Athleta Irongirl Triathlon, Webster, MA

Posted on October 7, 2013 by Liz

Liz crossing the finish line

July 21

Weather: A gorgeous, ideal summer morning. 70 degrees, sunny with a few puffy clouds.

Goal: To complete my first Triathlon; a goal I had wanted to achieve for over 20 years!

Result: Completion! Total time: 1:44:08

Swim: 20:33 T1: 3:04 Bike: 45:57 T2: 1:45 Run: 32:49

Fans: Mike and Nick. They were awesome! Cheering me on and sharing in my incredible happiness! THIS was the pinnacle of the season!

Riding toward Transition 2

Review: This was the event that motivated me to do all the others, before and after. I had wanted to do a triathlon for years and finally got up the nerve. The course was great. The lake was warm and calm and provided for a quick swim. Transitions were easy since I chose to swim, bike and run in basically one outfit (bathing suit with added shorts for bike and run). The transition to running was the most difficult but I knew it was coming and I knew the sensation so worked through it quickly. The hardest part of the bike was one “known” hill on the course. Many women get off their bikes and walk it; not me! The final push into the finishing corral was awesome. The emotion of all my dreams becoming a reality took over and I cried tears of happiness. The organization, Irongirl, that produces the race was awesome. They were supportive and encouraging and helped by providing a lot of information to be prepared. I will do this again and again!

Showing off my finisher’s metal with Mike!

Ugh moment: The wait before the swim was brutal. All my nerves were jumbled. You never really know if you are ready and I wasn’t 100% sure, especially about the swim. A woman next to me gave me a nice side hug and assured me that it was going to be great! She was wonderful.

http://www.irongirl.com/#axzz2hBENtDZt

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Women Running Wild, Osterville, MA

Posted on October 7, 2013 by Liz

Liz & Jacqui in our WWW t-shirts designed by Jacqui

June 15

Weather:  Hot summer afternoon

Goal: To beat my PR 29:02

Results: 30:32

Fans: My daughter, Sami came to cheer me on! I ran with my friend and co-worker, Jacqui. She made us special t-shirts to run in!

Back of our t-shirts!

Review: I had done this 5K 3 years ago. In fact it was the last 5K I had done before hanging up my running shoes for three years. It was good to be back. Running in a race at the end of the day is different and I felt I had a slower start than the previous races of the season. Jacqui was way ahead of me but I kept her in my sites and tried to run hard for a good time. All and all it was a good race on a course I was familiar with. The pizza and watermelon at the end was a nice treat!

Ugh Moment: Rounding the corner toward the finish line and realizing I was far from my PR.

http://womenrunningwild.com/

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Michael Aselton 5K-Great Hyannis Road Races

Posted on October 7, 2013 by Liz

Michael Aselton 5K T-shirt

May 26

Weather: COLD! A crisp, cool spring morning.

Goal: Run under 30:34

Result: 29:02 (PR!)

Fans: Mike was my big fan! Kara McDonald, my fellow running friend was running her first ½.  It was Kara’s first 1/2 and I was psyched to cheer her on!

Review: It was cold and that unnerved me a bit since I was still figuring out the best attire for such a day. I knew I would get warm but the breezes off the Sound could be challenging. Mike reminded me that I had to have my head in the race and not psych myself out with negative talk about the weather. The course was nice and flat and started with a nice decline. Another wonderful surprise when I rounded the last corner and saw my time!

Ugh moment: The cold was an initial challenge but overall there were no “ughs” in this race!

http://www.greathyannisroadraces.com/

 

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Nauset 5K Run/Walk

Posted on October 7, 2013 by Liz

Pushing to the finish

May 11

Weather: Balmy grey morning with drizzle

Goal: Run under 31:17

Result: 30:34

Fans: Nick, my 18-year-old son and champion, was good enough to get up at the crack of dawn to go out to Eastham (45 minutes away) to cheer me on!

Review: A nice course with few hills. It was humid out and I felt like it was hard to breathe. I felt like I was laboring away. One of the police cars that was escorting the racers through the neighborhood duped me into thinking I was the last runner. Was I ever surprised when I rounded the last corner and saw my time!

Ugh moment: My attitude needed much improving. Running is a mental game. my thoughts were too negative and my game was not on!

http://www.nauset5k.com/

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Brewster in Bloom 5K

Posted on October 7, 2013 by Liz

Starting Line

April 27

Weather: Beautiful crisp, sunny spring morning

Goal: Run under 36:00 (the time of my last 5K 3 years prior)

Result: 31:17 (WOW!)

Fans: Mike, my husband, and Sami, my 16-year-old daughter. They were very encouraging and were instrumental in helping me set my goal

Review: A great race; ran just behind an 8 year old boy who would run than walk. Every time he thought I was going to pass him he would race up ahead. This was wonderfully fun and kept me on pace!

Ugh moment:  What was I thinking wearing all black? After seeing the pictures I promised myself I would be more colorful at the races!

http://www.brewster-capecod.com/brewsterblooms/

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Ten Races-Six Months (Part 1): The Plan

Posted on September 25, 2013 by Liz

When I set my goal for getting in shape this past March it was hardly to do ten races in six months. Back then that would have seemed overwhelming. My goal was simply to complete the Irongirl triathlon in July in my 50th year. That was it; that was what I focused on; plain and simple. But in March it didn’t seem all that easy. On March 11 the fear of failing almost stopped me from pressing the Submit button on the Irongirl registration form.

My “big” secret was that I had actually signed up (and paid for) two previous Irongirl triathlons. But I had never gotten the nerve up to go. I know it seems crazy now and, in fact, it is hard to understand how I could have been so scared. But the truth was I had never felt prepared enough or worthy enough. So when those days came close I made up excuses; stopped training and figured it was a dream I was never going to realize.  As a result I kept my entry into the 2013 Webster Ma Irongirl triathlon a secret.

I knew to achieve this goal I would have to implement a lot of the same disciplines I had learned when losing weight. I needed a program. I needed some way of recording my workouts and I needed some accountability. Because I had “trained” for a triathlon before I had a few books but I found they were more than I needed. Lots of inspiration and stories and some programs but way too much lingo (I really didn’t need to learn a whole new language yet) and programs that involved more than just swimming, biking and running. I was looking for simple.

At that point I did what I always do when I need information…I surfed the web. A lot! Eventually I found a program on Active.com for beginner sprint triathletes. I liked it for a lot of the same reasons I liked the Weight Watchers program online. It was simple and laid out a program but it also allowed me to revise and tailor my program to my life. That was the golden ticket! I needed something practical and realistic for my life.

I had to start working out in the gym because the Cape weather was not ideal for outdoor sports in the spring of 2013. I logged lots of hours on the treadmill and learned to use the stationary bike that was designed for Spinning. I was committed and even added in some brick workouts. (Bricks are when you do one sport right after another…that was about as much lingo as I was willing to learn initially.) After a month of working out I felt good but I didn’t feel competition ready.

I knew the one thing that could continue to hold me back from success was my fear of competing in a group. I am not an anti-social person but I can and do find groups intimidating and groups of experienced athletes were my greatest fear! I thought about how I might “train” to get over that and it struck me that entering a few 5Ks over the spring could be a great way to learn the tricks of competing. That led me to sign up for the Brewster in Bloom 5K on April 27. At that time it was about a month away and I started to need to implement the 2nd part of my self-directed program…accountability

It was time to reveal my plan.

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Magic Bars

Posted on September 24, 2013 by Liz

Magic Bars

Today, I fell off the diet wagon. The hunger and fatigue were gnawing at me. I couldn’t fathom counting another calorie or WW point. I didn’t care about my exercise or activity. I just wanted food. A full mouth followed by a full stomach. I wanted to feel the fat of any one of my forbidden foods washing down my throat. Sugar, chocolate, coconut, bread, cheese, pesto, oil; all of it: I wanted a big substantial lunch and I wanted it then and there.

I drove with my friend to the village market. I kept my plan a secret. Even if I faltered I knew my friend would support me in any decision I made. Eat well and healthy or go for the big pig-out. But I knew my own conscience and sense of guilt would not let me talk about my evil plan.

“Chicken Panini with mozzarella cheese, pesto on a foccachia roll…panini’ed,” I told the girl behind the counter. To assuage my guilt I ordered my husband a sandwich too. I eyed the chips but gathered enough willpower to not grab a bag. I got a water (like diet coke with a pizza—I wasn’t kidding anybody, much less, myself.)  As I moved toward the cash register I eyed the magic bars I had seen on my way in. My friend was across the way. I grabbed one and squirreled it between the sandwiches. Usually we split these treats but not today; today it was all for me.

I got back to the office and tore into my sandwich. My friend headed out to the hallway to make a private call, by the time she was back I had finished my lunch. “I was hungry” I rationalized. I’m sure she was thinking I was kidding; she was gone less than 5 minutes and it was a BIG sandwich. I tried to convince myself that I was satisfied but the magic bar was right next to my computer and I could already sense its deliciousness.

“Screw it” I thought and torn off the plastic wrap. “I’ve gone this far; I am hungry; I don’t care today…I just don’t care” Meanwhile the back part of my rational brain started to calculate each calorie. “Shut up” my emotional side screamed and with every bite my emotions won over the rational.

My fingers were covered with graham cracker crumbs; I licked them, and then tried to wipe the stickiness off with tissues. Two thirds of the way through the magic bar my tummy started to cramp and it was signaling to my brain, “Enough! Enough!” But I had gone this far, I was going to finish it damn it, and I did, every last chocolate morsel, coconut shred and graham cracker crumble.

My stomach felt bloated. The full feeling I so craved a half hour ago was replaced with a tightness and uncomfortable feeling of being stuffed. My goal had been achieved. There was no sense of victory though; just a dull, somewhat satisfied, slightly guilty feeling. I drank some water to wash the sticky sweetness from my mouth and felt a few gas bubbles rumbling in my tummy. “I can live with this right now” I thought to myself and started back on my work.

And then an amazing thing happened. My focus started to become crystal clear. The fogginess I had been experiencing all morning was gone and I felt a renewed energy to complete my long overdue work projects. “Wait,” I thought, “what is going on here? My brain was right, it knew what it needed and took action fighting my long hard sensibility about dieting and it won. It needed sugar and protein and a burst of carbohydrate. Bottom-line my brain and my body needed food and a lot of it and I finally listened!

Now, it’s time for a run…

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My Inspiration

Posted on September 24, 2013 by Liz

Nick 2013

It is never great to tell a success story and not talk about the people who inspired you. It is relatively easy to make a change but to sustain that change is considerably harder. I believe there have to be people in your life that inspire you to continue. One such person for me was my son.

My son is a handsome young man who had struggled with stomach issues for much of his life. Regular trips to the doctor revealed a few conditions and the recommended remedy from the doctors was for him c to change his diet (which was made up of mostly steak & cheeses, buffalo wings and mac & cheese.) My son, a teenager at the time, was averse to making changes to his diet. He declared he would live with the pain. But then he started to not like the way he looked. He was never heavy but he was getting big and he complained his tummy was mushy; not the six-pack he wanted.

Then one day at work (this was back in the winter of 2012) he called me. “Mom! You have to order me this diet and exercise program I saw on TV. I promise if you do I will follow it to the letter, please mom!” How could I resist the pleadings of my son? I ordered the program and it came surprisingly quickly in the mail. And true to his word my son followed the program. We combed the suggested diet book that came with the videos and figured out what he would eat given his picky habits. He adapted quickly to his new lifestyle and the pounds came off. By his graduation in June he was down 40 pounds and looking good.

I, on the other hand, did not. I had started and stopped so many diets since my teen years that I eventually had given up. I figured getting old meant putting on a few pounds but seeing my son work the discipline of diet and exercise gave me a new perspective. One of the things he mentioned as he dieted was that he was always hungry but that reaching the goal was more important and that he just trained his brain to ignore the hungry signals

?

Train your brain to ignore hungry feelings? This was a new diet concept for me and it was the trigger I needed to start dieting again. Only this time I knew I would succeed because I finally had the proper inspiration and a new tool.

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Then I Got a Cold

Posted on September 24, 2013 by Liz

Being sick is not conducive to dieting. Who wants to worry about being hungry and cranky when you are already hungry and cranky? I had relied on making sure my food was flavorful but it was hard to taste with the cold I had developed. I cheated. Of course, I cheated. There was no other way to get through the cold. I was weak; or rather very human. I knew I would just have to make up for this later, when I felt better. Then I developed a pain on the right side of my rib cage.

I tried to ignore it but it got worse when I exercised so there was no alternative but to go to the doctor. The diagnosis was a mild pleurisy. The fix…rest. This was not what I wanted to hear.  I was getting ready to ramp up the Zumba again but now it looked like I was stuck with just dieting and the cold, dark winter. I took a deep breath and moved onward. I was closer to my goal and I was determined not to give up.

After a month of rest I decided to go to the gym. The YMCA is right out our back door and it was time to get moving again. Honestly, I was not looking forward to it. Exercising indoors is tough and really, really boring but I was anxious to get back into some regular routine and this was the easiest way.

Fortunately the winter went by quickly and before I knew it March was upon us. March is the promise of better things to come. Spring is on the horizon and I knew I was getting closer to realizing the next goal.

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The Beginning of the Diet Journey

Posted on September 22, 2013 by Liz

Logging into Weight Watchers Online

I chose to use Weight Watcher Online to guide me in my weight loss. I was familiar with the program and knew it would take me through learning how to eat real food in real environments. It did (thought the portions were rarely enough!) I also knew that this program was a slow fix: That my weight would come of slowly; a pound or two at the most per week. I also knew I would fluctuate and even gain because it would be impossible to keep up my weekly date night with my husband, my work obligations (galas and dinners that our company had sponsored) and, of course, the holidays. But I decided that a realistic program that had many success stories would be best for me.

My motivation to live through my hunger and missteps in eating was that if I kept to the program I would lose the weight; and I did, albeit, slowly. I also decided that while I started my diet regime I would avoid ambitious amounts of exercise. I knew exercise would make me hungrier and easily sabotage my successes so I decided to join a Zumba class and do it twice a week. I did nothing else; just the Zumba class and since I was new to Zumba and not very good at it the amount of energy I expended was minimal but it made me feel good so I continued.

I started my plan July 1, 2012 and had good progress through the summer. It was easier because my children and my husband were occupied at night so I could dodge big family dinners and the nice summer weather made avoiding the kitchen on the weekends easy. It started to get tougher in the fall as the cool weather settled in and the stresses of work and managing children in school pushed my willpower to the limit. But I plodded on.

I weighed myself every week. This was difficult because some weeks I knew it would not be good. I adamant about placing my (digital) scale on the same exact spot every week; lined up on the tile and weighed myself completely naked. I didn’t want any variable. Some weeks I burst with pride; most weeks I was discouraged and frustrated. The weight came off so slowly.

As it got closer to Thanksgiving I kicked it into a higher gear. That meant following my eating plan vigilantly since my Zumba schedule had altered to weekly classes because I just couldn’t make the scheduling work with my daughter’s schedule. But I continued with the slow process of eating less and exercising less.

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