Thanks Michael and everyone. I’m glad it’s over. There is just so much involved in triathlon and so much tgat can go wrong. He was 39th overall male out of 1031 amateur males. He beat a couple of pros.
Has anyone heard about actor Eddie Izzard’s current quest - 27 marathons in 27 days? He just finished today. He had to do 2 marathons today to make up for a sick day on day 5. Yikes!!
MOWC - congrats to your son! What an amazing accomplishment! After all he went through with that bike accident, it’s fantastic that he was able to do so well.
sabaray - Yay! I’m so glad you had a good race! Wow, I didn’t realize it had been almost a year since your last race. I remember the injuries that caused you to pull out of the MCM last year. Congrats on doing well - it’s wonderful to have the support of friends and to be able to run with others and encourage each other on. Best of all, you enjoyed the run! I’m in awe of you running on those hills!
FallGirl - I’m so glad that you found your Fitbit! I lost mine for a week once - we were heading out the door to leave on a cruise and at the last minute I changed to a different sweater. In my extreme haste to change as we were leaving, my fitbit came off but I didn’t notice it until we were at the airport. I thought I had lost it at security but it wasn’t there. I was in a lousy mood the first day of the cruise trying not to pout about my lost Fitbit. When we got back I checked at security at the airport to see if anyone had turned in a Fitbit and they had! Fortunately I realized it wasn’t mine so didn’t take it - once we got home I found mine as I was sorting through the mountains of laundry. I was so happy!
Romani - so sorry that you are having to deal with all of this. I hope you get some good support and advice at the group on Wednesday.
Plantmom - haha, isn’t it nice how they want to “help” you be more healthy! It’s really great that you are so aware of your health and diet.
Along those lines, we’re currently participating in a wellness challenge at work “Choose This, Not That” designed to encourage more healthy eating. One of the things that earns a point is to choose water over a “sugary sports drink” after exercise. Sorry, after running a half marathon, I don’t think it’s an issue to have some Gatorade. Guess I lost a point on Saturday. Boo hoo. :((
In defense of health care and insurance, they are looking to target/isolate those that are having that Gatorade after EVERY exercise event or the person who may be underweight for a variety of reasons including those who may be exercising too much and not nourishing, those who have stress or emotional issues that are inhibiting them from eating correctly, etc. Though you may get tagged as someone who might be “at risk” this is their way of not letting people fall through the cracks. Then a personal visit to the doc can wash out those like Plantmom who the doc will clearly see if doing great and has her exercise and nutrition under control - better to wash out those who are doing ok that way then to have those who DO need help not get help.
Of course, as with any other survey, people can certainly lie on the survey and avoid the insurance questions that way!
At my last company we had this healthcare/fitness initiative, which was good in many respects, but I also had to pick something to “work on”. I had bi-weekly calls with “Coach Bob” to help me with healthier eating. It was a complete waste of my time, but I sucked it up since (1) I was the lawyer for HR and (2) I wanted the people who really needed some help to get it. We also logged our exercise and had company “walks” (I feared someone getting run over by a car as we strolled across streets downtown talking and not paying attention) and lectures. We got incentives, too. Unfortunately, corporate fitness programs don’t have the success one would expect (and hope for). I think the FitBit approach might be better.
On the other side of things, back at my 10 year job in Dallas, we had a very competitive corporate office and a strong running team. We also had a fitness and health initiative- in the early days of such things. We were divided into teams and had to do group events like walks, volleyball games etc. It got extremely competitive, with teams going to the mall at lunch to “walk” to earn points. One of my co-workers learned that it was NOT a good idea to beat the CEO’s team by mall-walking.
There are two women in our office who still smoke. At a staff meeting, it was offered that the firm would pay for smoking cessation programs to help them quit. Never one to be quiet, I asked if wellness programs would be offered for every employee. They weren’t interested in paying for that and the women weren’t interested in quitting smoking, so that was the end of that! I am insured through Mr. Sabaray’s employer and they used to give incentives (lower costs) for blood testing, etc. but discontinued that because of the difficulty for the majority of employees to get tested on the company’s dime or on their own. It’s a little too big brother for me.
Went to the gym yesterday and did an elliptical workout and some treadmill walking. Ran five and a half this morning, felt pretty good - going to Pilates this afternoon. Now to just focus on the diet !
In a fit of late-night impulsivity, I have signed up for a very short triathlon in six weeks. 500 yards swimming (pool), 12 mile bike, 5k run. (Why do the numbers change between metric and imperial systems? It bothers me. Tradition, I suppose.) I’m not worried about completing it–I’m currently swimming a mile 2x/week (since September), biking 25 or so miles regularly (with hills), and running 3-5 miles several times a week (5K time just under 30 min my last race). I looked at previous years’ results, and I’m not even worried about being DFL, although I’ve been DFL enough times that I’m actually pretty good at it. I even tell spectators what to say! (FYI: to my mind, “finish strong” is a whole lot better than “you can do it!” when you’re running dead last. I don’t want to think I might not be able to do it.)
What I am worried about is what to wear, of course. @MomofWildChild , I know you have vast expertise in triathlons (oh, and congrats to your son!). Can I do the swim in a tight spandex t-shirt (which I already own) and my tri-shorts or should I just suck it up and change out of a bathing suit? I don’t want to spend money until after I see if I enjoy the tri. I’m thinking I can put a bike jersey over the spandex t, put my running shoes on (I don’t use clipless pedals, since I’ve fallen over too many times even with flat pedals), and go. I’ve run and cycled in the tri-shorts (bought them for hot weather short rides, for which they are quite nice) but haven’t swum in them yet. And please tell me what questions I should have asked but didn’t!
Definitely don’t change out of a bathing suit. You’ll be fine swimming in the tri shorts. Can you just wear a tight sports bra? If you aren’t comfortable with that, you should be fine with the tight spandex shirt. Make sure you practice it to make sure you don’t chafe or have surprises with a big air bubble on your back or something. Sounds like a good intro event!
So some good news on the support front. I’m essentially going to be done with the semester now and get incompletes in all my classes. My professors have collectively decided for me that I need to concentrate on my health and they all know me well enough to know that I won’t do that unless I’m explicitly told to.
I’m feeling a little better today and Mr and I are going to try go mattress shopping tonight to look for an adjustable bed.
So overall, good day so far today 
A more buxom triathlete will be happier in a special bra. The water doesn’t flow right if you swim in a running bra when you do the swim; you get air pockets. (Some women also complain a running bra is too sheer when wet.) I used to do the swim in a tri bra and tri shorts, then put a shirt on for the rest of the race. Your number can be pinned on already and it makes for a fast transition.
If you are ready to invest in a good tri top, you can wear that the whole time. IDK if they sell any with really solid support, though.
Romani, wishing you the best. A good friend has RA and has just adjusted her meds. She is suffering those ups and downs. She has found a way to time the downs so they have the least effect on her work, but it has taken a while to do that.
@Lizardly and @MomofWildChild --thanks for your comments. I don’t actually wear a sports bra, even when running. I don’t need support… I have almost nothing to support (not ‘buxom’ at all–and it’s actually not uncomfortable for me)–I wear a tight spandex t-shirt for running and cycling (looser top over), which is why I thought that might work. It’s a good idea to test the shirt in the pool for air bubbles. I’ve looked at the tri tops but want to wait until after I try one triathlon before buying, as it doesn’t look like something I’d wear outside a triathlon (unlike the shorts).
Having to get most of my steps in the house tonight. I dropped pup off for some minor surgery (his first dental cleaning and to have a cyst (it’s fine) removed from his neck) - picked him up at 2pm and now I’m afraid to leave him alone - he’s still kind of groggy and his neck looks tender - if we leave he likes to jump up on the window seat, ottoman, beds - whatever and look out the window for us - I don’t want to chance him doing that today! So I’ll be doing some jogging through the house and multiple jogging up and down all the staircases to meet my 11,000+! I already miss my pup walks!
5.1 mile day split up into 2 runs. It was 32 degrees this morning, so out came the Lulu puff! I also walked the dog since H isn’t back from Puerto Rico until later tonight.
In the category of all the joys of getting old, I’ve managed to do something to my right thumb joint. I have no idea what! I don’t remember twisting it or bumping it or anything, yet it is so painful I can’t even turn my car keys or lift anything. Interestingly, Advil almost eliminated the pain. I hope it isn’t arthritis. It was so painful at work that I made an orthopedist appointment for tomorrow, which I will keep. I noticed it a little bit yesterday- but not bad. Throughout the afternoon at work it got worse and worse. I would yell out loud if I moved it wrong. I even taped it with scotch tape to the next finger to try to immobilize it. That medical procedure was less than satisfactory.
@MomofWildChild – is it possible you’ve dislocated your thumb?
I don’t know.woukd Advil take away pain from that? I have full mobility.
Oww, MoWC. Glad the Advil works! Could it be gout?
Hope your pup perks up soon, abasket!
I don’t feel especially creeped out by divulging the personal health stats for the financial incentives. I think I’d have a different opinion, though, if I had health issues I’d rather keep private. I appreciate what they’re trying to do (essentially controlling the bottom line by nudging employees towards optimal health practices). I just wish that there was something more helpful for me, personally. On the other hand, I guess I’m happy enough to take the financial perk and know they’ll leave me and my data alone until next year when we fill out the same questionnaire, again.
We had a beautiful, cool morning. I walked today about 6.5 miles.
Sounds like no hitchhiking for you MOWC! I hope it’s a simple fix and very temporary.
That’s just weird, MOWC, but I’ve gotten to the point where weird aches and pains are part of my norm, lol. Hope it turns out to be no more than an inconvenience.
It doesn’t hurt at all now. I went from not being able to turn my car key to no pain. If it feels fine tomorrow, I’ll cancel the appointment. I was convinced I had some sort of torn ligament or fracture, but at least I could still run!
Wow, that is bizzare, MOfWC. I once had numbness in my left hand thumb - as soon as I made appointment, it went away without a trace. I felt like an old car that has an issue that goes away as soon as it is parked in the mechanic’s garage. Hope it is not a serious problem.