Life goes on

184.5 lbs.

Lost about 4 pounds so far.

I'm pulling back a little on the triathlon training, because I got hurt. I went for one "run" and managed to pull both groin muscles and a hamstring. So, here's the new plan: Operation Weight Loss.

I have decided that before I enter into one of the many triathlon training plans in all of the books I've been reading, I need to lose some weight. Otherwise I will just get hurt running. It's hard to run when you have all this extra weight just bouncing around.

In order to be successful at operation weight loss, I will be doing a mostly cardio routine. Mon, Wed, and Fri are for pure cardio - probably elliptical, stationary bike or aerobics classes. Tuesdays and Thursdays will be strength training and swimming. Then on the weekends I'll do one long bike ride.

Mike and I did a 22 mile ride on Sunday - it was pretty fun. I'm still getting used to the fast bike. I'm still a little nervous going down hills. Also, the shoes that clip into the pedals are difficult to master. Sometimes when coming to a stop I forget, and freak out that my foot is stuck. The first day I went for a ride with them, I fell twice. Athletic training apparently doesn't take away awkwardness.

School stress is starting to get worse. For the first half of the semester, I was having a difficult time just finishing the reading necessary to finish class. I thought it would get easier or that I would get faster at reading. It's not happening. So now, in addition to all the reading (about 10 - 15 hours outside of class time), I've got writing assignments due, and I've got to start taking practice tests.

I did pretty well on the one midterm we were given. So that makes me feel better. But I went to an exam-writing workshop and there I learned that the best way to do well on exams is to take a lot of practice ones. So that's my new plan. On the weekends, I will be taking as many practice exams as I can, and my reading will be done during the week. Hopefully I can manage.

Plus I've still got to fit in my husband, training, TV, pleasure reading, piano, and all the other things I like to do. Poor Mike has to suffer through my stress, and all he wants to do is hang out with me. Our anniversary is in a couple of weeks, and I'm hoping that I can find something special to do for Mike. He has been a really good husband through all of this. By now I've figured out that law school is a game, and it's a game I can win. I just don't want to miss out on the rest of my life during the game.

Now, I've got to go, because I found out last night that I did the wrong reading for my property class in 3 hours, and I've got to get the right reading done. The kettle boiled a minute ago and my cup of tea is ready, so I have to be ready too.

Week Two

I swam again today - 30 minutes. I kicked a little too vigorously at the beginning, and my left quad hurts a little. I'll have to stretch before bed.

I also didn't drink enough water today, and I got a little cramped, so I'll have to be sure to change that tomorrow.

The plan for tomorrow: bike to school, run at lunch, go to class all afternoon (including a 3-hour make-up class), and then bike home.

I'm going to run on the bike path near my school. There are markings for mileage, so I can see how far I run.

Of course, I could wimp out and just drive to school, drive home and run at lunch, shower and then go back to school at 2. We'll see.

Also, I weighed myself, and I'm down 2 pounds. Weeee!

Ride It!

Today I rode my bike about 17 miles. This is what I looked like before starting out:






This is what I looked like when I got home:






Despite the fact that I rode further than will be required of me in the triathlon, there's no way I could do a half-mile swim before and a 4.5 mile run after. I better get training, because I officially signed up for the event on November 30, 2008. And there are no refunds. Tomorrow rest, and then swimming. Weeee!

Set, Hike!

So, no workout today in terms of running, swimming or biking. However, I did play some flag football with some classmates, and it was a blast! We lost, but it was still really fun. I wasn't expecting to get played too much, but I got to play about half the game. The other half, I was a brilliant cheerleader. I even did a high kick and some jumps. Take that you snobby cheerleaders from high school!

It was a good workout - my legs are pretty tired. But it was really fun - they way playing should be. I almost chickend out, but now I'm so glad I went.

The diet's going pretty good so far. I did have an ice cream bar - so sue me! And I ate some gummy tarantulas tonight too. So what? I'm going to ride my bike for a solid hour tomorrow morning!

Things are going swimmingly!

Today's workout: 30 minute swim in zone 1 heart rate.

I went to the gym and swam a 5 minute warm-up. In the 30 minutes after that, I swam a little over a mile. Then I cooled down and stretched out. Then I went into the sauna. It felt good!

Today's diet:
Breakfast: 2 eggs, 2 slices toast, grapes, apple juice and tea
Lunch: left over fettucini alfredo, diet pepsi, piece of birthday cake
Dinner: Sausage roll, mozzerella sticks, garlic bread
Dessert: M&M Ice Cream Bar

Met with a trainer at the gym today, who told me I'm at 39.5% body fat. "That's disgusting," I think to myself as I eat ice cream. He also advised me to begin weight training right away. It's best for strengthening muscles, which prevents injury. It's also good, because my main area of concern is endurance. I know I've got a good cardio base (it could obviously use improvement, but it's there), but I need to make sure that my muscles can endure the hell that the triathlon will put them through.

Tomorrow, I will be better. I'll eat 5-6 small meals full of good carbs and protein. Also, tomorrow is my first run, and I'm going to work in some muscle trainging too. Blah.

I do feel good tonigjht, though. I feel good about the swim. Since I can already swim twice the amount of the race with no stopping, and with really no problems, I am good for now. I need to worry more about the other stuff.

Here We Go!!!

Today was the first day of "training." I didn't technically do any physical training, but I have been doing some reading and preparing.

My workouts are all planned out for the next 9 weeks.
My diet is generally planned (2000 calories a day - Woot!)
My equipment is all prepared.
The "before" pictures are taken to chart the progress.

I like how even though my belly is fat, there are ab lines there. I also like how much whiter my belly is than my arms, legs and face. It looks like my belly doesn't match the rest of my body - both in color and in shape/size. I hope that situation gets rectified through this whole process!

So, I'm all set. My first workout is tomorrow, and I'm scheduled for a 30 minute swim. I'm ready to take the plunge!

Fat Girl

I am going to "compete" in a triathlon!!!

This will be where I keep track of my training, track myself, and post pictures of everything!

Tomorrow is the first day of training, though I will not actually be exercising, I will be preparing by eating right and hydrating for my first workout. Also tomorrow I'll take all of my starting measurements, and a before picture. Hopefully no one sees the picture right after eating.

Wish me luck!