Dabbling in Fitness: Tackling a Tri

So, I've decided to try a tri. Not a full triathlon - a sprint triathlon.

Just a few months ago, the idea of a triathlon kind of petrified me. But, a few weekends ago, I went to one as a spectator (and cheerleader) and it was so inspiring to watch the athletes in action - that it made me start doing some more research.

Here are 3 of the athletes that helped me realize that I want to do this - and that I can do this:

Teresa Mackin, Brian Holzgraefe & Jamie Hersch are a few of my awesome co-workers. The trained for several months and then participated in the Capitol View Triathlon.

Now, admittedly, I'm not in nearly as good of shape as they were when they started, so I know that I need to take more time to train. So - I have a plan.

Starting after the holiday, I am going to use swimming, biking and running to get in shape. Apparently, a triathlon training program is a GREAT way to get in shape and avoid injury because of all of the cross-training it provides.

I've taken the past few weeks to really think about it and read a few articles to see what training is needed. Thankfully, because the distances aren't terribly intimidating, it doesn't take a terribly intensive training program to get ready for sprint tri. You start with a half-mile swim, transition onto a bike that you ride for 12 miles and then finish off with a 5K. And by training for all three - you're hitting all major areas of your body when you work out.

So, I've got some of the 5K running training down. I know that is a do-able distance for me. I'm fairly comfortable biking - although I haven't biked more than 3 miles at a time for a long time. The swimming is the part that I think I'll be the most nervous about - but if I start working up to the swimming part of it all now, I think by next June (the next Capitol View Triathlon - the race I hope to be ready for) comes around, I'll be comfortable enough to do the swim.

Now, I have read several training guides, but this one from Women's Health looks fairly comprehensive and easy to follow - plus, it uses tips from Barrie Shepley, Canada's former Olympic and National Triathlon Team coach:
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/triathlon-women?page=1

In addition to the swimming, biking and running, I'm planning to work in some yoga to keep my muscles limber and loose. The local yoga studio I have always wanted to try is offering new students their first month of unlimited yoga for $40. Hopefully that will help me find a few classes that are at convenient times and work well for me. :)

I also recently read an article about making time to exercise that had some really good tips. The biggest one: Make an Appointment. I think if I tinker around with my schedule before and after work a little, I'll be able to find the ideal balance for working out/training. Ideally, I'll run 3 times a week, bike 2 times a week, take 2 yoga classes a week and swim once a week. The key will simply be to find the best balance with work and spending time with Chris & Dexter.

(Here's the article: http://mobile.active.com/mt/www.active.com/women/Articles/6-Steps-to-Kick-Start-a-New-Workout.htm?cmp=17-7-852 )

I know that my plan is ambitious. But, I think if I'm able to stick with it, it will be good in the end. Besides - it gives me an opportunity to get into a routine before the winter - so that I can more easily substitute in gym workouts for running and bike riding - and if I'm in the routine of running as the weather changes, maybe I'll actually put my cold weather running gear to use! :) Additionally, by starting with the training now, I think I'll be in better shape to take a "break" if needed over part of the winter and I can start up again in March (since the training plan is 12 weeks long).

Once I get closer to the triathlon, I'll need to start thinking more about gear. I don't think I'll purchase a special road or triathlon bike - there are local stores that offer rental bikes. I need to think more about purchasing a wet suit. That is another item that can be rented locally - and I want to know for sure if I'll use the wetsuit routinely before I invest $200-300 in one. There are lots of gear options, just like with any sport, but I think for my first triathlon I'll be okay without purchasing too many high-end items. Plus - I can put some of the lower-priced items on my Christmas list! :)

In the meantime, I need to keep my motivation. For that, I'm going to need help! Ideally, I'd have a couple of friends willing to sign up and train with me - but I know that a triathlon can be really intimidating! (See my reaction earlier this year: YIKES!) So - if you see me in real life, ask me how training is going. If you read my blog regularly (instead of seeing me in real life) and I don't update - comment and ask me how it's going. And if I seem discouraged about the training - offer up some words of encouragement - they really do help!

So until next time - when I'm planning on an awesome post about date nights! - happy dabbling. :)

Dabbling in Dieting: A bit off course...

After running the Race for the Cure I went a bit off course. It's been quite busy around here lately, making it much harder to stay true to the diet. While I have slipped into some old habits (drive-thrus and french fries and eating out every night with no exercise to combat all that extra not-great-for-me food), I have found it a little comforting that I haven't gained back too much weight. 3-4 pounds.

Despite my backslide (which likely isn't going to right itself in the next 2 weeks - which I'll get to), I did try a new activity this weekend. Water walking.

My mother-in-law introduced me to this over the weekend while we were in Dubuque for the weekend. We went on Saturday and Sunday and it was quite fun! Basically - you just walk back and forth in the pool. Since the pool at the Y in Dubuque has a deep end, we did wear floatation belts - which I think really increase the resistance in both the deep and shallow ends (the water pulls against the belt and you also have to use your core and leg muscles to stay upright and touching the bottom of the shallow end). While it doesn't feel like you're working very hard while you're in the water, you sure can feel it when you get out!

I think the water walking is a great way to ease into something else I've been wanting to do - swim. I've never been a great swimmer, but it's supposed to be such a great full-body workout that I really want to get into it. Plus, two weekends ago I went to watch the Capitol View Triathlon and now I totally want to do a sprint marathon next year! And to do that, I've gotta swim.

Now, I don't anticipate being able to totally get back on track until after the 4th. I'm in some training for work this week and we're going out to lunch each day (today we had some pretty darn good Indian food). Next week Chris & I are celebrating my birthday and our anniversary (a little belated) by spending time in Milwaukee and the Dells and I just don't think I'll have the self-control to stick to the diet while on "vacation."

So - renewed dedication to the diet and working out starts July 5.

The renewed dedication will probably see a few modifications. If I start working out as much as I keep telling myself I will, I'll probably need to work in some carbs. I'm planning to get a yoga studio membership, swim on the weekends and work in more runs and bike rides during the week. The goal is working out in some way 6 days a week. Nothing drastic - but at least 20 minutes every day. A run, a bike, a swim or a yoga session. Plus, on the weekends I'm sure I'll want to fit in a hike or two... :) It's ambitious, but I just want to take advantage of everything that's around in the summer and get in a good routine before too much time goes by. We'll see how well I do...

Once I'm back in the swing, I'm sure I'll be back to blogging more - especially once I start the swimming and yoga on a regular routine!

Until next time - happy dabbling!

Dabbling in Fitness: Race for the Cure

With just 2 weeks to go, I signed up for the Race for the Cure. After signing up I had a few hesitations... first fundraising - I've never been good at it; second was training because I've been very lax in forcing myself out on runs the past several months.

My original fundraising goal was $100. After just one day with a sign up sheet at work - I had to raise my goal. Not just double it - but triple it! In the end, my co-workers and a few others really came through in donations and pledges - I raised $435 for Susan G. Komen! That made me feel great! It's so inspiring to know so many people willing to give what they can to a good cause - and it helped me really dedicate myself to making it through the full course.

Another reason to do it: my friend Trevor said he'd run the race with me! We don't get to see Trevor too often - he's usually off filming for the company he works for - so it's always nice to catch up. And, it's especially nice to have someone to run alongside on a 5K. Trevor was kind enough to go as slowly as me and take the very long walk breaks with me. I kept wanting to tell him that he didn't need to run with me - but he seemed to not mind and we were having a good time chatting as we ran. Hopefully the next time we race together I'll be in better shape and can run the full race course!

Anyway - race day was GORGEOUS. The sun was shining and there was a slight breeze. It was quite humid, but not too hot. It was inspiring to be surrounded by so many people running for a good cause - and seeing all of the breast cancer survivors was especially inspiring.

The race course itself didn't really have any hills and there were plenty of people along the course cheering everyone along. Hopefully for one of my future races I'll have a few cheerleaders of my own - either along the route or at the end. I think seeing a familiar face along the way would be a great motivator.

I didn't have a great time - 52:18 was my time. (That's like an 18 minute mile! Yikes!) But it did feel good to be out running. Today I'm a little sore - but I attribute that to then walking around downtown and doing a LOT of crouching to get photos of the classic cars at Cars on State.

Since Chris was working the event, he wasn't able to get a photo of me crossing the finish line - but he did get this fun shot after the end of the race:

I did treat myself to a non-diet lunch after the race: Chicken sandwich and a Pimms Cup at The Coopers Tavern. Best chicken sandwich I've ever had - it had chipotle mayo and avocado spread and it was the kind of sandwich I dream about. Totally worth the splurge. :)

Until next time - happy dabbling! :)

Dabbling in Dieting: A weekend off

This past weekend I took the full, long weekend "off" of the diet.

It was GLORIOUS.

Friday night we ate at Sprecher's for Christopher's birthday. In addition to eating a burger on a bun for the first time in 3 weeks, I had my first beer in over three weeks. Well, technically, it was a mixed drink and by the end of the night I'd had the Wisconsin Cosmo (beer mixed with Cranberry-Cherry soda) and 2 more beers:

Mine is the big glass - Chris had the Abbey (the beer in my drink) in the smaller class next to it. This is so good I had dreams about it. YUM.

After dinner we went bowling. It was a BLAST. I always forget how much fun I can have while bowling - even when I stink at it. :)

Oh - the last time I blogged, I was stuck at seven. After I blogged, I lost another 2 pounds. :) Giving me even more confidence to wear my specially-purchased outfit for the big birthday dinner:

While Chris calls these my "hot pants" - they aren't *quite* that short. But they are short - but they are also a full pant size smaller than the last pair of shorts I purchased - so WOOHOO! :)

Saturday morning I had a donut. One glorious, plain, cake donut. It was SO good. It was also free because we were audience members for the Whaddya Know radio show on NPR. That was a fun time! Michael Feldman is a funny guy - and it was nice to sit and laugh for 2 hours. We followed that up with a trip to the zoo. We both LOVE the zoo and our good friends Jen & Jamie joined us for an afternoon wandering and looking at adorable animals. Always a good time.

Then we drove to Dubuque. Dinner at Vinny Vanucchi's in downtown Dubuque with Chris's parents. Nothing on that menu is Dukan friendly. EVERYTHING on that menu looks AMAZING. I ordered the Pasta ala Vinny. SO good. It's pasta topped with shrimp, crab, scallops and lobster bits - all drenched in an olive oil and hot sauce based sauce. REALLY good. Oh, and they have this amazing garlic cheese bread that I ate 2 full pieces of because it was sooooo good. Unfortunately, I couldn't eat all of my pasta (huge portions), so Chris got to eat it for lunch this week.

Sunday we went to the movies - I resisted the popcorn and the nachos and the mini-donuts. We went out to eat with our good friends Nick & Marisa at a Dubuque place called Crust. LOTS of pasta and pizza. Also, they bring out a basket of fried pizza dough before your meal. SUPER good. I didn't have anything fancy - chicken pesto - but it was quite good. The lemoncello martini was alright. (Basically just a lemon drop martini - only a little warm. Meh.) Everyone else's meals looked really tasty as well. After dinner, we had drinks - again I imbibed 3 drinks - none of which were sugar, carb or calorie free. They were delicious. :)

Oh - and I dressed up - because I had these awesome new shoes!

(I REALLY love this photo. I think I look great!)

Monday morning I was ambitious: I got up at 7:30 for an 8:00 yoga class! It was GLORIOUS. I love yoga classes. I enjoy doing the dvds at home - but going to a class is even better. I get to learn new moves, meet new people and have a teacher there who can help if I'm having trouble. The class at Body & Soul was gentle, but effective. I was sore on Tuesday! :) After the yoga class, I went for a "run" with Dexter. It was quite hot & humid, so we went less than a mile and probably walked about half of our little route. But, in my defense, there were lots of hills.

Leftover pasta for lunch (from Crust) followed by mini-golf! The course was a lot of fun - even if it was super windy. Nick & Marisa joined us and we all hit some balls on the driving range. Because it was quite hot (heat index was 92 at one point), I indulged in a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream Bar. It was wonderful. :)

Dinner that night was closer to being on the diet - steak, corn on the cob, cottage cheese and a small salad. It was very tasty.

So - after all of that eating and eating and eating (and paying little attention to the diet), I wound up gaining back 3 pounds. Oops.

Luckily, I've decided to do 7 days protein only followed by 7 days veggies + protein - so this week I'm already down 4.2 pounds - with no exercise since Monday.

That means, despite a full cheat weekend of overindulgence, I'm down a total of 10.8 pounds since starting the diet (roughly 4 weeks ago). Since February (when I was told by my doctor: "Lose 30 pounds) - I'm down 15 pounds! That means I'm due a massage! :) Woohoo!

Now, I know I need to do better on the exercise. I have a 5K in 2 days. (Uh oh.) I know that I'll be walking at least part of it. My next goal: Run the entire route of a 5K. I'd like to be at that point in time for the Zoo Run Run in September - hopefully way before that! I think I can do it. I just need to be better about making out to actually run. Maybe there'll be time to do that tonight before it gets dark... Or maybe I'll succeed in waking up early tomorrow morning so I can beat the 90 degree heat...

Until next time - happy dieting! :)