A long time ago, I used to have another blog. I love to read and I own way more books (17+ book shelves worth at the moment) than a normal person does... if they own any at all. But they are mine and I love them. So this blog used to be a book blog and I was babbling about my library and writing book reviews and basically just nerding the heck out.
I bring this up because I find that I'm spending my money on gym memberships, fitness equipment and books on training and fitness, when I used to go on book buying sprees frequently. Which is fine with me, as they are helping me in ways my fiction collection hasn't. So when I saw that A.J. Jacobs put out a book called Drop Dead Healthy, I decided to buy it. It was funny at times, boring at others but mostly interesting and while I understand he was on a quest to be "the healthiest man ever" (which took him a little over 2 years) I feel like I regret buying the book. Not that I didn't enjoy it. He did all sorts of crazy things that you wouldn't think of and he was trying to be healthy all around, like body part specifically and also emotionally. He looked into his sleep issues, tried to make his brain healthier, and he even went to a place that studies your sense of smell. He also wore a helmet for a while (a bike one) to protect himself at all times in case of injury. He tried different diets and worked with a trainer while trying any a bunch of other workouts, like pole dancing. So, overall he was going about being healthy in every aspect of his life.
But here's the deal. About half way through the book he decides, "oh I'm gonna do a triathlon." I bought this book not knowing this at all and I was excited to read another persons journey through the crazy training and time consuming life changer that is committing to a triathlon (be it the Ironman or just a lowly Sprint tri). I was so disappointed. Now he isn't as out of shape as I am so I guess he doesn't need 6 months to prepare like I do, but he mentions that he's been training, that is been time consuming and that's about it. He writes about the event and afterwards is like, 'huh that wasn't so bad, I'd do it again'. He didn't even seem excited about it. He also mentions that triathlons aren't really that "healthy" because of the potential joint damage and that doing one every once and a while is okay but serious tri hards are at risk. Well I think that being physical is better than doing nothing and alternating three sports is better that focusing on one and overworking yourself. I'm also a little ticked at the nonchalance he has towards the whole experience. Like training for a sprint is no big deal.
I know it's just a sprint triathlon but I'm working really hard. I'm expecting that crossing the finish line will be life changing for me. That triathlete Carrie will be far superior to the sedentary Carrie that started training in March. I'm even hoping that I fall in love with the sport and continue to train and be able to tell people, 'Yeah, I do triathlons, it's kind of an awesome hobby'.
I know that the book was supposed to be about being healthy and not doing a triathlon. I understand that not everyone who does them falls in love, and that their first race is also their last. But I know I'm working my ass off and even if I decide that my first Tri is my last I will always be proud of myself for committing to a goal and accomplishing it. (For example, "HELL YEAH I FINISHED A TRIATHLON!")
So my review of Drop Dead Healthy is this: Not a bad book. Pretty interesting. But when I buy a book like this I want to be inspired and I want to enjoy the ride along with the author and I just didn't find myself connecting with A.J Jacobs at all. Maybe it was because everything was from a man's perspective and maybe it's because of his ambivalent attitude towards triathlon but I guess personally I would give the book a "C".
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