Triathlon Training, Not Congruous with Weight Loss

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This past week, my training partner and I did a race simulation for our upcoming sprint triathlon. We did a 500m swim in just over 18 minutes, a 14mi bike ride in 1hr and 28min. and ran 4 mi in about 45 min. So let’s see…total it all up, and we will need about 3hr to complete our “splash n dash” event. I’m really hoping we don’t come in dead last.

I now know what my Ironman brother-in-law means when he says jokingly that he's just trying not to drown in the swim and not fall off the bike so he can get to the run. The problem is that although I have run in the past (competing only against myself), now I'm really tired by the time I'm to that part.

Our transition times weren’t great at all. We each tried to create an informal staging area with our equipment (mine was the trunk of my car, my partner’s was her garage), but between the swim and the bike, we had to take a 15min. drive home from the pool, because of logistical issues related to the location of the pool.

The goal of the day simply was to complete all pieces of the triathlon with out passing out. As my old marathon running coach used to say, “Cover the distance.” We did that. And I am happy to report that I did not pass out, in fact, I felt pretty good the rest of the day. I thought for sure I would need a nap and a lot of ibuprofen following the workout—scratch that—workouts, plural.

Immediately following our trial-run triathlon, I ate another pack of Jelly Belly Sport Beans®, drank a whole glass of water, and preemptively took four 200mg ibuprofen tablets. My training partner, who is a clinical nurse, told me to take the ibuprofen, because I was really afraid I would barely be able to move later on that day. She said that when you take 400mg of ibuprofen, you get pain relief. But when you take more than that (she suggested 800mg), you get anti-inflammatory benefits. I took another round of ibuprofen after dinner, and was shocked at how little I was sore. I know it wasn’t all the ibuprofen, because even after doing my marathon, I was sore. I remember having Icy Hot(R) patches strategically-placed around my knees, and barely being able to walk. I didn't have any problem with the minor pain I felt last week. I think I may have a new hobby—sprint triathlons! My husband will be happy after the money we spent on new gear and retrofitting my mountain bike for road riding.

I actually think I may like doing sprint triathlons more than just running. The training is pretty easy because you’re doing something different every day, and each workout is generally done in less than an hour, except for the long bike ride on Sunday, which is usually 90min.

But now the tricky part. I started this whole thing, not just because my friend suggested it, but because I was looking for a good focus to help me reach my weight loss goals. I like to sign up for events to keep me from wimping out on my workouts. So far I have not even come close to losing any kind of weight. I have reached a plateau in my weight, and have only lost one body fat point according to the digital scale in my bathroom. I think I look better, but then other days I think I’m still too soft in the middle. Ugh!

It seems I’m continuously having to re-adjust my thinking on things, and in training for an event, I’m having to accept that my weight loss isn’t happening right now. A friend said to me, “I think there comes a point where you just have to accept that where you are with your weight, is where you are.” I think she’s trying to make a case that where I’m at may be a healthy weight for me. I’ve also heard, “Muscle weighs more than fat.” Neither are working to console me. Have I really changed to 10lbs. heavier than where I was when I got married? Do I have to accept this post-baby body weight? Just like I refuse to drive a mini-van, I refuse to accept my weight is ‘supposed to’ be what it is. But I'm OK with it for now, because I have this race to do.

At least I feel better now that I’m working out regularly. I’m also still doing yoga two days a week, and trying to eat mostly healthy. Although as mentioned in my last update, training has me hungry all the time, and it’s not always easy to divert the carbohydrate cravings (chips and cookies!).

It’s an ongoing battle for me. I give in to the cravings sometimes, but try to restrict myself to a small amount. I’ve more-or-less stopped tracking my eating on SparkPeople.com, out of frustration. I didn’t put any of my food diary into the online database last week. I keep telling myself I’m going to track my eating again, but haven’t done it. I’m only human. At least I’m active.

Christine Jeffries is a writer/editor for work and at heart, and lives in a home of testosterone with her husband and two sons. She started a women's group, The Wo-Hoo! Society, in the interests of friendship, networking, and philanthropy. The group meets separately on a monthly basis in the Phoenix and Kansas City areas. Christine is interested in women's health, and promoting strong women.

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