I know this is always something that needs to be taken with a thought process that allows you a learning curve that is outside an obvious physical exertion but the relationship between the thought and the action is very conected
Tracey’s Triathalon Trials Story of Olympic proportion
I am so proud of da girl .Tracey and I met online whilst doing a totally unrelated to sport program called the 30 Day Challenge which is a great no cost highly informative internet marketing course.
When she is not looking after her family she is occupied with her canine connections and their health running a great site at http://www.exercisemydog.com/
With the Olympics out of the way, us mere mortals can look at resuming an existence away from the idiot box.
Many thanks to Tracey for sending me this report as it is a theme that I like to promote here.
You do not have to be a super star ( not saying Tracey isn’t 
to get out and get involved there are many people with all types of reasons why they can do it, hey just be sensible get good advice and step up to the start line
I was more active when I was younger, but with marriage, kids, job, etc., I hadn’t made activity a priority in years. But I wanted to be more physically fit, not just to lose weight (I had gotten to 200 lb) but to be able to keep up with school-age children and just feel good. Doing a triathlon had always been one of the things on my “list”. It was time to get going.
Big Girls Tri
I started training last June. And I was slow. Let me rephrase: S-L-O-W: a slow swimmer, a slow runner, a slow bicyclist. OK time to evaluate–let me make my goal to just finish the whole triathlon–at any speed. I decided to concentrate on 2 things: good technique and more endurance. It took a while but I got into a good rhythm of training 5 to 6 days a week (swim 2x, run 3x, bike 1x, strength 2x). I read books, participated on websites, and solicited coaching from high school coaches and YMCA instructors.
By the time summer rolled around, I could really see improvement in my speed and stamina. Not great jumps, but definite improvement. So I register for a tri that occurs the day before my 40th birthday in August and am determined to be ready.
Race Day
First challenge: getting the family up to leave at 4:30am to drive 2 hours to the race site. Strategy: have the kids go to bed in their clothes, pack a picnic breakfast. Strategy is successful.
We get to the race site and I check in. I had to register in the “Athena” category–women over 165 lb. Yea, thanks–please call attention to weightiness. Whatever. This just lets me know, there are more than a few of us big girls who are starting out and we all start somewhere.
I set up my transition spot and concentrate on not getting nervous. Strategy: do not compare self with the more muscled bodies, the fancier bikes, the expensive wet suits. Strategy is dubious. I catch myself thinking about scouring eBay tonight for a better bike.
Finally after pacing and chatting with family, my wave, all Sprint females, starts. Amazingly I am not nervous at all.
Strategy:
do at least 1 open water swim. I did 4 and I totally know what to expect and how to deal with it. And I start in the back, so I don’t get kicked. The swim it’s still a bit of work for me. By the time I get to the 1st buoy I’m thinking, boy this took a long time, please don’t let me get embarrassed by getting towed to shore. Strategy: keep stroking and stop sighting so often, go 10 strokes. Before I know it I’m close to the beach.
Out of the water and into transition. Strategy–take my time in the trans area and have a gel bar (as advised by one of my coaches). I didn’t like that strategy–I’m already slow. I got the bike down and started going.
The bike ride was killer–there were several, like a million, rolling hills. Was this someone’s idea of funny? Note to self: train on hills, duh. At the top of each hill, I have slowed to a crawl. But I’m determined not to get off, ever. And someone is always cheering me on–as they pass me. I chomp an energy bar and keep going pedaling.
The Slow and The Furious
By the time I get back to transition and dismount, I feel my thigh muscles twitching and think “I absolutely, positively do NOT want to run”. Strategy: think about how many people I told I was going to do this and how I am going to feel if I have to say I didn’t finish. I change into running shoes (taking way too long), swig some water and run out the chute.
OK ‘run’ might be an exaggeration. Shuffle was more like it. It takes me nearly a mile before I can feel my muscles transition from pedaling hills to running, but then I actually feel a mini-surge of power and can actually pick up my feet. Note to self: my first serious triathlon investment, high-quality sport bra, is so worth it for the robust woman.
Just as with bike ride, several people–who are on the return leg of the run–cheer me on as they pass. And so do several people who are passing me in my direction. Do I let the 60 year old running past me dishearten me? Yes! But I keep running and think maybe if I keep this up, maybe I too can run at a brisk pace by the time I hit 60. To be completely forthright, I did take 2 walking breaks which I kept to 60 seconds. Not good for my time, but wonders for my energy and mental state.
Of course, as you start nearing the finish line, there is no stopping. Too many people can see you, but who are cheering you on, even for the back-of-the-packers like me. Finally I cross, thrilled that I actually did this thing! Thrilled that I can finally stop now! Not thrilled, but grateful that my super supportive husband makes me continue to walk and does not let me sit down. This was quite an accomplishment–but I think I have it out of my system now, thank you very much.
I write this the morning after and I don’t feel too bad at all. I spent the remainder of yesterday alternately eating and napping. My shoulders are a little stiff, but I feel good. It was a good experience and I fulfilled my goal. I rock!
Then I check my times on the Website. Yea, I am slow, with a capital S. I finished in 2 h 05 m (8 minutes transition-abysmal). I am 190th of 192 people. And 191 and 192 didn’t finish the race! On the other hand, all my individual times were faster than at least a couple of other people. OK, I know–not the point. The point was to finish and I did and am so proud and my family and friends are too. And I lost 15 pounds since last year and 1 dress size and I feel great. So I am an all-around winner.
Triathlon training
But I really think I could get my swim time down with more work on my stroke. And I can certainly shorten my transition time a lot. I wonder if there’s another tri in my area, maybe in about a month….
PS: I put my husband in charge of pictures–I had enough other stuff to think about. He picked up a camera he hadn’t really worked with. Long story short: I have NO pictures of my big day except one my daughter took with my phone. I am DISTRAUGHT. If he weren’t so VERY supportive and so very sorry, he would have been sleeping on the couch for a long time. Note to self: test the camera along with all the other equipment
Olympic records technology assisted ?
I wrote about this in an earlier post http://www.watzzupsport.com/2008/07/olympic-cheati…ney-for-talentolympic-cheating-or-money-for-talent/
how are swimmers smashing so many world records?
As an update on that
Have you noticed that every Olympic swim event is also a record smasher? It seems like every swimmer (and not just Phelps) is seconds ahead of the daunting green world record line, smashing it to smithereens. So how is all this record breaking possible?
* Tech Doping – The new Speedo LZR RACER suit, which was developed by scientists from NASA, “feels like a rocket coming off the wall,” said Phelps in a team interview. “The water just runs off the suit.” The suit has “ultrasonically welded” seams that mimics a shark skin, holds in the swimmer’s abdomen in the best position, allowing him to take in 5% more oxygen, and takes an athlete 30 minutes to get into. The suits are so powerful that US Swim Coach, Mark Schubert believed every swim record could be smashed at Beijing.
* Pool Depth – The pool in Beijing, known as the “Water Cube,” is 3 meters deep, instead of the previous depth of 2 meters. This allows swimmers to dive deeper and continue their push off “dolphin kicks” for a longer period of time. Olympic medalist and commentator Rowdy Gaines says, “It’s just deep enough to where the waves dissipate (and) the turbulence dissipates down to the bottom.”
* Pool Lanes – There are ten lanes in the Water Cube, instead of the usual eight, leaving the outside lanes open. This reduces turbulence and enables swimmers to go faster. “It’s by far the fastest pool in the world,” Gaines says.
* Practice – Sponsorship for swimming has increased, which allows athletes to avoid retirement for longer, and thus practice more. Mark Spitz, the Olympic swimmer with the most gold medals before Phelps, retired at 22 after the Munich games due to his inability to make a living as an amateur athlete. Back then, the Olympics only allowed amateur athletes to compete. Phelps, on the other hand, is now 23 has an estimated annual earnings of $5 million, and will be awarded an extra $1 million dollar bonus from Speedo if he reaches or beats Spitz’s record.
* Non-Tech Doping - Gary Hall Jr., previous Olympian 50-m freestyle champion, seems to think so. “Can suit technology distract from another issue?… I’m telling you this, I train with an international group of swimmers and all of them have stories and a few of them have had offers.” Hall likens today’s “blame it on the suit” situation to that of the ‘76 East German women’s Olympic swimming team. Though, he seems to be the only one speaking out about this so perhaps he’s just bitter he didn’t qualify for Beijing.
* “Top Secret” Technology Math Tool - Professor Timothy Wei, of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., helped develop top-secret, state-of-the-art equipment and mathematical techniques that USA Swimming coaches have been using to help to make swimmers go faster. He uses water flow diagnostic technologies to see how each swimmers’ motion affects the flow of water. Learn more from (or become more confused by) this video.
So technology marches on where does the line get drawn unfortunately the big business side of sport will always have a dominance over the shape it takes. Mixed emotions about that, where as it enables athletes to earn an income it is far removed from the ethos of talent and passion being the motivator for a champion.
Olympic star no just determained
With the Olympics near to start and the world looking at the elite performers, the tale of Peggy Allen competing
in a sporting event one of the most grueling disciplines triathlon, nevertheless finishing one, were never in her favor
“I’m stoked I did it,” the 58-year-old Allen gleefully proclaimed”I’m a Stage 4 cancer diagnosis but I did it.
Five years ago she decided to give it a whirl after undergoing successful gastric bypass surgery that downsized
her body some 150 pounds, Allen started training for the 2004 triathlon — a half-mile swim followed by a
12-mile bike ride, then a 3-mile road race to the finish line.
Those plans got waylaid when she was diagnosed with a rare form of intestinal cancer, which had spread through
much of her abdomen.
She needed extensive surgery and chemotherapy, Chemo treatments prevented a try in 2006, too, but she was
healthy enough to contemplate training for the 2007 race.
As the competition approached, though, she was forced to quit training when doctors found the chemo drugs had severely
damaged her colon. But she was determined to continue her quest. Last September, when she was taken off the
cancer drugs, and started training for this year’s race.
NEVER GIVE UP
With the sponsorship of the Regional YMCA, Allen went at the task with the energy of a survivor.
She worked with a personal trainer to build strength and endurance.
“I hate running,” she admitted.
In April she was dealt yet another blow. “The terrorist was back,” she said with a sigh.
Stomach pains signaled a new tumor in her abdomen, along with other pockets of cancer cells.
Chemotherapy would have to resume.
This time, though, Allen was stronger than her toughest foe. With her doctors’ blessings,
she was able to stall aggressive treatment until just after the race.
As long as she felt well enough, they advised her to go ahead.
Two hours and 45 minutes later, Allen did what at one time seemed an impossible dream.
With her husband, David, and triathlon organizers at her side, she finished the three-part course.
“I did it for me,” Peggy said. “I did it to prove I could do it.”
From the start of their workouts, Peggy was driven. Even with the chemotherapy she is about to undergo again,
Peggy plans to do the triathlon again next year. She wants to shave time off her result.
Allen’s sister-in-law said her <strong><span style=”color: #ff0000;”>can-do spirit against loads of adversity</span></strong> has proved contagious.
About a dozen friends and family want to join her next year.
It has not been an easy year for her, but she just focused on crossing that finish line,
“And that’s what life is all about. Helping each other get to the finish line.”
I would also add that it it is as important to support each other to get to the start line
“”I am really proud of myself,” Allen declared. “I wasn’t going for the Olympics.
<strong><span style=”color: #ff0000;”>I was in it for the journey, not the destination. </span></strong>
<strong></strong>And I had a great time.”
Wow what a great story if you have read Lance Armstrong’s books he describes quite graphically the
debilitating effect of chemo, to put all aside is a wonderful indication of the resolve of Peggy to be in
control of the circumstance around her and go for her own personal gold
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