I think I found my sport!

Well since I made the descision to have weightloss surgery I have been a regular gym rat.  Starting last December I began walking on the treadmill, then I was able to go 2.8 for 20 minutes.  I had surgery in Jan and was back at it 2 weeks after surgery.  Now I jog 6.0 - 6.5 for 4-5 minutes and walk at a resting speed of 3.7.  Here in Michigan working out in the winter means inside at the gym.  Well before surgery I set a goal to complete not compete in a Sprint Tri in Aug.  So I began looking for a solid road bike.  About a month ago I selected a 2007 Giant OCR3 and left it at the bike shop until we had some decent weather.  In the mean time I continued training at the gym and started attending a spinning class.  Well I really liked the spinning class and running was becoming more a chore and not fun.  Well this past week I could not get motivated on the treadmill, but was really keeping up with the instructor in my nightly spinning class.  Well today the weather got in the upper 50's (warm after a MI winter) so I called the bike shop and told them I was going to pick up the bike.  They got it ready for me installing a trip computer and a few other accesories.  I had my wife drop me off at the bike shop and I was going to ride it home about 4 miles away.  Well needless to say I got home and just kept going.  The impromtu 4 mile ride turned into 10 and I loved it.  I think cycling is going to be my thing.  Actually before I planned to do the tri my first thing I committed to do was a MS 150 in Texas this coming Oct.  Right now as I am typing I am dreaming of the next time I will be able to get on the bike.  I still plan on doing the tri, because I enjoy swimming and I think jogging in the context of a tri will be bearable, but cycling will be my passion.  Next week is spring break here and I will have a less structued work schedule and I have a goal to cycle 60 miles during the week.

Good deal man!  Always great to enjoy the sport you're doing and to set goals.  

My favorite sport of the tri is the run followed by the swim then the bike but after last weekend I think the bike and swim may have flipped. :)

What tri are you doing and what are the distances?

 

Thanks Chad, I am doing the Shermanator organized by the Augusta MI YMCA held at Sherman lake.  The race consists of a 500m swim, 10 mile bike, then a  5k.  The event is Aug 2.  The idea of competing in three disciplines is very exciting to me.  I used to swim during the football offseason in highschool, so I am confident in my freestyle stroke and being efficient in the water.  I have loved my spinning class and being on the open road today was awesome. (rural country roads passing cows, fields, streams, etc.) Running (treadmill only so far) has been more a chore and less an enjoyment.  Do not get me wrong I  get a high when I am done, less from running and more from getting through it.  I find when I start jogging what stops me is not my cardio or breathing too hard, but my calves.  At 327 (down from 440) I am still carrying some weight. (surprisingly my knees feel great)  So I am not sure if I need to keep pushing or know it will get better as I continue to drop weight.  So right now my motivation to run is for the tri.  So after all that, any suggestions on how I should train for the run.  I guess my goal for the 5k is to run the whole thing without walking. 

Great choice in sports .  I started cycling beause I have neroupathy in my feet and running is out of the question . Fell in love with it and havent stoped riding yet .  I  go to spinning classes too . They are quite a workout arent they ?  I am rideing with a team this summer ( team Pucker ) We are riding across Iowa in July .      Best wishes  Nick

My brother is an avid bicyclist and he usually rides 35-40 miles per day in training ( he gets off work in the afternoon since he's a college professor).  He suggests that people interested in cycling contact the American Diabetes Assoc which runs Tours de Cure in several states.  He also said that the MS society has good rides.  he said that you can usually find rides from both organizations that range from 30-50 miles for single day rides and 100-150 miles for 2 or 3 day rides. Did I say my brother is an avid cyclist?  This summer he is paying his own way to go on a bicycling tour accross America from San Francisco to New Hampshire.  He's literarlly going to bike from Sea to Shining Sea.  He leaves San Francisco on 05-31-08 and the ride is supposed to end on 07-22-08.  I think he'll sleep well during his trip.

How cool! I been flirting with biking too. I live in the country and alot of bikers come here to ride the back roads. I'm fresh out of surgery so it will be a few weeks until I'm ready but I'll be picking you guys minds on equipment and so forth. I could visualize your 4 mile trip home how coool!

Great news and congratulations on finding an exercise passion. Same thing happened to me once I got on the bike. At first, I was only able to go maybe 10 feet or so but I was still over 400 pounds at the time. The hardest thing for me was to work up the courage to balance myself on the bike due to the fear of falling over or having the bike just crumble under the massive load. I started out by coasting down a small hill by our house. I then worked up to riding around the block, then around the neighborhood, then out to streets. It took me about a month to work up to my first 10 miler so you are far ahead of my pace. 10 months after WLS, I completed my first 100 miler (century) ride. Ride on boys!!  Boner

I love biking and it is warming here in Indiana!  I ride a stationary bike, too, but that gets old.  I haven't got the courage to start spinning class yet but I plan to.  I had to drop out of the gym for a while.. first I injured my kknee on the treadmill, then both shoulders lifting too much too soon I have kept walking every day with the help of a new 10 month old black lab who keeps me up to pace! CB

What is spinning?

Spinning is where you get on the stationary bike and pedal (spin) for an hour. Spinning classes can be brutal depending on the instructor as most are very fit and really push you to crank up the resistance and to petal fast (high cadence). Typically, the classes do interval type work which entails 3 minutes hard then a minute recovery and so on. Spinning is an amazing cardio workout with low impact on the joints which is why they've become so popular. Having all the other people in the class helps to motivate you as well. Lots better than just being a hamster on a treadmill imo. Boner