Sarahs Weightloss Blog

Hey everyone!

Thought I would let you know how I got on with the triathlon on Saturday, what I did to train and how it made me feel.  In short I would really recommend going in for something like this – it gives you such a boost and makes you feel like you really achieved something.  

I did a ‘fun’ triathlon for charity on Saturday.  This differed from other more ‘hard core’ triathlons.  For example I didn’t swim in a resevoir then run out in my wet suit straight onto the bike! Instead I swam 20 lengths indoors, then got dried and changed (very quickly – 5 mins), walked to the gym to cycle 12km’s on an indoor bike, then walked down to the lake to run 3km’s outside.  There was about 10 mins transition between each stage, and the transition time was not included in your overall completion time, as is the case in other triathlons.  We also moved on as a group – so we also waited for the last person to finish before starting the next stage as a group – which was really nice.

I completed the swim in 13mins 10secs, the bike in 24.45 and the run in 18.36, which beat all my personal bests! There was a maximum of 1hr 20mins to complete everything and it took me under 56 mins. I came 5th out of 6 people and so am really thrilled – I wasn’t a mile behind at all! In fact there was only a few minutes between 1st and last place!

1. If I can do it, you can do it too! – Seriously!

Currently I have a BMI of 31.5, which in the UK is classed as obese.  I am 81.6kgs at a height of 5ft 3inches, and a UK dress size of 14.  I’m not a skinny person, and not what you would have in mind if you were asked to imagine someone who would usually do triathalons.  So the truth is that you CAN do these things if you do the right training, put the effort in and also compete at the right level.  Loads of people thinner than me said I was nuts for trying it and that they would never do it.  Just goes to show that size doesn’t count for absolutely everything.  If you’re big like me, don’t let it hold you back.

2. Know yourself

Know your limits and your abilities.  Push yourself, but give yourself an achievable goal.  Its hard to gauge, but you’ll get the most out of it if if is possible for you to actually complete it, with some work.

For example I competed at the bronze level. I was thinking of the silver (30 lengths in the pool, 18km’s cycling and 5km run), however went for the bronze since it was my first triathlon and I wasn’t sure I could manage the silver.  Now after the success with the bronze I’m definitely going for the silver in march, the bronze wasn’t nearly as horrible as I thought it would be!

3. Training

This is really important.  I didn’t really do any intense specific training. For example I didn’t do a few practice triathlons beforehand.  I just worked on my endurance and speed in general with lots of cardio work, with some weights mixed in.  For example I did lots of indoor cycling classes of 45 minutes, did a running club in the outdoors every monday for 30 minutes, plus running on the treadmill and outdoors on the weekend by myself for longer distances, and did other sprint classes on the bikes and rowers a few times a week.  Plus some boxing.  So I basically didn’t do anything different from my normal exercise routine in the run up to the triathlon, just 1-2 hours moderate-intense exercise 3-5 times a week .  I just found from my new routine that I was getting fitter, and thus could probably swim 20 lengths, cycle 12kms and run another 3kms – probably.  I didn’t really know if I could do them one after the other on the day though, although I was pretty sure . . . sort of . . .

However that’s the beauty of triathlons I suppose, to test yourself to your limit, to see if you can do it or not.  I was surprised I found that I could do it, and not collapse in a heap at the finish line!  My husband came along to cheer me on, and after the final run when we were walking back he said ‘you’re not even out of breath!’ That really lifted me more than anything, it really showed me how far I’ve come in 6 months.  I’m really glad I did it, and I’d recommend it to everyone starting out to work up to a goal like this, rather than just saying – ‘no way, I would never do that’, or ‘no way, I would never be able to do that’ or ‘you must be joking – just look at me!’.  At the beginning I thought those things too, but I’m living proof that you can work up to something like this, so don’t put yourself down – OK!

4. Self Esteem boost or what?!

I’ve found this event has really boosted my self esteem so much.  The triathlon was for charity and I got like £80 in one week, because people were so surprised and pleased that I was going in for it – honestly if you saw me 6 months ago you wouldn’t believe it either!  It was like a stamp mark, actual evidence for all to see at how much my fitness and overall health had improved.  Most importantly it is evidence to yourself that all the work you put in is paying dividends.  Its also even more of a boost than just dropping dress sizes.  It gives you the determination to go further.  For example I am not thinking – ‘oh no, not another 25kgs to lose! ’, but rather – ‘I’m definitely going to train up for the bigger trathlon in March, and who knows, I might be a healthy weight/size by then too!’  So I feel excited at the prospect of losing further weight and getting healthier, rather than focusing on how hard it maybe and how much I want to eat stuff I shouldn’t (which was me a week ago).

In March 2010 I’m going in for the silver.  All of you can do something similar, at your own level.  Don’t beat yourself down, just go for it, and let us know how you get along

Till next time . . .