Tri, Tri Again
This month in Kona, Hawaii, 1,800 men and women competed in the 2008 Ford Ironman World Championship. They swam 2.4 miles, biked 112 miles and then ran a 26.2-mile marathon. We are so tired just thinking about it!
Why anyone would put their body through that kind of torture is hard to understand. Then again, they aren’t like the rest of us. Triathletes tend to have a high percentage of slow twitch muscle fibers compared to the fast twitch variety. According to About.com, slow twitch fibers are more efficient at using oxygen to generate fuel, so they can go for longer periods of time without fatigue. The average person has a 50/50 ratio.
Fiber types aside, it’s no secret regular exercise is beneficial to everyone’s mental and physical health. Starting today, try to incorporate some sort of exercise into every day. Walk to Store 24, race those burritos home, then leap onto the couch in a single bound. Just kidding! Try biking, swimming or jogging (OK a fast walk) today. Mixing it up will help keep out the boredom and keep up the success.
I can ride the bike 112 miles for sure, but there's just no way I'd ever be able to do the run, much less the swim - on the same day. Most of my pals who do engage in this insanity tell me that the swim is actually the hardest part. Go figure.
I saw something about this on the Weather Channel. They were saying it started as a competition between Navy SEALs to see who was the best athlete. To say this physical effort is impressive is an understatement.