2015 Clyde/Athena Tri-N-4- Weight Loss Mentor Group - Open (Page 17)

Originally posted by divinelyplaced

Is it too late for me to join in this? If it is I can delete... but I will introduce myself!
GROUP FOCUS: weight loss and getting healthy

Swim 10m 400.00 yards 02m 30s /100 yards

Well, it certainly appears to be "official". Nobody is going to hire a 57 year old, first-time science teacher. So I needed to come up with a new plan for my future. I am going to focus on getting my Chrysler 22' sailboat ready for sailing next summer. And once again, I shall attempt to return to triathlon for both training and weight loss. Monday morning I weighed in at 383.6 pounds. Not my highest ever, but certainly the highest since I ran my first Blueman Tri.

So, what shall I train for? I broke out Friel's "Triathlon Training Bible" again and will be attempting to fit ALL of the following into a structured plan. I am going to attempt to plan these races for next year, and hopefully input them into my BT Planned Races page.

November 2015 - South Williamsport 5k Turkey Trot
May 2016 - Lake Anna Sprint, VA
July 2016 - PA State Elite Time Trial, Dauphin, PA
August 2016 - Lumberjack Tri, Duboistown, PA
September 2016 - Nation's Tri, Washington, DC
October 2016 - B2B Half, Wilmington, NC

I am not returning to the Forums until I have at least two full weeks of training logged again. By the time I get to four full weeks I am fairly certain it will be well on the way to becoming an established habit. My goal for the remainder of August is to score 19/19 possible workouts. This still allows me one rest day per week.

Originally posted by divinelyplaced

My training is about to take a back seat to me starting my PhD on the 24th of this month while also working full time.

I am the heaviest I have been while being this active ever and I attribute it to the I work my off I can eat what I want diet.

My big event that I had been carb loading for those long training sessions for turned out to be the same weekend as my first weekend of classes so that is scrapped which means I can get back to eating healthy.

What are some things that helps you stay on track with your eating? What are some of your favorite easy healthy meals?

The workout motivation is always there it's my eating that is causing problems!

Originally posted by WebFootFreak

Sorry for dropping out y'all. I just got discouraged when there were only 9 posts for the month of July and 7 of them were mine. I also know I get a bit wordy, but TBH, this board is both keeping me honest, and is also my shoulder to cry on

Quick update: The sprint I had planned for the 8th got cancelled. I went out that morning and just hammered the bike. There is no doubt in my mind that I would have cut 15mins from last year's time. I am currently trying to ramp up the mileage on the bike in preparation for my first metric on 10/10. I am also working on my run a lot more (except this last week ). I have joined 2 distance challenges for August. I am shooting for 200+ mi on the bike and 50+mi on foot. Right now I am sitting at 161.3 on the bike and 19.08 on foot. I'm a little behind, as usual, on my foot work. The scale said 247 this morning so... status quo on weight :/.

I got bit by the stupid bug this week too. I realized that I generally swim 2200yds when I jump in the pool. I've also noted that my 30-40mi rides are normal training rides for HIM distance athletes so.... I am tentatively looking at running a HIM next year. Right now I'm looking at Chattanooga because the river swim will keep me a bit fresher for those hills.... which I have none of around my house. If I choose to run a half... it will by my only run next year (time and $$ constraints). If I stick to my original plan, I'll run 3 events which will include Memphis in May (for an apples-to-apples PR shot) and at least 1 Oly. Again, scheduling and money are the factors .

Originally posted by leatherneckpa

First of all, thank goodness you all came back. It could've gotten pretty lonely in here all alone.

First, the good news. After one week of relatively mild workouts I weighed in this morning at 378.2, down from that depressing 386.6 of last week. To put that in perspective, I ran my 2012 Blueman tri at 345. That's my profile pic.

Day 6 of 19 Bike 27m 28s 4.50 miles 9.83 Mi/hr
Another single gear ride today with Cindy. So proud of my wife! She shredded FIVE minutes off her previous ride. And I broke a sweat thanks to keeping it in that high 3-5 gear.

Now, I've seen people who could do multiple quotes in a single post but I've never learned how to do it. Instead, I sit here and take notes on a sheet of paper while I read your posts.

Mike - I've been thinking about trying to do the Quantico tri, and somewhere in the dim recesses of the Neverland Dream Express is the thought of attempting the MCM. Call me crazy but I sort of think it's something I'm obligated to try, being a Marine and all. But I've never heard this term, "beat the bridge" before. Is this an especially challenging ascent I need to think about or is it worse, a drawbridge that you have to beat to finish within the time limit?

Tara - PhD, congrats. I went back in retirement (2009) to get my MA and my student teaching mentor was working on her PhD. She just got it this year. Don't allow the PhD to overtake your life. Make workouts "YOUR" time and try to set aside at least an hour a day five days a week. At least you can train for sprints and olys at that level. Personally, I hate tracking my nutrition, although there are numerous studies that show those who track are significantly more successful at weight loss than those who do not. I am a cheapskate and have been using the free version of MapMyFitness to track workouts. This morning I decided to start trying to track my food using that. Mike, does MFP do gps tracking of your bikes and runs?

Rick - Like I said, I could feel the desperation in your last 5 or 6 posts. That's the only reason I came back before I had at least a steady month to report. My teaching certifications are good for 7-12, however I live in a very rural area. There are only 7 districts in the county I live in. I broke my own "30 minutes/30 miles" rule and even applied to schools that were up to an hour away. There isn't a community college within an hour of me. But in all honesty, I'm slowly coming to terms with it. Especially since I have re-dedicated myself to an ambitious race season for 2016.

Originally posted by leatherneckpa

What do y'all think of my 2016 season? I'm mapping it out right now using Friel's "Bible". The end of the season is compressed, but for right now I believe it is do-able. Here's my thought process.

May 2016 - Lake Anna Sprint, VA - This would be my season opener anyway, because it's about the earliest non-wetsuit tri I can manage without having to pay for hotels. Best friend lives less than an hour away.

July 2016 - PA State Elite Time Trial, Dauphin, PA - This is a 40k bike ride, so basically it's just a training ride for my planned Oly.

August 2016 - Lumberjack Tri, Duboistown, PA - Hometown race, literally. And it's a sprint. By this time of year I should be well into Oly/HIM training distances. Now the next two I took "best guess" dates for. And when they are plotted out on a calendar I have a recovery week, two weeks of build, and one week of taper between each of these three races.

September 2016 - Nation's Tri, Washington, DC - I have worked this one as a motorref and it is the one that returned triathlon to the front of my memory banks. Of course, meeting Dave Scott and getting his autograph didn't hurt either.

October 2016 - B2B Half, Wilmington, NC - This was originally planned for 2013, so that my mother would get to see me finish a tri. Unfortunately she passed away that April and my brother wrecked my bicep while I was there for the funeral. Lost my entire 2013 season to that.

For me, it's not a question of motivation or determination. It really boils down to whether 4 weeks between events is sufficient. I know I can be HIM ready by mid-October, not competitive, but ready.