EEEK. It's official, I've spent $200 entering the Ironmaori event which as some of you may know involves a 2km swim, 90km cycle and a 21.1km run/whatever you can manage.
Why did I sign up for this? Good question. I needed a new goal, a new challenge, and I wanted to keep the momentum going with my fitness and pushing the boundaries...pushing that comfort zone.
I am actually really glad that I've chosen to go further down the fitness route. Entering events is not something I ever thought I would enjoy, but I actually love having a set date and objective to work towards. #goalsettingismything
Since I reached my lowest weight point just before Christmas which was 73.8kgs (32kg of weight loss), quite a few changes have happened. You guys might remember I stopped counting calories at the same time - no more hand holding by Myfitnesspal. I am in this for life, so I needed to let go a little bit. I've been quite a bit more relaxed with my eating... having food when I am hungry, sometimes when I'm not (yes I still do this, but not as bad as the old days), and basically just letting myself eat what I feel like, but aiming to be healthy and balanced. My training schedule also became quite monotonous due to my half marathon training. I haven't done much apart from leg work, and even no body attack..which I miss so much!!
As expected, my body has changed in the last 2 months, I've put back on a couple of kilos, most of that I think just from the increased amounts of carbs I've been eating (all I craved during 1/2 marathon training), but probably also lack of variety in my exercise regime, and generally just coz I've taken a more relaxed approach. So I can at least see why the changes have happened and remain accountable.
Just today I took a couple of new photos to see the difference, and yep you can tell I am not as toned, I look a bit more cushiony in general but nowhere near as bad as my mind had imagined it. After all, I still fit into the same clothes as 2 months ago, so no need to panic, but I am quietly aware. When weight loss has been the main focus and goal for 18 months, it's quite hard to snap out of that mind set.
I decided what would be best for my Triathlon journey is that I wipe the slate clean and start fresh. Obviously I acknowledge everything I have achieved to date, and I am so so grateful for it and proud of myself, but at the same time I feel like I need to embrace that this, right now, is me. Not 106kg Eszter, but 76kg Eszter, and I want the triathlon journey to be documented as the new person I am.
It is the start of something new, rather than half way through my weight loss mission.
Does that make sense? I'm not really sure if it does, but it feels like a good idea haha.
I know that my body will keep changing and hopefully naturally still lose some weight but more importantly, I will be keeping track of measurements and other "non scale victories".
So with that in mind, over the next 9 months, I will be posting lots of progress photos and achievements on my road to Ironmaori, and this picture (normal Eszter) is my starting point:
The goal is bad ass super fit Eszter....watch this space.
The challenges ahead
- I can't swim. I can float and aqua jog with a belt on, but that's not going to get me 2kms. Official one on one swimming lessons begin Monday. I'm excited to get started on this the most! I figure as long as I don't drown on event day, I can plod my way through the cycle if I have to, and I can walk the half marathon if I have to. Worst case scenario of course, but that means my focus is to become good at swimming. With practice, I know my other disciplines will work themselves out.
- A new gruelling schedule. At this stage it is 2 x strength, 2 x run, 2 x cycle and 2 x swim per week, just to build my baseline. I wrote up my training plan the other night, and just looking at it honestly overwhelmed me. It's not like I haven't done double days before, and it's not like I didn't already regularly do 6 days a week, but somehow having a regimented plan is different. There's not much room for fun workouts in there. I hope to fall in love with each discipline ... but I will also have to sneak a couple of body attacks in there somewhere.... ;)
- I've completely and utterly lost my morning workout habit. For 12 months I religiously did all of my workouts at 6.30am with no problems at all. Just before Christmas when I experienced my little burn out, I stopped mornings. Then the holidays came, then I started running at lunch time and in the evenings...and what do you know, all my hard work to create and keep that habit, down the drain. I've tried several mornings since then, and most have been failures. So this is a massive challenge for me yet again, to get into bed early and wake up early and workout! It took 6 weeks to build last time. I can do this.
- Cycling is scary. I've only taken out my fancy new road bike a couple of times, and it is terrifying. Going fast is definitely out of my comfort zone and really freaks me out. Traffic and cars in general are scary. Going down hills is equally scary, I honestly feel like I'm going to face plant. Also I can't get off the bike without getting myself tangled and falling over on the road hahaha. I haven't even attempted all of this with my clip in shoes.
Massive learning curve ahead on these things that's for sure!
That is all I can think of for now, I am sure there will be plenty of laughs, fun, tears and frustration along the way, and I cannot wait to share it all with you guys. Hope you can join me on my Tri journey :)
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