Triathlon 101

I started reading the book Triathlon 101, and they have some exercises to complete that I felt I should do somewhere, as I don't have a hard-copy journal (yet? probably won't get one, let's be honest). That's what this blog is for, right?

Motivation

List 15 benefits of achieving your triathlon goal. Try to add 5 more to your list every week until you've reached 50.

1. Where I began my 20s: far over 200 lbs.
2. Where I will end my 20s: the fittest I've been.
3. This can be a way for me to keep up my competitive behavior...
4. ...without having a "team" behind me.
5. Variety!
6. I'll look better in my clothes.
7. I'll have to buy new clothes.
8. Overall, an affordable way to stay in shape (running shoes, bike maintenance, pool access).
9. I'll learn to balance a stressful work environment with stress-relieving activities.
10. This will motivate me to bike places instead of drive...
11. ...which means I'll save gas money!
12. I've always wanted a fancy shmancy bike...which I'll only allow myself if this is a serious endeavor.
13. This will be something new to talk about with people!
14. This may be something N and I can do together.
15. It will improve my CrossFitting...

Beginning of Week 8

I never updated about the timed mile: I cut down about 40 seconds of my mile from 9/19. CRAZY. We'll see if there is any improvement next month (can there be with that big of a jump after just one month?).

NT and I ran the Scream Scram on Friday night, which was a good time -- a bit slower than I wanted, and a bit more walking than I wanted, but we completed it under 45 minutes, which I should be happy about.

And so, I will do my best to be happy about it.

Is it time for a Before/After (erm, progress?) picture? I think so.

This is called Before -- this was December 2010.

And this is called "After/Progress":

Any differences?

I've joined a second league of racquetball -- so I'm now playing Sunday afternoons and Thursday nights. Pretty freaking excited about that, too. :)

Almost week 6...

And now at a loss of 16 pounds.

Also, down two jean sizes (say whaaaat?), and very very happy and energetic.

Yes, things are going well so far.

Week 4

Today is the beginning of the fourth week I've maintained a Paleo eating lifestyle (is it a lifestyle after 3 weeks?). Some stats:

I've lost 10 pounds.
I can totally tell I'm losing weight. Of course, I'm feeling impatient overall (I want to be thin...NOW), but it's happening before my eyes.
3 rep deadlift last night of 175#. This looks good in terms of me being able to DL 200 by January 1.
I'd like to bench press 100# by January 1, as well.

I'm joining 2 racquetball leagues in October. I enjoy it, and by joining leagues, I can assess how my CF-ing is going. Speaking of which, I need to do some serious box jumps to help my movement in rball. I'm beginning every work out with bench presses, and I'll end every work out with box jumps. We'll see how that helps!

1 Day from 29

I'm still waiting to hear back about my student loan; I've sent them additional information, so I'm not sure how long to wait before I call and ask for an update (it's been about a week so far). My loan is at $5,990 left to pay, so $5,000 forgiven would be fabulous. And I could pay it off by the end of the year, which is even better.

Should I establish other 29 --> 30 goals besides weight and debt? A certain amount of books to read? Hikes to take? Sites to see?

A post later may come...

Also, Day 14 of Paleo = I've lost 8 pounds so far. I'm 1 pound away from where I "ended" with WW in the Spring.

A mid-March update

My previous post was about how I wanted to have all of my credit card debt paid off by April 1 -- well, I'm going to be VERY close. It'll be more like April 10. But still.

I'm only a few weeks away from paying off my credit cards. I remember a year ago thinking, This will never happen. Never. And here I am, only $2,200 away from wiping the debt away.

I cannot adequately express how it feels. "Monumental" comes close enough.

Also, since January 2, I have lost 26 pounds. Thank you, WW, for helping me get on the path of where I want to be by thirty.

In August of 2012, I want to do a sprint triathalon. I think that would be a great way to say goodbye to my 20s...

Fat Free Final Standards

Standards to be met by September 19, 2012:

Physical Stats
Weight: 150
Body Fat Percentage Range: 20-25%
BMI: 25 or less

Physical Fitness Abilities
Flexed Arm Hang: 20 seconds
Crunches (2 minutes): 45
3-Mile Run: 32:00

CrossFit Workouts to be Completed

Angie
Complete in order:
100 pullups
100 pushups
100 situps
100 squats

Annie
50-40-30-20-10 reps of:
double unders
situps

Cindy
Complete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:
5 pullups
10 pushups
15 squats

Nicole
Complete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:
Run 400m
Max reps of pullups

Murph
Run 1 mile
100 pullups
200 pushups
300 squats
Run 1 mile
Partition the pullups, pushups, and squats as needed.

Fat Free Contributing Factors

Because of the many comparisons to make, and standards to set, I've listed below all of the contributing factors to my Fat Free Challenge.

From the Marine Corps Weight Chart (Females)
Height: 65 inches
Maximum Weight: 150
Minimum Weight: 114

Body Fat Standards (Maximum), Age 27-39: 27%

No, I'm not a Marine. No, I will never become a Marine. But aren't they the best of the best (in many people's minds)?

From the Marine Corps Physical Fitness Test Chart (Females)
Flexed Arm Hang: 15 seconds, minimum
Crunches (2 minutes): 40, minimum
3-Mile Run: 32:00, minimum

There is also a point system, but again, since I am not planning on becoming a Marine, I will just use these basic minimums as factors in my final standards.

According to Sport Fitness Advisor, there is a range of standards for body fat percentages. The only sports I've played in the last year are racquetball, rugby, and running (it's been an R year), and according to the chart, I should be in the 15-22% (racquetball).

The Body Mass Index is pretty much the bane of my existence. A normal BMI is 18.5-24.9. An overweight BMI is 25-29.9, and obese is 30 and over. According to the official BMI chart, for my height of 65 inches, I need to weigh less than 150 pounds.

And finally, CrossFit's workouts. I am not sure if I will be a "big dawg" by then (the term they give to individuals who complete the workout of the day as prescribed), so to be "safe," I'm going to choose five workouts that they use for benchmarking and competition (descriptions to follow): Angie, Annie, Cindy, Nicole, and the first workout I ever saw on their site, Murph.

I will post my "Final Standards" next, and, again, my current statistics on September 19.