Carpentersville resident truly inspirational
If you feel like you're stuck for time on a daily basis, try living Carpentersville resident Steve Janowiak's life for a day. His lifestyle and commitment to fitness and a notable cause are inspirational.
Be warned, though, he starts early.
Skipping breakfast isn't an option for Janowiak, who's not only working full-time, raising a child and spending time with his wife, Janowiak is also training for two Ironman Triathlons in one week. The first is today in Louisville.
Juggling a marathon training schedule has been testing enough and that's only one leg of the three-discipling triathlon. Not only is Janowiak training to run a marathon, 26.2 miles, but add a 2.4 mile swim and a 112-mile bike ride and do it all in under 17 hours to be crowned Ironman.
It makes me exhausted just thinking about it. Getting up by 5 a.m. to run does not sound like my idea of a good morning. And instead of heading home after a long day at the office, Janowiak heads to a 3-hour training ride before going home to his wife and young son.
In between, Janowiak finds time to eat, sleep and live his life. Granted, food often comes in the form of a shake or liquid. It's quick, it's easy and you get all of your necessary vitamins, minerals and most of all, calories, in one easy to swallow formula.
OK, easy to swallow might be a stretch.
Janowiak said he drinks Ensure like it is going out of style. The company won't be going out of business, though, as long as Janowiak is training for a triathlon, or two. Try drinking half a dozen of those a day.
I thought Janowiak's grocery bill would be through the roof, but he says drinking Ensure keeps food costs down.
But food costs aside, Janowiak spends up to 20 hours a week or more doing two workouts a day. For those who complain they don't have time to get one workout in in one day, here's proof you can.
And they're not the 30-minutes-a-day kind of workouts - try three-hour bike rides and 90-minute swims, plus maybe a two or more hour run.
If you have time management complaints, think about Janowiak next time you whine about not having enough time.
He's not doing it to stay fit. Janowiak is raising money for the Aplastic Anaemia Foundation. His wife, Joanne, is in remission from the rare bone marrow disease, which essentially causes the bone marrow to shut down and stop producing blood cells that do things like get oxygen to your brain.
His goal is to raise awareness to the disease by completing two triathlons in one week. When people ask why he wants to do two Ironman events within seven days, Janowiak tells them about the cause and thus brings attention to the potentially fatal disease.
You can track his progress and donate to the Aplastic Anaemia Foundation by logging onto his Web site, 2foraa.blogspot.com. Although his first race is today in Louisville, you can still help Janowiak reach his goal $15,000 goal.
He is a little short right now of that goal, so every little bit counts. Forgo that coffee-a-day habit this week or pack your lunch a few days. If lots of people give a little bit, it will make all of the difference in the world. And remember to send Janowiak a cheer.