TRI’ING TIMES

(newest updates italicized)

Last Updated: July 23rd, 2008

While training for the triathlon in June - doing a mountain bike ride through Pokomoke State Forest - I got multiple tick bites.  From the bites, I contracted Lyme disease and an associated co-infection.  I am on a rigorous treatment plan and my doctors has advised that I postpone my triathlon training this season until I can regain my energy.  I am hoping to train well and be ready for the 2009 season…

June 30th, 2008

Oh my, I have slacked off big time.  Our vacation was quite an active one, with lots of hikes (some quite intense!) and a lot of walking.  However, I didn’t swim, bike, or run even once.  Since I got behind in the training, and I wasn’t “feeling” the triathlon I signed up for, I decided to ask for a deferrment, and focus on a different tri - closer to home.  And the best part?  I am going to do this one with my sister!  I can’t wait.  We haven’t officially signed up yet, but we have set our sights on the Chesapeake Bay Eco-Tri, which has a unique tri twist.  Instead of swimming, part of the race is kayaking.  Of course, this is a different set of exercises, but it works out well, because Sarah is a canoe/kayak instructor at the camp that she works for.  So, she can teach her big sister a thing or two :)  The race is in September, so we have some time to train.

I am getting geared up again, and it feels good to have something to look forward to!

May 25th, 2008

How do you train over vacation?  Well, I am about to find out.  Luckily, our destination and our plans revolve around the outdoors, so there will be no shortage of chances to do some exercise.  We will be hiking and camping several nights, and I also have plans to rent a bicycle for some sightseeing.  The running shoes are coming along too.  I doubt I will have the opportunity to swim (which is the one thing that I need the most practice with!) but, I will really bring my focus to the swimming when I return.

May 22nd, 2008

Rigorous exercise continues! I am continuing with the weight training twice a week, and have also stepped up the biking. I have also been running, but this weeks rain has held me off a bit from the outdoor runs. Treadmills just are not the same! Last Sunday, I headed over to the lap pool and was amazed at just how hard swimming really is. I did 8 laps without too much pain, but had to take it easy on 2 to regain some energy. Finished with 16 laps of swimming. Woke up the next morning with a lot of upper back soreness, but the way I see it, that means I was working it! Swim training looks like it will be relegated to the weekends… it is hard to get to the pool during the week, and it can get a little pricey too. I plan to go this Saturday before I leave on vacation.

May 16th, 2008

I have found a very active triathlon community online, and also some in my local area. There is a club that meets every Wednesday night to practice running and biking, and there is even a mini-triathlon that you can enter. I haven’t officially joined any of these groups yet, but I completely realize the power of a supportive community, so I will very soon!

May 14th, 2008

I signed up for a triathlon. It is 13 weeks away.

This is a really big step for me. The whole triathlon has been a goal of mine for a few years now, and when a friend mentioned that she wanted to do it, I found myself agreeing to join her. I am officially registered and I can honestly say that I am excited. But, wow, I am nervous too. This will be my first time ever doing something like this. I have never been an athlete… and while I genuinely enjoy working out, I don’t know if my body is supposed to be athletic. I am not “in it to win it”, but I can see that if I find success in this first triathlon, I may be interested in doing more in the future. I have heard that they can be quite addictive!

Now, I just have to train my little heart out.

Starting this past Sunday, May 11th, I picked up a jog/run regimen. I started small, as I have not had much luck with distance running in the past. I pleasantly surprised myself when I went out - I jogged at a decent pace for 1.2 miles before I needed to stop and walk it off for a short period. I rested for about 4 minutes, and jumped right back in. I finished jogging back home and the total run was about 2.2 miles. The triathlon is a sprint, meaning that the distances are not as long. So, 2.2 miles with very little training is pretty good, considering I have to get to 3.1 miles before race day on August 3rd.

Cycling is probably my strongest of the three - I have enjoyed cycling for years, and I do both outdoor biking and indoor spinning several days a week. I need to practice speed, but I think that I will be okay for the cycling portion. Of course, this doesn’t mean I will not practice more!

Swimming is the sport that will probably take the most practice time. In 2006, I spent a lot of time in the water, but mainly did water aerobics, and did not focus on swimming laps, although I did do this on occasion. I need to get back in the water and start practicing. First, however, I need to feel comfortable in a swimsuit again. Another ongoing little phobia surrounds open water swimming - and I really have to just face this and get it out of my mind.

I will post more information about my regimen and my thoughts and notes as I train for this triathlon. If you have any words of advice, encouragement, or stories to share, please email me - I need all the support I can get!

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On Yoga Teacher Training / Certification / Diet and Wellness

In February, after years of interest, I started to seriously research the yoga teacher certification process. I have practiced yoga off and on for eleven years, with the last three years being my most serious practice yet. I find great joy in yoga, and I feel that teaching would be a way to share this joy. I am researching teacher instruction schools in my area and also a few destination schools that offer Yoga Alliance RYT200 certification. Through the Namaste Knitters group on Ravelry, I have gained some wonderful information about programs, styles, etc. I will use this space to update my goals and the research process as I make decisions for the future.

Perhaps the most dramatic shift has been a shift of consciousness regarding the foods that go into my body. While I have always been mindful of the foods I ingest (this is part-and-parcel for most vegetarians) I have been greatly burdened by the many false promises of the “traditional” Western diet. I am bothered that too many meals come from boxes or from fast-food vendors, and not from gardens and fields. As a product of this culture, I am also very guilty of these things: I often sacrifice health for convenience in the form of a quickie boxed meal. However, I am in the midst of changing that. My influences on this whole food strategy are multiple, but the most succinct and available source of my information is from Michael Pollan’s research in both The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals and In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto; two outstanding books that *need* to be read.

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**NOTES ON THE DETOXIFICATION DIET: After many months of hard work and very little weight loss, I began to read more about the possible inhibitors and reasons. I came across some great resources on detoxification programs where the mission is simple: ridding your system of the toxins and allergens ingested and absorbed everyday.

The program developed by Dr. Mark Hyman appealed to me the most, and I bought his small guide, The UltraSimple Diet, which is an adapted program from his well-known Ultrametabolism plan. His proscribed program is seven days long and requires commitment and diligence. Recipes are included in the book, and each day, your diet revolves around fresh and natural ingredients, lightly cooked, with an emphasis on cutting out refined sugars and simple carbohydrates, increasing proteins by incorporating more healthy fats (nuts, olive oil, omega-3 fats like flaxseed) and boosting immunities.

Links to help you on your own journey:

1. Maximize Your Metabolism - great tips on what exercises to do, what time of day, and what to eat, to increase your metabolism, and your calorie burning.

2. Yoga Journal - the most comprehensive information on yoga, including a very helpful visual index of asanas (postures), articles, columns, and a particularly interesting section about fitting yoga in with other activities: Yoga and Cross-Training . I have found the Yoga and Cycling article to be helpful.
3. My Virtual Model - Make a computer-generated model of yourself, at your current weight and your goal weight. You can also “try on” clothes from various online retailers with your personalized model. An inspirational (and fun!) tool.
4. Polar Heart Rate Monitors - Commercial site for Polar USA, distributor of Heart Rate Monitor devices. Provides a lot of good information about why to use a monitor, as well as how to get the most out of your workout. I use the F6 model, and it is working so well for me!

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