vitamins she needs to take and when. Her vitamins/supplements change throughout the year.
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That's my level of crazy. For the most part, I surround myself with other athletes. What I do? It's perfectly normal around other athletes. Have you ever been around swimmers? I don't know any group that eats more than swimmers. Do you know runners? I can't think of anyone more particular about what they eat before a run.
I had lost perspective as to how crazy this can seem for people....well.....regular people....people who (on a daily basis).....only get exercise when they walk from the store to the car.
I've raised kids. We used to have cookies and ice cream and candy and soda and frozen pizza all over the house.
Since our kids have moved out, things have changed. We made the changes so slowly that it never occurred to me how insane my lifestyle must look to outsiders.
I think it's a good thing. I think it's good to have people asking questions because it makes them think. It makes them wonder what they could do.
I recently found out that 3 people signed up for races because I said that I was going to do those distances. I have other people who told me that it is now their goal to qualify for Nationals. I also know that people/friends/complete strangers reading this blog have changed their eating habits because of things I have written here.Because....if I can do it, anyone can. Yes, it takes dedication. Yes, you'll have to make changes. Yes, change can be difficult.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
But the day you cross that finish line will easily become one of your happiest days in your life.
Mr. Tea said, "How does it feel to inspire so many people". I've never seen it that way. Yet, I'm inspired by women who I think of as being a much better athlete than I am.
It's a cycle of positivity!
F*CK YEAH!
If you are doing something you've never done before....or are striving to be better....because of something I've written here: I can't offer you cookies, but you'll find something much much more satisfying.
Welcome to the crazy.