30 Before 30: 1. Sign Up For A Triathlon

What a way to start my 30 Before 30! I went to the Zurich Ironman Triathlon website to sign up for a triathlon (don’t start freaking out, I certainly didn’t sign up for the Ironman… I was thinking more along the lines of a 1/4 or 1/8 Ironman…).

Lo and behold, there was no way for me to sign up so early for the 2014 competition! And I find that kind of hard to believe because normally the Swiss plan so far ahead, I was afraid I might only be able to get a spot for 2017 or later.

Nevertheless, motivated by the idea that I will be participating in a triathlon in the future, I decided to go for my first jog since giving birth. And, let’s be honest, basically my first jog since I found out I was pregnant. That puts me at right around 10-11 months since the last time I jogged. Yikes!! I decided to keep it easy for my first time and I ran 2 miles in 21 minutes. Not great but actually not nearly as bad as I thought it would be! Plus, Switzerland has a lot of hills – can we blame my time on that?? Either way, I felt good about it, especially after reading myself some motivational quotes.

 

Though I then did 10 push-ups and 10 crunches and thought I possibly might die so I decided to call it a day.

Ok yes, technically I didn’t actually do what I said I would do, which was to actually sign up for a triathlon. BUT, I did put the date in my calendar and I did start “training”, so I count that as a half-success. .5 down, 29.5 things to go!

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I’m taking on the quest to do 30 new things before I turn 30! Read my initial post to see the full list of things I want to do.

I’m Gonna Do 30 New Things Before I Turn 30!

Thirty. Thirt-y. The big 3-0.  On December 9, I can no longer say I’m still a young buck in my 20s (though you may remember I actually don’t celebrate my birthdays but rather the anniversary of my 21st birthday).

So what does a gal do to celebrate such a big milestone? Vegas? Romantic weekend getaway?  Huge birthday blowout party? Nope, nope, and nuh-uh. Sidenote: If you’re patting yourself on the back right now for already knowing what I’m going to say based on the title of the post, then you’ve earned yourself a gold star! That’s right folks, I’m going to do 30 Before 30!  I’ll try 30 new things before I turn 30.

The Basics

Don’t forget, my beautiful baby girl Emilia Rose is only going to be 3 months old. (I have to sneak a little pic in here, she’s just so darn cute!). 
I’m trying to be very realistic about what I can do so I’m keeping it relatively simple and you won’t see skydiving or a trip to Thailand on the list. I’m even cheating giving myself 45 days to do it all instead of 30 because, well, I probably wouldn’t finish it if I had to do it in 30 days 🙂

The List

This list is not complete and I need your help! Got any great ideas of things I absolutely need to try? Or do? Or eat? Tell me! Inspire me! 

Here’s my tentative list of ideas, though I won’t be able to do them all and I admit some of them are kinda lame but I was a little desperate:

Getting Creative

1. Play something on some instrument
2. Paint something
3. Sew something
4. Take a photography class
5. Write a poem
6. Write a letter to your future self
7. Make a homemade beauty product
8. Make my own professional-style photoshoot
9. Learn how to use Photoshop (ADDED)

Getting Active

1. Sign up for a triathlon
2. Couples dance class
3. Complete an entire P90x or Insanity workout
4. Play flag football (this one’s for my husband!)
5. Jog in Central Park in New York
6. Climb the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty

Eating & Drinking

1. Make my own pizza
2. Try a “eat-x-much and it’s free” at a restaurant
3. Eat a cronut
4. Learn to differentiate wine tastes
5. Bake my own amazing birthday cake
6. Learn how to make a signature cocktail
7. Get drinks at an old speakeasy

What an Adventure

1. Visit somewhere new (Austria? Lichtenstein?)
2. Fly with a baby
3. Make my bucket list
4. Drive over 200km/h on German autobahn
5. Drive a car worth more than a house
6. Say yes for an entire day
7. Take something you already do and do it differently. Idea: pop-up yoga

Intellectual Stimulation

1. Go to the opera
2. Sign up for a class at Harvard
3. Finally understand the Higgs Boson 
4. Watch a classic movie (Gone With The Wind, The Godfather, etc). (ADDED)

Lifestyle (ie Miscellaneous I just wanted to give it a fancy title)

1. Volunteer somewhere
2. Speak only German for an entire day
3. Learn to drive stick shift
4. Tour my dad’s childhood neighborhood
5. Cut my hair
6. Plant a tree for Emilia (or something she can always go back an visit and watch grow)
7. Be dressed by a stylist
8. Attend a live fashion show
9. Meet women in Switzerland who will actually continue to live in Switzerland and not move back to America and break my heart!
10. Get my palm read/fortune told

Total Ideas: 41 43
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Think I can do it? Could you??