Quest for Ironman

Summer of Sucking

2010-08-29T17:21:00.002-04:00

I can't believe how bad this summer has been for my fitness. It started ok with my off season spin classes and running on the treadmill, but for the last month, it has been downhill from there. My work has been a major stumbling block... I know at least I have a job, but the hours are not conducive with getting out and enjoying the summer. The summer is almost over, but maybe the amount of work will slow down and let me get back in the gym.

Week Six

2009-02-22T11:23:00.002-05:00

I've finally seen some weight movement. I've been loosing a half pound here and there, but have not really seen any significant movement. This week I've lost 2.5 pounds and what is really weird, I cut back my aerobic activity due to work. I don't know if it is the added stress or my body needing some additional time off.

Current Weight - 203.5
Body Fat - 15.1%

This week:
Swim - 0
Bike - 2 session
Run - 0 miles
Misc - 2 sessions of weight training

End of Week #1

2009-01-18T15:10:00.003-05:00

Starting Weight - 208.6
Body Fat - 16.6%

Yea... I know he's at it again, but it seemed to work for me the last couple of times that I've been writing down what I've been doing for my fitness so I'm at it again.

Current Weight - 207.4
Body Fat - 16.2%

This week:
Swim - 0
Bike - 3 session
Run - 7 miles
misc - 3 sessions of weight training

Back at it.... again.

2009-01-18T14:49:00.003-05:00

Back from a longer then usual holiday break and my fitness level has taken a nosedive. I'm again hovering around 210... 208.6 lbs and 16.6% body fat.

I've started working at a new building that has a fitness center that I can use before work, lunch time, or after work if I wanted to and I joined.

The facility isn't the greatest, but it does allow me to work out instead of going out for lunch. It's a win win situation for me.

I also started to do weights to regain muscle mass and also to work on my chronic shoulder.

We'll see how it goes in a month when I get to see the interim results.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

2008-12-14T11:12:00.003-05:00

The Good... I haven't ballooned during the Halloween/Thanksgiving seasons. I'm now officially not working for almost three solid weeks and I'm going to try to get to gym on a consistent basis.
The Bad... I haven't worked out for almost four weeks due to stress and being too busy at work and home.

The Ugly... I still need to get through the Christmas season.

Weight today 205.0 even
Fat Percentage of 16.4

Twenty Weeks Twenty Pounds

2008-09-28T22:37:00.004-04:00

I've been a wreck this year... first in March it was a hyper extended knee, in June my rotator cuff started acting up and finally in July it was my back. All this has made me fat and lazy and I've put on weight.

I got up this morning and weighed myself. I've grown to be 210.1 pounds and I'm not happy.

So it is time to get back to work.

It's going to be tuff with Halloween, Thanksgiving and the Christmas all being in the twenty weeks of the weight loss, but it needs to be done. And sure, the shoulder still hurts and my knee isn't as strong, but that doesn't matter right now. The goal is twenty pounds in twenty weeks and I mean to hit that target.

Week Four

2008-01-30T23:24:00.000-05:00

Week four comes to an end and I went back to my workout hard. I was able to workout four days and did six cardio workouts. I ran ten miles and biked four times. I was even able to swim 250 yards and do a yoga class.

Total calories burned 7342.
Average weight - 198.6
Body Fat % - 14.0

Week Three

2008-01-24T23:18:00.000-05:00

So this week has come to an end and it has not been a great week.
I think I'm going to add a measure for each week just to see the formal workouts that I do.

This week I was able to go on a three mile run... 9 minute / mile pace.
Total calories burned 670.
Average weight - 199.4
Body Fat % - 14.2

Week Two

2008-01-17T20:28:00.000-05:00

It has been a struggle to get in the swing again.... I think I suffer through this every year.
Anyways, this week I'm at a even 200.0 pounds with a body fat of 14.2%.

First Week Back

2008-01-07T20:01:00.000-05:00

The first day back from my overly long vacation has me tilting the scale at 199.2 pounds and a body fat percentage of 13.9%. I've had a hard time getting to the gym since my family got me a PS3 system for Christmas and I spent an inordinately long stretches of precious workout time playing a new game. Anyho... it's time to get back to work and also working out. I'm lucky that I actually lost a pound over the last three weeks. I guess that diet is also important since I really didn’t pig out over the break.

A New Start

2007-12-19T15:17:00.000-05:00

It's the beginning of winter in this part of the world and it seem that Mother Nature has decided to make it difficult on us. We are full into snow season and my training is in full off season form already. That's not good as off season for me is doing only two or three days of training and eating more. I weighed myself two weeks ago and I was already at 200.6 pounds with my body fat percentage at 14.1 %.

It is amazing just how fast the pounds go back on and even more amazing how long it takes to get the 10 pounds off.

With me it is real simple... if I work out only 2 days I gain weight, 3 days and I maintain weight and if I work out at least 4 days I will loose weight or I do not have to pay attention to what I eat.

So far this off season I've been averaging 2 - 3 days a week so mostly gaining weight.

Fe Man is Back...

2007-12-18T00:47:00.000-05:00

So... I'm sorry to my fellow bloggers for being gone so long... lots of chaos in my life over the last half year. I'm glad that my exercise routine has kept the blue birds from getting me down even more then they could have. I know that when it is seems to be the darkest the daylight will come.

Here I am at the end of the year, and what did I accomplish this year? I ran another Half Ironman at what might have been the low point in my emotional and physical wellness. Steelhead 2007 was the strangest race day that I have ever experienced. All things considering, I ran my best time at the event. I will need to blog about that day.

Come back soon and follow me again as I try to attain completion of my Quest for Ironman.

20 Great Reasons to do a Triathlon

2007-06-03T22:41:00.000-04:00

There are all kinds of reasons people will try to complete a triathlon. To loose weight, boost self-confidence, and to find more meaning to exercise are just of the main reasons. Men’s Health had a great article recently entitled “20 Great Reasons to do a Triathlon.”

Below are some outtakes from the article.

You Will Lose Weight
The first thing you'll probably notice as a Triathlete-in-Training is that your clothes will become too big. That's because training for such a three-sport event will make you as fit and healthy as you have ever been in your life. When you engage in a well-balanced program of swimming, cycling and running you will burn an enormous amount of caloric fat from every area of your body. Better yet, the weight will come off as a natural consequence of your passion-driven quest to complete a triathlon, rather than from a guilt-induced diet, a boring exercise plan or a bizarre fitness implement.

You Will Look and Feel Years Younger
Training for a triathlon will reconnect you with your body and make you feel like you haven't felt in years: young, energetic and powerful. And you'll not only feel years younger but you'll look better than ever, too. Triathletes are legendary for having some of the best physiques in the fitness world. That is because cross-training shapes the body in complementary ways: running develops long, lean muscles; cycling builds strength and tones your lower body; and swimming increases your flexibility and sculpts your upper body. Take a look at any triathlete over age 55 and you'll see what I mean. These people have the look -- and swagger -- of 20- and 30-somethings.

You Will Have More Energy
Energy forms the basis of our existence, yet it seems that we all have less and less of it as our schedules has grown increasingly hectic. Unfortunately, for some people, exercise can exacerbate this problem by draining their energy rather than replenishing it. In an effort to get results or lose weight fast, they may wind up overtraining and exhausting themselves. That is why it is important not to over train and maintain a balanced approach to your fitness with cross training the three disciplines.

You Will Get More Out of Your Workouts
Exercise more efficiently by using a few simple strategies, such as monitoring your heart rate and breathing properly..

You Will Injury-Proof Your Body
When you stick with one sport like running, for example, you continually stress the same parts of your body -- and that can result in overuse injuries such as shinsplints, stress fractures, knee problems and tendinitis. Training for a triathlon, however, incorporates three very different sports. This cross-training, as it is called, isn't as hard on the body, because it distributes the stress more evenly to your bones and muscles and develops more balanced fitness. That means less pain, fewer injuries, and a stronger body.

You Will Improve Your Health
According to the American College of Sports Medicine, regular exercise can lower your blood pressure, prevent diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers, and reduce your risk of osteoporosis and depression -- just to name a few.

You Will Live Longer
By preventing disease and fortifying your body, regular exercise can help you live a longer, more productive life. Training for something as complete as a triathlon lays a foundation of fitness that will ensure that your later years are more pain-free and fun filled -- so you'll not only add years to your life but you'll also add life to your years.

You Will Be More Productive
Training for a triathlon will clear your mind and sharpen your focus.

You Will Learn to Handle Stress More Effectively
You will learn the profound skill of developing grace under pressure -- that is, increasing your composure as the pressure around you heightens -- as well as how to apply that skill to any stressful situation. If you can learn to "relax into" more intense physical efforts during a 45-minute run, for example, you will be more able to maintain mental equanimity during your morning commute.

You Will Build Rock-Solid Self-Confidence
To develop a strong, "in-your-bones" confidence, you must achieve something that deeply challenges you. Training for and finishing a triathlon is certainly a remarkable achievement and a powerful way to build self-confidence that will last a lifetime.

Your Mood Will Improve
Research shows that exercise improves your mood and lifts your spirits. When you put your body in motion, you can't help but feel alive and invigorated. They don't call it "runner's high" for nothing. Plus, training for a triathlon gets you outdoors, and spending time in the beauty of nature is bound to boost your mood!

Your Motivation to Exercise Will Soar
Studies on exercise adherence show that many people quit their exercise routines because they become bored or burned out. This can happen when you do the same thing day in and day out. Incorporating three different sports into your weekly exercise plan helps you to avoid burnout.

You Will Learn to Strengthen Your Weaknesses
As we age, we begin erecting physical and psychological walls, brick by brick, made of our fears, doubts and excuses, and we do it without realizing it. This wall begins to widen the distance between our human potential and ourselves. Training for and finishing a triathlon forces you to smash through that wall and deal with your weaknesses (for example, chronic knee pain, poor self-image, fear of failure). When you strengthen your weaknesses, you become more capable of setting aside your fears and doubts to achieve other extraordinary things in your life.
You Get to Rub Shoulders with the Best Athletes in the World
In a triathlon everyone completes the same course: mother of three, 56-year-old age-group competitor, world-champion professional. That's one of the truly unique things about this sport.

You Will Join the Fitness Elite
If you complete just one triathlon, you will become one of the fitness elite no matter what your finishing time. You will have accomplished something that only one percent of the population even dare try.

You Will Have an Increased Sense of Purpose in Your Life
Focusing your attention on an exciting, positive and challenging goal such as a triathlon can breathe renewed purpose into your life and channel away some of that restlessness. The triathlon is a noble pursuit and an outside-the-box undertaking, and because of that people tend to wake up each morning feeling that they are on a mission.

You Will Become the Best You That You Can Be
Are you tired of others telling you (or implying!) that you shouldn't, you can't or you won't? Daily life rarely, if ever, provides us with the opportunity to be truly courageous, to show the world what we're really made of -- and to be recognized for our own greatness. Completing a triathlon will provide you, and those around you, with physical proof that you are capable of more than anyone realizes.

You Will Be a Hero to Your Kids
If your children watch you finish a triathlon, they may never look at you the same way.

You Will Motivate and Inspire Those around You
The courage and determination you show in pursuing a triathlon may inspire those around you to elevate their fitness and their lives--or at the very least, your quest will spark in others the possibility that they can do more. ("Hey, if this bozo can do it, surely I can!") Bringing people to that realization is a wonderful gift. Knowing that you have set an example for someone to go after their dreams or to make a positive change in their life is a reward that simply cannot be matched.

You Will Set Other Positive Things in Motion -- Things You Never Imagined
Once you decide to train for a triathlon it will be a big step. It takes courage to register for the race, but taking that one simple step set dozens of other unforeseen, positive steps into motion. You began eating better, you have more energy and you grow more sensitized to the joys of everyday life.

Running on Empty (shoes that is)

2007-05-24T19:25:00.000-04:00

A good question was recently answered in a magazine.

The question was... I have always been told to change shoes every 600 miles. Does this general rule apply to shoes used exclusively on a treadmill?

Treadmills can actually be harder on shoes then running outdoors. On a treadmill both the "road" (the belt) and you are moving creating even more shearing force on the outsole. The extra motion of the belt also requires more stability from the shoe stressing the mid-sole. One more point is that shoes companies say that their shoes last about 400 - 600 miles on average. The heavier runners might get a little bit less mileage out of the shoes and the lighter runners might get a bit more out their shoes due to the amount of impact being put on the foam of the shoe. Good news is treadmill shoes look nice and clean! Six months and or 400-600 miles is a good rule of toe...I mean thumb.

Sabotage

2007-05-20T09:53:00.000-04:00

Sabotage is what I think I keep doing to myself.

"I'm Fe Man and I sabotage my fitness!"

There I said it, and I feel relieved. Let me recap for you...

What I have been doing for the better part of 4 years is that as my fitness level has been getting to a certain point I would take a few weeks off. The point that I'm refereeing to is when you look at yourself in the mirror or step on a scale and say to yourself... a few more pounds and I'm there. The reasons for not taking it to the next level is more confusing to me then actually taking the time off.

I can understand taking time off after a major event, and even taking time off because of an injury, but the confusing part is that I take time off for no apparent reason. To compound the lack of fitness, is that during these breaks, I would typically not eat well.

So why do I do this every few months? ... I don't know.

Week One

2007-04-02T22:17:00.000-04:00

Week One ends with the flu.

After just one week of training the guys and two out of three of us are fighting some real nasty virus. It was so bad for me that I actually took two days off from work. The last that happened was... hey wait a minute... that has never happened. So, you see how nasty it was.

Anyways, week one is in the books and I have to give Eduardo credit for sticking it out for the whole week. We started with a short one mile run/walk on the first day and by weeks end, he was up to a full two miles of run walking plus calisthenics.

Week two will consist of three days (minimum) of run walking 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5 miles this week. I hope to do at least two sets of strength training sessions with at least one core work out.

On a personal note, I have been in a weight loss contest at work, I started the contest at 206 lbs in clothes, and I now weight 194.5 lbs. My body fat percentage has been decreasing from 12.7 to 12.3% since I’ve been at it. The good news is that I’ve maintained my strength and it hasn’t affected my endurance.

Personal Trainer

2007-03-27T17:21:00.000-04:00

Two of my brothers in laws have asked me to be their trainer. Now I'm flattered, but I've never done this sort of thing. I hope I don't over exert them at first.

I was thinking of treating them as if I treated myself when I first started to loose work. The problem is that I'm not sure they can do the same thing I did back then. It really wasn't that healthy of an approach to loosing weight.

I need to do a little research on this. I started with them this past Monday. It consisted of about a mile of run walking. I'm glad that they finished.

I already have had push back from them, but I’m real stubborn when it comes to this sort of thing. Besides, they asked me. One of the things that kept me on track was to create a spreadsheet so that I could visually see the weight and inches drop off. Also, I wanted to take a digital picture of them so they could see what they used to look like. They didn’t want to do this, but I will ask them again tomorrow.

They have a long way to go still, but I'm going to push them so long as they want to be pushed. I'll try to check back with you on their progress.

Antioxidants

2007-03-24T09:33:00.001-04:00

This months Triathlete magazine had an interesting article on optimal triathlon nutrition. They stated that hard training creates stress, and stress produces free radicals that are bad for you body. Free radicals are produced when oxygen mixes with certain molecules to create atoms with an odd number of electrons. To fight free radicals one needs to either cut back on the hard training (good luck with that one) or one needs to eat a balanced meal that has plenty of antioxidants to fight the free radicals. On an aside, antioxidants also have shown to lower cancer rates in people. For us, a diet rich in antioxidants may help us recover more rapidly after a hard workout. Foods that are high in Vitamin C, Vitamin E and beta carotene are considered as antioxidant foods, which are found in fruits, vegetables, berries, nuts and some nutritional supplements.

The Top 20 foods that rank high in antioxidants are:

Top Ten Ways to Boost Your Metabolism

2007-02-25T23:28:00.000-05:00

1. Build lean body mass.
2. Get moving. Exercise.
3. Eat.
4. Ditch the sugar.
5. Don’t skip breakfast.
6. Include hot and spicy foods.
7. Drink green tea.
8. Don’t forget H2O.
9. Avoid stress.
10. Sleep. Rest.

Are Navy SEALS Tuff Enough?

2007-01-26T19:39:00.000-05:00

I was thinking a few weeks ago.... who are the baddest mo fo's of the US armed service. After doing a little research on the net I have decided that the Navy Seals carry my shield.

Below is an excerpt of what new recruits are tested on just to get in line to be a Navy SEAL....

So if you want to be a SEAL, or just look like one try the physical fitness test that the Navy SEALS' training program, known as BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolition/SEALs) do.

-- Swim 500 yards. Maximum time allowed is 12 minutes, 30 seconds -- but to be competitive, you should swim the distance in at least 8 to 9 minutes, utilizing only the side or breast stroke. Recommended workout and training tips: Get technique training and learn to pace yourself. Try five to 10 sets of 100-yard swims, working on a pace that will get you below the competitive times. (Rest 10 minutes before moving on to the next exercise.)

-- Max push-ups. Minimum number is 42 in 2 minutes, but you should shoot for at least 100 for an average score. Do not pace yourself. Push as many push-ups out as fast as you can, but do not neglect proper form or the SEAL instructor will not count them. Try five sets of 30 seconds worth of maximum push-ups. Work your way up to five sets of 1 minute of maximum push-ups. (Rest 2 minutes, then move on to the next step.)

-- Max sit-ups. Minimum number is 52 in 2 minutes, but you should strive for at least 90 to 100 in 2 minutes for an average score. PACE yourself! Try doing 20 to 30 sit-ups in 30 seconds; that will put you within the 80-to-100-sit-ups range for 2 minutes. Try five sets of 30 seconds each, shooting for your goal pace. Shoot for five sets of 1 minute at your goal pace. (Rest 2 minutes.)

-- Max pull-ups. Minimum is eight with no time limit, but you cannot touch the ground or let go of the bar. You should be able to do 15 to 20 to be competitive. Try a pyramid of pull-ups: work your way up from one pull-up the first set until you can no longer do any more sets, then return down the pyramid repeating in reverse order (1,2,3,4,5,6,5,4,3,2,1). (Rest 10 minutes before plunging into the last exercise.)

-- 1.5-mile run. Wearing boots and pants, the maximum time allowed for this one is 11 minutes, 30 seconds, but you should be able to cover the distance in 9 to 10 minutes to be competitive. Pace yourself: do not start off too fast on the first lap. Shoot for a 90-seconds quarter-mile run time around a standard high school track. Repeat this pace for six to 10 sets until you no longer have to rest in between quarter-miles. There is very little difference in the type of person who joins the Army Green Berets, Marine RECON, Air Force Pararescue Jumpers, or Navy SEALs.

There is one main thing that all of the Special Forces units have in common: Minimum standards are ignored, and they always push themselves to their maximum physical effort. Remember, the BUD/s PFT is a tough workout.

I think of myself as being in pretty good shape, and to tell you the truth, I don’t think I can run a 1.5 mile run in 11.5 minutes in combat boots after doing the whole workout.

So I have to give it up to not only the SEAL but also to the rest of the US Special Forces. Our safety is in good hands.

Off-season Work

2006-11-12T18:37:00.000-05:00

November brings the off-season to the great Midwest. The days are getting shorter and the temperatures are going down. Winter is right aroung the corner. I have been in full off-season mode for about 6 weeks. You may ask, what is your off-season like?

The answer is simple. Off-season is a time for reflection on the previous year, weight training to increase stregth, maintaining conditioning levels, train weak disciplines and increase flexibility. Well for me it is at least four out of five. I still bike indoors 3 to 4 times a week (did I ever tell you guys how much I like spin classes). I have been reading about others great races and have gone through my head several times changes that I need to do for next year. I have also kicked up the weight training with at least 3 sessions a week. The weight training is working as I have noticed that I have been getting a little stronger and the muscle mass is growing in the legs and upper body. At this rate, I'll have to race in the Clydesdale division next year (which is above 200 lbs.)

I'll start my running regiment again right around the new year and swimming is just a few months after that. So much work, so little time and energy.

On a downer... I tried to apply for both the Wisconsin and the Florida Ironman events. They were both sold out within hours of opening the events to the public. You've would have thought that U2 was playing the event by how fast the tickets sold out. Oh well, I hope they add a few new events that fit our schedule and there is always Steelhead again.

I'll try to post my weekly workouts again like I did last year. I know they are sooooo exciting : )

Steelhead: Post Race

2006-10-22T11:04:00.002-04:00

It's been two months since the race and reading my last post, I noticed that I never really finished the story.

After I finished the race, there was this exhilarating feeling of completion. All things considered, my legs felt relatively good. I was able to walk through the finish area and looked for something to drink. I grabbed a water bottle and a race official came up to me, put the elusive medal around my neck, and said something. It was somewhat funny, as I’m sure she said something, but for the life of me, I couldn’t hear her. I was in my own zone and I just said to her that I felt fine. A few steps further and there was the photographer taking finishing photos of the racers. I raised my arms and posed.

I looked at the gathered crowd looking for familiar faces. There in the midst of people was the smiling face of my wife. She looked relieved and I walked to her. She asked how I felt… I told her a little sore, but I would be fine. She asked of my friend and I told her what had happened on the course. She asked if I wanted to sit, and I just told her I’m going to wait until my friend crossed the line to make sure he finished.

I gathered myself at one side of the finish chute looking for him… a few minutes later I saw him running the last few hundred yards. I told to look up and look strong.

He smiled and finished the race as good as possible.

I didn’t see him for about 45 minutes as I walked down to the lake and sat on the beach letting the waves roll onto my legs. It felt great. The water was cool and the waves provided a gentle massage.

Our wives walked up and said that they could not find my friend. I told them that he might have been in the medical tent depending how he felt. They went off to look for him.

My kids were now playing in the surf and asked if I wanted to look for rocks with them. I asked them if I could sit here instead and they were kind enough and said that it was ok. I asked them about their day and each proceeded to interrupt each other about what had happened to them.

My wife came back and said that they still couldn’t find him so I finally got up and went looking for him. As I was walking up to the medical tent, I saw him walking towards me. He said that after the race he wanted to get more Gatorade and wasn’t able to find any so he went looking. I asked and he confirmed that he was sore all over. I told him that I was impressed that he finished the race considering how he looked a few hours ago. His face had lost much of its redness and his mind was clear. We all walked a little and eventually sat down to for some lunch.

One of the main sponsors was Pizza Hut a fast food restaurant so the quality was fast food level. The extra time after the race increased my appetite and I ate well.

During lunch the finals ceremony took place. One thing of note was that as we were finishing our lunches some guy came to our tables too ask if we were finished and cleared some of the plates off. During the ceremony I found out that it was the CEO of Whirlpool (the sponsor of the race). I was very impressed that someone of that stature was that down to home that he was still volunteering and was bussing tables.

The CEO handed out the prize to the first place female and male. I think it was side-by-side refrigerators. There were also lesser prizes for age group winners.

Eventually we got up and went to get the gear that was still sitting in the transition area. There was Christine still where I left her. I gathered and bagged all of my gear and headed for the exit. I guess it is good to have a few extra pairs of hands that the girls provided as they carried the wetsuit and my cycling bag.

We got to our car and loaded it up. There was not enough space for all of the gear and people so we decide to ride our bikes the few miles to my friend’s car. During the short ride, my legs felt great but the bike leg had taken a tool on my backside.

I bid my friends a safe journey home and we headed north to spend the next few days seeing the sights of western Michigan. The rest of the week found us doing a lot of walking around the city of Holland and playing at Michigan’s Adventure.

The week went not as expected, but it was clearly a learning experience. I will be back next year to take on the Steelhead again.

Steelhead Race Report: The Run Leg

2006-09-15T10:59:00.000-04:00

The Steelhead Triathlon run leg is a 13.1-mile out and back run that takes triathletes through the Jean Klock Park area. The course roadways are mostly concrete and asphalt that are in good condition. There are several hills as well as a scenic trail section to challenge the racers. The course has aid stations at every mile.

As I headed out of T2 my heart rate was pounding at 145 bpm, which is in the middle of zone 3 for me. I was over 8 minutes behind my friend and was worried that I would see him at some point as I was heading out to the turnaround and he was heading in to the finish line.

Right from the start of the run I was not feeling great. There was a hill right a hundred yards from the start that was meant to get your attention. I jogged up the hill and my heart rate spiked above my anaerobic Threshold and moved into zone 4. I had a difficult time getting my breathing to slow down so that I could relax. All of the yoga training that I had done was just not paying off. I tried to breath in deep and relax but it wasn't working.

Within the first mile the asphalt course turned into a trail run. I did not expect this, but I was not overly concerned about this type of running. I enjoy running on a hard packed trail as it doesalleviatee the pounding the joints. Unfortunatelyy, the trail also brought with it several steep (for me) hills. My heart spiked again. This time into the low 170's. I could only run at this pace for a minute or so until I could not breath. I slowed down and walked the rest of the way up the hills and jogged down the other sides oseveralla of these hills. The trail run only lasted about a mile and we were onto the cement portion of the race... ouch.

The next mile included a gentle long hill that again forced me to walk. The good thing was that it was followed by a gentle downhill to an aid station that I stopped at to get water and ice.

I proceeded to run/walk the next mile or so. Every time I started to jog or run my heart would spike into zone 4 and I was forced to slow down and walk again. I was not only worried that I was going to have a horrible run, but was also starting to worry that I might not be able to finish the race.

I was dejected in knowing that in a few short miles I would see my friend heading back and I still had 10 miles to go before I would finish.

At mile four I again took in Gatorade and water as well as a shot of Gu and a glass of ice for my head. It was hot and I saw a few fatigued runners being attended to by the medical staff. The race officials had several ambulances on the course as well as officials on bikes to monitor the runners.

There was this guy up a head of me that looked as if he was drunk while walking. His head was down and his arms weflailinging from side to side. As I jogged a bit more, I noticed that it was my friend. I picked up the pace to get to him fast. As I ran up, I yelled to him that he didn't have to wait for me. He answered me with something to the effect that he "didn't feel that great." I finally caught up to and looked at him. He still had his head down and his face and neck were beet red. Even worse was that he was not sweating. I helped him raise his head and told him to walk slowly. He not only didn't feel that great but he looked even worse. I was worried that he might have had a heat stroke and asked him if he wanted to keep going. He said yes, so I looked at my watch and told him that all we need to do was 12 minute miles to fiunderin unter 6 and ½ hours. At the next aid station we spent some time getting him to look less like a zombie and more like a triathlete. He drank water and Gatorade as well as eating some fruit and Gu shots.

Over the next three miles I told my friend that we would jog in the shaded areas and downhills and walk in the sun and uphills. I also made sure to talk to him so that I wousenset a sence of hofarings fareing. We eventually got to the turnaround point and I told him that we would need to pick it up a little to about a 11 ½ minute mile pace. He was far from enjoying his run, but it was going to be my mission to make sure that he would finish. At mile nine he wanted to make sure that I would remind him about this run next time he wanted to do one of these events. I laughed and at least his mind was still clear and it seemed that he was even starting to feel better. Our walking was decreasing and our jog running was increasing in distance. My heart rate (by the way) was back to normal and I felt great of course we were also doing about 12 minute miles.

At the next aid station and with three miles to go I told him that we need to finish in the nighborhood of 10 minutes per mile pace. He said that I should go ahead and try to finish in under our goal time I asked him if he felt ok and he told me he felt fine and to get going. I told him not to quit since he had come this far there was no point in stopping now. He said that he would see me at the finish line. I headed off.

I still needed to finish the last 3.1 miles in under 30 minutes. Normally, this would not be a big deal, but after racing for about 6 hours and with the heat, it was going to be a challange.

The first mile felt fine and my time was right at 10 minutes. Still needed to pick it up a little more. I got some water at the next aid station and poured a glass of ice down my shorts. It felt great and I hoped that my core temperature would drop a little. I continued to run and finished the next mile in just under 10 minutes. There was just a little over a mile to go and I needed to finish it in under 9 minutes. That is also where the last hill seemed to spring up from the earth. It was a long hill that seemed to be about a half mile long. Funny thing is that I didn't remember this hill being so long when I headed out. I attacked the hill with good intention but quickly slowed down. I glanced at my watch and I was spiking my heart rate right to the 182 limit. I was breathing heavy and the sweat was pouring off of my body. I slowed down and figured that it was better to finish then to not finish at all.

I was a little over a half mile to go and in the middle of the last downhill. I looked at my watch and realized I was going to finish just outside my time. I still wanted to make sure that I finished strong and just then there appeared an official telling everyone that the last turn was right ahead and the finish line was at the end of the chute.

The finish chute seemed like it was a half mile long by itself. I finally heard the crowd at the finish line cheering for the racers. I looked up ahead and there were my girls cheering me on and my wife just a few yards down from them. I crossed the finish line and looked up at my finish time... 6:34:40.

Steelhead Race Report: T2

2006-09-06T21:26:00.000-04:00

As I rode into the transition area, I unclipped my feet and rolled to a stop. I looked at my heart rate monitor and it read 154 bpm. Which is right at my AT. I quickly got off Christine and my legs felt a little woozy but I felt fine. I unlatched my helmet and felt where the bee stung me during the bike ride. It hadn’t swelled too badly. I ran my bike to my area and racked it. The ride was done and it was time for the run.

I was shocked that my friend was already gone from the transition area when I arrived. I knew that he was faster then me in the swim, but I was fully expecting to catch him during the bike.

I undid my bike shoes and put on my Asics running shoes. I also took off my sweaty bike jersey and put on a clean running singlet. I took a deep swig of the Gatorade and put on my running hat and glasses. I reached down and tied my shoes. When I stood up my head was spinning (I should have used the elastic laces that my wife got me… they would have kept my head from spinning)

Speed Laces are shoe laces that are made to increase the speed to tie a pair of shoes. I have had these for a while, but I have never run in them. I was told never to try out a new piece of equipment during a race and I wasn’t going to start now.

I put on my race belt that had my race number attached to it. While doing this, I tore one side off the eyelet and now only had one side secure. I should have put the belt on first then attached the race number. I tucked the loose side into my shorts and took one more swig form the water bottle.

I glanced at my heart rate monitor and noted that it was in the 145 bpm, which is zone 3 for me. I headed out of the transition area and said good luck to one of the guys that was changing next to me. I took a wrong turn out of the transition area and took the long way out. I finally saw my family who were cheering me on. I asked and my wife said that my friend had left the transition area about 8 minutes before me.

That was a huge lead and I got a little dejected as I thought that he was approaching the one mile marker as I was heading out of T2.

Steelhead Race Report: The Bike Leg

2006-09-02T13:25:00.000-04:00

To read the previous part of the series please follow this link.

The Steelhead Triathlon bike leg is a 56-mile bike ride that takes triathletes through the scenic northern Berrien and eastern Van Buren counties in southwest Michigan. This area is part of the Michigan "fruit belt" and includes numerous blueberry, strawberry and raspberry farms as well as vineyards and orchards. The course roadways are mostly asphalt, in good condition with some rolling hills throughout.

As I jumped on my bike and headed out on the bike course my legs felt good. The wetsuit had done its job.

I rode away from T1 knowing that the bike course would take about 3 hours to complete and I was looking forward to this leg, as I knew that this is the leg that I've trained the most. Within the first couple of miles there was a decent hill to get the quads warmed up. As I rode the first few miles, I wanted to make sure that I hydrated myself and wanted to make sure that I ate something.

The road was nice and smooth and my ride was going as planned. I rode at right around 20 miles per hour and Christien's geartrain hummed as I pushed the pedals. The road had nice rolling hills which helped me catch up and pass a lot of riders. My hill training was paying off. I tried to eat a piece of Cliff bar that I had packed in my Bento Box. It was dry, and trying to eat it in a dry mouth was even more difficult. I gulped down some Gatorade and wished that I had water to drink instead.

I rode the first 10 miles in just under a half hour. Right about that time the road changed to rougher surface that slowed me down a bit but I tried to still push it. This took a tool on my legs.
You may remember that I blogged about a new helmet... The good thing about it is that it has really big vent holes in it. It sucks in air to keep your head cool. The bad thing about it is that it has really big vent holes in it and it sucks nearby bees in as well!

Talk about terror... I was ridding on a downhill portion and all of a sudden there is this huge buzzing sound right over my head. I was slamming my helmet with my left hand trying to remove the bug while trying not to fall of the bike. I was praying it wasn't a wasp or hornet. (Wasps and hornets are aggressive and can sting you repeatedly) I guess slamming my helmet with my hand wasn't such a smart idea as the bug stung me just above my forehead. I slowed down and removed the helmet and shook it out. It was a bee. I put my helmet back on and struggled to latch it back on. I slowed down even more and eventually I was able to latch my helmet with one hand. I guess I should have tried to ride a little more no handed, but I never do when I'm riding training runs.

As I rode on, my head hurt where the bee stung and had done its damage. At the halfway point I had lost some time. I was getting bored of the scenery and now my head hurt as well.

As the race progressed the racers had spaced out a lot more and the air was getting hot. Over the next few miles I kept hearing a rider behind me and eventually I heard behind a woman’s voice saying that she has been riding behind me for the last 8 miles and she was getting sick of looking at my rear. I told her that I was sorry that she was stuck having to look at such a bad view. She laughed and rode up next to me and said that she has seen worse.

I don't know her name, but we rode for the next ten or so miles together and talked about the race and the sport. She was a triathlon coach and we chatted about my aspirations to run a full Ironman. We talked about Ironman Florida or Wisconsin and she said that Wisconsin was better in her estimation because of the variety of the terrain. We kept exchanging leads to help each other out. Oddly enough she also rode a road bike. I told her that we might be two of about a dozen riders that didn't ride on a tri bike. She said that she has never gotten used to riding on a tri bike and said that even though she was due for a new bike, it was going to be another road bike. She said that you can get a lot more bike for the money in a road bike then a tri bike.

The divergence worked as my legs felt better and I was more motivated to finish the race. I wanted to pick up the pace but my riding partner wanted keep her pace. I told her good luck as I picked up my cadence. Over the next ten miles the only thing of note was that I rode up and passed one guy on a mountain bike. I was floored to see this guy huffing and puffing on a hardtail. I gave him a high five and complemented his ride so far and told him to keep it up.

I had read that there were going to be some good long and steep hills around the 48 mile mark. I kept riding strong knowing that the hills were looming ahead. At the last food and water aid station I was able to get a bottle of water and ate a banana and a shot of Gu so that I wouldn’t bonk during the last few miles.

Almost on cue, the hills hit right at mile 48. The rides started to bunch up as the hills slowed everyone down. During one the last few hills, I was at the low gear and was still only half way up the hill. By the end of the hill I was standing and doing a little over 8 mph. At the top of the hill crest I was glad to know that the hills were over and most of the rest of the ride was going to be flat.

I drank more of the water and Gatorade as I knew that I really didn’t do a great job of hydration during the bike. Over the last few miles, I rode in a low gear and made sure to spin at a high cadence to make sure that I would get rid of some of the lactic acid that had accumulated in my legs. With the last mile to go I could see some of the runners that were on the race course and the long run was looming ahead for me.

The Cost of Being a Triathlete

2006-08-29T22:28:00.000-04:00

What's with triathletes... it seems that every week there is a new gadget on the market and we rush out like sheep and buy it. I thought golfers were crazy with how much money they spend on their hobby but we are just as bad, and in most cases, much worse.

A show of hands... How many of you have a bike that costs more then the car you drive? Don't laugh there are a lot of guys I know that have bikes that cost three to six thousand dollars. FOR A BIKE!!! And that is just for the bike, add to it a good set of pedals, water cages, computer, bike tools with bag and you just added $200 - $500.

That is just the cost to ride the bike. You also have to take account for a pair of cycling shoes, helmet, bike shorts and jersey and that can quickly add another $500. And that is for only one discipline of the sport.

Swimming has the least amount of equipment but it can still cause sticker shock. A wetsuit, goggles and swim cap can range form $200 - $600.

Running has its own expenses, shoes $75 - $150 shorts, singlet and a hat add $100. Now that covers the cost of racing. But once you add all of the little items like sunglasses, mp3 player, triathlon transition bag, sandals, warm up suit, etc. It can get very expensive.

Don't forget you need to get to your races, so you will need to buy a bike carrier for your vehicle. Lastly there is all the training gear, training aids, books and miscellaneous equiptment that we all have.

This year I noticed how much money you can devote to the sport just to get competitive. The bad news is that next year there is a high probability that I need to get a new bike. As much as I like Christine she is a road bike and I feel that I'm being out technologied (if that's a word). Today’s bikes are catered for triathlons and help racers not only during the bike but also by conserving energy it helps during the run.

Steelhead Race Report: T1

2006-08-27T10:55:00.000-04:00

To read the previous part of the series please follow this link.

T1 is first transition when a triathlete moves from the swimming leg to cycling leg.

Getting out of the water of Lake Michigan I unzipped my wetsuit, pulled my arms out of the suit and pushed the top down to my waist so that I could still run to the transition area. I felt a little dizzy which I’ve been told is a common phenomenon of long open water swims. (I’ll have to try earplugs which I’ve been told helps with the dizziness.)

Once I reached the beach there was a long run to the transition area. I would guess that it was about 400 meters on a cement path. I was glad to get out of the water and get my wetsuit off as it was getting hot in one of these things. There was a fair amount of onlookers cheering us on which always helps. I didn’t spot my family. They usually root for me, which motivates me to keep going.

The race entry number identifies each transition area. Prior to the race, we were allowed to set up our transition area as we saw fit. Each transition area spot has the same distance to travel so that no one has an advantage over each other. I set up my area with the biking equipment near the front, the running equipment behind it and with just enough space at the end to place my swimming gear.

Once I reached my spot, I took a large gulp of Gatorade and went to work trying to transition from the swim to the bike. I stepped on the towel and pulled the wetsuit down past my shins so that I was able to step on the wetsuit while pulling each leg out. This seemed to work somewhat, but I should have practiced this a few time more so to get better at it. I finally was able to take the wetsuit off, and threw it towards the back of the area.

Prior to the race, I’ve been milling over the idea of getting a trisuit, which is an article of clothing that can be worn throughout the race, under the wetsuit, during the bike and run. They do save some time during the transition as you don’t need to change your clothes, but I decided to go with the cycling jersey and running tank top instead. The shorts I use are a pair of Zoot tri shorts, which can and are worn throughout the race.

Standing on the towel, I dried my feet and put on my cycling jersey followed by my socks. I then put on my glasses on which where in my helmet in the transition area. I slipped into my bike shoes. (Many racers have their shoes on their pedals already, I’ve yet to master being able to put your shoes on while riding a bike.) Lastly, I put on my helmet and ran towards the transition exit. (You can’t ride your bike in the transition area.) Prior to starting the ride a race official checks to make sure that your helmet is secure and then they let you proceed with your race.

I was disappointed to learn that we were not allowed to ride or run with a radio or mp3 player. I’ve been training with this and even choose a good variety of music to keep me pumped up during the race. This was going to be a long 5 – 6 hours with no music to keep me going.

I jumped on my bike and headed out on the bike course.

Foggy Goggles

2006-08-27T10:42:00.000-04:00

A friend from work is a newbi triathlete. He knew that I was a swimmer at one time and asked me how to prevent his goggles from getting fogged up. I responded to his question with what I knew about foggy goggles. Below is a little reserch and my recollection of the discussion I had with him.

During a long swim, most goggles can and will get fogged up to some extent no matter what you do. The reason for this is that static electricity collects on the lenses and they attract very small water particles or droplets that cause the fog.

The most important thing to remember is to stay calm and not let this distraction cause you to veer off the coarse. The way to reduce the amount of fog is to eliminate the static electricity.

Unfortunately, there is no real effective way of eliminating static electricity long-term as goggles are continually exposed to dust and other contaminants that will eventually build up a new layer of charged particles over time.

There are several goggles on the market that claim that they do not fog up, but most often they will eventually fog up just as much as any pair of goggles. These goggles have a coating on them to reduce the amount of static electricity and therefore reduce the fogging. The second way to reduce the fogging is to apply a coating of anti-fog solution onto your goggles. Place a drop of this solution into each lens and swipe the solution with your finger to ensure that you cover the whole lens. Let it stand for one minute and rinse each lens with cold water. Several companies make this anti fogging solution. (Speedo, Aqua Sphere, and Tyr are among them)

These do work. But be careful, some of them sting the eye a bit if water gets into the goggles.

The best solution - and the least expensive - spit. Try this: rinse your goggles completely in water. Then spit into each lens. Then, swipe them one time back under water. Shake off the access and you are good to go. They may still appear foggy right when you put them on, but that should disappear once you start swimming.

One more suggestion... keep your goggles in a clean area when you are done using them. A zip lock bag works great once the goggles are dry.

Blue Seventy Element Goggle

2006-08-26T12:31:00.000-04:00

Over the summer, it has become highly apparent that swimming outdoors was getting to be more difficult as the sunlight in the eyes was becoming a pain. I looked at my old pair of Speedo goggles and decided that it was time to pick up a new pair. So, on my list of last minute to do before Steelhead was to pick up a new pair of swim goggles.

I stopped in at the local triathlon store to see what they had. I looked at the different models that they had and settled on a pair of Blue Seventy Elements.

My old pair of Speedo goggles had an adjustable nosepiece that used to hurt the bridge of my nose. The Elements do not have an adjustable nosepiece but the fit is not compromised.

The goggles fit well around the eyes and the seal is watertight. The head adjustable strap is wide for a secure feel when worn. When worn they are comfortable around the eyes and don’t provide that added pressure that most goggles do to keep them watertight.

The Elements are available in a range of lens colors for particular lighting conditions encountered in the open water. I got the pair that has a smoked mirrored finish to block out the sunlight but they still provide enough light for great vision. Additionally they provide exceptional vision to the front and side very similar to my old Speedo brand.

Lastly, they come in a great case to keep them clean while not in use.

These goggles are great, and are worth every penny of the $20 that I paid for them. You can get them cheeper online but I was running out of time and didn't want to risk not getting them in the mail.

Steelhead Race Report: The Swim Leg

2006-08-21T00:07:00.000-04:00

To read the first part of the series please follow this link.

The Steelhead Triathlon swim leg is a pier start followed by a 1.2-mile swim that is spaced out by 16 buoys. The buoys are color coded so that you can determine how far to go to the last buoy which is colored orange to identified it. At the last buoy, you make a right hand turn and swim into shore where the transition area is.

As we rode the bus, a few of the racers were trying to get their wetsuits on. One guy had so much Body Glide on that when he slipped into his wetsuit it made a gulp sound. He said that his wetsuit was trying to eat him. This was a tension breaker in the bus and everyone started to laugh and talked about their nights. I told them that I hadn’t had a lot of sleep, which seemed to be a recurring theme in the bus.

When we arrived at the starting location, the weather was perfect. It was in the 60’s and the wind was calm. There we were in a mass of about 1900 athletes about 10 minutes away from the start of the race. I got my wetsuit on after putting enough Body Glide on my shoulders, arms and legs to make the job easy. Even with all the lubricant, it was difficult to get the suit on. I was trying to make sure that I put on the suit so as to not constrict my shoulder, and still have plenty of mobility with my arm stroke. If you didn’t know, I am basically a pull swimmer. My kick leaves a lot to be desired. Therefore, it was essential that I didn’t reduce the effectiveness of my stroke.

I sucked down a shot of Gu and looked around me. Boy was there a lot of hard bodies. It seemed that I had just stepped into some sort of amateur bodybuilding contest. I guess that once you get to this distance the men and woman that race take on a new fitness level. At the sprit distances, you will see only a handful of pros but at this distance there were a lot more pros and the amateurs are very serious about their sport.

We had enough time to walk to the lake for a few a quick dip to check out the conditions. With the wetsuit on, I didn’t feel the cold water at all; a few of the other racers who didn’t have a wetsuit were shivering in the water. As 7 am approached, we looked at the pier to see the start of the event. About 200 people dove in all at once. It was quite the spectacle. I had just about 20 minutes to kill before my heat started. I swam a little to get warmed up and was pleased with how the wetsuit fit. I check my heart rate monitor and it said that I was at 125 bpm. As I swam back into shore I had that feeling again that I needed to use the facilities. I was thinking of going to the port a potties but I didn’t know if I had enough time. As I was swimming into shore a few women were swimming out towards me they just stopped all of a sudden, giggled, and were saying how much warmer their legs were. I knew what they were doing so I figured what the heck. That was the first time I tinkled in my wetsuit. I swam a little more to flush out my wetsuit.

We got out of the water and as we walked to the pier, I told my friend what had happened and he said that it is common. Once on the pier the heats were all going off like clockwork. We timed our warm up perfect because as we stepped onto the pier the heat right before us was just starting. The started announce over the loudspeaker that our age bracket was starting in 3 minutes and to take our marks. My wetsuit was hot and I was sweating. We made our way toward the end of the pier to get away from all of the commotion of starting in mass. There were a lot of us in our age bracket. There was even a second row of athletes that were going to jump in, right after us.

I told the guy behind me that I was hard and boney so if he planned on landing on me that I was sure he would hurt himself. He laughed and said that he would give me enough room so that he wouldn’t jump on me. I looked down and it must have been about a ten feet to the water level. I looked at my friend and asked him if he was going to dive in or go feet first. He said that he was going feet first to make sure that his goggles didn’t fall off and besides, the extra few second weren’t going to matter to him. This made good sense so I informed the guy behind me that my head was even more hard and boney then my back, he laughed again.

The announcer said ten seconds and started to count down. I looked at my heart rate monitor and it read 145 bpm. Nervous I guess no wonder I’m hot and sweaty. I hit the start button on my watch. The started said 3, 2, 1 and the horn went off. I jump in feet first and made sure that I stayed on the surface by sticking my arms and legs out. The water felt great and I started to swim. It seemed that all went quiet for a few seconds and all I could remember was that it felt that I was swimming in a crowded pool.

After a few hundred yards, the swimmers spread out a little and I started to try to relax and start working on my breathing. I knew that my breathing was out of wack but I kept telling myself to try to lengthen my stroke so that my breathing would slow down.

I don’t remember seeing any of the first few buoys but then again I really wasn’t looking for them either. I was having a difficult time trying to relax but I started to count my strokes. I typically use this to kill some time while I’m swimming. It’s not like there is anything to see while you’re in open water. There’s not even the black line and walls that distract you when you swim in a pool.

After what seemed like 15 minutes a felt a tap on my head. I didn’t take note of it but there it goes again. I stuck my head out of the water and looked up. There was a lifeguard in a kayak. He asked, “Are you planning on swimming to Chicago”… I was taken aback but answered “no… why.” As he pointed with his oar, he said “it seemed that you might be as you’re about 200 meters off course.” I looked to my right and sure enough, there were my competitors way over on the right side of me. I should have cursed, but I thanked him, stuck my head back into the water, and made my way back to the racecourse.

As I swam back on course, I was thinking to myself that my bad shoulder must have been the cause for this. I swam about a hundred yards and stuck my head out of the water to make sure that I stayed on course. I’m sure this slowed me up a bit, but I’m sure that being off course by 200 meters was even worse.

As I rejoined the pack, I noticed that there were others with the same color swim cap on around me, so I guess I didn’t loose too much time. After 10 or so minutes, I even saw a few racers with different colored caps on as I passed or was passed by them. The caps are color coded to identify the different age groups.

I went back to counting and lengthening my stroke to try to relax. I felt myself getting tired and was wondering how much longer the swim leg was going to take. After a few more minutes I stuck my head up and low and behold right in front of me was the orange finish buoy. As it was a bottleneck for swimmers, I switched to breaststroke to swim around it and headed for shore. There was a woman a few yards from me that hollered as someone not paying attention kept swimming freestyle and hit her with his arm.

As I approached shore, I did a few dolphin dives to move closer to shore so that I could run in. As I got out of the water, I felt for the zip cord and it was right where it was supposed to be. I started to unzip my wetsuit and pulled my arms out of the wetsuit. I pushed the top down as far as I could and still be able to run without it tripping me. I got out of the water and noted that I was a little dizzy which seems to be common during a long open water swim.

That’s it for the second installment of the series.

Shaving Down

2006-08-19T19:46:00.000-04:00

When I was in high school we had an event at the end of the swim season prior to our league championship... it was called "Shave Down Day." Shaving down is not only grant a mental edge when racing but it is also a way to "shave off" a few tenths of a second due to the reduced amount of drag.

What shaving down entailed was a bunch of guys in the shower room shaving their bodies of hair. You could identify the underclassmen by their many dots of white speckled all over their bodies from cuts that they gave themselves. The good part of being an upper classmen was that we took a completely different approach to shaving down. Not only had we done it a few times, but also the areas that we could not reach were shaved by our "timets." Timets are high school girls that time the swim meets and act as judges. (This is before the advent of touch pads) These girls could best be described as groupies, as they hung out with the swim team and several of them dated swimmers.

Don't get me wrong, as a 17 to 18 year old hormone frenzied male, having the tender touch of a member of the opposite sex shave your legs was not only beneficial (as the girls had many year of leg shaving experience) but also very exhilarating. I had dated several of the timets, and made sure to have one of them shave me down, as I was a rather particularly hairy individual.

What does this have to do with this post?

After getting my wetsuit, I made a point to get into the pool to see how it worked. I had never swum in a wetsuit and was wondering about the effect on my stroke as well as my heart rate and time. On the good side, the wetsuit is a great advent to improve swimming time and reduce the amount of effort involved in propelling oneself through the water. On the bad side, getting into one of these things can be quite a task. They are more then skin tight, and require a great amount of time and effort to get it on right.

After doing a little research on the net, it seems that most use Pam spray on lubricant or Body Glide to make getting into and removing the wetsuit easier. One thing I noticed from using Body Glide is that it is basically a roll on petroleum jelly. Anyone who has ever used this product can understand that the cleaning up of this as it is caked into hair and body is a mess and a chore. I did some further research on this and noted that several web sites state to shave down so that the application and removal of the lubricant as well as getting into and out off a wetsuit can be accomplished easier.

So there I was the week before the race shaving parts of my body that have had hair on them for over 40 years. In mid stroke I decided to get into the bathtub to do this as shaving all the hair from my legs was going to be a chore and I didn't need to have hair all over the bathroom. I asked my wife to help. She had this cool little electric razor to get off most of the longer hair off and then followed up with a clean razor to take off the rest of the hair stubble. My legs were as smooth as the day I was born. They say that a dog owner usually picks a dog breed that somehow looks like them. By the looks of the bathtub floor, I would have to agree. Looking at the bathtub reminded me of the times we used to give our dog a bath. There was hair all over the tub floor. Luckily, I just hosed off everything and made sure not to get hair down the drain.

After shaving down, I did notice that getting into and out of the wetsuit was a lot easier. So at least it was all worth the time involved and the few razor blades that were used up. Hey it was even the conversation topic for a few weeks with my friends and family.

Steelhead Race Report: Pre-race

2006-08-19T13:12:00.000-04:00

We left our home on Thursday looking forward to a nice drive to Benton Harbor for the Whirlpool Steelhead 70.3 Half Ironman Race. We got a later then expected start (I didn’t get out of work when I should have). When we got to Benton Harbor my first impression was that there were a lot of athletes at this thing considering that it was still early in the evening. As we pulled into the Jean Klock Park area, an athlete suggested that we park our vehicle at the transition area, as there was still plenty of parking there. I thanked her for the info as I needed to rack my bike in the transition area and I still needed to pick up my race packet.

We pulled into the transition area and looking at all the tri bikes lined up in the racks was awe-inspiring. I have never been in a triathlon race that had this many participants. There were going to be 1900 participants racing in the morning. I walked around at the Expo and I was not too impressed. There were a few race equipment manufactures there, but they did not have any special deals. From my limited experience, I’ve always been able to pick up a few items at these things that I wanted. I got my body marked up with my age and race number and peered over at the swimming course. Lake Michigan looked great. I could just make out the pier from where we stood. I will talk about the pier more a little later.

After race registration was completed, I gave Christine a quick once over just to make sure nothing happened to her during the drive. She looked and drove great, so I racked her on the bike rack with all of the other bikes. I’m sure none of the other bikes had a name. A funny thing happened while racking the bike. The only way in and out of the transition area is to have a wristband (kind of like the ones they give at the hospitals to patients) with your bib number on it. My buddy’s wife put on the wristband and locked it on by mistake. She didn’t know that once you put one of these wristbands on you can’t get it off without cutting it off. Anyway, it was hilarious as he and she were trying to explain to the race officials what had happened. They eventually gave him a different race wristband so that he could rack his bike.

We decided to get some food and looked at the GPS to find a place to eat. We finally decided on a place in downtown Benton Harbor. It was a big place and it still had a 30-minute wait, so we figured the food would be good. I split the BBQ plate (chicken and ribs) with my youngest. The food was good, but I ate too much... at least the triathlon would give me a chance to burn off a few extra calories.

After dinner, we walked around the downtown area for a while and made our way to the hotel. The hotel that my friend found was not the fanciest place around. In fact, the name said it all. We booked two days at the Best Value Hotel. At least it was close to the race. The staff at the hotel tried to look like they were big time, but you could tell that they didn’t. I asked for a wake up call the next morning and asked what time the complementary breakfast was going to be served. The reply was that since they had so many athletes at the hotel that breakfast was going to be served starting at 5 am. Great! Just the time I wanted to get up. That night I had unpacked all of transition equipment and made sure that I didn’t forget anything. I don’t know what I would have done if I did forget something, but at least it calmed down the nerves a bit. We didn’t bring an alarm clock with us but the combination of a cell phone, wristwatch and the front desk alarms would hopefully allow me to wake up. As 1 am approached, I finally was able to fall asleep.

It is amazing how early 5 am is. The worst thing is that I woke up at 4:53 am with at least a few more minutes of sleep to spare before all of the alarms would go off. As the alarms all went off it seemed like I didn’t get any sleep at all and I was nervous. I rolled out of bed with that seasick feeling in my stomach and my head spinning and went to the bathroom for my first of many trips to the bathroom. Pre-race jitters always force me to use the bathroom at least 4 to 5 times. My wife woke up and made coffee for me as I packed my equipment. I got dressed and went to the dinning area hopping to see some fellow athletes and get some food in me. As I walked up the overnight manager was putting on the finishing touches on the breakfast buffet. It consisted of coffee, Tang (not orange juice), bananas, and some frozen (yes frozen) donuts. Ok so the food was not the greatest but at least I ate a banana. I went to the car and grabbed the peanut butter and a Powerbar so that I could get some protein in me as well.

I check in with my friend to see if he was awake and find out what time he wanted to leave. The transition area was going to close at 6:30 and our wave was not starting until after 7:15. We got our things packed and he drove to the race as our wives and kids slept in. As we arrived, we were diverted from the transition area to the alternate athlete parking. This was about a mile from the transition area and we had a lot of equipment to move. Thankfully, there were plenty of busses that were moving athletes to the transition area.

As we walked into the transition area, there was a line of at least 200 athletes that were waiting for the busses to take them to the starting line. I was worried that we didn’t have enough time, but we found our spots and laid out our equipment. I pumped air into my bike tires and filled up the bento box with food for the bike ride. I grabbed my wetsuit and goggles and headed for the buses. As we approached, the lines were gone and we walked right up to the next bus and headed out.

The ride to the start line was pleasant as the whole bus was about the same age and made small talk and joked about the day events to follow.

That’s the first installment of the series.

Steelhead Triathlon Race Report

2006-08-10T08:27:00.000-04:00

Stay tuned for the race report to be uploaded this week...

Skull Protection

2006-08-10T08:23:00.000-04:00

I got a new helmet just before the race. I’ve been waffling over a new helmet for about a year and looking at the Steelhead race information has prompted me to finally go out and buy one. The race info stated that the everyone needed to have a race helmet that is either ANSI approved or it needs to be less than three years old. My helmet (I don’t think) is either. So what’s a guy to do…? I shopped around looking at the best value that I can get in a helmet. I wanted it to be light weight with plenty of ventilation as well as excellent protection to the noggin.

I looked at the latest magazine and found that they suggested the Bell Sweep R as the best value helmet with the Giro Pneumo a close second… so it was off to try to find one. I searched several stores as well and even some bike specific stores with no avail for the elusive Bell Sweep. I finally did find one at the local Tri store but the price was staggering… $160 and the color selection was limited. I looked for my second choice in helmets… the Giro Pneumo. I ended up at REI and found the last Giro in my size. It must be kismet because the only color left in my size was white. I have this recurring dream of me riding on black two lane asphalt highway with the sun beating down on me and the heat rising up from the asphalt. In it I am wearing a white helmet. I tried it on and it fits like a glove with its Roc Loc 4 adjustment system… so I bought it. The thing I like about it is the size and amount of the vents it has.

More on the vents in a future post.

Hydration

2006-07-29T12:11:00.000-04:00

I sweat a lot.

I know that this will not sock anyone that knows me, but if you see me in the gym, you will know that I am there to work out (or I just got out of the steam room)

I thought that this would be a good place to put in a few thoughts (and reserch) on hydration.

Seven Rules of Hydration
1. The rate of passage of water from your stomach into your small intestine depends on how much fluid is actually in your stomach. If there is lots of water there, fluid flow from stomach to intestine is like a springtime flood; if there is little water, the movement resembles a lightly dripping tap. Therefore, to increase stomach-intestinal flow (and overall absorption of water) you need to deposit a fair amount of liquid in your stomach just before you begin your exercise. In fact, 10-12 ounces of fluid is a good start. This will feel uncomfortable at first, so practise funelling this amount of beverage into your "tank" several times before an actual competition.

2. To sustain a rapid movement of fluid into your small intestine during your exertions, take three to four sips of beverage every 10 minutes if possible, or five to six swallows every 15 minutes.

3. If you are going to be exercising for less than 60 minutes, do not worry about including carbohydrate in your drink; plain water is fine. For more prolonged efforts, however, you will want the carbohydrate.

4. Years of research have suggested that the correct concentration of carbohydrate in your drink is about 5 to 7%. Most commercial sports drinks fall within this range, and you can make your own 6% drink by mixing five tablespoons of table sugar with each litre of water that you use. A bit of sodium boosts absorption; one-third teaspoon of salt per litre of water is about right. Although 5 to 7% carbohydrate solutions seem to work best for most individuals, there is evidence that some endurance athletes can fare better with higher concentrations. In research carried out at Liverpool John Moores University, for example, cyclists who ingested a 15% maltodextrin solution improved their endurance by 30 per cent compared to individuals who used a 5% glucose drink. The 15% drink also drained from the stomach as quickly as the 5% one, though many other studies have linked such concentrated drinks with a slowdown in water movement.

5. A 6% "simple sugar" drink will empty from your stomach at about the same rate as a fancy 6% "glucose polymer" beverage, so don't fall for the idea that the latter can boost water absorption or enhance your performance more than the former, and don't pay more for the glucose-polymer concoction.

6. Contrary to what you've heard, cold drinks aren't absorbed into your body more quickly than warm ones. However, cold drinks are often more palatable than warm ones during exercise, so if coldness helps you to drink large quantities of fluid while you exert yourself, then keep your drinks cool.

7. Swilling drinks during exercise does NOT increase your risk of digestive-system problems. In actuality, most gut disorders that arise during exercise are caused by dehydration, not from taking in fluid. Dehydration induces nausea and discomfort by reducing blood flow to the digestive system, so by all means keep drinking!

Zoot Wetsuit

2006-07-25T23:02:00.000-04:00

Sorry I haven’t posted in a while… I’ve had a mental block and didn’t know what to write about.

Steelhead Ironman is under two weeks away, and I finally decided on a wetsuit and it arrived today. I went with the Full Zoot Z1 Wetsuit.

It has a protected rear zipper reduces water entry. It also zips up for closing and has a Velcro collar to make the suit watertight.

The suit is supposed to be one of the fasted suits around and it’s designed anatomically through the hips and shoulders for a man’s specific build. (They also make them for woman’s build as well.)

One thing I can tell you is that once I got the suit out of the box I was somewhat surprised how small it was. My wife thought that it was way too small. I looked at the tag and it read L, which should have been the correct size. I looked at it carefully and as I unzipped the suit, I was having trouble getting the suit unzipped. As I looked at it again, I noticed that they shipped the suit inside out. It’s a good thing because I was not too impressed with the sleekness of the suit. Once I turned the suit inside out, the wetsuit glistened and all of the seems were hidden. It looks fast… I can’t wait to get this thing in the water to see how it does.

I put the suit on… If you have never put anything on like this, get ready to be compressed. It is very tight fitting throughout the body and it is very form fitting. The wetsuit has variable thickness on torso and upper legs that is supposed to help maintain the perfect positioning in the water. It is also thinner in the side torso and underarm panels, which I was glad that it allows full chest expansion, arm extension and shoulder rotation.

One thing I do like about the suit is that it has a textured forearm catch panel, which increases stroke efficiency by helping you "grab" more water per stroke. As I am an arms swimmer, this should help a lot.

I’m going to try it out tomorrow in the pool. I will need to do a little research to see how to take care of it once it is in chlorinated pool water.

The Hunt for a Wetsuit

2006-07-01T21:16:00.000-04:00

Why do I need a wetsuit? All that I read about is that these things will make me faster and/or I will expend less energy during the swim. The simple way it does this is that it takes the head out of the equation with keeping your body in plane during the swim. The second major reason for swimming in a wetsuit is that it reduces the drag coefficient of the water. (I love this... Engineering while talking about swimming) Another reason to have them is that they provide warmth during some of the colder swims.

Cheeck out these stats for a 2.4 mile swim...

Wetsuit Type / Average Heart Rate / Time
No Wetsuit / 167 bpm / 1:28:37
Long John wetsuit / 162 bpm / 1:14:00
Full Wetsuit / 154 bpm / 1:09:07

What features should you look for in a wetsuit

Proper fit
Material layout
Neck and wrist seals
Ease of exit
Sleeved or sleeveless?
Construction
Warranty and service

So, how much is a wetsuit? Around $300 for a good mid-range suit, and almost double that for the top-end from some manufacturers.

What kind should you get? Ironman, Orca, Xterra, DeSoto, Zoot, Aquaman, QR (Quintana Roo), ProMotion, or others, they all have good points and can help make you a faster triathlete in the swim. According to the attached article, the high end of each of these manufactures suits are not that much different from each other. So the most important thing that I can think of is suit fit and ease of exit from the suit.

Five weeks to go

2006-07-01T20:40:00.000-04:00

T minus 5 weeks and counting...

I still need to get a wetsuit for the swim, but I have not decided on what kind yet. If anyone has any ideas of manufacturer, I'm all ears.

I got a new pair of kicks last week... Asics GT 2110. They have superior torsional rigidity and have front and rear foot GEL cushioning for improved impact resistance. I have run in the Asics GT series for about 5 years and like the fit so these are it for Steelhead. It's too bad they won't make me any faster. I do hope that they will alleviate some to the knee pain that I will endure.

I will need to break in before the race. I think about 50 miles should do the trick... I just checked a few sites and they suggest 75 - 100 miles. Also, spend the first week walking in them in the house before you even take them on a run. Start with a few short runs first.

Remember to replace shoes after 350 - 500 miles and wear appropriate socks when running. At least that is what the website stated.

What about if one does not wear socks?

Sunday Ride

2006-06-25T14:35:00.000-04:00

We did another long ride today… just shy of 50 miles, but no running.

During the middle of the ride, a section of our usual course was closed down to vehicle traffic, which made the ride better then normal. There seemed that there was an abundance of cyclists out today. It seemed like a convention or something like it and the funny thing was that these guys were all riding expensive bikes not what would be normally out for the Sunday ride.

It wasn’t until were we approaching our normal turn around point that we saw what was going on. It seems that today was the Wolverine State Time Trial Championships and we were smack in the middle of it. Who knew…? I felt like the guy on the bike in that AOL High Speed Internet commercial.

It was kind of funny and weird that as we were approaching the finish line, people were cheering us on. It felt like I was lying… maybe not lying more like fibbing.

We rested a few minuets and turned around to head back. The official starter noticed that we might not be part of the event and asked us to ride on the shoulder so that we would not get in the way of the rides. I am amazed that he was able to tell that we were not part of the event… maybe it was the way we looked.

Might it have been that I was the only one that had an iPod strapped to my arm, or that my helmet was circa 1980’s, or that I was actually not on a time trial bike. It was either these little clues or he was an unemployed member of the psychic friends network.

Basic Training is Back

2006-06-17T09:32:00.001-04:00

So my club has taken the advice of their members (go figure) and put one of my favorite classes back in its regular timeslot. I couldn't for the life of me figure out why they would take a popular class that is was always full and change the format. They changed it to CRT, which stands for Cardio Resistance Training. Mid Life and I have had a short discussion on the topic and my take was that if I wanted to do Cardio I would jump in a spin class, swim, or run. Besides the theory of killing two birds with one stone comes to play here, if I do this it also helps out in my sport. Also, if I wanted to do weights, I would go into the gym and pump iron, which I don't like to do.

So, that is why I like basic training. It is still in a group environment, the weights that are used are low weights with a lot of reps, and there is very little grunting from the steroid boys as they don't take the class because it is "basic"... lol.

Another reason I like the class is that it hits every part of the body, which the CRT class did not. (Time limitations) When I was done with the CRT classes, I didn't feel that I got a good enough weight training session in and would routinely need to do some more in the gym. After taking the Basic Training class again, my body is sore... the kind of sore from working out.

One last thing about this is that it has solidified a day of training for me. On Thursday I will either do a brick (bike ride followed by a run outdoors), or if it rains it is to the gym for the basic training class followed by a fitness yoga class. Fitness yoga is a slightly more advanced class that incorporates more strength posses and the yoga part that I need to improve… flexibility.

I like to Eat

2006-06-11T18:56:00.000-04:00

What can I say I like to eat, that's why I work out.

I had taken a month long semi hiatus. By this, I mean that I only worked out once or twice per week. It is amazing how fast I put on the pounds. In just four short weeks, I had put on ten pounds. Now I vow to get this weight off before I run the Steelhead Tri. I was closer to the Clydesdale division then my race weight of 185 lbs. Nevertheless, I’m back at it hard and furious.

Today was the first brick (bike / run) of the summer. We biked close to 40 miles and were planning to do a 5k run afterwards. Our legs were kind of beat from the ride so we only were able to muster a two mile run after the bike.

I hope that over the next few weeks I’ll be able to post more on this blog as the Steelhead Half Ironman Tri approaches. I have some good ideas on some subject matter and need to get it into this blog.

Race Report: Dexter to Ann Arbor Half Marathon

2006-06-06T22:50:00.000-04:00

This race was going to be one of my races that I was going to compete in this summer. I have not been training to vigorously for it as I am still trying to increase my speed and stamina with my running. I feel comfortable on a bike but the run and eventually the swim will need to pick it up.

Not to be sidetracked… let’s get back to the report. The race had approximately 2500 half marathoner’s in it this year, which is a good number of runners. The race day conditions were ideal. 53 degrees with a slight wind at race start. During the run, it sprinkled a little to keep the body temperatures down. My friend and I got to the race just in time to see the start. Yep, that’s right, we watched the start of the race. I had to go to the bathroom before the start again for the fourth time that morning. I have this reoccurring theme of having to use the bathroom right before a race… must be butterflies.

So, as I was getting back from the port a potty, I was trying to tie my shoes, get my heart rate monitor, headphones, race bib all on at once it seemed. Let’s just say that this was not what I would call a classic start. We waited a bit to watch the masses run past the start line and jumped in at the end of the pack. We wanted to wait so that we would have a clear run so that we wouldn’t have to start at a jog pace.

As we started to head into Dexter, we caught up with the larger pack and joined into the pack. There are some good and bad aspects to pack running. On the bad side are that you need to be careful not to run or be run into while in a pack. Another bad thing about it is that you are limited to the pack pace while running. The good part of pack running is that you don’t get as tired as you would do to drafting and it allows for conversation with your fellow runners. Unfortunately, I don’t like to talk while I’m running. My friend and I have this unspoken rule… he talks… I listen. I may add a “ah ha”, or “I see,” but no more real conversation then that. Anyways, I don’t think it bothers him that I don’t talk, and I know it doesn’t bother me if he talks. Besides, if I start to loose focus, I can always put on the headphones.

We ran with what I thought was good pack. The times where right around a 9:30 minute pace. There was a girl’s track team that we ran with that had a good coach that I was listening to as well. She had some good information to share with her team and I was utilizing as well. (Relaxing your arms when running downhill, leaning into an uphill, etc.) We kept this pace for about 3-4 miles with not much variance. During the middle portion of the race, the pace slowed down a bit as my friend was having a difficult time maintaining the pace with the hills that we encountered. At the halfway point, we had turned in a time of 1:04 not great, but not bad.
Shortly thereafter, we encountered our first long hard hill. My friend wanted to slow down some more and told me to keep up my pace. I didn’t plan on running by myself, but I listened to him and kept my pace. I drank my Cliff Shot and tried not to overdo the water/Gatorade stations. I didn’t really run with anyone for the next three miles and by mile 10, I was passing a lot of people that were slowing down. At the 10-mile marker, I had turned in a time of 1:32:45, which meant that I was speeding up. I was worried that would burn out before the final long hill.

My goal time was also within my grasp. I wanted to run sub 2 hours for the race. I needed to run the last 5k in 27:15 that was very doable. With one mile to go I was still on pace. All I needed to do was to finish with a 9-minute mile. As the finish line was approaching I was still on pace until the last hill loomed ahead of me. I started to run the hill just like all of the other hills. The bad thing about the final hill is that it is about a half mile long. It’s not that it’s steep… it’s just long, and by the end of it, it has drained the rest of the stored energy your body had. There was a time that all I wanted to do was slow down, but I also wanted to finish strong. As I crested the hill there was a short sprint to the finish line. My heart was beating like mad… 174 bpm (103% of theoretical max heart rate). As I crossed the finish line, I kept walking, tried to regain my breath, and looked down at my watch. I saw that I had just missed my time goal... 2:01 flat. The last hill did me in!

I ran the 10k version two years ago and had a time of 57:45 (9:18/mile pace). During this race, I ran the last 10k in 55:30. I also negative split my half marathon. I wasn’t trying to do that, it just worked out that way. The only thing that I would have done differently would have been to keep my friend running with me and crossed that line a minute faster. Well there is always next year.

Which Exercise To Do First Cardio or Strength?

2006-05-28T19:20:00.000-04:00

The most popular question I hear around the gym is what should I do first... cardio or strength training? Heck I had this same question so I went around asking.

I asked several personal trainers this and the answer has been split on the issue. Most say to do the cardio training after the weight training, because if you do cardio first, it uses up much of the energy for your anaerobic work, or strength training, and fatigues the muscles before their most strenuous activity.

This same view holds that strength training first will deplete the muscles stored carbohydrates, glycogen or sugar, and therefore will enhance fat burning during the cardio workout due to the lack of available sugar for fuel.

However from what I've read, there is no credible, concrete research that proves this, and what it should really come down to are your goals.

For instance, if your primary goal is to increase your aerobic endurance or lose body fat, then you should perform cardio first.

If your primary goal is to increase muscular strength, then do strength training first.

To get the most out of your workout, perform the exercise that is most important to your goals first, when you are not fatigued.

If your fitness goals include overall improvements, a factor for you to consider is which one of the types of exercises you enjoy most. You should do that exercise last.

I see a lot of guys who have set a goal of losing fat around their belly and they spend 30 minutes in the gym on the bench press or the preacher curl. Why? Because they are good at those and they see the results. The problem is that when they are done with those, they are too fatigued or don't have time to have a quality cardio workout.

The same concept applies to the ladies who want to firm up their arms but refuse to lift weights because they don't want to get big. Ladies, lifting weights will not make you big, and you won't firm your arms on the treadmill.

Spend 10 minutes at the beginning of your workout on your biceps and triceps and then go for your stair-stepping marathon. You will be shocked at how much more shapely your arms become.

It is better for you to have consistency in your exercise than to worry about the two extra calories you might burn from doing weights or cardio first. Analyze your goals, then plan your workouts to reach your goals.

Got to keep Blogging...

2006-05-10T10:05:00.000-04:00

I've been bad about the blogging. Just to let you all know that I've still been working out and my goals have not changed. I did get a chance to run this weekend. Our family was at a Relay for Life for the American Cancer Society and I just incorporated my workout into the relay. I ran 13.25 miles in just under 2 hours. My energy level was still good at that time, but my calves and knee were starting to get sore from not running this distance for some time.

The bad thing was that as I was doing a cool down lap I met a guy I hadn't seen for years. We talked for what seemed like a half hour at which point the air temperature ~50 degrees and my cold sweat where causing my calves to cramp up even more.

I ran again yesterday 5k 27:30 to see how the legs would hold up after the long run. They hurt a little at first but once they loosed up a little they felt better. Today they feel good.

I got to get back to blogging...

Week Fifteen - Week Twenty

2006-03-12T19:16:00.001-05:00

Good god, it's been six weeks since I last posted any updates.... what the hell have I been doing?

Well some of the blame is on the Florida vacation. I did no training for over ten days. I wouldn't have thought that taking an extended break from my workouts would have caused a great loss of fitness. Silly me, when I got back I had gained 3 pounds and my fitness was already showing signs of wear.

When I got back from vacation I also made a conscious effort to get more cross training. So my weight training has been scrapped now for three weeks in favor of Basic Training. Basic Training is a combination of step training, weight training and cardio workout. The first time I did this workout, my body hurt for four days from the different muscle groups being worked. I also have incorporated a Pilates and Fitness Yoga class.
Both of these classes are not overly strenuous, but they do add to my flexibility, which has always been a weakness in my physique. All these classes take up time, so I have not been running or swimming as much.

Now lets get back to my workouts and fitness level. I am going to combine several of the weeks here.

Week Fifteen:
Heavy Weight for the Week: 192.6
Light Weight for the Week: 190.4
Cardio Training: Swim 1300 yards, Bike 5 one-hour classes, Run 12 miles
Weights: 3 sessions of upper body
Misc.: Sit ups crunches
Body Fat %: 11.4

Week Sixteen:
Heavy Weight for the Week: 191.6
Light Weight for the Week: 188.8
Cardio Training: Swim 1250 yards, Bike 5 one-hour classes, Run 10 miles
Weights: 2 sessions of upper body
Misc.: Sit ups crunches
Body Fat %: 11.5

Week Seventeen:
Heavy Weight for the Week: 188.6
Light Weight for the Week: 187.8
Cardio Training: Swim 800 yards, Bike 3 one-hour classes, Run 7 miles
Weights: 1 sessions of upper body
Misc.: Sit ups crunches
Body Fat %: 11.5

Week Eighteen:
Vacation, so I didn't weigh myself or workout (I did walk a lot)

Week Nineteen:
Heavy Weight for the Week: 191.6
Light Weight for the Week: 188.6
Cardio Training: Swim 0 yards, Bike 5 one-hour classes, Run 0 miles
Weights: 2 sessions of upper body
Misc.: Sit ups crunches, Yoga Class, Pilates, and Basic Training
Body Fat %: 11.4

Week Twenty:
Heavy Weight for the Week: 191.6
Light Weight for the Week: 188.6
Cardio Training: Swim 0 yards, Bike 5 one-hour classes, Run 0 miles
Weights: 2 sessions of upper body
Misc.: Sit ups crunches, Yoga Class, Pilates, and Basic Training
Body Fat %: 11.3

Five Tips to Maintain Muscle and Boost Fat Loss

2006-03-04T12:59:00.000-05:00

Adopt an exercise plan that incorporates cardiovascular exercise along with weight training. Do not overdo cardiovascular exercise—it can damage the muscle fibers that you are working so hard to build and maintain. Do your weight training first followed by your cardio if you are doing them both on the same day. This will ensure your strength is at a maximum for lifting and you will continue to burn fat during your cardio session.

Eat protein with every meal, eat every three hours and skip the sugar. Protein is the building block of muscle and it is essential for repair after workouts. Complete your meal with low-glycemic carbohydrates.

Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) has been found in studies to increase the loss of body fat (particularly around the abdomen) while maintaining muscle mass. This supplement should be taken for at least three months before stopping–it works, just not right away! Typical dosage is about 1500 mg two times per day.

7-Keto DHEA is an exciting new product that has been found in research to prevent the decline in metabolic rate that naturally tends to occur with a reduction in caloric intake or dieting.

Keep stress levels manageable. Elevated levels of stress hormone (cortisol) can have a negative effect on body composition by increasing the breakdown of muscle mass and increasing the deposition of fat around the abdomen. Relora is an herbal compound found to be effective in keeping stress hormone levels balanced and reducing abdominal fat. Phosphatidylserine may also help reduce stress hormone levels and protect body tissues, such as the brain and muscles from the negative effects of stress

New Header....

2006-01-28T20:46:00.000-05:00

I would like to change my header to incorporate the following picture I made...

It symbolized the bricks that need to be in place and the wall we will try to go past during a race.
What do you think?

Week Fourteen

2006-01-23T19:11:00.000-05:00

First week of the second quarter...

It seems that this has been a continuation of last week. I have not gone to the gym and worked out as hard as I have in the past few weeks.

I think the cutting back on intensity is helping out a bit. I hit a new low weight this week 191.6# I think I had been overtraining a bit and the rest is paying off.

Heavy Weight for the Week: 193.6 LightWeight for the Week: 191.6 Cardio Training: Swim 0 yards (second weeks of no swimming) Bike 5 one-hour classes (~100 miles) Run 13.5 miles Weights: 2 sessions of upper body Misc.: Sit ups Body Fat %: 11.3

A Quarter of a Year and Counting

2006-01-17T18:56:00.000-05:00

Ok... so I've been at this for 13 weeks. Above you can see a graphical representation of my weekly average weight as well as % body fat. All in all not that bad. The trend lines are all heading in the correct direction, and I have not starved myself to get to where I'm at.

There is plenty of improvement that can occur in the next 13 weeks. I hope to hit a weight of 185 pounds in the next thirteen weeks. That will take me to the end of the summer when I will compete in my long race for the year. I also would like to be sub 10% body fat during that time.

It's all about baby steps...

Week Thirteen

2006-01-15T00:47:00.000-05:00

That's a quarter of a year that I've been at the training. There have been some good weeks and then there has been weeks like this one.

This has not been one of the stellar hard workout weeks for me. On the positive side, I did get a chance to work out five times this week. Saturday I did a double spin class. On the negative side, I didn't get into the pool once and I only ran twice. Like I said in an earlier post I had one of my worst workout days this week also. I also missed my Thursday workout because I wasted my day trying to pick up relatives from the airport. The stress level was pretty high after that. All this gloom and doom....

My wife always tells me that all guys have to do is to do a few situps and they will shed weight. I guess she must be right as I hit my low weight for the quarter on Sunday. Yahoo...192.6 pounds.

Heavy Weight for the Week: 194.6
Light Weight for the Week: 192.6
Cardio Training: Swim 0 yards
Bike 6 one-hour classes (~120 miles)
Run 4 miles
Weights: 3 sessions of upper body
Misc.: Sit ups crunches
Body Fat %: 11.2

Bad day of working out...

2006-01-11T21:08:00.000-05:00

I went to workout yesterday, and I did my normal spin class. It was supposed to also be a run night for me (4.5 miles @ an easy 10 minute pace)...

I got done with the bike and stepped on the treadmill... started the run and bonked just before a mile. I struggled to finish the mile just so I could put something down on the log for the day. I just couldn't get relaxed or comfortable, and it was the worst I felt in a long time. The weird thing was that I didn't run out of energy with the typical bonk, it was more of a drained feeling.

I'm glad that when I went back today I felt better after the bike enough to due a full weight workout.

This ever happen to anyone else?

Week Twelve

2006-01-08T16:08:00.000-05:00

Three months and counting. I have been trying to make a difference in my body over the last few weeks (really hard and long workouts) and I think it is making very little babysteps. Next week I'm going to post a spreadsheet that will show my progress over the last quarter.

The gym this week has been crazy. Countless amounts of newbies all over the place, at least this will not last long.

I rode in a beginning spin class on Thursday (missed my regular scheduled spin class) and I had a kind of a funny experience there. One of the newbies showed up and asked me if she had to move and set up the bike herself. She was what I would call a Miss Priss. You know the kind... "I'm here to be seen and not to sweat". I guess if you don't know what to do it is best to ask.

Heavy Weight for the Week: 194.6
Light Weight for the Week: 193.0
Cardio Training: Swim 1500 yards
Bike 6 one-hour classes (~120 miles)
Run 14 miles
Weights: 3 sessions of upper body and one session of lower body
Misc.: Sit ups crunches
Body Fat %: 11.4

Parking Lot

2006-01-07T16:18:00.000-05:00

Why do some people wait for a "good" parking space at the gym?

Isn't this the last place where you would find parking spot squatting going on?

Week Eleven

2006-01-02T19:55:00.000-05:00

It's finally over... the Holidays are past us.

These last few weeks have been hectic in our family as we sponsored Christmas Eve dinner, Christmas Day dinner and Festivus at out house. All this while trying to clean up from the drywallers mess in the basement. So needless to say I would not have been surprised to see that my fitness level would have dropped.

When I went to the club this morning I was amazed to find the place relatively half empty. I am sure that a lot of people were sleeping off last nights New Years Eve festivities. At our house it was stay up to midnight and open up a few bottles of kid friendly "champagne".

Over the last week I have been trying to keep the workouts hard to make up for the fact that I would be eating junk and drinking some adult beverages. So all in all, I am happy with the results for the week.

Heavy Weight for the Week: 195.2
Light Weight for the Week: 193.6
Cardio Training: Swim 1300 yards
Bike 5 one-hour classes (~100 miles)
Run 10 miles
Weights: 3 sessions of upper body
Misc.: Sit ups crunches
Body Fat %: 11.3

Weight Loss for New Years Resolution

2006-01-02T10:38:00.000-05:00

Most people will have a New Years resolution like stop smoking, quit drinking, or exercise more. The resolution most people have is to loose some weight. Smallstep.gov is a site that tries to help with this issue. There is a list of over 100 small steps that one can do to help with the weight loss. These are meant to be small steps in the battle over obesity. Take a handful and implement them in your life. Remember that the weight gain didn't happen overnight and neither will the weight loss. It has been four years for me to get to where I'm at and I'm still struggling to improve my fitness level. Do what works best for you. If your going to do a Atkins or South Beach diet remember that once you are off the diet you will put weight back on. With me it is simple thermodynamics. I expend more calories then I take in.

In hindsight, if I were to do it over again I would take a picture of myself as nude as possible (front, side and rear), and take general measurements of my body (neck, chest, arms, waist, hips, thighs, etc) along with the starting weight. Set a short term goal and a long term goal with a date to achieve each goal. Hang the pictures and the short term goal on the refrigerator door. This is meant to be a deterrent and a reminder of your goals.

I used to weigh myself on a daily basis at the same time of day with the same condition and chart the weight on an spreadsheet. I weighed myself in the morning after using the bathroom. After you have developed your weight loss habits (it takes 21 days to form any habit) post your spreadsheet on the refrigerator door as well and update it every week. This will be a visual cue that the weight loss is working. When you hit a short term goal reward yourself (buy a new bike, exercise clothes, set of dumbbells etc.) and set a new short term goal.

Note that if you don't do this for yourself you may fail. It will help if you have someone else going through the same process as you go through it. Make it fun... wager a lunch over who looses the most weight. Finally, you have to treat this as a LIFE CHANGING EVENT. If you don't you will just yo-yo diet and will put on the weight again (if not more).

Good Luck!

The Ten Commandments

2005-12-27T15:14:00.000-05:00

In honor of week ten, I figured that I would share with you my ten commandments of gym etiquette.

I. Thou Shall Not Overexpose Flesh - You may be proud of your rock-hard glutes, but that doesn’t mean everyone wants to see them. Wrap a towel around yourself, even if the shower is just steps from your locker, and please, no naked sitting. Drape a towel over a bench (and yourself) before taking a seat. I had a guy within what I would deem my personal bubble who was naked doing the Captain Morgan. Why do these guys think it is ok for them to show their goods to anyone that is near.

II. Thou Shall Pick Up After Yourself - Even the best round-the-clock cleaning staff will have trouble keeping up with a thousand determined mess makers, so out of courtesy to your fellow club members, throw away used paper towels and tissues. Before you toss your towel in the laundry bin, use it to wipe any puddles out of the bottom of your locker. Strive to make the areas you’ve used as clean as when you arrived.

III. Thou Shall Not Talk On The Cell Phone - Ask any health-club member to name their biggest complaint and the cell phone wins, hands down. I can't tell you how many times I've been on a machine and someone will get on the next one and pick up their cell phone and start to talk to their friend. If it's an emergency I can understand, but after 45 minutes it can't be. Can't these people talk outside of the club while in the car to their friend (oh wait they already do that). How can these people think that they are getting all that they can from their workout if they are focused on the cell phone instead. Even more ridiculous is the guys that bring and use their cell phones in the locker room. I don't have an issue with them talking on them I just don't want to wind up on some bigbutts.com web site. If you must have your cell phone with you remember that all of them have this new feature on them called vibrate.

IV. Thou Shall Not Stink - Your sweat might smell at times, but if you arrive somewhat clean, you’ll keep your workout aroma to a minimum. Make sure to apply deodorant beforehand, and don’t wear clothes that have stewed in your gym bag and can stand up by themselves. On the converse, remember that you’re at a health club, not the local pub, so lay off the perfume and cologne. You may think that the smell of Old English Leather is good, but some of us may think it is offensive.

V. Thou Shall Dress Appropriately - Clothing is designed to keep you cool and to wick sweat away, not expose your assets (even if you have been working hard to attain them). There’s nothing wrong with dressing in a way that gives you confidence and makes you feel good about yourself. But there’s also no need to put on a show. By wearing too little, you can distract some people from their workout. Men, this is not the place to showcase your latest wife beater shirt. Just because it stretches, spandex does not look good on you if your 100 pounds overweight.

VI. Thou Shall Not Treat The Gym As A Meat Market - Trying to score a date at the gym is a big no-no. Of course, the gym can be a great place to meet people who share your fitness interests, but most people are there to sweat, not flirt. See someone interesting? Wait until that person is at the juice bar or walking out the door to strike up a conversation.

VII. Thou Shall Not Spread Germs - Exercise probably won’t hurt your cold if your symptoms are above the neck, but you can easily spread your germs and do some real damage to others. Do everyone a favor and avoid the club if you’re infectious. I am sure that going in the steam room will help your lungs clear out, unfortunately it will probably give the rest of us you flu.

VIII. Thou Shall Not Interfere In A Class – This is one of my pet peeves. The spin class is adjacent to another class. On most days there will be numerous members that will use our class as a shortcut to get a drink of water. This would not be bad if the other class was a yoga class, but in most cases it is a step class so the music when the door is opened is blaring and it causes a nuisance.

IX. Thou Shall Not Set Up Shop - Space is limited in the locker room, so refrain from setting up camp on an entire bench or counter. Use only the space you need, take care of your business, clean up and then move on out.

X. Thou Shall Not Leave Sweat Puddles - Touching other people’s excretions is gross. So get a towel and wipe down that bench, cardio machine, stretching mat, dumbbell or whatever you’ve just used. Most clubs provide spray and towels near workout areas. If yours doesn’t, insist that it does — or bring your own little sweat rag along for the ride.

Christmas Present

2005-12-25T23:12:00.000-05:00

"Santa" bought me a new heart rate monitor for Christmas. It is the Polar F11 model. It is not the Shizz Nit of heart rate monitors but it will do for some years to come.

The F11 is an exerciser's dream come true. It's the world's only heart rate monitor that creates a workout program to tell you how much, how hard and how long to exercise to reach your goals. The new, revolutionary Keeps U Fit - Workout Program guides you to your personal goals. OwnIndexÂ® will determine your fitness level, track your improvements, and provide motivation. The OwnCalÂ® feature counts the calories and fat that you burn and the OwnZoneÂ® feature will automatically determine each day's target zone. The F11 also features the WearLinkÂ Coded transmitter made from a soft, fabric material. The electrodes, which pick up the heart signals, are integrated right into the strap for added flexibility and comfort. The Coded feature eliminates interference from other heart rate monitors. The F11 is the closest thing to having your own personal trainer.

Week Ten

2005-12-24T20:15:00.000-05:00

Christmas feasting is almost over. I hope that the added work that I put into the previous few weeks pays off as I will not be working out for several days in a row. I guess the good thing is that my body can afford the time away from the training.

I rode today and by far it was the best day of the week as I rode in Zone 3 and 4 for most of the workout. It was Aerobic Endurance Class. I felt so good that I rode an extra 40 minutes after the class in zone 2 at a high cadence. Then it was off to the malls to do some last minute shopping. On the good note the malls were not as bad as I had envisioned. I was expecting to see a wall of humanity fighting over the last of the goods, but contrarily, there were plenty of goods for everyone and most people were pleasant to each other.

I had a good week on the bike and lost a few pounds in anticipation of the Christmas feasts. By weeks end I was at 194.6 pounds.

Heavy Weight for the Week: 195.8
Light Weight for the Week: 194.4
Cardio Training: Swam 0 yards
Bike 5 1/2 one-hour classes (110 miles)
Run 5.5 miles
Weights: 2 sessions of upper body
Misc.: Sit ups crunches
Body Fat %: 11.4

Week Nine

2005-12-19T18:04:00.000-05:00

Another week for the records.

More of the same this week. It is a little frustrating watching the weight not move after 9 weeks of working out.

I was able to get my AT back in the 150's which I am glad that it has come up form the past few weeks. I talked to a friend of mine in spinning that said that his AT is routinely in the 180's. I said that this can't be his AT and he said that he has all the correct effects for being at AT and notices instantly when he drops out of AT in the low 180's. I personally think he is overtraining and has basically working in zone 4 and 5 all the time.

unfortunately no swimming this week as I cut back on my workouts somewhat.

Heavy Weight for the Week: 198.4
Light Weight for the Week: 196.2
Cardio Training: Bike 4 one-hour classes (80 miles), Ran 4.5 miles, Swam 0 yards
Weights: 2 sessions of upper body
Misc.: Sit ups crunches
Body Fat %: 11.4

Holidays are upon us!

2005-12-17T20:00:00.000-05:00

How does one not put on the seven pounds of "winter fat" between Thanksgiving and New Years?

I know that this has been difficult for me in the past. Every year it seems that I put on a few extra pounds during the holidays and then I need to shed it off in the spring. This is also getting to be a greater chore every year as I get older and the pounds just don't melt away by doing a few extra sit ups. (as my wife thinks I do it)

This week is what I would venture is a typical week for most of us as we are faced with numerous company Christmas luncheons and going out after work for drinks.

This article appeared in Beginner Triathlete and it outlines some general tips for making it through the holiday season without gaining that extra layer of cold protection. It’s standard stuff, but it’s a good read regardless. It pretty much boils down to this:

Offer to have the holiday meal at your house.
If you’ve been invited to someone’s house for the holidays, bring something with you like a low fat side dish.
Fill your plate with the lower fat foods first and then just add a taste of the higher fat foods to your plate.
Drink at least 8 to 16 ounces of water BEFORE your meal.
If snacky foods are sitting around the house before mealtime, sit away from the dishes or socialize in a room that is not filled with the tempting treats.
Get up a bit earlier that morning and go for a run/walk/bike ride/etc.
If you can’t get up and workout before the big meal…recruit people/family members to go out for a walk after dinner.
Set a goal to work out at least 3 to 4 days a week during the holidays.
If you are going to indulge in a few alcoholic beverages, choose lower calorie options. Wine is better than light beer, light beer is better than beer, and beer is better than some liquor and mixes.
This is also the time of year to set new goals.

Don’t go without, just watch portion sizes and remember that there is ALWAYS time to get a short workout in…if you make the time!

Remember, your health is just as important DURING the holidays as it is during the other 9 months of the year. So, don’t take November, December and January off, just curb your workouts a bit, maintain, and take the extra time you have to spend with the people you love!

Week Eight

2005-12-11T20:11:00.000-05:00

Another week in the record book. This week was the same as last week with little movement of my weight. I did see a slight move in my percent body fat as I hit 11% at the end of the week. Also this week, I did another Yoga class and did two sessions in the pool.

So, what's with the "Vibra Belt" on the left? In one of my earlier posts I wrote about the steam bath and the guys who work out in them. Eduardo mentioned that he too can't believe how some people will look at the latest weight loss fad and jump on it. My belief is that as long as it is fast and does not require a lot of work people will buy it in droves. That is why you see so many pills, creams, and machines makes the weight loss industry a multi billion industry.

I talked with several of the trainers about the fact that my anaerobic threshold (AT) point has been going down over the last few weeks. Over the last three weeks it went from 161 to 144 on Friday. This is unusual as it should be going up as my fitness level improves. After today's class my spin instructor (Laura) suggested that I may be over training the cycling. She said to cut back on some of the spin classes and do more varied workouts (like weight training, swimming and running). She may be right since the spin class is one thing I do every time I go to the gym. I also took Saturday off and noticed that my AT was at 152 on Sunday. I'm going to have to take a closer look at my workouts in the future and vary them.

Heavy Weight for the Week: 196.6
Light Weight for the Week: 195.8
Cardio Training: Bike 6 one-hour classes (120 miles), Ran 8.5 miles, Swam 2250 yards
Weights: 3 sessions of upper body
Misc.: Sit ups crunches, Yoga Class
Body Fat %: 12.0

Shvitz

2005-12-10T18:49:00.000-05:00

I have been using the "shvitz" at the club. It is amazing how many guys use this as their main form of working out. I mean there are guys in there that I never see in the workout area. Do they think that this will turn them into body builders?

I really like the few guys who think that working out in a sauna is a great idea. This has to be the quickest way to a heart attack that I can think of. Not only are these guys out of shape but lets start working out in something that mimics your stove.

The main benefit of a sauna are to sweat... and the benefits associated with deep sweating are:

Ridding the body of toxins
Cardiovascular workout
Relaxation and stress reduction
Induces a deeper sleep
Soothing relief to sore and stiff muscles and joints.

I use it after working out and get into a cold shower after. Nothing like it. Here is a link to some more information of sweat boxes.

http://ask.yahoo.com/20000421.html

Yogi Bear

2005-12-09T22:24:00.000-05:00

Just call me Yogi Bear...

Another Friday night and again I got talked into doing another Yoga class after spinning.

This time around I learned a new challenging stretch (I mean pose). The pigeon, as it's called, is supposed to stretch, strengthen and tone the spinal column; also, it strengthens and limbers hip joints and groin muscles (I can confirm this); it also stimulates metabolic and reproductive glands and organs and increases vitality (I can't confirm this).

To the right you can see what I mean by challenging. It is by far not as easy as it looks... LOL.

For a guy that is 6'2" and 195 # this is a chore to get in to let alone get out of.

Killer Abs

2005-12-07T16:47:00.000-05:00

I've never really had a great set of abs, and I guess I never will.

So why all of the sudden do I start doing sit ups and leg lifts? I really don't know???

If you didn't know, abdominals are broken up into three main sections... the upper abdominal, the lower abdominal, and the obliques. I guess the picture on the right is an inspiration to us all that don't have a six pack.

I guess the reason why I started them up again is that over the last seven to eight weeks, I've really not noticed any change in my midsection. Other areas of my body have changes slightly... midsection not so much. I still have a slight beer gut that doesn't seem to want to leave. I know that abdominal exercises will not reduce fat around my midsection, but I still have made a point of doing situps (even though I detest them). What I am expecting (mostly wishing) is that the situps will tone and build the abdominal muscles. If I ever get rid of the extra flab the abdominal exercised should help me attain my goal of possibly having a set of six pack abs... LOL.

So little time... so much flab to loose.

Week Seven

2005-12-04T17:00:00.000-05:00

Another week in the record book. This week was uneventful except for the weird thing that my light weight was on Monday and my heavy weight was on Sunday. Conversely I lost body fat % as the week went by.

What does the girl on the right have to do with this weeks blog? (Besides having a great body)

That's seven weeks and counting. It's been a good week with lots of time spent at the gym. I got reinvigorated with the weekend off and my legs feel a lot better. Week was capped off with a zone 4 and 5 training session on the bike. I hit a max heart beat of 173 during that workout.

Heavy Weight for the Week: 197.2
Light Weight for the Week: 195.6
Cardio Training: Bike 5 one-hour classes (100 miles), Ran 7.5 miles, Swam 1000 yards
Weights: 3 sessions of upper body, one session of lower body
Misc.: Nothing new this week
Body Fat %: 12.2

Good Weekend of Rest Pays Off

2005-11-30T10:34:00.000-05:00

The rest helped...

My legs must have absorbed all that rest and fluid like a sponge.

I rode hard and it didn't affect my legs at all. The ride was a hill workout and I rode in zone 4 most of the ride and capped my heart rate at 174 bpm. A new record for me.

Sore Legs

2005-11-29T18:45:00.000-05:00

I've run into a bad case of sore legs (too much spinning too soon) so I thought it would be a good time to do a little research on this phenomenon. I gave my legs the weekend off from training and I hope that this will reinvigorate them for tonight's ride.

This article first appeared in TDM Magazine, Issue 1, August 1998.

Sore Legs and What to do About Them
By Annemarie Jutel

Sore legs are common fare for runners, duathletes and triathletes alike, but just how sore is OK, and when you should back off, or seek medical assistance? There are a number of issues to take into consideration, and any smart athlete should know to ask a few sensible questions:

Do I know what made this come on?
Sometimes, it is easy to find the answer just by looking at your training log. You may have gone for an exceptionally long run, or done your first speed session of the season. You may have changed running surfaces, or running shoes. In most cases, your soreness will relate back to something like this - a new feature of training which your body didn't quite adapt to.
Training is all about coaxing your body into progressive adaptation: you run fast "pieces" to teach your body to run faster on a sustained period of time, you go for long runs or rides to enhance your ability to "hold on" in an ironman, you do hill work to strengthen your hill-climbing ability. It all makes sense. Your body adapts progressively, and that adaptation helps you to develop a new skill, or perfect an old one.

If your legs are sore, you may not have given your legs enough time to adapt. Back off. You ran too long? Take short runs until your legs feel comfortable again. You ran on ground that was too unstable? Come back to a firmer surface, and next time you run on sand, cut the time in half. If it is the new shoes, alternate with your old ones to start with, until you have adjusted to the new. If you find that despite the easing off, your legs remain sore, then seek professional advice

What kind of sore is it?
You should be able to distinguish tired muscles from injured ones, but it is not always that easy. Usually tired legs will be bilateral (both sides), whereas an injury is commonly on one side alone. A little niggle is OK when you just start training, but if it doesn't go away once you are warm, and worse, persists outside of training, it is starting to look a bit more serious. You need to get some help. Any kind of intense pain, even if it is just post-race, or post-exertion muscle soreness, must be heeded, and all activities which aggravate it should be suspended. If you can barely walk, there is no sense in running. Hit the pool instead!

Does it effect your gait?
Once again, it may only be post-race or post-exertion soreness, but if it effects your gait, you are heading down a dangerous path. As you limp, you call different muscles into play. You may be swinging your leg "around", instead of "through," changing the entire dynamics of movement. This can help you to "put out" your back, strain your hip, or hurt your other leg. If you are limping, go for a swim, or get on the bike, if you can handle it! If the limp persists, make sure to have it checked out.

How bad's the burn?
There is a kind of sore that has nothing to do with injury but one that you must learn to pay attention too. It is the sore that comes from being over-trained. You might go to run a speed session, and do the first rep just fine, but by the time you get to the second, your thighs are on fire, and you can't keep up the pace. You'd find the same thing on the bike. You get to the bottom of a hill, and as soon as you take the first down stroke on the pedal, you ignite. Your legs just won't respond. They burn going up stairs, for heaven's sake! Well, burn may sometimes be a desirable thing, but in this case, it is flaming message: Back off! Here again, your legs are failing to adapt, even though you may not feel you have been training terribly hard.
Your heart and lungs seem to be fine (although you may be having troubles hitting your max heart rate), but your legs just can't hold out. They are telling you to take it easy. Have a few days off, and several easy weeks (I kid you not!). Ease back into serious training, and you should see some improvement.

Who should you see?
I've got the best possible medical team possible down here. My physio is a NZ rep duathlete, my doctor is a master swimmer, my osteopath treats half the Otago Rugby team, as does my orthopaedist. I know that these folks understand the biomechanics and the psychology of competitive sport training. Hopefully there is someone in your community with similar commitment to sport. If there isn't, it is worth taking a trip to the nearest good-sized town. Talk to the people you train with, and seek advice from them: have they been injured before? Who helped them out?

With good medical care, good training, and a bit of luck, your sore legs shouldn't let you down.

Week Six

2005-11-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

That's six full week and counting.
The guy on the right has a six pack... get it... week six... six pack. Besides it's a good shot for the ladies... and no... it's not me.... LOL.

I got reinvigorated this week and did a lot of training... maybe too much. I got to the gym five times this week and by the end of the week I could feel the drain on my body. I did seven days of spin classes in a row and my legs were stating to get fatigued. I must have missed the recovery ride. A recovery ride is supposed to be a bike ride that does not take your heart rate above zone 3. It is supposed to let your body recuperate from the stress that gets put on it from hard workouts while you still give the sore muscles light exercise.

Thanksgiving Day spin class workout was a killer. (Ninety minute workout with the firs 45 minutes of hills and the last 45 minutes simulating a race day (flat rides with some surges and a fast hard sprint on the end).

During Friday's workout I could see the outcome of Thanksgiving. The gym was packed with so many people trying to get an early jump on shedding Thanksgiving dinner. So many people... so many foolish people. If only they would have had only one serving of pie then I would be able to use the weight machines that I wanted to use. At least this will end soon and December is usually a good time to workout.

On a good note, my wife’s mom moved in with us until she recuperates from her surgery. She came through the surgery just fine thank you. Another good note, on Monday I got to the gym early enough so that I would not have to get in the front and lead. Also, I made it through the Thanksgiving holiday without packing on the pounds caused by extra eating. I really have not seen any movement in weight but my body fat count has gone down a little. That means that I am putting on some muscle while still shedding some fat.

Heavy Weight for the Week: 197.4
Light Weight for the Week: 195.4
Cardio Training: Bike 5 one-hour classes (115 miles), Ran 5 miles, Swam 750 yards
Weights: 3 sessions of upper body, one session of lower body
Misc.: Yoga Class
Body Fat %: 12.8

Heart Rate Training Zones

2005-11-25T14:43:00.000-05:00

Heart Rate Training Zones

Heart rate training zones are calculated by taking into consideration your Maximum Heart Rate (MHR) and your Resting Heart Rate (RHR). Within each training zone subtle physiological effects take place to enhance your fitness.

The Energy Efficient or Recovery Zone - 60% to 70%
Training within this zone develops basic endurance and aerobic capacity. All easy recovery running should be completed at a maximum of 70%. Another advantage to running in this zone is that while you are happily fat burning you may lose weight and you will be allowing your muscles to re-energize with glycogen, which has been expended during those faster paced work-outs. Check out the Fat burning zone page.

The Aerobic Zone - 70% to 80%
Training in this zone will develop your cardiovascular system. The body's ability to transport oxygen to, and carbon dioxide away from, the working muscles can be developed and improved. As you become fitter and stronger from training in this zone it will be possible to run some of your long weekend runs at up to 75%, so getting the benefits of some fat burning and improved aerobic capacity.

The Anaerobic Zone - 80% to 90%
Training in this zone will develop your lactose acid system. In this zone your individual anaerobic threshold is found - sometimes referred to the point of deflection (POD). During these heart rates the amount of fat being utilized as the main source of energy is greatly reduced and glycogen stored in the muscle is predominantly used. One of the by-products of burning this glycogen, is the runners worst enemy, lactose acid. There is a point at which the body can no longer remove the lactose acid from the working muscles quickly enough. This happens at an individual heart rate for us all and is accompanied by a rapid rise in heart rate and a slowing of your running pace. This is your anaerobic threshold or POD. Through the correct training it is possible to delay the POD by being able to increase your ability to deal with the lactose acid for a longer period of time or by pushing the POD higher.

The Red Line Zone 90% to 100%
Training in this zone will only be possible for short periods of time. It effectively trains your fast twitch muscle fibers and helps to develop speed. This zone is reserved for interval running and only the very fit are able to train effectively within this zone.

Attached below is a link to the Lifetime Fitness Heart Rate Zone Chart.

http://www.lifetimefitness.com/modules/heart_rate/heart_rate_training_chart.pdf

Is it Yoda or Yoga?

2005-11-24T22:29:00.000-05:00

After another hard spin class last night (aerobic endurance) a 4 mile run was on the docket. Tod, the spin instructor, asked me if I wanted to join his Yoga class. He said the class would relax me and teach me the proper way to breath. This intrigued me. Don't get me wrong, but I think of myself as being quite the master when it comes to breathing... I mean, I've been doing it off and on for most of my life. Anyways, Tod killed us in class and my legs where real sore from the spinning, so I thought what the heck let's give this Yoga thing a shot.

Most of the time when I see a Yoga class it is usually frequented by middle aged somewhat out of shape people. Don't get me wrong, to some I fit this description perfectly. Anyways I convinced one of my friends that if he would take the Yoga class with me I would do kickboxing class with him. He agreed...

Top Ten things I learned about Yoga

NEVER EVER do Yoga right after getting off a bike. It is impossible (as I found out) to relax your breathing and take deep breaths when your Heart Rate is still above 150 bpm.
Sweating is an issue in Yoga. I was sweating like a pig at the beginning of class and no one else was.
Shoes and socks are not required for Yoga.
There is a real long (what I will call) sleeping section at the end of Yoga class. It's nothing like spinning. At the end of the spin class we hit zone five (max heart rate). Oddly enough, I don't think this ever happened during the yoga class. Maybe, I was just to relaxed to notice.
Go figure... Flexibility is real important.
Most men will look clumsy doing it.
No Techno, House, Rap, Hard Rock, or Alternative music. Mostly soft elevator music.
No special equipment needed. Besides the soft sleeping mat.
Not a whole lot of grunting, shouting, yelling or screaming during the class.
Even though the instructor was in great shape. The majority of the class was middle aged somewhat out of shape.

Kidding asides, the class was an enjoyable diversion from my typical workout regime and it gave an appreciation on a different method of exercising. If I get a chance, I may even do it again.

I'm back in the pool

2005-11-20T20:50:00.000-05:00

Yep that's right, I hit the water again today for the first time in several months. Shoulder held up and I swam an easy 750 yards. Not much... but it's a start.

Week Five

2005-11-19T19:17:00.000-05:00

Fifth full week. This was not one of my best weeks... I have not been able to get to the gym as much as I would like with all the things going on with our family. I did manage to get to the gym 3 times and rode all three days. On a good note, I also started to lift weights again. My shoulder has been acting up again and I needed to do something about it. I did upper body weights 3 times as well. My upper body looks nothing like this guy, but my arms were so sore on Tuesday that I could not straighten my arm anymore then this guy. It was kind of funny walking around in this pose, but by the end of the week my arms and body were getting used to the workouts.

On Monday I was stuck in front of the spin class leading again. I think Eric likes it that someone else leads so he has a day off, or it could be that I need to get to the class a little earlier.

Heavy Weight for the Week: 196.4
Light Weight for the Week: 194.8
Cardio Training: Bike 3 one-hour classes (60 miles), No Running this week (ouch)
Weights: 3 sessions of upper body
Body Fat %: 13.2

What are creatine and glutamine

2005-11-16T16:32:00.000-05:00

From Ask the Doc...

Q: What do creatine and glutamine do for your body?

A: Creatine and glutamine are both nitrogen-containing compounds that are present in the body and many foods that are eaten in the average diet. Both are packaged and sold as supplements useful for enhancing muscle building in athletes and body builders.

Creatine is part of the energy-storage mechanism in muscle cells, where it is stored mainly as the chemical phosphocreatine, which is broken down into creatine and phosphate ions in the process of generating the major source of energy for intense, short-term muscle activity, adenosine triphosphate ATP. The theory favoring the use of creatine as a supplement is that by increasing the supply of creatine phosphate, ATP can be regenerated faster, thus speeding up recovery from bouts of intense, short-term exercise. It does actually work in some people, although there seems to be a genetic predisposition to effectiveness being necessary also.
Creatine use is associated with increase in muscle bulk, due to two factors: the increased amount of work allowed by quicker regeneration of ATP and the fact that creatine in muscle cells binds water, thereby physically increasing bulk. The latter effect is lost when the person stops taking creatine, and the bulk that comes from water retention is lost quickly.

Glutamine is an amino acid (protein building block) touted as a way to help reduce breakdown of muscle tissue in exercise, increase growth hormone levels, improve the immune system and help the body to respond to stress. The mechanisms for these actions are not known, and most claims for efficacy are based on the observation that with exercise glutamine levels (and, indeed, the levels of all amino acids, which are broken down to energy in the body) decrease. There are no good studies confirming the claimed effectiveness of glutamine in doing any of these things.

Week Four

2005-11-08T15:44:00.000-05:00

Fourth full week and I am really liking the spinning. I have been able to get over the 21 day habit forming period and I think that I should be able to go the long haul as long as there are no curve balls thrown at me.

I got stuck again leading the Monday class. At least this time it wasn’t my fault. Some one got there after me and Eric asked if I wanted to lead again so that the late guy could get my bike. I was ok with it and even enjoyed watching everyone else from my vantage point. The classes and gym as a whole are getting packed like sardines.

I am also starting to toy with the idea of using additional supplements besides Gatorade after training. I have been researching this a little and have been intrigued with using either Creatine and/or Glutamine. Both are safe and by all accounts due a credible amount of good, but I would like to do more research on this before I start taking either.

Heavy Weight for the Week: 196.0
Light Weight for the Week: 193.8
Training: Bike 7 one-hour classes, Ran a total of 12 miles.
Body Fat %: 13.2

Third Week

2005-11-08T14:51:00.000-05:00

Third full week and the spinning is coming along nicely. I even did a double on Saturday (back to back classes) following a hard hill workout on Friday night. I’m sore from it, but it is the good kind of sore. It has been a struggle, but I can at least see the corner.

This week the Monday class was so packed that there was no open bikes for me when I got there. Eric was good enough to get off his bike and let me use it instead. The bad thing was that I was stuck in front of the class leading the class while Eric did the motivating and speaking portions of the class. There is nothing like leading that will get the sweat going.
What I mean is that I was unable to take a “breather” during the class at all. During a typical class, one can take a break here or there for a half a minute or so to get recovered, but if you’re in front everyone knows if you dog it.

Heavy Weight for the Week: 197.6
Light Weight for the Week: 196.2
Training: Bike 7 one-hour classes (including a back to back), Ran a total of 13 miles.

Second Full Week

2005-10-30T22:37:00.000-05:00

Second full week and at least the spinning is getting better. I am still way out of shape but at least the class is getting better. Lot’s of different class instructors to get varied workout styles. I seem to like Eric’s class and (I can’t seem to remember her name's) class. They seem to be the most enthusiastic about their classes and the music is good. Got to love techno for spinning music!

Heavy Weight for the Week: 198.0
Light Weight for the Week: 195.0
Training: Bike 5 one-hour classes, Ran a total of 11 miles. (Still no swimming)

One week down and more to go...

2005-10-23T14:21:00.000-04:00

First full week of indoor training and I feel drained. I did the spin class 4 days this week and the hill workout kicked me in the ass. I needed to have that done to me to tell me that I am way out of shape. I hope it gets better before I end up quitting again.

Heavy Weight for the Week: 198.6
Light Weight for the Week: 196.8
Training: Bike 4 one-hour classes, Ran a total of 9 miles. (Have to start somewhere)

Training.... Stress, Pain and Sweat.

2005-10-17T20:42:00.000-04:00

So you may ask yourself... How much does this guy actually train for one of these things? Answer... It all depends; I have good weeks and bad weeks. This week is heading into the good column. I have managed to get motivated to get to the gym to work out and the weather in Michigan has turned to what I affectionately call Blustery season. The weather in Michigan has gotten to the point where the leaves have a difficult time holding on to their branches. On a more personal note it also signals the time when a majority of Michiganders take to the indoors for training.

The gym has gotten packed as more and more "newbie’s" join the clubs. There are so many new faces that my spinning classes have gotten to the point that they are now full prior to class starting. I need to get there at least ten minutes early if I want a good spot. What I will attempt to do is on a weekly basis I will chart my weight, body fat, and training. I hope that with this I will be able to see a difference and keep me motivated during the long winter months.

Another run right around the corner

2005-08-31T23:35:00.000-04:00

Well it's fast approaching the end of another summer.

What will be the end of the season event... marathon or a century ride?

Hate to say it, but neither is in the mix for this year.

I haven't trained hard enough to run a marathon and my body or wife will let me ride another century. Last one hurt my body real good. Nevertheless, that's another story.

So my training partner has suggested something called The Escape. I have never run this event, but it doesn't sound to hard (10k) and the location (Mayberry state park) is ideal.

So it's time to kick up the running a little and get ready for the event on September 18th.

Vacation

2005-08-16T19:26:00.000-04:00

We went to the the northern part of the state to get away from it all. It was fun doing absolutly nothing and basically sleeping for several days...

It's always good to sometimes not do anything and let the batteries recharge.

While up there I didn't get a chance to train much, but I did manage to run a few times with my nephew Ryan. He isn't that bad a runner for his age.

Anyway, on one of the last days, it was decided that we go fishing and the whole crew did. While there, Alex got the fishing hook stuck in the river. I walked out to where the hook was to get it unstuck. The river bed had many rocks that were sharp which caused me to cut the bottoms of my feet pretty good. Needless to say that this brought the running to an end.

Christine

2005-07-17T12:45:00.000-04:00

Why do I call my bike Christine?

Well it was just after I bought my bike from a friend of mine at work. He said that he hated to give the bike up, but had to as it was interfering with his home life. Interfering with his home life indeed...

He let me have it for what I thought was a fair price. I mean, she is a Specialized Allez that was just a few years old. She has Campagnolo Record components and to top it off she looks brand new. He said that he would even throw in some extras like Look pedals, air pump, a trainer, extra gear sets, and Sidi shoes that just happen to be my size. What are the odds of this good a bike that could be had for what I thought were peanuts? How could I turn it down? We agreed on a price.

My friend eyes eased as he passed possession of her to me. It seemed as though a great weight was removed from his back. I was ecstatic as I thought of the great races I would be able to ride with her. Little did I know that Christine had something else in mind...

On our first ride, I didn't take her out hard; it was just a get to know you ride. A few days later, one of my friends had stopped by and asked if we wanted to go for a ride. The ride went well except for one spot where I had to stop at a light. There I was not moving and my feet unable to unclip from the pedals. Little to say, but I took a fall. It didn't hurt as I was not moving and the road shoulder had some grass growing on it that prevented any scraps.

The next few rides had similar occurrences happen. I thought it was funny that this would happen, but at least I didn't get hurt and the bike was not being scraped up at all. That is until several months later.

It happened later that fall as three of us rode in a state park that is nearby. We were riding hard and it seemed that I was able to ride away from them like the wind. I got to a spot and looked behind with no signs of them anywhere. I unclipped my petals and waited a few minutes thinking that they would be right behind me. As I waited, I noticed what seemed like a tree with many neckerchiefs hanging from the branches. I thought it was somewhat unusual. I rode around the area for a bit, but decided to go back to see what was keeping them. As I started to ride, I noticed a glint from the road surface. I wanted to stop to take a closer look at what was made the unusual glint in the road. As I applied pressure on the brake levers and started to stop, I again was faced with the horror of not being able to unclip my pedals.

I looked for a place to fall and luck was with me as there was plenty of green grass to break my fall. Christine must have known this, so as I fell the bike fell on top of me. As I lay there, I looked down to see that my front derailer had sliced my right calf and there was lots of blood using out of the wound. I unclipped the pedals and looked for something to stop the bleeding. There was nothing around but I did remember the neckerchief tree. I walked to it, pulled down one of the cleaner ones, and wrapped my calf with it.

As I sat there I looked back at Christine and I could have sworn that she moved. The weird thing about it was that even though I had fallen a dozen times, Christine still looked as new as it was the day I bought her from my friend.

After this occurrence, I decided that I would keep Christine (for now) and take better care of her. To this day, Christine is a "inside bike" and is sheltered from the elements in my office. It seems that as long as I take good care of her (clean her up after rides, oil her components, and keep the dust off of her), that she will continue to let me ride her. That is until the next time she exerts her will... LOL.

Race Results

2005-07-10T09:10:00.000-04:00

Good news is that I didn't hurt my shoulder any more.

Bad news is that I fell apart during the first part of the run.

Swim 45 15:53
Bike 73 38:35
Run 107 27:52
Overall 70 1:22:18

I'll take it for the first race.

Race is near

2005-07-05T13:36:00.000-04:00

My first race of the year is just around the corner... Luckily, it is a sprint distance.

The Physical Therapist has given me the OK to run it. I hope the shoulder stays together.

Age of Man

2005-06-12T09:26:00.000-04:00

Today is my birthday. So what does the age of a man mean. To me it is only a chronological timeframe from birth. It does not define who, what, where, how, or why I am.

What it did do is start the stopwatch to the time I will complete an Ironman distance triathlon. I have just three years to race and finish one of these events.

Several years ago, when I was out of shape, I had a long-range goal to complete this event in Hawaii. I thought it would be a good motivator to get me to train. I found out shortly thereafter that it was the world championships and the only way to race at this event is to qualify at a very high level. I cannot devote the necessary time that is required to race at that level, so the goal was reduced to finish any Ironman.

Three years and counting.

A New Year

2005-06-11T16:49:00.000-04:00

Today I took "Christine" (my bike) out for the first time this season. I will need to post a story on how my bike got its name.

So anyways, I woke up this morning and decided that I would ride to physical therapy. The physical therapy is for a rotator cuff injury that I have. The therapist is just a few miles away and I figured I had extra time to get there. Afterwards as I was about to ride back home, I decided to ride for another 20 or so miles since there would be no one home waiting for me. It was good to get back on her as I cleared my mind and remembered what she sounded like when I cranked on her pedals and moved from gear to gear.

It was hot and the sun felt good on my body. As I continued to ride the sun beat down on the blackened pavement and the sweat started to bead on my head. I was glad that occasionally a section of my ride was tree covered. I caught up to another rider but he was going a different way then I wanted to go so I turned west towards a lake.

Its been almost a year since the last time I rode outdoors as my training has been exclusively indoors on a trainer. Outdoor training has its pluses and minuses. On the plus side, the scenery (today it was a ride around a lake North of where I live) is always changing. On the minus side, the traffic can be a hazard.

Today had another minus. I had forgotten the rule that if you feel good on the first half of the ride you’re going to feel bad on the second half. As I turned to go back home, I was faced with a stiff wind which made the second half of the ride more intense… at least the wind kept the sweating down.

I will have to remember that stretch of road, as it was quiet and peaceful for most of the ride.

The Quest is On

2005-06-11T15:30:00.000-04:00

This is my first post on blogger.com and it will deal mainly with my quest to complete an Ironman distance Triathlon. Please send a note if you like it.

So what is an Ironman Triathlon?
An Ironman race is an event that exhausts all parts of your body, including your mind. The event starts early in the day and the racers jump in the water (be it lake or ocean) and swim a distance of 2.4 miles. The next portion of the race is a grueling bike ride consisting of pedaling the bike for 112 miles. Once the bike portion is completed, the event culminates with a full marathon run, which is 26.2 miles. There are time restrictions that must be met or else race is over for you. Cutoff time for the swim is 2 hrs. and 20 min., the bike cutoff time is 10 hrs and 30 min from the beginning of the race, and the run cutoff time is 17 hours from the beginning of the race.

How much training is involved to prepare for an Ironman?
Triathletes train an average of seven months for Ironman. The average hours per week devoted to training for Ironman generally fall between 18 and 22. Average training distances for the three events:
Miles per week swimming: 7 (11.3 km)
Miles per week biking: 232 (373.3 km)
Miles per week running: 48 (77.2 km)

How does one train for Ironman? I have read all the books, but I really want the "inside scoop" in training. Who can help me be my best?
You can access excellent Triathlon Training Programs directly through Ironmanlive.com through Mark Allen Online or by clicking through the section on Training Articles.

What is the early history of the Ironman?
In 1978 during the awards ceremony for a Hawaii running race, a debate ensues among competitors about who is more fit -- swimmers, runners or other athletes. One of the participants, Navy Commander John Collins, dreams up a race to settle the argument. He proposes combining three existing races together, to be completed in succession: the Waikiki Roughwater Swim (2.4 miles), the Around-Oahu Bike Race (112 miles, originally a two-day event) and the Honolulu Marathon (26.2 miles). "Whoever finishes first we’ll call the Ironman," said Collins. Fifteen men participate in the initial event held on February 18; 12 complete the race, led by the first Ironman, Gordon Haller. His winning time: 11 hours, 46 minutes and 58 seconds.

In 1979, word of mouth generates additional participant interest, and it appears that as many as 50 athletes will compete. However, bad weather forces the postponement of the race for a day; when the starter’s pistol finally sounds on Sunday morning, just 15 competitors take the challenge. Tom Warren wins in 11 hours, 15 minutes and 56 seconds. The first Ironwoman, Lyn Lemaire, a championship cyclist from Boston, places fifth overall. Even as Collins ponders changing the next race into a relay event to generate more participants, the race’s future is being re-written by Barry McDermott from Sports Illustrated. On the island to cover a golf tournament, McDermott discovers the race and writes a 10-page, larger-than-life account of the race that nets Collins hundreds of inquiries about the race.

In 1980 Collins gives ABC's "Wide World of Sports" permission to film the event, but warns ABC executives that, "Watching the race is about as exciting as watching a lawn-growing contest." ABC’s coverage is somewhat more dramatic, and it brings Ironman worldwide recognition. The event draws 106 men and two women. Dave Scott, wins the event in 9:24:33. Robin Beck wins the women's division in 11:21:24, placing 12th overall. As people become familiar with the Ironman Triathlon, other triathlons of varying distances begin to take place around the world. Ironically, Collins is not on hand for the event, as the Navy transfers him to Washington, D.C. He entrusts the race to the owners of a local heath club.

In 1982, the race attracts 580 contestants. Scott Tinley passes Dave Scott in the marathon and finishes in a record time of 9:19:41. Less than two hours later, the most memorable moment in race history occurs. Julie Moss, a college student competing to gather research for her exercise physiology thesis, steadfastly moves toward the finish line in first place despite becoming severely fatigued and dehydrated. In the homestretch, she staggers like a punch-drunk boxer. Just yards away from the finish line, she falls to the ground. Passed by Kathleen McCartney for the women’s title, Moss does not give up and nevertheless crawls the last 20 yards to the finish line on her hands and knees. Her courage and determination inspires millions and creates the Ironman mantra that “just finishing is a victory.”