"IT" Happens - and It's All in My head

A few weeks ago, I had a major backslide -  no exercising, bad food choices and a few too many glasses of wine. Well, I paid the price for that with a new 5 lbs added. Even though it took me just a week to put that on, it's taken me 2-3 to take it off. Ack! It was if the "old me" came and possessed my body again. Well, now I am back in the groove and tweaking the diet a bit. The planning last week has also helped me get back on track.

After realizing the damage that I quickly did, I was mentally beating myself up over the slip. I was seriously worried that I was reverting back to my old ways and would stop training. When I wrote about my experience to my fellow friends on BeginnerTriathlete, I was surprised that so many indicated that they also have weeks like mine. I guess I always assume that everyone else training for runs, triathlons and other races are perfect in their diets and training schedules.  It was nice to know that I am not in this situation alone and that everyone has a bad week now and then.  I am also realizing that it's OK to occasionally stray from a diet and don't have to be so rigid. I just have to work out a little harder the next day.

In a nutshell, all these perfect expectations are just in my head and my inner conversation. No one is perfect so why do I expect to be?  I am sure there are others who have these same expectations and struggle with keeping a balanced outlook. Ah, something else I need to work on while finding fit.

Regrouping and Planning

Well I thought I was on my way to do a half marathon in March, but as I started investigating my race info, I realized I registered for the WRONG race - DOH! I accidentally registered for a race at the beginning of February. When I went to sign up for the CORRECT race in March , it was already closed. SO it was time to find another race and regroup.

Since it is almost March, I thought that waiting until May for my first race wasn't a bad idea.  I found a triathlon in San Diego May 4th. Now, I am back to multi-sport training instead of increasing my running distance. I found another plan on Beginner Triathlete and will use that until my first race. After the May 4th race, I am thinking I will start working on an Olympic distance plan to continue to build my endurance in all three sports.

I bought a cute little planner at Michaels, to keep as a training journal/planner. It is the Project Life planner by Becky Higgins. It is a perfect size and I spent my Sunday, mapping out my training and races for the year.

I ,of course,  put some decorative things in here. I actually found out about this planner through a Facebook planner group I belong to " We Love EC". We are somewhat planner addicts so this was an inexpensive fun purchase for me. I am looking forward to using it on my journey. 

 I had my first day back in the pool today. It was great to get back in the water, but I really need to find a larger pool to increase my distance and be able to track how far I am swimming. I think I will try Cal State long Beach on Friday.

Just keep moving!

Plans for 2014

After my triathlon, I realized that I really need to build a much better aerobic base and push myself a little more. I know I will never be the front of the pack type of athlete, but I do want to do better.

For Christmas, my husband bought me a MIO heart rate monitor, I checked it out but what I really wanted was a Garmin 310xt.  To my surprise they were on sale after Christmas and I traded the heart rate monitor for the Garmin. Not only does this baby keep track of my heart rate, but it has a GPS system that tracks my run, bike and swim paces, calories burned, route, elevation gain and all sorts of interesting data. AWESOME! This has been a great tool to keep me tuned in to my speed and my heart rate (intensity).

Here is a thorough review and information on what the Garmin 310xt can do. DC RainMaker Garmin Review


I have found a mentor group on BeginnerTriathlete.com (BT) and am enjoying not only the great advice, but just discussing everyday training/ issues with this group of people. We were all encouraged to set our races for 2014 and I have done so starting with a Half Marathon in March - Yikes! I am definitely building up my running base, but know I will be a bit short for the Half Marathon. I am OK with that and will do what I can.

Here are my races for this year.

March - Huntington Beach Half Marathon
April - Napa Valley Triathlon ( maybe)
June - Redondo Beach Triathlon
July - June Lake triathlon
August - Long Beach Triathlon, Mammoth Mud Run
October - Seal Beach Triathlon
December - Palm Springs Triathlon

Now to hit the road. Sometimes I get discouraged knowing how far I have to go, but I need to keep reminding myself of where I was just 6 months ago. I need to just keep moving forward.

I Actually Did It!

I completed my first triathlon! I have been crazy busy and have not been able to keep up with my posts, but I am hoping I can change that as I continue my journey with multi-sport training.

My First Triathlon

On October 19, I woke up at 5:00 to begin my preparations for my triathlon. I had a bowl of oatmeal with strawberries, egg whites, some coffee and water to fuel my race. I was not very nervous at this point and was a little more concerned about check in and what to do with myself rather than the race itself.

I loaded my bike and my bag with all my gear ( wetsuit, shoes, socks, 2 water bottles ( one to rinse my feet and 1 to drink) , fig newtons and a towel) in the car. It was a cool foggy morning and as I headed out the moon was still bright in the sky and the streets were very quiet with little traffic.

As I entered the parking lot, people were unloading bikes and gear by the street lamps and disappearing into the fog. I unloaded my car and set off to check in starting to feel a little nervous about being late. I was SO early I really had nothing to worry about. The race was incredibly organized and I found a spot for my transition area. I was surprised to find that those with road bikes and tri-bikes were parked in a separate transition area closer to the exit. As I set up my area, I started a conversation with the gentleman next to me. It was his first triathlon as well and it was nice to talk and relax a bit before the race. As the sun came up and the fog started to dissipate,  it was time to put on my wetsuit and prepare for the race.

My family soon joined me as all the entrants were gathered on the beach. My good friend Kim also came along to support me for this event. I was so grateful to have my family and friend there to talk to before the race and help keep me calm.There was a warning about sting rays in the bay but I was a little more concerned with sharks. Being a Discovery Channel Shark Week junkie, I knew that the Great Whites migrated through our area in October. One was spotted one beach down just the day prior to the race.

We moved on down the beach to the starting point. I got into the water to adjust my wetsuit and get acclimated to the water a bit. Another racer had been stung by a string ray so I made sure to shuffle me feet as I got into the water. We were lined up in heats according to our estimated swim times and I stood with my group. I was SOOOO nervous that I had to do some deep breathing exercises. My husband kept talking to me letting me know it was all good. Then I moved to the front and the race began.

I went into the water and immediately had to pass the guy in from of me. Going around took a little more effort since he was a big guy. Next race, I will know to get ahead of large dudes. Around the first bouy I had to switch to breast stroke to get my breathing under control. As I looked up I thought I just had 2 more bouys to go. The pack was also starting to string out and all I could think of was staying close to 2 other swimmers so the sharks would not get me:). I kept swimming and realized that I actually had to make it around 3 more bouys and was a little disheartened but kept switching to freestyle whenever I could to improve my time. Before I realized it was time to hit the beach. My husband greeted me out of the water and said he was surprised that I came out so fast. Now it was 300 yards up the beach and into the transition area. I jogged and started pulling off my wetsuit.

I reached the transition area and immediately removed my wetsuit. I had no difficulty doing so and was soon washing my feet putting on my shoes and socks, on to my bike and out of the area. I ate 2 fig newtons, had a drink of water and was on my way.

The bike trail was a straight shot up and back but there were 2 areas where the trail was flooded. My shoes became wet almost immediately, but that didn't really bother me. What DID bother me were all the people passing me on my bike. I did well in the water only to be passed by so many on the bikes and was determined that my next race, I will have a road bike. The bike ride really went quickly and I was back in the transition area again. I had to stop to pee and realized that this is something I should have taken care of before the race. Lesson learned.

Now it was time to hit the road or in this case the sand. Ugh! the trail was not down by the water on hard packed sand but at the top of the beach in deep soft sand. I started running and soon was completely out of breath and slowed to a walk. Man! what a torturous way to finish the race. I kept the pier in view and would run when I could, but soon my feet were aching and felt like bricks. My shoes had been wet when I started the race and now they were loaded with wet sand. Another runner and I commiserated that we would gladly take 5 miles on the street rather than this torturous 2 in the sand. As I reached the pier,  I realized , again, I had farther to go than I anticipated and had to go under the pier and farther up the beach. DRAT! I kept up my run walk and turned around to head back toward the finish. I just kept thinking, go faster but my feet weren't cooperating. Finally I hit the mid point of the beach and saw the finish line. My husband once again came out to cheer me on and encourage me to run. As I was running, I saw my kids and their friends running along the sides cheering for me. That gave me a boost and.. at last, I crossed the finish line. I had done it- completed my first triathlon.

I wasn't a fast finisher, but I did finish. I received my medal, posed for a quick picture and then went to my transition station to load up. I was tired and very proud of myself. I had set my goal, worked for it and completed it. Now it was time to regroup and set my next goals and find my next race. Unfortunately, that won't be until the spring.

After the triathlon, I realized that I had put in the hours to train, but not necessarily the intensity I really needed. Going forward I will need to work on intensity and building a better aerobic base. BUT,  I am no longer a couch potato. I am a runner, swimmer and biker  - AGAIN!

Pretty Much Freaking Out!

The triathlon is just 2 days away and I am starting to freak out! Normally I am a pretty mellow person, but this has now got me worried.

I ordered a wetsuit over 2 months ago to be able to swim in the bay and adjust to the ocean. I just received it a few days ago and my first try in the water was a total FREAK OUT!. The suit makes my butt and feet so buoyant, that they feel like they are above water and pushing my head down. I only swam about 50 yards and was completely out of breath, struggling with the suit, my form completely gone,  thinking WTF am I doing? I muddled through the swim, but thought "Oh My Goodness" I can't enter the triathlon like this. It would be so .. so... lame -  hence the freak out. The suit is also very tight in the chest which I am sure added to the breathing difficulties.

I actually used to be a lifeguard for many years and am comfortable in all different types of water. How can I go out in this race and struggle to move forward and hardly be able to breathe? Due to the weather and water temp, swimming without a wetsuit is not an option. Soooo... I have 2 days to get used to working with this suit. I thought the run would be the most difficult part of this race, but if I can't get this swim down, the whole thing may be a total debacle.

So, I went on BeginnerTriathlete.com and asked the fabulous people of the community forums for help. Apparently this is a normal situation for the first experience with a wet suit. Today I will try and work on making sure the suit is on properly, make a few more adjustments suggested by the wonderful folks at BT.com and hopefully get my swim together.

This disaster in the water also has me questioning my fitness level. I have been putting time into training, but may not have been putting in the intensity needed for a good aerobic fitness base. True I was actually going from a "couch" to tri situation, but I thought I was doing better than my performance suggested yesterday. I think after my race Saturday I will have a lot to wrap my head around in terms of where I go from here and how I train in the future.

Wish me luck - I am going to need it!

Getting the Support I Need

I am a couple months into training for my triathlon and getting back to the active person I once was. I would say that overall I am doing pretty well. I had a set back of a few weeks with the sprained ankle but am back to running again. My weight has not changed for about a month ( down 10 lbs), but I would say my body composition has. I have developed leg muscles once again and my arms are becoming toned. I even had to shop for some new clothes since my old jeans were too baggy on me. I still want to lose a bit more weight and get rid of the last of the back fat, but think I will hone in on that once I have finished my triathlon.

Being active again has been very rewarding on other ways. This weekend my husband and I took our dog out for an early morning jog. It was such a great way to start the day that we plan to do it each Sunday. The obstacle races have provided our family with an activity that we can all share and have fun doing together. My family has been very supportive of my efforts to get fit and it has provided us with healthy family fun.

I am so glad that at the beginning of my training I swtiched to Beginnertriathlete.com. The plan that I selected has been very straight forward and I can tell my aerobic capacity is increasing. It hasn't been hard to stick to this plan and I love all the tracking and data information on the site. I know what I have to do and get it done. I am becoming confident that I won't die during my upcoming triathlon:)

Even though the plan has been great, the best part about the website is the support and information that one can get from other triathletes in the community forum. I scan the boards multiple times a day and find so much information, encouragement and humor in the community. If I have a question, seasoned triathletes answer promptly with great advice.

Talking about support, the one thing that I have found that I am beyond thrilled with and could not train without is my....... sports bra - ha!

It is the Lululemon Ta Ta Tamer. I love this bra because it REALLY gives me the support I need and does not cause the dreaded mono-boob. I also like that it is not a racer back style and has the tradtional bras straps. I don't like how racer backs leave me with back fat hanging out the sides. YEK! The bra really keeps the girls in place when I run and is very comfortable. 

I have been getting support from many different sources websites, apps, my family even a great bra - and it has been wonderful.

I am Still at It!

I haven't blogged for a few months but I am still working toward my goal and doing pretty well if I must say so.  With school, volleyball practices starting and fitting my training into my schedule, I have had little time to blog.

So here is a recap of the last couple of months

On August 17th our family entered our first obstacle 5K, the Foam Fest Run. It was such a blast! The obstacles went from dirt to foam to dirt to foam. The obstacles ranged from climbing walls, mud pits and a 50 ft slip and slide.  We now have a new family hobby. Here is a pic of Jake all foamy. He came in second overall in our heat.

The next weekend we drove up to Mammoth for the 3rd annual Mammoth Mud Run. We dressed as super heros as many people wear costumes for the race. Megan and I made the tutus which were easy and fun to run in.  Now THIS was a fantastic time. The weather was perfect and there was such a party atmosphere about the town for the event. This will become a definite Bilbao tradition. 

Some dirty shoes and tutus

Although, I came away with a souvenir that I wasn't planning on. A VERY sprained ankle. About 1/2 mile into the course I stepped on a rock and twisted my ankle. BUT I finished the race. The sprain put me off running for 3 weeks. I still kept to biking and swimming to stay on track for my Triathlon training. 

To see a fun video of the Mammoth Mud Run, click here. We are actually in the video for a nano second warming up with Tony Horton of P90X fame. Our next goal is to participate in a Zombie Run. ARRRRRR. 

If you want to try something fun and get some exercise, try an obstacle race. Check active.com or other racing websites for obstacle races in your area.