Lived and it was a blast. I was in the first group to start of about eight.
Got a nice kick to the face about 100 ft into the swim and broke my goggles. Had to finish the swim without anything on my eyes which was Hell and put me back.
I got through that and had a good swim to bike transition. Caught back up to some of my heat on the bike.
Had a good run and finished in 1 hour 58 min. Winners tend to be around 1 hour 25 min.
Looking at last years results for my age group I would have been middle of the pack with that time, slightly better had I not had the problems with the swim. I'm happy with that for being a first try and really not knowing what I was doing.
I am addicted after my first try. This is my new thing for sure. I learned a lot and am looking forward to the next one.
Great Job! Crossing that finish line is the best thing ever! I'm thinking about training for a tri myself, but first I have to learn to swim... but that's all in the fun, right?
Either way! It's great to see all of your hard work pay off! I know it's hard to stick with something like that so all the more props to you!
For as many hours as I spent in the pool, I was not prepared at all for the swim. Unless you are out front you cannot get in a rhythm with all the people around you, it was madness.
Over the winter I am going to take swim lessons and focus the most on getting fast in the water. I know what I'll be diving into next time.
Here's the local news article on it. I am in the pic below on the far right edge in the white.
I didn't do much in the way of counting cals and balancing protein/fat/carbs or really go out of my way to eat overly healthy. I just used common sense. I tried to shoot in the ballpark of 2000 cals a day less carbs more good protein.
Breakfast was always a oats and honey nutrigrain bar and a piece of fruit to get going. Lunch typically a salad with chicken breast and olive oil/vinegar dressing or Panera. Dinner, I eat out a lot but I would just get whatever I want and eat half of it or less.. Beer was a biggie. I used to always have a 6 pack in the fridge and would drink one a day. Cut that down to only drinking on weekends and being reasonable 1 or 2 beers or rum and diet. I stopped drinking completely now. Trying to get through the last bit of fat.
I also changed my eating habits a lot, I eat much slower now. Meals that I have at work I will pick at over like an hour as opposed to crushing it in 5 minutes like I used to.
Exercise, I didn't see much significant weight loss until I started doing long cardio activities. When I actually committed to getting ready for the Tri Every day I was either Running 5-6 miles, Swimming for a half hour, or biking 15-20 miles on top of Weight training for an hour or so. I was spending about 2.5 hours a day 5-6 days a week. I know for most people that isn't practical or healthy but it sort of became my hobby with all my free time.
With the cal deficit that I had I figured my body would eventually stop but weight kept falling off and I kept getting stronger so I just continued and it worked... luck probably.
I have to agree with the idea about the cardio and weight loss... I was at 165 for years and even did P90X twice last year with no loss or gain in weight at all. Oh, I did lose inches on my waist, but everything balanced out between the fat and muscle I guess... Then I started running. I was never in the habit of looking at the scale, but when I first did that a couple weeks ago, I was sitting at 153 lbs. I'm not even trying to lose the weight, in fact, I didn't want to, but if you run that much that many times a week, I'd be suprised if anyone can keep the weight on...
(oh... and that 153 lbs was measured BEFORE the run... I tend to lose between 5-7 lbs of water weight if I'm not careful)
A side note and annoyance, I am always hot now. I have a fan at work that I have blowing on me all day and I still sweat through my shirt on my back and armpits. Never had this before my loss.
I was always somewhat hot before, but ever since I started working out, my body has gone into furnace mode. If I don't get to a fan after getting out of a shower, I start to sweat. If I switch from AC to something even moderately warm, I start to sweat. I sleep with less blankets than I used to.
For the heat issue you really aren't getting but attempting to stay cooler all the time. This is something that is a by-product of working out, primarily a result of heat training or extended cardio work outs. Your body knows it is slightly warm or heating up so it takes a proactive approach and sweats more faster and with less salt.
You should be able to stand ambient temperature changes better but when you start warming up the water will run out of you. This is a sign you are adjusting to to exertions and becoming more efficient at performing for long periods of time without needing to replenish salts at such a high rate.
I drink water like a fiend, it will heat sink for you but you have to drink a lot so it passes. In the end wear lighter clothes that breath well and get used to sweating.
Looking very good. Impressive. Really proud of what you have accomplished with stronger discipline. This motivates me to kick myself in higher gear on gaining muscle after my slow fat loss. Keep inspiring people!
That muscle was always there, just hiding under another layer. :P
I hate myself after reading how far you've come in such a short time. I cannot begin to imagine what it would take to get motivated to start something like that. I know I have to do something but the time, the energy, the motivation, and the tools make it tough. I swear I could eat a half dozen donuts and not blink an eye. I climb 2 flights of stairs and I am out of breath.
What you have done is amazing, Andrew! Stick with it...
I hate myself after reading how far you've come in such a short time. I cannot begin to imagine what it would take to get motivated to start something like that. I know I have to do something but the time, the energy, the motivation, and the tools make it tough. I swear I could eat a half dozen donuts and not blink an eye. I climb 2 flights of stairs and I am out of breath.
What you have done is amazing, Andrew! Stick with it...
Pick a goal, something that if you tried today... there is simply no possible way you could do it. And work towards it, the rest falls into place. For me, I signed up and paid for that race. People were expecting me to do it... so I couldn't fail.
Hell yeah I could crush a box of donuts too, and I have one every so often. The trick for me has simply to train myself to always be conscious of what I am eating and eat less. Its difficult in the society we live in when we are taught to not waste and clean our plates, but when you go out to eat in reality its enough food for probably 3 meals.
Its difficult in the society we live in when we are taught to not waste and clean our plates, but when you go out to eat in reality its enough food for probably 3 meals.
Solution: Go out to eat less, cook at home more (and do so in sensible proportions). That's what's been working for myself and my girlfriend so far... though it's been working far better for her in all honesty.
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Straight_ManGeeky, in my own wayNaples, FLIcrontian
edited September 2011
UM, go out for lunch only-- smaller portions, smaller cost also if you avoid fast-food (I almost totally assumed MAGIC is). Cook dinner at home-- buy healthier food to cook at home with the savings from not going out to dinner. I almost religiously have oatmeal flavored with spice instead of sugar for breakfast-- nothing else Pretty often, for lunch I have low-fat yogurt. Then for dinner I eat whatever, so long as I get vegetable, fruit, meat of some kind with minimum sea salt on it in the meal. I am a sedentary introvert who rarely exercises and am slowly losing weight because the GP told me I was borderline obese-- any crash dieting I did in the past resulted in later sudden weight gain. My heart won't let me exercise much(pacemaker defribbulator and beta blocker and alpha inhibitor also, which KEEP the heart mostly at base resting rate), and I am one of those who likes to sit and think.
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Straight_ManGeeky, in my own wayNaples, FLIcrontian
edited September 2011
UMMMM forgot to mention I take a multi-vitamin and an iron pill (the iron pill is the prescription type, recommended by my GP because that type(iron ferrite, not ferrous iron) is easier to digest and the dosage is customized(too much by a lot or too little is dangerous) by blood test results leading the GP to set an initial dose, then monitor blood iron ferrite levels with more tests). He does a practice that includes geriatrics (treating old people), and geriatric patients and poorer folk have things in common-- he tests blood iron level at least annually for all patients and has his ARPN do the blood draw that includes an iron ferrite level test annually at annual checkup time for all patients as part of his routine-- he knows the healthy range, because the resulting report he gets indicates what results are normal and/or abnormal-- the lab he uses has a hemotologist(s) that writes this opinion. He also likes the way the lab/diagnostics company charges low rates and will bill MEDICARE first and then bill the patient for their work costs that medicare does not pay up to the Medicare Part B 20% deductable or the net cost uninsured also whichever is lower. For any who read this later, he uses Quest Diagnostics.
Solution: Go out to eat less, cook at home more (and do so in sensible proportions). That's what's been working for myself and my girlfriend so far... though it's been working far better for her in all honesty.
That was my point, you just have to get used to throwing away a two thirds to half a plate of food. Or better yet, if you eat out a lot with someone who likes the same foods, split dishes.
That was my point, you just have to get used to throwing away a two thirds to half a plate of food. Or better yet, if you eat out a lot with someone who likes the same foods, split dishes.
Also, take home leftovers. That's pretty much all I have for lunch at work these days. Though the leftovers tend to be what I cooked at home instead of what I got in a restaurant.
Comments
Got a nice kick to the face about 100 ft into the swim and broke my goggles. Had to finish the swim without anything on my eyes which was Hell and put me back.
I got through that and had a good swim to bike transition. Caught back up to some of my heat on the bike.
Had a good run and finished in 1 hour 58 min. Winners tend to be around 1 hour 25 min.
Looking at last years results for my age group I would have been middle of the pack with that time, slightly better had I not had the problems with the swim. I'm happy with that for being a first try and really not knowing what I was doing.
I am addicted after my first try. This is my new thing for sure. I learned a lot and am looking forward to the next one.
I am even more motivated now. I want to be in the top 10 finishers next year. That's my goal.
Either way! It's great to see all of your hard work pay off! I know it's hard to stick with something like that so all the more props to you!
Over the winter I am going to take swim lessons and focus the most on getting fast in the water. I know what I'll be diving into next time.
Here's the local news article on it. I am in the pic below on the far right edge in the white.
http://photos.mlive.com/4469/gallery/2011_reeds_lake_triathlon/index.html
Breakfast was always a oats and honey nutrigrain bar and a piece of fruit to get going. Lunch typically a salad with chicken breast and olive oil/vinegar dressing or Panera. Dinner, I eat out a lot but I would just get whatever I want and eat half of it or less.. Beer was a biggie. I used to always have a 6 pack in the fridge and would drink one a day. Cut that down to only drinking on weekends and being reasonable 1 or 2 beers or rum and diet. I stopped drinking completely now. Trying to get through the last bit of fat.
I also changed my eating habits a lot, I eat much slower now. Meals that I have at work I will pick at over like an hour as opposed to crushing it in 5 minutes like I used to.
Exercise, I didn't see much significant weight loss until I started doing long cardio activities. When I actually committed to getting ready for the Tri Every day I was either Running 5-6 miles, Swimming for a half hour, or biking 15-20 miles on top of Weight training for an hour or so. I was spending about 2.5 hours a day 5-6 days a week. I know for most people that isn't practical or healthy but it sort of became my hobby with all my free time.
With the cal deficit that I had I figured my body would eventually stop but weight kept falling off and I kept getting stronger so I just continued and it worked... luck probably.
(oh... and that 153 lbs was measured BEFORE the run... I tend to lose between 5-7 lbs of water weight if I'm not careful)
It sucks.
Photos were released, here is what I look like now as nobody has really seen me since the lan.
For the heat issue you really aren't getting but attempting to stay cooler all the time. This is something that is a by-product of working out, primarily a result of heat training or extended cardio work outs. Your body knows it is slightly warm or heating up so it takes a proactive approach and sweats more faster and with less salt.
You should be able to stand ambient temperature changes better but when you start warming up the water will run out of you. This is a sign you are adjusting to to exertions and becoming more efficient at performing for long periods of time without needing to replenish salts at such a high rate.
I drink water like a fiend, it will heat sink for you but you have to drink a lot so it passes. In the end wear lighter clothes that breath well and get used to sweating.
That muscle was always there, just hiding under another layer. :P
What you have done is amazing, Andrew! Stick with it...
Pick a goal, something that if you tried today... there is simply no possible way you could do it. And work towards it, the rest falls into place. For me, I signed up and paid for that race. People were expecting me to do it... so I couldn't fail.
Hell yeah I could crush a box of donuts too, and I have one every so often. The trick for me has simply to train myself to always be conscious of what I am eating and eat less. Its difficult in the society we live in when we are taught to not waste and clean our plates, but when you go out to eat in reality its enough food for probably 3 meals.
Thanks man.
Solution: Go out to eat less, cook at home more (and do so in sensible proportions). That's what's been working for myself and my girlfriend so far... though it's been working far better for her in all honesty.
That was my point, you just have to get used to throwing away a two thirds to half a plate of food. Or better yet, if you eat out a lot with someone who likes the same foods, split dishes.
Also, take home leftovers. That's pretty much all I have for lunch at work these days. Though the leftovers tend to be what I cooked at home instead of what I got in a restaurant.