HILDEBEAST'S Magnificently Motivational Mentor Group - CLOSED!!!! (Page 45)

I just do a multivitamin, so no supplements.

I've been tracking on MyFitnessPal for a week and it's growing on me as I get my common foods in there and a few recipes.

On supplements... I'm pretty haphazard about vitamins, but now that I'm training hard, I do make an effort to take a women's multi about 3 times/week and  an assortment of other vitamins on the off days (B, biotin for nails, iron, calcium). I do get anemic without iron, so I try to be consistent about that one.

I've also been experimenting with performance enhancing drugs. Well, endurance-related supplements, that is. Extreme Endurance (http://xendurance.com/) has really helped my recovery- no more lactic acid in the legs. I credit it with being able to bounce right back after my half. I use two Hammer products, Anti-fatigue caps and Endurance Amino before/during hard workouts and races. I think it's some of the magic from their nutritional products, but without the calories or caffeine. I have a couple of 'NO' supplement drinks that give a big energy burst, but they're loaded with caffeine, so I use them sparingly.

On the subject of nutrition, I've become a convert to Hammer products. Janet1 got me started on them. The first time I tried Perpetuum, I noticed that I felt better in mile 7 of a run than I did at the start- it's that good. And Recoverite after a workout has helped me not need any downtime after long rides and runs. Both are in powder form that you mix with water. Perpetuum does come in a solid now- a tube of disks kinda like Nuun- I'll be trying that soon. 

I still like Gu packets and use them on long runs. Gu Roctane is especially good for endurance- has some of that amino magic that makes Perpetuum so good. For solid food on the bike, I'm partial to Honey Stinger waffles, because they're easy to eat and they actually taste good. One thing that surprised me on my first HIM (duathlon) a year ago was that I really didn't feel like solid food when I was racing, so this year I didn't include much in my nutrition plan. i think I got half a waffle down; the rest was Perpetuum and a couple of Gu packets. I've never had any digestive issues, other than the feeling towards the end of a long race that my stomach wasn't emptying, and I needed to slow down on the intake.

A general guide that I got from the Hammer materials is that you can only absorb about 250 calories/hour. Experiment in your longer (1+hour) workouts; aim for 200- 250 calories/hour and try different things to see what works best for you. Hope that info is useful to those that are experimenting with nutrition. My training rides have been fueled by everything from orange slices to donuts, so nutrition is a very personal thing!

Reporting in from my first week of the wellness challenge.  Official weigh in records 5.8lb loss this week. 

I ate some salty trail mix and other junk before the initial weigh in, so the initial number might have been a bit inflated but I'm proud of my week.  I logged my food and really only had one questionable day when I "rid" my office of some remaining items that I should have removed earlier. 

Seven more weeks of this challenge.  I was hoping to lose 15lbs in 8 weeks, but maybe I can get close to 20.  We'll see.

Holy smokes, Andrea!!  Congratulations on your weight loss this week!!  That is so fantastic!!  I'm going to live vicariously through you and your weight loss journey b/c my weight loss has officially stalled (and I'm not happy about that!).

So I need some advice from my MMMer friends...  I just went to register for a 1/2 marathon which is held in NY in October.  I did it last year and loved it.  It is held in Albany, which is where my family is and where I grew up.  I even ran with some friends that I went to high school with.  It was a fun family/school reunion and we all totally had a blast!  We promised we would run it together every year, blah, blah, blah (after experiencing runner's high and drinking a post-race beer).  Well, I just found out registration has been capped and they are no longer taking names for the wait list either!  I'm so completely bummed b/c I really had my heart set on running this race again this year.  I did not even consider that it could be sold out so early (like 6 months early!).  I think it sold out in September last year so I figured I had plenty of time.

So here's my question to you, friends.  They also offer a full marathon option and registration is still open for that.  (Erin, I think you said you ran this marathon before - it's the Hudson Mohawk River Marathon & Half Marathon.)  Or I could run a different 1/2 marathon the very same weekend in Boston (where I currently live).  I'm kind of leaning toward the full marathon in NY b/c I LOVED the course (of the 1/2 last year) and maybe this could be a good challenge for me???  I still have a full 5+ months to train and just ran a 1/2 in March.  Any words of advice would be greatly appreciated!  Thanks! 

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!

Andrea, WOW, just WOW!!  I've stalled on my weight loss too, and am trying not to gain any back!  The last 2 weeks have been pretty spotty in the training dept, and I won't be totally gung ho next week with a tri coming up, but after that, watch out... I still wanna get down 10 more pounds if I can, so goal is to keep losing and maybe lose 5-7 more by June 3, my second tri of the season (with Louise!).

Kristen, must be a popular race, I'm very surprised a local race would sell out that quickly too!  If you think you want to do the marathon, go for it!!  I'm with Tammy, I'm pretty sure you'll have the option later on to change to the half.  And if you don't have that option you could ask the race people what happens if you can't finish the marathon and only run the half, are you DQ'd for a time?  There's probably a contact form on their website so that you could get your questions answered... and you might want to keep checking back, maybe they'll open more slots later on??

Kristen,  I DID run the full there in 2010 and loved it.  If you ran the half it is more of the same course- very flat, scenic bike path with a few (albeit fabulous) spectators!  I always had great experiences with HMRCC- they know how to organize a race.  It was my first full marathon and really it was a perfect first.  I can't recommend it highly enough.  In fact, I'm a little envious hearing you might do it!

I also want to throw my two cents into the supplement conversation.  DH and I have recently become involved with Asea.  It is a daily, liquid supplement.  It replaces damaged molecules in your cells, so it affects you from the cellular level.  Anyway, some of the many benefits are increased endurance and VO2 max, as well as quicker recovery times.  They have been doing some very cool studies on athletes.  DH and I were huge skeptics at first.  Funny story- he started taking it and said he would pay for my first case if I wanted to try it.  Of course, cheapskate that I am, I did not want to like the stuff as it would mean more money to be spent. I started taking it with full intention to give it bad reports (since it sounded like a multi-level marketing scam anyway).  However, that was not the case.  We both fell in love with the stuff and I even joined the team to share it with others.  If anyone is interested in checking it out my website is erinrockrun.teamasea.com.  I promise I'm not trying to be a pushy salesman here so I hope nobody thinks that!

Other supplements- multivitamin (which I never remember to take) and ginger before races.  S-caps are great before events, and honey stinger is the most efficient gel for me, although I prefer the taste of vanilla clif shots.

Crazy work schedule finishes tomorrow so heading to MN to visit family.  Luke (my bike) will be coming along!  Hope we're all having a great weekend!

Kristen, I'm throwing my lot in with everyone else. I say go for the full 26.2!  

Andrea - Great job on the weight loss so far (who cares if the initial weigh-in was inflated!) - you are doing a killer job - keep it up! Hope your 5K went well today. 

Below is the race report for this morning's 5K. The weather was sunny, the event was well-run and I PR'd like it was nobody's business. I never would have believed that I could have kept up an 8:21 pace for 3 miles, but I was just dying to pass the skinny chic in the tight pink pants... got her in the last .10 . 

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=437583

Hope everyone else is having a great weekend! 

Woo-hoo on the PR, Michelle! That's awesome!

Well, I've started finalizing my plans to travel to Cincinnati for my much-anticipated Flying Pig marathon. I got the training done, reserved a hotel room, checked on my standby travel arrangements... just one little thing I forgot to do: REGISTER FOR THE F-ING RACE!!! I went to their website to look at the course and saw a note that online registration was closed, click here to confirm your registration... and I wasn't there. Checked old email- no confirmation. Credit card statement- no charge. Aargh!! I have such a clear memory of DECIDING to register, and I guess I just checked it off my mental to-do list at that time. (I was busy prepping for a European cruise, so granted, I was a little distracted.) 

Well, not to worry. Turns out, they don't put a cap on registrations, so I can register at the expo. So, any of you MMM'ers free this weekend? You can join me for some good piggy fun in Cincinnati!! C'mon, it's only 26.2- you can run/walk it! Or sign up for the half!!

WTF Tammy!!  Thankfully you can still register at the Expo... how did you FORGET... probably because you were out doing an ungodly amount of training and dreamed you had entered!  Hope they have a cool shirt....

Andrea, congrats on the PR AND being a pace setter!!!  Yeah, the weight does play a big part on the bike and the run... keep working at it!!

I test rode a road bike today.  Very entry-level, but it was new and fun. 

(Jamis Ventura Sport Femme http://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/thebikes/road/ventura/12_venturasportf_bl.html)  

The shop guy is nice and helpful.  I stopped in another time to check what brands and models they had.  I enjoyed the ride.  I found the shifting to be fine (2300 type shifters and Sora derailler) but obviously different from my Schwinn Hybrid.  I got used to the shifting and position pretty easily.  The brakes felt less "grippy" somehow, but I'm sure I could adjust.  The seat would take some getting used to.

The bike I rode was a 2011 model, which I find strange since this shop just started selling Jamis recently.  They didn't mention the model year, but I've been on the site and they previously gave me a 2012 product catalog.  I wonder if they'll try to sell me a 2011.  I like the blue in the 2012.

Yes -- Awesome...great time...it's always great when you are able to finally pass that person you've been gaining on for however long.

I'm glad you posted!!  A PR is a PR is a PR.  Congrats.  

Thank goodness they don't put a cap on registrations!!!  All that training...all those miles...have a great race.

Andrea and Michelle, congratulations on your PRs!  Awesome!!

I think that's hysterical that you forgot to register for your MARATHON, Tammy!!  Haha!  Good thing you checked a week before the race to find that out vs. showing up to pick up your race bib and finding out then!

And thank you so much for all your support on trying to figure out which race to run - full marathon or 1/2 at different venue.  I'm seriously considering the 26.2 now but have to make sure my husband is on board for that!!    I'll keep you all posted!

Andrea and Michelle, you guys did great!  Congrats on the brand new PR's!

Tammy, you are one lucky lady that they don't cap out the registrations!  That is a life saver.  Man, if i was in town I would go and cheer you on.  I have a bunch of friends running.  But I'm headed to MN to visit family for the week.

Guess what- ordered a new (new to me anyway) tri bike.  Here it is.  I am not getting the HED wheels but rather some mid-level ones.  Can't wait until he gets here.

That pic may have not worked.  Here's another generic pic of the identical bike anyway.  It's a 2008 Cervelo P2SL

OOOh Erin, look at you with a CERVELO!!!!  BAd @$$ for sure, girl!!!  Awesome find!!

My new KiWAMi tri suit arrived today.... sizing is perfect, colors are perfect, and man oh man, is it an incentive to keep my on the straight and narrow on my diet, it doesn't hide anything!!!  Hope to take it out for a swim at the lake tomorrow, and I'm really hoping that it stays tight in  the water, I've gotten tired of feeling my tri top loosen up and start floating all around, causing who knows how much drag!