My Road to 70.3

Fact:  I am almost 44 years old and have been a triathlete for almost 7 years.

Fact: I am still challenging myself in my sport. 70.3 is up next.

Me and my Tri Teammates, the K's

I've lost count of all the races I've completed.  My medal hanger is overloaded.  I had to stop hanging my race numbers because it started to look like wallpaper.  I've done many Sprint distance triathlons, mini, regular and super, and several Olympic distance triathlons.  I've done duathlons, tri-relays and half marathons, and swim-only races.

I've always said I'm not great at any one of the three sports, but I'm pretty good at all three together.  I don't race to win, but it's nice if I get a top ten age group place, or as with my relay team, an actual top 3 medal.

The fun of triathlon is training with my friends, discussing our triumphs and our disasters, and being outside moving and enjoying exercise.  I can chat up a stranger at a race expo, or a bike shop or running store, because once you race triathlon, you just KNOW.

My tri-buddies come in all shapes and sizes.  Some have done mini-tri's and I respect them deeply for doing it.  Some have done the big daddy, Ironman, and I am in awe.  My bestie K started training for her first Sprint tri with me one year, and within the next year she'd completed several Sprints and an Olympic tri (which I hadn't done yet even after 3 years of racing) and then she signed herself up for Ironman! Whoa!

Ironman K

I watched her train, mostly alone, because the schedule for Ironman is relentless and time-sucking.  I would meet her on her long runs to run alongside for the time period I had available, and then she would continue running to get her planned miles done.  Finally she went to her race.  Me and our other relay teammate went later in the day to find her on the Ironman course.  No point in going until the end of her bike course (112 freaking miles) because we'd never see her.  So we positioned ourselves to cheer her through the marathon.  Late into the evening we cheered her every time she came by.  We cheered even louder when she ran through that finish line, and became an IRONMAN.  Truly awesome.

My busy-mom schedule does not realistically have space for Ironman 140.6.  But I have allowed myself the challenge to find the time for Ironman 70.3.  The Half-Ironman.  Not enough to get the M-dot tattoo, but still nothing to snort at.  I watched several of my friends do the Galveston Ironman 70.3 two years ago and I knew I could do it.  Now in 2014, I am.  Luckily I have a huge group of training buddies also doing it, so there is no shortage of training-mates.  No excuses either.

Its the end of January already, and the race is April 6th.  I thought, oh April that's 4 months after the new year.  Um, not really.  April 6th is right at the beginning of April so really we had 3 months.  I was running and biking before Jan 1st, but not consistently.  I ran a tough half-marathon in December.  But that isn't training for 70.3.

My weeks now consist of weekday running and swimming (at the pool since its cold), and biking on weekends.  Its still getting dark by 6pm so biking after work is out of the question.  The alternative? The dreaded bike trainer, indoors.  My bike mounted on a contraption that allows me to pedal as long as I want.  I've gotten a total of 30 minutes on there so far.  So boring and unrewarding.

I can run anytime but still choose to go after work, trying to beat sunset.  I look for hills and have even done some speed work at the track.  I'm kind of doing running workouts loosey-goosey without a plan . I know this isn't recommended but I get in what I can.  If I was a SERIOUS Ironman-in-training, I'd be getting my ass out of bed at 5am and running a set amount of time on a set amount of days.  Apparently I'm not that serious because I prefer to sleep at 5am.  In my defense, I consider sleep part of my training too.

I go to the pool and swim.  I do the swim workouts I learned while taking a 5:45am adult master's swim class these last two summers.  I put in the laps and stretch my arms and legs out to try to go faster.  I never have been a fast or efficient swimmer, and I probably won't improve that much, but I get through my long swims in a good enough time to not worry about a cut-off time in an Ironman race.  And it feels good.

In Texas this year it's been colder than usual this winter.  Bike rides have been harder to come by.  I'm generally not going to ride in weather cooler than 40 degrees.  I know triathletes and cyclists in other states probably think I'm ridiculous.  You all bundle up with multiple layers and boot covers to get out and ride in sub-30 degrees.  Good for you! I'm waiting til later in the day or another day to ride.  So far I've gotten several cool 25+milers in, and plan to build up to 50 and 60 milers in these next months.  That's also 3-4 hours of my Saturdays or Sundays (or both), so it comes when the kids' schedules allow.

This is my hometown beach, Galveston

My first 70.3.  I picked the Memorial Hermann Ironman 70.3 Texas in Galveston. I grew up on Galveston Beach.  I was there volunteering and cheering for my friends 2 years ago and know what it looks like.  It's a flat run and bike course and the swim is in the warm-ish Galveston Bay.  That April I was there I watched the pros, like Lance Armstrong and Chris O'Donnell (who won) do it in under 4 hours.  My friends did it in under 7 hours.  It was a long, hot day for them, but I stayed to see them finish and I can visualize that while I prepare for my race.

I have SWAM 1.2 miles before.  I have BIKED 56+ miles before.  I have RAN 13.1 miles before.  I have not tried to do all of the above in a span of 7 hours in one day.  My brick-workouts will get more intense and more time-consuming.  I will have to pick and choose my social activities these next few months and watch what I eat and drink.  I will have to plan nutrition on the long bike rides and runs.  I will have to get my wetsuit out and head into the lake to open-water-swim.  I have 10 weeks to be ready.

I can do this.

Hey Play60, leave my 10 year old ALONE!

This is my beauty, a few weeks ago.

My Chillgirl is a Mini-Me.  She runs, she jumps, she rides her bike, she plays volleyball.  All. The. Time.

There is rarely a day I don't hear the volleyball bouncing either in the house or out front in the driveway off the garage.  She has learned all the cheer jumps out on the trampoline with her friends. She's allowed to ride her bike all the way to the park now that she's 10.

I have coached her since she was 6 years old in volleyball and now she's also on a club team with a new coach.  She's gotten so much better in the last year and I will love watching her take off on a different level than I could ever coach her.

What I'm saying here is, my kid isn't a sit on the couch and watch hours of TV or video games kind of kid.  She gets out there and moves.

Today with her final report card from school was a slip of paper from Fuel Up to Play 60 who partners with FitnessGram, which is what the report was called.  It was a report of activities apparently Chillgirl did in PE. Aerobics, muscle strength, endurance, flexibility were all tested. She was weighed and measured.  The report showed a comparison of this year's and last year's performance and measurements.  She has only grown an inch but has gained 15 lbs.  Her Body Mass Index, which I myself have had a serious issue with its validity, was up 3.2 whatever unit of measurement that is since last year to 21.6 whatevers.  Apparently this is too much for a 10 year old girl.  The "Healthy Fitness Zone" is a BMI of 14.1-19.5.

She's "high risk"?

So this report went on to say she "needs improvement".  She probably should get out more, be more active each day, less TV time, and eat healthier.  Are you kidding me?  Now I agree with eating healthier as a good suggestion.  She is force-fed salmon and swai and lean turkey and beef at home now...poor thing.  Broccoli and cucumbers and carrot sticks.  Brown rice and wheat pasta.  This is what her Mother makes her eat for dinner.  How dare I!

These are the ridiculous suggestions from the report

I fully admit that Chillgirl likes candy and cheetos, and fruit snacks, which have absolutely no fruit in them, and chips and cheese.  For the love of Pete, my girls can eat a brick of cheese.  I avoid it, knowing the fat content rolling around in that yummy yellow/orange block.  I caution them on eating too much of it.  Both girls like Taco Bell and McDonald's and Panda Express orange chicken.  I try to limit this junk to once a week, out of necessity with our busy schedules.  

I hate to bring up diet or limiting foods with my girls.  I worry about eating disorders and poor body image.  I would never try to make her understand a report like this.  I don't understand it.  I've always been well above my height/weight's healthy BMI.  Everyone tells me "oh, you're all muscle".  Yeah, yeah, I know but I see others with sinewy muscles in their arms and legs but without my puffy layer of cellulite covering them.  

My kids don't have cellulite but I am sure they will have to watch their food intake just like I do to keep it at bay in their adult years.  For now though, they are kids.  They are active kids and I've surrounded them with examples of healthy food and activities.  

That's MY Healthy Fitness Zone.

Chillgirl, today

Training Without Borders

As I swam my 1000 meters today in the lake I train , I remembered where I was one year ago today. Not exactly what I was doing but where I "was".

I might've been doing a training swim last year at this time right before Memorial Day; I was training for the same triathlon I'm doing this Memorial Day. Last year I did it only 3 weeks after being diagnosed with breast cancer and having my first lumpectomy. I hit that anniversary a few weeks ago.

In a few weeks in June I will pass the anniversary of th second lumpectomy and the start of radiation. I did three more triathlons in June, July, and August last year. It seems like the cancer happened a lot longer than one year ago. I swam strong tonight and I have run and biked strong this week and these past months. I have had a great training year.

Not that all this training will shave hours off my finish-times, it won't. I'm a 42 year old weekend warrior, I won't be carrying home any hardware that every other finisher doesn't also have. The damn 40-44 year old women's age group is always huge. And there are ladies in MUCH better shape than me getting the top spots. That's fine. There might be one good thing about turning 45...or 50...smaller age groups.

So once I was done with radiation last August I got my energy back within a few weeks and I started training. We had an easy winter so I never stopped riding and running.

My social world revolves around mostly working out and races. I love that about my friends.

DONE~ two half-marathons, a 10-miler (I know I blogged that it sucked but it was still running 10 fucking miles!),and biking the Pedal Thru the Pines 55 miler, the Rosedale 45 miler and several other long training rides, including the two-day MS150 last month. All since just this past December. I even did a 5-miler with my Sinatra.

My basic training run went from 2-3 miles to 4-6. I signed up for two Olympic tris and am contemplating a half-iron, either relaying with my team or doing it outright myself. I decided the Sprint tri and the 5Ks were not necessary even though as I get better I could maybe place in my age group at the smaller races. Its not about winning. Its about the challenge.

If I dare compare myself to the great Lance Armstrong....I've gotten better since the cancer. As he said, "I hope it sends out a fantastic message to all survivors around the world. We can return to what we were before – and even better.” In Paris after taking his first Tour title in 1999

This 40+ year old's Take on Feast and Famine

I've been inspired by some other weight-loss blogs I read to talk a bit about how I as an over 40 year old view my own health and weight issues. I go about my days and nights quietly but constantly conscious of how much I've eaten for the day, how much I moved during the day, and how much I'll weigh on the scale the next morning.

As I lay here tonight with a growly stomach, I am at peace with the hollow noises buzzing around inside my intestines. It has taken a few days of not eating anything but water past 8pm to get comfortable with this feeling, but I know it is okay to feel it. The growlies don't mean my body is starving. I'd like to think they are sounds of my body processing my food from dinner, and settling a score with the juices and gases found in the nooks and crannies of my innards. It is nourishment finding a place to lay down for the night. Was that gross? Sorry.



This go around, I have been watching my food intake carefully for the last 5 days. My current plan is low-carb. That means stopping all my favorite comfort foods like breads, cereals (seriously I'm obsessed with a full cereal bowl, with milk and fruit mixed in), pasta, crackers (another obsession), and sugary sweets. I've done this plan many times before and it always works. Always. IF I stick to it. I really can't even eat fruit or have milk or other semi-sweet veggies like carrots or tomatoes. The sugar in them ruins the whole plan.

So 2 weeks of this will kill my carb-addiction (its a real thing, google it) and I won't be craving it anymore. Most low-carb plans instruct to re-introduce healthy carbs, like wheats and grains, back in after that time period. I may or may not, depending on the weight loss.

So I eat veggies, eggs, cheese, any meats or fish, and nuts. This time I've even added tofu, mushrooms, and bacon. I forgot how much I love bacon. But to eat even a little sugar or pasta or breads negates the plan and then I am just eating fatty foods with carbs and the weight will add ON. It WILL. So right now I am loving eating the full-fat meats and cheeses, and I will sacrifice the carbie stuff for now. But damn I miss those Wheat Thins!



There are many types of diets with no-carbs or low-carbs. Anyone can find one they can live with. Me, I've never been able to do a NO-carb diet, but found that low-carb plans, some even with a cheating period of time per day (see the Drs Heller Carbohydrate Addicts Diet), is doable for me. I can restrict only up to a point.

On the other side of the healthy coin, my working-out has saved me. It is the only reason my crazy diet changes over the years haven't ended up with me weighing 200 lbs. I know this because I weighed 200 lbs (+!) with both of my pregnancies and it was YES, because of what I was eating, but ALSO because I stopped exercising. Plain and simple. My chunky-monkey body MUST have exercise or else it will balloon out. I call my body chunky because it is. I know I will always have curves and I will always have muscles. At my thinnest, in high school, I had both and even though I thought I wasn't skinny enough, in pictures I was an adorable size. That was about 30 lbs lighter than I am now. Thirty pounds! Damn this aging. Not cool.

I get bored easily so I am a triathlete. I can train for a race by running, cycling, or swimming...or swim-cycling, or cycle-running, or swim-running. I sneak my short exercises in whenever I can. Being a single mom with two active girls, I do get creative. In the summer they swim and play at the neighborhood pool and I'm doing laps. I run with Lucy the dog because she needs it too. Sometimes the girls will ride their bikes while I run. I ride on my off weekends when they are with their dad. If I can't I suck it up and get on my bike trainer indoors while I'm watching The Biggest Loser or Top Chef. I get it done. It is part of my life without fail. Even a walk with my iPod keeps my mind centered and my heart pumping. Anyone who is trying to lose weight who doesn't make a workout plan is not going to stay healthy. You can actually still eat some things you like if you make yourself exercise the bad parts of that yummy food away. Bonus!



Anyone who says weight is just a number is not overweight or has given up on a healthy weight. My number is part of my every morning routine. It regulates my mood and my eating patterns. If I ignored it and threw out my scale I could easily convince myself I was doing fine. That my pants must've shrunk in the wash. That I needed new clothes anyway. That there must be something going around making me feel sick. That I just needed to lay down or nap and I'd feel better. I could ignore that number and hope that I will say "enough" when my tummy tells me it's full. I would hope I noticed the button on my pants leaving a mark on my skin. I hope I'd recognize the lethargy and get off the couch to go for a run.



But I choose to look at that number every morning before my shower every day to know I am following the guidelines I've set up for myself. To know if I should bring a salad to work today. To know I should make time to hit the gym tonight. To know I need to get an extra half hour of sleep. It's my body and I don't need it to be at the bottom of my "healthy weight" range, or even in the range, but I've lived with this body for 40 years and I KNOW when it's healthy. The number gives me a concrete standard to adhere to. It is what works for me.