USAT Rankings & a lesson learned

I was checking out my USAT rankings. My first year getting ranked was 2006. I've made huge gains in my racing, yet my USAT ranking has increased very little. Apparently every other triathlete & duathlete in the USA has gotten faster too.

2006 triathlon 67.95
2007 triathlon 65.23

2006 duathlon 65.75
2007 duathlon 68.21

Up until a couple months ago I was doing a moderate amount of weight lifting, a ton of push ups, pull ups, & core work along with my triathlon training. I was losing weight consistently as long as I wasn't struggling with a period of emotional eating. A couple months ago I decided I was going to try an experiment. I was going to stop all weights & strength training in hopes that I could continue losing fat, plus drop a few pounds of muscle. My hope was, like it is for all endurance athletes, to be as light as possible.I learned I needed some strength training to keep my metabolism high. The bad news is my weight loss slowed the first month of the experiment to no loss & a ton of struggle this month.

I went back to the weight room this morning. It felt great! I kept both the weight & sets low. I also stayed away from muscle failure. I'm pretty sure going back to the weights will speed up my metabolism. The only question is how long until my metabolism starts picking up again. I've been stuck here at 204 for quite awhile now.

Looking back at the last paragraph I feel the need to explain the way I feel about being stuck at 200. I'm actually elated. I never thought I'd be back down to the low 200's again. Even if I never lost another pound I'd be content. I love competing as a Clydesdale. With only a few exceptions Clydesdale's compete in triathlon because they absolutely love the sport. The majority of Clydes will never finish in the front of the pack. They race because they love the sport. Not because they are breaking records. That being said I also know I'm capable of getting to 190. I was there in May using swimming, biking, running, diet, & a moderate amount of strength training. The only thing that has changed between then & now is I had stopped strength training. Lesson learned. I'm hoping in the next month or so the moderate weight lifting will start to speed my metabolism again & I'll get to somewhere around 180-190 pounds. I will keep trying. But if after a long period of time I see my body is simply fighting going any lower than 200 I'll change my focus to maintaining my weight. Flexibility has never been a strong point of mine. I have a tendency to become obsessed with a goal & darn near kill myself attaining it. Hopefully this
time I will be able to watch, analyze my situation, & make the right decision.
I'll keep you posted.
Thanks for tuning in.