Today is my first day back into training or as Mighty Mo will tell us, "Daddy gonna go have fun!" Well fun is realtive to effort is suppose. And for those that think I will be blasting off like a rocket you are absolutely correct. Slow and steady out of the launch pad and envitably reaching significant speeds.
My workout today is what was supposed to be yesterdays, a massage and stretching. Mistress got picked for jury duty on an armed robbery case so I had to get the boy and will have to continue doing that through probably next Monday.
I was listening to endurance radio podcasts yesterday and heard an interveiw with two training partners who have lost 75 pounds and 175 pounds each (this man weighing close to 400 pounds at the start). They are both also Ironman finishers with a sub 12 finish and a sub 13 finish. Among the lots of good information was a nugget to take away...build a strong engine.
They forgo'ed the interval and speed work stuff and just built huge bases. One of them rode 150 miles commuting to work during the week and did another 60-100 on the weekends in longer rides.
I think the point is that I personally don't think Ironman training and weight loss are symbotic but one can naturally leads to the other. Its my belief that if you want to lose weight, significant weight, you need to focus on that. To train for Ironman or a just a marathon, then you need to focus on that.
People can and do lose weight training for endurance events, as evidenced by these two men and my own personal observations, but for the most part if your only trying to lose 20 pounds and want to do it by training for a long distance triathlon or running event, you might be going about it all wrong. Its natural for most of us to flux in weight during the season but I really think that if your losing more than 10% of your body weight, there are certainly easier ways.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
T- Minus
Life is getting a bit more back to normal today. I still feel off but my throat and voice are healed and the headache is gone. All thats left is an upset stomach and a feeling of lethargy.
Up till today I hadn't combined a meal more complex than plain pasta and butter. This morning I had a triple threat and now nursing a PB & Chocolate smoothie. Yeah I know not the usual mixed berry, lactose free yogurt, protien meal replacement that I normally get.
I am sure my energy will be done by mid afternoon. The only thing on my agenda workout wise is to stretch and get some core work done. If possible I may try to get a quick massage for my low back, glutes and ailing left hamstring.
As soon at the 'sky clears' I will be ready to blast off. Only another day or two at most.
Up till today I hadn't combined a meal more complex than plain pasta and butter. This morning I had a triple threat and now nursing a PB & Chocolate smoothie. Yeah I know not the usual mixed berry, lactose free yogurt, protien meal replacement that I normally get.
I am sure my energy will be done by mid afternoon. The only thing on my agenda workout wise is to stretch and get some core work done. If possible I may try to get a quick massage for my low back, glutes and ailing left hamstring.
As soon at the 'sky clears' I will be ready to blast off. Only another day or two at most.
Monday, May 29, 2006
Getting There
Thank you all for your kindness. I think I am at about 65% right now. Except for about 3 hours, I was in bed from Friday noon when I was released till Monday morning when I got up. The bad news is I decided to go to work and the driving has made me all queasy and nauseaous and light headed. The good news is that it looks like the rest of my partners took the day off so its an in and out day for me which equals more time lying flat and keeping my stomach calm.
I was scared. I wasn't really sure what to write next and thats what came to my mind. Those three hours when I couldn't stop vomiting. It scared me. I couldn't breath. The wracking my took has left me sore around my torso. My lower back went out on me.
As I was laying (lying) in bed over the weekend, I felt a weird disconnectedness with my left hip and realized that my torn hamstring still has not healed. It sort of tingled or 'felt' different than the other side.
Well I think I will take today off from exercise and tomorrow schedule a massage and do some light weights and stretching. Hopefully by late in the week I will up to full capacity.
Please excuse my absence from the rest of your blogs as I just try to get through the next few days without losing my lunch again.
Keep on Keepin' on.
I was scared. I wasn't really sure what to write next and thats what came to my mind. Those three hours when I couldn't stop vomiting. It scared me. I couldn't breath. The wracking my took has left me sore around my torso. My lower back went out on me.
As I was laying (lying) in bed over the weekend, I felt a weird disconnectedness with my left hip and realized that my torn hamstring still has not healed. It sort of tingled or 'felt' different than the other side.
Well I think I will take today off from exercise and tomorrow schedule a massage and do some light weights and stretching. Hopefully by late in the week I will up to full capacity.
Please excuse my absence from the rest of your blogs as I just try to get through the next few days without losing my lunch again.
Keep on Keepin' on.
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Laid Out
I woke up a little after midnight on Friday with a stomach ache. For the next three hours I could not stop throwing up. The last time I had done so as violently was when I had heat stroke. Mistress finally convinced me to go to the emergancy room at 0330. I spent the next nine hours getting IV's for pain, vomiting and fluids.
Doctor report: Stomach flu.
Doctor Presciption: antibotics, more nausea meds and 48 hours bed rest.
Mistress and Mo went to do some errands so thought I would finally poke my head out. I have been in bed since I got home 24 hours ago and my back is killing me. I haven't been allowed to eat yet but will try some Saltines later today. My head is killing. My voice has almost returned, the throat was destroyed by all the vomiting I did.
Not the best way to spend a weekend.
Doctor report: Stomach flu.
Doctor Presciption: antibotics, more nausea meds and 48 hours bed rest.
Mistress and Mo went to do some errands so thought I would finally poke my head out. I have been in bed since I got home 24 hours ago and my back is killing me. I haven't been allowed to eat yet but will try some Saltines later today. My head is killing. My voice has almost returned, the throat was destroyed by all the vomiting I did.
Not the best way to spend a weekend.
Thursday, May 25, 2006
A Boy Having Fun
In a big conference this week. Our Washington State counterparts are down for three days so we can all work on Professional Development using the Stephen Covey's 7 Habits book. I did a year of this about decade ago and it was great, re-reading the book this time and looking at it from my current point of view makes me realize what a great book it really is, no matter your situation.
About 20 of us got together for the dreadded meeting before the meeting to go over the meeting on Tuesday. The meeting ended with a lunch at a nice resturant a few miles away. I decided it might just be the only opportunity I had to catch a workout so I ran changed very quickly, put my work clothes (golf shorts and dri-fit) in a pack and took off sprinting.
I got there before about half of the others. Did a quick shirt changes outside the restaurant and was sitting down dabbing my forehead drinking an Arnold Palmer. Many of the other people, my partners and such, were like, "Did I see you running here. Why would you do that in this heat?"
"I had the time."
____________________
Update 11:45 am: Some people have asked in talkback if I am in Seattle right now. The answer is no. The conference is here in Phoenix. All the Washington folks came down here since we have better weather and they have fewer employees for travel costs.
___________________
Mighty Mo and Mistress went to the Seattle Center and Mo rode some rides for the first time all by himself. Mistress was beside herself but as you can tell by the looks on his face that he was doing okay on his own.
Isn't funny sometimes when you take the picture of a child that when they are at their absolute happiest it looks like they are losing their minds with fear. Well he is having a BLAST here.
This was at the Seattle Aquarium. Notice if you will the pink polo shirt. I have mentioned before that he perfers the preppy look.
About 20 of us got together for the dreadded meeting before the meeting to go over the meeting on Tuesday. The meeting ended with a lunch at a nice resturant a few miles away. I decided it might just be the only opportunity I had to catch a workout so I ran changed very quickly, put my work clothes (golf shorts and dri-fit) in a pack and took off sprinting.
I got there before about half of the others. Did a quick shirt changes outside the restaurant and was sitting down dabbing my forehead drinking an Arnold Palmer. Many of the other people, my partners and such, were like, "Did I see you running here. Why would you do that in this heat?"
"I had the time."
____________________
Update 11:45 am: Some people have asked in talkback if I am in Seattle right now. The answer is no. The conference is here in Phoenix. All the Washington folks came down here since we have better weather and they have fewer employees for travel costs.
___________________
Mighty Mo and Mistress went to the Seattle Center and Mo rode some rides for the first time all by himself. Mistress was beside herself but as you can tell by the looks on his face that he was doing okay on his own.
Isn't funny sometimes when you take the picture of a child that when they are at their absolute happiest it looks like they are losing their minds with fear. Well he is having a BLAST here.
This was at the Seattle Aquarium. Notice if you will the pink polo shirt. I have mentioned before that he perfers the preppy look.
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Triathlon 90: Distance
I remember in college that if you were not sure you could pass Math 101 or English 101, you took a refresher course usually listed a level 90, (ie Math 90, English 90).
Well I thought I would write at least one post on Begining Traithlon or 'Triathlon 90'. I understand that if you are reading this and have completed a triathlon this might be repeatively redundant or very basic, but think back to the month or two months before your first race and remember some of the questions you had about this sport.
Today I want to begin with distances. There are set distances and distances that are not set. .
Ironman is a set distance of 140.6 miles which breaks down into a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and then a 26.2 mile run. The story regarding the beginning of Ironman is mythic and good research for the tri newbie. (You have to learn some things on your own.) Oddly enough Ironman is the one distance that uses Standard measure. Almost all other triathlon distances use the metric system.
ITU Long Distance. Used mostly in Europe, ITU (International Triathlon Union) was formed for the sole purpose of putting triathlon in the Olympics. It does not recognize Ironman distance events. This distance is 4 km (2.5 mile) swim / 120 km (75 mile) bike / 30 km (18.6 mile) run.
70.3. This is a set distance which is half the distance of an Ironman. It used to be called Half-Ironman until the begininng of 2006. This distance is 1.2 mile swim / 56 mile bike / 13.1 mile run. Because this distance is labeled by the exact distance of the event and that distance is Standard measure, its one more win for common sense.
Olympic. This distance is a set format, 1.5 km (0.9 mi) swim / 40 km (24.9 mi) bike / 10 km (6.2 mi) run. It is also called an International but this is a slightly inaccurate nomenclature in the United States at least. This is the distance used at the Olympic Games.
International. In the United States, International distance races are not a set format. The distances vary from 750 to 1500 m (.46 mi to .90 mi) / 20 k to 45k bike (12 mi to 28 mi) / 5k to 8k run (3.1 mi to 4.96 mi)
Sprint. 750 meter swim / 20 km bike / 5 km run The Sprint Distance is the fastest growing triathlon race distance in the United States.
There are other racing formats that you may see.
Super Sprint. This distance is not a set distance but in general involves the same distances as Sprint except the swim is decreased to less than 750 meters. Usually you will see 500, 400 or 300 meter swims.
QuarterMan. This is a set distance which is 1/4 the Ironman distance. This is usually the under card on 70.3 distance events.
UltraMan. The first UltraMan was a three day event held in Hawaii and now there is another one in British Columbia, Canada. The distances are 10 km (6.2 mi) ocean swim / 421 km (261 mi) bike / 84 km (52.4 mile) ultramarathon run, one discipline completed each day.
F-1. This type of triahlon is more prevailant in Europe but they pop up in America fairly often now. I have seen F-1 races as both on-road cycling and running and moutain biking and trail running. The interesting aspect of F-1 is that you swim / bike / run /swim /bike / run. You do all events twice. It really tests transitions as much as any single event. The distances vary based on terrain.
Xterra. Also called Fat Tire, these races are done on mountain bikes and run on trails instead of asphalt. The distances vary greatly and seldom use a nomenclature like road triathlons would. For example you wouldn't normally see Xterra Olympic or Xterra Sprint. You would simply see Xterra and the distance.
'Inside Baseball'. (This term applys to obscure matters that would only be of interest to those that care.) Ironman as a name is owned by the World Triathlon Corporation. So if a race director or sponsor wants to put on a Ironman distance event and its not sanctioned by WTC then its called something else, such as Long Course or Long Distance.
Thats the lesson for today. If your interested in more Triathlon 90 posts please leave comments. I think future lessons could include a glossery of terms, transitions and wetsuit usage /triathlon specific clothing.
Well I thought I would write at least one post on Begining Traithlon or 'Triathlon 90'. I understand that if you are reading this and have completed a triathlon this might be repeatively redundant or very basic, but think back to the month or two months before your first race and remember some of the questions you had about this sport.
Today I want to begin with distances. There are set distances and distances that are not set. .
Ironman is a set distance of 140.6 miles which breaks down into a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and then a 26.2 mile run. The story regarding the beginning of Ironman is mythic and good research for the tri newbie. (You have to learn some things on your own.) Oddly enough Ironman is the one distance that uses Standard measure. Almost all other triathlon distances use the metric system.
ITU Long Distance. Used mostly in Europe, ITU (International Triathlon Union) was formed for the sole purpose of putting triathlon in the Olympics. It does not recognize Ironman distance events. This distance is 4 km (2.5 mile) swim / 120 km (75 mile) bike / 30 km (18.6 mile) run.
70.3. This is a set distance which is half the distance of an Ironman. It used to be called Half-Ironman until the begininng of 2006. This distance is 1.2 mile swim / 56 mile bike / 13.1 mile run. Because this distance is labeled by the exact distance of the event and that distance is Standard measure, its one more win for common sense.
Olympic. This distance is a set format, 1.5 km (0.9 mi) swim / 40 km (24.9 mi) bike / 10 km (6.2 mi) run. It is also called an International but this is a slightly inaccurate nomenclature in the United States at least. This is the distance used at the Olympic Games.
International. In the United States, International distance races are not a set format. The distances vary from 750 to 1500 m (.46 mi to .90 mi) / 20 k to 45k bike (12 mi to 28 mi) / 5k to 8k run (3.1 mi to 4.96 mi)
Sprint. 750 meter swim / 20 km bike / 5 km run The Sprint Distance is the fastest growing triathlon race distance in the United States.
There are other racing formats that you may see.
Super Sprint. This distance is not a set distance but in general involves the same distances as Sprint except the swim is decreased to less than 750 meters. Usually you will see 500, 400 or 300 meter swims.
QuarterMan. This is a set distance which is 1/4 the Ironman distance. This is usually the under card on 70.3 distance events.
UltraMan. The first UltraMan was a three day event held in Hawaii and now there is another one in British Columbia, Canada. The distances are 10 km (6.2 mi) ocean swim / 421 km (261 mi) bike / 84 km (52.4 mile) ultramarathon run, one discipline completed each day.
F-1. This type of triahlon is more prevailant in Europe but they pop up in America fairly often now. I have seen F-1 races as both on-road cycling and running and moutain biking and trail running. The interesting aspect of F-1 is that you swim / bike / run /swim /bike / run. You do all events twice. It really tests transitions as much as any single event. The distances vary based on terrain.
Xterra. Also called Fat Tire, these races are done on mountain bikes and run on trails instead of asphalt. The distances vary greatly and seldom use a nomenclature like road triathlons would. For example you wouldn't normally see Xterra Olympic or Xterra Sprint. You would simply see Xterra and the distance.
'Inside Baseball'. (This term applys to obscure matters that would only be of interest to those that care.) Ironman as a name is owned by the World Triathlon Corporation. So if a race director or sponsor wants to put on a Ironman distance event and its not sanctioned by WTC then its called something else, such as Long Course or Long Distance.
Thats the lesson for today. If your interested in more Triathlon 90 posts please leave comments. I think future lessons could include a glossery of terms, transitions and wetsuit usage /triathlon specific clothing.
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Fitting it in
This is a picture of the club after the Tempe International last weekend. Below the logo it reads, "Where participating is more important than placing...but placing pretty good too." From left to right is Tony, Hardcore, Me (eating), Big John, Delabio, Jordan Banas (age 13), his dad The Machine, Andy, Andy, Todd.This race is many things, including Triathlete Magazines Club Championship. In five months we put AzTriClub in the top ten. Had the scheduling of some out of state races been different we would have been even better.
Got a big conference this week so training is going to be a bit off but I'll do my damdest.
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