If it's not hard, it's not worth doing. Apparently this has become my motto. Run a marathon? Been there, done that, moved on to ultramarathon and a back-to-back half/full marathon. Triathlon? How about an Ironman? And what could possibly be more difficult and time-consuming than learning how to swim? Learning Mandarin, that's what. Yes let's try that now. While training for an Ironman. Sounds good.
During my first week of Chinese language study, I learned a few important things. The first being that I will be studying Chinese for a very, very, very long time. Starting with tones. The simple word "ma" spoken in different tones can means either mother, horse, or curse (see John's blog I Didn't Mean To Call Your Mother a Horse!). Another word can mean either the color orange, or donkey. Yep, tones are important. Practicing with a native speaking co-worker at Chinese Corner last Friday, I got several laughs and "you sound like a typical American" :) Ha! That's what I was going for.
Another fun activity I started last week: lower body strength training. Part of my training program to lift heavy objects (with the legs, not the back). Deliver roundhouse kicks to the head a la Chuck Norris. Explore the sport of powerlifting. Maybe triathlon. Must one have ass to kick ass at Ironman? I would say after 4 sessions now I'm feeling less soreness, more dead-ness. Does it feel like progress? No, it feels like protest whenever I stand up. Supposed to feel like power at some point. I'll keep you posted. Speaking of heavy objects, maybe I can go back to my abandoned career in discus throw. Seriously, in jr high track I used to throw the discus which was probably like 25% of my body weight at that age. Only to score a few JV points if 0-2 people from the opposing team were entered. That's called takin' it for the team. I tried shotput as well, but it just wasn't me. Spinning was more my style. Yes, clearly these medicine ball exercises are going to serve me well in discus-throwing.
My next challenge is to figure out how to integrate Chinese study into my Ironman training. Ideas welcome.