Monthly Archives: February 2015

first triathlon, Fitness, motivation, triathlon

Fantastic Finish Foto Friday – DIY Tri, Red Beard, and a Kilt

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Welcome to Fantastic Finish Photo Friday. We want to bask in the awesomeness of your finish photos. A finish photo captures a moment in time, where you overcame the challenges of the race and training, and reached your goal. The feeling of elation as you cross the line is what keeps us pushing our own limits. Please consider sharing your own photo to inspire others who are working toward their own finish.

This week’s photo is from David PowersDr. David Powers:

David:

Doing a triathlon has been an item on my bucket list for years, but I kept putting it off. Last week I finally did it. I basically, said, “Screw it!” and hosted my own. If I’m the host, I have to do it, right? My goal was to take an entire group of people who’d never done a tri before, and give them a low stress chance to do something awesome. We all completed, including three kids ages 7, 10, and 12.
Awesome David. You made your own path the triathlon, and brought the next generation with you. Very inspiring.
To read more about David’s DIY triathlon, check out his blog:
Please consider sharing your own photo to inspire others who are working toward their own finish. It doesn’t have to be from a triathlon, just any race that has special meaning to you. If you are interested in sharing, please send a message to firsttimetri@gmail.com.
first triathlon, Fitness, mantra, marathon, motivation, triathlon

Kick in the Butt Monday – Easy Days

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Merry Monday! Let’s do this! We all could use a bit of motivation to get rolling on Monday. On Mondays, I like to share a Mantra or short inspirational message. If the message resonates with you, use to motivate yourself in training or life. Do you have your own awesome Mantra? Please share it below in the comments.

Easy Day

 

The workouts that seem hard now, will soon be easy, if you keep training.  Maybe you can’t run a mile without stopping, or swim a 100M without be winded. Don’t give up, keep training, and soon your will be amazed by your progress.

I’m currently training for my fifth marathon. When I look back to the training for my first, it’s a night and day difference. My first 18 mile run ended in disaster. I had never run that far, and at mile 14 both of my calves seized, and my wife had to come pick me up.  That was a hard day for me. In my current training plan I have three 20 milers. I can complete them with little struggle. I still bring my phone, in case of disaster.

What workouts used to be difficult for you, that you can now complete with ease?

first triathlon, Fitness, motivation, nutrition, running, triathlon

The Definitive 10 Tips For New Triathletes

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Are you ready to take on a triathlon? Fantastic, let’s get you started. Below are top ten tips to have a great first race. Check out the links embedded in the tips to dig deeper into each topic. Happy training, and I hope you have great first triathlon.

1. To get started, Sign up for a race

Close up of sign up form

Signing up to the race sounds kind of obvious, but  is very important. First, signing up tells your brain it’s go time.With that race day looming in the near future you will be more committed to train. . Second, choose a race that gives you the proper amount of time to train, but not lose your motivation. A training cycle of 8-12 weeks works well for new triathletes. Lastly, after you sign up, tell your family and friends. They will know you are serious about your new goal, and be your support system.

7 Tips for Selecting Your First Triathlon

Continue reading The Definitive 10 Tips For New Triathletes →

first triathlon, funny, Iron Man, motivation, triathlon

Motivation Monday – Teddy Roosevelt an IM?

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Happy President’s day Monday! Let’s do this! We all could use a bit of motivation to get rolling on Monday. On Mondays, I like to share a Mantra or short inspirational message. If the message resonates with you, use to motivate yourself in training or life. Do you have your own awesome Mantra? Please share it below in the comments.

Rooselvelt Tri guy

It’s hard to fail, but it is worse never to have started –

T. Roosevelt

I sure Teddy Roosevelt would have been an Ironman, if the races existed in his time. He was a true hard man. As a child he was sickly from asthma, and instead of accepting his fate, he trained to get stronger. He eventually became very physically fit, and a celebrated boxer. His physical accomplishments were made from pure power of will as he was not physically gifted.

What I admire most about TR is his tenacity and fearlessness. When TR decided he was going to accomplish a goal, he went after 100%, and no man could deny him. That same will is required to take on big challenges like IM.

marathon, motivation, running, triathlon

Fantastic Finish Foto Friday – Fat Girl to IM

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Welcome to Fantastic Finish Photo Friday. We want to bask in the awesomeness of your finish photos. A finish photo captures a moment in time, where you overcame the challenges of the race and training, and reached your goal. The feeling of elation as you cross the line is what keeps us pushing our own limits. Please consider sharing your own photo to inspire others who are working toward their own finish.

This week’s photo is from Tamsyn Smith:

diary photo MK marathon

Tamsyn:

Here’s a photo from the end of my first ever marathon in April 2012. It was cold, wet and windy and the course was flooded and rerouted, so I had to run an extra half mile, but I did it 🙂 Since then I’ve run another 4 marathons and have started doing triathlons.

I blog about my experience at http://fatgirltoironman.co.uk
What a great smile on what looks like a tough day. Way to persevere toward your goal. Check out Tamsyn’s blog, she is very entertaining, and gives great info from her point of view.

Like Tamsyns photo, here’s some more: Fantastic Finish Foto

Please consider sharing your own photo to inspire others who are working toward their own finish. It doesn’t have to be from a triathlon, just any race that has special meaning to you. If you are interested in sharing, please send a message to firstimetri@gmail.com.
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Motivation Monday – Start with Why

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Merry Monday! Let’s do this! We all could use a bit of motivation to get rolling on Monday. On Mondays, I like to share a Mantra or short inspirational message. If the message resonates with you, use to motivate yourself in training or life. Do you have your own awesome Mantra? Please share it below in the comments.

There are two great days in a person’s life, The day they are born, and the day they discover why.  – William Barclay

We are coming up on the beginning of February, aka the time when resolutions die. If you want to defy the statistics and follow through on your goal start with why. Having a powerful purpose, a why, will give you the will to overcome the challenges on the way to your goal. The why needs to be compelling enough to overcome fear and resistance. When you find your why, the other details will fall into place.

first triathlon, Fitness, running, triathlon

Give FTT a thumbs up on facebook

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WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS A HUGE AMOUNT OF SELF PROMOTION!

FTT facebook

The First Time Triathlete facebook is now live!

I know, hold you excitement. Why does this matter to you? Good question. Along with the great information and inspiration posted on this blog. I share well curated articles from other sources relating to triathlon and endurance sports. I know your facebook wall is already barraged with memes and cat videos. I promise to only share high quality useful information. (If I get a cat riding a tri bike video, it will be shared.)

Are you sold yet? Click here to like the FTT facebook page.

facebook_like_button

Ok, enough of the used car approach, here’s the real reason for First Time Triathlon and the facebook page. One of my greatest passions is endurance sports. I love the sense of adventure and achievement of training for and completing a race. You get to know your true self when you push your limits for a goal. A goal you are not sure if you can complete when you start training. The feeling of euphoria and pride when crossing the finish line is what I want to share with anyone who willing to sign up for their first race.

I need your help to reach these new triathletes. If you are a seasoned triathlete or training for your first race, you are inspiring someone else. They may not tell you directly, but they respect you for pursuing a big positive goal. Some of these people are your facebook friends, and may want to start their own triathlon journey. These are the people I would love to assist in seeking their own goals.

Thanks for being awesome, and liking the FTT Face book page!

facebook_like_button

adventure, first triathlon, motivation

Motivation Monday – Add Adventure To Your Life.

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Merry Monday! Let’s do this! We all could use a bit of motivation to get rolling on Monday. On Mondays, I like to share a Mantra or short inspirational message. If the message resonates with you, use to motivate yourself in training or life. Do you have your own awesome Mantra? Please share it below in the comments.

One way to get the most out of life is to look upon it as an adventure. – William Feather

Adventure

I love this quote, because it talks about adventure as a mindset. It’n not the cliche “Life is an Adventure” ads you get from shoe companies. Instead, he says to get more out of life treat it like an adventure. If you are stuck in a rut, find a different rut to jump into.  Be aware of your life around you, and look for opportunities to explore. Take your daily routine and look for ways to add variety and excitement.

Five suggestions to add adventure to your routine:

1. Change your commute. Drive home a different way. Take the bus. Walk or ride your bike. Change you view point on the same old way to work.

2. Try a new food. Go to an Indian/Ethiopian/Spanish restaurant. Taste food from another culture. You can learn a lot about another culture by tasting their food. If you enjoy cooking, try the recipes at home.

3. Workout in a different place. Change up that daily 5 mile run, with a new route. Do your yoga practice on the beach, or in a park. Instead of lifting weights at the gym, get outside and lift some rock and branches.

4. Lunch Al fresco. Are you normally eating your lunch in a crammed break room? Go outside and eat your lunch. If there is a park near by even better. The fresh air and change or scenery will get your brain recharged.

5. Plan a weekend adventure. One Saturday a month, break your routine and try something new. Take a short trip. Go for a hike. Check out a museum. Adventure shouldn’t be reduced to a family vacation one week a year.

Do you have any suggestions to add adventure to your daily routine?

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