George Aranda
– Unknown
So how goes your progress? Are you sticking with your plan? Did you have to modify your goals? Are you seeing progress?
Meet George Aranda. In January, he decided to set a goal and work towards that goal each day. He inspires me and I hope he will inspire you too.
Aranda has lived in Ruidoso since 1995, works two jobs, and is a father of an 11-year-old girl. In January, he decided to get in shape so he joined the RAC and started taking RPM and Body Pump classes. After hearing me challenge class members to do the Ruidoso Sprint Triathlon on June 9, he decided to take the challenge to keep motivated. He has never been an athlete, never done a triathlon, never swam, biked or ran seriously at any time in his life – but he thought that this would be a serious challenge and a great goal.
The first thing he did was set a plan. He takes RPM classes (cycling on stationary bike) at the RAC three times a week to get his legs prepared for the outdoor rides. Next, he started to swim with the masters group at the RAC in the mornings where Doug Huniscker teaches him how to swim. He now is up to swimming four days a week for an hour, mostly working on his technique. He runs twice a week, but admits that he needs to work on that discipline.
Aranda then visited Cody Thurston at Ruidoso Outdoor Adventures (in the Ruidoso Athletic Club) and bought a new bike. Last weekend, he was seen riding along Airport Road, getting accustomed to the bike and starting to get in some serious miles.
His goal: “To finish the race with a smile and a great sense of accomplishment.”
What is the hardest part about his life-changing choice? “Laundry. I’ve never done so much laundry in my life,” he said. “Seriously, nutrition is the key.”
Working part time at a pizza place, it was hard, but he had to cut down on the pizza. He has lost 14 pounds since January with the help of nutritional advice from his friend Cat. The best part “is all the support from Joe (Coakley) and the instructors at the RAC who are helping me achieve my goal.”
He is our inspiration. If he can do it, so can you – one workout at a time.
For our aspiring triathletes – Bob, Betty and you – George is inspirational. Motivated by George’s story, they will focus on one harder workout per discipline this week. They have their choice. They can run longer (10 minutes max) or do five 30-second pickups with a 30-second rest between each acceleration, or swim an extra day and/or an extra 10 minutes, and/or go 10 minutes longer on a bike ride.
All columns are at http://www.ruidosofreepress.com/pages/sports_area.
Sarah Crewe is a USAT (USA Triathlon) Level 1 coach who coaches triathletes and is a certified RPM, yoga and American Swim Coach Association Level 2 coach. She is lead faculty for health and physical education at ENMU. To contact Sarah Crewe for training or learn more about the Ruidoso Sprint Triathlon, call the Ruidoso Athletic Club at 257-4900.
If you have any training questions for Sarah Crewe, email them to editor@ruidosofreepress.com.
Always contact your doctor before beginning physical training and it is advisable to have a personal coach.