70.3 Thoughts...

I ended my last post with a promise to discuss the thoughts of this "70.3"...so that's what I'm  here to do.

I don't really know when this started. I can remember it being December 2010 and I was struggling (as usual) to continue in my weight loss efforts, had just registered for the Cleveland Half Marathon in May 2011, and was dreaming of completing a Triathlon....one day. I don't know why I was thinking about triathlons. Perhaps it was because I had completed a half marathon before and the triathlon seemed like a new challenge. I remember emailing a friend of mine who had done the Cleveland Triathlon the previous year to get her opinion about it. But, I thought to myself that perhaps this would be my 2012 goal because in NO WAY did I want to wear what I would have to wear to complete a triathlon in my current state (ie. weight).

Fast forward to May 2011..... after losing more weight and crossing the finish line of my 2nd half marathon 24+ minutes faster than my first, I decided not to wait until I was thinner to tackle a triathlon. No time like the present, right??! If I could do 13.1 in under 3 hours I could surely tackle a sprint tri, right?!?! Although I was still considerably over weight, I had lost about 20lbs from my highest weight and was doing well. I picked a race that was about 4 months out figuring that gave me enough time to train. I trained and I crossed the finish line in 2 hours and 10 minutes.

I can't believe I'm posting this picture on my blog! This pic is courtesy of my daughter who LOVES it because she thinks I look like a kangaroo....and he's right!

I think it was somewhere in training for my first triathlon, coupled with reading blogs, that I first thought about conquering 70.3. Let's discuss what that really means! For those who don't know - 70.3 stands for the miles covered. It is a "half iron distance" race. Ironman is the most known brand and they call theirs, simply, Ironman 70.3. Here's how it adds up:

Swim: 1.2 miles
Bike: 56 miles
Run: 13.1 miles
all in less than 8 hours (time cut-off's range per race, but is usually around 8 or 8:30)
=Absolute craziness for 70.3 miles!

I feel like I do best when I'm really feeling challenged. Although I suppose that isn't working to my advantage right now since I feel TOTALLY challenged with this marathon.....but I digress....

I have really been thinking about this 70.3 lately. It's July and if this is truly a 2013 goal, I need to start thinking about it NOW. Training for a half iron will take me (at least) 6 months, which means that I need to decide at least 6 months prior to the race. And if you know me at all, you know that it really means I need to decide a year before the race! Ok. So in 2010 I was thinking I had to wait until I lost some weight to TRI. I'm back in that mindset right now. I think this isn't necessarily a bad thing or a negative thinking process. I'm thinking of it as more of a motivator to get things on track. I haven't decided for SURE yet, because I hate to set a very specific goal and then fail, but I'm thinking about putting a weight range on my decision making process.

Although I'm not yet ready to disclose my exact weight on the wonderful world wide web....it won't be too difficult to figure it out! For my height, the highest weight that is considered healthy (simply based on BMI, which I personally think is a crock of shit.....but I digress)...is 150lbs. I have never believed and still don't, that my weight will ever be at or under 150lbs. Perhaps when I get closer to that I'll start to believe it's possible. But, I can remember when I got down to 154lbs and I was pretty skinny. Skinny may not be the right word, but small nonetheless. Hmmm...makes me wish I had a picture to post.

Wow! Blast from the past!! This is probably me at my smallest in my adult life. This was 2002 and I was somewhere around 155lbs.

Ok...found a picture to post and of course looking at the picture I don't think it does me justice. I mean, that dress is a size 10, which to me...is plenty small! I have never been one to be tiny...nor do I need to be tiny. A comfortable size 12 would probably be just fine for me...heck, right now a comfortable 14 would make me scream (in a good way)! Ok...but anyway...I'm getting off topic (ha! do I do that a lot??). What I am trying to say is I'm contemplating putting a weight goal or range as a goal to hit prior to deciding to do 70.3. Perhaps a good goal would be to be under 179, which would be the difference between "just" overweight or obese (per that stinky BMI - unfortunately nothing else is quite as "easy" to use). Body fat is truly the best indicator of health and a healthy body fat percentage for women ages 31-40 is 21-33%. I'm somewhere around 30-35%, depending on which form of being checked you look at. Regardless, the point is, in regards to body fat percentage I'm not quite as far off from "healthy" as I am when you look at BMI.

In either case, 179lbs is a doable goal....and I want to make an acheivable goal because I want to tackle 70.3! I just feel that I need to be a little smaller to do it more successfully. Being SLOW matters in 70.3. I can happily bring up the back of the pack, but I must be able to complete within the cut-off. I am not a person who would handle crossing that finish line at 8:45, and therefore not "officially" finishing, well. Yes, I still would have "finished", but I believe there would be no medal and no recognition for finishing since it wasn't within the cut off. Frankly, I think they make you stop...I'm not sure about that though (someone feel free to correct me on that). Regardless, I want to be SURE that if the cut off is 8:30, I can come in at 8:29:59 or better!

So these are my thoughts.

What do you think? Should I put a solid weight # by a certain timeframe in order to be "allowed" to do a 70.3? Or should I look at other things....like having lost more weight since now, a lower body fat percentage, eating healthier on a more consistent basis, etc????