Americans Pretty Much Only Stop Eating When They're Sleeping (see below)
I was cleaning out the basement recently after having a wedding in our home for one of our kids. Everyone had fun but it's pretty hard to overestimate the amount of work that goes into squeezing 86 people into your house. One very kind neighbor down the street even let guests park in his front yard.
_____________________________________________________
The Big Question: if you could go back and change one thing about your first multisport race, what would it be?
I would learn how to un-clip from my bike, so I wouldn't fall over and take down the entire transition fence...pre-race. A. S. Atlanta, GA
I would not wear my mesh running shorts and non moisture-wicking shirt underneath my wet suit. After all, soaking up water like a sponge while flailing/swimming like an injured seal isn't much fun. Not to mention that my first race was the Chicago Triathlon. J.S. Chicago, IL
Bring the correct tool to take my back tire off. Ran 6 miles with my bike. T.A. San Antonio, TX
Actually go for a swim in the ocean before the day of the race for my first triathlon. Boy, that was a surprise. Salt! Waves! People! Feet! No wall to push off! Pfew, it was rough. A.A. St. Petersburg, FL
Lost my timing chip and did not realize it until a buddy pointed it out 5 minutes before the gun. Ran back to the transition area, rifled through all my meticulously placed items - gone. Would I be allowed to race? Sprinted back to swim "Start" and dived in. Found the timing chip under my bed at home AFTER the race. J.E. Portage, MI
I wish I would have practiced running after riding my bike. Needless to say I quickly learned why they call it a brick - my legs were as heavy as bricks. I puked 4 times. I was a mess. N.W. Locust Grove, VA
I would not have worn a Speedo. It was 1983...be like Dave. G. W. Portland, OR
I wouldn't change a thing. The feeling I experienced when I crossed the finish line in my first triathlon is what got me addicted to the sport. Always been a cyclist. Hated running and now love it. Never could swim farther than 25 meters without stopping. now I can swim over a mile. Life-changing! M.O. Mahomet, IL
USA Triathlon Fall 2011
_______________________________________________
There's so much information in print or on the web, I wonder if these authors had read some of the basic triathlon literature they wouldn't have made some of these errors. On the other hand, what better way to learn something than to screw it up? If a bit of pain or a little inconvenience is part of the lesson. It will be burned in one's brain forever. I think if you get out there, race, put it on the line, that each time you toe the start line you're just a little more experienced. Or like these people, a lot more experienced. Before long you'll be the one writing the blogs!
With 2016 coming up next week, do you already have a plan in mind where appetite control is considered? I read recently that Americans no longer eat three meals a day. In a piece by Melissa Dahl, Science of Us in NYMagazine, sciof.us/1OrwuPM , "Like a bunch of power Instagram users, the volunteers were instructed to snap a smartphone photo of every single thing they consumed throughout the day. They did this for three weeks. Each photo came with a time stamp, allowing researchers to figure out when they were eating - which, according to each individual's photos, was practically all the time.
Dahl notes: "When analyzing the eating patterns, the researchers couldn't pick out defined breakfast, lunch and dinner times for most participants. People started eating about 1.5 hours after waking up and finished a couple hours before bedtime with no discernible breaks in between, the researchers found. About 25 percent of calories were eaten before noon, and 35 percent consumed after 6 p.m."
The temptation to graze all day is pretty strong at at our house and likely yours too. Empty calories from too much alcohol, Aunt Mary pushing a third piece of pecan pie, that plate piled high with homemade chocolate chip cookies (any idea how many calories are in just one?*), plenty of snack food as you watch Green Bay and Detroit or the Fins take on the Cowboys in the late game. Just remind yourself, if Matt Fitzgerald, author of Racing Weight (and How Bad Do You Want It? - terrifically written and great birthday present to anyone who "tri's") was sitting at the table next to you, how hard would he tell you your next work out would have to be to cancel out what's going in your mouth right now?
"A minute on the lips, a lifetime......"
*Calories in one chocolate chip cookie varies widely from as low as 55 to over 200, with 8 grams of fat, for ones that are homemade with real butter. Yum. Just one cookie!