Destination MoP Group is FULL (of motivated life jugglers) (Page 13)

Wow.  I just watched that while eating my breakfast and was crying into my bran flakes.  I think that I'm working hard and trying to achieve something, but that guy's doing it for two!

One of the things that got me hooked on triathlons was how inclusive and friendly everyone was last year, and that sort of thing really shows it.  One of my friends told me that at her first triathlon there was a blind woman doing it with her husband.  They had marked off a lane in the pool just for them, they did the cycle on a tandem and the run with a string.  These are the stories that get me out running on a cold, wet winter night...

Ron and Rach, so glad you found their story inspirational.  I certainly did.  I recall totally losing it while watching them at Kona on TV years ago.  Their profiles were in both of the recent books I've read, and their perseverance and love is beyond anything I can imagine.  And Rach, at the HIM I did last year, there was also a blind man and his daughter running a tri.  It was one thing to read about (or watch on TV) these inspirational stories, it is quite another to run next them for 50 yards or so :-) 

Can.

Good Morning to the Life Jugglers that keep me motivated to keep juggling my life!

Andrea-Happy belated Birthday!!! I hope it was a good one!

To everyone who is recovering from injuries...take it easy...I feel bad for you because I had to go through the same thing last week with a doggone cold.

Today I'm aiminig for a 30 min run and a swim....we'll see how the pool looks when I get there.

I'm not sure if anyone shares my feelings about this but the post about the transition kind of gave me some anxiety. I'm very self-concious and the thought of wearing tight clothes in front of people is a big enough obstacle to get over but the thought of changing in front of people (and possibly falling on my face due to my wobbly legs) terrifies me. 

With that being said I am going to sign up for my first tri today...yay!!!....it's a pool swim so that doesn't scare me too bad....open swims are another obstacle. I just have to remember one obstacle at a time. 

I hope everyone has a wonderful day! Good Luck with your training today!!! 

Congrats on signing up, Jennifer!!!  Excellent!

Now, on the whole transition / what to wear / equipment / anxiety issue.  Feel free to ignore this and this is certainly not a recommendation, just a shared experience....

My first two triathlons I wore old fashioned swim trunks, a cotton t-shirt, and rode an old mountain bike that had been in the shed unused for about 10 years before I pulled it out to train.  I didn't practice transitions at all beforehand and didn't really know what to expect or what I was doing.  I started in the back of the pack on the swim and gave everyone lots of room.  I took my time in the transitions and kind of took it all in.  I had never visited a website like BT, never watched a race in person (did watch Kona every year on TV though).  And guess what...

I HAD A GREAT TIME!
(and was very slow)

And on that note... off to the pool I go for lunch!

Stu

I'm going to agree with everything Stu said. 

I did my first two tri's last year, and for the first one I wore a baggy pair of shorts over my cycle shorts because I was so self-concious about the tight clothes.  The whole running around in a swim suit thing was just something I ignored...  But actually, everyone's far too busy worrying about what they're doing to be judging what you look like, and I was nowhere near as self-concious for the 2nd one. 

This year I'll be dealing with the joy of a tri suit, which REALLY isn't flattering (I'm using a photo of myself in it as part of my weight-loss motivation!), but I know it will be a lot easier, so I'm just going to suck it up and get on with it.

And the other new challenge is going to be the open water swim.  I also started with a pool swim, and the wetsuit challenge is still to come...  As you said, one obstacle at a time.

Hi Joanne,

I found that wearing a sports bra under my swimsuit was just fine (no chafing).  Then when I got my wetsuit off, I just through on some running shorts over my swimsuit (bike shorts were too hard for me to get on when I was wet). I also run in no socks (but I dont have biking shoes). I just wore my running shoe for the bike (it saved a little time on the transitions but maybe not in my performance times).  But it is really a great idea to practice with what you are wearing, eating, and hydrating with prior to race day and not change on race day.  Also a good idea to pack extras in your bag,  like goggles, shoe laces, safety pins, hair bands (just in case).

Oh, I should mention during the T1 in my first tri (indoor tri) I got out of the pool, ran to the transition area while taking off my cap and goggles, promptly sat down put on my shoes and then realized I forgot my shorts.  Struggled to get those on over my shoes, then ran to the bike (stationary bike) forgot to set the seat height prior to my heat, and did the whole 12 miles without my feet in the cages(not very efficient).  Oh well had tons of fun anyways!  So don't worry if  you forget a step or two, its still a lot of fun!


Edited by TriVettee 2011-01-27 10:13 PM

I'm so new to this sport (I have never signed up for any tri's until the one I'm doing in March), but I have some friends a few hours from home who convinced me to try a duathlon last year.  I had run many 5k, 10k, 15k, and did one half marathon last year, so I just figured what the heck. To keep him company I would give it a shot (sure, he took off!). OMG, it was a blast. I got killed on the bike since I hadn't even been on my bike before the event and really still have no clue about rpms and gears, but I made up time on the two runs.  It was the first time I had finished any type of event without feeling pain! So, I say go for it and you'll have a great time. Trail running is so much more fun than on the road and your feet, legs, hips won't hurt as much afterwards.  I'm also a big fan of running on the dirt next to the road just to cushion the pounding even if it does slow down the time because it's more important to me that I don't have an injury. Also, sidewalks are the hardest material, so if you have a choice, run in the pavement bike lane rather than the concrete sidewalk. You will feel the difference.

You're absolutely right about during the event and not caring about our looks, but what about during our training when we should be wearing the same clothes that we will wear during the event? I just can't picture myself running around my university campus in my bathing suit especially since I will most likely see my students! I can just see the look on their faces. I guess for the brick training I will slip on some baggy short and a tee and that way I won't even worry about it.

BTW, thanks everyone for the terrific transition help.  I did look at the videos on the BT website and they are great. I especially liked learning about the rubber band technique for keeping your bike shoes from flopping around.  Since I'm a novice I doubt I will use it in my first tri, but what a simple and useful tip.

Joanne

Go for it!  Only advice would be to check out the trail run beforehand.  One of the local tris I do has a trail run and "run" might be a bit of a stretch... some scrambling to do on rocks and such.  On a rainy day, definitely have to watch your step (roots, rocks, etc.).  I actually think b/c it is *not* your strength, all the more reason to do it. 

Stu

Hi Jugglers!

Not that I'm counting the days or anything, but we've got 4 days to go in January, counting today.  I've got my work cut out for me to hit 7 hours of training this week.  If I'm going to make it, I'll need to do a couple of training duathlons :-)  Weight has been headed back in the right direction, but the weekend is always the challenge for me on that front.

I also wanted to say thanks for all the general support and encouragement found here in our group.  Last night I went over to the regular boards and hit 3 or 4 threads in a row that had a bunch of nitpicking and disagreement over nothing.  Anyway, I'm really proud of all of you for taking on the challenge of triathlons :-)  It's not the easiest athletic challenge, but that's what makes it worthwhile.  Don't let the small setbacks get you down... triathlons are all about the long-haul and long-term consistency.  Just keep moving forward, or heck, just keep moving!

Stu

Joanne-

No matter how much you practice, nothing is going to make you 100% prepared.

Do you what you can, and fudge the rest. Your goal for your first tri is to FINISH. That's it. JUST FINISH. As for the equipment, the reason everyone says try nothing new on race day is injury. If you do not want to go for a run outside in your swimsuit, just run around your house a few times- inside. Just so you know before the race if the suit is going to rub against your leg funny when you run so you can stick some bodyglide (or udder cream or vaseline) on it in T1.

And everyone, be ready for something to go wrong. It always does, every race, there is a hiccup. But you get past it and move on and finish the race, right?

I do not own a trisuit. I'm sure it is easier to race in, but I am not trying to shave seconds off my time. I finally bought my first pair of Tri Shorts last year, and a longer tri/cycling top from Athelta. It's about wearing what you are comfortable in. My comfort level totally affects my performance. And my lucky color is blue so I like to wear blue....

I am not doing well with the forced rest from the stitches. The area on my leg has swelling above the wound site. I called in and was told that I can ice it or come in if I think it is infected- I do not see any signs of infection. I am tired of doing nothing; I am thinking of just trying to tape everything well and go do a mini-lap swim. I just hate not doing anything and it does affect my mood and I get cranky easily....

Hope everyone has a good training weekend. We got more snow (hoooray) but still hoping to run outside this weekend.

I'm thinking that I will feel a bit weird trying my bra under my swim suit during practice, but I will try it at some point.  I figure I can try the swim suit, etc while running  by taking a shower in my house with the suit on, trying T1, then go for a quick bike ride and try running on the treadmill....Luckily the earliest outdoor tri on I have my eye on isn't until June (I think)...

Is anyone thinking about Feb goals yet?  I'm not sure if I should lower my training frequency goals to adjust for weather or just leave them as is and understand that weather may prevent me from reaching them.  My weight goal for Jan isn't going to happen.  (Drat that Birthday cake and too much food when working from home.)  Even so, I'm shooting for 199 by end of Feb and I'm excited about getting there.

Well, I've just got my first tri entry in for this year!  We've been planning which ones we're going to enter, but we have to spread out the entries due to the finances of it all.  But the sprint tri in april that we wanted to enter has just released an extra 30 spaces, so we just got entered.  So that's the first of about 7 events we're planning.  Hurrah!

Hope everyone's had a good week.  I've had another rest day today.  Still not convinced it's been a real rest week, but I've tried.  We're off for another ride on the mountain bikes tomorrow morning.  And it's time for another weigh in, so I can see how I've done this week :-)

G'Morning Everyone!

It's the weekend... what do you have planned for the next two days for workouts?

Heidi's been really sick, so get well wishes going out to her.

I ended up doing the equivalent of a sprint tri yesterday, kind of spur of the moment.  Knowing I needed to get some training time in, I stayed on the bike after bike class, then did a 5K, and wrapped it up with 1000 / swim.  So Fri-Day was Tri-Day for me :-)  This morning, however, I'm not feeling the mojo for a long run yet... coffee and breakfast first.

Another potential spur of the moment development.  I'm schedule to travel to Austin in February and it turns out that the Austin Marathon/Half Marathon is the same weekend I'm there... what do you say hamstring?  Guess I'll decide that *after* the long run this weekend.

Have a great weekend everyone... let us all know how the training is going!  Great to see Rach signed up!  Always helps me stay motivated to be signed up for something, or at least committed to a race.

Coffee Cheers,
Stu

Stu, that's great that you can jump into a half marathon or marathon just like that. I hope your hamstring agrees.Get well soon Heidi.

Today's a rest day. Tomorrow is a run day. Lost .6 this week. Going in the right dirrection, but I'm not making as much progress as I'd like. I'm writing things down/tracking this week and will strive for better results.

Don't worry too much about weight going down slowly - apparently the slower to you take it off, the slower you are likely to put it back on, and therefore the easier it is to keep it off.  I actually put 0.4kg on this week (oops!) so it could be worse...

Rachel,
Congrats on signing up for your first Tri! That's exciting.

It's been total insanity in my life for the past week. My nephew moved in with us, and promptly got a horrible stomach bug.
My husband had the flu, then I got it (at the same time my nephew was sick). For more than a day, I was spiking a fever of around 103.
I was starting to feel better today, then got a phone call that my parents were in a car accident this afternoon. The car is totaled, and they are in pain, but were checked out and released from the hospital to home. Well, I should say that my Mom was checked out, my Dad declined medical care. That makes me a little nervous, since he had a fractured skull in November, and didn't seek medical care for that, so I don't really trust his judgment.
My brother will stay with my parents tonight, and I'll go out tomorrow to help them with everything.

I think it's safe to say that the remainder of January will be a  "rest month" for me.
Everyone PLEASE be safe and try to stay healthy.
-Heidi

 

Heidi - so sorry you're having such a rough week.  I hope everyone's okay and you're feeling better soon.

Today I've had an extemely active day.  We started the day with a 30 mile cycle on the mountain bikes.  We took it really gently and although we spent about 3 hours cycling we were actually out for nearly 5 hours!  It was a gorgeous day, with clear blue skies, but freezing (literally).  We were having to watch out for ice even on the old railway lines we cycle on.  But definitely the sort of day to be outside doing something.

We got home, I had just enough time to stuff down a protein shake and some pasta and then my dad arrived to walk the dog with me (I like having company as the dog's not the greatest conversationalist).  Got back from that, grabbed my bag and headed to the pool for the tri club swim session.  I'm now absolutely exhausted, but in a really good way.  Heading to bed for a lovely long sleep to recover...

Edited by chapfallen 2011-01-29 4:08 PM

Oh my Hiedi what a rough week.  Rest and feel better soon.  Hope your parents, husband and nephew recover quickly. Take care!

Pre Cal is kicking my rear end...if only I could remember how to do basic algebra, that would save hours.  So I missed a huge bike ride on Thursday due to homework.  Missed a swim today due to the same homework.  I did get an hour long run in today.  Well its back to homework, mathgeek has to work tonight so no help.  Good news, the last time I was on the scale, without my shoes mind you, I only needed 1.5lbs until I was 160! Woot woot; haven't seen that for 20 years! 

ran yesterday and the stitches were okay. true test will be masters swim tonight; coach knows i have stitches and said he will work with me so I can still do a workout.

gorgeous here- 35 and sunny- they are saying it is the calm before the storm and predicting a big storm starting Tuesday, thorugh wednesday, up to 14 inches of snow. YIKES!

Heidi, hope everything gets better for you soon!
anne

Egad Heidi... hope things improve on all fronts soon.  Glad to hear your folks are okay... I know all too well about those close calls with car accidents (and have had similar phone calls from my Mom).  Still a bunch to deal with after the relief that everyone is basically okay.  Hang in there!

Anne, sounds like maybe you've finally turned the corner... keeping my fingers crossed for ya!  I think the storm they were predicting for down here is turning north earlier than they expected a few days ago.  Looks like we'll be getting all rain when you get the snow.

Rach... awesome ride!!

Cynthia... wtg on the weight loss!  Pre-Calc, eh?  Frankly I doubt I would survive going back to school now... more power to you!

We had  some really nice weather today, so I tried my first long run (10 mi) in a few weeks.  Can't say it was pretty - died in the last 3 miles, but other than especially tired legs, everything seems to be okay.  Probably won't be in idea shape for the Austin race, but I kind of like the idea of having something to aim for before April.  Still haven't signed up yet...

Andrea brought up Feb goals.  How did everyone do with goal setting?  Did you find it helped motivate you to do a little something more than you might have without them?  Were they good steps to take to meet your longer term objectives?  Let us know how you did and what you might do differently for Feb.  I'll compile again over the next few days, but first, a good idea to reflect and think ahead a bit and likely tweak.

I think winter is the toughest time for workout goals... between the weather, various sickness going around the schools/workplaces, lack of races for motivational feedback, it's tough to have a week where you can really hit on all cylinders.  On the other hand, the time you put in over the winter makes such a big difference once the season begins.  Last year was the first year where I made a concerted effort to be really consistent and it paid off, especially with my running races.  So, think of winter as building the foundation for your upcoming season, but don't let a bad week get you down.

Scale day tomorrow for me... gonna be close!

Stu