About Progress

As an endurance athlete, we live in a world of repetition.  The laps, the miles, the saddle time.  It's all about doing it over and over again, in an effort to improve, above all, technique.

If successful in our efforts we get rewarded with improved time and/or increased efficiency.  All this is well and good.

A bigger reward, however, comes in the form of progress.  Visual, measurable, actual progress.  Something we can wrap our hands around.  Something we can take to the bank.

I don't know about anyone else but this is what keeps me coming back again and again.  Each step forward I take is a reward.  Each second taken off, each stroke taken off a lap.  Yes, this IS what keeps me coming back.

There are other, equally important WOW moments that make it all worthwhile.  Yesterday I had one of those.


While on a bike ride with our tri team, we approached a hill.  Not just a hill.  The mama of all hills.  Well, it looked like the mama of all hills.  As I approached it all I could think was "God, please give me the legs, and the heart, to make it to the top... alive."


To the experienced rider, this may not have looked like much.  To me it looked like the end of life.  But it was time to test myself, to test the progress, to test my training.

 

According to calculations, the vertical change was 208 feet.  The Horizontal Distance was .62 miles which made the grade a 6.35%.


I buckled down, got my mind set in the task ahead.  Shifted to the appropriate gears and asked for divine intervention.  Half way through the climb I remember thinking "WOW, simply WOW.  I was on my way and the top was within reach."


I had not been on this road before so I did not realize that I had to do it all over again.  The second climb was just as intense but not as long.  And I made it through without consequence.


The payoff is huge.  Progress is visible, measurable and real.  All the spin classes and the trainer miles during the winter months, along with the strength and conditioning is paying off.


Progress is a great thing.  This IS why I keep coming back.

About The Music

I don't know about you, but one of the first things I did when I first started running a few years back was to get my mp3 music player filled with songs I thought I wanted to hear when I was out on the road.  I have never been an iPod kind'a person.  Can't tell you why, but I have never owned one.  Instead, I have gone through two Sansa's.  The price was right and they seemed to do the job I needed done.

As I  entered into the world of triathlon, I found that there really was no time to mess with these during events, so I have never used it during such.  Not to mention the fact that on most of these events, they are strictly prohibited.  I do, however, find myself using it during all runs.

Through the years, I added a song to my play list here and there, but overall it has remained pretty much the same.  I have searched for suggestions and asked of others what they have on theirs.  Problem is that a music list is a very personal thing.  I have not found enough variety to keep my list growing.

With the advent of the new smart phones, the Droid to be exact, because that's what I have, I discovered a service that has solved all my issues; it has given me variety and choice.

I'm talking about Pandora Radio.

Disclaimer:  I am not endorsing this service, I am merely sharing what I have found to be of great use for me.

If you're not familiar with Pandora, in a nutshell you create "stations" either by choosing songs or artists.  Once you find one, Pandora creates a "station" which plays songs similar in music genre.  You can create as many "stations" as you wish.  You select a station you want to hear, or you can choose a "Quick Mix" which selects random songs from your different "stations".

Pretty simple.

As I was getting pretty bored of listening to the same songs over and over again, this service has solved this issue for me.

Only problem I've found (but was easily solved) is that depending on where I was running, I would loose the satellite signal on my phone and would loose, temporarily, the music feed.  I was wearing the phone attached to my fuel belt.  I'm now wearing the phone around my left arm.  Problem has been solved.

Oh yeah, as you log in to your account via your phone, you get a warning that this uses a large amount of data and that your battery may be drained quickly.  I have not had an issue with this.

Sometimes You Just Have To Keep On Keeping On

This week started as most every other week before it.  Event-less.  But as mid-week came, one unfortunate event and things got thrown for a loop.

On Wednesday, I went out for a routine 30 mile bike ride.  Had just enough time before the sun went down to get my miles in.  Somewhere around mile 5 it happened.  My first spill of the year.  I approached an intersection and I saw that the car coming towards the intersection had not noticed me and was not about to stop.  I hit the breaks hard and did not have enough time to un-clip my left shoe, so down I went.

The whole thing happened in slow motion.  First, and only thing that came to mind was "my new bike".  I stretched my arm and landed on my hand.  Twisted the wrist, jammed the elbow and shoulder.  Scraped the knee a bit.

Immediately upon being able to un-clip and get up, I proceeded to first check my bike.  Once I saw that it was alright, I took a physical inventory of my left arm.  It was sore and the hand was bleeding a bit.  The man in the house on the corner yelled:  "Are you hurt?", I replied: "Just my pride".  We both laughed and as I saddled my bike again, I waved goodbye and off I went.

I tried for a few miles to shake the soreness off the knee but it was getting tighter.  I opted just to count my blessings and call it a day.

On Thursday, I ventured into the pool.  Wanted to get 2100 yds in.  At 1500 I was kicked off the pool because of swim classes and water aerobics.  Things were just not working out for me this week.  

Took Friday off.  Was not going to press my luck that day.

The weekend was heavily scheduled.  Three hour plus bike ride on Saturday and two hour run on Sunday (today).

The weather turned ugly and on Saturday I ended up doing 50.5 miles on the trainer.  One of the hardest things I have ever done.  Riding that long on a trainer ranks up there with running a mile on the treadmill.  But I got it done.

Today the weather was better in that it was not raining but the temperature had plummeted to the mid-30's.  Normally not that bad running weather but when you have put away (in your mind) your winter/cold weather running gear and then are forced to take it out, yeah... it was hard.  And the wind was howling.  Got 11.1 miles in.

All in all, the week turned out half way decent, considering what it could have been.  99 total, combined miles.

Week ending March 6, 2011

New Orleans and Louisville Bike Courses

Ironman 70.3 New Orleans Bike Course





Ironman Louisville Bike Course

The Endurance Athlete's Diet ~ A Very Confusing Subject

As I got deeper and deeper into the black hole of triathlon training and racing, I began to understand, really quick, that an endurance triathlete has special nutrition needs.  It's not just about pasta, pasta and more pasta.

Some of the unscientific research I did allowed me to change my eating habits, what I thought, were for the best.  And I think for the most part, I was successful.

I experimented with carb-loading the week of the event, two nights before, the night before.  I knew (at the beginning) nothing about recovery food, what you're supposed to eat/drink immediately after a long and/or intense workout.  I thought a large bottle, or two, of Gatorade would do the trick.  After all, I was just thirsty and hot!

But, as I read more and more, I began to find out and realize there are foods that I  need to eat, some I need to avoid, what times I need to eat and how much I need to eat.  This is where the confusion began.

So, just like I realized the need to have a tri coach; someone who could put in writing what I need to do, when, at what pace, heart rate, etc., I was soon wishing and hoping that I could find someone that could tell me what and when to eat.  BUT, a reputable sports nutritionist, I have learned, will not do that for you.  They will teach you how to make choices, good choices.  Dang!

When I received the P90X Diet book I thought I would be in heaven. After all, here's a program that'll tell me what and when to eat.  Well, that it does.  However, most recipes in the book are written for "cooks" and that I am not.  Don't get me wrong, I know my way around a kitchen, I know my way very good.  I have worked in the food industry for some twenty years, so I know how to hold a knife without making my index finger part of the ingredients in my recipe.  But, with that being said, if a dish has more than three ingredients, and/or if I can't pronounce it, chances are I am NOT going to make it.

I few weeks back I was introduced to the Paleo Diet for Athletes.  I am reading the book over and over again.  It is so full of good information.  Information I have been looking for for months. It's an easy read and well explained.  I am learning about the five stages of nutrition, something I had never thought about.  But again, the recipes, oh... the darn recipes.

Don't get me wrong, I eat pretty healthy.  I have given up (five months now) fried food in any form, way or fashion.  I don't crave it any longer.  I have reduced the consumption of red meat to once per week.  Lean red meat at that.  I had given up eggs because I have issues with Cholesterol.  So bacon is not part of my diet any longer either.  I am now using egg whites.  Sweets are almost a thing of the past.  I do indulge in some sort of reward every now and then.  I also suffer from shell fish allergies so I have stayed away from sea food.  I have learned to like and really enjoy fish; salmon, grouper, trout, etc., but again, finding "wild" fish as opposed to farm raised is a difficult task.

When my youngest daughter came home from college for Christmas she made the comment that our pantry and refrigerator were extremely "boring".  "Dad, there are no fun foods in the house".

When grocery shopping, I have learned to read the labels, taking special note at the product's first ingredient.  I realize that the further processed the product, the worst it is for you.  Free range fed farm animals are much better for you.  Try finding meat at the grocery store that is free range fed.

All the changes I made have contributed to the drastic "physical" change I have experienced.  As mentioned on a prior post, my body fat percentage is 9.6 and I know it could be lower if I could get rid of what's left of that "tire" around my mid section.  So, with information I'm gathering on a daily basis, I am going to teach my body to start using more fat for energy than carbs.  Should I be successful in this, I feel that "gut" will disappear.

Anyone out there with simple, athlete friendly recipes that you'd like to share?  I welcome all suggestions!

Will P90X Work For Triathletes?

I am, once again, honored to be mentioned (at length) on a post by EverymanTri.com regarding my adventures with P90X.

And before you ask... NO, the picture next to the portion of the article about yours truly, is NOT me!

To view this post, click here.

167 Miles Closer To My Goal

Over the past two of weeks, I have logged 167 swim, spin-trainer, run miles.  80 two weeks ago, 87 last week.  I guess that makes training for Ironman 70.3 New Orleans, en-route to Ironman Louisville, officially on!

(2.5m swimming, 61m spin/trainer, 16.5m running)

(2.5m swimming, 66m spin/trainer, 18.5 running)

The Swim:  I feel the swim now more than I've ever had before.  I feel stronger and smoother as I go down the lap pool; lap after lap.  It takes a few laps to get warmed up.  I still want to start off fast so I have to concentrate on keeping it slow.  Slow IS Fast!  I have also concentrated on form.  I'm focusing on keeping my stroke long, reaching and holding for a second, then a smooth and strong pull with a stronger follow through.  Also, I have worked on keeping my head down for when I lift it even a bit, I feel the drag and my butt falls.

The Bike:  Up until yesterday, the weather had not been conducive to outdoor riding.  I'm hoping that the weather has finally broken and I can get some serious outdoor saddle miles.  So, spinning and the trainer it has been for me.  Monday night spin class is pretty awesome, great teacher and good times!  The trainer, although not the ideal situation, it has done its job.  I set it up in front of the tv and off I go.  I have had a difficult time getting my heart rate up where my coach wants it.  He tells me not to worry, yet.  He says the true test will come when I ride outside.  I have worked hard at getting my cadence as close to 90 as possible.  For the most part it wanders between 82 and 90.  Much improvement from last year, when it vacillated around 70-75.  This is the first year I use a trainer, so I'm not sure how trainer mph will translate to road mph.  But, if I can do on the road, what I've been doing on the trainer, I will be one happy camper.

The Run:  This is where I see the most improvement.  I have to work hard at keeping my heart rate (down) where coach wants it.  It feels to easy.  He tells me to be patient and work the plan, so I do.  I feel stronger and smoother on the road.  Yesterday's 10m run produced no ankle pain, I was pleasantly surprised.  I run shorter distance with my Newton Sir Isaac's and longer distances with my Newton Distancia shoes.

Strength Conditioning:  I feel that I have neglected this area of training, a bit.  I guess after 90 non-stop days of P90X, conditioning only a couple of times per week seems negligible, but again, I am told that this is exactly what I need to do, so again, I do it!

This whole experience still seems surreal to me.  The fact that I'm training for Ironman Louisville still is something that is beyond anything I could have ever imagined.  Sometimes I just close my eyes and imagine myself crossing the finish line with all my family and friends cheering me on.... that my friends will be priceless!