To avoid one crazy long post, I'm going to break up my Tri experience.
1. Expo day
2. RACE DAY!
Saturday August 25th: Expo/Packet Pickup day
The whole week leading up to the tri I had been getting terrible sleep. My gut was all fluttery and unpleasant and honestly, even though it was the first week of classes, I don't remember much of it. I do remember finishing the first to units for my online class so that was a plus.
Got up Saturday morning, freaking out. I rechecked my bags about a billion times to make sure I had everything. We loaded up the car and drove to Pleasant Prairie. We arrived at the Recplex and it was pretty packed. I learned that 2,300 women were competing so it makes sense that there was a lot of activity. The Recplex basketball area was sectioned off and there were stations set up all over.
The first thing I did was check the wall for my race number > #4452, my wave number > #2 starting at 7:03am, and my swim cap color > purple.
I wandered over to pick up my timing chip and then settled in to listen to the Race Day pep talk and the Course Overview. It was fun listening to the amazing stories of all the women who overcame severe accidents, cancer, and all sorts of other things just to make it to the tri. I felt a little intimidated by the number of women competing but almost everyone I talked to was sweet and supportive. After the talk, Sally Edwards was signing posters and offering one on one encouragement. This is gonna sound super nerdy, but when I got up to the table she hugged me (remember I met/trained with her for tri camp) and signed a poster with a runner on it for me and I was really excited that she remembered me. It says, "Carrie- You are an AWESOME runner!" It's funny because I am not, but its really inspiring and I'm going to hang it up in my room. I'll be a runner one day.
On the way out of the Recplex, we had our timing chips checked (gotta make sure its registered to you) and got body marked. Basically, these nice ladies with giant sharpies write your race number on your arm. Not gonna lie, I felt pretty badass.
Last stop on the expo train = rack your bike.
I brought my bike into transition, got my tire pressure checked and found a spot to hang my bike and tried not to imagine all the horrible things that could potentially happen. Like imagine a burglar all ninja and sneaky like, clad in all black complete with the black mask that only shows your eyes coming in the night to steal my bike.
My family came up to support me (along with Don and Danny) and we all had Famous Daves for dinner. I know I said I was going to carbo load, but the Olive Garden was insane - I guess everyone else had the same idea - so we decided that we wanted to eat sometime that night and went to Famous Daves instead.
I settled into bed at 9pm, setting my alarm for 4:40am and, guess what? I had a really hard time falling asleep. I woke up like 5 times and sometime after four just laid in bed waiting for the alarm to go off.
Monday, August 27, 2012
Friday, August 24, 2012
Almost There!
As I sit down to write my pre race blog post I find it hard to not type "HOLY SHIT" and "AHHHH" over and over again. I am a glass case of emotion! I know I've been planning for this for so long and it's time to just put on my big girl tri shorts and get to it, but I'm just so nervous.
Tomorrow morning we're driving up to Pleasant Prairie and I'll get my race number and be able to rack my bike in the transition area. They are also going to have a Q and A session about the course and afterward Sally Edwards is going to give a Race Day Overview. I'm excited to listen to Sally explain race day, she is knowledgeable and made TriCamp so much fun, I'm sure she'll be full of nerve soothing advice.
I'm all packed up and looking forward to my pre race "carb fest". We are going to go to Olive Garden for dinner tomorrow and I know fest implies I will stuff my face, but rest assured dear readers I will eat within reason. No one wants to watch me throw up all over the course.
My only worry is that the weather will be crummy Sunday. Weather Channel is calling for scattered thunderstorms and I would hate for the race to be cancelled. I can tough out some rain if they'll let me. I'm also kind of worried I'll forget something but as long as I have my goggles, my bike, and my shoes I'll be fine.
I want to thank everyone who has supported me thus far. I wouldn't be freaking out at all without you. I'd be sitting around doing nothing with myself, totally unfit. So thank you for helping me change my life for the better.
I know this isn't a substance rich post but it's truly difficult to keep my terrified happiness in check. I promise an epic post race recap complete with pictures on Monday!
Wish me Luck! Next time I post, I'll be a triathlete! :)
Tomorrow morning we're driving up to Pleasant Prairie and I'll get my race number and be able to rack my bike in the transition area. They are also going to have a Q and A session about the course and afterward Sally Edwards is going to give a Race Day Overview. I'm excited to listen to Sally explain race day, she is knowledgeable and made TriCamp so much fun, I'm sure she'll be full of nerve soothing advice.
I'm all packed up and looking forward to my pre race "carb fest". We are going to go to Olive Garden for dinner tomorrow and I know fest implies I will stuff my face, but rest assured dear readers I will eat within reason. No one wants to watch me throw up all over the course.
My only worry is that the weather will be crummy Sunday. Weather Channel is calling for scattered thunderstorms and I would hate for the race to be cancelled. I can tough out some rain if they'll let me. I'm also kind of worried I'll forget something but as long as I have my goggles, my bike, and my shoes I'll be fine.
I want to thank everyone who has supported me thus far. I wouldn't be freaking out at all without you. I'd be sitting around doing nothing with myself, totally unfit. So thank you for helping me change my life for the better.
I know this isn't a substance rich post but it's truly difficult to keep my terrified happiness in check. I promise an epic post race recap complete with pictures on Monday!
Wish me Luck! Next time I post, I'll be a triathlete! :)
Sunday, August 19, 2012
One More Week
7 days...
Just one week left.
I kind of don't even know what to say. It's here. Well, almost. I know that if I'm being honest I didn't do everything I possibly could to prepare for this. I have done quite a bit more then I usually do, but I know that if I could do it all over again I would be better. Train harder. Eat smarter. Of course I'm sure these are pre race jitters, but they don't make them any less true. Again I find myself wondering if starting with other things would have made more sense, instead of just jumping into the sport of triathlon, but I guess we'll never know. Besides, there's always next year. It's do or die time. Death before DNF! I saw that on a bumper sticker and it made me laugh. DNF means 'did not finish', which you get if you...wait for it...don't finish. I find it unlikely that I will DNF. Actually, just drown me in the lake and leave me in Wisconsin if that's the case. I mean it's a super sprint for Pete's sake.
Honestly, there's one thing I'm worried about. They take a picture when you cross the finish line and, of all things, I'm worried about how crappy I'm going to look. I mean really I'm going to be sweaty as hell and my hair is just gonna be a mess! Haha... Isn't that the silliest thing to worry about?
Alright, negative time is over.
So! I guess there is a cycling club in Oak Lawn. I'm kind of excited. They are called Bike Psychos (love it) and they meet the first Monday of every month from March - October. They are having a Century Ride on the same day as my tri. You can ride anywhere between 30 and 124 miles. I would like to maybe participate next year. That is a hell of a lot of miles on a bike seat though. You'd have to train your ass just as much as your legs. It's only $25 for membership for the year and even though I'd love to join now, it seems silly with only 2 meetings left for the season. It's definitely something to keep in mind for next year though.
I'm a little bit scared of what is going to happen to me after the Tri. I'm going to need a new goal. I'm afraid without one, I'll go back to my old ways and gain all that weight back again. I know ultimately my new goal will be completing a SPRINT triathlon. All the way. Swimming the total 1/2 mile and no walking during the run. So I guess the next logical step is really concentrating on my swim and my run. The freaking run. Ugh.
I suppose I'll just have to create myself a plan and stick to it. I think my next goal is just to focus on my weight. Yes, I will be working on my swim and run, but between September and the end of the year I'd like to be at 20% of my weight lost (that would be -56lbs. but if I'm being honest I'd like to just round it up to -60lbs.) This will require me to focus more on what I'm eating then how I'm working out. When I was training, the workout was always more important then the eating, so it'll be interesting to see the results of giving them equal importance. Yeah, I know I should have been doing that the whole time. You live and you learn.
I'm so close to 10% right now I can taste it. I'm not sure if I'll make it before Saturday but if not I should most definitely hit it the week after. I think I've given enough numbers for you to figure out my starting weight at this point, but call me a coward, I just can't actually type it out.
So, one week left. This is me. Trying not to panic.
Just one week left.
I kind of don't even know what to say. It's here. Well, almost. I know that if I'm being honest I didn't do everything I possibly could to prepare for this. I have done quite a bit more then I usually do, but I know that if I could do it all over again I would be better. Train harder. Eat smarter. Of course I'm sure these are pre race jitters, but they don't make them any less true. Again I find myself wondering if starting with other things would have made more sense, instead of just jumping into the sport of triathlon, but I guess we'll never know. Besides, there's always next year. It's do or die time. Death before DNF! I saw that on a bumper sticker and it made me laugh. DNF means 'did not finish', which you get if you...wait for it...don't finish. I find it unlikely that I will DNF. Actually, just drown me in the lake and leave me in Wisconsin if that's the case. I mean it's a super sprint for Pete's sake.
Honestly, there's one thing I'm worried about. They take a picture when you cross the finish line and, of all things, I'm worried about how crappy I'm going to look. I mean really I'm going to be sweaty as hell and my hair is just gonna be a mess! Haha... Isn't that the silliest thing to worry about?
Alright, negative time is over.
So! I guess there is a cycling club in Oak Lawn. I'm kind of excited. They are called Bike Psychos (love it) and they meet the first Monday of every month from March - October. They are having a Century Ride on the same day as my tri. You can ride anywhere between 30 and 124 miles. I would like to maybe participate next year. That is a hell of a lot of miles on a bike seat though. You'd have to train your ass just as much as your legs. It's only $25 for membership for the year and even though I'd love to join now, it seems silly with only 2 meetings left for the season. It's definitely something to keep in mind for next year though.
I'm a little bit scared of what is going to happen to me after the Tri. I'm going to need a new goal. I'm afraid without one, I'll go back to my old ways and gain all that weight back again. I know ultimately my new goal will be completing a SPRINT triathlon. All the way. Swimming the total 1/2 mile and no walking during the run. So I guess the next logical step is really concentrating on my swim and my run. The freaking run. Ugh.
I suppose I'll just have to create myself a plan and stick to it. I think my next goal is just to focus on my weight. Yes, I will be working on my swim and run, but between September and the end of the year I'd like to be at 20% of my weight lost (that would be -56lbs. but if I'm being honest I'd like to just round it up to -60lbs.) This will require me to focus more on what I'm eating then how I'm working out. When I was training, the workout was always more important then the eating, so it'll be interesting to see the results of giving them equal importance. Yeah, I know I should have been doing that the whole time. You live and you learn.
I'm so close to 10% right now I can taste it. I'm not sure if I'll make it before Saturday but if not I should most definitely hit it the week after. I think I've given enough numbers for you to figure out my starting weight at this point, but call me a coward, I just can't actually type it out.
So, one week left. This is me. Trying not to panic.
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Practice Run
14 days left...
Friday, as planned I had a little run through of the Tri sports. I knew it was gonna be a good workout when I heard 101.1 play "As Long as You Love Me" by the Backstreet Boys while driving to the gym. Not gonna lie, I laughed and then very discreetly blasted the song and sang along like it was 1997. I remembered all the words, just in case you were wondering. I also really want to find all my old CDs...
So anyway, I needed to be sure I could do it before the event, for me, just in case. I'd have to say it went pretty well. I successfully completed all three sports, or at least the gym equivalent.
Swam 16 lengths of a 25M pool (or 8 laps) = about 10 minutes
Biked 10 miles at 9/10 of 20 resistance on the UPRIGHT stationary bike = not quite 50 minutes
Ran(walked) 2 miles between 3.0-4.5 on the treadmill = 36 minutes
Total time = 1hr 35min 15sec
Now I know that time isn't the greatest but I hope it'll be a bit better on event day. I anticipate my swim to be either much better due to terror, or much worse due to being dragged under by equally terrified ladies. I hope my bike will be much better because I was keeping a 5 minute mile pace for Bike the Drive and it was quite leisurely. As for the "run" I hope to just throw a little jogging in there and hope to maybe use my race day adrenaline to hit a 15min mile. Which I know is not an awesome time and most people can walk at that pace but I'm factoring in my horridness and tiredness and trying to be realistic.
Again, it really doesn't matter because I just want to finish. So now it will be nice to have something to compare my results to.
Sidebar - Weighed in today. This week -3.8. Overall total = -21 lbs
Today at work, a very nice co worker mentioned that I was looking like I lost some weight and that I was looking good. I smiled and thanked her and told her it was actually 21 pounds today. As I was thanking her she started to apologize and I was confused. She said that some people get offended and are like "Uh so what? I was super fat before then?"
I'm sorry. What? I can't imagine ever saying that. I know I'm overweight and unhealthy, but I am proud of every inch and every pound I lose. I am taking the steps to become a better me. So even though I may shrug it off, like it's no big deal because really I have so much more to lose, I appreciate that people are noticing.
I'm still not really noticing myself yet, but I have a serious issue with anything under 24 pounds, which I have expressed already, so I guess we'll see what happens when I start losing again, instead of "re"losing and when I hit my 10%. Sadly, the only thing I've noticed is that my bras aren't as full but hopefully soon I'll notice it in my other clothes as well.
Two very short weeks left. AHHHHHHH!!! :)
Friday, as planned I had a little run through of the Tri sports. I knew it was gonna be a good workout when I heard 101.1 play "As Long as You Love Me" by the Backstreet Boys while driving to the gym. Not gonna lie, I laughed and then very discreetly blasted the song and sang along like it was 1997. I remembered all the words, just in case you were wondering. I also really want to find all my old CDs...
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| Thanks Guys! |
Swam 16 lengths of a 25M pool (or 8 laps) = about 10 minutes
Biked 10 miles at 9/10 of 20 resistance on the UPRIGHT stationary bike = not quite 50 minutes
Ran(walked) 2 miles between 3.0-4.5 on the treadmill = 36 minutes
Total time = 1hr 35min 15sec
Now I know that time isn't the greatest but I hope it'll be a bit better on event day. I anticipate my swim to be either much better due to terror, or much worse due to being dragged under by equally terrified ladies. I hope my bike will be much better because I was keeping a 5 minute mile pace for Bike the Drive and it was quite leisurely. As for the "run" I hope to just throw a little jogging in there and hope to maybe use my race day adrenaline to hit a 15min mile. Which I know is not an awesome time and most people can walk at that pace but I'm factoring in my horridness and tiredness and trying to be realistic.
Again, it really doesn't matter because I just want to finish. So now it will be nice to have something to compare my results to.
Sidebar - Weighed in today. This week -3.8. Overall total = -21 lbs
Today at work, a very nice co worker mentioned that I was looking like I lost some weight and that I was looking good. I smiled and thanked her and told her it was actually 21 pounds today. As I was thanking her she started to apologize and I was confused. She said that some people get offended and are like "Uh so what? I was super fat before then?"
I'm sorry. What? I can't imagine ever saying that. I know I'm overweight and unhealthy, but I am proud of every inch and every pound I lose. I am taking the steps to become a better me. So even though I may shrug it off, like it's no big deal because really I have so much more to lose, I appreciate that people are noticing.
I'm still not really noticing myself yet, but I have a serious issue with anything under 24 pounds, which I have expressed already, so I guess we'll see what happens when I start losing again, instead of "re"losing and when I hit my 10%. Sadly, the only thing I've noticed is that my bras aren't as full but hopefully soon I'll notice it in my other clothes as well.
Two very short weeks left. AHHHHHHH!!! :)
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Olympic Inspiration
17 days left...
So since I am doing my own little triathlon, I was really looking forward to watching the Olympic women's tri. Sadly, the women's triathlon was on Saturday at 3a.m. so I set my Tivo to record the event and went to sleep. Much to my SEVERE ANGER I woke up and discovered that instead of changing the channel to 68, for NBC Sports, Tivo forgot that all important 8 and recorded SIX WHOLE HOURS of Telemundo. Tivo should have known that no one records that much Telemundo, ever.
So I missed the women's triathlon. It really sucked because Sara Groff (USA) took 4th place with a time of 2hrs. I know she didn't get a medal but from the articles I read, she kicked some butt. The Gold medal finish time was 1:59:48.00 and Groff's finish was 2:00:00.00. It's crazy to think so little time can make the difference between Gold and no medal at all. Either way, the articles I read didn't do the race the justice I'm sure it deserved and I'm sad to have missed it.
I was hoping to pull inspiration from watching the race, but I did catch quite a bit of swimming and cycling. The track events terrify instead of inspire but I watched a couple of them too.
So a while back I mentioned that I don't use the treadmill in my room because I hate the noise it makes under my weight. I cleaned it off and actually got on it today. You know what helps with the loudness? Increasing the volume of the tv.
I did a brick workout today, which means practicing doing 2 sports in one workout so (pause for this shocker) that you can simulate the race and practice transitions. I biked this afternoon and it started to drizzle so I only did 8 miles instead of the 10, but I had planned on walk/running right after so instead of ditching the walk/run portion of my workout I fired up the old treadmill and gots to jogging. It wasn't the worst thing ever.
Friday, I plan to do a run through at the gym. I know the stationary bike and treadmill aren't ideal, but it's just so I can convince myself I can actually make it through the whole thing. Plus, you know, the pool is there so it makes it much easier. I'll let you know how it goes.
So since I am doing my own little triathlon, I was really looking forward to watching the Olympic women's tri. Sadly, the women's triathlon was on Saturday at 3a.m. so I set my Tivo to record the event and went to sleep. Much to my SEVERE ANGER I woke up and discovered that instead of changing the channel to 68, for NBC Sports, Tivo forgot that all important 8 and recorded SIX WHOLE HOURS of Telemundo. Tivo should have known that no one records that much Telemundo, ever.
So I missed the women's triathlon. It really sucked because Sara Groff (USA) took 4th place with a time of 2hrs. I know she didn't get a medal but from the articles I read, she kicked some butt. The Gold medal finish time was 1:59:48.00 and Groff's finish was 2:00:00.00. It's crazy to think so little time can make the difference between Gold and no medal at all. Either way, the articles I read didn't do the race the justice I'm sure it deserved and I'm sad to have missed it.
I was hoping to pull inspiration from watching the race, but I did catch quite a bit of swimming and cycling. The track events terrify instead of inspire but I watched a couple of them too.
So a while back I mentioned that I don't use the treadmill in my room because I hate the noise it makes under my weight. I cleaned it off and actually got on it today. You know what helps with the loudness? Increasing the volume of the tv.
I did a brick workout today, which means practicing doing 2 sports in one workout so (pause for this shocker) that you can simulate the race and practice transitions. I biked this afternoon and it started to drizzle so I only did 8 miles instead of the 10, but I had planned on walk/running right after so instead of ditching the walk/run portion of my workout I fired up the old treadmill and gots to jogging. It wasn't the worst thing ever.
Friday, I plan to do a run through at the gym. I know the stationary bike and treadmill aren't ideal, but it's just so I can convince myself I can actually make it through the whole thing. Plus, you know, the pool is there so it makes it much easier. I'll let you know how it goes.
Friday, August 3, 2012
Twistin' the Night Away
22 days left...
Have you ever used the twisty thing in the gym that is supposed to work your obliques?
I think it's called the torso twist. You kneel on this spinny thing and you grip these handles that are about chest height, while resting your chest against this padded thing, so your upper body is facing forward and your knees are pointed to the left or right. You choose your weight and twist your torso to realign with your body, effectively using your oblique muscles.
I apologize for thisterribly technical description of a very complicated exercise... but bare with me, I do have a point. THIS THING FREAKING WORKS. Now, when I say it works, I don't mean I've developed a six pack overnight. If only. I mean, holy crap do my sides hurt. They hurt so good.
Because of the heat I've been in the gym a bit more frequently these past two weeks. I could get up super early when it's still in the 70's but let's face it, I hate getting up early. I do, stupidly I might add, bike right in the middle of the day. I'm going to suck it up and start getting up though because as we all know, running is my nemesis and I need to be practicing doing it outside.
So being back in the gym brings be back to when I started training. I forgot how many stupid people are out there. Here's a nice little update to the list of things I would put on the hand out flier I'd like to make.
1. If you are going to hang out with a bunch of people at the gym, don't sit on a bunch of machines with no intention of using them. Take your manly coffee clutch to the locker room where you can gossip about your triceps all you want.
2. Walking about with a can of energy drink does not impress me. Oh, you need all that energy to support your super strenuous workout? Well, energy drinks are sticky and you have no way of closing those cans. I'm looking at you bandanna guy... the seat of the chest press machine was suspiciously sticky.
3. THE GYM POOL IS NOT A PLACE FOR YOU TO BRING YOUR FREAKING FAMILY SO THEY CAN COOL OFF!
4. Really, I still don't understand how you workout in jeans. It's too hot out to even be wearing them outside. Enjoy that heat rash I'm sure you're getting.
There are so many more, but I'll just let this guy tell you...
This is Gym Etiquette by LifeAccordingToJimmy on YouTube. I love this video.
Until next time, I'll keep wearing all that neon shit and training hard.
Have you ever used the twisty thing in the gym that is supposed to work your obliques?
I think it's called the torso twist. You kneel on this spinny thing and you grip these handles that are about chest height, while resting your chest against this padded thing, so your upper body is facing forward and your knees are pointed to the left or right. You choose your weight and twist your torso to realign with your body, effectively using your oblique muscles.
I apologize for this
Because of the heat I've been in the gym a bit more frequently these past two weeks. I could get up super early when it's still in the 70's but let's face it, I hate getting up early. I do, stupidly I might add, bike right in the middle of the day. I'm going to suck it up and start getting up though because as we all know, running is my nemesis and I need to be practicing doing it outside.
So being back in the gym brings be back to when I started training. I forgot how many stupid people are out there. Here's a nice little update to the list of things I would put on the hand out flier I'd like to make.
1. If you are going to hang out with a bunch of people at the gym, don't sit on a bunch of machines with no intention of using them. Take your manly coffee clutch to the locker room where you can gossip about your triceps all you want.
2. Walking about with a can of energy drink does not impress me. Oh, you need all that energy to support your super strenuous workout? Well, energy drinks are sticky and you have no way of closing those cans. I'm looking at you bandanna guy... the seat of the chest press machine was suspiciously sticky.
3. THE GYM POOL IS NOT A PLACE FOR YOU TO BRING YOUR FREAKING FAMILY SO THEY CAN COOL OFF!
4. Really, I still don't understand how you workout in jeans. It's too hot out to even be wearing them outside. Enjoy that heat rash I'm sure you're getting.
There are so many more, but I'll just let this guy tell you...
This is Gym Etiquette by LifeAccordingToJimmy on YouTube. I love this video.
Until next time, I'll keep wearing all that neon shit and training hard.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Long Time No Blog
38 days left.
The last couple weeks have been hard. I have danced that fine line between wanting to work as hard as humanly possible and totally giving up. I also considered not updating this blog anymore. Obviously, I decided against it. If only to update my far reaching support on my progress.
The turning point was Saturday. I got up and decided after 3 weeks of missing meetings for some excuse or another that I would go back to weight watchers and see what damage I had done. I spent those off weeks barely tracking and working out very sporadically. I was surprised to find that I had hit my 5% goal. I had lost 5% of my body weight. I mean it's not a lot, but my 5% is quite a bit more than other peoples. I decided that if I could lose weight without really trying, only vaguely being aware of trying to eat a bit better, imagine what I could do if I was really giving it my all?
Of course, I have all the time in the world to lose. I only have 38 days left to train. I've actually roped my sister into sometimes doing the run parts with me. We also are signing up for the Firefly 5k on September 15th. It sounds really fun and were going to most likely run/walk, which is totally okay.
This week has been really good. Fortified by my weight loss and my new goal (Hit my 10% by the Tri) I've been on point with my training. Running outside has been difficult and a little more painful than treadmill running. I run at the E.P. high school track, which is easier on my knees and it's easy to keep track of distance. 4 times around = 1 mile. Very simple.
I even tried a pilates dvd yesterday and man does my ass hurt. The woman on the dvd is crazy fit and super thin and expects a lot out of you, even in the modified exercises. I didn't even make it through the whole dvd to be honest and my gut (I can't in good conscience call them ABS) and butt hurt in a way that makes me feel like if I keep with the dvd I may have a flatter stomach and tighter tush if I keep with it.
I got an encouraging text as I sat down to write today. It's like she knew I was blogging again! "Float, roll, stroll!!! Sending good training vibes your way!" I've got say, float, roll, stroll is so much less intimidating then swim, bike, run. I like it. Thank you Julie :)
Alrighty. Truth time. So back in the day, when I wrote about noticing I had signed up for the SUPER sprint (1/4mi swim, 10mi bike, 2mi run) instead of the Sprint (1/2mi swim, 14mi bike, 3mi run). I said I had fixed the situation right away. Well, I had tried to fix the situation right away, but the site was down at the time and I have yet to change from the super to the regular sprint. Honestly, I don't think I'm going to. I'm scared that if I do the regular sprint that I won't finish. This isn't some bull shit excuse that I'm using to go easy on myself. It's also not me not giving myself enough credit. I think the super sprint is going to be pretty damn challenging. It's really the 3 mile run at the end of the regular sprint that scares me. I really think after the swim and the bike, I won't be able to do the whole 3 miles without collapsing. More importantly, it's my first triathlon. I think it makes sense to start with the smallest and work my way up.
I was worried I would be disappointed with myself only doing the super sprint. At first, I was. I felt like I was giving up and letting myself and everyone else down. That everyone coming to see me would be stupid for coming out for just a lowly SUPER sprint triathlon. But screw that. I'm still doing a freaking triathlon. I, a 25 year old, 100+ pounds over weight (no, I am not exaggerating), non runner, am doing a super sprint TRIATHLON. I hope that by doing the super I am avoiding the terrible sense of failure I would feel if I didn't finish the regular sprint. I really feel like I can finish the super sprint and definitely not be last. I also think that by doing the super sprint and succeeding, I could be establishing a real love of the tri that could be ruined if I try the regular sprint and fail. Baby steps people, baby steps.
So that's it. I'm back. I've got 38 days til the Super Sprint Triathlon in Pleasant Prairie,Wisconsin and I'm pretty excited and crazy nervous.
The last couple weeks have been hard. I have danced that fine line between wanting to work as hard as humanly possible and totally giving up. I also considered not updating this blog anymore. Obviously, I decided against it. If only to update my far reaching support on my progress.
The turning point was Saturday. I got up and decided after 3 weeks of missing meetings for some excuse or another that I would go back to weight watchers and see what damage I had done. I spent those off weeks barely tracking and working out very sporadically. I was surprised to find that I had hit my 5% goal. I had lost 5% of my body weight. I mean it's not a lot, but my 5% is quite a bit more than other peoples. I decided that if I could lose weight without really trying, only vaguely being aware of trying to eat a bit better, imagine what I could do if I was really giving it my all?
Of course, I have all the time in the world to lose. I only have 38 days left to train. I've actually roped my sister into sometimes doing the run parts with me. We also are signing up for the Firefly 5k on September 15th. It sounds really fun and were going to most likely run/walk, which is totally okay.
This week has been really good. Fortified by my weight loss and my new goal (Hit my 10% by the Tri) I've been on point with my training. Running outside has been difficult and a little more painful than treadmill running. I run at the E.P. high school track, which is easier on my knees and it's easy to keep track of distance. 4 times around = 1 mile. Very simple.
I even tried a pilates dvd yesterday and man does my ass hurt. The woman on the dvd is crazy fit and super thin and expects a lot out of you, even in the modified exercises. I didn't even make it through the whole dvd to be honest and my gut (I can't in good conscience call them ABS) and butt hurt in a way that makes me feel like if I keep with the dvd I may have a flatter stomach and tighter tush if I keep with it.
I got an encouraging text as I sat down to write today. It's like she knew I was blogging again! "Float, roll, stroll!!! Sending good training vibes your way!" I've got say, float, roll, stroll is so much less intimidating then swim, bike, run. I like it. Thank you Julie :)
Alrighty. Truth time. So back in the day, when I wrote about noticing I had signed up for the SUPER sprint (1/4mi swim, 10mi bike, 2mi run) instead of the Sprint (1/2mi swim, 14mi bike, 3mi run). I said I had fixed the situation right away. Well, I had tried to fix the situation right away, but the site was down at the time and I have yet to change from the super to the regular sprint. Honestly, I don't think I'm going to. I'm scared that if I do the regular sprint that I won't finish. This isn't some bull shit excuse that I'm using to go easy on myself. It's also not me not giving myself enough credit. I think the super sprint is going to be pretty damn challenging. It's really the 3 mile run at the end of the regular sprint that scares me. I really think after the swim and the bike, I won't be able to do the whole 3 miles without collapsing. More importantly, it's my first triathlon. I think it makes sense to start with the smallest and work my way up.
I was worried I would be disappointed with myself only doing the super sprint. At first, I was. I felt like I was giving up and letting myself and everyone else down. That everyone coming to see me would be stupid for coming out for just a lowly SUPER sprint triathlon. But screw that. I'm still doing a freaking triathlon. I, a 25 year old, 100+ pounds over weight (no, I am not exaggerating), non runner, am doing a super sprint TRIATHLON. I hope that by doing the super I am avoiding the terrible sense of failure I would feel if I didn't finish the regular sprint. I really feel like I can finish the super sprint and definitely not be last. I also think that by doing the super sprint and succeeding, I could be establishing a real love of the tri that could be ruined if I try the regular sprint and fail. Baby steps people, baby steps.
So that's it. I'm back. I've got 38 days til the Super Sprint Triathlon in Pleasant Prairie,Wisconsin and I'm pretty excited and crazy nervous.
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