What got the newest newbies into Tris (Page 3)

A few years ago I read an article that said exercise reverses aging at the cellular level, so I started exercising, and I've just increased what or how much I do ever since.

I found I'm vey competitive. Not fast, but competitive. I got really into doing road races. Half marathon distance is my favorite. But, I got sick of only running. Plus, I didn't look any better or more fit despite all that running. So then I started weight lifting and look a lot better.

Then, a guy from my running club did two ironmans and I was fascinated with his training and I'd do long runs with him so I could ask him all sorts of questions. I watched the live feeds on-line of the two ironmans he did. It was so cool to see everyone cross the finish line! I sorta thought in the back of my head, maybe I could do an ironman some day.

So I registered for a sprint tri this summer. I still don't own a bike. I'll probably buy one next weekend. I started swimming once a week since last Sept. Have upped it to 2 or 3 times a week recently. I still enjoy weightlifting most. The running has dropped off a bit and I should get back into it more now that the weather is getting nicer. But I'm thinking I'll only be in the 15-20 miles per week range, so that is a big time saver.

I think it would be totally cool to do an ironman someday, but honeslty I don't know if I'd ever have the time to train since I'm the mom to three kids and work full time. I half ironman distance sounds managable to me though.

Your story inspired me and I hope like hell you make your goal.  Even if you don't make it, I am sure you will be in 100% better shape than when you started.  Just keep plugging away at a reasonable pace and as the pounds drop off the training gets easier and more enjoyable.  Why don't you start entering your training sessions in the logs on this site so we can follow along with you?  You might really find it interesting to track your body measurements in the logs.  I wish I had measured a few things when I started training.  I dropped 20lbs. the first 3-4 months and that includes adding about 8-10lbs. of muscle mass.  My legs, especially my calves, increased in size dramatically during that time while my waistline shrank.

Good luck to you and I hope you keep up the posting.  I think it is great you are making an effort to address your weight while you are at a fairly young age.  It would have been much more difficult as you get older.

Greg

I saw an Ironman on tv many years ago. When everyone jumped in the water and started swimming, I thought it looked like fun. When they climbed out and hopped on bikes, I thought it looked like fun. When they got of the bikes and ran a marathon I thought they were insane and a triathlon was not anything I would ever do. I love to bike and swim but running and I never got along.

Fast-forward to this Fall when I was going to the gym at work 3-4 times a week and getting very bored with the stationary bike. The treadmills were right behind the bikes and I could feel them calling to me as I pedaled. I decided to do the Couch-to-5K program and it actually worked. I made it past a few weeks and didn't injure anything.

So then I started thinking... I'm already running and biking, all I have to do is find a place to swim and I'll be training for a triathlon! I did a lot of Googling to find out about them, realized the Sprint distance was completely in my reach, Googled some more to find some races and signed up for my first one. 

Since then I've signed up for a 5K (next Sunday) as a warm-up, two other Sprint Tris and joined a tri club. Oh and spent about 2000 on equipment. Ouch. (Mr. Mac isn't happy about the $$$ part.)

Where I work there is a Health Clinic we can go to during work hours for free.  This is also the place to go and get a health screening within your first 30 days.  It's optional but if you do you get some extra pay in your check to help pay for your medical benefits selections.

So, I had started working on my cardio and losing weight since about Jan of 2008, mainly just walking 4-5 miles about every day.

Then I stepped it up in a couple of months and was walking as a warmup, then left weights, or on Tuesdays and Thursday did an aerobics class then weights, then finished everything off with 30 minutes on the Elliptical and eventually 60 minutes on the Elliptical.

I had lost about 40-45 lbs. bu the end of April 2008.  I also had this health assessment at the end of April and because some of my numbers were out of range, she had me schedule a 3 month followup.

So, it is now the end of July 2008 and I'm back at the Health Clinic going over my latest test results. By now I have lost 65 lbs. and all my numbers were looking good, Total Chol. way down, LDL down, HDL up, Triglycerides down, etc ...

The physcian was aware of my workout regimen and asked me if I had ever thought about running a triathlon.  The first think I thought was about the Ironman in Hawaii, as I thought all triathlons were these Full distance tri's and so I told her she was crazy.

Then she explained about sprint tri's and the intermediate distances and I was intrigued, and even challenged to try one.

So, I though a couple of days and decided to train for one, and officially began Tri training on Aug 1st of 2008.  Had registered for my first race for Sept 14th ... only 6 weeks away.

So, I started training and was worried if I could even finish and would be happy with a DFL.  But I did complete it and was not DFL ... and from the excitement, fun, energy, and great people I met I as hooked.

It also gave me a brand new focus on my training and workout and weightloss efforts.  I became addicted, and ran another sprint on Oct 18th of 2008.

I'm now training for some races coming up this year, with my A race being a HIM, the Augusta Ironman 70.3 on Sept 27th, 2009.

I'm running an Oly distance in July as my B race to guage where I'm at for the HIM, and then a few sprints before July and maybe another sprint or two after the HIM.

I used to do Tae Kwon Do competitively from the age of 10 up until I was 21, where I had to do an apprenticeship by day and a pizza delivery job by night, which meant there was no time for any training. Then I started putting on the kilos, my weight went up from 54kg at the age of 21 to 90kg at the age of 28! that was it I had had enough. I had a stroke of luck when I began working with a guy named Chip Van Halen, he was heavily into full Ironman tri's and trained more in a week than I could do in a year, he was 38 and had been doing Tri's since 18 years of age. He had a huge influence in making me change

I then realised I could do it if I showed the same level of dedication and commitment, I feel the hardest part was starting, once the ball was rolling it's easy to keep it rolling, 4 months into training I have lost 13kg with about another 7 waiting in line, a 65 minute ride now only takes 27 minutes so i do 3 laps, my running is slowly getting better with each kilo I lose and swimming I will begin training in about 4 weeks time.

I not only feel fit but also calm, alert and awake, all day, never feel dreary or tired like I used to, it's an amazing transformation that no one can immagine unless they too get off the couch

I can't wait to begin racing that will be a total but welcomed shock to the system