2016 Clyde/Athena Tri-N-4-Weight Loss Mentor Group - Open (Page 14)

I think it's safe to say we won't be going anywhere. Welcome to the group.

So, summer is officially over down here. I did my last triathlon of the summer on the weekend. I made a race report for you guys which can be found here: http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp...

The short version is I pretty much met all my goals on this race, and finished in 1:24:04, over 4 minutes faster than I did the same course in December. Unfortunately my best time for this course, from 2013 was 1:24:03. So, I'm making improvements, but not quite there yet... and the little things matter! using elastic laces would have made this a PB for the course.

So, I'm done with multi sport until next summer. And that's good timing because the lap pool I use is closed until mid May for maintenance. So, the next few months are about running;

I'll be running 6-7 days a week, currently @4 hours total running aiming to get to 6+. by the end of winter.
I'll still be riding on the weekends, as cross training, and to not lose the gains I've made before next season.
Once the pool re opens I'll be back to swimming in the morning before work.
For the next few months that's going to give me total training of 6-7 hours a week. Which is a very manageable level that will hopefully allow me to keep my calories low and drop some weight.

I'm going to do some 5km races (I have a really low hanging PB to break here), possibly 1 or 2 trail runs and 3 half marathons, in June, October and November. And I have every intention of breaking my half Marathon PB 3 times.

So summer may be over, but it looks like a busy winter!

And I look forward to living through you North American types, as you go SBR and have fun while we suffer in the cold. I want to see lots of Race Reports up here.

Well done on completing another race. I can't believe you missed your PB by the narrowest of margins. Looks like you has that race well planned and delivered to that plan.

I'm interested in your plans over the coming months. Will you be tapering off, if so when do you ramp up again?

Great job on the race, loved reading information on how others did.

Will try and update race reports for you soon.

John

Loved this weekend.

I did the Hollywood Half Marathon. This race is a very well organized race. It just starts too early. A 6:00 am start time is a little early. Especially with an hour drive to the course. (But that is just me complaining, because it was rally not bad at all.)

The race isn't very difficult as far as hills are concerned, but it does have a few hills. It was actually forecasted to rain much of the event, but I was only rained on at mile 12. I had a decent 5k, and a great 5k to 10k. Mile 7 I pushed a little too hard. I really dropped it later on mile 10, 11, and 12. I usually do not listen to music when running, I did for this race. During Mile 7 I had three great songs tied together and it gave me a boost. I just could not hold it forever. If it works below are my mile splits from strava. (BTW, I love to follow and give kudos on Strava). I have done this race once before, but I was pacing a slower racer. I was hoping for a 2:45 or close to it and finished 2:47:37.

<iframe height='405' width='590' frameborder='0' allowtransparency='true' scrolling='no' src='https://www.strava.com/activities/540476974/embed/911514760ee2e006998b454bd20a5056cd0251d7'>

I have a sprint tri on April 24th (Possibilities) and another half marathon on May 1st (OC Half). Really looking for a PR at possibilities.

So, yesterday did 1200 yards as a recovery swim from the race, and went and did arms this morning at the Gym. Feeling pretty good.
I did lose a bet with my girlfriend last week. I lost by .11% We are betting through August, so I will keep on it. We both are doing great at losing right now. Because I lost I have to workout in some fashion 30 minutes 6 days a week for the next two weeks. Oh and I lost control of the first day of our Hawaiian Trip.

Looking forward to see how well I recover this week. Have fun all.

To be honest I have already done my tapering off, the week after the Wanaka HIM I did virtually nothing, the 2nd week after 4 hours total. Since then I've been up and down a bit, but doing around 4.5 - 6 hours a week total. As a comparison, I was doing 8-10 hours a week total in the build up to the HIM.

After I did my first HIM, back in 2013, I tapered off slowly into nothing, lost all my fitness and gained a ton of weight. Which is why I've been spending the last 18 months (and probably the next 18 months) getting the weight down, and rebuilding fitness. My plan over the winter is designed to stop that happening again.

I'm already in the process of ramping up my run training for half marathon season (Over the last 6 months my running has been reasonably consistent at approx. 4 hours a week, that's where I'm at now but I intend to get up to 5 hours, and eventually 6 running), but my overall training will be down (6-7 hours/week compared to 10 hours/week) 2 reasons for this,

1. If I do the bigger numbers I struggle to lose weight as I end up too hungry and eat too much. Hopefully at around an hour a day average I can manage the cravings better
2. The weather, The days are getting short, cold and wet. I don't like cycling in that sort of weather. So some running races are a good excuse to put the bike to the side. And I enjoy running in the colder weather more than the hot sticky summer days we get in Auckland, so it's a win all around.

Looking ahead at my training plan, my next major Triathlon will be a HIM in January 2017, I'll want a 12-16 week build for that so at some point in October I will be back in Tri mode, where I will drop the amount of running I'm doing and increase the bike and swim.

When exactly will that happen? Honestly that'll depend on how I'm feeling at the time. When the days start getting sunny I'll get the itch to be back on the bike more.

Sorry this is a bit of a rambling post. But hopefully you can make sense of what I'm planning?

Are you also making changes to your training plan for the winter?

I'm still building my fitness and losing weight to be ready for 2016/17 summer. I don't have any plans to taper off until September when I move into maintenance mode for a month then ramp up again in October ready for Race 1 in November. That's the plan then there is reality. I'm not as enthusiastic in the cooler months and I will need to work hard not to undo the good work I've put in so far and to keep going. I've entered a couple of 5K races in July and August to help keep me focused.

It's good to have somebody else in the southern hemisphere in the group to share our similar experiences.

What is your reasoning behind having a 'maintenance' month for October? I would have thought that close to November races you'd be heavily into a build phase.

And yes, it's nice to have some others from the proper side of the world in the group.

Thank you guys.
I started swimming. Plan is to swim 2-3x per week. It seems to be helping my ankle.
I want to bulk up to 1 Mile swims.

Everyone seems to be doing good.

It's been a while.

Things haven't been going so well lately. 14hr days M-Th are definitely taking a toll. I look at all my equipment just sitting there, and it makes me sad because I just don't have the energy even in those instances when I have the time to get some training in.

Other than that, things are going pretty good. I'm enjoying teaching at night, even when I get a student who wants to argue. I have one to disprove tomorrow night over brake line flares . Plans to finish the bonus room for Jacob are moving forward. Also, we're getting ready to put a building out back so we can empty the garage. That'll give us a bit more breathing room in the house, and some dedicated pain cave... well area... room as well.

Heath-wise... not so good. I've gained every bit of weight back, and hovering around 275. I'm sure that's a good portion of why I feel so wiped out, and all the breathing, mobility issues have resurfaced as well. I'm sure the Dr is going to chew me a new one at my appt next month. The thing that scares me the most right now is having to take an A1C test... I'd hate to break my promise to myself by going Diabetic again...

I will be back at it again... hopefully soon

This morning, on my weekly weigh in, I am 4kg (8.5lbs) heavier than I was at Wanaka. Not good enough. I have to really work on my diet. There has been too much snacking on junk food over the last few weeks. If I don't address this soon, I'm going to be back to square one by next summer.

For training, this weekend we had 2 weddings to go to. So that made Saturday/Sunday a write off for training. So all I managed was 5 runs 3 x 30 minute and 2 x 60 minute for 3 and a half hours total for the week.

I'm not unhappy with the amount of training. Of course I would be happier with more, but it's enough to make gains, II, my nutrition is under control.

Nice to see an update from you, and it's good that you're enjoying the new job.

It sounds like you're having the same issue that I am. It's about what you eat, not how far you run. There's no excuse (in fact, as you don't work up an appetite on a long bike it's almost easier) even on zero workouts a week, eating well, counting calories etc. I see you haven't logged into MFP for at least a month. You know that it works, you've had success before.

Get back on it, make better choices and the weight will drop. Like I said, you've had this success before, you know it will work.

And, like I said in my update, I'm in the same boat. So part of this is directed to me.

I personal challenge you to log everything you eat, every day for the rest of the month, and hit your calorie goal more often than not. Ill do the same, feel free to give me a rev up if I'm slacking. We can do this thing together.

Friend me on MFP. Zaidnohj is my user name.


Well, this weekend may reap benefits in one way but not the other. I ate a little too much this weekend. BUT, I have been measuring myself (chest, hips, et al.) and every one of my measurements went down this month. I maybe plateauing at 232, but I am losing inches. So, I am happy about that.

I was able to do a 38 miler up in Fresno, Ca. It was so nice up there. Forgot that the first part was slightly downhill with a tailwind. So, coming back uphill and into the wind was fun. But it was perfect weather really. I actually wanted to keep riding but my time ran out. Got home Sunday and did 1200 yards in the pool. It was ok.

I lost a bet with my girlfriend so, I have to put 30 minutes workouts each day.

John

Day 1 done... day 2 working.

I went over by 300 yesterday. On these long days, I tend to save my final meal until I get home... which is bad. Going to sit down and figure out a meal plan/schedule that I can work with.

I've added you on MFP, bulfognz

I don't know if it helps but I use pepperplate.com t o plan shop and collect recipes. I have over 1300 recipes saved. They are all not healthy and I have not tried them all. IT also is easy to build plans, shopping list, and upload/input recipes from the computer. If you have them written down not so much.

Just thought I would share.

John

GRRRRR SO Sorry to here that you hurt yourself, and how it was done. I have a great passion against drivers who do that, and so wish we could use deadly force when it occurs.

Hope you heal quickly, and can swim.

Having a meal plan is vital in my opinion. If we have a plan, and have good food brought and in the fridge at home then we eat well. If we finish work, do a workout get all tired and then try to decide what to do for dinner, that's when bad decisions are made.

And I assume that you're aiming for a calorie deficit? so 300 cal over your goal should still be losing weight.

Good job getting back into it.

I"m 1.5kg down this morning compared to Monday. Now, that's just some water weight dropping away, but it's amazing how making better choices changes things quickly.

I've had a look at your diary today, other than dinner that looks like good healthy diet. You're so close! Also, you have a 4oz chicken breast at 620Cal. Man that's too high. Assuming you're measuring uncooked 4oz (110g) chicken breast should be around 175 Cal. You might want to look into that.

That's terrible. Hopefully you got the number plate and reported the truck to the police?

Be careful with your injury. It's better you skip the HIM in a month than push on regardless and end up missing months and months of training because you make an injury worse. Maybe you should consider doing the swim and bike and pull out at T2.

Wishing you a speedy recovery.

Has anyone heard from big Mike?

Hi All,

I've had a quiet week. I hurt my calf 2 weeks ago and it took a week to feel better. I decided to rest for a further week to be sure. I'm back in training this week. I admit to feeling a bit sluggish after the break but I took the time to do some research and goal setting.

Robin, sorry to read about your "near miss" and wish you a speedy recovery.