Lora's Girls Group of Beginners - CLOSED (Page 9)

1. When you're on a long run and have to use the bathroom, you run into the woods and another runner is doing the same thing - and it doesn't bother either of you.


2. You forget that talking about daily LSD [Long Slow Distance] and speed weirds some people out.


3. When asked how old you are, your answer is 30-34.


4. You wave at other cyclists, because all triathletes are friendly and, if they are not, they are probably purist cyclists trying to get into triathlons and they do not yet know that triathletes are friendly.


5. You have absolutely NO idea what to do with yourself on your off day. You mowed the lawn, cleaned the house, washed the car, and there are STILL 4 hours of daylight left! Aarrgghh!


6. Your children are more likely to recognize you if you put on your bicycle helmet.


7. You know where the good fishing is in the lake because of how the water tastes.


8. You think an Ironman is easier then a marathon because you don't have to start by running fast.


9. You feel like you took the day off because all you did was swim 3000 yards.


10. Nobody believes you when you say, "Never again".


11. You take part in the corporate challenge to improve your base speed.


12. Your spouse is looking forward to the day when you will slow down and just run marathons.


13. You know what bricks are.


14. You are actually interested in the mile by mile recap of the fairly innocuous question, "So, how was your race?”


15. You have paused in front of the mirror in your wetsuit and thought, “Hey, I look like a superhero."


16. You have the belief that as long as your marriage is intact, you can afford yet a little more training.


17. Your co-workers rarely see your hair down. It takes too much time to blow-dry after a 5:30 am swim and twisting wet hair into a bun takes 15 seconds.


18. Your bicycle has a name, sleeps INSIDE the house, and is worth more - emotionally and monetarily - than your car.
19. Shoveling snow is a part of your cross-training schedule.


20. You make your 5 year old sit in a jogging stroller and go for a run because the baby doesn't weigh enough.


21. You ride your bike more than you drive your car.


22. You can run a 1-mile faster than your teenage kids - who are in track and cross country.


23. You tuck your wife in, wait for her to fall asleep and then go workout.


24. You know from experience how many minutes you can swim in 45 F or lower water before your core body temperature drops dangerously low, and then time your transition into dry clothes to avoid hypothermia...in an outhouse.


25. You have done an OWS while it was snowing.


26. When you ask your dog if he wants to go for a run, he scampers and hides under the chair shaking.


27. Your spouse doesn't blink when you say, "I should be back from my run in three hours."


28. Your co-workers no longer think it's weird when you eat your "second lunch" at 3:00.


29. An easy swim is any distance less than 1500 yards.


30. You've run a marathon, but never just by itself.


31. You plan your vacations around your training for your A, B or C race.


32. You know the difference between an A, B or C race.


33. When traveling, you select your hotel based on the exercise room.


34. You consider work regeneration time between training sessions.


35. When people praise you for being able to run 3 miles, you feel insulted.


36. Your kids grab water bottles and energy bars when you suggest a family stroll.


37. You think there are only two seasons during the year: racing and off.


38. You need a picture for a job application and you only have race pictures.


39. You know what the Yellow Socks Brigade is...and you belong.

Marie,

I think everyone is feeling the weather blues. (Except for a few of us who have not been hit by the storms.) I decided to introduce my little one to baking on the most recent snow day, and that was on top of the awesome cookies that were already made the day before. I totally relate to the binge and chill thing. I gained about 2lbs despite all the shoveling .

It's time to re-evaluate and reignite the desire. For me, as I have said before, I try for baby steps even if my schedule has a long session planned. Any time is better then no time and it's more for your mental well being than physical. I'm going to sign up for another event in the hopes that it will kick me into gear. Since it has been 5-6 wks since I started my "training" I'm also going to take a look at my plan and see what needs tweaking. This helps me get my head back into the game. If all that fails and there is some extra $ around, then it's time to set up a goal with a gear/goodie reward at the end. Me, I'm thinking about a wetsuit so I'm going to have to swim a little more to earn it and maybe loose 1-2 lbs.

Most importantly though, don't beat yourself up for missing some training. It happens. Just get back into it but go easy for a few days.

Hang in there everyone. Only a few more weeks and we will be singing in the spring air as we move outside. I am so looking forward to a ride outside.  I think I'll be screaming my head off when it happens!

Sarah,
It’s nice to know the best is yet to come, provided we are willing to go for it. This woman is my new inspiration. I may just print out the article and post it up in my cubicle at work.

Rachel,
Madeleine pans? Really? Can I come over? Love madeleines. Wait, no I have to be good. I’ve heard the name Gary Taubes, but I’m not really familiar with his writings. (Did a quick wiki on him.) Diet, nutrition, eating – what a mess. I began my adult working life as a dietician. I left the field for several reasons, one being that it is so personal and so loaded and so tough to work with people. To be a good dietician, you have to be a good psychologist as well. Seriously, it’s tied to our mood, our culture, our health, enjoyment, and sooooo much more.

I could go on and on and this could branch out in many directions. The simple truth is that if calories in is greater then calories out, you will gain wght. If calories used exceeds those consumed, you will loose wght. The arguments about refined carbs and sugars are interesting ones. We have seen an explosion of obesity in this country (and others) recently. It makes sense to look at what we are eating as well as what other factors may be influencing our weight. I’m very interested in how high fructose corn syrup, and corn in general, has totally messed with us in this country. It’s in everything. If you really want to mess with your head about what you should or shouldn’t eat, read The Omnivore's Dilemma. It has less to do with weight or nutrition issues and more to do with how screwed up our food chain is.

One reason I like BT is that Nancy Clark is a contributing author on sports nutrition. I have always liked her (going on 20 years). She’s down to earth about what’s really needed for performance for most of us weekend athletes; and that is a well rounded diet with plenty of fruits, veggies and legumes, moderate animal protein (if you partake) and adequate H2O. Most of us do not perform at the level that requires super scrutiny of our diets. (But again, we are each different with different needs and philosophies and well, budgets.)

Sarah - Nice job on the swim. I too have to rest between laps. I can swim a long time if I take it easy and do drills but when I try to swim more then one lap at a time w/out rest, I tire and my form breaks down. It does feel good when you move through the water rather then fight through it.  Don't worry too much about pace just yet. It will come and you'll be surprised what adrenaline and swimming in a swarm of people will do for your pace when you actually do your tri.

And, there's no shame in side stroking your first event. I'd practice that stroke as well. I did more then half of my swim portion of my race on my side, seriously. I didn't care. I wanted to make it to the end without expending too much energy or having to pull my cap off to be rescued. I went into the race having swum the full distance only once or twice. I lost my breath at one point and had to roll on my back for a bit. With that, my time was way better then I thought it would be. 

Just keep swimming! Just keep swimming!