Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Un-motivating Jerk

I went in today for a free assessment with a personal trainer who came highly recommended. I had a copy of my Body Analysis that was done at the Multi Sport expo in hand. Now, I know that I had somethings to work on, by way of decreasing body fat and building muscles and thought that he was just the guy to give me a plan to get "right". Well, wasn't I wrong! He won the Douche Bag of the day award from me! Not only did he tell me that my body fat% means that I am obese, but he told me that I should not be concerned with doing any Triathlons, I should focus on eating a raw vegetable diet, that I should focus on decreasing my body fat by lifting weights 3 days a week, that swimming won't help to decrease my body fat, that a bicycle ride once a week will be great for some extra cardio and  that I should not run until I make my ankle stronger. Wow! How about that for some motivation?

I guess I was totally wrong about him being the guy to help me to figure out how to get weight lifting into my training schedule and what I need to do to make me leaner. He basically told me to not be concerned with doing the one thing that I am most proud of. I will take some of what he said and trash the rest. Weight lifting and strengthening my ankle, I will do, but not being concerned with doing Triathlons is unimaginable. It's a part of who I am now. His ass probably couldn't do a Triathlon if he wanted to. I am not sure if un-motivating jerk or douche bag is a more appropriate description of him!


Monday, March 28, 2011

Inspiration

Sometimes we inspire others by just being. By just setting a goal and showing others that if you can believe it then you can achieve it. Last year, I set a goal. I was not trying to make a statement or inspire anyone. I was just trying to be a better Rebecca. I wrote about my experience, because I wanted to capture it all and I shared it with the world. It was not a slick Jedi mind trick to get my friends to join me. I had no idea the impact that my words and actions would have on others.

On yesterday I ran into Pam, the only other black woman in my Triathlon training program last year. Pam was in the swim class the day when that mean ugly lady screamed at me when I kept stopping. She was in the Chesapeake Bay that cold May morning when I was freaking out about swimming in open water for the first time. Pam was also with the group the first time I tried my clipless pedals and with the first group ride when I got left by the group because I was too slow. Pam and I only interacted briefly, as she was  much faster and I never saw her after the initial hello and then I was left in her dust.

Pam shared with me on yesterday that her most memorable moment during her first Triathlon with me last year was seeing me get out of the water. If you read my race report, you may recall my loud cheering squad and the picture of me running and jumping in joy when I emerged from the water. How about that? It was her first race too and her most memorable moment was seeing me rejoice after overcoming that challenge. 

Pam shared with me that her Mom and Aunt are now training for their first Triathlons after reading my blog. She said that whenever they are saying how they can't do something, she refers them to my blog again. How Inspiring!

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Lessons of what works for me

Over the last few months, I have learned many lessons. I just returned from a Multi Sport Expo and I think that I learned the greatest lessons of all: my body composition, what to do for MY body type and how to train and achieve my goals. See, there are so many schools of thought out there about what to eat, when to eat, how to train , etc. I even saw a Nutritionist who told me a lot about what I should eat and when, but I don't think that she really took into account my working environment and a lot of what she said made it hard for me when I am on the road a lot. It seems that I was able to put it all together today after talking to the lady who did my body analysis.

I am not one of those women who get all bent out of shape because of what the scale says. I like to go by how my clothes fit and how I feel about myself when I am disrobed and looking into the mirror. I always compliment myself on what I like and am very gentle about what I say and think about the less than desirable areas.I have been wanting to slim down for a while now and really thought that while training for a Triathlon, that it would take care of itself. NOT!  I have tried a few things since learning that I had to do something different, but listening to the friend who starves herself and only eats before a workout, or trying the low carb thing or eat 5 meals a day when I am in and out of the car all day, etc just has not worked for me. Working out is not my problem. However, I do have to admit that I have been consistent about every other week for the last few months, but that has a lot to do with being burned out and dissatisfied with the results that I have been getting.

After learning today that I have strong arms and core (greater than average muscle composition) and weak legs, my body percentage of fat and muscle and my hydration percentage. I know exactly what I need to do. The lady who did my analysis told me to focus on leg exercises with weights to build my leg strength which will help me to power through those hilly rides. She told me that working to make my legs stronger by using weights will help to burn more fat since these are larger muscle groups, so I can take care of fat loss and building strength in one sweep. She also told me that if I want to get leaner and loose fat quicker, to interval train on all of my runs. I can do this on the bike ride and swimming as well. This will help to burn fat quicker and help with my speed.

Regarding diet, I attended a seminar on nutrition for Triathletes today and have spoken with my Boot Camp instructor about diet and have put everything together that I've learned from them and that Nutritionist that I saw. I have been playing around with protein drinks and have found a good one that I like. So, those 5 meals will be taken care of with 2 protein drinks a day, I have a better idea of what to eat before and after workouts and when to eat them and if I get enough sleep, I should be on my way.

If I think about the numbers on the scale, I would like it to be 30-40 less the next time that I step on it. Regarding my clothes size, I am still working to get back into my size 6's and maybe some 4's. I have a way to go and I am okay with that. I do not have a timeline to get there, as this is about lifestyle changes and choices, so when I get there, I hope to be able to stay there for life.




The journey continues here

To read how I got to this point, please see my blog at: http://tribecca-journey.blogspot.com/

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Tri Unify Member of the Month

Me? What an honor!


Featured Member Featured Member: Rebecca Williams

NameRebecca Williams
Profile Name: TriBecca
Current Location: Washington,DC
Triathlete? Duathlete? Other?: Triathlete

What brought you to triathlon?

I had the desire to do something extraordinary. I had almost every odd against me: I could not swim, I didn't own a bike (I had not been on a bike in over 20 years) and was recovering from double pneumonia, so I couldn't run. The desire to overcome all of those odds superseded my fears and on June 20, 2010, I became a Triathlete. 


What athletic achievement are you most proud of?

Learning how to swim and going on to complete 3 Triathlons that same year (2 Sprints and 1 Olympic distance race).


Best Advice for someone thinking of doing their first triathlon: 

If you believe you can, and are committed, then you can complete a Triathlon and anything else that you want in life! 


Goals for 2011?

Become a faster Triathlete and complete a half Marathon



Contact: rwilliams25@hotmail.com