Baowolf's New Years Resolution Group-Closed (if are stuck with no group PM me) (Page 15)

Jennifer - Bravo on the pool work during the cold season, and seeing the progress from 2012 must be so encouraging for you. That's really awesome!

Phil - This group does provide a variety of options to push you in training (your comment about wanting to post better numbers made me laugh). Slopestyle was amazing! I was sad to hear Ohno woudn't be racing. Apparently the guy who won gold in slopestyle is originally from Coeur D Alene. Happy gadget hunting!

Steve - I laughed when I read you will be starting your IM training on Monday, since everything you've been doing is already pretty intense. Will you be doing anything specifically different? 15 min. at 115...sheesh.

Jay - so glad to hear the new job is going well. The stride for your run will come as you keep getting out there; pace improvement is always a big deal! A headlamp will perform similarly to headlights. Last year I ran in yak traks and it worked well for me. I know others do not like them, so you'd have to try them out for yourself.

Carl - I'm not always great at following my plan, but keep in mind I don't have a family to work my schedule around. I just have me to work around and most days that's plenty Hope the bike/swim went well! Darn pools that host events. I actually switched gyms a while back because I was tired of the overcrowded pool that hosted the high school swim team.

Mike - Great ride on the Trainer! Recovery weeks are always my fav.

Jared - Good to hear from you! Between you and MD I'm gonna have to check out these sufferfest vids you keep talking about. Great week of training for you! I'm slated for a Half Mary in May, a Sprint Tri in Juy and a HalfIM in August with a couple more small things added in for fun!

Mitzi - Great job on all your training! I hope my recommendation for the book didn't feel like an insult; if it did I am so very truly sorry. Please know I meant it to be encouraging, but thinking about it now it may have been an over-sight on my part. I struggle with being heavier than I should be too so I can relate to the feelings associated with it all. We weigh nearly the same though I'm a bit taller than you, but my percentage of body fat is 33%. Like Steve said the small changes will make a huge difference and I learned through my training that the more miles I put in every week the more likely I am to lose weight. I wish I would've weighed and measured myself after IM to see what the changes were, but I was smaller and so much stronger. I hope you find the diet helpful!

Joe - I use my Iphone for all my outdoor run tracking and it works great! Didn't know I could use if for swimming. For my bike I have a small bike-only computer for distance, cadence, speed, etc.

It's been a decent week of training for me. Still fighting to get out there everyday. Yesterday I felt so great during my bike and I was thinking how I wish I could spread out the great feeling workouts to get me through the not so great ones. Today I will finish up week one of HM training plan with a 3 mile run. I'm actually really excited about the plan I have of using the HM as prep for the HIM. The thought of going into a HIM feel really prepared and strong makes me happy. I signed up for the race with a friend who is much faster than I am and I don't think I can get to the point where I can keep up with her; however, it would be really awesome to not be quite so far behind her. But this will be her first HIM so who knows.

Still no chocolate for me. I hate it. I hate not eating chocolate. The other day I was standing with 3 other gals at work and one of them handed each of us a piece of chocolate. i had to give mine back and when they asked why I told them I'm not eating chocolate right now. Their responses were a bit comical as they made it clear they felt sorry for me. Haha

Go team USA! I love that a 40 year old won the duathlon!

Hey there! Having trouble keeping up with all of you! So nice to see such an active group.

Jay, so glad the new job is going well. I know there is a honeymoon period to almost any job, but at least the signs are good!

Samantha, I always love reading your perspectives. Glad you are building up some good workout vibes!

Mitzi, we are here to cheer you on whatever path you take towards better health and fitness. Just because it's not the way someone else would choose does not mean it's wrong for you. I have friends who have lost significant weight going low carb, and some of them have kept most of it off. Interestingly, the ones who have kept it off are not much into exercise, so it's really all about the intake for them. It's not something I want to do, but then again, I've been pretty stuck in terms of gaining any weight loss traction lately.

Had my first ART appointment on Thursday. Went well, did the deep active massage type stuff that is ART. The doc thinks I have more of a knot in the muscle/tissue in my arch rather than classic PF. The spot is very specific, aggravated, by activity, and NOT worse in the morning. Anyway, I'm hopeful that with her help, I'll be easing back into running sooner rather than later. Right now continuing to walk and stretch it, and go back next week for more.

Have not been in a good workout groove lately. Pool closures and bad weather got me last week. Getting outside was not the least bit appealing. But why I'm so reluctant to get on the trainer, I don't know. I need to be doing what I can when I can. My FIL is likely going to need surgery (large hernia). Probably a "simple" procedure, but nothing like that is easy physically or mentally when you are 95. On the plus side, we have booked our trip to San Francisco for late summer and I hope to knock off a couple of bucket list items while there...swim at the Dolphin Club, and rent a bike to ride over the Muir Woods. LOL, not signed up for any races, but I need to be training for vacation!

Had a good run this morning it was a balmy 39F and drizzling, it was so warm. I was able to just run in shorts and a long sleeve shirt. Although I did different things as part of the workout, the overall pace was 8:25 for 9 miles. My strides got up to a 4:36 to 5:00 mpm pace at the very top for like 5 seconds. There was a certain feel of how to time the push off that the ground that kind of worked right on the strides and then I was able to carry that through to the rest of the run. I am a forefoot strike type runner so the initiation of the push occurs when my heal lands firmly on the ground. If you are a heal striker this would be when the ball of your foot lands firmly and your ankle just starts to contract, you then push off, coordinated with the opposite arm swing initiation. Anyway it felt a bit different and it is really hard to explain. I will try to play with that this week. Also over the past two weeks, I have focused on noticing that when my shoulders kind of tilted up I am slower than when my shoulder are rolled slightly forward (without bending at the waste).

So Samantha, I need to triple my weekly distances over the next 20 weeks to be ready for IM CDA.

So a headlamp will help with visibility when running in the dark, but unless you have a really good one I don't know that you will be able to pick out icy patches. I have a cheap one that I like because it just clips on your hat brim, so better ones might give you a nicer view of the texture of the surface... proceed with caution.

Edited by Baowolf 2014-02-09 3:21 PM

Carol - I understand how derailing injuries can be to a person physically and mentally. How I hope you find success with ART and find yourself having moved forward with new perspective and positive perspective on life, training, faith, etc. Perseverance does build character! Praying surgery goes smoothly and recovery even more smoothly for FIL!

Steve - triple your weekly miles? Seriously, you kill me. So for anyone who thinks I'm dedicated I don't hold a candle to Steve. I'm not knocking myself here, but he works full-time, he is married, he has five kids, he builds archery ranges and other such awesome things for his kids, and he trains for IM. And he does it all very faithfully I might add. Oh, and he commits to helping us achieve our goals and dreams too. Unbelievably awesome and inspiring, that's what you are Steve! Thanks! Here's to started IMCDA training officially tomorrow! Can't wait til you and your family are hanging out with me!

Got my 3 miles in today and it went well and I did squats, lunges and arm circles (my way of strengthening my arms at the same time since I can't lift any weight yet). I'm very happy to report I'm back to jogging the entire time, which means seeing my pace jump back up to semi-normal range for me. I'm still slower than a turtle, but I think that's gonna change this year. I'm also starting to see my biking pick up speed too. Of course I'm not talking about long rides/run, but cool nonetheless.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Steve- triple your weekly miles!!!! I echo Samantha when saying that you definitely set a bar for us to follow!!! I really appreciate it.

Mitzi, you can prove thosese naysayers wrong by shedding the weight and keeping it off! It's hard work but discipline, exercise, and a good diet go a long way. I've had a very close relative do that diet (putting your body in a state of ketosis) and went from 250 down to 190 in a matter of months! It was incredible to watch; he felt good, looked good, and got many compliments. Unfortunately once he stopped paying attention/got complacent he gained the weight back. Whether that happens to you is all in your hands. I'd think once one was at a weight they were happy with they'd be more motivated to maintain it.

Trisolar, I love gear talk too. I need to checkout Nashbar returns; need to beef up my winter clothes. I keep wearing the same running pants every run, and I have two choices: do a load of laundry before every run, or re-wear the dirty pants. I do both, but do the latter more often than I'd like.

Sam, that's cool that an Olympian is from your town! My town has an Olympian hailing from it, too, Ashley Wagner the ice skater is from Alexandria, VA. I've probably run into her at Starbucks and never knew it.

Carol and others dealing with injuries, get better soon! Those are always a bummer.

I had a solid outing this week, with 3 runs (2.93, 4.77, and 2.00 mi.) followed by my long of 6.44 mi. Just what the doctor/Steve ordered, I think, as far as HM prep. I had that Tomtom multisport watch on me for the last two; tracked very well, pretty standard fare. The real test is the swim tracking. I'll keep anyone interested updated. It syncs with mapmyfitness so I'm considering getting that MVP membership. Anyone with experience know if it's worth the $30/yr?

Also added a couple pool swims this week too. Feelin good!

Edited by phifatech 2014-02-09 5:41 PM

I have a Black Diamond LED headlamp that is great - highly recommend anything they make. You can see for several hundred yards with the thing, and the field it covers is wide.

Put in a nice 2 hour effort today -- 90 minute trainer ride, then a 2.25 mile run/brick work out. The run was a spur of the moment add on as I felt great geting off the bike. Overall bike/run covered 25 miles.

Hope everyone has a great week!!!

Thanks everyone for your kind words and support!

Samantha - Your workouts sounds great. I take no offense to any support or ideas at all. I've seen the book - I deal with reality, like the author I'm fat and slow!

I gained my weight having kids at 40 and staying home with them. I wasn't happy at home and ate a lot. I'm stuck, but do believe that if I can get down to an athletic weight I'll be so happy to train and kick a$$ (only my own of course!)

Phil - thanks for the story about the diet, sorry he couldn't maintain - I don't ever want to eat the way I have been the last few years - not conducive to health or performance. Your workouts sound great.

Carol - thanks for reminding me to get my friend into the pool with me. My natural dislike of swimming allowed me to forget. But have to remember as my comfort in the water grew, so did my liking swimming. I laugh about you saying you haven't lost weight. Your running has been great and from what I can see you seem to be in healthy shape.

Did some easy cardio and some harder lifting. Visualizing myself starting this years training lighter, healthy and joyful.

Mitzi

Hey everyone. I've got another day off today so I'm at home babysitting the solar guys finishing up putting solar panels on my house and doing the electrical work. Unfortunately, that means no gym today unless they finish earliest; I let Ki go to the gym instead of me. I still have my days off this week.

Thanks for the input on the headlamp everyone. I think I'll buy one soon and see how it works; as Steve said, proceed with caution. At the end of the day, if/when I do an IM, I'll likely need one anyway. Also, thanks for the well wishes for my new gig. I agree with Carol's assessment completely; it is a honeymoon period but things look promising. When it comes to my job; at the end of the day I don't want drama/BS....I can handle just about anything an inmate can offer at this point.....and its nice that I can do my job my way without much supervision....and being alone allows me to do things my way without worrying about another officers style.

I just wanted to offer some advice to Mitzi. You and Kiley are about the same height and both share the desire to lose weight. I did a low carb diet last year with Kiley and it worked well; we both lost weight. However, the real issue is when you need to fuel for races/intense training sessions. Ben Greenfield is a low carb athlete and he tried to do IMMT while fueling on UCAN Generation, nuts, etc....all high fat, low carb fuel sources. At mile 18 of the run, he bonked and had to give into the flat soda they were offering at water stops to keep himself moving. That's when I decided that low carb can't work for our desire to be endurance athletes. I guess you could be low carb most of the time and use carbs for races but is a diet really a lifestyle change if you have to switch it up depending on what you have to do? I decided it wasnt. I like Steve's advice about the granola bar and being consistent with avoiding a pitfall food for yourself. I believe that's why chocolate/caffeine are on his radar.

Right now, Kiley is doing Eat to Perform. What I like about ETP is that they want you to eat more....but good food. They also focus on body composition vs. weight loss. The theory is simple; you fuel your body to perform at your peak each workout session. They also get into food chemistry and how choosing certain foods impacts your body; I find it interesting but that maybe the exercise geek coming out They try to get you to avoid foods with gluten and they want you to make good food choice...but you do eat....so its more of a lifestyle change because you aren't using your will power to not eat when you're hungry. I know that Jim got the ETP book as well but I haven't spoken with him to know whether he's doing the program or not. I will tell you that Ki is about 2 months in and her weight hasn't changed much BUT she feels awesome and her clothes are fitting better again. Long winded way of me saying stay at it with the exercise but just make better food choices and I think it may help you maintain in the long run.

Jay, Thanks for the advice - I tried to find out more about it online, must be new. You might be right, just feel that I have to break this plateau, eating balanced healthy foods has me maintaining my weight. Ate a lot to put the weight on and hit 198#! Eating reasonably has gotten me to 162 and no lower. Even when I trained a lot my weight stayed the same - hard not to compensate for the extra work done.

I'm not good on will power, so hoping that the high protein will satisfy me - I do well with high protein in general.
I don't think this is a healthy diet for life, but neither is being fat - so plan is to loss the weight then gradually add in whole grains and fruit to the point where my weight doesn't go up and then train like hell.
I'm feeling pretty lousy, weak, but not trying to train. Just moving and lifting to keep metabolism going. Hoping bod starts shifting over to burning some of my 30# of extra fat I've been wearing for years.

The goal is triathlons, I'm hoping to start this years journey with weight-loss. I wish your wife well, its great she has a partner into working out and health and so supportive. I'd love to know how it goes for her. Maybe the weight will start to come off...
I have to give my hubby credit. When I'd cry about being fat he'd say "you're not fat, just a little chunky". Have to return the favor now that he's losing his hair. As the sun shines off his bold spot I tell him he's just thinning a little.

With all of this diet talk, I thought I would share the latest "Burger of the Month" from Flip's Patio Grill. At least they abandoned the donut bun, but I doubt this fits in with anyone's diet plan unless they just completed a full Ironman! It is fittingly called "El Diablo":



"El Diablo"
February Burger of the Month
Don't miss your chance to taste our new (spicy!) Burger of the Month, "El Diablo!"

Our juicy 1/2 lb burger is topped with avocado, sliced ham, pepper jack cheese, grilled onions, jalapenos, Habanero Ranch, and is served on our Jalapeno Cheddar bun!






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Carol You Crack me up with that Heart Attack Burger!!!! :0

Looks delicious. I'd squeeze that in my diet any day. Has everything you need: carbs, veggies, protein. Avocado is a superfood, isn't it?

Mitzi, diet is one thing I can speak to, I train with a couple of different people and when it comes to diet they are all a little different. One guy says he eats 80% paleo 90% of the time, so that being said he gives in to the cravings every now and then. Another one is an eat clean all the time guy, grows his own fruits and vegtables and eats lean protein, and a good balance of carbs. The other guy is eat whatever whenever and he is one of the select few that can do it and not gain a pound. What has worked for me over the last 3 years is eat mostly clean and really just watching portion size. I think endurance athletes need carbs but they need to be good carbs, whole wheat pastas and breads very little sugar added foods and good lean proteins. Portion control is key it takes a while to get used to but it works, I'm 30 pounds pounds down over the last 2.5 years and still losing don't worry about it coming off slowly that is the best way to be successful in the long run.

Samantha, thank you for your kind words. I did eat pizza on Sunday after my swim though... but it is not on my bad list yet. One step at a time. Big things to avoid are foods that come in bags... If you eat a food that comes in a bag or box, count out how many you are going to eat and stick to that. For me some foods are just so addictive I can't eat anything from that family (chocolate family). I think I will do the permanent change from diet soda to this MOI stuff. I figure it will save me $16 a month and is healthier, and better for my teeth. My weight loss goal is never more than 5 pounds per month and there are those nasty plateaus that hang out for like 3 weeks straight with perfect diet and than bam you drop 4 pounds in 3 days. It is like your body going Ok ok, I will adjust, I was hoping you would have a weak moment and I could just backfill the fat cells.

Today 26 mile bike ride at 20.7 mph including drills (single leg drills etc.). I was noticing that I could do 21 mph at 15-20 fewer beats than 3 months ago. Granted I can't stay at 21 mph for more than half an hour before I start slipping here and there, but it is at a lower effort. I still can't see holding that for even a HIM, but we shall see. My bike pace to beat for CDA is 17.6 mph.

Steve/Samantha

I know you two are currently doing your TPs if not reviewing your draft TPs. I just noticed on the 4th week of my TP SBR durations went down? whats is that? if i can do it without any problems can i increase the duration to increase fitness or leave as is?
( copy of TP attached.)

Talking about nutrition its really been a roller coaster ride for me. Craving is just a struggle after a workout. I tried eating fruits as substitution , but after that i just eat whatever is available any suggestions that can make the tummy feel full but wont actually feel gaining weight.
Just wondering does Chocolate Outrage Gu counts as chocolate.

Happy Training Everyone

Cheers!!!



Carl


Edited by strykergt 2014-02-11 1:22 AM




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a big box of Girl Scout cookies just arrived at my house yesterday. This is not good. Not good at all. Thin Mints are a cruel addiction....

@ Mitzi: please don't be embarassed about this. You seem to go into this with the right mindset and aiming to keep a healthy balance. Do you keep track of what you are eating during the day? I have been using MyFitnessPal for a few months now and although my perception was that I was eating faily well, it's amazing how the small things can add up! Keep us posted.

@ Mike: Happy recovery week!!!

@ Jared: I really want to try these Sufferfest videos, but they seem pretty intense I need to further build my bike base before I do. Bike is my strong sport but I don't want to kill my following days run/swim workouts...

@ Carol: training for vacation, LOL!!! And that burger looks very good actually, it's the onion rings on the side that look dangerous to me

@ Steve: I agree you are certainly leading by example.

Last week began well but we ended up sick all weekend, thanks to a gastro-like stomach bug that circulated at the kids' school. Last Thursday almost half of the students were at home sick, in my daughter's class only 5 kids were present... Yep spent most of Saturday night in the bathroom, close to the toilet (sorry for TMI!!!), just in case... Long bike & run were ruined, but I did a nice 3.6 km walk on Sunday pm to breath fresh air, and a 2 mile run/walk last night.

Back on track now for this week. Pool tonight

Happy training everyone!

Glad you enjoyed the burger of the month! I agree with Isabella, that it is the onion rings that really send it over the edge. I've had the swiss mushroom burger there, but skipped the fries. Any half pound burger is just a bit much for me at 5 ft 4, and I felt kinda sick after eating it. Some of you guys/gals who are younger and/or taller can probably handle it just fine though.

Weather, schedule conflicts, and pool closures have been making it tough for me to get much going in terms of my preferred workouts-- anything outdoors, and swimming at the local HS pool. So this morning (another day of bad weather, school start delay, and probable pool closure), I decided enough is enough! Pulled up a "Jillian Michaels 30 day shred" video on you tube. After trying unsuccessfully to buy it from Amazon to watch on our big screen TV, and getting thoroughly frustrated, I brought my mat and 5lb weights into my little office and used my computer screen. I'm not a fan of Biggest Loser because it is so far from reality. But I gotta say that was a decent workout in a short amount of time with good cues on form. It's a small victory and a good find, so I'll take it!

Mike - Congrats on the weight loss. I too am about 30lbs lighter since starting this new thing 2.5 yrs ago. Been stuck on that plateau for a while though.

Steve - Nice work on the bike fitness. Some how I think you will be improving that IMCDA PR.

Carol - Nothing like keeping it real. We have been enjoying cheeseburgers on the grill lately, minus all that extra stuff. Although I do enjoy a pickle on mine as my guilty pleasure. with some 85% lean meat how bad can it be? Nice job on the WO, the weather has been horrible thus far.

Mike D - Thin mints... Hopefully you get some help with that box of cookies.

Isabella - Way to get back at it after such a bad weekend.

Phil - Never tried the MVP for mapmyfitness. I like the app and often thought the HR tracking on the MVP would be nice. Let me know what you hear. I tend to the cheap side because I am sure if I looked that I would find a bunch of free HR tracking apps even if they do not integrate well.

More snow on the way for Thursday 8{. More and more thinking that choosing a HIM later in the year was a good choice over early May. The gym has been my friend though and the fitness level is improving. 30min on the bike and 30 on the treadmill this morning.

Don't you hate it when.....you get new tri gear shipped to the office (in this case a set of 58MM carbon clinchers) and you can't go out and do anything with it because your bike is at home.

So every training plan will have a week of lower distances every 3rd or 4th week. You need that lighter week to recover and prepare for the next buid cycle. This is true fur run plans or triathlon plans. Recovery is very important. Sometimes you might even need to skip a day of training because you have been getting slower and slower related to fatigue buid up, especialy in an IM or HIM build. Enjoy the short miles, your plan will build the following week.

Hi all. Thanks so much for the inspiration. This weekend, I was pretty mad and disgusted with myself for doing so little. Now I’ve just read about everyone else’s workouts and its getting me motivated again.

Randy, 52 is NOT old. IT.IS.NOT! I’m saying it so empathetically because I’ll be there in less than a month. Oh well, it beats the alternative. And to be honest, I’d rather be turning 53 than 52 but I’ll explain that in a year and one month.

Mitzi, I know the feeling of gaining weight because of childbirth. When my son was 6 y.o., I found myself weighing what I weighed at 7 months of pregnancy. I wrote down the situations that were causing me problems. I carried that list around with me and look at it daily. I had to eliminate the situations or be cognizant of my eating in those situations. It helped tremendously and I lost weight – not down to target weight but it was a killer start. After a few months of that and reprogramming myself to not eat in those situations, I then started diet and exercise to finally get rid of the extra. One thing I did find tho, I finally got down to my target weight and I found that it wasn’t realistic for my older body to maintain that weight. So I found my new good weight and just try to hang around there. If I gain some weight, it’s ok if it’s a logical time (I usually weigh more in the winter or in high stress times) but if it starts creeping to unacceptable, then I have to change something. Best of luck to you and find what works best for you.

Hear, hear to Samantha’s comments about Steve! I don’t know how he gives so much time to everything. And then tripling his mileage? Sheeez!

Carol, glad the ART may help. Good luck to FIL.

Isabella, hope the whole family recovers quickly.

Keep up the good work all. I did realize this weekend that I won’t sign up for the DU in March. Baseball season starting AND my running falling off so much, I won’t be able to get enough bike fitness to do it properly.

MTA: I've got to post this. Several years ago, I found out about Medals4Mettles.org. Just sent my Louisiana medal and hubby sent his Tally HM. See the Thank You below. If anyone thinks they can give up their medals, consider this org.
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Sent: Monday, February 10, 2014 9:18:34 PM
Subject: M4M medals

Hi Pam!

Thank you so much for dontating more of your medals! It is much appreciated. I want to share with you an email I recently received from the parents of a child at Wolfson Children's Hopsital. Thanks again for being part of M4M!

"I am writing on behalf of my daughter, Annabella. She is 6 years old and suffers from Juvenile Dermatomyositis (JDM) which is a rare autoimmune disease that affects the muscles, skin, and blood vessels.

We have been coming to Wolfson's Children's Hospital since she was diagnosed in April of 2011 and will continue to do so for many years to come.

Today during her monthly IVIG treatment she received one of your medals that was donated. WOW! There really aren't words to describe how excited she was and us as parents. To know people out there are this amazing and thoughtful brought tears to my eyes. This is a wonderful organization and we are extremely grateful to all those involved it making this happen!

God Bless all of you!

Amanda & Freddie"

Edited by Pink Socks 2014-02-11 8:17 PM

Mike-- mmmm... 58mm carbon wheelset. Post pics! Where'd you get em? I've been considering getting high profile rims, but don't want to plop down a grand for em. Considering roadfox (not quite established, and I think he gets open molds from China) or planet x (heavy).

Carl-- I might take that TP when I'm closer to my HIM. I'd say the gu counts as chocolate, but I have failed myself in the chocolate challenge. Failing has never tasted so good, though! I don't recommend it, though, because you guys have been doing awesome. Willpower is simply a virtue I do not possess.

Pink socks--I weigh more in the winter too. Reasons? My training slows. All those holidays! Plus, all that 'comfort' food tastes better when it's cold out.

Medals4mettle sounds like a great program! I try to stay away from reality tv, but after watching hoarders shows on cable, I try not to keep knick-knacks, and medals just sit around my desk and are definitely hoarding. Too bad they only do marathon, IM, and HIM medals though. Haven't earned any of those yet, but I have tons of sprints, swimming, and even dragon boat medals that are laying around the house doing nothing.

People in the Northeast/Atlantic are gonna get some heavy weather tonight/tomorrow. I know Linda is around my area, more west, and she'll probably get hit harder than Alexandria. Snow always excites me. Keep warm everyone!

Phil, they accept any tri medals - sprint, oly, etc.. It's sorta misleading because they mention HM and Mary first. They just don't accept 5K, 10k, 8k or something like that. They took my ultra medal too.