One of my managers has a 13yo teenage daughter, and one say my manager (Y) looks at me and says "do you have any idea what to do about a friend of J's (her DD) who throws up, thinks she's fat and likes cutting herself?" - WOW. I used to be a teen peer counselor so that's why she asked. But as much as I hate my belly and thighs and saggy boobs, and as many times I have thought about eating too little or going extreme on diet or exercise, I can't. I know for me, it's not right. But I also have seen how when someone's mind is fixated on an ideal, it's hard to sway them from dangerous and unhealthy behaviour.


My mother was a top-notch ballerina. She was tall and skinny, it's her genetics, but she was also an amazing dancer. Danced around the world she did, all before she was 20. I danced until I was 13, when my big boobs and big butt showed up, it's *my* genetics. I got over it quickly as I was easily distracted by track & field, basketball, volleyball, etc. My DD, when she was 6yo, made an off hand remark to her afther about "not wanting to get fat like mommy" and it was only because I mentioned that I stopped dancing due to my size. My mom still thinks I'm fat and always will. But I refuse to let my daughter (who has my genetics) think she's fat.


Little phrases, little words, little mannerisms... they all add up.


AP

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"How bad could it be?" - SimpleS

My 6 year old niece is adorable and will grow up to be gorgeous. She is already absorbing people's reactions to her, much to my sis-in-law's dismay. Someone leaned out a car window at the beach and called her a pretty California surfer girl. She's blonde and tans easily so guys will be beating down the door. The first thing she, my niece, asks me when I see her is if I like what she is wearing. I'm working very hard on complimenting her accomplishment and asking about her day at school instead of reinforcing her looks. She gets enough of that already.

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Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce

Sounds familiar. At that age K wanted to be a "cheer girl" after seeing the cheerleaders at the BC Lions game (these are 20-25yo women, not HS cheer squads we're talking about - not that I'm a fan of cheer but hey to each their own). How do you counter that? I mean it's everywhere! It's so tough. I think one of my best memories was after the Seattle marathon, when she said she wanted to run a half-marathon with me. I hope she can learn to appreciate just how strong and athletic she can be (it's her genetics!).

AP

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"How bad could it be?" - SimpleS

Listen, tell your daughter she is seriously gifted. Really, my PT keeps telling me a "bubble butt" with max glutes is a female triathlete's best friend!

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No coasting in running and no crying in baseball

mdiane,
As more and more RRs on IMTX come out, it's clear it was a very challenging day. Pat yourself on the back for finishing when many of the young studs couldn't.

We've got a HIM held in early Sept that is always challenging due to heat, sun and high humidity. It's the one time I routinely chick the young fellows, many of whom bolt off at their usual pace only to end up puking along the side of the race course.

Revel in finishing. Many didn't.

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No coasting in running and no crying in baseball

i have a 6 year old niece that we can already tell is very athletically gifted.(learned to ride her bike by herself, great at the hula hoop, great soccer player). her mom recently took her out of soccer because found it too much of a hassle to make practices. the mom is now worried abt the little girl's weight so during a recent family gathering she stopped her from having seconds by telling her to eat like a lady. my husband very quickly jumped in to defend the little girl but the mom didn't see anything wrong with what she said and it became a useless argument. Its a shame people are not more of their aware of what they say to little girls.


As a side note I always try to greet my nieces by asking them about school , sports or hobbies and never talk about their looks and I have suggested to their aunts and uncles to do the same rather than greeting them as " how is my beautiful princess". No one thinks they need to change anything. very frustrating

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Thanks - you made me remember a 25-year old "young stud" that finished just ahead of me. We were encouraging each other during the last loop, and he pulled me through at the end. He was a sweetheart and in great shape, but half my age. You're right, I did ok!

So glad to hear you're feeling better and enjoying being out on the road again! I'll think super good thoughts for your sprint tri - I hope it's fun!

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You. You make me stronger.

RE: Marcia, Andy, and Jen - SUPER impressed with the positive attitudes and trying to reinforce the understanding of which adjectives matter with these young ladies.
Pity about the soccer - it's great socialization at that age (I wasn't very good, but did it from age 6-13 and had many friends because of it).

The story of the "cheer girls" struck a chord with me - in 3rd grade, I chose to play the flute because in the high school band, all the pretty girls played flute. I ended up loving the instrument, but my motives weren't the best. Besides, have you seen those collegiate cheer competitions on ESPN? Those are some badass athletes - more gymnast than pom girl.

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You. You make me stronger.

Goals last week
-6 runs - done. 52 miles (see below)
-2 yoga/stretch sessions - done. And since I have my hand/wrist back (no cast), yoga is much more enjoyable.
-start the plank challenge - done. I am doing 3 per day - one front and one on each side
-follow the training plan - Fail. I should have been at 40 miles. But I have a really good excuse. I traveled with a friend to the Triple TT (I talked her into racing so I had to go support) and my Saturday run was supposed to be two 8 milers. But the day loop/connector trail was 10 miles so I figured I would do the 12 on the challenging and bbeautiful single track and then just run 6 in the pm. But the morning run ended up being closer to 12 or so with the distance to and from the trailhead. And then when my friend asked for company on her evening run, how could I say now. That run was closer to 8 with the trip to and from the lodge. So 16 turned to 20. Not horrible. And Saturday should have just been 6 but once again my friend wanted company during the half so 6 turned into closer to 14-15 with the run to and from the lodge. I really need to start listening to my coach.

This weeks goals are same as last week. One week I'll get it right :)

Congratulations to all of you who raced last week. You all rock.

yay for no cast!
I am just curious and not trying to pick on you, but how do you do a front plank with a broken wrist? (side I can see as one side is obviously fine and the other way there is no direct pressure)

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

I plank on my elbows not my hands. There is a bit of pressure on the wrist but not enough to make it hurt. I am actually supposed to start putting weight on my arm but not as much as plank. Hopefully one day soon..,,

got it! best wishes for continued healing :-)

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

thanks! I'm hoping for it to be lots of fun. :)

Good job! Honestly, I would have felt the same way. Once I get a number in my head it is all but impossible to let it go. :)

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http://harvestmoon6.blogspot.com
https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/katasmit

Better late than never, right? I've been a mess for a couple weeks trying to get back to it after nationals & the "working vacation" sales trip.

Your faster speed when pulling is BY FAR the norm. The majority of people go slightly faster when they pull due to the improved body position of a pull buoy. It is rare for that not to be the case, actually. Many people (triathletes especially) have enough flaws in their body position and/or kick that pulling (esp if you add paddles) increases their speed. Because it also seems to increase their speed while decreasing their effort, it becomes a crutch for many people - instead of them learning to feel the difference & replicating that while they're actually swimming w/o buoy/paddles (i.e. lowering their head, tightening their core, keeping their hips up, keeping their kick "inside" their streamline, etc.).

One thing to do a little bit may be some swimming alternating with/without the buoy but still kicking. My guess would be that after pulling you're more likely to have a "smaller" kick - to generate it more from your core & your lower legs - keeping your kick mostly within the "hole" the rest of your body is creating. Likewise, my guess otherwise would be that you might generate more of your kick from your hips (which is actually correct) but that you fire your glutes more than your hip flexors/quads/hams & the flare-ups come more from an overuse when your yardage gets higher?

Do some experiementation with kicking on your front with a board, on your back without a board & on each side with your head down (a la nose in armpit) lower arm extended streamline-like and the other at your side. I'm guessing you'll find the imbalance really quick. Take note of which part of the kick you naturally put more emphasis on - up or down, right or left. When on your back, you should still be creating whitewater & your hips and feet shouldn't sink: the UP part of the kick (quads) is just as important as the DOWN (glutes/hams). It takes core strength to keep your hips up too, tuck your pelvis a bit. When on your sides - aim to follow a straight path between walls (the laneline on your butt or forehead isn't a good feeling), keep your hips & shoulders stacked and again, generate the kick mostly from your hip area, keeping your feet almost entirely in the "hole" you're creating.

Side kicking is much harder as it preys on weaknesses - core strength, kick "size" and body alignment - all at once. For an added thrill, raise your upper arm straight out of the water (so your arms look like an L). This creates/identifies even more instability. Your arm should NOT flap like a flag & you should not "snake" up the lane.

Do some pulling without a pull buoy (by simply not kicking, put your feet/ankles together & swim) - think head position & core alignment - use your core to keep your hips near the surface. We're currently doing work in various distances of four steps - buoy @ crotch/thighs, buoy @ knees, buoy @ ankles, no buoy. Anything from 25s to 200s in that order, alternating in some regular swimming between pull segments. As the flotation changes, you have to focus on different parts of your body to keep things kosher.

See what happens when I'm gone for awhile? I have too much to say....

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AW

That's a great suggestion! I've been going a little stir crazy with just pulling (I thought the 72x100m yesterday was never going to end), and only speed to vary, so different/no placement of the buoy will give me some variety.

I know I've got something really unbalanced/screwy with my stroke, just haven't been able to figure it out. I will keep the others with swimming and kicking tucked away until I'm cleared to use my legs again (which are officially on total bed rest for at least another week).

Welcome back!

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No coasting in running and no crying in baseball