My name is Caroline, I'm 26 and I'm from Toronto, Canada. I know that aquabike might have some of you frowning right now, as many feel that it lowers standards for the sport. Here's my story...
I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis (severe form) when I was 5 years old. The only sport I could do when I was a kid, and during my teen years, was swimming. I was the kid that had to go to the library during physical education classes. This was really painful to me, as you can imagine, most youngsters crave for things that seem inaccessible. I did a bit of swimming competition, but really got bored by the lack of novelty in that sport. Then I stopped everything because my joints would barely allow me to walk, let alone do some sports.
I started to feel better a couple of years ago, with the newer medication on the market (biologics) that have been very helpful to me.
Anyway, now that I can move, I started biking, got back to swimming, and discovered that they were starting aquabike competition as a part of triathlons. Here's my chance to prove that I can accomplish something in sports!! I've always admired those athletes pushing themselves to the limit. My objectives might be slightly different than normal athletes... I would like to show other arthritics like me that it's possible to live normally, if this can be considered as normal! :p
Note to others suffering from Arthritis: seek the counsel of your doctor before starting any training. Make sure you rest and eat properly. This is a must even if you are not active, but especially vital if you do sports.
Oh and yes, I'm totally newbie to triathlon (or aquabike), and when I found out about trifuel I was amazed at all the information available. I also like the community spirit, and will certainly be around very often!
Hi all,
My name is Caroline, I'm 26 and I'm from Toronto, Canada. I know that aquabike might have some of you frowning right now, as many feel that it lowers standards for the sport. Here's my story...
I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis (severe form) when I was 5 years old. The only sport I could do when I was a kid, and during my teen years, was swimming. I was the kid that had to go to the library during physical education classes. This was really painful to me, as you can imagine, most youngsters crave for things that seem inaccessible. I did a bit of swimming competition, but really got bored by the lack of novelty in that sport. Then I stopped everything because my joints would barely allow me to walk, let alone do some sports.
I started to feel better a couple of years ago, with the newer medication on the market (biologics) that have been very helpful to me.
Anyway, now that I can move, I started biking, got back to swimming, and discovered that they were starting aquabike competition as a part of triathlons. Here's my chance to prove that I can accomplish something in sports!! I've always admired those athletes pushing themselves to the limit. My objectives might be slightly different than normal athletes... I would like to show other arthritics like me that it's possible to live normally, if this can be considered as normal! :p
Note to others suffering from Arthritis: seek the counsel of your doctor before starting any training. Make sure you rest and eat properly. This is a must even if you are not active, but especially vital if you do sports.
Oh and yes, I'm totally newbie to triathlon (or aquabike), and when I found out about trifuel I was amazed at all the information available. I also like the community spirit, and will certainly be around very often!
Have a great one everybody!
You can also follow my story on http://aquabike.blogspot.com/
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Caroline
http://aquabike.blogspot.com/