KathyG's group- Full

Hi Kathy!  Can I join up?  I'm so glad you're mentoring, you're really an inspiration around here!  I was torn between being a mentor and having one, but I think I'd like a mentor for this year and perhaps next year I'll carry the torch

I'm Christine, a 31 y.o. full-time working mom of 1 (Zach, 3 y.o.) and wife to a police officer (Chris) here in NJ.  Between working, mom-ing, and my husband's schedule, finding time to train is my biggest issue.  I got talked into doing the Danskin tri last June, starting from the couch, and loved every minute!  I did several running races in 2006, my longest being a 10K the Sunday after Thanksgiving.  I've lost 12 lbs, I'm also a slow lb-loser, and I probably have another 12 to go.  Not a lot, comparatively, but eating healthy is a huge challenge - with a picky pre-K eater and a husband who's never home (or craves steak when he is!) I don't always make good choices. 

Right now I'm getting ready to buy a road bike (used my old hybrid for Danskin) and I don't have anywhere to swim!  I have quite a few plans for 2007 - 1/2 marathon in April, sprint tri in June, oly tri in July, Danskin again in September, and a double century bike tour also in September.  Training in earnest starts next Tuesday for the 1/2 mary, and includes a fair bit of cross-training (ie bike or swim) so I can keep progressing there as well.  I have my plan printed out, it's just a matter of getting up and getting out when the alarm goes off in the morning!

Kathy's awesome and anyone in her group is a lucky, lucky newbie.   She really knows how to inspire and motivate people by example and experience.

Welcome to BT.com!

Kathy,

 Sign me up!  I've watched your discipline and dedication transform you into a totally new person.  Now, maybe you can help me get back on track.

 I'm 37 years old and 3 years ago weighed in at 254 pounds.  I had never done a triathlon, but always had this secret dream of doing one.  I set my eye on a super sprint race and trained for a few months and did it and had a ball.  Later on that summer I went to my community's olympic distance race and watched the competitors and felt such an urge to be among them.  I realized that if I spent a year working towards it, I'd be able to do it.  It was great motivation for me - I knew that I would have to work at it for the entire year or I would never be able to complete the race.  I lost 52 pounds along the way, met fantastic people, and really grew to appreciate how much better my body felt when I incorporated regular exercise into it.

Well, I completed my race - felt fantastic with my accomplishment and then let life get in the way.  We moved, I changed jobs, and I just lost all motivation.  The pounds have started to creep back on (although I'm still down about 40 pounds from where I started 3 years ago).  Most of all, I want to get back out there and push myself again.

Goals for this season:

become consistent

chose an A race and train for it...and FOLLOW through

find someone local to bike with

pay attention to diet and get weight to below 200#

Debi

Hi Kathy,

I'd like to be in your group.  I'm at work right now so I can't log my life story but I promise to do it tonight.  Pleeeeease save me a spot!

Becky

 Carol, Welcome to our group...I'm excited to see your progress. You have great goals and working with both a trainer and run/tri coach, you have set yourself up for success.

Congrats on the weight loss. It seems that it is more of a struggle as we get closer to our goal weights.

We have a lot in common which makes this even more fun....kids, working, about the same age.

If you haven't started I'd encourage you to use your blog to put in your workouts and share stuff you are going through if you feel like it. I use my blog more and more and sort of go on and one. I find it fun to look back and find milestones from the past and it helps motivate me and it is like a diary.

10 mile race in March is awesome......I did my first 1/2 Mary this year and it was a changer for me...made me feel like a real runner. I look forward to seeing your run progress thru the months! 

Christine, welcome to the group...glad to have you with us!

Buying a new big is so fun and a big step, fit is key and be sure to shop around a lot to find the best bike for you. I did my first tri on a cross bike and averaged a whopping 12 mph. A road bike makes a huge difference and is so fun to ride.

Wow you are doing your first 1/2 Mary...that is excellant and a great way to build up your endurance and lose weight. Just be careful to build slowly which you will following your plan. What training plan are you using for your 1/2 Mary?

I hear you with kids and eating. Now I eat different than my kids many nights, but when the kids were little and my husband always traveling it was easy to go to McDonalds or eat kid friendly food that isn't so good for me.

I'd encourage you to post your workouts to your blog so it is easy for all of us to check in on you. Post both the good and bad things that happen so we can encourage you.

I'm looking forward to watching your progess and see all the amazing things you will do this year!

Shannon....welcome to our group and your adventure to becoming a triathlete!!

Super that you are working with a trainer and doing strength training 3x a week..it is so good for women to do that as it helps us keep injury free in our tri training, maintain/build LBM and look great! I'd suggest you look at some of the BT training plans to maybe zero in on some training in swim/run/bike. Plus it is a good time to look at some triathlons for next summer. Believe it or not some fill up when it still in the winter. I'd suggest doing a sprint distance race for your first race. Living in MA, I know some of the NH races but there are many smaller races that are good first time races.

Congrats on the weight loss!! Training, being a Mom to 5 kids, I hear you about being flexible. Today my 4th had a impromptu Birthday party to go to and tonight was a swim night, couldn't do it. So I got up and went to the pool before work to get my swim workout in. I try to be creative in when I workout and plan my training around my kids activities.

I'd encourage you to use your blog to track your workouts and it helps us see what you are doing to encourage and support you. Questions post them here and we all can answer and add what we can.

This will be a great adventure!

Debi...really excited you joined our group!! I know you can achieve your goals.....and you have some great ones laid out. I think the first thing folks need to do to achieve big and new things is set a goal or goals to help guide them and motivate them to go for it. You have that nailed!

You should be proud that in difficult times you kept most of the weight off and are now rededicating yourself to achieving your weight loss goals. I've had ups and downs and my loss hasn't been linear, but I keep plugging along and over time the number lost keeps going up.

Consistency....great goal....do you have a training plan or race or races you are considering for an A race this summer? A races are best towards the end of the season as we have more time living up North to train...ideally late August or early September.

Can't wait to see your progress and consistency in 2007! Glad you joined Debi, I feel honored!

So what is everyone doing tomorrow for their workouts? Is it hard to get training in with kids home from school?

I am doing strength training during lunch at the work gym and then after dinner doing a bike trainer ride that will be challenging. My middle daughter Shasha often watches TV with me while I ride the trainer and she helps me by adjusting the fan, fast forwarding thru the commericals if we are watching Tivo, and she makes funny comments....last one I was breathing louder than 5 panting dogs. I'm afraid my workout on the trainer tomorrow is going to be another panting dog workout.

My trainer workout is about an hour long (can vary as this will be my first time doing it so some experimention), but sometimes I do extra and try to get to a certain calorie burned level...a little motivation to keep pedaling.

I achieved something today I've been working at for the last two months...swam 8x100 yds each under 2:00. I like setting little goals just a little bit faster/ahead of where I am so I have both long and short goals to help motivate me to push harder and work hard.

I hope your husband gets better quickly..the flu isn't fun. I hope he doesn't share!

The trainer I have is a cycleops Fluid trainer and I shopped around for the best price and on ebay it was about $210 with shipping 2 years ago. Fluid trainers are smoother and lots quieter which can be key if kids are sleeping. It is a great investment for training with kids as even in the summer when you can ride outside, sometimes you need to watch the kids. I ride my trainer with my kids in the room. We tivo our favorite shows and I only watch them riding the trainer..it adds some family fun to training.

Spinning classes can be good. You need to know what your goals are and keep within those. Often people hammer pretty hard and if you are doing an aerobic ride, you don't want your HR sky high. Now is the time to be building your aerobic base so hard intervals are not the best.

Do you train by HR? Do you have a heart rate moniter? If you do it is easier to train by heart rate zones to make sure you are training at the correct intensity.

It is a great idea to set up a training plan. First thing to consider is how much time do you have to train. Then you may want to look at the BT training plans to get some ideas. You can always move the days around to work for you. Ideally you would s/b/r each 2 times a week or 3 if you can fit it in. Strength training 2-3 times a week is great. Free time is always the consideration here. If you find one, let me know and I can take a look or help you tweak it if you want.

Good luck on the elliptical!

How is everyone this morning?

Anyone interested in doing a short January weight loss jump start thing? No competition just support and great way to start off the year to continue our goal of losing weight. Just share and encourage each other...your weight can be private or public your choice.

I'd pick a modest target like 3 pounds which for me is actually a lot for a month.

Yea for accountability!  I didn't get as much sleep as I would have liked and I didn't really have enough time to get a run in this morning before heading off for work....but I did make myself throw my running gear into  my work stuff.

My biggest obstacle is lack of time.  I leave the house at 8:15 and don't get home until almost 6.  My kids are 10, 7 and 5, so I feel like evenings really need to be devoted to them once I get them in bed I'm wiped out.  I work as a children's librarian and I really like my job, but I do resent how much time it takes away from my family.  I've been in my current job for a year and it's the first time that I've worked this much.  Before I always worked part-time and had lots of flexibiltiy. 

One of my goals this year is to take the time for myself and make this happen.  I love the idea of a weight-loss challenge - it seems like all of us have that as a goal.  I weighed in this morning at 215 and would like to be down to 210 by the end of January.

Today's plan is to run 3 miles at lunch.

Have a great day, everyone!

Debi

The Truth Is …
I must be absolutely crazy … I’m 55 and have no athletic background at all … and I've decided to tackle 3 sports at one time.  I’m so excited that sometimes I can’t even sleep at night.  I love the training … the drills … the discovery of something that makes me faster … the days when it doesn’t come together … the sweetness of the days when it does … I love it all.

A Little About Me …
Two years ago I went in for my physical and the doctor said I had high cholesterol, high blood pressure, my weight was in the obese range, and I was one doughnut away from a heart attack.  Yikes … I waddled straight to the gym and started working out with a trainer.  I didn’t know a bicep from a tricep from a hamstring but I learned quickly and worked my way back to a fit and healthy body.

What Happened Next …
My daughter is a triathlete and a mentor on this site (kmarzano).  She dared me to go a step further and try a 5K … so on Mother’s Day weekend I did just that.  She actually flew home (from Chicago) to run beside me.  She introduced me to BT and her enthusiasm lit a fire in me.  The next thing I knew I had run several 5Ks … I got brave enough to get on a bike … and I jumped in the pool.  She said it sounded suspiciously like I was beginning to “train” for a tri and wanted to know if I was secretly planning to kick her butt one day … ha ha … you can bet your worn out sneakers I am!

What's Coming Up ...
I’ve been working with a tri coach since September and will start training with a TNT group this spring for the Boulder 5430 Sprint in June.  I’ve got a mixed bag of runs, rides, and tri’s planned for my first season … it’s going to be an awesome year!

Why KathyG’s Group …
I think you’re an amazing person … wife, mother, career woman, triathlete … you recognize the importance of taking care of yourself and have made it a priority.  Your positive attitude, discipline, and ability to balance “life” have made you a role model to others ... you are just the kind of company I want with me on my journey …

 Becky,

This is what I love....I, too have no athletic background.  I've always been really envious of those who are athletic.  I've watched and wished that I could be one of them.  I finally just decided that I was done watching and that I wanted to be out there among them.  I was terrified at my first race that someone would laugh at me and tell me that I did not belong (and I worried so much about what to wear...how to cover up all that pale flub)....what I found when I got out there on race day was that no one cared how out of shape I was....in fact, I think that people have great admiration for those of us who are not athletic who just get out there and try.  (That's not to say that it wouldn't be the sweetest thing to kick your daughter's butt someday - I know I love to race my kids (and win))

Debi

Becky, I'm so glad you joined our group...you have a lot of spunk and it will awesome to watch you develop and do many amazing things!

You have made so many positive steps already, 5K's, signed up with a coach, have goals, all which will help keep you on the path to fitness and better health while having a blast.

A little competition between mother and daughter how fun!

My daughter Emily & I did two sprints together this year. First one, when the results were posted I was surprised why are our names right next to each other are they in alpha order? No turns out we were 4 seconds apart...I probably beat her in transition. She ran my bike time and I ran her bike time. It has motivated to keep working on getting faster as when she catches me, she'll be faster for a long time. She is 12 now. She is looking forward to many more rematches!

Good job at using your training blog...great way to keep up to date on your workouts! 

A quick note ... our internet crashed at home so I'm limited to reading/posting from work.  I'll catch up on my logs when Dell gets the fix to us.  I'm thrilled to be part of this group.

The blizzard of 2006 has slowed us down a bit in Colorado and a sequel is arriving as I type ... I see more trainer rides and treadmill runs in the near future ... and a good upper body workout as we dig our way out again.  In the likely event that our office is closed tomorrow ... let me say Happy New Year ... we are going to ROCK the triathlon world in 2007.

Carol, good information on calories needed and I hope that will help you break your plateau as you are working hard at this. Carol on your training days how long do you workout and what do you typically do?

I started using Calorie King (free trial run download for a week) about a month ago, recording everything I eat and adding back in calories burned in excercise. Most programs overestimate calories burned so I'm conservative on that. I have a power meter on my bike that accurately measure Kilo Joules of energry I produce that can be converted into calories burned. The program takes me about 5 minutes a day and I love how easy it is to use. Another BTer recommended it well actually a lot of them did. I can even add homemade stuff or custom food easily to calculate how much 1 cup of homemade soup or homemade xxx has in it.

My base is about 1325 calories plus I normally add back in on average 650 for excercise so I eat around 1900 or so a day, some days more some days less.  Today I will workout 1.5-2 hours depending how long my trainer ride is and actually will struggle to eat enough. I not still conviced I'm eating the right level but by playing around over the next month or so I hope to zero in on proper amount of calories. A bit strange is that I am less hungry days I work out a lot and more hungry on rest days and rest weeks.

My other thought is sometimes it is just easy to lose and sometimes it isn't. I wonder if working at losing for a long time comes into play now and again.

Other tips I have adopted aret:
1. Eat more carbs early in the day and less late in the day
2. Eat less in evening than in am/noon
3. Eat a bigger breakfast with protein than most women do
4. Strive to eat food in its most natural form...avoid processed food as much as possible

I now eat normally 400 calorie breakfast and more if I'm going for a long bike. I try to get in 1000 calories by mid-afternoon and less than 500 and even better less than 400 after 6pm.