I've been fat and athletic my entire life. There is nothing more exhausting than training day after day against your weight. No matter how hard you train you are still fat. Or simply, just that much more hungry when you train really hard. At 240 pounds I ran a 24:08 5K. I took the gold medal in the 30-35 bracket in Cycling for the city wide Corporate Challenge. I had to sit out all the 2013 Triathlons because I was just too heavy. (280+) But most people that know me don't even know that I had put on 40+ pounds (On top of already being over-weight)because my height hides it so well. My goal is to make 2014 the year of my return. I want to best my 5K time; the ever elusive UNDER 24 min mark that I have never been able to hit. I want to finally enroll in a Yoga class. I've just felt too fat to go; even in my most athletic condition. I want to pull off an Olympic Triathlon before 2015. And if possible swim a 5k....

Tell me about yourself and what you want to do!!

You're preaching to the choir! I, too, have always been a fat-lete! And always the fattest fat girl running the weekend 5 and 10k's. I loved the endorphins more than I hated the embarrassment and frustration. I was 180-200 pounds forever, but gained and gained and gained steadily after a fender bender threw out my back for quite a few months 2 years ago. At 31, I became an old lady with a back problem! I've gone from 200 to 260 in two years! My back is totally healed now, so no excuse. I just need the VSG "tool" to get in the best shape of my life, for the rest of my life.

My boss is an Ironman, so I've gone to dozens of 70.3's and Ironman's all over the country/world, including each of the past 5 World Championships in Kona. Watch enough of those from the sidelines of the finisher's chute and you'll start imagining yourself a victorious Ironman! My plan is to gradually escalate from walking/jogging/running 5 and 10K's the first 3 months post-op to half marathons, century rides, marathon, sprint/olympic/70.3 distance triathlons

VSG Surgery: 12/19/13. I've done many (frustratingly slow) of the races copy/pasted below in the past and want to blaze new PR's and some I always wished I could try, but knew I was way too fat/slow. Post-op 2-year bucket list:

Fort Mason 5K 1/5/14
SF Frozen Hot Chocolate 5K 1/12/14
Kaiser Permanente 5K 2/2/14
GGB Vista 10K 2/9/14
Fort Point 10K 2/23/14
Romancing the Island 12K 3/8/14
Marin County Half Marathon 4/19/14 (my 4-month "surgiversary"!)
Tour de Marin (40mi) 5/26/14
SF Divas Half Marathon 6/1/14
Dipsea Race (7.4mi) 6/8/14
See Jane Run (Half marathon) 6/22/14
Marin County Swim (Olympic distance) 7/19/14 (my 7-month "surgiversary"!)
San Francisco Marathon 7/26/14
Angel Island 25K 8/3/13
Sprint Distance Triathlon at Pacific Grove 9/14/14 (my 34th b-day!)
Nike Women's Marathon October? TBA
Ironman Cozumel (70.3) 11/30/14
RCP Tiburon Mile September 2015
My ultimate goal is FL or AZ Ironman November 2015, 23 months post-op.

Thanks for starting this group! One of the reasons I want to pursue the sleeve is because I enjoy exercise but it's more difficult because of my size. I love swimming and skating, I played roller derby and I've dabbled in Crossfit but nothing as awesome as either of you guys! I fell on my tailbone during a derby bout and that injury was super painful and lasted a long time. So I decided I needed there to be less of me before I got back into derby. Looking forward to doing that again when I'm smaller. Also excited about running with my daughter, 14, just started running with the school cross country and track teams this fall and is really loving it. I've never been able to run far because it always feels like I'm pounding my joints into oblivion. but maybe once the weight is off it will be less stressful.

Emily,
That is an EPIC list!
I am totally jealous that you have been to Kona... 5 times... ugh.
Better than going to Kona is all the cool stuff you have available in the Bay Area.. to do! I've only been able to do one Triathlon in CA so far. And I did that one in Castaic.. and it was kind of a weird .. weak triathlon.

The Ironman world championship 70.3 has been in Henderson NV the last couple years. (Has one of the hardest cycling courses in the world.) The finish line for the even is about a 5 min drive from my house. I have stood by drooling .. wanting to be a part of it. Now I've got nothing standing in my way .. but me.

Where are my manners! Thanks for starting this group, NV! And thanks for reminding me, StIves. That first derby after you've lost the weight will be AWE… wait for it… SOME! There may be less of you, physically, but I'm sure you'll have waaay more fight in you after clawing your way back from your highest pre-op weight. And running together sounds like the very best kind of mother-daughter bonding, too. With your daughter trotting alongside and less and less weight on your muscles, I'm sure you'll find running much more enjoyable.

I know I'm going to feel impatient and want to run as soon as I'm not in pain from the surgery, but I'm going to force myself to wait and just walk tons of hills until I get back down to around 200. Good thing hills are plentiful here in the Bay Area! I'm hoping all those hills will give me muscles in all the places I'll need them to propel my 200 pound (and losing!) self as far and fast as I've always wanted to go when I do start running again.

I felt like a kid flipping through the December Sears toy catalogue when I was making my EPIC list! lol! I'm so glad I found this group/thread or I might never have taken the time to sit down with my calendar and make race plans for all the weekends ahead. I've haven't felt this excited for a summer in so long! I'm going to walk/run/bike/swim M-F and race every Saturday or Sunday, January - June, so that Summer 2014 will be the best summer of my life!

NV, you should come to Kona in October and spectate! For someone so inspired by Ironman, I can't think of a better reward for losing all your weight than a week of swimming with the manta rays, turtles and dolphins, and watching super humans do their thing. I plan on bringing my bike for the first time and cheering them on away from the crowds up on the highway.

I wish I could make it to Kona; but I just don't see it happening. Well, unless I am invited to participate. And that isn't happening this year and probably not next year... and possibly never. I don't really know how its going to be doing a triathlon 40-60-80 pounds the less but I have to assume its going to be much, much better. I was a rocket on the bike even as a big guy.. so I have some good goals. I want to take on a 70.3 ... but I am not going to push it yet. I will keep you posted when I start training.