Mamas In Training

Energy Gels

So, I'm participating in my first post-baby triathlon on Saturday (my third triathlon total).  I am still such a novice, but just have fun training and experiencing race day jitters.  Three friends will also be participating, so we should have a good time.  While we are talking about mama fuel this month, I wanted to bring up energy gels.  I have yet to actually try one; just the thought of swallowing "goo" is enough to make me sick.  My husband just ran the Provo Half and used the PowerGel vanilla.  He does not like the Clif Shot Bloks but says the Clif Shot gel is ok.  Another friend told me NOT to use the Hammer Gel.  Has anyone tried the Jelly Belly Sport Beans?  I know I should have have something mid-race to keep me fueled, but am nervous about all of them since I have great gag reflexes.  I actually prefer just a cold drink of water.  But, I'll have some sore of energy gel with me on Saturday.  I'll let you know which one and how it turned out.

Tanya

Trying to Tri

This is a fabulous email we received the other day from Lauren at Hugs and Bugs (an awesome store you should check out off 33rd S and 2300 E.) THANKS LAUREN!!!!

Hi Gals! I just wanted to send a little thank you for pursuing this tri. This was the inspiration I needed to stop making excuses and get back into shape. I feel like I’m sort of cheating by having “my time”, but it has forced me to get organized. (Carrot break!) I can go on and on in detail but I’ll just make a list of everything that has been positively improve:

Attitude
Family Time
Grocery Shopping for Entire Family
Business
Friends
Monthly Cramps!!
Music Collection
Wardrobe

Well, thanks again!

Lauren Kenly
Hugs and Bugs

Mamas In Training-Wheels

From the look of Rachael’s post below it would seem that she and I belong in a more introductory program than Mamas In Training. Stephanie is shaving 2 minutes off her mile time…and Rachael and I are trying to strategize how many times we’ll need to walk during the run portion of the race.

Sing it with me now, “One of these things is not like the other…”

Since Stephanie will beat me to the finish line, by, oh…30 minutes or so I expect her to be cheering the loudest for me.  Do you hear me, Steph? I’m counting on YOU to get me across the finish line!

Last night I sat down and started to assemble my race-day supplies and apparel. It gave me butterflies. To actually visualize getting out of the pool, getting my socks and shoes on…not forgetting my sunglasses…determining that I want a lightweight hat for running and once again holding up my minuscule race suit and wondering what I was thinking when I clicked “add to shopping cart” and purchased that little number.

Erin

I Am Most Nervous About the Tri...

Guest Blogger:  Lisa Demmons, mom of one

I am most nervous about the Triathlon because I have not been training at a level
necessary to (i) finish the event without suffering more than transitory pain, and
(ii) keep the image of myself as a fit person, which I have somehow managed to hold
on to despite nine years of diminishing exercise routines and thirty extra pounds
resting stubbornly on my hips and torso.   I am finding that I have the discipline
(and sometimes the time) to get into the gym 3-4 times a week, but I don't have the
discipline to follow a training schedule or even to force myself into a public pool
wearing a bathing suit that isn't covered by a lifejacket or some other piece of
equipment or clothing.  Okay, maybe I could do the bathing suit if it weren't for
the extra time that getting really wet seems to add to the workout.  (Can you tell I
am annoyingly good with the excuses?)

I do plan on continuing to try and forcing myself through the event -- even if it is
punishing.  I mentioned (tongue-in-cheek) to a friend the other day, with whom I
have agreed to participate in Hood to Coast this August, that I did not run the Moab
1/2 marathon in March because I hadn't been training and now I had signed up for a
Triathlon that I am not training for.  She said something to the effect of "Um, Lis,
you had better be training for Hood to Coast."  I explained that was why I was
signing up for all of these events and she pointed out that I have to actually
participate in the events I sign up for to have them count as preparation for other
events.  So, I have ensured my participation by signing up for Team Mama, agreeing
to write a bit for this blog and, as a result, broadcasting to the world that I am
going to do it.  I am still a bit nervous, though, and taking recommendations on how
to alleviate pain of all types.

Triathlon Is So Fun Because..

Lauren Liang, mama of a ten month old, is our guest blogger.

The truth: I planned to write a glowing blog entry with all the reasons why I love triathlons. How I was a swimmer growing up and then morphed into a marathon runner in my early twenties so the tri combines two of my favorite sports. How I love the way endurance and multi-tasking are such keys to the event. (No wonder so many mamas are triathletes!) How much fun it is to try and be efficient in the transitions. How you can actually see your family several times during the race as you keep circling back to the transition/start/finish area. How triathletes seem to always cheer each other on during the race unlike other sports. How you feel like a bit of a “Superwoman” when you notice the faint outline of your race numbers still on your arms and legs the day after a race.

But the truth is that while I do love tri-ing for all these reasons, at the moment it’s a bit of a fantasy. I haven’t touched my bike since last August and haven’t swum a lap since my last tri last summer. Between work, caring for my little guy, and a nasty bout of bronchitis, I haven’t even walked beyond a block or two this past month let alone run.

As a relatively new mom with a typical working-outside-the-home mama schedule, I’m not anticipating a great increase in the amount of training time I’ll have in the next month. (Of course, at this point even one workout would be a 100% improvement.) So I secretly wondered as I started to write this entry, would triathlon still be so fun if it was an incredibly painful experience? Would I still find it a joy if I had to drag myself to the finish?

And the more I thought about it, the more I felt that the answer would be yes. Yes, this triathlon will still be very enjoyable no matter if I am well-trained or just worried about finishing still upright. Because out on the course on May 19^th, I’ll be surrounded by athletes that have been there. Athletes that may have been up nursing a baby a few times in the past night. Who understand what it is like to try to accomplish during nap-time a work task that would have taken a full day at the office. Who run pushing a jogging stroller with a sippy cup in the water bottle holder, wear a bike shirt that has Cheerios in the pocket, and know that the exhilaration of a great swim workout can never match the joy of splashing with your infant in the bathtub.

No matter how rotten my body may feel as I try to make it through the event, I know I will have a great time. I look forward to the camaraderie of my fellow athletes as we swim, bike, and run. I plan to cheer on other women as they race past me on the course, and to revel in the fact that I live in a time when women, including mothers, are supported in taking on the role of athlete.

And, best of all, whether I finish in a breath-taking sprint or a very slow walk, my little son will be at the finish line grinning and clapping his hands for me. I can’t possibly imagine a better finisher-award.

Lauren Aimonette Liang

Finding Time to Train

As a person that enjoys the luxury from working out of a home office, there are few occasions that I can’t find a way to fit in chores or errands into my daily schedule…especially now that I’ve become one of those people that has no problem marching into Starbucks with in my polka-dotted pj pants. Yes. I’m THAT person. (Try not to stare.)

Last week was one of those crazy weeks that started and ended in the blink of an eye. By the end I was exhausted and sadly, had not managed to fit in one single workout. I’m certainly disappointed, but there’s no point in dwelling on it – if I dwell I will FREAK RIGHT OUT! The Tri Utah Women’s Triathlon is six weeks away and I still can’t run the entire three miles without walking.

I’m getting back on track this week and surprisingly have found myself aching to get out and run/bike/swim. I’m starting to understand that this is a sport that gets under your skin. What started out as a challenge between friends has become something of genuine interest to me – I realize what Coach Dave means when he says that doing Triathlons is a “way of life”.

This week I’ve scheduled training sessions on my calendar the same way I schedule meetings…I’ll let you know how that goes.

-Erin

The Hardest Part of Training...

Channin, a mama in training, is our guest blogger of the day.

As a working mother of two children (ages 4 and 22 months), I have found that the hardest part of doing a triathlon is organizing my life in a way that the training does not take away from the time I spend with my family or interfere with work.  Balancing the 1-2 workouts per day can be challenging, to say the least, and if you add sick kids, an unplanned work deadline or some other unforeseeable event then it is even more difficult to get the workout(s) in. 

That being said, there is nothing more rewarding than when it all comes together.  It feels good at the end of the day to be able to say I woke up early for a swim, I had a productive day at work, I ran for three miles after work, and I spent quality time with my family.  When you find a way to incorporate triathlon training into your daily schedule, the benefits soon outweigh any small changes in daily routine that had to be made.   

I'll Quit Whining

I originally thought about posting about how running made my lungs bleed yeseterday and how I can run farther by getting angry (and listening to the Beastie Boys). I'm a whiner. After all, if working out were easy we'd all be singing its praises all of the time. But the bottom line is working out (running, biking, swimming, jazzersize :) all takes time, dedication, and yes sometimes a little pain.

However - here are the things I like about the respective triathalon genres --

Biking - I love wind and I love going fast. I love the way biking lengthens your muscles and yes, I love biking jerseys. They remind me of team sports when I was little. I loved jerseys. I wore my community rec soccer jersey for two years straight. It was baby blue and my mom hated it.

Swimming - Sink to the bottom of the pool for a minute and look up - I love the ceiling of water and I absolutely love swimming. It's a totally different medium and the closest things we humans have to flying (or being a fish).

Running - There is love there. I love how I feel when I'm finished (and laying in the gutter) and I know I'll love how I feel when I can actually stand running extended distances. I'm getting there slowly but surely.

- Rachael

Why do you Tri?

This is from the latest TriUtah email - I had to copy and paste these quotes because they are awesome!

To prove to my husband that I'm strong!

What a freeing feeling to have control over the path I will take to be healthy! I can choose to eat right and exercise, or to not do it. I am making a choice for health so that I am around to nurture my most beloved treasures--my husband and children

I enjoy the comaraderie of training with friends and feeling the satisfaction of having met the challenge of a tri.

To conquer my fears, to challenge myself, for the confidence that I gain when I complete a difficult task

It's my first time and I want to challenge myself. I have no desire for a marathon and hopefully this will meet the challenge.

I tri because I think I'm the type willing to push the limits of my own abilities. I know what it takes to reach my potential to improve..and it's hard. It hurts. It's not pleasant, but the rewards I reap are unmeasureable.

To keep up with my Mom - she's 53 and can run circles around me on a road bike!

It has always been a dream of mine.

It gives me something to work and train hard for. It is my motivation!

I want to feel that sense of accomplishment from completing something physically challenging for me.

This is my 1st one. I've always wanted to do it so I set a goal and hope I meet it.

To begin leading a healthy life and be an example to my family.

It's a great way to keep in shape and cope with stress! It makes me feel good and its a great hobby that my husband and I do together.

Keeps me working out so I don't get overweight. It's an activity I can do with my husband to keep us both fit.

If you never have a goal in life, how are you to succeed in anything?

- Rachael

Women's Tri Will Sell Out

Triutah, the organizing and directing group of the Women's Triathlon, says registration for the Women's Tri is WAY ahead of of last year.  It will sell out at the cap of 400 amazing women.

Register today!!

Why tri:  you'll get joy and satisfaction of being physically fit and of finishing something you start.  Active.com has a great and motivating article entitled, How to Become a Triathlete (whatever you may be now).

Tanya