I am a triathlete...now what?

A few weeks ago, I blogged about my trepidation regarding my upcoming triathlon. I'm now a week post-triathlon and I've finally come down from the high of completing such an enormous physical effort - for me at least.

I was very nervous as Karine, Évelyne and I set up in the T-zone (triathlon speak for the transition zone between the swimming/biking and biking/running). Here are a few pictures of the T-zone.

Karine and Évelyne posing for the paparazzi (me)

Guess which bike is mine?

I'm a pro self-picture taker

Then, we went to write our bib number on our bodies (seriously). Photographic proof:

Karine really seemed to enjoy this part

Then, we went to check out the water...and I wanted to puke. Not because the water was disgusting but because I was so damn nervous! Then, we went back to the T-zone to start getting ready for the swim portion of the race. Somersault Events (the race organizer) was nice enough to provide the participants with a swim cap. Don't Karine and I look beautiful and sexy in ours???!!!

Karine HATES this picture (but I'm evil so I posted it anyway)

I can't believe I have to wear this ridiculous thing

So, we made our way to the water 10 minutes or so before the start time. Unfortunately (or fortunately - depending on your point of view), there's no picture of me in my wetsuit. I'm glad I had it though because the water was pretty cold.

We only had to swim 200m and originally I thought it would be a breeze. Yeah, it wasn't. Really, I hardly swam. I sort of floated until the finish line. Regardless, I was completely out of breath by the time I got out of the water. I was surprised it was so difficult. I think that, because I was so high on adrenaline and beyond nervous, my body reacted by hyperventilating.

Anyway, I made my way back to the T-zone (where our race time stopped BTW) and changed into my biking/running gear. The girls and I grabbed our bikes and made our way to the course.

Biking was a breeze. It was a beautiful day with very little wind. The road was flat. It took my 28 minutes to bike the 13.3k. All that being said, I realized that if was going to continue doing triathlons, I need a better bike.

Next was the running...Two words: HOLY SHIT! I've run 5k many times. This was the hardest 5k of my life! Thank goodness Karine and Évelyne were running it with me! Without them helping me along, there is no way that I would have continued running. They were an amazing support system. I have great friends.

Évelyne, Karine and I post-race with our medals

When we finally crossed the finish line (all together I might add), I was exhausted but supper proud of myself. My time did not matter (1h 17m). I finished. I was now a triathlete. 225lbs me is now a triathlete. Take that!

I had my own personal cheering section when I crossed the finish line. My parents, my husband and my little guy were there to see it. I was so happy that the most important people in my life were there to see my huge accomplishment.

My little guy with his month full (peanut butter sandwich!)

This was an amazing experience. I still can't believe I did it. It was the hardest thing I've ever done. As I said, I don't think I could have done this without my girls. You rock! C'est beau les filles! On est tough!

Look at our muscles!

On to the next challenge!

I have a wetsuit. Now what...?

A few months ago, my friend Karine convinced me and our mutual friends Évelyne and Melanie to sign up for a triathlon. At the time, I thought she was a little nuts. But, since Karine, Évelyne, Melanie and I were going to do this together, I also thought: "How bad could it be?".

Just to be clear, when I say triathlon, I'm not talking about an Ironman. We are signed up for what I would call a mini triathlon (the technical name is the Super Sprint). It consists of 200 m of swimming (in the Ottawa River - yuck!), 13.3 km of biking and a 5 km run.

The ladies and I have been trying to train for this. We go running together, usually once a week. Ever since the nice weather has shown up, I've been biking a few times a week. This is on top of doing 3-5 kettlebell classes a week. I'm tired and sore most of the time.

Frankly, at this point, I'd like to pretend that I somehow forgot to sign up! The swimming and biking don't scare me. The 5k run does! I find running 5k challenging all on its own. Add swimming and biking and is gonna be a REAL challenge!

 

 

That being said, what freaks me out the most is not the physical challenge. I know I can do it. Plus, if I have to walk part of the 5k, that's life.

 

 

Some may call me anal but I prefer the term 'specific'. So, what scares me the most are the logistics. Where do I bring my bike? Where will it be when I get out of the water? Where will my running shoes be? And my helmet and biking gloves? When I can I put sunscreen on? Will there be sunscreen available? If not, where should I put mine while I'm swimming? What should I wear? How will I change after swimming? Can I even change after swimming? I can't run without my iPod. Where can I put my iPod?

 

 

Writing all this down makes me panic a little (a lot) because I don't have answers to most of these questions. I do know what I will be wearing in the water: a wetsuit. Which means that I can wear my biking/running clothes underneath. Fiew! One issue resolved! Or is it...?

 

 

Once I'm done swimming, I take off my wetsuit and leave it where and/or with who? Shit. Now what?

It's about perspective

I haven't blogged in a while because I've had nothing to say. I haven't lost any weight in like 5 months, which is beyond frustrating. I've also had a minor set back with my elbow. My beautiful physiotherapist (I mean it. He's gorgeous.) dumped me. Not really. What he said was that he didn't think physio was going to help me anymore. Bummer on two fronts: My elbow isn't getting any better AND I don't get to look (stare) at my beautiful physiotherapist for 30 minutes once a week anymore. That being said, I have some hope on the horizon. I have an MRI scheduled in a few weeks. I really hope that it will yield some clues as to why I don't have good mobility in my elbow and why it hurts so much. I need to focus on the fact that my MRI is coming. That way I'm focused on the something more positive.

I probably sound really grumpy and, as I write this, I realize that I might need to get over myself. There are people worse off than me. I learned recently that two good friends of mine are going through something way more difficult than me. If there was such a thing as a 'difficult situation meter', they'd both be way way WAY above me. It makes me cry just thinking about what they are going through and I feel helpless because I don't know what to do to help them.

All this to say that perspective is important. I'm doing ok. In the mean time, I've decided to take a break from 'dieting'. I'm still eating healthy, watching what I put in my mouth and portion control, and exercising. But I'm taking a break from calorie counting. Calorie counting is a bitch, to put it mildly. My mind just isn't up to it right now. Fitness people say: "Listen to you body." Well, my brain is an important part of my body so I'm going to listen to it.

My Monday Realization

First off, I like to say how proud I am of my friend Natalie. She's recently made a lot of changes that are making her health a priority. She's eating right and exercising and it's working. She lost a significant amount of weight.

When Natalie and I had lunch last week, she pointed out one of the not-so-good things about losing weight: excess skin. Natalie has lost enough weight to notice that she now has excess skin. I realized this about 30lbs ago! Plus, let's not forget about stretch marks!

I just want to put this out there: excess skin and stretch marks suck. It makes you look bigger than you are and it's not very attractive. I've worked so hard and it feels like a slap in the face. It's like the universe is saying: "Ha ha fatso! You thought that all you had to do is eat well and exercise and there wouldn't be any lasting effects of your status as a obese person!"

I decided to blog about this because today I was looking in the mirror while washing my hands in the washroom at work and notice a depressing fact: I have stretch marks on my neck. Seriously. WTF??!! Was my face THAT fat that I had THAT much excess skin??!!!

Listen, I'm a pro at complaining. When putting excess skin and stretch marks in perspective, it really isn't so bad. Would I rather still be over 300lbs or would I rather weigh A LOT less and have some excess skin and visible stretch marks? Really, I'd rather have it all of course! But since I can't, I'd rather weigh less.

So Natalie, we will continue to be healthy and lose weight...which will unfortunately lead to excess skin and visible stretch marks. We'll just call them battle scars, okay?!

Running is hard

Some annoying person once said something like "nothing is worth doing unless it's hard".
First of all, that's a total crock. Lots of things are worth doing and they are fun and easy. Example #1: Blogging. Easy and fun.

Conversely, in the fitness world, easy isn't worth much. You have to keep challenging yourself to keep improving your fitness level. When I started, 20 minutes on an exercise bike at the lowest setting was hell on earth. Now, I would consider that a warm-up (and an easy one at that).

In the fall, I started to run. To this day, I run slightly faster than people who walk fast. That's not really the point though. It's hard and it challenges me...a lot! In January, I ran my first and only (so far) 5k. Shortly after that, I had this persistent pain in my leg that turned out to be a sciatic nerve problem. I did the only I could do to help it heal: rest. So, for 2 months, I didn't run. That doesn't mean that I sat around my house and did nothing. I kept my fitness level up by going to kettlebell class 4-5 times a week.

I went running yesterday morning with a good friend of mine. Évelyne is eighteen and a freaking MACHINE! She is so strong. She amazes me. Anyway, we ran about 4k and then went to our 45-minute kettlebell class. By the way, I slept SO well last night! Today, I decided to go running again by myself. It's such a beautiful day!

I don't remember much from either run. But the one big thing that stands out is how mother freaking hard it was! It was hard before I took a 2-month break. It's even harder now.

From a fitness point of view, that means that it's worth doing.

Injuries

On Sunday afternoon, I went to my kettlebell class. When doing jump lunges, I jumped incorrectly and slightly sprained my left ankle. Even though it is only a slight sprain, it still hurts and is a big pain in the butt.

If only this was my only nagging injury! Sigh...it's not.

My friend Dave says that, when you train as much as we do, you're going to have minor injuries or, at least, aches and pains. I have all of the above!

Here's my list of injuries:

1. Weak left knee: I injured it like 10 years ago when I wasn't active. Being active means that I have to be careful not to aggravate it.

2. Right elbow: I injured it a while ago (I can't remember when - seriously). I think it's due to a repetitive stress injury...office jobs! It causes me to have limited mobility in the right arm. Consequently, my right arm is significantly weaker than my left...nevermind the pain.

3. Sciatic nerve: I get shooting pain down my left leg. It f'ing hurts.

This list does not include my aches and pains. I would love to have a day when my shoulders don't hurt!

I'm not meaning to complain about injuries, aches and pains even though it sounds like I am. They are my reality. My point here is that they are a part of most active people's reality. You have to deal with them. Ignoring them will not make them go away. I have to keep all my injuries in mind when I exercise. To do anything else would just be stupid and I would risk hurting myself further.

Sure, there's stuff I can't do because of my injuries. I always find alternatives that still challenge me. Because, isn't that what's important? The challenge.

BTW...hasn't lost any weight in 3 months...F?&*%&?))&?$#@#$$#!!!

Positive Thoughts

Valentine's Day will be over shortly for another year. Although I am certainly not a romantic - generally, I'm just too practical for romance - I have to say that this year Valentine's Day has made me reflect on what I have in my life. Lately, with my plateau and my various injuries being a huge annoyance, I've been focusing a lot on the negative. I like to think that I'm a pretty positive person so I need to get out of this funk and back on the right track.

I know that it isn't Thanksgiving, but Valentine's Day, a day meant to tell the people you love that you do indeed love them, seems like just as good a day as any to make a list of things I'm thankful for. Maybe these positive thoughts will get me in the right frame of mind. Plus, my friend Natalie really likes lists so I know I'm at least making one person happy!

1. I'm of course most grateful for the absolute love of my life: my son Samuel. I could burst from the love I have for this one little person. He's amazing and I made him. I don't think I could ever put into words how much I love him.

2. A close second is my husband Matt. He doesn't always (often) say the right thing but he's a good man and a good father. I'm thankful that we are partners in love and parenting.

3. I'm grateful for my parents...even though they give their opinions freely and think that I should do what they say even though I'm an adult. I guess you never stop being your parents' child. I'm kinda grateful for that too!

4. I'm thankful for my brother Eric. My brother has severe cerebral palsy. I grew up with a sick brother and, although it wasn't easy on any of us, I feel that I'm stronger yet more sympathetic for it. He unwilling taught me that.

5. I'm thankful for kettlebell and all the power, strength, energy, confidence and, most of all, friendship it has brought to my life.

6. I'm thankful for scrapbooking and my Divas! Thank goodness not everything is about exercise!

7. I'm grateful that I have a good job that keeps a roof over my family's head and food on the table.

8. I'm thankful for not letting my first impression of someone be the deciding factor. I won't name any names, but there's someone who is close to me now that I initially really didn't like. If I hadn't had given this person another look, I would have missed how amazing he/she is.

9. I'm grateful that Melanie picks me up for every kettlebell class. She keeps me motivated and the car is also warm when I get in!

10. I'm grateful for Karine's spa...because I get all the benefits of a spa with having to maintain it or pay for it! ;) I'm grateful for Karine too but she's covered under #5.

11. If I'm going to have an injury, I'm thankful that the person helping me get better, my physiotherapist, is nice to look at!


So that's my list. I could probably think of more. Really, I have a lot to be thankful for...but I have to go to bed now (seriously).