fat lady wants to tri in MA!

Yay! Another smoker! Not that smoking is a good thing...but hey, come to think of it...why is it that they tell us to quit smoking, and yet they also say that quitters never win? Talk about mixed messages

Thanks for the welcome, and good luck on the smoking - and the tri next weekend!

D.

I am just assumming that MA is Massachusetts (I am kind of dumb about state abbreviations ) If so, you should set your goal for next year as the Danskin women's triathlon in Webster at the end of July. I just did it this past Sunday (my first ever!). It was by far the most amazing experience ever. So supportive and geared toward first timers and women of all shapes, sizes and fitness levels. go to www.danskin.com to check it out. Good luck with your goals!

Good for you!

I decided 18 mos ago that I wanted to do this...but I had 100 lbs to lose, I hadn't ridden a bike in 18 years, I hated to run...and I didn't know how to swim. I spent many hours learning about the sport by hanging out on this site and reading a couple of helpful books.

After losing 65 lbs, I started running, took swimming lessons (2 rounds--1 wasn't enough!) and I bought a bike.

I just completed the Danskin in Webster MA last weekend and I am signed up to do another in September.

You're doing a great thing for *yourself* and for your family!

Wow - congratulations on finishing your first triathlon! I'm so excited for you, and you certainly give me hope!!

And I'm glad to hear you say it's good for the family too. Actually, it was my daughter's yearly checkup a few weeks ago that inspired me to start looking for an athletic goal. Her pediatrician said "This is the second year in a row that your daughter has been borderline overweight..." and I swear she was looking straight at my bulging stomach as she said it. I determined then and there that I was not going to be some bad, fat, unfit, chain-smoking role model for my kid!

Now, my question for you is how in the world did you lose 65 pounds before you started running - or was there some other form of exercise involved?

D.

I had much the same motivation...2 daughters in/on the brink of adolescence, and I didn't want them contending w/ the same troubles I've had for 25 years!

I stopped eating wheat products and refined sugar (I still eat fruit and whole-grain starches). For the first 6 months I recorded every bite of food I consumed so that I couln't deceive myself into thinking that I was eating less than I really was. I did not exercise at all in that first many months because years of overweight and sloth had left my knees susceptible to injury...in fact, when I started running, I DID injure myself because I did not heed the advice I had been reading about taking it easy w/ run/walk in the beginning...I started running 2+ mi on asphalt and spent the next 7 months in physical therapy as a result! My knee is still a problem for me even now. BE REASONABLE! It took me years to get the way I was, and I was too impatient to follow good advice!

Welcome to the group Diana. You've got plenty of company here in MA. Best thing I can suggest to maintain the motivation is to get together with friends or a training partner who is willing to go down the same road with you. It makes it easier on those days when you want to just chuck it all and go back to the old ways. I gave up smoking 30 years ago and never looked back. There's a short triathlon next Saturday at the old Fort Devens on Rt. 2 (now just called Devens). Sure, maybe you're not quite ready for it yet, but if you had the time to just go as a spectator or perhaps as a volunteer at the race, I'm sure you'd get a lot of inspiration from the event! Check it out online for details: http://www.3way-racing.com

Max

Edited by max 2005-08-06 9:41 PM

Welcome, Diana! And let me join all the voices that say you can DO this. I started training about a year ago for the Danskin Webster, and had a terrific experience at the race.. It would indeed be a great goal for your first tri. In training so far I have lost 42 pounds, gained a lot of energy, and really reduced my stress level.

I have a special spot in my heart for smokers and ex-smokers who tri. I am a former smoker myself. I quit three years ago after a fifteen-year, pack-and-1/2-a-day habit. I wouldn't have been able to quit without following a program of the American Lung Association called Freedom From Smoking. There is an excellent online version at lungusa.org. I highly recommend it! They break the quitting process down into do-able steps, inform you about what changes to expect and how to handle them, and they provide a message board community much like this one, so you can get support at any hour of the day or night.

Best of luck with both your goals. I'm proof that they can be done!

Welcome to BT and good luck with your training!!