OMG!!! This can't be true!

[windwalker]

[/SIZE]Hee Hee, you have entered the lair of the Evil Panda, abandon all hope!!!

There is one way you may win your freedom and be set free. You must tell us what you like best about being an adult athlete. Don't try to sneak out, we all saw you come in here.

Evil Panda

 

[VernRDH]

More like sneaky Panda if you ask me

What do I like best about being an adult athlete, well probably the wisdom that comes with age keeping me in check. Knowing that I can take a break when my body says so. No pressure to "win" only to do my best. Feeling more confident than I ever did as a teen.

Am I free to go now?

 

[windwalker]

Very good advice there princess you are free to go. The other 7 people that sneaked out are going to find nothing in their house to eat but Peanut butter Panda Puffs, Glutton free of course.

Evil Panda

 

[APrunner]

Nice.

I like that my kids are more likely to engage in athletic activities if they see me doing it. It is one thing to tell them to be involved, another to show them how. My kids are still young, but they have taken part in fun runs at some of the races I have run.

The other benefit is keeping my weight under control. I would probably be 100lbs heavier than I am now if I did not run. In fact, I used to be 100lbs heavier before falling in love with running.

By the way, I love peanut butter. Not sure about Panda Puffs though.

 

[jmasgat]

I like the fact that I have proven to myself that I can do it---I'm not sitting there looking at others and thinking "I could NEVER do that".

And I also like having some new goals in my life--and not about work, or family, just about me. (Hey, a little selfishness is a good thing!)

Maura

 

[bunnyfoo]

I like being able to run up and down a set of stairs without having to huff and puff and after going two steps. Like Maura, I think it's great to be able to set some goals outside of work and family that are fun

I'd also have to say that going to races and events is a fun way to socialize and meet new people. You might also spot a few people from the office who you didn't know had the same interests.

 

[rubato]

Well, for me it's a pride thing. I can do something at 40 that I couldn't ever have done at 20. I also can do something at 40 that most of the people I know will never do. Not because they can't, but because they aren't willing to do what it takes.

I also want to be a good example for my son. He needs to know that it's a lifestyle and will keep him going strong for a long time!

Great question, by the way!

 

[windwalker]

Well, for me it's a pride thing. I can do something at 40 that I couldn't ever have done at 20. I also can do something at 40 that most of the people I know will never do. Not because they can't, but because they aren't willing to do what it takes.

I also want to be a good example for my son. He needs to know that it's a lifestyle and will keep him going strong for a long time!

Great question, by the way!

Thank you.

Evil panda

 

[SkinsFan76]

Best part of being an Adult Athlete is that I choose my competition. I pick when I race and what improvement I'm trying for. It is completely internally motivated and all my accomplishments are due to myself, not someone else pushing me.

 

[SamSam]

What I like best about being an adult athlete is that I'm doing it for myself. I love walking, I don't need to run, I just enjoy being out doing the miles.

 

[FFigawi]

[/SIZE]Hee Hee, you have entered the lair of the Evil Panda, abandon all hope!!!

There is one way you may win your freedom and be set free. You must tell us what you like best about being an adult athlete. Don't try to sneak out, we all saw you come in here.

Evil Panda

The post-race adult beverages

 

[nov02mom]

I like knowing I am in way better shape now than I was as a young person.

I like training with my son.

I like peanut butter!

 

[BamaEd1]

I love wearing the T-Shirts and displaying the medals on my office wall. When people see them, they ask questions and say things like, "Wow, I could never do that." Then I get to think to myself one of my favorite quotes, "If you think you can or you think you can't, you're right."

And, as stated before, the post race beverages ain't bad either.

 

[johde]

I hadn't really thought about it before. If fact, I'm still not sure if I consider myself an athlete. At this point, I view myself as someone who is just trying to get into better shape and I sign up for events/races to give me added motivation. I've never been an athlete. Never played sports in highschool. That being said, I'm seeing a competive side to my I haven seen often, but it is competing with myself. For example, I'm signing up for a 5K that done twice before to support a local Christian radio station. Each time I've improved my time. This year, I know I could set a new PR except the moved the race from the middle of June to 5 days after I'm doing the half marathon in Cleveland so a new PR will probably need to wait. But the burgeoning athlete in me is thinking "should I try for a PR" or just go out to support a cause I believe in. I don't know if I answered your question but you gave me some thoughts for reflection.

 

[Swmr359]

Well for running I like that I picked the sport with out pressure from family (real or imagined). In high school I felt pressure to be on track because my dad is an awesome runner...I quit 2 weeks later. And if I want to dress up like a princess and run , I can, because it's my money!
For swimming....will I like that I can still beat the kids

 

[LadyDooley]

I wouldn't say I'm an athlete...

I just started running and being in better shape. It IS good for my kids to see the importance of it, but I on a much more selfish note, I started just to get some time alone and out of the house!!

I never thought I would ever make it to the point where I could run 3 miles nonstop. Now as I am adding mile and half-mile on my runs I am happily amazed!

I soooo can't wait to run the Half Marathon in October

 

[GirTheGecko]

I thought I'd never feel as much pride as when I crossed the finished line at my first half marathon. Then I crossed the line at WDW and saw Miranda and Mark standing there with their medals. It was such an amazing moment doing this crazy half marathon challenge together. I have a wonderful photo of the five of us at Animal Kingdom with our medals displayed on my shelf.

Oh, you won medal?... (maybe Denise will come by and explain)

 

[SamSam]

The post-race adult beverages

The best part of a race!!!

 

[GBBTomorrow]

My two-year running anniversary approaches on September 1st, and running has changed my life in so many ways that I can't even begin to explain them. Most of all, I worry less about what my body looks like and spend more time proud of what it can do. Turning 40 with a Mickey marathon medal was something I never would have dreamed of, and I did it.

It also brought me even closer to the best husband anyone could ever dream of, and we crossed that line together, a year and a half after walking the deck on the Disney Magic and saying, "Wouldn't it be cool to run a marathon when we're 40? Yeah, right, ha ha." But the seed was planted.

We mapped out a two-mile course in our neighborhood, and the first day I ran about a quarter of a mile and sounded like a full-blown asthmatic. Every day I did "one more driveway," and in January I finished the marathon. Sunday I did the half at Cincinnati's Flying Pig, and I have no intention of stopping. Ever.

Also, I have a son who has been cursed with a body type that is predisposed to weight gain, high cholesterol, and so forth. He is only ten years old, and was diagnosed with high cholesterol at five. He didn't ask for this, but he will have to deal with it for all of his life. By getting out there and running, I am showing my commitment to work with him toward a long and healthy life. He finished his first 5K on Saturday, and I was so proud I could have burst.

With the possible exception of becoming a mother, running has been the most transformative experience of my life. I'm not fast, and I'll probably never win a race, but I DID IT. I accomplished what for me was the impossible.

I don't mean to get too cheesy here, but this really might be the most important change I've ever made in my life.

 

[Bookwood]

No doubt about it doing races with my girls! (We've even gotten the DH to try to get back in shape running- now if I could just convince the DS he needs to do it LOL)