This thought came into my mind last night....whilst I was trying to paint some nail polish over my ugly toenail (which is barely there anymore)...If you are a runner or triathlete, you know what I am talking about - you no longer have all 10 toenails in recognisable conditions.
Building up cycling and running distances of up to 250km and 60km per week (at max) leading up to my Ironman debut (which happens to be in 9 more days), I have lost layers of toenails within the last 3 weeks whilst others are black and bruised. They are so ugly that I am forced to paint nail polish over an area on my toes so that colleagues can't see the ugliness of them. Oh, I just remembered that I only have 8 real toenails left, my pinkie toes on both feet have not seen real toenails in about 2 years - sad.
1) Nice & Pretty
I use to visit the local beauty salon (the ones ran by chatty Vietnamese ladies) for a manicure and pedicure. I don't do anything special, no gel nails, no fakes, just had them (nails) cleaned and polished as I way of managing my very dry cuticles. Nowadays, I cut my fingernails down on a regular basis so I don't rip my wetsuit and my nails are generally so frail and brittle due to chlorine that they barely grow more than 3mm. I no longer bother with colour polishes anymore to highlight my nails, I only use them on my toenails to pretend I have nails.
2) Coffee
I drank so much instant coffee during my uni years that when I started full time (engineering) work, I made a conscious decision to not drink it anymore. I didn't touch coffee (unless it was in tiramisu) for over 4 years. Well, since starting the lifestyle of triathlon training, coffee is a must in my life. I drink it to wake up (caffeine), stay awake (during work) and it is also a social lubricant in the cycling/triathlon world - nothing better than ordering a coffee and talk about cycling and/or training (post ride). Coffee is so much a part of my lifestyle and I love it.
We are talking about shoes here. I use to be a massive lover of shoes. I use to buy a pair of shoes nearly every week. Not great when my previous work was located at QV, Melbourne. I would have a new pair of heels for all occasions and even had a variety of flats too. I don't even remember the last time I bought a pair of heels or nice pair of shoes which are non-triathlon related. I do remember buying my last pair of running shoes tho!
4) McDonalds
I was born on the Borneo side of Malaysia and grew up in several small towns in the state of Sarawak. In Malaysia, take-aways such as McDonalds were never purchased as their prices were too high compared to the local hawker foods available. Then we moved to Bathurst in NSW and we were too poor to afford anything. We then moved to Port Moresby (in Papua New Guinea) and there were little options in terms of takeaway and they didn't have McDonalds. When I came to Melbourne in 1997 to do my VCE, I bought McDonalds on a regular basis because I just could. McDonalds foods are (if anything) consistent, I loved my chicken nuggets and my hamburger (they used to be called junior burgers back in the day). Since taking up the sport, McDonalds are a no-no on the food list. Nowadays, I will only consume them on the rare rare rare occasion (coming home late from being out) or post race (damn so much salt in them - so good).
5) Gigs and DJ Sets
Not many people know this - I used to be a gig/DJ Set reviewer and photographer. I use to freelance when needed. Most gigs I would see, the main act would not start until 11pm even on a weeknight. I would not get home until 2-4am (drive through McDonalds included). This lifestyle quickly stopped when I started triathlon training. I now sleep at 10pm on most nights and need to be up by 4:30am on most mornings. For Ironman training recently, I would sleep at 8pm on a Friday night and wake up at 3:30am for my 4am bike rides. The lifestyle of a music (gig) lover does not gel (no pun intended) with a triathlete. Other than the sleep cycle, I no longer get to go to gigs and concerts for free = I no longer go as I can no longer afford it. I have also sold my DSLR camera and lenses as I wasn't using them enough.
6) Reading Books
I used to love to read - especially biographies. Nowadays, my reading is drawn to Triathlon related magazines, online articles, blogs and social media. I have triathlon related books on my iPad which I read during flights and when away for triathlon races (e.g. Noosa). I don't remember the last book I read.
7) Cooking
This is actually something which I wish I could do more of whilst I am training. I used to love cooking meals for friends. I used to host big dinner parties at my house and would cook up a massive baquet (6-8 dishes). These nights would end late - even with friends with kids (the kids would go to sleep on the couch or play with my dog). I guess my lifestyle no longer allows me to have the (time) luxury anymore of cooking meals during my weekends. My tiny kitchen is also packed with all my processed food needs - no space for prep. With most of my money going to triathlon and general living expenses (single income mortgage), trying to eat for fuel/training purposes and my lack of energy in between sessions, I no longer do dinner parties as much as I used to (insert sad and hungry face).
8) Ikea
I am an engineer and love building things. I used to spend hours browsing (and shopping) at Ikea and loved finding out new and innovative designs which save space and make life easier. Whenever friends would need to put together their Ikea purchases, I use to jump at any chance I get - it's like a big lego set. As my tiny unit is currently packed with 5+ bikes and tubs filled with bottles, clothing and whatever you need to train and race for triathlons, I no longer have the money or space for any pieces of furniture. I also no longer have anytime to go and help out friends with their Ikea builds. Sorry friends....you will need to do it with your own allen keys, mine are used for my bikes.
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