Jayne Rocks!!!!

Jayne's book was such an inspiration to me as well.  I am a swimmer and had thought about tri-ing last year, gone to a clinic to get up my nerve, but only really registered and started training a year later once I had gotten through the first few chapters of her book.  (BT helped with the training and daily inspiration.)

I laughed constantly while reading it, and people on the subway thought I was nuts.  Little did they know I was contemplating a triathlon!  Knowing that would have removed all doubt!  But I have had an absolute blast training and tri-ing, and in the process I'm getting a thinner body back!  I think I smiled constantly during my first Sprint tri, and thanked all the volunteers as Jayne suggested.  It made for such a fun day. 

Proud to be a SFT! 

Laurie

I will jump on the Jayne bandwagon as well. If not for the book, I am not sure I would have had the guts to do this while still being overweight. When I read that she did her first race at the same weight I was at the time I started training. I remember thinking, "Hey! I just might be able to do this!" I keep the book by my nightstand and still read it when I need inspiration while working through injury and the continual struggle to lose weight.

Thanks, Jayne, for being such an inspiring figure for the Athena/Clyde community. Maybe in the next book you can throw in some more about the whole being okay in lycra stuff, I am still working through that.  

Those sound like great chapters! Lycra is such a necessary evil, but damn does it make things bulge in the most unnatural way.

As for the injuries, just too hard too fast. Couple of months ago I did a Train Strong session and thought after only six weeks of training I would try to keep up with the big boys (one being a pro football player). By that afternoon I could barely walk because of shin splints and have been dealing with it ever since. 

I work in the healthcare field, and we were talking today at work how getting back into shape can be frustrating due to injury setbacks. One of these days this creaky body will catch up to my inner greyhound. I hope the same for you! What kind of injury has set you back and whatcha doing to fix it?

I was going to start this thread, and thanks to kaburns it is here already!  Jayne's was one of the first tri books I read that resonated with where I was in my life at the time.  I read a lot of other 'how-to-tri' books, but I felt Jayne's really helped me through the mental and physical challenges I was dealing with, especially body image!  I've always been a big, athletic girl, always will be, and yet after a 20-year hiatus from sports was totally intimidated to get out there again.  Now I am out there, in a one-piece spandex tri suit which in the eye of the beholder is tolerable), and have finished three triathlons in the past few weeks!!  Thanks, Jayne, and I will be eager to read your new book.  I'd also be very happy to have you as a mentoring group leader if you are interested, although the web site would probably crash with your 'fans' scrambling to have you be their mentor!!

For sure if I hadn't picked up the book in '04 I would never have actually signed up for my first tri back 4 years ago.  All the other books just left me confused and afraid. I had lost weight, but still was overweight by 50 pounds, didn't really know how to run or swim. I started running in the dark so my neighbors couldn't see me...seriously never during the day.

What to wear was always an issue back then with rubbing, chaffing and getting stuff that fit my big belly/body. She made it fun and made me think there will be others like me. I remember at my first tri looking around trying to see if anyone was as big as me.

Her book made me see the joy in trying and accepting doing the best at where I was at the time. My first sprint was so hard...I came in 3rd from last and was terrified I'd be last somehow that was a big deal....had a blistering bike pace of 12.4 mph and like 13:20 m/m run pace. But I did it..proved I had turned my life around. It was the start of the change in me that I could do things I never thought possible. I'm signed up to do my first IM next year...dreaming big and having a blast.

I still read the book now and again and chuckle at Jayne's adventures and brutal honesty of all aspects of tri'ing.

I can't wait for her new book to come out and catch up on all she has done.

Now how cool she is part of BT.....glad you are here Jayne!

From what I can tell, mentor groups start in January and May. . . . there's a board for that on here where it has directions for leaders, etc.  It would be wonderful if you would do that.  I am in a mentor group now, which has been really good for me, however I would jump on yours right away, as we have much in common and I like that!  Please keep us posted on your plans for that!!

Have a great weekend everyone!  I am hosting a bbq at our 'lake house' (my in-laws' house who are out of town) and there will be beer and burgers, but hopefully some swimming! I am riding around the lake (22 miles) on my bike before I dig into the beers.  Sunday I am going to a friend's for an overnight, my third time away from both kids ever.  Hoping to come back home refreshed and ready to jump into the school year.

My avatar is from a lookalike contest that I entered!  I am not so severe in my real life!! 

You're avatar is great.  You should rotate it with an "action shot" -- the triathlon kind so we all can see both sides.

I've got a long brick on Saturday 45 mile ride and 5 mile run at HIM pace then a rest day on Sunday.  Gearing up for the FIRMman HIM on 9/10.

"Medusa Ann - that's hilarious. You actually did an Anne Robinson lookalike contest? I had no idea such things had ever existed! "

I don't know Anne Robinson is...it was a Supernanny lookalike!  In person it is even more uncanny, but even in the photos it garnered a lot of double takes.  I didn't win, by the way. 

--Leslie

SLOW  FAT TRIATHLETE. And it is the book that convinced me that, yes I too can do a Tri, an even have fun doin' it. Some people look at me while running, and I can see what they are thinking. "Your fat." Yea, but I would be just as fat, or fatter, not running so what the hell.

Hi Jayne,

I put this on the "yay for athena" thread but not sure if you saw it so I thought I'd say it here too.  I love your book!  I didn't read it 'till after I'd already done a tri but it was still a great read, especially the first chapter.  I always enjoy reading other ppl's experiences, and your humor makes it even better.  You had me laughing out loud many times.  Great one-liners.  Especially the arthritic cow line.   (There were others I liked a lot to but can't think of them off hand).  Anyway it's great to have you here on BT!