STEPH SPRINT FULL Let's do this thing! StephSprint group FULL! (Page 37)

Hey everyone,

I got a bit of good news yesterday.  I reached a goal that I have been working at for 4 years 8 months. The short version ( no such thing when I start a story) is back before all my love of fitness me and the wife were shopping for life insurance.  I had recently quit smoking ( was about 5 months smoke free) and the insurance company required a blood test.  Well to my surprise, I was the young healthy spry guy I thought I was.  Turned out my triglycerides were extreemly high, like 500 high.  I figured that was wrong and followed up with my own doctor.  Turns out, it was wrong and the more acurate results were 493. Yikes!  My doctor  said, no problem we can get you some Lipitor.  Great, 34 years old and I am going to start taking a pill for the rest of my life.  I dont think so.  Next option. My doctor suggested trying a fish oil supplemental. No thanks just another pill. Next option.  He left me with change your diet and exercise.  

Diet and exercise, but I eat healthy.  Just lots of carbs like cereal, breads, pasta, potatoes, rice, soda (4 cans a day easy).  So maybe, not as healthy as I thought and maybe this was why I was putting on weight.  The new thin, skinny fat. 

So my journey began.  I started changing my diet a little at a time and joined a gym.  Each check up was a little better than the last and after each check up I came up with another change in my diet and with getting into running and triathlon followed more exercise.  

So 4 years 8 months a couple weeks and days later, I finally... FINALLY have normal cholestoral and trigyceride leves.  160 for chorlestoral and 137 for Triglycerides.  This is the lowest they have ever been measured. 

Moral of the story, while there may have been a magic pill or quick fix, nothing would have been more rewarding and permanent than making a life change for a health life. It just took a willingness to try different things, a desire to stick with it and tremendous support from my wife. 

--Marcus

PS, Yes that was the short version. 

Marcus- I'm a nurse practitioner, I work with patients like you- and I make the same offers, a statin, fish oil- most would go with that or take nothing and risk the consequences rather than take the diet & exercise route.  By diet & exercise, I don't mean skipping ice cream one night a month and walking 30minutes once a week, but real diet change, real exercise- like you did, and here you are reaping the results.  I'm proud of you- we all are here!  You are an inspiration!

As a matter of fact, I'm going to use you as an example to my next patient with crappy cholesterol levels, and bad lifestyle choices.  I will tell them that I knew a guy who took control of his diet, exercise, and found a new passion to boot.  You are so cool my friend!

Bridget

Thanks Bridget, that means a lot to me. 

LIKE and LIKE.

Way to go Marcus. Good on ye for not just taking the pills. I was just trying to refigure my career/life and I'm thinking of becoming a trainer or physical therapist in order to help people who don't want to take the pills either. Jeebus knows there are quite a few people who need the help but don't know where to start.

Soooo.... my wife and kids are out of town for a few days, and that leaves me totally free for some exercise. I decided to go swim/run/swim yesterday. Half mile OWS (killed it) 4.5 mile run (killed it, but with some knee twinge) and another half mile OWS (totally killed it). Going to take my dog on a nice trail run later. AND THEN mow my grass (maybe).

EditToAdd: 5.5 mile trail run AND the grass is cut. Time for some yoga, sleepy tea, and foam rolling.

Thanks Skibum,

A career change is certainly bit of refigurring. I am sure that if you set out to do it you will be successfull. It seems you might have a nack for helping people, between helping a strangers kid to learn to swim, cheering on strangers and teaching your own kids and wife to swim. 

Question for everyone:  Sundays race has a 17.2 mile bike that is two loops.  How would you ride the bike portion.  Go hard on lap 1, and ease up on lap 2 to give the legs some res.  Go easy on lap1 and crank it on lap 2.  Go evenly on both laps saving legs for the run. Go all out on both laps?  The course is mostly flat, with some small hills. The front half is mostly flat and the back half has a fairly steady climb with two decent down hills towards the end. 

On another note: This article came out on the USAT mailer.  Thought I would pass it along.

http://www.usatriathlon.org/about-multisport/multisport-zone/fuel-station/articles/ten-point-plan-082112.aspx

Well... I'm not the most experienced athlete, but everything I've read says to give it a steady effort through the bike, and an easier effort at that. BUT... The race sounds relatively "short", and I'm guessing it is a 3 mile run. I think you can endure the suffering of a three mile run off a hard bike effort. A problem I've found when doing bricks is going hard on the start of the run, and losing some steam on the 3rd mile. However... that is completely different than losing all of your steam in an Oly or longer. So my advice is ease into a good hard bike effort, and ease into your run pace so you can cook on the last mile. Maybe someone with a little more experience can aim you straighter. Anyway, GOOD LUCK in the race. 

Thanks Guys,

Based on the bricks that I have done, it takes me about 3/4-1mile for my legs to get back 100%.  The wobbly doesn't seem to last that long.  In my last race by mile 1, I had a cramp under my ribs, so I am not 100% sure when my legs were normal again. 

I am thinking I will try to keep it even through the bike.  If I dont have legs left I wont be able to run and I am too slow on the bike for blowing all my go go on the ride. There is a better chance of me gaining more ground on the run than the bike.

The course is 400M, 17.2 mile, and 5k. 

Good luck AWK and Suzzi on your races this weekend and anyone else that I missed. 

--Cheers

Good morning all

went out with a friend to the beach this morning with our bikes to ride out the HM race distance- it is mostly flat, beautiful location, ocean breeze- we got a bit lost on the loop back- I'm thinking on race day the roads will be marked better so we won't end up doing extra.  

As I think I am the most amateur-est of the bunch here, I also signed up for intermediate swim at the Y this fall- my first tri will be in June 2013, my current swimming level is bad.  Prior to "fear no more" swim lessons at the Y, my swim level was gawd-awful, so I am improving.  My 10yr old daughter will be at swim team practice the same time, so it will force me to go.  She reminded me that I should not skip classes this time 

Steph- ride out the storm, it was almost a year since we were hit by Irene here in New England, we just don't get them that often.  Floridians are pros with the storms!  

Good luck to this weeks racers too!  Post updates, I live vicariously through you all!

Bridget

Going to be a year to the day of Irene if Issac heads our way. My sister lives in Isla Morada, and I am quite worried for her. But as Zbridget said : Floridians are pros at this hurricane stuff. Hang tough Steph and ride it out. Shouldn't say this yet, but it doesn't look like a bad one. Irene happened to have been my wedding anniversary. As a typical husband, I was unsure what the exact day I got married was. Now I have a catastrophic event to remind me.

Going to go for a little run and maybe a swim, but my shoulder is inflamed some. This is the last weekend that the town pool is open. As I mentioned before, they hire teen life guards. That means when school starts again, the pool has to close. 

Thanks Marcus! Best wishes to you too.  By chance did you get a purple cap again?  I did! haha

Pre-race recon completed today.  Bike is racked.  Drove the course, super psyched to see the 1/2 mile long hill towards the end into a turnaround. WTH?

Interesting notes posted at transition - headphones are forbidden on the bike, but only discouraged on the run.  Based on my last brick workout, I'm running faster (translated, less slow) without them.

And I innocently told the athlete racked next to me that I hoped her GB Packers balloon would still be there tomorrow.  I meant because the weather is iffy..... really!!

Have a great weekend everyone & batten down the hatches

Terri

Terri,

Not this time, this time they gave me a pale yellow swim cap.  I think I rather have a purple one. 

Good luck tomorrow.

Steph,

Stay safe.  Not sure I would want to watch a big storm from the 28th floor.  

--Cheers.  

Well, I decided not to do the relay this weekend (for a variety of reasons) and it turned out to be a good decision as I am down with some kind of throat infection. UG. Was going to go riding up in Wisconsin with a group of friends. Instead hanging at home, drinking herbal tea.

Steph, Be safe!  I was visiting my cousin in Boston 21 years ago when Hurricane Bob hit.  It was intense.

Terry, How was the Danskin Tri?  Did it finish before the rain?

Susie

4.5 mile trail run (during lunch break). The trail lead to a waterfall. I heard it was destroyed after TS Irene, and I hadn't been there since. It was very much intact, except a landslide (to ski on this Winter!!) had occurred on the trail, which some thought was the remnants of the waterfall. The lady who said the above quote was really impressed that I got to the top and passed her on the way down again. That is definitely one of my favorite things about running some of the more popular trails in this area: the hikers usually say encouraging things and perceive me to be superhuman. If that is true, then how come it hurts so much when I twist my ankles on the rocks and roots? 

How's the wind and rain Steph? Hope you are doing OK.