Failed Week

This week was yet another fail! I continued to drink soda, ate without abandon, and didn't get even four measly workouts in! (I had three workouts that actually count as workouts). It will get better, it will get better, it will get better!!!

I was stupid and let my emotions talk me out of working out as planned on Thursday. For some reason when I get mad, I just want to eat junk food and wallow and not workout. Do I think that gets back at the person I'm mad at?? No, I just feel like crap, let my anger grow, and don't let it out constructively.Yeah, I'm a work in progress that's for sure!

Thankfully it was in the upper sixties today (wth right?) and I not only walked the dogs this morning, but went on a run after we ran some errands and before a work party. Unfortunately, yesterday I was just lazy and didn't workout in the morning. I did lift boxes full of books all day, does that count for anything? (The only thing it counts for is making my sciatica act up! haha).

Needless to say my weight is still at 170. Oh and get this. My feet and legs are retaining water. This never happens to me! Sign that I'm eating too much salt and not enough water!

So my goal for this week, yes I have goals for Christmas week, is to drink more water everyday, get FOUR workouts in at least, and try to make better choices where food is concerned. I know Christmas will probably be a bust, but I also don't have to keep eating and eating and eating. Small portions are my best friend and I need to be reacquainted with her.

I can really tell that I've gained weight. Running is harder, I feel like my stomach is sticking out worse than usual, and I just feel gross. Ten pounds might not sound like a lot to some people, but when you've worked so hard to lose weight, ten pounds is disheartening and frustrating. But I will not let this get the better of me of course. I'm starting to really feel the need to go back to telling people no, passing on desserts, and being picky about where I eat out. It's freaking worth it and I have goals in 2014 that I want to accomplish damn it! Food is not more important than that!

On that note, I'm going to catch up on some Biggest Loser and continue to enjoy my holiday vacation! Happy Holidays everyone!!

Holiday Bust

I am still alive. I have not fallen off the Earth. And I've not been harmed in any way.

The move has been exactly what I was afraid of. I've fallen into some old bad habits, such as drinking soda more than I should. And I was being so good with that!

I feel like my eating is still out of control. I am slowly getting better. I started a full time job last week and the routine is helping me. I've started exercising a little bit. I worked out three times this week and hope for four better ones next week. I think I'm going to have to start what I've been dreading.... morning workouts! UGH! I'm so not a morning person! But every evening something happens and I get side tracked.

For example, one day this week I had every intention of having leftovers when I got home and then doing my workout. What happened instead is my boyfriend decided he wanted anything other than the leftovers that I had planned and wanted to go out to eat and then wanted to do some grocery shopping and run some errands. Unfortunately, I let him talk me into it. After we did all that and got home, it was time for bed!

I did say no to going over to his parents house yesterday because I knew I needed some peace and quiet. Honestly, I almost had some hot chocolate and vegged out on the couch, but I just knew I would feel so much better if I did some running or walking. So I did that instead and did some crunches and hand weights. And guess what! I did feel a thousand times better. I got a second wind and felt much happier with myself.

Today we went to see the Hobbit, did some Christmas shopping and watched a few episodes of Breaking Bad (love it by the way. Its weird but so good! I know I'm late on this band wagon). While my boyfriend watched the end of a hockey game I decided to get on my treadmill and walk with a 5 percent incline. I did that for twenty minutes until he was ready to watch another episode. No, it wasn't much, but it's so much better than nothing!

Now if I can just relearn how to say no to people, which will come in time, things should look better. I'm sad to say I've gained almost ten pounds since I've moved. Blah! And I can feel it. I feel so unhealthy and jiggly and just gross.

Okay, so my plan is for this week:

 Get at least four workouts in (try some morning workouts!).

Choose healthier options for dinner. Dinner is usually wear I do the most damage these days. So just concentrating on dinner will really help I think.

No soda this week. I have two parties to attend. I'll make sure to bring some juice to one to mix with my rare alcohol consumption if there is any and the other one is a work party for my boyfriend so I'll just have water. Parties with friends or families are usually the worse. To counteract that I need to start making tea that has little to no sugar in it so that I'm not tempted!

Winter and the holidays are the worst for losing weight and being healthy when it doesn't come naturally.

Oh and I really will try to make more of an effort to write. I might even take a picture of the scale next week. Eeeeep. 

Moving is Rough

Dear Lord, I had no idea this past week and a half was going to be so hard. I thought we would just move our stuff and clean some and that would be that. But nope, we jumped in with both feet. I'll do a longer post later, because I'm really just exhausted. A quick recap though. We redid our living room, bedroom, And bathroom. All in addition to cleaning and moving our stuff. I was working so hard that I had to skip the half marathon that I was so looking forward to. And I lost the money that I put towards it, which is a huge bummer since I still don't have a job! (I hope, hope, hope that changes soon!)

Anyway, it's been a whirl wind. The house is slowing starting to feel like ours. And I'm still adjusting to living so close to family. The adventure continues. I hope to post more with some pics very soon!

P.S. I've been eating horribly and haven't run for over a week. Yeah, I hope that changes soon. I'm working slowly at it.

Moving News

No I didn't forget to post this time. I've been without internet at home! And I don't like it! (First world problem, for sure).

Weight: Still the same. 163. Is this my new normal? Should I just live with this weight and concentrate on strengthening my running and cycling? I'm beginning to think so. I want to keep my weight in check and eat healthy, but right now I'm so sick of trying to lose weight. On the other hand, it will be easier to complete the above sports, the lighter I am. I don't know! I guess I'll figure it out one day or just keep trying.

Speaking of running, I did spontaneously sign up for the Marshall (University) Half Marathon! In two weeks!

Source

It was either this or a cupcake 5K run in which you eat six mini cupcakes, run a mile and a half, eat six more, run to the finish line, Then eat as many as you can to take seconds or minutes off of your time per cupcake you eat! Yeah that just sounds like a tummy ache! Or maybe more than just an ache...haha

I'm not ready for the whole Marathon yet, but I thought the Half would give me something to look forward to. Marshall is not my alma-mater. In fact it is the state's rival with my alma-mater West Virginia University. But my sister lives there and I do owe Marshall something, since five generations of my family have attended this university!

One of the parts I'm really looking forward to is Bart Yasso, running legend, will be speaking the day before the race! He will also lead a short run. I hardly ever get to see famous people and since I started this healthy journey and now know who Bart Yasso is, I'm extra excited!

I feel a little guilty for spending the money on this though. This Thursday will be my last day at my current job. I've been so stressed out! My boyfriend and I are moving back to our hometown to be closer to family and because he took a better job. But this leaves me having to find a new job, which hasn't been easy, and feeling lost.

Where we live now, there are so many trails to run and bike. I've grown used to living here and like it very much. The town we are moving to, I'm not sure how everything will turn out. I didn't particularly like living there as a teen, but what kid likes their hometown? So yes, I signed up for a race to take my mind off of everything. Its bound to be better than having a breakdown! haha

Alright, I should probably get back to work, but I will try to post something this weekend. I'll be working on moving, packing, and unloading (hopefully in our new home), so I'm not sure how exciting my life is going to be for the next couple of weeks (any different then usual? No.).

Carter Caves, KY

P.S. Yay for Fall, by the way. Thankfully we had gorgeous weather this weekend to celebrate my older sister's birthday (in Kentucky) and then for my long run, 10 miles, on Sunday! I'm not so sure about this whole running thing in cold weather!

Stressful Week

Oh Lawdy, life has been busy lately! Yes I didn't post last week. My weight was up still, but I did some stress eating after my week. I'll let the pictures tell you...

Yup another bike crash. It got pretty swollen after this pic was taken.

Pens Game in Pittsburgh!

Cheesecake Factory. This was my boyfriends, but his was more impressive than mine. I got the Carrot Cake Cheesecake and it was delicious!

Another fender bender! Not my fault!

And though you can't tell from this picture, I had a disastrous time trying to redo my bathroom. It didn't end well!

So you add all of this up plus add on a busy weekend at work and some other craziness going on that is creating stress for me, I am tired! And you get this:

But! I did get in all of my workouts last week. I'm pretty darn proud of that!

Sunday: 2 Miles
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 5 Miles
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: 3 Miles Tempo
Friday: 4 Miles
Saturday: 1.5 Hours Bike Ride
Sunday: Rest
Monday: 8 Miles + 1.15 Miles
Tuesday (Today): 2 Hours Bike

I had to juggle everything around, but it all worked out. And my knee is healing well, with minimal pain.

I've been watching a lot of triathlon videos on YouTube lately. I also got to watch the winners of Kona Ironman World Championship. It was so inspiring!

The inspiration has definitely helped me push a little harder. Duh, I'll never get to the point or as in shape as those people! But I can push myself to become better. And my weight is going downwards, hopefully it keeps going in that direction!

WI #11 (I Think)

My weight is still up 164.4 today. That hurts to write. I don't know if I ate too much, exercised too little. I don't know. I've been down in the dumps about it and was almost to the point of giving up trying to lose weight and just maintain my weight. BUT, honestly I feel better when I'm trying to lose weight because I do eat better and get out more, so I won't give up!!

Instead I made a training plan for myself. And of course I forgot to email the plan to myself so I don't have an electronic copy right now to post, but it lasts until almost the very end of December. I gave myself two rest days a week. It involves cycling and running with gradual increase in distances/time. I didn't make it too crazy, but I think it'll really help me stick to exercising which generally leads to better eating for me.

I only got in three runs this week. A 4 miler, 5 miles, and 8 today. I also have planned an hour and a half on the bike tomorrow before me and my beau head to Pittsburgh to see the Penguins play hockey. Oh and ummm, maybe, perhaps, go to the Cheesecake Factory. His friend wants to go there and I've never been! So of course today I got online and looked up the menu. Unfortunately they don't list the nutritional value for their food, but they did have a 'skinny' menu. I'll probably try to order something obviously healthy and then I'm going to try to get someone to share a piece of cake with me, cause come on! I can't go there and not even try one!! ; )

I also might get back on track in a week or so with the low carb. I did pretty well until I went to my hometown for a week and my weight hasn't been down since! But I just bought some English Muffins and I'm not willing to waste the money throwing them out because I want to cut out some carbs! haha

And to leave with you another funny video that made me chuckle this week:

Watch out for those bike lanes!

Random/ Funny Friday

So yeah I don't even want to discuss my weight this week. It's up. Let's just leave it at that and hope next week it's down.

I thought that this photo that Swim Bike Mom posted was a great way to tell the difference between a road bike and a triathlon bike. Really you can use either for triathlons, but triathlon bikes are more aero dynamic and built for speed. Road bikes are better when climbing hills.

Want to laugh? Check out some of these videos! They have all made me smile this week.

 

YouTube, Sh*t Triathletes Say

Don't Be That Triathlete 

And Non Triathlete Related:

 

 Pretty much love Jimmy Fallon. 

I plan on doing a bike ride tomorrow and I was hoping to try these out...

Look Keo Easy Clipless Pedals!

Sidi T1 Clipless Bike Shoes

But unfortunately I can't get my old pedals off to put the new ones on! They are being stubborn! I'll have to wait until my boyfriend can do it, or just con someone at work to do it for me tomorrow!

Hopefully I won't fall when I do get them on though!

I'll have to do something this weekend after work to enjoy this beautiful weather we've been having!!

Mountaineer Duathlon

Completed my first duathlon! The Mountaineer Triathlon/Duathlon had three distances, Mini, Olympic and the one I did, the Sprint. The Sprint Duathlon is a 5K (3.1 miles), 20K Bike Ride (12.4 miles), and another 5K.  I'm so so glad I didn't do the swim! The week before the race it rained everyday and the day before the race looked like this:

And this is packet pickup by the way. There was no one there! Granted I went late in the day, but I guess this was a sign that this isn't exactly a huge race. I did some pre-race prep the day before. On my way back home it poured rain on my bike, so I dried it off as soon as I could. I tried to dry off the brakes, derailleur, and chain as best I could. Then I took some lube to it and hoped for the best. Then I laid everything out that I would wear, including a change of clothes just in case. I packed my bag with my bike glasses, a towel (in case it rained again), and some Gatorade gel. 

Anyway, on Sunday I woke up at 5:15 5:40am. I had most of everything laid out already, so I had some breakfast of english muffin, egg, and canadian bacon with some water and a bit of tea. My stomach had been out of sorts lately (hmm, perhaps from my horrid food choices?? naaaah), so I was a little wary of how my stomach was going to do! But I went on and pumped up my bike tires. Got everything in my car and made it up to the race without any snags a little after 7am. Even got some free parking, score!

First thing I saw when I walked my bike to the transition area were two expert looking racers with lots of Ironman gear. All I could think was queue the insecurities! Here I am with my hybrid bike, without clipless pedals and just my old race shirt instead of official looking jerseys! But as always, I kept on going, and just concentrated on my race. It's all you can do! So I set my stuff down with my bike at a ground level rack and went to get my numbers marked on my arm and leg and get my timer band that goes around your ankle.

As I was walking back to my bike I recognized a girl from the Transition Workshop. It was her first triathlon and we of course talked about how nervous we were. Unfortunately, she ended up forgetting her running shoes and her helmet!! But luckily her boyfriend was nice enough to go get them for her (twice, when she realized she had forgotten her helmet!) and got there in plenty of time. I admire how calm about it she was. I would have been Freaking out! This is about the time I realized I had put my bike the wrong direction, haha. But I just acted like I didn't have everything ready yet and turned it around and set my water and gel out.

All the duathletes were supposed to start at 8:15 after the mini distance triathletes went. There was a mishap though with the safety boat not being there yet, so the duathletes went first. There weren't very many of us. To start out, we had to go up a ramp and a hill. This was tough! I hate starting out going up steep because the rest of the time I feel like I'm just trying to catch my breath. I felt like it took a while for my legs to get relaxed. I thought the run felt like it was taking forever and all I could think about was that I had to do it all over again after the bike. Ugh! I finally started picking the pace up and the second half felt much better than the first.

One nice note though is that a woman names Suzanne quickly chatted with me while we were waiting for the start. She asked my name and said she would cheer for me. I thought that was nice of her, but kind of forgot about it once we started running. Well when I was kind of close to the 1.5 mile turn around she went by me and yelled out my name and told me to keep up the good work! It was really fun to hear my name and get that encouragement. And from a stranger! She ended up doing this the whole race and I wish she knew how much it really helped me. I tried to find her to say thank you, but didn't see her afterwards.


5K Time: 30.08
Transition 1: 1.09


This is my second fastest 5K time, can't complain about that! Only reason it took a little while in the transition is that I took the time to down my Gatorade gel. I'm not that concerned about time that I feel the need to try to down it while I'm on the bike.

Mounted my bike without falling, yay! 

After I got into the groove in the bike I was feeling pretty good. One girl passed me (she had clipless shoes though!), but then I passed a girl, so I didn't feel so bad! Haha. After a couple of miles of going on the very flat paved trail I knew we had to head to the main street. What I didn't know was that to do that we had to head up a short but slightly steep hill. It was around a corner, so I wasn't in the right gear to go up it. I had to push harder than I normally would have and even told a spectator he might have to push me in a minute, but I made it up without incident! Then it was on to the road. For the main road and bridge, they had the lane blocked off for us. Then we went onto a different road where the lane wasn't blocked off. This was my first experience cycling with cars whizzing by me! Okay most of them slowed down, but some went pretty darn fast. The road was a little bumpy too, I didn't feel it much, but my bike kept rattling. After the race, I realized it was my water bottle holder. (It is now securely screwed in). The whole ride all I could think about were the hills that I was currently going down, I would have to come back up and I was afraid that I wouldn't make it. Worst fear: having to walk my bike during a race! But it actually wasn't that bad. It was a lot less steep than it seemed on the way down. I felt like I did the road portion pretty well, but I may have slowed down some on the returning trail part.

Funny enough, the whole time on the trail, I kept thinking how weird it was that I wasn't seeing any of the triathletes heading towards me on the bike. Turns out that during the first wave for the mini distance, several people had to be pulled out of the river and all of them struggled due to the current. So for the rest of the racers, they changed the course to make it a point to point course (instead of a big square type of course) so that they just had to head downriver and not against the current.

Overall though I felt strong and I know I will have a faster time once I get clipless pedals so that half of my effort isn't a waste.

Bike Time: 47.28
Transition 2: .37

And I could feel that bike ride on the run! It definitely took at least a half mile before my legs felt loose again. But I kept on going. The other participants can make or break a race, seriously. People that encourage you as they pass you or you pass them is so uplifting. I don't know how many times I repeated "just keep moving" because a guy said that as we crossed paths. And someone who smiles at you, automatically makes me smile. Another guy, I saw him in all three legs, had a big smile on his face each time. Loved it!

Run Time: 31.07

Total Time: 1:50.31

 At the race, they posted your overall time. Which, by the way, I could have sworn said 1:40 which made me extra excited, oh well though. But I got a surprise when I saw that I was the first in my age group for females! Woot! And I received this: 

My first plaque for a win!!!

 I may have found out later that I was the only one in my category, but don't tell anyone that. It makes it much less fun!

We were also supposed to get medals, but due to the flooding in Colorado, they were late getting here. So they have to mail them to everyone. No biggie.

Hopefully this race will happen again next year. I heard that Wells Fargo is pulling out as the host/main sponsor. Someone should pick it up, it was a lot of fun!

Unfortunately I went to the race by myself, so I don't have any photos. The race is supposed to have some I think, so I'll try to post them if they did take some.

My Week of "Vacation"

I had to take my vacation for work before a certain time, so I chose this week at random to take it. With absolutely no plans, I decided to head to my hometown for the week.

Due to me being here and my mother not owning a scale, there probably won't be a weigh in this week or I'll try to post something on Saturday. But here is my week in a nutshell. Note, it does not involve much exercise! :s Also combining my boyfriend's birthday this week, does not add up to excellent eating either. Just what I need the week leading to a race! Uuugh, haha.

Not the actual cupcakes I got my boyfriend, he got a variety. Still haven't had one of these though! Instant Karma Cupcakes.

 

 

 

A bad day equals a venti chai latte at Starbucks

'Vacation' also includes a meeting for work. Yay taxes! haha

Good thing about my week: lots of family time! Painting pumpkins! At The Pottery Place

Photo session as my mom figures out the camera on my phone. Oh goodness!

 It's been very rainy here, which has putting a bit of a damper on my week and my mood. I haven't even felt like running or biking! And needless to say that my stomach has been upset by the different foods, tmi? haha.

But family and friend time is awesome and it's been nice just to sit back and relax. My ankle is also liking the rest, so perhaps on my race on Sunday I won't have any stiffness or pain! That would be great!

WI #9 and Looking Forward

Another Friday is here! It would be exciting if I didn't have to work tomorrow! As you can see my weight is down to 160. So close to the 150's! So I am down .6 from last week. I'll take anything that is in the downward direction.

I have done more strength training this week than....ever, probably. It's been a little bit of crazy week, so I've done some quick home workouts with strength training. My week looked like this:

Sunday: 6 miles
Monday: Swim 2 feet a little in the river, plus the running around for the transition workshop. Then some arm strength training with light weights and some plank work.
Tuesday: 15 mile bike ride.
Wednesday: Strength training at home which consisted of squats, planks, lunges, and weights for the arms.
Thursday: Strength training at home again sit ups, push ups, squats, and more weights for arm work.
Friday: 1 mile run, 12 miles on the stationary bike, 1.10 mile run. (Small brick workout practicing for next weekend)
Saturday: Some sort of run.

Another point for myself eating wise this week! Skipped out on dessert at a dinner we had at work on Wednesday and just had the fruit I brought to substitute.

YUM!

 Then tonight I soooo wanted to just pick something up for dinner. But, but, I didn't! I was a good girl and came home to cook an omelet with turkey bacon (my latest kick).

I'm a little tired today. I couldn't sleep last night. So I played on Instagram. Isn't that what you're supposed to do when you can't sleep? No?
Anyway this picture got me thinking...

This is the place of my duathlon next weekend. I sooo want to work towards bigger races, but my swimming really holds me back. So I'm going to get stronger and force myself to practice more. I'm already not looking forward to that part, but I'll have to get through it if I ever want to enter races such as the Savage Man in the far future. This race is very close to where I live and one of the hardest triathlons in the world.

The Infamous Westernport Wall

If you have big desires, you have to put the work in, right? But, I'm still so new to the world of running, triathlons, duathlons, I want to start small and make sure I keep having things to look forward to. Having goals such as races is one of the reasons I'm still keeping on track with my weight loss and I can't let it get boring!



Well that's all I have for this week. I start vacation after Sunday, wish me luck that I don't eat everything in sight at my parents house! Yes, very exciting vacation I know...

Triathlon Transition Workshop

I've been feeling anxious all day. I decided when I got up this morning that I would go to the Morgantown Multisport Transition Workshop they were holding tonight at 6pm. With all things new I, of course, was intimidated. Intimidated by the faster, fitter people. The experienced versus 'the newbie'. And then there was going to be a pre-workshop swim. Dear Lord help me now.

I am not good at swimming. No, I'm not being modest. I have no technique. I get winded quickly and after a certain point in open water I feel like I'm going to drown. If I decide that I really want to continue doing triathlons, then I'll get a wetsuit so that I'll be more buoyant. For now though, I'm just doing a duathlon (run, swim, run).

Anyway, thanks to this little blog and the thought that I should really overcome my doubts, I went. And it was great! Everyone was really nice and I met a couple of people that were completely new to the sport like me!

Transitions, by the way, refer to the time that it takes one to transfer from one event to the next in a triathlon (swim, bike, run). So a first transition (T1) is when you come out of the water cross a mat that records your time, change into your biking gear and then cross another mat with you and your bike. The second transition (T2) is when you come back over that timing mat, get your bike back on the rack, get all of your running stuff on (like changing shoes), then head out back of the transition area (yes, crossing another timing mat) to the run portion of the race. Hope that makes sense.

Even though I'm not doing the swim for the upcoming race that this was kind of a practice for, I decided to get in the water just to get the full experience from the workshop. I didn't go as far as everyone else, it would have taken me way too long.

Thanks to Morgantown Multisport for taking a few pictures!

I'm the one with the green swim cap walking to the water. I just swam a little past that bridge column and back. The rest of the group went to a buoy that was well beyond that column then cut back to one that is straight out from this platform, then back to the shore. Triangle shape, if you will. Most of them were done by the time I got back! haha Oh well, I don't mind. I know my weaknesses and when it comes to this sport, swimming is by far my worst!

After the swim, we walked ran to the transition area that they had set up. Sandy, the leader, explained about various equipment, food, and accessories that we might want on race, depending on what distance we were going. (Mini, Sprint - which I'm doing, or Olympic).

Yup that's me, in all of my white glory with the blue tank top on, on the left.

 I wore a blue tank top that is made out of a quick dry material, that I think I got at Target or somewhere. With a sports bra underneath it and swimsuit bottoms that have gotten way too big! I was afraid they would fall off during the swim, but thankfully they didn't!

Some tips were:

-Start taking your wetsuit off as soon as you get out of the water. Wetsuits are easier to get off while they still have a lot of water on them. Even if you just take them half off while you are running up to the transition area, this will be a lot easier then if you wait until you are at your bike to start taking it off. It'll be 100 times harder because it will stick to you!

-The easiest outfit to wear is a tri suit. That way you don't have to change clothes, you can even swim in them. They include a chamois that is not as thick as actual biking shorts that way it is still comfortable to run in, but thick enough to protect you while you're riding.

-Bring lube, Body Glide or Chamois Butt'r Cream for long distance races so that none of your body parts starting hurting (and yes I mean EVERY part of you!).

-Get a CO cartridge instead of a pump, it isn't as heavy.

-Use shoe laces that you don't have to tie. Like these.

 -Make sure to have your race fuel ready to eat on the bike where it's going to be the easiest to eat. Either get a bag that fits on the front bar of your bike

Kind of like this one.

  Or just duct tape your gels on at the top where you can rip them off to where the top of the gel stays on the bike and it's easy to access. Thought this was a fun idea!

-Make sure all of your equipment is easily accessible and don't get in your neighbor's area. Put your helmet with your sunglasses in it on your handlebars, for example.

-Have your socks rolled down so that it's easier to put them on. Especially when you have wet feet!

-Rack your bike opposite the person's next to you.

      Definitely did not know that one! You should also put your stuff under the rear tire of your neighbor.

-Bring two towels, one to wipe dirt or sand off your feet. Lay it right on the ground to easily step on.

-A bag to put all of your crap equipment is helpful.

Your helmet can go into the mesh part of it. Nifty.

 -Bring a plastic bag of some sort for all of your smelly clothes afterward and bring a change of clothes.

 I'm sure there are a ton more, but those are the main ones that I paid attention to!

So after Sandy went through all the tidbits. We practiced putting our clothes on, any shorts, shirts, socks, shoes with our helmets and anything else we needed, running with the bike to the "mount" start and then getting on the bike. This is usually the way that it is done in a triathlon. You aren't allowed to just hop on your bike. You have to take it to a safe zone where you can mount it and then start your ride. I definitely needed those no tie shoe laces!

Can you see me way in the back with the blue shirt on?

Then we would dismount from the bike, she would start the clock back up and we would run back to the transition area, rack our bikes, get our helmets off, some people would change shoes if they were wearing cycling shoes, and then we would run up a ramp like we were heading for the run portion of the race.

Sadly I was still slower than some, even though I didn't have to change shoes, but I got a little better. We did it three times. The second time we did it, I accidentally hit the bike next to mine when I was putting it on the rack. Oops! It didn't fall off though, haha.

Shew, I still have so much to learn!! Thankfully, I'm starting this process at a relatively young age, so I have plenty of time to develop and to buy all of the fun gadgets!. I'm starting to realize that I don't have to have everything right now, this second. That, hopefully, I still have time to work up to greater distances, to try out new gear, and to spend the crazy amount of money it takes to get set up for triathlons. (Thank you EBay and Amazon, haha).

Afterwards, Sandy the leader of it all, talked a little more to us new girls and gave us some more tips. I learned that it is not my bike that has been acting funny, it's the fact that I've been trying to change gears while going up hills. This apparently is very bad for your bike and could really mess up your gears! Woops! See, still so much to learn!

This made me really excited about the race that's on the 22nd. Honestly I haven't been giving it very much thought, but not I'm pumped and ready for my first duathlon! I won't even really have a transition since I don't change shoes to bike in! (But that might be changing soon, not for this race, but soon).

See you never know what will happen when you try new things and get out of your comfort zone!

P.S. The Monongahela River does not smell too pretty once you're out of it. Yuck.

WI #8, The Scale, And Holding Back

 This shows that I'm up .2 pounds from last week at 160.6. What you don't see is that the first time I got on it showed 161. Then after I got my phone to take a picture and got back on, it showed 161.4. I got back on without my phone...161.4. I was getting mad. So I moved the scale to a different spot. 160.6. By then I realized that maybe my scale is a little messed up. I took the picture after I moved the scale several times and just got over it.

I'm not sure why my weight is up any amount. It might be the after affect of my long bike ride yesterday (2 hours) or a kind of salty snack of peanuts that I had kind of late yesterday evening. I'm not sweating it. My weight has been up and down all week. I have a feeling that tomorrow it will be back down. I was tempted to wait until tomorrow to post to see what the scale said, but I knew I had to stay true to myself and show what was going on. I may try to see if my scale needs re-calibrated or something, I don't know.

Anyway a few weeks ago I was watching an episode of Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition and there was a participant named Cassandra who had a fear of going white water rafting due to the fact that if she fell out, they may not be able to pull her back into the raft due to her weight. Cassandra got passed her fear and did it! But I know exactly what she meant! In fact, it happened to me! One summer I went rafting, except I was in my own inflatable canoe type of raft.

Source

Kind of like this one, except for one person. Anyway, we were going down the New River and I fell out going down some rapids. No biggie, I've done it before, but then I had to get back in my kayak/canoe by myself. There was no way that was happening! So one of the guides came over to help. Well he couldn't lift me up either. So TWO guys had to lift me up and help me scramble on it. I was mortified that I weighed so much and didn't have the strength to do lift myself up. Just another fat girl story! haha

Despite stories like the white water incident, I tried to never let my weight hold me back.

I traveled:

2007 Serbia

2010 Wales

 

 

Met New Friends, England

 Done silly things:

This may or may not be at a Renaissance Fair...

And Fallen in Love, among other things!

But there are some things that I don't/haven't done. Like being too afraid to sleep in the top bunk because I'm afraid I would crush the bottom person! To take a dance class, really regret that. Afraid I wasn't strong enough to go rock climbing. Embarrassed that I'm not fast enough to join in the biking group or swimming group, even now!

How silly it all seems though! No person should be restricted by their fears, no matter what they are! I was afraid to have people see me run, but I did it anyway to get to my goal of running in a race. I've overcome other fears too, such as wearing a dress, fear of major chub rub! And starting this blog sharing my weight, embarrassing stories and secrets!

No matter what size you are, a life lived in fear is no life at all! So try to break through some fear every once in a while. Your life will be fuller for it!

Alright gotta go. Hope everyone experiences something adventurous this weekend! :)

I Resisted


Holy Moly Batman! I actually kept with my plan this weekend!

I didn't indulge in this:


Source

I didn't eat this:

Source

Or this:

Instant Karma Cupcakes

 

And these:

 

Rum and Coke



 

I even lost weight this weekend! (Okay only .2 pounds, but it's still a loss!!!) I did drink my weight in sweet tea this weekend, but what can I say? I can't give up my sweet tea just yet.

No my family and friends aren't sugar addicts. The reason for all the treats were due to a couple of birthdays. Two friends of mine have birthdays this week and my mom's birthday is Wednesday.

I think writing out my goal to show willpower and making small choices that lead to better things really paid off. I kept reminding myself of it all weekend.

The interesting thing is that I realized it's not ALL of my fault that when I go home I overeat. Not only are there temptations just laying around in plain view and for easy grabbing at my parent's home, but people can be pushy when it comes to food! My friends and family kept trying me to eat these desserts, but I remained firm. I stated that I wanted to lose more weight and to do that I couldn't gain five pounds every time I return home. I also planned like I said I would. I took water and either a granola bar or some 'trail mix' that I put together. I put trail mix in quotes since it was really just peanuts and dried cranberries and some raisins. But that mix of salty and sweet absolutely did the trick. I went to three movies this weekend and didn't get popcorn, even though I really really wanted it!! I saw The Big Lebowski at a new movie theater/playhouse that has an old feel, Planes at a Drive-In movie theater, and The World's End. all were great! haha.

I managed to get in one run on Saturday. I met a friend and we did five miles in 58 minutes together. It was so nice to have someone to keep me company and to talk to during the run. It made it go by much faster! I didn't run yesterday though. It was rainy and honestly I was really tired. So I'll either run or bike ride today after work. Yes I have to work on Labor Day!


WI #7 and 'Half-Assed'

Again with the sideways photo!?! Oh well.

160.4 Down .4 from last week. At least it's in the right direction, but it's a little disappointing. I had been down in the 150's at the beginning of the week and then it went up enough to push me back into 160.  I WILL GET DOWN TO THE 150's! Dang it! ;) I just want to be considered a healthy weight one time in my life!

I'm going out of town this weekend. I have been doing pretty well with my eating for the past few weeks, but I've also been at home a lot. My weight always goes up when I go out of town. I was thinking about my willpower at my parent's home versus at my home, when I read these few pages in a book called Half-Assed by Jennette Fulda. (Really funny book about her weight loss by the way).

"Willpower was good for getting me to speed up my grocery cart as I passed the Oreos strategically placed next to the milk section....But using willpower as the energy source for a long-term weight-loss plan was like trying to power an aircraft carrier with a hamster running in a wheel."

Meaning that we can use willpower to get us through the small daily choices we have to make, but you can't base your whole weight-loss on willpower. You have to have a plan, goals, and make actual changes to your life to get what you want.

"I was making a lot of choices these days. I would always go for the slice of whole-wheat over the white bread. Sweet potatoes would beat normal potatoes in all my vegetable wrestling matches. I peeled the skin off the chicken even if that made my a poultry scalper."

 

 

"All those little choices in the day added up to something bigger. It was like stacking every brick to make a glorious cathedral or sitting at a loom every day, weaving thread in and out to make a glittering tapestry. Losing weight required a lot of constant thinking and decision making."

 

 

This is so true. Weight-loss really requires a bunch of small choices that add up to something bigger at the end of the day and your end goals. To choose water over soda. To choose to skip seconds. Etc. These steps do take willpower. But to know what you are going to order before you get to the restaurant. Bringing your own food to the party. Getting your exercise in. These are all steps that have nothing to do with willpower, but planning. And keeping your end goal, whether it's weight loss, to train for a race, to avoid gluten, whatever. It will take planning.

 

Even though I will probably eat out more than normal because I will be visiting family and friends this weekend, I can CHOOSE to eat healthy. To go to restaurants that offer healthy options. And to get a couple of runs in. 

So don't use the lack of willpower as an excuse to not lose weight. The lack of willpower probably means the lack of overall planning. Also just because you have a treat does not mean you failed. Accept it and move on. The next meal can always be healthier. Yup still working on the acceptance thing, but I do make sure that I get right back on track.

We can all do this! I'm already planning tonight when I meet friends at a bar before a movie. Water at the bar and I may be smuggling in my trail mix for the movie, haha.

_______________

Workouts this week went like this:

Sunday: Rest
Monday: 46 Mile Bike ride - 4hrs 30 mins.
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: 2 Mile run and strength training, mostly arms with some squats and dip thingys
Thursday: 6 Mile run 1 hr 9 mins (slow, but I didn't look at my watch the whole time, it was nice).
Friday: Slept in, so I guess it'll be another rest day bc of traveling. Oops.
Saturday: I'm thinking 5 mile run.

46 Miles

In 2011, when I started to exercise on a regular basis I loved to go bike riding. You didn't have to be really physically fit to go bike riding on a flat surface for a little while. And for a person that never gets in a hurry to go anywhere, it made me feel like I was going so fast.

July 2011

When I began, going 3 miles out and 3 miles back was a pretty big deal. It took a lot of effort and I loved it. As I started getting fitter and riding more, I came up with a goal to ride from Fairmont to the next town of Morgantown. It is around 20 miles, one way, and you can take the flat rail trail (used to be for train tracks) which consists mostly of packed limestone.

Last summer I went up to Morgantown, but didn't come back because I was meeting my beau for lunch who then brought me back home. That is the furthest I had ever ridden. Until now.

I had trouble sleeping last night, yet still woke up relatively early (8am is early for me on a day off). The weather was showing a sunny day with a high of 82 degrees. For some unknown reason, I decided today was the day I was going to mark off the goal of riding the 20 miles to Morgantown and then ride back. As an incentive, I wanted to get lunch at a cafe that I've been wanting to try. So I ate some breakfast, got dressed, got my bike tires pumped, and got my things together. Which by the way, it takes much more stuff to prep for bike riding than running! I had to get my fanny pack together full of chews, a honey waffle and my phone. Then there was my watch, two water bottles one with gatorade and one with ice/water, headphones, some money and my I.D. I used the 'fanny pack' as my boyfriend calls it, for my half two weekends ago and it works out really well! Didn't move at all and now I can take my phone with me a lot easier. Anyway...

Everything started off well. I was on the trail by 10am. The sun was shining, the trees where beautiful. I saw a peacock. Wait! What? Yup. At mile 5 I saw a bird walking across the trail, which I assumed was a turkey buzzard. As I got closer I realized it was a female peacock. Not only that, but there were baby peacocks!!! I tried to get my phone out quick but they were booking it, so you can't really see anything.

Yeah that funny shape in the middle is the peacock. Not that you can tell, haha. The babies were so cute though! Like little baby ducks, except they were white. This is not the first time I've heard of people seeing peacocks around, but it's definitely the first time I've seen one in West Virginia!

Anyway, after that it was back to listening to the Half Size Me podcasts and looking at the Monongahela River (I promise that's a real word). Around mile 13 or so, I started feeling a little tired and hungry! I could tell that I haven't been biking as much as I did last year, since I've been concentrating on the running. My outer thighs were starting to burn. All I could think about was getting to that cafe. And that cafe added an extra 3 miles to my trip each way too. But it tasted good and I will definitely go back! They serve a lot of local, organic food, which I like.

It took me 2 hours and 9 minutes to complete 23 miles. I know this seems incredibly slow and it is. BUT, I ride without clips on my shoes, so I don't get the extra speed from the double motion of pushing and pulling. I'll eventually look into getting clips or straps or something for my pedals, but that seems over my head right now. Yes, even though it is probably easy to get used to in reality.

After lunch all I could think about is how in the hell world am I going to make it back?? I was already so sore! And not only my legs were suffering, but so was my bum! I have a seat cover, but it sure didn't feel like it on the way back! I'm surprised I don't have some sort of saddle sore, it felt like I should have.

After taking more stops on the way back to take pictures and to give my bum a rest. I got back to my starting point in 2 hours and 20 minutes. That's a total of 4 hours and 29 minutes for a total of 46 Miles!!! Holy moly that is a long long time.According to my motoactv, I only burned around a 1,000 calories. According to Sparkpeople.com I burned 1,876 calories! So of course, I think it's the latter! haha. I have no idea which one is more correct, since I don't have a heart rate monitor or something like that, but either way I still burned a lot of calories!

I'm very proud of the goal that I completed!! I wasn't really sure I could, but like I've said before, the good thing about out and backs, you really don't have a choice to finish. You HAVE to finish or you spend the night out in the woods with only God knows what!

Now I'm going to continue to ice and lay on the couch. I can only imagine how sore I am going to be tomorrow!  Oh I also now have a sweet farmer's tan/burn. I know you're jealous.