From Fat to Triathlete

Encouragement

2

It’s a Journey

January 8, 2013

I have been thinking a lot lately about this blog and my journey to becoming a triathlete. And I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m trying to do things out of order. The name of the blog is Fat2Triathlete. I think I wanted to skip the fat part, skip all the hard work that will be needed to get in shape and go straight to triathlete part.

This plan just hasn’t worked out all that well for me.

So, I’ve decided to go back to the beginning and work my way to the end, taking each step as it comes. I don’t have to be a world class athlete tomorrow. I don’t have to be perfect right away. It’s a journey – one I’m going to take. And I’m going to enjoy the ride.

Gayle is reading ChiWalking: Fitness Walking for Lifelong Health and Energy and on Sunday she read to me an analogy from the book that fits my situation perfectly. When you are baking a cake, you don’t throw together all the ingredients and toss it in an oven that has been turned up to the highest temperature and expect to have the best tasting cake ever 15 minutes later. Instead, you carefully measure the ingredients in the proper order, turn on the oven to a proper temperature and let the cake bake slowly until it’s done. Then, and only then, do you have a cake that is tasty and worthy of eating.

This blog will document my JOURNEY from fat to triathlete. Every step, every trial, every learning experience. I want to document it all.  I have come up with a few steps that I want to concentrate on as I progress.  They are detailed in the graphic below.

My focus for the first few months of 2013 will be gaining a base fitness level and eating healthier. To that end, I have joined a gym and will be working out 5 days a week. Monday, Wednesday and Friday will be cardio (walking/running on the treadmill). Tuesdays and Thursdays will be weightlifting. I need to increase my muscle tone to support my joints. Muscle also burns more calories than fat, so that will help with my weight loss.

In addition to all this, I am walking with Gayle in her 50K at 50 Challenge. We will be walking a 50K in the month of January (the month she turns 50)

I am hopeful that the acknowledgement of where I truly am and the realization that it will be a process to get where I need to be will bring me great success and health.

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3

Sometimes There is Nowhere Else to Go

October 26, 2012

Wilmington traffic can be heavy in places, often with no reason at all.  If there is a reason, it’s usually just because of a fender bender where the participants decided it was better to block traffic than move to the side of the road.  Wilmington is also one of those towns that does not have a great pattern of roads.  There is no easy way to get from one place to another.  Even leaving our neighborhood can be tricky.

However on Saturday there was a reason for the slow and stopped traffic.  There were 1800 people participating in the Beach 2 Battleship Triathlon which necessitated the blocking of one lane of a busy thoroughfare and also stopping traffic on occasion to let cyclists cross the road safely.  Now, I have no problem with this and wouldn’t have a problem if I was one of the drivers either, however it seems there are some that don’t share my feelings.

By the time I got to mile 18 of my cycling adventure, traffic was at a standstill and I was riding by all the stopped cars.    The first “boo” I heard out a car window just confused me.  I wasn’t sure I heard it correctly, so I shrugged and just moved on.  The next comment was “Hurry up, we are all waiting on you!”  Even though I knew it wasn’t true, it gave me pause.  As I mentioned in my race report, I was struggling with a bent derailer which was not allowing me to shift gears at all.  The negativity just added to my frustration and discouragement.  It certainly did not increase my pedal speed.  There were 5-6 more negative comments, and surprisingly only 2 positive cheers out of car windows as I cycled on.   The whole experience left me wanting to just give up.

Let me pause for a minute and say that I am not petite.  (You might have already gathered that from the Fat to Triathlete name of my blog)  I am an overweight triathlete.  On this particular day, I was at the back of the pack.  There were no other cyclists to be seen, and I was being followed by a van with a big sign on the side that said “Last Cyclist”.  So, I’m sure these motorists thought that as soon as I went past, the roads would miraculously clear and they would be free to go.  (Not true since they weren’t technically waiting on me, but they didn’t know that.)

Thinking back on it later, it really made me mad.  I wish I had been able to stop my bike at the people who yelled and asked if they wanted to trade places.  At least I was out there, and not sitting in my car.  My next thought was shock.  Why would you put someone down like that?  It’s crazy to me.

I remembered those feelings later on that day as we were driving away from downtown.  We were stopped by a police officer so some race participants could run across the street.  You better believe I rolled down my window, shook my cowbell like crazy and cheered!  I hope they heard me and it brightened their spirits some.  I hope I can continue to remember and encourage others no matter what their journey may be.

This small instance is not indicative of my experiences the rest of the day.  I heard a huge amount of positive and encouraging comments along my journey, and every one of them lifted my spirits and my pace.  The encouragement far outweighed those few miles of negative jerks.

Mr Beau Vine with a good message

I was downtown a few weeks ago and saw a great church marquis.  It simply said “Avoid Negative People”.  What a great idea!  The cow in the picture is Mr Beau Vine, a  ”Stress Ball”  that Gayle carries with her to record her travels.  You can follow their travels here.

The whole experience got me thinking, I wish I could have avoided those negative people on Saturday.  I wish I could avoid negative people everyday.  However, as a large woman participating in a sport dominated by skinny people, it seems to follow me.  I just need to remember (as do all of us that are not the “ideal size”) that I am not doing this for other people.  I don’t run and ride my bike for those guys stopped in traffic.  I do it for me.  It makes me happy, it’s making me healthier and thinner (I hope).  So, while I can’t avoid the negative, I can choose to not let it bother me.  It certainly won’t cause me to quit!  I am a fat triathlete.  I’m having a lot of fun! and I’m still tri’ng

 

 

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I’m a Tortoise

March 5, 2012

The other night, Gayle and I were having dinner (Crock Pot Chicken & Dumplings – super easy, super good), and the talk turned to my training. Gayle made the observation that I am the tortoise from the fairy tale “The Tortoise and the Hare”.  I plod along at a slow and steady pace and eventually get to the end, but without any sense of urgency or speed.  And while that did help the tortoise beat the hare, he did so in his own sweet time.  The race I’m training for, on the other hand, has a time limit, and while it might seem that 17 hours is plenty of time I know from my half ironman experience and reading others race reports that it might not be enough.

So, while starting out at warp speed and burning myself out is not recommended, I do need to develop a sense of urgency with my training.  I need to pick up the pace and not be satisfied with my slow times.

I do have numbers in mind for the times and speed at which I need to finish each section of the race.  And to my math loving brain it has been quite fun working those out.  In fact (true confession time) while I am running I like to do the math in my head (If I keep up a 12 min/mile pace on the run, how long will it take me?  What about a 12.5 min/mile pace?  And so on…)  It’s nerdy, I know.  But it makes me happy.

So, I have given myself a deadline.  I would like to be at my goal pace with both the bike and the run by June.  Then from June – October I will work on keeping that pace for extended periods of time until I am at the amount of mileage that I need to be to complete an IronMan.  That means that I want to be able to sustain a 10 min/mile pace while running for at least 5 miles and I would also like to be able to sustain a bike speed of 15 mph for at least 15 miles by June 1st.  Currently I can hold a 17 min/mile pace for three miles (which is better than where I was at the start of the year) and my average bike speed is around 10 mph for a 15 mile stretch.  So, I have my work cut out for me over the next few months.

Too bad I can’t strap on a rocket like this tortoise!

 

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2

You said that you would do it. And indeed you did.

February 2, 2012

It’s probably bad that a training accomplishment makes me think of a song from a musical.  But it did!  Yesterday, I was able to run the entire two miles with no walking breaks, which hasn’t happened for quite a few years.  And the entire time, all I could think of was the song from “My Fair Lady” entitled “You Did It”

Of course, they are chauvinistic pigs and I’m training for a triathlon, but I made the connection nevertheless. It’s a great feeling to know you have accomplished your goal, even if it’s just a small step on the way to a larger goal.

One of the big things I’ve learned in the past month is that even though it may seem difficult, or that I just wasn’t getting any faster or stronger, when I look back I’ve really come a long way. Just by putting one foot in front of the other and not quitting. I know I have a long way to go, but I also have the confidence that I can get there one step at a time.

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Today’s Inspiration

November 9, 2011

voices

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New Favorite Quote

November 2, 2011

“No matter how slow you are going, you are still lapping everybody on the couch!”

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Encouragement in the Face of Tragedy

April 15, 2011

The cycling community, in fact, the entire community here in Wilmington is recovering from a tragedy.  A little over two weeks ago a father and son were cycling on River Rd.  It is a popular road for cyclists, with fairly wide bike lanes.    Gayle and I ride on River Rd very often.  It is close to our house, so we can ride straight from home without having to pack up the bikes and drive anywhere.

Well, these two men were hit and killed (David the father died instantly and Trey his 17 yr old son died from his injuries the next day) by a drunk driver at 9:30 on a Sunday morning.  I won’t get in to allthe ridiculousness of someone being drunk at that hour of the morning.  Both Gayle and I were struck by the senselessness of it all, and it hit even closer to home because on any given Sunday morning that very easily could have been us riding that stretch of road.  We ride it frequently on Sunday mornings.

IMAG0032Last Sunday, amid all the Azalea Fest festivities, Gayle graciously let me take time out to ride the memorial ride.  It was an incredibleIMAG0028 experience.  Over 1000 people showed up to offer their support.  Most rode the 8 mile stretch, but there were some that ran and others riding skateboards.  It is almost impossible to describe the variety of people, bikes, etc.  There were old people, children, people who look like they spend their lives on a bike and those who looked like it might be there first time riding.  The outpouring of compassion and community was amazing.  I am very thankful that I was able to participate.  I took a few pictures, but they don’t do justice to the crowds.  There is also a video that gives a better picture of the enormity of the supporters.

Please remember when you are driving that it’s important to watch for cyclists. Especially as the weather is warming up. And it’s not just drunk driving that can cause accidents. Distracted driving is dangerous too. Texting, changing the radio station, or any other number of distractions can also result in a tragedy. It just takes a moment.

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1

Time Keeps on Slippin

April 10, 2010

gear_clockThings have been really busy lately.  And my focus got off track.  I’m working now on bringing it back to where it should be.  I heard something in a podcast this morning that I thought was very interesting. It was that time management doesn’t work.  Time is not something you can control or manage or affect in any way.  As the Steve Miller Band says – “Time keeps on slippin…..into the future”.  But what you can manage is you and what you are doing with the time you are given.  He also said, and I’ve heard this before, that if something is important, you should do it everyday.  Along that line, Gayle is always saying that it’s not that you don’t have time to do something, it’s that you choose to do other things with your time.  All that to say that I have been making some very bad time choices lately and I need to start choosing to do what’s important.  That means exercising, fixing healthy meals, spending quality time working and having fun.

We were talking with a friend at the Wrightsville Beach Marathon a few weeks ago about her experiences with Crossfit Endurance training.  She is very excited about the possibilities and has been certified as a trainer.  So, I came home and started doing some research on Crossfit Endurance training.  What I have learned so far is that it is an anaerobic based training program where you perform interval training at high intensity for shorter periods of time which allows your body to train anaerobically.  The benefits of this anaerobic training include increased strength, decreased fat, increased endurance and increased cardiovascular output.  Another benefit is that the training sessions are not incredibly long.  So, I have been following the workout program for about a week now and will continue to for a few more weeks and then evaluate my progress.  Already I feel faster and like I have more endurance, so that is a good thing.

Soap on the Run

Soap on the Run

I wasn’t able to participate in the marathon this year as I had hoped.  Instead, Glynne’s Soaps, the all natural body product company that Gayle and I own, was a sponsor for the event.  We did this because it seemed like the perfect opportunity to unveil our new product called “Soap on the Run“.  Soap on the Run is an all natural soap in an easy to transport container.  So, you can toss it in your gym bag or travel bag, use it in the shower, replace the cap and toss it back in your bag.  No muss, no fuss, no slimy soap in a Ziploc bag.  It has the added bonus of being all natural, so there are no worries about what is in the chemical detergent available in the gym showers.  It contains therapeutic grade eucalyptus and tea tree essential oils which are beneficial for muscle recovery.   We are very excited about it and it seemed to get a great reception.

My workout for tomorrow is

Sprint/Recover:  3 rounds of (20sec/60sec off, 20sec/50sec off, 20sec/40sec off, 20sec/30sec off, 20sec/20sec off, 20sec/10sec off) Start next round after 10 sec rest

Hopefully I will be able to keep it all straight!

Still tri’n

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2

Polar Plunge 2010

February 23, 2010

I took the plunge!  Most of my friends thought I was crazy (at times I wondered myself), my parents said they were glad I didn’t tell them before hand so they didn’t have to worry,  and the cold nearly did me in, but I can now say that I did it.  In fact, you can check it out here – I’m the one in the burnt orange Texas t-shirt and green shorts.

Carolina Beach Polar Plunge – Feb 20, 2010

The Polar Plunge is a fundraiser for the Special Olympics.  People who sign up for the challenge raise money for Special Olympics and on Saturday February 20th, we all met at the beach and at 3pm made a mad dash down the beach into the water.  Lots of people were dressed in costumes (there was a costume contest earlier in the day), some had on very skimpy bathing suits, some were in shorts and t-shirts…I even saw one girl in a ball gown complete with gloves and a tiara.  All in all approximately 200 people took the plunge for this great cause.

I had a great time.  I didn’t decide to participate until the week before and by Wednesday still needed to raise my $50.  Gayle mentioned that we were headed to our Wii Bowling league at Front Street Brewery that night and I could ask everyone there for a dollar or so and probably get most of what I needed.  So, that night I talked to almost everyone there and people were extremely generous.  Most people I talked to gave me $1, some gave more, and those that didn’t were people who were participating themselves or had sponsored another plunger (I just had to get that word in here somewhere!).  So, I want to throw out a huge thanks to all my Wii bowling buddies for their support.  Special thanks go to Joan & Mike Loch, Dawn Bugni, and Helen Rittersporn for their support as well!  My biggest thanks, however, go to Gayle who is super willing to put up with all my weird activities and is always there to cheer, take pictures, and make sure I am safe and happy!  I owe her more than I will ever be able to repay.

The day of the plunge was nice and sunny, the temperature was in the 60′s.  Due to the freakish 6 inches of snow we received a week earlier, the water temperature was a balmy 41 degrees.  When the time came, I ran with everyone else down the the water and headed in.   I got about waist deep and could no longer breathe.  I turned around to come back in, able to say that I got in, but disappointed that I didn’t reach my goal.  You see, I told everyone who sponsored me that I would get my head wet.  So, as I headed back to shore, I realized that I had to finish, had to go all the way.  I turned around again and dove under.  To say it was cold is an understatement.  I tried to hurry back to the beach, but was having a hard time moving.  Before I got out, I tripped and fell.  There were moments when I thought I might need assistance.  Gayle said she thought so too and was getting ready to come in after me.  But I made it, wrapped up in a towel, and got into some dry clothes shortly.  If you had asked me then whether I’d be back next year, I probably would have said no.  Today the answer is different….I will be back plunging again next year, and hope to have a group of people willing to go with me.

I’ve been thinking about how participating in the Polar Plunge relates to my triathlon training.  I think they have a lot in common.  Both involve pushing your body to extreme limits.  Both involve the mental toughness to complete something when your body is begging you to stop.  I hope that proving to myself that I could complete my goal and turn around to dive under water when all I wanted was to get out, get dry and get warm will help me in my training.  I need to keep that feeling of accomplishment in the face of extreme conditions as I train and race.  I can do it, even when I think I can’t.  And I’m excited to prove it!

Still tri-in!

Jenn

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The Mind Needs Training Too

January 31, 2010

Gayle and I were talking with a friend the other night who does some training for triathletes.  His name is Bruce Brown, and what he does is performance mental training through Quantum Results Coaching.  He helps people condition their minds to keep going during those long endurance races through relaxation, positive self talk, positive imagery and self hypnosis.  He is full of energy, and I’m considering at least taking one of his workshops.

What we were discussing was my speed.  Gayle and I were both wondering if he had some tips or mental exercises I could do that would help my speed increase.  I am not afraid of long runs or endurance events (I participated in a half ironman 2 1/2 years ago I was 2 miles from the end and would have finished if I hadn’t run out of time.)  But I can’t seem to get my speed up.  I continue to plod along at my pace, rarely wavering, and never getting any quicker.  And if I’m going to meet my goal of finishing an iron distance triathlon next year I need to increase my speed.

He had two tidbits of advice for me. The first was that maybe I truly, deep down, didn’t really want to go any faster.  And if that was the case, then I needed to be honest with myself and tell myself that it was OK to run at the speed that I was at.  Maybe I wouldn’t ever finish an Ironman, but that was OK too, if it was really what I wanted.  So, he suggested I take some time to figure out what it was I wanted…..deep down, and allow myself to pursue THAT want, even if it’s not what I originally thought I wanted.  I have spent some time thinking about this, but will continue to really ponder it.  As of now, it is still my deep desire to get faster and participate in that Ironman.  He did suggest I read The Passion Test as a way to clarify my passion.  Gayle got the book for Christmas, read it, loved it, and it’s on my things to do….I just will have to put it higher on the list.

His second bit of advice was to stop doing all my training with Wrigley because that was slowing me down.  Even though Wrigley is a much faster runner than I am, the time needed to watch out for him and make sure he is safe (and stopping to potty every few minutes) was actually slowing me down.  So I am going to try that.  He will still come with me on my warm up and for a mile or so, but then I will drop him off and continue to train alone.  We will see how that works.

I will keep you updated on how things are going.  Hopefully we can all learn something.  And if you are struggling with the mental aspect of any sport, give Bruce a shout!  He’s a great guy who is full of encouragement and energy.

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