JennCh

Congrats! What an accomplishment. Your story had me smiling all the way through. My hubby is my biggest supporter, and without him, I'd not be able to do as well as I do with the events I enter. Having that one person there to encourage you can make a world of difference. Excellent job with the run. Really an awesome…

Hi Paula, First, you're not the one who's broken. When others say hurtful things, usually it's because they have self-esteem issues of their own, and being hurtful or mean to someone else is their way of making themselves feel better. You are trying to find your spot in this world, and the best way to do that is to…

Wow, the cycling skills training sounds intense. Sounds really cool, too. I ride alone most of the time, other times with just my husband, so I imagine it is necessary to learn to ride with a group. I'd love to do something like this to get the push you got to really exert yourself. I bet you felt great afterwards,…

I'm a lurker of this thread and have totally enjoyed the discussions. I love cycling and try to get in a good ride three or four times a week. Today I did my first tour and thought I'd share with all of you my mishap. We had the choice of going 25, 50, 75, or 100 miles. I was determined to do 50 miles, so at the first turn…

I completely agree. I finally gave myself permission the other day to say enough with running--I absolutely hate every single second of running--and onward with the biking. I love being on the bike. My longest ride was two days ago, with 32 miles, and I can't tell you how wonderful it felt every single second I was…

It really is a mind game. I go through this with running. I keep saying I want to run, and I go out and do it but curse the entire time. Nothing is physically wrong with me; it's my mind taking over. Someone made a good point recently--do a mental physical inventory and if nothing is hurting and you're not sick, say, "Suck…

@tipusnr: He has an HTC Evo. I have noticed he puts his phone on the charger a lot, but then again, he has several apps running all the time which uses the battery. I now have the Intercept with the same app. To help save my battery life, I turned off several components I know I will never use. This has helped conserve my…

If you have a cell phone that you can download apps for, you can download a biking app. My husband uses one for our rides, and it works really great.

I, too, hope you get better. Do get some bike shorts. They are made specifically to deal with being seated in the saddle for extended periods of time. A friend of mine went through painful infections when she started riding because she didn't have proper shorts which help wick away the moisture and keep this sensitive area…

I have never experienced what you are going through, so I'm of no help. I do have some questions though. When you ride, do you use bike shorts and body glide? How many miles are you biking each time? Even though you're feeling better, you probably should see a doc to make sure there's no bacterial infection.

I read a really interesting article yesterday about eating carbs and protein before and after working out. The research was conducted on men cyclists, and the results showed that for men protein was the best choice for recovery after a strenuous workout. You may want to track what you're eating to see if this is affecting…

Congrats! Tri's are truly testing. Reading about your swim took me back to my first sprint tri and my swim--I, too, got stuck behind slower swimmers and had to tread water since they took up the whole lane, not allowing me to get around. I was so frustrated. It was all stop and start. Taught me a huge lesson: get an…

The moment you cross that finish line is going to be a very special moment to you. It's so hard to explain, but you'll be in your own little world. All the hard work you're putting in will show you that yes, you can do exactly what you put your mind to. Good luck with the tri. Be careful, though. Once you do one you'll be…

Best of luck to you. I, too, am doing a sprint tri in April. One month away. The butterflies are already fluttering. Running is not my strong point, and after nine months of running, three months now of targeted tri training, I finally can run consistent 10 minute miles. Not fast, but my only goal is to just finish.

No matter what I do, nothing shrinks my waist. And while my abs have firmed up quite a bit, I still don't have a waistline. My hips have slimmed down to the point that my hip to waist ration is just about 0. Straight as a board--makes my hubby laugh. Thank goodness there are below the waist fit jeans these days.

While I'm not in financial trouble now, I used to be. Boy do I know too well the stress it brings on. I'm so sorry you are having to deal with this, but I have faith that you will find your way out. It may take some time, unfortunately, but in the end, you'll be surprised at how much stronger you are because of it. I wish…

As a fellow Illinois resident, I wish you the best of luck. Go Pink Team!

I know exactly how you feel. Yesterday, after a year and two months of being committed to exercising and eating healthfully, I was in tears and ready to quit. This came after my husband insisted I take progress pics to compare to my pics from a year ago. When I saw that nothing, absolutely nothing was different, I was a…

Same problem for me. I've been training for a sprint tri, and with all the swimming, biking, and running, along with my clothes fitting loser, I thought I was losing weight. My brother even said I'm looking thin. All happy and excited, I jumped on the scale. I've gained 5 pounds! Not exactly what I wanted to see.

Juicing red peppers along with other veggies or a fruit would help with the taste. I've been juicing for over a year, though not on a daily basis, and I love trying the different combinations. My boys also love juicing, and this is a great way to get them to try different veggies. We go light on the fruits because of the…

I agee. I decided six months ago it's time to embrace the gray. My husband is actually liking the gray streaks, and I feel very empowered for not giving in to the pressure to hide the gray. The only person I want to impress anyway is my husband, so it looks like I've accomplished that.

Right now I'm not lifting. I went strictly cardio to train for the sprint tri. The trainer who is helping the group advised us not to do strength training, so I'm swimming, running, and biking. I think I should add strength training. Before I started training for the sprint tri, I was doing P90X. I loved it and saw good…

Same here! I love boots, but I can't wear zip-ups. My calves are huge. I used to hate them with a passion, but after seeing people work so hard to increase the size of their skinny calves, I feel a little more affectionate towards mine.

I was the same way as you with sports: sprinter, explosive. I can play basketball all day long and love doing every second of it. Tell me I have to run a 5k and I crumple on the floor in tears. :) My resting heart rate, the last time I checked which has been awhile, was 58. Thank you very much for the feedback. I greatly…

Thanks so much for the reply. I get what you're saying, and this brings up another question. I've had to work really, really hard at improving my endurance. When I run, the first half mile to a mile is agony for me. My legs feel heavy and tired. When I bike, my thighs burn for the first ten minutes or so. I don't…

Hi Steve, My question to you is this: I'm currently training for a sprint tri to be done in late April. The training currently is all cardio--swim one day, bike the next, run the next, then basically follow that pattern with one day off per week. While I see significant improvement in performance in all three categories, I…

I truly think the last line is so important to remember. The weight we've gained didn't happen overnight. I'm in year two of my lifestyle change that came about after putting on 25 pounds over a five year period. I lost half of the 25 in year one. At this point I'm struggling to lose the last half, but rather than dwell on…

I had the same issue when I started running back in June '09. I ran on a treadmill to get ready for a 5k, and when the day for the race came I had a tough time because of the difference between treadmill running and outdoor running. I talked to a few runners who advised me to put my incline at 1% or 1.5%. Since doing that,…

I feel the same way about having a sense of direction. I'm training with a friend for a sprint tri in April. Having committed to doing it and following the training laid out by someone who has accomplished triathlons is such a help in maintaining focus. Not being able to complete some of the training as it is a bit more…

I'm in the same boat as some of you. My hubbie is around 6'1" and close to 300 pounds. He has high blood pressure, high cholesteral, and sleep apnea. He knows he needs to drop some weight, and actually did last year when he and I did our own Biggest Loser, but after the 90 days were over, he went right back to his usual…