u/epaarepa

Would love other experiences or thoughts on this! I got the itch to dive right into triathlon training for the first time in April. I have a running background, so cycling/swim are new. Been taking swim lessons with a coach and got a new bike. Just started using a training plan that’s designed for an Ironman 70.3

The thing is, I’m not signed up for any races yet. And when I began this, I started with training for a sprint in mind. But as I was looking into races by me, I didn’t want to really do them this summer or fall as I kinda want to just…train? And maybe get a feel for everything? And then when this time next year comes around I can assess where I’m at with my training and sign up for a sprint or Olympic or maybe just send it with a 70.3, I don’t know. I’m committed to signing up for a race within the next year as training across the three sports has just been so fun to me and has sort of revolutionized my lifestyle, but I’m not wanting to really hurry that part of the process up yet.

Has anyone else done this before? What’s worked best for you or any advice/opinions?

I won't go into depth on my long and complicated history with food, disordered eating, sports, athleticism, etc. But just know it goes way, way back to when I was 10 and has followed me up until now at 33. I'm sure many of you can relate, even if perhaps you are someone who doesn't identify with having anything "disordered" around your relationship to food or exercise or training.

I will just say that when I lost my period in August I was in the midst of my downward spiral without realizing it. By December I was diagnosed with HA, was losing clumps of hair, was at the lowest weight I had ever been at (I thought I was even more of an athlete BECAUSE I was skinny...nope, those were mostly bones...not muscle), was obsessively calorie counting on my phone app. I didn't think I had a problem because I was eating 2,000 calories, the most I had ever eaten in my life. I was also running like 60 mpw along with weightlifting. Yep, not enough food.

Anyway. Recovery started promptly after getting diagnosed with HA back in December. It was a very messy journey, but I have fully recovered 4 cycles now. I have gained over 25 pounds (stopped weighing after that point), ditched calorie counting but definitely consume like AT LEAST 3,000 calories a day and am my strongest I have ever been. I've been triathlon training since recovering 3 cycles and I am STRONG! And I look GOOD! And I am hitting running PRs I never could hit before. My skin looks amazing. I actually have a butt now. My boobs came back. I'm in a better mood. I sleep like a rock through the night. My digestion is movin'. Sure, do I look the way a part of me has always desired to look, which is tiny and dainty and small? No. But that version was never meant for me, my body, my frame. My brain has been rewiring every single time I look in the mirror, every single time I buy clothes in my new size, every single time I notice "fluff" on my body...and that brain rewiring is important, because there's a lot of societal factors for why my brain was experiencing a jumpscare every time I saw myself no longer at my leanest.

Before recovering I was OBSESSED with every detail of food. What my next meal was going to be, dreaming up a cheat day, figuring out ways to calorie bank or overexercise to earn my food. I would go to bed early and hungry and then watch so many Tik Tok videos of people eating. I was in denial about how hungry I was and I was in denial about all of this honestly. In my head I just had discipline and was an athlete and was just "taking care of my body" -- what a joke, because my body was starving.

Being fully recovered now, for the first time in my life I genuinely do not think about food anymore. At all. The only times I think about food are honestly when I'm training and I realize HOW AMAZING IT IS to be properly fueled (and oh my god, it's amazing).

This is awful to admit, but I used to judge people who would talk about recovery like this. I would think that they lost their way, subconsciously, because of weight gain. And as unhinged as that sounds to my now recovered brain, I know I'm not the only one who had that voice in my head.

There's so much to unpack with how so many of us think about bodies, food, restriction...but man, I feel FREE. Free to eat, free to fill my head with other things besides food and weight, free to not be the leanest green bean, free to be strong and embrace my strength rather than try to shrink it down for fear of being "puffy" or "masculine". Free to not constantly be doing mental gymnastics in my head around my food intake, free to rest, free to actually eat at social functions and it's NOT my first or last meal of the day, free to let my body tell me what it's needing even when there's an almond mom voice trying to shame it in my head, free to just BE.

If you're reading this and this sounds terrible or like your worst nightmare because of weight gain, I just want to let you know that there's a version of you that can exist where you no longer care and the not caring isn't you "letting yourself go" it's you setting yourself free. And there's a version of you that reads a post like this one day and doesn't hyper focus on the numbers listed, too.

I am triathlon training and fell in love with Surleys Midnight Special at a local bike shop today. I think it’s going for $3,200 which obviously isn’t cheap. I don’t want to be a doofus and buy it if it makes no sense for what I’m doing but I basically hope to do triathlons and just long rides in general with it outside of the race sphere because I’m really enjoying being on longer rides and accumulating mileage. I’m working with a commuter bike right now and am just hitting a wall with it, specifically with hills.

Thoughts on getting this bike to meet my needs? Any other recs you’d suggest checking out if this one doesn’t sound right? preferably ones I can probably find at my local shops vs ordering online?

Hi there,

I am back in my hometown (I'm out of state) visiting my dad who has Parkinsons (I think he may be in Stage 2 or 3 though I don't know for sure as the only person I have to communicate with me what's going on with him is...him.)

Anyway I'm 33 years old, my dad is turning 76 and I don't have any family to help me navigate this situation. While I am down here I am noticing that it's time my dad gets help with his day to day living. He is okay living alone right now but I think he's starting to get to his limit -- he has abandoned all cooking so he eats out for every meal, it takes him a very very long time to put on his clothes and to do anything, cleaning/maintaining the house is hard on him and hurts his bad back and his trembling hands have gotten worse so when he eats it's just harder. Everything is slower, harder and more grueling. I have no idea how he still drives, but he does.

During this visit it's been clear to me that we need to start getting him to some form of care. I am extremely overwhelmed though. At first i figured he just needs an assisted living place with the option to have a continuum of care as his Parkinsons progresses? but I have no idea where to start. I called an agency and I realized quickly they were AI bots/scammers, so then I figured OK I'll just google ones nearby but then some of them have very little info and require a lot of info just to send me a brochure.

I'm just overwhelmed and I need internet parents....What steps should I do here?? Especially since I'm normally in a different state than him. How do we find him reputable, legit assisted living places? He lives in Florida so the options are also just....everywhere. The good and the bad and I am overwhelmed. I

I know what a few basics of what he needs: a place that is knowledgable on his condition, has a continuum of care and also offers bilingual services (he mostly speaks Spanish and very very little English). Any help or insight would be appreciated!