Bye-Bye Weekday Wine :-(

Tuesday morning was a wake up call for me. I finally got on the scale for the first time since the hit and run. Let's just say that I was not pleased with the number. I knew it wasn't going to be good, I just didn't expect it to be so bad. After the accident. I was afraid to weigh myself because I wasn't working out like normal. The goal of running CIM kept me somewhat focused and once I was given the OK to add running back to my routine, I sort of got back on to a schedule. However, my nutrition did not get back on track.

My shirt should have read "Will sit on the couch for wine"

Prior to the accident, I was very focused. I had given up "weekday wine" (Yes, that's a thing!), I was watching what I ate, and I was taking my vitamins and other supplements on a daily basis. After the accident, my focus was lost. Weekday wine was back on the menu. I stopped caring about what I was eating and started snacking more. I had a hard time falling asleep at night, so I would take a sleeping pill to help me doze off. On the outside, I appeared OK, but inside I was falling apart.  Then the holidays hit.

Actually, first came Ashley and Jay's two weddings. This meant more wine and a lot of delicious food. Next was Thanksgiving, followed by my 50th birthday, Christmas, New Year's and last weekend my Mom's birthday. My mom's birthday marked the end to my gluttony and hopefully the end of my not caring about what I was eating or drinking.

I forgot to mention all of the holiday food at work too!

What finally made me decide to get back on the scale was looking at my race photo's from last weekend's "Kick Start Duathlon". I could tell that my cheeks were a little fuller. Sure, to most people I look the same. However, I could tell the difference from a few months ago. I knew I needed to know where I was, so I got back on the scale. Like I said, the number was a bit of a shock. At that moment, I decided to get back to what I was doing before the accident.

Looking and feeling a bit chunkier than normal.

The Plan

I am going to make small adjustments to my diet to get back to where I was. If I try to do everything at once, I am just setting myself up for failure. This week, I eliminated "weekday wine", eating Altoids like candy, and I also started taking my vitamins in the morning. Three easy changes to make that have already paid off. Next week, I think I will remove all refined sugar from my diet. Eventually I want to give "no carbs" a good 2-3 week run, but I'm not ready yet.

In terms of working out, I had a schedule planned. Unfortunately, the cold/flu that has been going around the office at work finally caught up with me, so I had a couple of days off. I am going to write out my workout schedule this weekend and hopefully get started on Monday. One thing that will be different this year is that I will be focusing on sprint distance races. These shorter races will allow me to find events on closed courses so I will not have to ride my bike on the road. At first I was a little bummed about giving up the longer races, but now I am starting to look forward to trying something different.

Oh, and in case you are curious, the weekend officially starts on Friday afternoon, Cheers!

#endureandenjoy365 #hitandrun #wine #tbfracing

Triathlon - Starting Over

I fell in love with the sport of triathlon after completing my first race in October 2012. I started this blog so I could share everything I was experiencing. At least once a year I publish a post encouraging people to give triathlon a try.

Following my first triathlon in 2012

• 2017 - Repost 
• 2016 - A Different New Year's Resolution
• 2015 - Tri in 2015?
• 2014 - Triathlon 101
• 2013 - Central Valley Triathlon Club

This year, I am struggling to find the words to encourage people to try the sport. Most of this is due to the hit and run while riding my bike. At this time, I cannot fathom riding on the road. How do I encourage people to try this sport when I am scared to death of one of the best, most fun aspects of it?  "Hey, you are going to love triathlons! Just watch out while doing your bike training because someone may run you over. I'll be at home on my trainer." Yeah...I don't see many people wanting to sign up with a sales pitch like that.

I truly miss riding on the road

Another reason I think I am having a problem getting people pumped up to swim-bike-run is because this is the first time since 2013 that I do not have a "big" race planned. 2013 and 2014 had Barb's Race as my focus. 2015 was Vineman, my first iron-distance race. 2016 was IRONMAN Vineman, same race, different name. Last year, was IRONMAN Santa Rosa 70.3. This year I have nothing big planned.

Since I have an issue riding on the road, most of my races are going to be smaller, closed courses. I found myself depressed and feeling like I wasn't a triathlete just because I wasn't going to be racing for 6 to 12 hours. I worried that I was going backwards and that shorter races were equated with "beginner" races. I also worried that I would lose fitness and gain weight without hours and hours of training.

Size doesn't matter. All races are fun!

Believe me, I know that none of what I just wrote is true. The distance of a race does not determine whether or not I am a "real" triathlete. I also know that with proper diet and training, I am not going to get fat or out of shape. Now, will I be able to complete an IRONMAN race in 2018? Probably not, but that just means I am not trained for it this year. It doesn't mean that I couldn't do another one if I decided to in the future.

Plenty to Do in 2018

In order to keep myself focused, I have listed out most of the events I want to do this year including cyclocross!

• January
• Kick Start Duathlon
• Dirty Duathlon
• February
• Double Duathlon
• Lost Trail Half Marathon
• March
• The XTERRA Real MTB Triathlon 
• April
• Ice Breaker Triathlon
• May
• Folsom Lake International Triathlon
• Avenue of the Vines
• June 
• Enduro MTB Race at Mammoth Bar
• July
• Dirt, Sweat & Beers MTB Triathlon
• August
• The 21st Annual Granite Bay Triathlon/Duathlon & Relay Team Challenge
• Oakland Triathlon
• Mark and Tony's Margarita Trail Run and Party
• September
• Bear Valley Triathlon (Finally going to try this race AND we get to stay at our cabin in Arnold)
• October
• Cyclocross season starts! A whole new adventure!!
• November
• Salmon Duathlon (If I can muster up the courage to ride on the road)
• December
• California International Marathon

Getting Re-Started

Yesterday I completed the Kick Start Duathlon. It has been a couple of years since I did this race. I almost didn't sign up because I was worried about competing. I am so glad I sucked it up and raced. It reignited all of the old feelings that made me fall in love with triathlons. At the end of the race I found myself energized and focused...feeling like I can't wait until the next race. 

Now my next big challenge is getting back in the pool!

Ugh! LOL