First INDOOR Sprint Triathlon! RUN! ---- FINISH!

March 3, 2012
First Indoor Sprint Triathlon!  RUN!  FINISH!

Before the run, I went into the bathroom on the third floor and splashed cold water on my face to help me cool down.

The track was on the third floor and it was HOT in there.  I brought a water bottle and put it on the ledge at the start, but I didn't want to slow down during the run, so I didn't drink much.  Looking back, I wish I had carried it with me or brought a water bottle that straps to your hand.  I should have drunk lots of water during the run in that hot, humid environment, but I didn't.

When I arrived at the track, I gave my timing card to the most wonderful young lady named Anna.  She was in charge of me during the run.  She counted and recorded each of the 30 laps and as I finished a lap, she told me what lap number it was.

The run was hard, hard, hard.  I was so tired from the swim and bike, that I think I leaned too far forward in the run and the joints between my toes and my feet (metatarsals) started shooting searing pains up to my knees, but I was determined to finish without walking.

Around, around, around and around the track I ran.  The track was not closed for the event so there were walkers there too.  I'd pick out a walker and make it my goal to pass him or her.  I finally figured out that if I looked up, my toes/feet didn't hurt so much.  That helped.

The kids in the university swim club were amazing.  They knew my name (from my score card) and about 20 of them would cheer me on every time I came around the track.  "Come on Sue!  You can do it!  Only 10 more laps to go!"  I couldn't wait to see them every time I can around the turn where they were all standing.

As I started my last lap, Anna yelled, "LAST LAP!"  Oh my gosh!  I was going to make it!  I was going to finish!

As I approached the finish, my husband couldn't contain himself.  He ran down the track and gave me the biggest hug!  The only problem what that I hadn't crossed the finish line!!  So I had to kind of push him aside and keep going.  I don't think my feet ever stopped moving.  It was an "on-the-run" kind of hug.  Ha!

After I crossed the finish line, I collapsed into my husbands arms.  There were cheers from all the college kids.  I was so proud!  I could see how proud my husband was of me too. 

I DID IT!!!!!

I came in dead last.  Who cares?!  I was a winner!  I have never been so pleased with an accomplishment.  I have never been so thankful for all the people who encouraged me to exercise and eat healthy - my husband, my adult sons who texted me encouragement for walking half a block, for doing a 5K, for swimming; my colleagues at work; and the coaches at the gym who provided (and still provide) alternative exercises that I can do.  While my overall place was last, I was not last in the swim and my bike was in the middle of the pack!

After the race, I took my timing sheet to registration where they had bagels and t-shirts waiting for the finishers.  I couldn't wait go put my t-shirt on!  I wore it proudly the rest of the day, to work on Monday, and to SPIN class the following Wednesday!!   I am a triathlete!  Oh my gosh!  I AM A TRIATHLETE!

First INDOOR Sprint Triathlon! BIKE

March 3, 2012
First Sprint Triathlon!  BIKE

After I left the pool, I went to where the spin classes were always held in the facility and no one was there!  After spending a lot of energy running up and down the halls trying to figure out where I was supposed to be, I finally found a row of bikes in the hall on the third floor.

I also ate a little.  The rules said you weren't supposed to eat or drink anything but water in the facility, but psychologically I felt like I just had to have a power burst, so I ate half a protein bar hiding in the restroom!

I climbed onto a bike and spun for a minute while setting the resistance to something that I thought I could do for a long time.  Then I told the volunteer that I was ready to start.  She started her stop watch and then put it at the base of my bike.  Once again, I was sooooo nervous and sooooo excited.  The spin bike had a computer on board so I could see how many miles I had gone.

After my SPIN classes at the gym, the bike was not easy but very doable.  I just put my legs on 80 revolutions per minute and kept a steady pace.  As you an see in the photo, I was drenched with sweat.  I valued every drop!  I was working!  I was doing it!  Woohoo!

We were told to let the college-age volunteers know when we were close to 8 miles.  When I hit 7.5 miles, I got the attention of one the volunteers who called my timer over.  She watched the computer and at exactly 8.0 miles, she stopped the stopwatch. 

I did it!!!!  Two events down, one to go!

First INDOOR Sprint Triathlon! SWIM

March 3, 2012
First Sprint Triathlon!  SWIM


I am now a triathlete!  Can you believe it!?  The event that I entered was an "indoor sprint triathlon" sponsored by the swim club at a nearby university. 

I'm not sure what made me think I could do this.  I added up my average times for the race course:  1/2 mile swim, 8 mile bike and 5K.  Then I looked at the race times for the previous year's participants.  My time would put me dead last but not so far behind the person who finished last the year before.

 Just like I did in my first 5K, I called the race coordinator and told her that I thought it would take me 1 1/2 to 2 hours to finish the course.  I explained that I was an almost 60-year-old, overweight woman and didn't want to inconvenience anyone, but if she thought it would be ok for me to finish in 1 1/2 to 2 hours, I'd think about registering.  She gave me a green light and I signed up - thinking that I could always be a no-show.

I decided to pretend that I was a real athlete and I did a carb load the day before.  I'm not sure you need to do a carb load for a 2 hour event, but it was fun to pretend that I was a real athlete!  The morning before the race, I was a nervous wreck.  The swim started in heats so I got there early to watch others swim.  Then it was time for me.

I had purchased a new swim suit for the big event that did not have a skirt!  I just put a towel around me until it was time to jump in the pool. 


An official wrote a big number on my arm and thigh (embarrassing) with a marker.  I felt so athletic!  I was nervous about not being able to get out of the pool after the swim.  Luckily, the lanes were not assigned so I picked the one closest to the ladder.  I asked the young lady who would be timing me if she had brought a book because it would take me so long to finish.  She laughed.  I was afraid that I would be the only one starting in the water, but everyone did.  Phew!  The starter said over the PA, "Swimmers ready!" and then BANG!  We were off.

I have to admit I got a little choked up as I swam the first 25 meters freestyle -- not from inhaling water but because I was holding back tears.  Who would have thought that I would be doing a triathlon.  I was so proud of myself.  So grateful for all the people who had encouraged me and helped me along the way.  But . . . crying and swimming don't mix so I got down to business.

Up and down the pool I went, alternating freestyle and breaststroke.  The girl timing me was terrific.  Since I was doing breaststroke on the return lap, I was always facing her and she had something encouraging to say every time I took a breath.  Finally, she was holding a red board in the water to let me know that there were only two laps to go.  And then it was over - and I didn't come in last!  I beat a very muscular young man who didn't know how to swim!

The girl timing me gave me my time card and off I went to bike.  I looked at the card and noticed that she had written, "is a superstar!" under my name.  I still get choked up thinking about her kindness and how much it meant to me.

Then it was off to the locker room to change cloths and head to the bike.  That's the one nice thing about an indoor triathlon.  You get to change your cloths and the time you spend in transition doesn't count.

Crazy Idea! Triathlon! That means bike!

Crazy Idea!  Triathlon!  That means bike!

It occurred to me that since I could run a 5K and swim a mile, the only thing I was missing for a triathlon was the bike.  As an experiment, I swam a mile, immediately got out of the water and ran two miles.  I was exhausted, but I had done it.  So, I didn't tell anyone but made it my private goal to do a triathlon.  I read a lot and discovered that there were different triathlon distances.  I adjusted my goal to be a sprint triathlon.  The distances vary depending on the course, but it's basically 400-750 meter swim, 12 mile bike, and a 5K run.

BIKE

I didn't own a bike.  I hadn't been on a bike for 40 years.  But . . . the gym where I did my bootcamp had a spin class so I signed up.

Oh my gosh, is SPIN ever hard.  At my first class, the instructor was so nice and patient.  She helped me adjust my bike and I suspect she made the class a little easier that night.  But, it was the hardest thing I've ever done.  When I got off the bike at the end of the hour, my legs would not support me.  They literally buckled and I had to support myself with the bike.  When I stepped off the curb on the way to my car, they buckled again.  For four days, I could barely walk and going up and down stairs was out of the question.  But . . . I recovered and was there the next week for a second attempt.

My biggest challenge was getting "out of the saddle" which means you are standing as you pedal.  My first goal was to be out of the saddle for 20 seconds before my rear end came crashing down on the saddle.  Our instructor told us to control the transition from standing to sitting.  Fat chance.  I crashed every time.  But with time, I mastered 20 seconds, then a minute, then five minutes.  It still isn't easy, but I'm doing it every week.

Swim!

Swim! 
June 2012

I was a competitive age group swimmer growing up.  I did pretty well - age group state champ and set two state records.  At the time (before Title 9), there were only two sport that girls could participate in:  tennis and swimming.  So for me, it was swimming.  But . . . at age almost-60, I had not swum laps for 40 years!

I was scared to death to start swimming.  For the entire first summer, I wore a bathing suit with a long skirt attached!  The first time in the pool was terrifying.  I made sure my emergency information was in my swim bag just in case.  I walked down the stairs into the pool and kicked a very slow lap with a kick board.  Then another lap.  Then I did a lap of breaststroke, and then 1/4 of a lap of freestyle.  I think I did 5 laps total that day and felt extremely satisfied.  Then, I felt faint.  

Passing out in the pool was not something that I wanted to do so I got out.  I walked to the bath house, stopped to steady myself as things started getting dark, walked into the dressing room and sat on the bench with everything getting fuzzy.  I debated whether or not I should tell someone that I might pass out.  I imagined the young people who worked there would call an ambulance which would have embarrassed the heck out of me.  So I just sat there and eventually, everything became normal.  I slowly drove home, ready to pull off the road if things got fuzzy again. 

I'm not sure why I came back a few days later.  I think it was because I just love swimming.  I love the way the water supports you.  I love hearing children playing and shouting.  I love feeling my muscles.  I think in a past life, I must have been a seal or a dolphin.  I just love the water.  I was very cautious on my second attempt at laps and everything was fine.  So . . . I kept coming back day after day, week after week.  By the end of the first summer, I could swim a mile without stopping.  At first I used hand turns and then flip turns.  I was incredibly slow (3:05 for 100 meter freestyle), but I didn't care.  I was swimming!

I DID IT! -------- First 5K Race - The Krispie Kreme Challenge!

First 5K

My very first 5K was on a walk one evening with my husband.  I wasn't planning to do a 5K but was feeling pretty good so . . . we walked 1.6 miles away from our house.  The only way to get back home was to walk the 1.6 miles back . . . a 5K.  Once I had done that, I knew I could enter a 5K race.

First 5K Race

I can't believe my first 5K was called the Krispie Kreme Challenge.  How appropriate!  In this race, you run 1.5 miles, stop to eat a dozen donuts, and then run the second 1.55 miles.  I did not eat the donuts!

I calculated that it would take me 1:05 to finish and asked the folks at the registration table if that would be too long for them to wait.  They said no and were thrilled that I was attempting to finish a 5K.  I'm editing this blog four years later and I can honestly say, after racing for four years including a half marathon and many Olympic and sprint triathlons, that 3.1 mile walk was the hardest race I've ever done.  I still get choked up when I think about the kindness that the race organizers showed me.

At the half way mark, volunteers were handing out glasses of water.  I wasn't sure what to do and was a little embarrassed.  I was, after all, just walking.  I really didn't need a glass of water.  I wasn't sure they would give me one since I was just walking.  But as I walked by, a volunteer handed me a glass.  I will never forget the feeling I had at that moment.  I had a sense that I was part of something very special, a community of people all supporting one another.  And I was so proud to have been honored with a glass of water.

At about 2 1/2 miles, I was so exhausted and winded that I couldn't talk (or breath).  I asked my family (who had joined me for support) to please not talk to me.  I couldn't handle any distractions.  If I were going to finish, it would be mind over matter.  I had to focus. 

I finished and was probably the proudest I have every been!  When I cross the finish line, the announcer said, "This is Sue Reynolds' first 5K!" and everyone clapped and cheered for ME.  Simply amazing.  My husband and son were so proud.  I got choked up.  I couldn't believe that I had walked THREE MILES in a race!  I came in dead last (other than one person who didn't finish).  But the goal was not to beat other people.  The goal was to finish - and I had.  Woohoo!  Yippee!  Hooray!

That was a special moment that I will never forget . . . and the start of so much fun in races to come!

Parts 3 and 4 - Bootcamp & OMO + Trouble!

So far, this journey has been in several parts.

PART THREE: 
April 2012 - November 2012
Bootcamp and OMO (on my own)

Part Three of my journey is represented by the steep downward slope of my weight from April 2012 to November 2012 (eight months).  For the first two months of this period, I was participating in a bootcamp.

Meltdown Bootcamp:
Pros:  I'm not sure if all bootcamps are like this, but the Meltdown Bootcamp that I participated in was amazing.  It was an eight-week program sponsored by Next Generation Personal Training (NGPT).  While located in my town, NGPT also has an online version of their bootcamp that is available to everyone everywhere. 

NGPT was founded by a young man, Adam Schaeuble, who was at one time overweight.  While NGPT is a business, it is a business grown from kindness and caring.  All of their instructors have also been overweight.  NGPT it the ONLY program that I have ever known that actually understands me.  The vast majority of clients there are people just like me - on a journey to be healthy.  What is special about NGPT is the culture of support both from the staff and the clients.  NGPT taught me three things:  1) what to eat, 2) the joy of facing a physical exercise challenge, and 3) how to prepare mentally for success.  I like to say that NGPT isn't a place that you go (or an online system that you access) to lose weight.  It is a place you go to gain health.  And it worked for me.  As an experiment of one, you'll note that the downward slope of my weight loss during bootcamp is steeper than the slope associated with the other weight-loss programs that I did.

Every two weeks, I was given a different nutrition plan and cardio plan.  They described the nutrition plan as a "low sugar" plan.  I ate five meals a day of proteins, healthy carbs and vegetables.  Meals had to be at least three hours apart.  Every day was different.  Some days, for example, were low carb days.  I also had to drink 120 oz of fluids every day.  One of the things I really liked about the bootcamp nutrition plan was that we were allowed "cheat days" once a week.  On those days, we could eat whatever we wanted.  Cheat days were required so our body wouldn't think it was starving and slow its metabolism.  I have to admit, I was never hungry.  I had a wonderful nutrition coach to whom I sent my nutrition log every night (and from whom I received feedback every night).

The cardio consisted of "high intensity cardio," tabatas and steady state.  We also had to do a certain number of minutes as "empty stomach cardio" before we ate in the morning.  In addition to my nutrition coach, I had a cardio coach to whom I sent my cardio log once a week.  My cardio log was an excel spreadsheet and as I entered my cardio, a letter grade would be calculated.  I always filled it in a week in advance so I'd get an A.  Then, if I didn't follow the plan, the grade would drop so I always followed the plan.

The first "core cardio" class that I attended was crazy hard.  I knew no one.  I had never been to an exercise class before.  But I told myself that I was not going to let my pride get in my way, and many times that night and in the years to come, I found myself saying, "DO NOT LET YOUR PRIDE CONTROL YOU!"  The trainer had us rotate from station to station.  The only problem was that the stations were about 10 feet apart and when an exercise required us to be on the floor, I was in trouble.  I couldn't stand up.  So I ended up CRAWLING to the next station.  Was I embarrassed?  Absolutely!  GO AWAY PRIDE.

The next problem was that I could not do any of the exercises.  At every station, I had to raise my hand and ask for an alternative.  GO AWAY PRIDE.  But, my first instructor was an angel.  After a while, she would get everyone started on the next station and then come over to help me with an alternative.  And when I was on Jacobs Ladder, she yelled across the room, "GOOD JOB SUE!"  Oh my gosh, I was SOOOOO proud!

As I walked out of class on that first night, I could not believe that I was covered with sweat.  I was sweating from exercise.  How cool was that!!  To this day, I love to sweat.  When I'm on the stationary bike, I count my sweat drops.  My record is 184.

Cons:  I can't think of one con.  Some people say the con is the price.  But when I consider what I'm getting for my money (health), I think it's a great investment.

After bootcamp - On My Own

After bootcamp, I decided to develop my own plan using the lessons learned from bootcamp.  Here is my daily nutrition.  I'm lucky because I don't mind eating the same thing every day:

Breakfast:  Yogurt, 1 C oatmeal
Lunch:  Yogurt, 1 slice sprouted rye bread (yummy!), apple, V8 juice (11 oz)
Dinner:  Spinach omelet (7.5 oz egg white, handful of spinach), 2 slices sprouted rye bread
Snack:   Throughout the day) - more of foods eaten at meals, not to exceed 300 cal

For cardio during this time period, I started doing 40 minutes of running or swimming six days a week.

PART FOUR: 
November 2012 - April 2013
Oh no!  Trouble!

One of the biggest mistakes I made after bootcamp was thinking that just because I could do a successful "cheat day" and then return immediately to a controlled diet, that I could also do a successful cheat month in December.  Wrong!  In a month period, I had reestablished bad habits that were so, so hard to break.

At weight-ins at NGPT, I'd promise Adam that I'd have a successful next week.  Usually, I would, but then the following week was a disaster.  At one weigh-in, I told Adam (the NGPT founder and owner) and I wasn't doing well and asked if he had any suggestions.  He told me not to worry and told me, "I will not let you fail."  For some strange reason, those words gave me a lot of resolve.  The next day, I think every staff member at NGPT send me an email just to "see how I was doing."  I realized that Adam must have talked to his staff about me and put me on some kind of "hit list."  Realizing that the entire NGPT staff knew I was failing, I immediately got back on track.  This time, my pride was helping me!