Monday, April 4, 2005
Bonuse Monday Post: Triathlon's Ain't Easy Chapter 25
"Experience is directly proportional to the amount of equipment ruined."
Body 1, MInd 0
Got up actually later than I normally would to train, staying inside to ride the spinning bike. I had planned a thirty minute ride but my mind crapped out on me. After a grateful and restive weekend my first training session of the week falls victim to mental weakness only twenty minutes into the ride.
You all know the reasons, back, arms, crotch, butt were hurting. Really it comes down to the fact I am not a big fan of riding spinning bikes and my mind capitalized on that. I could have easily finished another ten minutes but I gave up.
Well I still have my lunch run, I will make it up there.
You all know the reasons, back, arms, crotch, butt were hurting. Really it comes down to the fact I am not a big fan of riding spinning bikes and my mind capitalized on that. I could have easily finished another ten minutes but I gave up.
Well I still have my lunch run, I will make it up there.
Sunday, April 3, 2005
Down side of Up energy
I would like to believe I am catching up on my rest over the weekend. However all the gains from SaturDAY are lost on Saturday NIGHT. I tiredly went to bed at 10 pm to be awakened at 12:30 am and unable to go back to sleep. So it has been the last four hours catching up on the last three months of my check register. Can there be any more pathetic thing to do?
I consider myself a decent athlete and when an athlete has time off it should be to rest, but I and many others, I am not in this alone, end up with sleepless nights from energy that was not burned off through daily activity.
Everyone enjoy Sunday, a day of rest.
I consider myself a decent athlete and when an athlete has time off it should be to rest, but I and many others, I am not in this alone, end up with sleepless nights from energy that was not burned off through daily activity.
Everyone enjoy Sunday, a day of rest.
Saturday, April 2, 2005
Forced Recovery
This weekend I am forced to be a couch potato. I spent many years in the infantry and mostly got around on my LPC's (Leather Personnel Carriers, i.e. Boots). As any grunt will tell you the feet take a beating seldom seen my normal people. Hamburger is a common reference. That was many years ago but those injuries and issues still exsist.
So every few weeks or months I go to the doctor for a check up and if need be a tune up. Well the tune up has left me unable to swim, bike or run till at least Monday. Mistress Carol is used to seeing me hobble around like an old man and deal with the treatment and the pain and is very sympathetic. So yesterday was spent mostly on the couch and today as well.
I love movies and will go see Sin City today instead of the 12 miler I was considering. I love movies as much as I love fitness. I have a book that I write down every movie I watch with the date I watched it. I have had it for years. Doesn't matter if its cinema, dvd or tv. Before my son was born I averaged one movie a day. Yeah I workout too, I just don't sleep much.
But there is always a serious drought in movies between January and May and then again in September and October. Plus I forgo movies for fitness, come on I have my priorities straight.
So this weekend, a movie, a couch, the Triathlon Training Bible, some Crystal Light Pink Lemonade, family time and rejuvenation, I can't wait. To bad I had to have doctors orders to do it.
So every few weeks or months I go to the doctor for a check up and if need be a tune up. Well the tune up has left me unable to swim, bike or run till at least Monday. Mistress Carol is used to seeing me hobble around like an old man and deal with the treatment and the pain and is very sympathetic. So yesterday was spent mostly on the couch and today as well.
I love movies and will go see Sin City today instead of the 12 miler I was considering. I love movies as much as I love fitness. I have a book that I write down every movie I watch with the date I watched it. I have had it for years. Doesn't matter if its cinema, dvd or tv. Before my son was born I averaged one movie a day. Yeah I workout too, I just don't sleep much.
But there is always a serious drought in movies between January and May and then again in September and October. Plus I forgo movies for fitness, come on I have my priorities straight.
So this weekend, a movie, a couch, the Triathlon Training Bible, some Crystal Light Pink Lemonade, family time and rejuvenation, I can't wait. To bad I had to have doctors orders to do it.
Friday, April 1, 2005
Triathlons Ain't Easy
My buddies and I have this tradition of starting a funny story about sales, with a certain tag line. Since we hope to eventually be writing a book with that tag line I won't use it but I am bringing the same concept to my blog. Chapter titles are random so don't look for a numerical order.
'Triathlons Ain't Easy' are blog posts that would describe the chapter title in a book about how hard/funny/sad/etc it is to live a triathlon lifestyle. This is in the same vein of You Might Be A Redneck If.. except 'Triathlons Ain't Easy is more situational than observational.
The only thing I will be posting is the chapter title. Hopefully from the gist of the title you will get the point of what the story would be. The comments you provide, hopefully, will flesh out my point.
'Triathlons Ain't Easy' are blog posts that would describe the chapter title in a book about how hard/funny/sad/etc it is to live a triathlon lifestyle. This is in the same vein of You Might Be A Redneck If.. except 'Triathlons Ain't Easy is more situational than observational.
The only thing I will be posting is the chapter title. Hopefully from the gist of the title you will get the point of what the story would be. The comments you provide, hopefully, will flesh out my point.
No Dream Succeeds Without A Plan
This is my third and final installment in creating a race plan. The first went over recognizing your support system and the second on capturing your dream to make it a reality. The final steps are listed below.
Lets say your dream is to finish a triathlon. Why would I think that?
I already said to thank the support team you have because your long and erratic training plan affects them in ways you didn't even understand. Then I blogged that you have to have a dream bigger than you and must have an iron will to stay focused and plugged into your 'Dream Matrix'. The next step in your reaching your dreams is to have a plan.
I am not saying there is only one plan. I am not even saying that you have to follow someone elses plan. You just need to have one and understand the basics of dream building. Most of the time I take exsisting plans and pare them together to my training style and obstacles I forsee. Remember when I posted that the difference between a runner and a jogger was a blank entry form? To enter a race, there is usually some planning occuring to peak correctly, make arrangements for eating and hydrating, scheduling time off if out of town. The point is a jogger has no destination, a runner knows where their going.
Step 1. Keep the end in mind. What is the Dream event? What is your racing position-to have fun? To finish? To P.R.? Never forgot the big, hunkin' goal you have set in front of you.
Step 2. Back Plan. Once you have your race date, start your back dating from there. From the moment you leave to the staging area on race day all the way back to the moment you create your plan. If out of town you need to get time off, then acclimatize, drive the route. If local the same could apply. What will you take with you? What do you need now to support training (road bike, swim gear, a pool to use).
This takes a lot of time, but if your dreaming enough about it, well then you are already thinking about most of this stuff just get it on paper and prioritize it by timeline. I would suggest reading books or even better surfing the internet for personal stories of people doing what your wanting to do. Then take that information and apply it to your situation.
Back Plans are not training plans but your realistic timeline to complete your dream. Important: A dream must be bigger than you but can't be bigger than your capacity. Can you do a half ironman in three months if you haven't swum regularly, don't currently own a bike and can't run two miles? Probably not. But given enough time absolutely.
Step 3. Increase Your Capacity (i.e. sport specific training) To phsycially finish a triathlon the majority of excercise is not going to take place in the weight room. To become proficient you have to swim, you have to bike and you have to run and you should spend time in core training all the while following proper nutrition and supplementation. Most people can naturally do each triathlon event but never underestimate the ability of a coach, trainer or group setting to accelerate your skill set. If possible seek guidance, watch video, read books, subscribe to magazines.
I increase my mental capacity by writing out a vision statement of exactly, specificly, how I see myself during the race. I write out what I am wearing, how my legs feel during events, that nagging body parts do not hurt. Everything is written in the positive, (i.e. My knees have no pain, I see myself moving effortlessly past other cyclists). Every day read how your entire event will play out and when obstacles present themselves in training you write those in, (if shin splints suddenly appear in training, write in, I feel no pain in my shins as I run). Use positive affirmations, biblical verses, whatever to strengthen your resolve and reinforce the dream.
Step 4. Tell everyone. By telling family, friends and co-workers what your dream is, it expands your support system and commits you to not back out. I can't begin to tell you how many times I have worked out simply because I told someone I was and knew they would ask me later how it went. Accountability does not guarantee success but it does give you outside motivation which is signifcant.
I am by no means an expert in this. I am sure in the talk back section many of you will have steps that I left out or important points that need clarificaton. Please do. But for the majority of people who have never dared to reach for their dream, this should give you hope and a loose plan.
Dare to be great and to cite the greatest comic strip of all time, this quote:
Seize the Day; and throttle it- Calvin & Hobbes
Lets say your dream is to finish a triathlon. Why would I think that?
I already said to thank the support team you have because your long and erratic training plan affects them in ways you didn't even understand. Then I blogged that you have to have a dream bigger than you and must have an iron will to stay focused and plugged into your 'Dream Matrix'. The next step in your reaching your dreams is to have a plan.
I am not saying there is only one plan. I am not even saying that you have to follow someone elses plan. You just need to have one and understand the basics of dream building. Most of the time I take exsisting plans and pare them together to my training style and obstacles I forsee. Remember when I posted that the difference between a runner and a jogger was a blank entry form? To enter a race, there is usually some planning occuring to peak correctly, make arrangements for eating and hydrating, scheduling time off if out of town. The point is a jogger has no destination, a runner knows where their going.
Step 1. Keep the end in mind. What is the Dream event? What is your racing position-to have fun? To finish? To P.R.? Never forgot the big, hunkin' goal you have set in front of you.
Step 2. Back Plan. Once you have your race date, start your back dating from there. From the moment you leave to the staging area on race day all the way back to the moment you create your plan. If out of town you need to get time off, then acclimatize, drive the route. If local the same could apply. What will you take with you? What do you need now to support training (road bike, swim gear, a pool to use).
This takes a lot of time, but if your dreaming enough about it, well then you are already thinking about most of this stuff just get it on paper and prioritize it by timeline. I would suggest reading books or even better surfing the internet for personal stories of people doing what your wanting to do. Then take that information and apply it to your situation.
Back Plans are not training plans but your realistic timeline to complete your dream. Important: A dream must be bigger than you but can't be bigger than your capacity. Can you do a half ironman in three months if you haven't swum regularly, don't currently own a bike and can't run two miles? Probably not. But given enough time absolutely.
Step 3. Increase Your Capacity (i.e. sport specific training) To phsycially finish a triathlon the majority of excercise is not going to take place in the weight room. To become proficient you have to swim, you have to bike and you have to run and you should spend time in core training all the while following proper nutrition and supplementation. Most people can naturally do each triathlon event but never underestimate the ability of a coach, trainer or group setting to accelerate your skill set. If possible seek guidance, watch video, read books, subscribe to magazines.
I increase my mental capacity by writing out a vision statement of exactly, specificly, how I see myself during the race. I write out what I am wearing, how my legs feel during events, that nagging body parts do not hurt. Everything is written in the positive, (i.e. My knees have no pain, I see myself moving effortlessly past other cyclists). Every day read how your entire event will play out and when obstacles present themselves in training you write those in, (if shin splints suddenly appear in training, write in, I feel no pain in my shins as I run). Use positive affirmations, biblical verses, whatever to strengthen your resolve and reinforce the dream.
Step 4. Tell everyone. By telling family, friends and co-workers what your dream is, it expands your support system and commits you to not back out. I can't begin to tell you how many times I have worked out simply because I told someone I was and knew they would ask me later how it went. Accountability does not guarantee success but it does give you outside motivation which is signifcant.
I am by no means an expert in this. I am sure in the talk back section many of you will have steps that I left out or important points that need clarificaton. Please do. But for the majority of people who have never dared to reach for their dream, this should give you hope and a loose plan.
Dare to be great and to cite the greatest comic strip of all time, this quote:
Seize the Day; and throttle it- Calvin & Hobbes
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