New at this...Somebody talk to me....

Hello. We're all new at this....

Hi Kickstart!

Yep a site full of newbies, that would be us, the blind leading the blind, the lame following the lame...peanut butter junkies holding hands....

Actually, there is a lot of GREAT information here, and more support than you can shake a stick at.

WELCOME!!!

Bienvenidos! I've haven't been here very long, but I've learned a lot by reading through the posts on this board. I feel like I've been training with a 'team' for the past month, instead of going at this alone.

-Frank

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WOW!

This is a great website. I didn't think anyone would respond. Six wonderful people welcomed me.
To them I say, "thanks, Love Ya"!!!

To Bear, I say, "don't worry about being harsh, it's better than apathy."

To CindyK, I say, "you're right about this being a great site, full of GREAT information. I'm a peanut butter junkie, too."

To Elite Veteran, I say, "FOUR triathons in one season....how is this humanly possible? Me, I'm trying to muster the courage to register for the Dave Scott's Texas Man Sprint Triathlon (Oct 10th)."

To scuba-punk, I say, "I really love your two quotes....
"The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a man's determination."
-Tommy Lasorda
"It's never too late to become what you might have been."
-George Elliot

To Lara_SD, I say, "FUN, I'll have lots of fun, you say......how can that be...I ache all over........lol.
But, you are right, I will have fun. Most people quit when the ache comes. I work thru it, and thank God that I can feel the ache....it means I'm alive."

To all of you, here's a little info about me.

I'm 56 yrs old. This time last year I weighed 242 lbs. Hated myself when I looked in a mirror. My exercise routine was walking once or twice a week for 20 minutes. If I attempted to run, I was exhausted after 1/2 mile and had to walk to catch my breath. I'm now 192 lbs. I'm beginning to like what I see in the mirror. My exercise routine is running 6 days a week....never less than 2 miles, sometimes 4 miles, without stopping. On top of that, I walk for 2 miles to burn additional calories. I've totally changed my eating habits and made other major lifestyle changes. My goals for the remainer of this year are to weigh 180, run in a Triathlon, and be a better person in general.

Still, I ache and have to watch myself......can't let myself slip back into the lazy habits I lived for 55 years. One, of my favorite websites is www.whfoods.com. One of my favorite books is Stop Aging Now, by Jean Carper.

Gotta go, hummm, what can I do with this day ahead of me?

love ya all,

Kickstart

Congratulation on your progress and welcome to the addiction.

Hopefully your triathlon goal will give you some much needed diversification and the benefits that cross-training brings. From someone who's been there and done that, running six days a week may prove to be too much of a good thing.

Hi Kickstart. Welcome to the most addictive website on the internet!

Congrats on the changes you've made in the last year. Keep us posted.

Kickstart,

Good job on the changes...doesn't it feel great?

Have fun out there!

Keriann

Hi...well, you have certainly started off well. The changes you have made to your lifestyle are paying off well. You've got the running portion down, now what about the swim and cycling leg? Have you looked into any of the training programs on the homepage?

Hi, David - welcome and congratulations!

This site made me rise from the couch. I still strugle to make it a habit. But I feel so much better.

I agree, 6 runs/week seems way too much. - It could seriously compromise your goal!
You could wish to substitute half, or all of that with the eliptical trainer to lessen impact on your joints. Even better, there are excellent training schedules on the site.

I am really warried about aches you mentioned.
Do you strech afterwards? Do you work seriously on your flexibility? It is also important. A yoga class could be beneficiary.

Have to agree with the elliptical trainer suggestion. I run four days per week and do ET three days (yes, there is a day I do both, ET in the morning and intervals in the afternoon). This schedule has been sufficient to get me through my last five marathons. Now that I'm tri-training, it's pretty easy to swim at the gym in the morning, then go on over to the cardio room for 45 minutes on ET.

Anyway, good luck again. Pursue those goals!

welcome kickstart!   awesome progress thus far.

Welcome to the site. Fairly new myself to the board and triathlons my first one is this weekend.

Keep up the good work on the lifestyle changes, it feels good doesn't it!!!!

Incredible Kickstart! Looks like you've crested a really big hill already. The good thing about triathlons is that there always seems to be another one lurking just waiting to be conquered. Hang in there on that goal!!!!

I so hope I can still do this when I'm 56! Good for you. My mom is 56- I printed out the couch to 5K for her. She was once very active and becomes slower every year because of her weight. I just really want her to realize that there is a chance to reverse aging!

This site is unreal...

The first thing I did after coming home from work (other than greeting the Mrs) was jump on the pc to check this site. I wasn't disappointed. Amazed is more like it. So many great people in one place. I'm the type that can't stand chat rooms, seldom found one that wasn't full of garbage talk. Here's some replies to the folks talking to me:

To the bear,
"yes, I do believe this might become an addiction. I like to run, even though a snail could run faster. I look forward to the bike, haven't seriously pedaled in a real long time. About 5-6 years ago I rode 6 miles on one without any problems. I feel the bike will be the easiest of the three (swim, bike, run). I'm eager to start swimming. I'm happy, too. Did some calling around today, and found a pool nearby to do laps in."

To Mike B,
"yes, this could easily become the most addictive website for me."

To keriann,
"YES, it feels great !"

To Machiavelo,
"No, haven't had a chance to check out the training programs on the homepage. Will try to do so this weekend. I already know how to swim, and was once on a swim team. I was even halfway decent at it; but that was in 1973-74....30 years ago. 400 yards was once a piece of cake. Mercy, can I swim 400 yards by October 10th....? I don't know, but I'm going to find out."

To sanjana,
"thanks for worrying about me. The aches I feel are lungs screaming for oxygen, sore muscles. Strange, but during a two mile run, I ache the most the first 1/2 mile, then it seems my body relaxes and I change breathing rhythm. I guess all this is normal. I know what pain is....believe me....I had shin splints for awhile and couldn't run for several weeks.... I read up and went to a different type running shoe, and haven't had them since. I noticed that I have a bad habit of looking at the ground while running. Guess I'm looking for snakes....lol. Anyway, this didn't dawn on me until my lower back started aching. I try to run now with my shoulders back and looking straight ahead. Seems to of helped my back situation. Don't have time for a yoga class, although I agree it would be great for this old, stiff body. I generally don't stretch after running. I was for 2 miles, this seems to loosen me up. I always feel better after a run than before. As for flexibility? I have a ball that I do abs and body stretchs on."

To the bear,
"The elliptical trainer doesn't appeal to me. I know they're great at lessening impact and for giving a good workout. Still, I'd rather run outside. I'm not knocking it, and might use it in the future."

To Ron,
"thanks."

To LynnieB,
"Yes, it feels good! Tell me how your first triathlon goes, this weekend. I'm eager to hear the results and your experiences. I admire you, and wish you success."

To jkbostic,
"I can't believe how many triathlons are out there ..... Where have I been all these years?"

To COgirl,
"thanks for the compliment. I'm post a race result afterwards. I should be somewhere toward the rear of the pack."

To Whizzer,
"Thanks for the welcome. Only race planned this season is the Dave Scott's Texas Man Sprint Triathlon (Oct 10th) in Irving, Texas. In November I'll probably be going overseas (military)."

To TriBarbie,
"You can do this when you're 56. Heck, I read about a woman, in her 80's, who runs marathons. That old woman would probably make me look like a waddling duck. Relay this message to your 56 year old mom, "I read a quote somewhere that went something like this: "change the mind, change the body" or something like that. Or, another quote I remember, goes something like this: "your worst enemy is yourself" In other words, your mom's potential is only limited by....her desire for change." A year ago when I looked in a full body mirror and hated the way I looked, something inside me clicked....from that point on, I had a burning desire to change. In my opinion, something has to click inside your mom. Wish you both success."

To everyone:

God Bless!!!

David Smith

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