Day 18

Allergies! I am having a terriable time with seasonal allergies these days. I am double dosing both clariton and benedryl (not to mention prescription eye drops and nose spray) but nothing is working, thus the delay of bike riding AGAIN.

I did however make it to the pool this morning. Started off with 400 meters followed by an hour of swim aerobics. I felt so good after the aerobics that I did another 250 meters in the pool. I am really confident of my swimming abilities for the race in July. I can feel my endurance building up more every day.

I am a bit concerned about my upcoming trip to California. The hotel we are staying at has both a pool and a gym, but I wonder how motivated I will feel. Especially since we will be on the run every day sightseeing. I will bring my sneakers and goggles and hope for the best!

Day 17

Despite the insane heat here (90 degrees in May!), I did workout last night. I was going to go the Y for swim laps but I was just not feeling it. I had my bathing suit on and everything but was so tired that I had to pass. Not sure if I am catching mono from Kevin or just overtired. Feeling guilty for eating a couple of tootsie rolls, I fought against the fatigue and hit the treadmill. Honestly, I was not expecting much. I thought I would just get on and go for about 20 minutes.

Luckily, I proved myself wrong. I beat my time again! 3.1 miles in 42.5 minutes. Another whole minute off my time. I was walking at 4.1 and up to running at 5.3 miles per hour.

I did not go to the pool again today either. I had to mulch for two hours in the humidity of over 80 degrees. Kevin is banned from working out or doing any extraneous activities, thus me doing the mulching. That is hard work! Going to try to hit the treadmill tonight and pool in the morning. Until the heat dies down, the bike will wait.

Day 15

It has been a crazy few days here. Kevin was diagnosed with mono yesterday after he had been feeling ill for over a week. Fingers crossed that the virus does not spread and that he feels better by the time we leave for California.

Yesterday I swam 200 meters (8 laps) straight. It was exhausting! I then did 90 minutes of swim aerobics. Today Kevin and I went for a long walk at state land (wooded area) with Maisey for over an hour. When we got home, it was 85 degrees. I have been putting off riding my bike for any significant amount of time, so I decided to go for it today. I rode a two mile path around my neighborhood with a decent size hill. At least it was a decent start!

8 weeks to go before the mini-half sprint. I am leaning towards doing it. What will I wear for it though, that is the question. I tried on sports bathing suits at the store today, and lets just say that Nike and Speedo bathing suits are not kind to the well endowed!

Day 13; a new goal?

My workouts have been uneventful over the past few days with the exception of improving my running/walking time. I gained a whole minute; going from 3.1 miles in 44.5 minutes to 33.5 minutes. I had to really push for that extra minute though. At about the 22 minute mark I felt like I was going to give up. However I was determined to make it. "Dig deep" I kept telling myself.

I found out a few days ago that the YMCA is offering a 1/2 sprint triathlon race in late July. It would consist of a 400 meter swim, 9 mile bike ride and a 1.5 mile run. I am seriously thinking of going for it. My foot has been doing okay and my endurance keeps getting better. I am going to start taking my bike to the park to practice riding. I also have another bike ride route I am going to try that would be around 8 miles. The deadline for entering the race is July 10th, so I figure I will keep going at this rate and see where I am in early July. I really want to do this so I will have to start really pushing.

Tomorrow: 400 meter swim; no time limit.

Day 10

I beat my run/walk time! I was able to do 3.1 miles in 34.30 minutes. That is a whole 30 seconds off my last time. 30 seconds might not seem like much, but in the running world that is a nice little improvement.

Instead of biking (I know, I am totally avoiding it), I went hiking with a friend. It was very nice but my allergies are horrible today. My right eye is swelling up. Tomorrow it is supposed to be almost 80 degrees out, so I have no excuses for not excercising outside.

Tomorrow's goal: Swim 450 yards, bike 2 miles.

Day 9

Not feeling so hot today. At least I dragged myself out of bed and went to the Y. I was lucky enough to have an open swim lane to myself. I used a pair of flippers to work on my kick. They worked great; to bad they are not allowed in a thriathlon! My goal was 600 meters but only went for 400. I just did not have it in me. Same for biking. I used a spin bike at the gym directly after swimming. The seats on those are horrible! After just one mile I was ready to quit just because my tush was getting sore. I went another mile but it was a struggle.

I came home and took a nap. I was then inspired to take my dog Maisey and run/walk in the woods. That inspiration did not last long. We ended up taking a 25 minute trail and I walked the whole way. Maybe I am getting sick? My husband has been sick all week so I am wondering if I caught anything from him. If not than I do not know what my problem is.

Tomorrow: run/speed walk 4 miles, and bike for 2 miles.

Day 8

Yesterday was my day off. For some reason I was feeling very sluggish this morning so I did not go to the Y for swim laps. I was achy and had a sore throat. As they day went on I started to feel a bit better, so I decided to get on the treadmill.

Big improvement since Sunday! I pushed myself to run (up to 4.8) and speed walk (3.9) for 3.1 miles. As I think I blogged before, the goal is to do a minimum of 3.1 miles again and again to improve my time. The race states I must complete the run leg within 60 minutes. Today I made it in 45 minutes, 20 seconds.

If it wasn't for my lack of experience on the bike, I would seriously consider doing a triathlon in August. There is one Cayuga Lake; not too far from where I live. I am going to see where I am physically one month from now; it may be a possibility!

Tomorrow: swim 600 meters and bike 3 miles.

Day 6

Went for a good 1.5 hour walk in the woods with the family. Scary thing though; we were walking with Maisey and out of nowhere a rottweiler ran up and attacked her. Everything felt like slow motion; it took about 15 seconds to separate the dogs. I was so scared. The owner did get his dog off, but not before Maisey was cut under her eye. I love dogs to death but if you know your dog is aggressive then LEASH them.

After that I did not really feel like working out. I played on the computer and read a bit, totally wasting time. The guilt got to the better of me so before dinner I hit the treadmill. I was hoping to break my 6 minute run endurance. No such luck. However I was walking at a 4.0 between sprints with an incline of 3.0. I was able to go 2.2 miles in 30 minutes. The Iron Girl has a time limit of 60 minutes for 3.1 miles, so my confidence is growing.

No, I did not get on the bike today. I am just so afraid of looking like an idiot riding around in my sub-division. My fear is that I will not be able to bike the hills and all of my neighbors will see the defeat of my walking my bike as opposed to riding it. I'll get over it; eventually. Tomorrow is another day.

Day 5

Improvements!

Today started off with at frigid soccer game (my husband and I coach 7 & 8 year olds). I had tears running down my face; that is how cold it was. However I did burn 245 calories according to my fancy new watch/chest band (Christmas gift that I am just getting around to using)

Came home from the game and went right to the workout. I was on the treadmill for 45 minutes. The big improvement was that I went from running 3 minutes straight to 6. Yea for me! I only went 2.66 miles. My plan of attack is to always run (mainly walk at this point) at least 3.1 miles and see how my time improves.

I decided today that I am going to participate in the IRON GIRL Triathlon. Yup, Iron Girl. How cool does that sound? It is one thing to tell people you ran a triathlon, but an "Iron Girl" sounds much more impressive. The only difference is that the bike leg went from 12 miles to 18.6. Piece of cake (ha ha). The race is in August so it gives me 2 additional months to train.

This exercises is getting addicting. I no longer want to chug down a glass of wine or two when the kids stress me out. My diet has to change though. I have been doing low carb for weight loss but triathlon training requires carbs.

Tomorrow is will be my attempt at a long bike ride. I am more scared of the bike leg than the swim or running. We will see how it goes.....

Day 4

I am not going to blog every day; my daily training is just not that exciting. I will every few days to begin with and then will go down to once a week.

Yesterday I attempted to ride my mountain bike. Like last time, I did not get to far. It was cold and I was not dressed right. One thing that I figured out is that I have to start some weight lifting to increase my thigh strength. I am just not a strong biker; I think it will be the weakest link.

I took Maisey out to state land for a jog/walk (okay, more walking than jogging). I did not hit the treadmill yesterday as I was still sore from the day before.

Now today was a kick ass work out. 350 meters for laps and 90 minutes of water aerobics. I will attempt to do the treadmill tonight, however I am having drinks with a girlfriend beforehand we will just see how that goes.

I finished reading a fantastic book. It is called "Slow Fat Triathlete" by Jayne Williams. Here is the link: http://www.amazon.com/Slow-Fat-Triathlete-Athletic-Dreams/dp/1569244677/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1273866066&sr=8-1-spell It is perfect for anyone going from the couch to the starting line. There were times that I would burst into tears while reading it; just out of sheer anxiety over what I am going to do. Deep breathes....

Day 2

Oh.my.god. I am sore today. The weird thing is that it is not in the legs or arms but my tush/tailbone. I ended up walking/very little running last night. Since I did not start until almost 8 pm, I was already wiped. At least I got off the couch. Exercising to "Biggest Loser" helps.

Although my training schedule calls for a 15 minute bike ride today, I went and did laps again. It is rainy and dreary here today so I just could not motivate myself to get outside. Double time tomorrow!

The swimming went okay. On my 4th or 5th lap I started to get really tired. When I get tired my strokes are sloppy. When my strokes are sloppy I tend to swallow water. Not good. While I was panting heavily at one end of the pool during a break, I made a new friend. His name is Jack and he is 76 years old. I have seen him every time I go to the pool but I have never got to chat with him. He asked me what I was training for; I told him. His responded by saying that "You young people work hard". Since I am pushing 40, it was nice to be called "young". It will be nice to have someone to chat with when I collapse at one end of the pool.

After my laps I attempted swim aerobics. My legs felt like rubber. Now I realize I have more than 365 days to go, but it freaks me out to think of swimming/biking/running back to back. I realize it is all about endurance and it will take time. Lots of it.

What is funny is that I was not pushing myself physically since I joined the YMCA last September. My thought process was "when I get thinner, I will be able to work out more". What an excuse that was! If I kept waiting until I reached my goal weight, it would not be any easier since my muscle mass would be questionable. I am not one of these people (like my husband) who gets high off the endorphins of working out. In fact, most of the time I hate exercising with the exception of my swimming or little hikes here and there. I am hoping this experience will turn me into an addict. One who has to get in her 60 minutes a day. We will see.

So day 2 is done. On a side note, I am officially at the 30 lb. weight loss mark. :-)

Day 1!

I went out this past weekend and purchased my gear to get me started. I bought new running shoes (economy level, but hey, at least they are specific to running), a swim cap, goggles and nose plugs. I was good to go! I plan on training on my mountain bike. I will not worry about the rest of the gear until next spring.

According to my training schedule, I was to do a 200 meter swim. Yes, that is it. A 200 meter swim is 4 laps.

I was so nervous driving to the YMCA. Sure, I have swam in the lap lane; when it was empty. As soon as the pool would fill up and it was apparent I had to share my lane, I was out of the pool in a flash. Today, it did not matter. I was going to complete day 1 of the training no matter what.

Sure enough, when I got there today, there was only ONE lap lane open and there were two women already in it. Did I let this deter me? No! I adjusted my goggles, put in my nose plugs and dived in.

After I finished my first lap (and trying to catch my breath at the shallow end), the lifeguard approached me. We have always said hello to one another; he just seemed like a friendly guy. He even commented on a new bathing suit I was wearing a few weeks ago!

Keyhen (his name) stopped by me and asked me if I was upgrading my pool workout (he is used to seeing me in the aerobics class with all of the 65+ year old's). I said yes and told him not to laugh, but I was starting my year long triathlon training. Instead of scoffing and saying, "yea right, nice one", he said "why would I laugh? That is great". That put me at ease. Maybe I was not looking like such a fool after all! I told him that I wanted to take swim lessons to master my strokes. He asked if I wanted to swim for him and take a little criticism. Sweet! I need all the help I can get. After completing 25 meters, he suggested that I work on my kick (kicking from the knees) and to make sure my left arm came completely out of the water. He said my form was good. He suggested practicing with flippers on to perfect my kick.

After completing my 200 meters, I went for another 200. Then another 200. By then I was wiped! After I got out of the pool and walked around, I was ready for swim aerobics.

So officially I have completed Day 1. I plan on power walking/running a minute or two here tonight. Even though the training schedule says to swim only twice a week, I will go 3-4x a week. I am already at the Y anyway, so I might as well practice, even if it is only for a couple of laps.

Day 1 is done!

Background

Let me first start by saying, that I am literally starting from square one. I am about 40 lbs overweight, so this is also my weight loss journey.

Even though I do swim aerobics and walking on a regular basis, I am still so out of shape. I have struggled with my weight forever, but especially so in the past 4 years. This past February, I decided to tackle it once and for all.

Since I have tried the low-fat diet without success, I decided to go for the low-carb diet. I was successful with it back in my 20's (I am now 38), so I thought I would give it a shot. Between the diet and the mild exercise, I am down about 25 lbs.

The main challenge that I have been working with is my left foot. Specifically plantar fascitis and some nerve damage on my heel. This has limited my exercise greatly (thus the water aerobics). I have tried every treatment available and will have to settle to have it surgically corrected. I am postponing the surgery until September so that I am not laid up all summer.

So, to get to the triathlon part! I am insecure with my place in the world. I have a wonderful family and am very lucky to be a stay-at-home mom. This lends itself to the challenge of "I do not have a career, what are my accomplishments, etc." I was soul searching for something big that I could do for myself. Something that would boost my self esteem. My husband is a runner, and is currently training for his first race. I was racked with jealousy that he could use our new and very expensive treadmill. The treadmill that we purchased a year ago with the promise that all of the exercise would just melt off my extra weight. Unfortunately, the plantar fascitis started acting up just months after the purchase, forcing me to stay off my feet for any pounding repetitive exercise.

Since I have a surgery date, I see a light at the end of the tunnel. It was then that I started thinking about my future and what I want for my life. I want to be physically fit and be able to hike, bike, run, etc. It was now or never. Between having a surgery date and my general insecurities about my life, I came up with the idea of doing a triathlon. A triathlon would be the ultimate accomplishment of my life (of course after having smart, well behaved kids). It was something I could do for myself and myself only. Yes, it would be hard but dammit, I thought to myself, I can do this!

Okay, a triathlon consists of a 800 meter swim, 12-15 mile bike ride, and 3.1 mile run. I have 12 full months to train. I am following the AARP (yes, for people over 50...hey, have to start slow!) recommendation training schedule.

The first thing I needed to do was to take a baseline of what my current athletic abilities.

Currently, I can do the following:

-Swim 3-4 laps in a 25 length meter pool. (stopping several times and towards the end collapsing; clinging to the side of the pool).
-Ride my mountain bike 3 blocks around the corner, huffing away at the smallest of small hills
-Run 3 minutes straight.

So as you can see, it is a good thing I am taking a year to train.