Tri-Gieck

Better

2010-03-26T13:08:00.000-06:00

I've decided to revert back to blogging on a sporadic schedule, rather than trying to clump everything into a weekly report. "A" it will fit my schedule a lot better (Monday's aren't always the quietest days for me), and "B" I do think things can get "lost" when you wait too long to write it down.

In general, this week's training has been A LOT better. My cold feel's like it is finally dissipating... our auditor's fieldwork is complete so things have slowed (though we are still going through our company's sales process... talk about an emotional roller-coaster)... slowly but surely I am starting to feel a lot more "normal" (so goes the ebb and flow of life).

One of the keys I have been working on this week is actually "looking forward" to my workouts. Instead of dreading them because of lack of time or feelings of fatigue, I have been working really hard to re-frame workouts (or my perception of them) as "releases".

Surprisingly, I think the small change in attitude has helped. Yesterday was a good example... the bid deadline for our sales process was at lunch... things didn't go as expected... our office was rather dejected... but I was still able to have a great workout and "release" in the evening. Sure, part of the reason the workout felt so good was because I am simply "getting better" (cold wise)... but it also would have been easy to skip that workout if I wasn't in the right mindset. Chalk up a 1 for sports psychology I guess...

Swimming

Recently, my swimming has actually felt weaker than it has in the past. I am not sure if the effort isn't there... of if doing so well in all my other workouts has simply affected the energy levels I have for swim days. I did a 1,000 m time trial at the end of last week for instance, and though I had a decent time (19:04), I felt like I could have done more after the fact (you wouldn't have thought so watching the last lap though).

I do have to keep in mind that the volume is still building, and my endurance times will reflect that (i.e. the body isn't quite used to the long sets yet).

Biking

Biking felt great this week. Sarah and I managed to make it outside to do the Horse Creek loop last Sunday. Though it was windy as s**t, it was certainly nice to be outdoors.

The Crestmont Spin Class (formerly the Bow Cycle Spin Class... we get kicked out of Bow Cycle when the busy season starts up) also went quite well on Tuesday. My heart rate was good, and the effort felt like it was there, so I really can't complain at all (though, I would like to focus on higher cadences moving forward... power isn't a problem for me).

Running

Running has been awesome. Which is nice considering the mind f**k I gave myself after the St. Patty's Day 10k. I had a short 30 - 40 minute run on Tuesday which got cut to 20 or so minutes as I was running short of time because of work. I still managed to put in the same distance as I would in 30 minutes though, so from a volume perspective everything was good... ;)

(for those versed in training... there is heavy sarcasm in that sentence... too many tempo runs in a week = INJURY!)

Yesterday 's run really was good... I felt like I could "let it all hang out" and I really tried to push the pace. After a 20 minute warmup I had 3 x 1 minute hill repeats, which I was able to run at a 7:30 min/mile pace (up McHugh Bluff by Eau Claire). I then had a 15 minute tempo run where I was able to maintain a 7:15 to 7:20 min/mile pace (the last mile I averaged around a 7:00 min/mile pace). I topped it all off with 3 more 1 minute hill repeats at similar pace to the first set (though the last one I managed to push slightly hard).

All in all it was a great workout (and proved to me that St. Patty's Day was just simply a sh**ty day).

Snot Rockets and Such

2010-03-22T18:02:00.000-06:00

This will be another "combination post"... work seems to be a giant time suck-hole right now regardless of what I do, or how I try to cope. There is light at the end of the tunnel though, as the auditors slowly plug their way through fieldwork, I am getting ever so close to not having to see them again for another 11 months... soon my sanity will come back and the grass will be green once more (if you deal with auditors on an annual basis you know what I'm talking about... the constant feeling of rage at their stupidity, or worse yet, the feeling of rage for having your stupidity pointed out by someone so stupid... and if you're an auditor reading this... well, I'm ending it there).

Training

Training for the last couple of weeks has been rough. All kidding aside, it is not just our audit that is eating up a lot of my time (and no, I don't hate auditors... at least not to the degree that I would lead on), but it is also the sales process that we are going through right now for one of our companies. This has meant many unexpected late nights, trying to fulfill the need for information by several interested parties.

Too many of these late nights have, over time, translated into:

1. A very fatigued Kelvin (which lead to a very sick Kelvin);
2. Several tweaks to the training program Angie made for me; and,
3. A general "feeling" of "OMFG, I'm tired".

Needless to say training and racing (I was in the St. Patty's Day 10k last weekend) have suffered accordingly. Training has become more of an obstacle... not from a physical sense, but from a mental one. Before I got sick, I would simply look at training as another task I "had to get done", as opposed to one I "wanted to get done". This was bad... on several levels... but mostly because a lack of positive outlook on training led to... yes, you probably guessed it... sub-par training overall. My body was there, but my mind wasn't.

Oddly enough I read an article a few days ago in an old Triathlete magazine (you could call it a sh***er epiphany if you will... and Sarah always wonders why I take so long... it's because I'm gaining perspective babe!). It was written by a coach, and her biggest focus for her athletes was to ensure that they looked at training with excitement, rather than dread. Though this may be a trivial point for a lot of people out there, it really hit home with me... when am I most effective in training?... when I'm excited about it.

When I think back to the best "performances" I've had in the past, they usually center around a general feeling of well being. The most recent example being the PR I set in Arizona in the PF Chang's Half Marathon. I didn't know I was going to set a PR at that race (and didn't care to be honest), but I packed a lot of training in in a very short period of time. I pretty much ran every single day, and didn't feel fatigued, tired or bored. Why?... because it was "fun".

When I look back at my Half Ironman PB at Great White I know I had similar feelings. The training around that time was all "fun". I felt like I was getting faster and fitter, and I was feeding off of that and just generally enjoying everything. Training wasn't a chore.

So how do I get that feeling back? Good question. Work slowing down will help, but I certainly could use some good tools to add to the repertoire. I may get back to meditating... I've always found that to be a good way to gain focus or clarity. I also have a "mental training" book that I have been meaning to read for a long, long time... maybe I'll give that a good go.

Racing

Working on the mental aspect of things might also help with the racing experience I had at the St. Patty's Day 10k...

After being sick for the good part of a week, I really did think I was on the mend. The morning of the race, I felt like I "might be" okay. I completed the warm-up with the team however, and quickly realized that "might be" really equalled "wasn't at all".

For the first 6 to 7 kms of the race I held pace surprisingly well. I was hoping to keep around the 4:40 to 4:50 min/km range, and generally speaking, I was able to do so without feeling overly horrible. At around 7km though, I felt a good "draft" of nausea. I wanted to puke and my lungs were burning... all in all, it was enough to prompt me to walk to get my bearings back.

The race from this point on was all down hill (figuratively speaking, literally, it was quite flat). My pace slowed substantially, and I reverted to a couple more walk breaks during the remaining 2 or 3 km. I managed to end the race with a 49:35... better than last year's 49:42... but certainly slower than I would have liked to seen.

The worst part of the race was really after the fact. Physically, I was done. I went home, slept for a good few (if not many) hours, and felt worse than I had any of the previous four or five days. Move forward one week later, and I am still trying to get rid of the cold (I wish I would have had a camera... but I think I expelled the world's biggest snot rocket on an outdoor ride with my wife yesterday... lucky for her, I tried to stay behind her to complete the wondrous feat).

Mentally, I was more than done. I had a cold. I hadn't had any solid, consistent training for about a week leading up to the race. And I really, really... really... didn't care... I had another sh***y day.

It probably took me a good few days to gain proper perspective on the situation (yes, the aforementioned sh***er epiphany helped). Although I was hoping for more, the circumstances leading up to race day were anything but ideal. To think that I could have pulled out an overall PR carried some heavily flawed logic.
Even before my cold hit, my time and my efforts were simply focused elsewhere (work)... and I certainly can't expect to crank out major PR's when I'm merely "going through the motions".

And I think this is the biggest thing I need to keep in mind moving forward... not framing any of my future races with the experience I had at St. Patty's Day. I was sick, and unfocused leading up to the race... but that doesn't mean I have to be in the future.

Nutrition Update - Glycemic Index

2010-03-06T20:27:00.001-07:00

I've added a few more tidbits onto my nutrition page... mostly in relation to the Glycemic Index (GI). Taken from "The New Glucose Revolution", by Dr. Jennie Brand-Miller et al:

1. The GI is a measure of carbohydrate quality. It is essentially a physiologically based measure that compares how carbohydrates immediately impact your blood glucose level. Foods containing carbohydrates that break down quickly during digestion have the highest GI values; their blood glucose response is fast and high (blood sugar rises signifantly and rapidly). Correspondingly, foods that contain carbohydrates that break down slowly have low GI values; their blood glucose response is significantly lower. (Page 5)

2. Fluctuation of blood glucose levels also increases inflammation: fluctuating glucose levels stresses cells and triggers inflammatory responses. (Page 14)

3. Heart attacks, leg amputations, strokes, blindness and kidney failure are more common in people with diabetes. The reason: poor blood glucose control can cause damage to the blood vessels in the heart, legs, brain, eyes and kidneys. Poor blood glucose control can also damage the nerves in the feet, leading to pain and irritation, numbness and loss of sensation. (Pages 97 and 98)

4. High insulin levels contribute to the damage of the blood vessels in the heart, legs and brain. High insulin levels are thought to be one of the factors that might stimulate muscle in the wall of blood vessels to thicken (causing blood vessles to narrow and blood flow to slow or stop), making individuals more prone to blood clots, heart attacks and strokes. (Page 98)

5. GI values are influenced by (Page 19):
a) Starch gelatinization - cooking foods swells and breaks apart particles/starches, making them fast to digest and creating higher GI values);
b) Physical entrapment - fibrous coatings around some foods slow the digestion process and lower the GI value);
c) Particle size - smaller particles have larger surface areas and are thus digested quicker (think refined foods that are highly milled and processed), creating higher GI values;
d) Fibre - viscous, soluble fibres are slow to digest (as enzymes have to work longer to break them down), this lowers the foods GI value;
e) Sugar - counterintuitively, sugar can create low GI values; sugar creates only half as many glucose molecules when broken down as starch; sugar also inhibits gelatinization by binding to water during digestion;
f) Acidity - acids typically slow stomach emptying, therefore slowing digestion and the rate starches are absorbed at (creating lower GI values)
g) Fat - Fat also slows stomach emptying and creates lower GI values.

Calgary 70.3 (2010) Program - Week 5/6

2010-03-06T19:18:00.001-07:00

I posted week 4's training review today, after having had it sit in my drafts folder for about two weeks. It's unfortunate really as I don't remember some of the specifics that happened, and hence, now I can't comment properly on them.

It's also unfortunate as it was such a good week... and these last two haven't been nearly as great. Don't get me wrong, I'm not here to whine or complain, simply state the truth. Work's has gotten in the way the last two weeks, and the training has suffered accordingly.

The fortunate part is that I have the time to reflect on it this weekend. Take some time to re-examine what I've accomplished to date, and re-set my goals for the coming weeks and months.

Basically... it's time to refocus.

Swimming

Swimming has been very consistent the last two weeks... exactly what I wanted it to be... up until yesterday. I could tell it was a long week at work as the first 20 minutes of the workout felt terrible. Sure, water is much more dense than air, making swimming a sport that is very technique focussed. But yesterday the water felt like runny concrete... my arms were burning even though my speed was lower than it normally is.

It's certainly a sign. Most likely that I need to get back on the nutrition train. This last week especially I have been eating far too much like Jared (of Subway fame)... not bad by any stretch of the imagination, but not great either (simply because there's less nutrients in any processed food).

The flip side (good side that is)... I still am getting a really good feel for maintaining power through my stroke. I can't stress it enough, but I really do think this will help me this year, especially as the distances get longer (I had a "broken" 1,500 m set this last workout for instance... and my triceps are feeling for sure).

Biking

Biking has been kind of a write off this last week. I had a really good workout at Bow Cycle spin class in week 5, but this week I was at work until 9:00 pm trying to get some accounting work done (audit season... and we're trying to sell our company to boot). Obviously I didn't make it to class.

Because of that I'd like to really hammer out my last brick workout of week 6 (tomorrow's workout). The hard work week is over... I've had a day to recover from it... so it's time to get back to business (spin class is therefore also a priority going into week 7).

Running

Running, running, running. Running has been my focus through this tougher period. If there were workouts that I was going to miss... they weren't running workouts.

I had such a great hill repeat workout in week 4, that I wanted to keep the momentum going. My pacing has been great these last two weeks... especially at the LSDs (long slow distances). I have noticed that my "weak spot" is at the middle distances. I'm not saying I'm great at LSDs, or at high speed... but the middle ground seems to be much tougher for me.

My hill workout last week was a great example. There were 3 minute intervals, and I wasn't able to hold pace as well as I'd like. Overall, it was an "okay" workout, but it's certainly an area where I would like to improve.

In saying that, I could just be weak at hills (and when I say could be... I mean "I am"). My power/strength workout this week was a 20 minute tempo run. I was able to maintain pace throughout the workout, and felt pretty good after the fact. Overall, it gives me a little hope for the first race of the season... the St. Patty's Day 10k next Sunday... should be interesting.

Other

I gave my feet some extra time to heal up and went for my first barefoot run in a couple of weeks today. Lucky for me it was in the double digits temperature wise, so I was finally able to take my Vibrams outside for their first breath of fresh air in 2010.

It probably wasn't the best idea, but I decided to run to the Eau Claire YMCA instead of driving. Theory was that I could get my long run in, then my strength training, without wasting time with a drive. Well... the idea was a success... but as I passed the Eau Claire YMCA, with my Vibrams still on, and my backpack in tow (still maintaining a 5:30 pace... which made me pretty happy), I was starting to think that I might be pushing it from the distance aspect.

Fortunately, no ill harm was incurred. I ended up running about 8k straight barefoot, with extra weight on my back, and it actually felt really good. Hopefully this weather will keep and I continue running barefoot outside (so much more enjoyable).

Calgary 70.3 (2010) Program - Week 4

2010-02-22T12:00:00.002-07:00

Welcome to the comeback train...

Week 4 was a resounding success in the sense that I didn't feel like a dog's breakfast after any of my workouts. And what a nice change it was considering the difficulties I had with fatigue in week 3. "Slugging it out" and "surviving" were replaced with "pushing through" and "succeeding".

The biggest change was my only true focus for the week... nutrition and hydration. Though I changed very little in what I ate, I changed a fair bit when it came to quantity. Each night I estimated the calories I would need for the upcoming day (using old Garmin data, Fitday.com and the guidelines I put in my nutrition post), then I planned my meals accordingly. This ensured I got exactly (or very close to) what I needed to sustain each workout.

It took a little bit of work, but moving forward, I would like to keep this focus. As volume increases, nutrition and hydration needs will only become more important.

Swimming

I continued to focus on keeping power through the whole swim stroke this week. Swimming, per se, hasn't felt a lot different (not as many highs and lows... much more consistent) through the program to this point. So I'd like to keep this consistency moving forward (especially as the distance starts to creep up on the sets).
Biking

In week 3, the Bow Cycle spin class was described as "beginning of the end". This week it just felt like the beginning.

Though I didn't get my heart rate as high as it has been in the past (peak wise), I felt great throughout the workout... and afterwards, I actually didn't feel all that fatigued (legs were tired, but I didn't feel as weary as I have in the past). A lot of this good "feeling" would certainly be attributable to diet. It's certainly a case in point for keeping diet a focus moving forward (as it optimizes workouts).
Running

Running was great this week, especially on the hill repeat workout. I not only killed my pacing, but I had to jack up the incline by the end of it. It's ironic actually, as this was the workout I was most worried about.
Other

I ended up getting a nasty plantar blister on my right foot. This swayed my to stay away from barefoot running for the week, just to give my soles a few days to mend.

Calgary 70.3 (2010) Program - Week 3

2010-02-15T11:18:00.002-07:00

Week 3 of the Calgary 70.3 training program felt like a relative bust. The week started off fairly good... I noticed elevated fatigue levels in several workouts, but nothing out of the ordinary. By week's end however, I was exhausted, and I found my last workouts to be especially difficult in terms of perceived exertion (while heart rate was low).

In terms of my week's goals I hit most of my targets. The only goal I didn't reach was on the bike, where I was unable to press my heart rate to the level I wanted it to be at.

Overall, it wasn't a bad week, it just wasn't ideal. It did serve as a friendly reminder that recovery is extremely important (hence a new post that I will be updating over time on nutrition), as is listening to your body. It was also a great example of why periodization is important in training... as three weeks in to a program I've started to hit a wall, and this upcoming rest week should serve well in letting my body "get back in to the swing of things".

My goals for the upcoming week will be highly "general", with a heavy emphasis on nutrition, hydration and recovery. I would like to be able to get the most out of every workout, so learning the proper mechanics of what to eat and drink, when and how will be just as key as the training itself.

Swimming

The silver lining of the week would be that my swimming continued to progress well. Though I did feel fatigued in a general sense, I really seemed to feel a lot of power in my arms while swimming. Likely a result of the workouts I had (a lot of pull bouy, technique and drill work this week), I felt this has given me a better sense of what a good arm stroke should feel like... holding the power all the way through, especially at the end of the stroke before the recovery phase begins. I would like to try to continue focussing on this "feeling" in the water for the next few weeks.

Biking

The Bow Cycle spin class this week was the beginning of the end. I was finding it extremely hard to get my heart rate beyond the mid to lower levels of zone 3 despite feeling a perceived effort of around an 8 or 9 for the majority of the workout. The day after the workout I felt like a truck had run me over... twice... and my legs felt like giant cinder blocks for quite some time.

I wish I had the heart rate data to show, but unfortunately I forgot to press the start button on my watch before the whole ordeal began... it was obviously a great workout... but it was also, obviously, a little too taxing on my body given the way I reacted to it.

Because of this my goal for the week is fairly simple: recouperate as much as I can. Because I want to stay healthy for the training I have in the upcoming weeks and months, the last thing I want to do is "fight" through the fatigue, and burn myself out early in the season.

Running

My running this week was good. Though I was extremely tired by the time my long run rolled around this weekend, my hill training went well, as did the other base runs throughout the week. I was able to again hit each running target I set out last week, though my heart rates were likely more elevated than they should have been (i.e. my average heart rates were in line with where they should be, but the odd time my heart rate would spill over into the very low end of zone 3). Because of this, I will be keeping the same running pace targets for the next week or so, with the "goal" of trying to reduce heart rate at these speeds (note that I put qutoes around goal, as it's time and adaptation that will make this goal happen, and not necessarily will power).

The week of training coming up will be interesting in the sense that I have my first hill/speed workout on Thursday. Yes, I have been doing hill intervals for the last few weeks, but the pace for this upcoming workout will be much higher. This will give me the opportunity to really try to jack the ol' heart rate up (of course, this may be hard if I am still in a fatigued state, but my body should be largely re-adjusted by that point in the week).

I really want to make this hill workout the focus of the week, and would love to be able to hit the appropriate pace target of around 6:18/mile (as this would solidify that I am, indeed, in the appropriate PZI pacing zone).

Other

Though I was fatigued during the week, I was still very diligent in my barefoot running. I was able to up the volume, and ended up at 47 minutes total for the week. My goal for this rest week is to bump this number up again to 48 or 49 minutes.

Nutrition

2010-02-14T12:00:00.119-07:00

Nutrition is sometimes referred to as the “fourth pillar” of triathlon. Rightfully so, as changes in nutrition can have drastic effects on all aspects of performance in the swim, bike or run. You might be a monster swimmer or cyclist, or an extremely strong runner, but one miscue in nutrition can negate any strength you have.

Hydration

Likely surprising to some, one of the most important aspects to nutrition doesn’t actually relate to food at all… it’s water.

A statistic thrown around quite often is that losing as little as 2 percent of your body weight through sweat can greatly impair your performance. Given the subjectivity usually dealt with this information however ("greatly impair performance", where's the hard data?), many people tend to ignore just how important hydration can be. Performance drops can be in the range of 30% (Page 81, The Complete Guide to Sports Nutrition, Anita Bean), a significant amount considering the time, effort and money most athletes put into their training and gear.

Dehydration can come in many forms. In fact, many gastrointestinal problems may indicate that an athlete isn’t drinking enough:

"Gastric emptying is delayed when you are dehydrated. It may appear that you do not tolerate a particular product, when what is actually occurring is that the product is unable to empty from your stomach and subsequent drinking causes distention." (Page 116, Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes, Monique Ryan)

Symptoms of Dehydration

(Table taken from Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes, Monique Ryan)

Mild Dehydration	Dark Urine Decreased Appetite Fatigue Heat Intolerance Light-headedness Small Amount of Urine Thirst
Severe Dehydration	Delirium Difficulty Swallowing Dry or Shrivelled Skin Muscle Spasms Sunken Eyes

A good rule of thumb for endurance athletes is to take in “one millileter of water per calorie" (Page 5, Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes, Monique Ryan); this ensures proper processing and functioning of bodily processes. An athlete that consumes around 4,000 calories per day should therefore consume around 4 liters of water per day.

Daily Nutrition

So what about food? According to most practitioners, the “proper” diet for an endurance athlete should be heavily focussed on carbohydrates. Generally, this would mean a diet comprised of “about 60 percent carbohydrates, 15 to 20 percent protein, and 20 to 25 percent fat." (Page 15, Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes, Monique Ryan)

Calories are of course important in order to meet the energy needs to sustain a training load; but in order to properly recover, athletes should focus their attention on exactly how much carbohydrate and protein they are taking in relative to their current activity level.

Carbohydrate Requirements

(Table taken from Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes, Monique Ryan)

Activity Level	Grams (g) of Carbohydrate per Pound of Body Weight

Sedentary Activity	0.40 g/lb
Moderate Activity (less than 60 minutes of moderate intensity, or several hours of low intensity)	2.24 g/lb to 3.00 g/lb
Prolonged Activity (greater than 90 minutes at moderate to high intensity)	3.00 g/lb to 4.50 g/lb
Extremely Prolonged Activity (greater than 3 to 6 hours at high intensity)	4.50 g/lb to 5.50 g/lb

Protein Requirements
(Table taken from Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes, Monique Ryan)

Activity Level	Grams (g) of Carbohydrate per Pound of Body Weight

Moderate Training (endurance)	0.45 g/lb
Heavy Training (endurance)	0.50 g/lb to 0.75 g/lb
Intense Training (endurance)	0.80 g/lb to 0.90 g/lb
Strength Training	0.50 g/lb to 0.70 g/lb

This may sound odd given the marketing efforts of many supplement companies, but it should be noted that there are small risks in consuming too much protein in your diet. Most of these risks stem from the extra effort your body undergoes to convert protein into glycogen. This process is more taxing on your liver and kidneys (as compared to converting carbohydrates), and requires more fluids to eliminate its end products.

Glycemic Index

Much has been written about the Glycemic Index (GI) these past few years. A great aid in helping level blood sugar levels and maintain a healthy body weight, the GI is simply a measure of carbohydrate quality; comparing how carbohydrates immediately impact blood glucose levels.

Foods with high GI values contain carbohydrates that break down quickly during digestion. This rapid breakdown creates a fast, high blood glucose response in the body (i.e. blood sugar rises signifantly and rapidly). Foods with low GI values contain carbohydrates that break down more slowly. This slower digestion creates a much lower blood glucose response in the body (Page 5, The New Glucose Revolution, Dr. Jennie Brand-Miller et al).

"That's fine", you might be saying, "but why are blood glucose levels even important?"

Blood sugar wreaks havoc on your body. Researchers believe that "heart attacks, leg amputations, strokes, blindness and kidney failure are more common in people with diabetes. The reason: poor blood glucose control can cause damage to the blood vessels in the heart, legs, brain, eyes and kidneys... Poor blood glucose control can also damage the nerves in the feet, leading to pain and irritation, numbness and loss of sensation." (Pages 97 and 98, The New Glucose Revolution, Dr. Jennie Brand-Miller et al)

In addition, it is believed that high insulin levels "contribute to the damage of the blood vessels in the heart, legs and brain. [They are also] thought to be one of the factors that might stimulate muscle in the wall of blood vessels to thicken." (Page 98, The New Glucose Revolution, Dr. Jennie Brand-Miller et al) This causes the blood vessles to narrow and blood flow to slow or stop, and potentially makes individuals more prone to blood clots, heart attacks and strokes.

So unless you want a heart attack, an amputated leg, bad kidney and brain function, or even blindness... blood sugar levels really don't matter at all.

Sarcasm aside, from a purely athletic perspective, blood glucose levels may be of interest from a recovery standpoint. It is believed that fluctuation of blood glucose levels may increase inflammation, as cells are continuously stressed and inflammatory responses are triggered (Page 14, The New Glucose Revolution, Dr. Jennie Brand-Miller et al). This would imply that eating low GI foods may allow better recovery.

Though the idea may be appealing and logical, it should be noted that there is currently no hardfast evidence suggests that GI can assist in athletic performance during an event (i.e. high GI foods don't necessarily give you a tangible boost in atheletic performance).

That aside, how does one find out more about low GI foods? You could start by looking at http://www.glycemicindex.com/. This is THE authoritive and official website for the glycemic index, which provides a large database of foods and their associated GI value.

You can also keep a few factors in mind the next time you are buying food or eating a meal. The GI of a food is typically influenced by (Page 19, The New Glucose Revolution, Dr. Jennie Brand-Miller et al):

Starch Gelatinization	Cooking foods swells and breaks apart the particles/starches that they are comprised of. This makes them fast to digest and causes higher GI values.
Physical Entrapment (thinks beans)	Fibrous coatings around some foods slows their digestion (as enzymes have to take longer to break them down). This creates lower GI values.
Particle Size (think refined foods that are highly milled and processed)	Smaller particles have larger surface ares and are thus digested quicker by your body. This creates higher GI values.
Fibre	Viscous, soluble fibres are slow to digest (as enzymes have to work longer and harder to break them down). This leads to lower GI values.
Sugar	Counterintuitively, sugar can lead to lower GI values in some foods. Compared to starch, sugar creates only half as many glucose molecules in the body (leading to lower blood sugar response). Sugar also inhibits gelatinization by binding to water during digestion.
Acidity (think lemon juice and sourdough bread)	Acids typically slow stomach emptying. This slows digestion and the rate that starches are absorbed by the body (creating lower GI values).
Fat	Fats also slow stomach emptying. This slows digestion and the rate that starches are absorbed by the body (creating lower GI values).

Recovery Nutrition

Some notes on recovery nutrition:
1. ”Consume at least 0.5 grams carbohydrates per pound of weight; consider adding 10 - 15 grams of protein if desired. Drink 24 ounces of fluid for every pound of weight lost during exercise." (Page 85, Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes, Monique Ryan)
2. "Emphasizing higher glycemic carbohydrate foods that elicit a higher insulin response... may enhance glycogen resynthesis" (Page 79, Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes, Monique Ryan)

Race Nutrition

Some notes on race day nutrition:
1. To “carbo load” one should eat a normal training program diet the week before the race (assuming there is a taper involved); the last few days a high carbohydrate diet should be followed where 3 grams to 5 grams of carbohydrate per pound of body weight is consumed (caloric needs may decrease but carbohydrate ratio should increase); note that every gram of glycogen stored in your body requires three grams of water, carbo loading thus results in several pounds of weight gain (fluid retention is beneficial in race however).
2. Emphasize low fibre foods that cause less gastrointestinal issues.
3. Ideal time to eat is three to four hours before competition; rule of thumb is: "for every hour you allow yourself to digest, consume just less than half a gram of carbohydrate for every pound that you weight" (Page 96, Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes, Monique Ryan).

Calgary 70.3 (2010) Program - Week 2

2010-02-08T13:38:00.000-07:00

Week 2 of the Calgary 70.3 training program went as well as the first. In general terms, I am still feeling really strong, and I think that has benefited my workouts accordingly. Each goal or focus I have made has been met, which makes the next progression seem that much more manageable.

Body wise I did have my first "potential niggly"... as I felt a little fatigued in the back after spending some long hours at the office. For those of you who don't know me well, I have a notoriously bad back, and at times, can work ridiculously long hours at the office. These don't often mix well together, and typically end up in a not-able-to-train-effectively Kelvin. It is an area that I am extremely conscious about, especially this training cycle, given my past history and the recent jump in volume (as I have basically done nothing since Ironman Canada last August).

To help remedy the issue, I became quite diligent in stretching after workouts, and in spending the time to complete a few core exercises (lots of glute bridges and back extensions as per wifey's instructions last time I had problems). I also used my exercise ball at work (as a seat) more often than not (as I tend to revert to chair sitting during tax and audit season given the long hours at the office... this means I slouch much more than I normally do... which is likely why my back was starting to feel "fatigued" in the first place). Within a day or two the feeling was gone and all systems were go.

Swimming

My swimming progressed well in the sense that I didn't want to vomit after doing 1,000 m in the pool (I didn't actually feel this way last week either, it just sounds more dramatic when I describe things this way). As I posted earlier in the week, my golf score was actually lower than it was last year at around the same date... and slowly, but surely, I feel as though I'm finding "my stroke" again (that smooth, gliding sensation). I think the technique drills Angie has had me focus on the last two weeks have been a big help in this regard (rather than just trying to pound out volume and/or speed).

Seeing as how swimming is still "new" to me (in the sense that it has been so long), I'm going to avoid putting out any tangible goals as of yet. I'd still like to focus on getting my stroke back, then start to focus on getting the distance swims down pat.

Biking

Biking has always been my strong suit, but I know that keeping this mentality is also a surefire way to quickly make it my weakness. This week I had two good bike workouts, with a gear pyramid this weekend and the regular Bow Cycle spin class on Tuesday.

The gear pyramid this weekend was hard in the sense that it was at home. Sarah was kind enough to join in, and that certainly helped the motivation factor, but at the end of the day, we all know how easy it still is to dog a workout in your own house. My impromptu goal was thus to put forth the proper effort.

The workout was a success in that my heart rate was where it was supposed to be for each section of the workout. I spilled over a little into zone 4 on some of the later gear builds, but not by much. I kept my cadence at the prescribed rate as well, which is good as I know I have the tendency to like the lower cadences (I've always wondered at what point it isn't considered "spinning" any more).

As I have a similar workout this weekend I would like to keep the same intensity. If I could even push HR into zone 5 on some of the later gear builds I would be pretty happy. To me, this is more important on the weekend workout as I will already be pre-fatigued from the week's worth of training I have up to that point. Hitting a zone 5 HR would thus be a pretty good accomplishment in terms of mental and physical perseverance.

Running

As expected, I hit each of my running targets that I set out last week. Again, the higher intensity workouts seemed to be my limiter, but I also felt much more comfortable doing them this week than I did the last go 'round. I think that having pacing targets has helped, as it has put a little more methodology to my running, as opposed to simply going out and hitting a heart rate zone (i.e. having pacing targets makes them marginal, incremental and objective as opposed to potentially varied and subjective).

This week I would like to take it up another notch and see how it goes. This would mean my base runs would have to be at a 8:18/mile pace (7.2 mph) and my hill intervals would have to be at a 7:17/mile pace (8.2 mph). I don't see this as being a huge obstacle, but the interval workout will be key. If I start spilling over into a zone 5 heart rate during this workout, I'll be spending as much time as it takes at these paces to let my body adjust appropriately.

Other

As usually happens, my barefoot mileage decreased this week as the speed went up (as I get more prone to blisters at higher speeds on the treadmill). I would like to make a conscious effort to bring this number back up over time, so I can keep the foot strength gains I feel I have made over the last month or so.

Last week I managed to get in around 45 minutes of barefoot running (on two runs), so I would like to see if I can bump this up to 46 or 47 minutes comfortably this week.

Fore!

2010-02-05T13:36:00.002-07:00

Training has been going well this week despite the odd long work day (tax time and audit season... love it!).

With one of my first workouts this week also came one of my favorite swim workouts... swim golf. I really have no idea what the main draw to swim golf is, but I do certainly look forward to it.

One of the reasons that I can pin down is that swim golf provides a good reference point. For those of you who don't know, the premise of swim golf is quite simple:

1. Swim 50m;
2. Time yourself AND count how many strokes it takes to complete the 50m;
3. Add these two numbers together.

With that you have your swim golf score. The lower your score, the better you're doing (logic being that you can swim 50m in 60 seconds... but if you take 100 strokes versus 50, you are expending more energy doing so).

This week I had a swim golf score of 78 (I did manage a 75... but I think I missed count so I am arbitrarily excluding it from my numbers)... which is pretty good considering I've only had three swims since Ironman Canada back in August 2009. It's even better when you consider that I had a score of 83 (or so) at around the same time last year. Simply put... progress!

On other fronts I have uploaded my Garmin data from my key workout this week for some post workout analysis:

Hill Repeats (Treadmill)

First off, as it was an indoor run, you will notice that there is no distance data. I started off at 8:20/mile for a warmup though (and took a small break to change the screen setup on the watch... hence the first HR drop at around 4 minutes in), and was aiming to hit 7:25/mile to 7:33/mile on each 2 minute hill interval (6% grade).

Surprisingly, these hill repeats felt far more "comfortable" than last week's did. As the first was almost too easy (max HR of 168, lower limit of my zone 4), I bumped my pace up to 7:23/mile and maintained this pace for repeats 2 to 4. My max HR for these first four repeats was 172 (max zone 4 is 174). Each felt challenging (I believe I actually thought to myself at one point... "this is what it feels like to be uncomfortable again"), but good.

So the last interval, of course, became a little bit of a self-inflicted throw-down... 7% grade and 7:05/mile pace?... why not?! I managed to get through the first 1:40 of the interval at which point the wheels fell off the bus. I think the guy running beside me was genuinely concerned for my health given the look of "what the f**k are you doing?" written all over his face. After a 5 second breather, I managed to polish it off though.

Lessons learned:

I'm probably honing in on exactly where I should fit on the PZI table I mentioned in previous posts. Assuming that my remaining runs go well the rest of this week, I will bump paces up again. This will make next week a good test as I have a hill workout with a 3 minute interval in it. I am assuming that my HR will be pushing the top end of zone 4 at that point (if not spilling over... which we don't want to see), so I may be sticking at those paces for a few weeks before moving on (i.e. let the body adapt).

Calgary 70.3 (2010) Program - Week 1

2010-02-02T09:51:00.006-07:00

The first official training week of the season has now officially come and gone. I've been posting a lot recently about barefoot running and plyometrics and general "feelings" of how the training is going, so I also wanted to start getting a little more concrete in formulating my goals, and looking at how my workouts are progressing towards those goals.

First off, I'll have to admit that this will be a little ad hoc to start. Though I am training, I have done the last little bit without the aid of my trusty Garmin 310xt (I LOVE this watch by the way... NEVER buy a Garmin 405 for triathlons over an Olympic distance... or if you're a heavy sweater... ever tried using a touch screen with sweaty hands? [yes, I have a touch screen remote at home, and no, I don't watch a lot of porn thank you very much]... doesn't work so great... so why use the same technology on a sports watch?... apparently Garmin engineers don't actually use their prototypes or sweat [or watch porn either]).

This has been fine for running as we now have a treadmill at home, and I am able to get instantaneous feedback with where my HR is, but things have been a little more tricky with biking, as I have no real hard data to go off of. So... bear with me until I get my HR data back in check (I will be using my old Garmin 305 until my 310xt is repaired... it was on loan, but will be getting it back at tomorrow's spin class). Ultimately, my goal is to publish my weekly results and notes online, along with an assessment of the week coming up and what my goals should be for any key workouts I have.

Regardless... without the wonderful data to show... we will move on...

In terms of last week's progress I was very happy. Though spin class was a mother f***er on Tuesday, and my legs were pretty much bi***ed the whole next morning, I felt really good in all of my workouts and didn't have any nasty, out-of-the-ordinary nigglies after the fact.

In terms of running, my focus for this training program, it was pretty rock solid. I had four run workouts to do, and I was pretty dialed in for each of them. My running pace goals for the week were 8:25/mile (7.1 mph) for any base/endurance runs, and 7:20/mile (8.2 mph). These were loosely based on some pacing targets I have come to love after reading Brain Training for Runners (see here for information on PZI, Pacing Zone Index, or here for the actual pacing zones). The premise of pacing zones being that HR trains physiology, not performance... so in order to get faster you have to push harder, while still within your HR limits (conversely if you push too hard, you are probably not training aerobically or efficiently, and run a great risk of injury... yes, it is a fine balance).

For whatever reason I pretty much crushed the pacing targets that I had for the week. On my base runs my HR remained between 156 and 158 bpm, well within my Zone 2 limit of 161. My pace, however, was anywhere between 8:00 to 8:20 per mile (8:13/mile on my long run on the weekend). For my hill repeats, the max heart rate I saw was 168, the very lower limit of my Zone 4. This was at my goal pace of 7:20/mile (at a 6% grade).

According to the PZI theory, I should be moving to a faster pace level this week for all runs as each goal pace was attained within the proper heart rate zone. There are a few points to make here:

1. I pegged myself as PZI Level 34 based off of my January half marathon time (8:01/mile average). This could easily have been the wrong starting point for me, and hence, this week wouldn't be an indication of any training improvement on my part. This would be my guess, as I haven't been consistently training for any real length of time.

2. According to PZI Level 33, my base run pace should be between 9:21/mile to 8:28/mile for the HR zone I am in. Correspondingly, my hill repeats should be between 7:33/mile to 7:18/mile (likely on the lower end given that these are hill repeats). As my Week 1 paces fit within this zone as well, I certainly could have self-assessed my initial zone wrong.

3. PZI Levels are based off of recent 10k times, and lesser distance races (as these are good threshold level tests)... as I haven't done a 10k recently, it is hard to determine exactly where I should fit on the scale. At a Level 33, however, I should be able to run a 45:42 to a 44:50 10k. This is WELL below my 10k PR, so my guess is my PZI is correct (and my high speed, or lack thereof, is simply my limiter).

4. My perceived exertion (or RPE, rate of perceived exertion) would tend to agree with this last point. Though all of the base runs felt good, the hill repeats were tough. Of course, hill repeats are supposed to be tough... but going from an RPE of 4/5 in base runs to 8/9 in hill repeats just doesn't make sense (my HR should be blasting of the charts at RPE's that high)... until you consider the fact that my running speed/strength is non-existent right now and/or my psychology is starting to take over more than physiology at higher stress levels.

What does all of this mean?...

Though I could have started myself out at the wrong level, I don't think that I have. Instead, I think the data really confirms what I have felt in terms of my fitness right now... i.e., it would appear as though I still have a really good base (though my guess would be this would deteriorate quickly at longer distances), but my "top end" is missing.

This is very evident when you look at the Level 33 PZI paces relative to my actual results. For base pace the PZI range is 9:21/mile to 8:28/mile, while I actually ran between 8:20/mile to 8:00/mile. For hill repeats the PZI range is 7:33/mile to 7:18/mile, while I actually ran 7:20/mile. At the end of the day, my actual base pace is well below the PZI levels, while my actual threshold pace is "just" (I use that term loosely here as I was happy with all my runs this week) within range of the PZI threshold level. This clearly illustrates that running speed and strength are my limiters.

Disclaimer: of course, in looking at my initial PZI assessment, I am also now unsure of how I even got my goal paces last week. Apparently, my method was highly subjective (as I can't remember it), and I REALLY need this blog to keep myself accountable! The goal hill repeat pace was likely too lofty for starting out, and this would likely explain why my RPE was so high (go figure?!). I guess the bonus I can take from all of this is that my heart rate WASN'T off the charts at a 7:20/mile hill repeat pace.

So what are my running goals for this week?...

Because my actual base paces are lower than what the PZI scale would indicate they should be, I will be sticking with them until my speed and strength can "catch up". The upper-range of a Level 33 base run (non-peak phase) is 8:28/mile, so my goal base pace will be anything between 8:00/mile and this amount. If I can run anything faster without increasing HR, great... but it certainly won't be my focus for the coming weeks.

Because speed and strength are my limiters I will be a little more concrete in my goals (if not just to make them more measurable). I would like to hit the lower to mid-point of the PZI 33 threshold pace, so I will need to keep a 7:33/mile to 7:25/mile (8.1 mph) pace in my hill repeats. Though I realize this pace is slower than last week's actual, it should serve as a good reference point. The repeats are slightly longer this week, so I should fatigue more. If I can keep a pace faster than my goal pace (without a drastic increase in HR), I will simply move up to a faster pace in week 3. Keeping things this methodical should keep me more honest, and will certainly prevent me from blowing up (and injuring myself) by going "all out" on each hill run.

What about those "other" sports?

As for my biking and swimming I'll be leaving the goals be for now. Surviving the Bow Cycle spin class on Tuesday is good enough... while swimming will take me a while to get back into good form. Things are good in both fronts, but I want to concentrate on running the most.

Another Interesting Article

2010-01-29T13:09:00.000-07:00

In keeping up with Joe Friel's blog, as well as the recently released Harvard study (and website) that I posted about these last few days, I came across another very well informed, researched and written blog post.

Steve Magness, the writer, is a both a high level runner and coach, and is studying towards his Masters in Exercise Science (little wonder that his posting on the subject of running shoes is so well put forward). I think this particular blog is certainly worth a read, as it basically describes how running shoe technology inhibits the body's proprioceptive cues... and that this is ultimately what changes running form. Though he doesn't go as far as to say "toss your friggin' shoes", his suspicion of modern shoe technology is evident (and rightfully so after you read his post).

Hope you all enjoy!

Barefoot Running

2010-01-28T09:09:00.008-07:00

Barefoot running seems to be getting more and more press these days; some good, and some bad. Advocates of barefoot running see its underlying value being increased muscle activation and utilization, while opponents view this "new fad" as a quick route to injury (from plantar fascia to torn achilles tendons and other such calamities).

If one looks at running logically, barefoot running does make sense. As stated in Explosive Running (Michael Yessis, PhD), "From a technology standpoint, (modern) shoes may be extremely valuable in treating certain foot problems. But it is important to determine if all these supports are needed by an individual who has a well-functioning, normal foot. Have modern-day runners become invalids who now require such foot support? If yes, I often wonder how man survived running before the advent of shoes."

This last sentence rings particularly true to many in barefoot running and scientific community. Touched upon in Born to Run (Christopher McDougall), "persistence hunting" is believed to have been an integral part of human evolution. Put simply, this theory postulates that before the advent of tools, humans would literally run down their prey to the point of exhaustion. Oddly enough, this is not the only evolutionary tale that includes running. Other theories believe that distance running provided humans with a useful advantage against other scavengers before the advent of tools. Regardless, if any of these theories is true, they would also imply that humans, and their feet, have evolved and adapted to distance running over millions of years. Our bodies should therefore be quite adept at running, and more importantly, running barefoot.

Recent studies would seem to validate these beliefs. Harvard University, for instance, has found that unshod runners naturally change their gait to minimize initial foot strike forces. Where shod runners experienced foot impact forces of 1.5 to 3.0 times their body weight, unshod runners experienced negligible amounts.

If you are looking for a great overall informational website that ties many barefoot running ideas together, Harvard's website provides a great resource. Keep in mind that the information contained in this particular website was funded by Vibram, the manufacturer of FiveFingers "minimal footwear" (i.e. disclosure is made on the website, but biases may still exist).

Running Barefoot or in Minimal Footwear (Harvard University Skeletal Biology Lab)

Other good resources, including personal blogs, websites and forums related to barefoot running include:
Barefoot Ken Bob Saxton
Barefoot Ted
On and off the Track
Runner's World

I Think I Left My Legs at Bow Cycle Too!

2010-01-27T10:52:00.006-07:00

I remember reading a post from Leana last week about how hard the Bow Cycle bike class was (Sarah and I had just returned from our successful venture in Phoenix, so we missed last week's class). The basic jist of the post was that Angie wreaked her usual havoc, and poor Leana's legs were ravaged by the end of the night.

Well... I think I left my legs at Bow Cycle too!

My dear lord was last night's class tough. Yes, it was my first day back at real training (I have officially started a new program with Angie), and yes I did run and do plyometrics in the morning... but dear lord!... I'm pretty sure the WHOLE class was a "stand up and surge drill". By the end of it, my legs were on fire and my heart rate was barely peaking through zone 3/4 (i.e. strength was my limiter)... I was definitely tired!

One thing that I did take from last night's class... hydration, hydration, hydration. I really need to keep track of my sweat rate this next little while so I have a true understanding of exactly how high it is. Even though I went through three water bottles during last night's class (1.5 hours long), and downed more water after the fact, I KNOW I'm still dehydrated (let's just say it was hard to see the bottom of the toilet bowl this morning).

I also need to start taking some proper nutrition to the class. I think my estimated calorie burn was somewhere in the range of 1,400 calories. Guess it would be safe to assume that part of feeling tired by the end of spin class was also a lack of calorie intake. Time to pull out the ol' Infinit again!

Overstriding

2010-01-27T01:00:00.016-07:00

The term "longer stride" is often taken quite literally in the running world. Unfortunately, physically stretching your leg further forward can be counter-productive. "Overstriding", as it is often referred to, typically leads to more pronounced heel strikes while running. In turn, heel striking usually leads to less efficient form due to the braking forces that are being created and applied (as you are literally planting your foot in front of you, as opposed to propelling forward with your feet below or slightly behind you), and can lead to greater risk of injury (due to the aforementioned planting/braking force and positioning/straightening of your leg).

Here are two great pictures from About.com. The first shows an exaggerated overstride/heel strike, while the second shows a good push off.

Plyometrics

2010-01-27T01:00:00.015-07:00

Wikipedia defines plyometrics as: "a type of exercise training designed to produce fast, powerful movements, and improve the functions of the nervous system, generally for the purpose of improving performance in sports. Plyometric movements, in which a muscle is loaded and then contracted in rapid sequence, use the strength, elasticity and innervation of muscle and surrounding tissues to jump higher, run faster, throw farther, or hit harder, depending on the desired training goal. Plyometrics is used to increase the speed or force of muscular contractions, often with the goal of increasing the height of a jump."

Note the highlighted term... "run faster".

Many people often associate (as Wikipedia writers even implied in their definition) plyometrics with jumping and other sports requiring explosive power. Many studies and articles however, suggest that plyometrics can, and do, assist in running faster by improving running economy. This stems from improvements plyometrics make in neuromuscular firing patterns and muscle contractions.

It all boils down to this (as do most things in triathlon): efficiency (less is more). By using plyometrics you are teaching your body to contract its muscles faster in performing any given movement. As you spend less time and effort doing that movement, you are effectively increasing your efficiency.

Related Research:
Plyometrics Improves 5k Running Performance (Paavolainen et al, 1999)
Effect of Plyometric Training on Distance Runners (Spurrs et al, 2003)
Short Term Pylometric Training Improves Running Economy (Saunders et al, 2006)

Joe Friel put it best on one of his blog posts: "biomechanically, there are only two things you can do to run faster. You can run with a faster cadence or you can run with a longer stride." Having a longer stride, in this context, is referring to greater running force (i.e. spending more time in the air... see another post here on common misnomers for "longer stride"). Greater running force can be developed through plyometrics.

As with any type of training, there is a multitude of plyometric techniques one can employ. So what to do? Here are a few websites that offer basic suggestions:
Active.com
Runner's World
Running Planet

WTF?!

2010-01-20T11:08:00.003-07:00

Actually, I think Angie's exact words were "What the heck?"...

Yes, this is my race report/blog. A convoluted twist of tales where nothing seems to make sense except for maybe the ending... and to those assuming they know what the ending is, that probably doesn't even make sense!

It all started with a bright and early start to the whole weekend. Up at 4:30 am Friday morning, chipper as can be (wait, I'm NEVER chipper at 4:30 in the am... right... got it now... that was the two giddy Pearce sisters that I was thinking of!). The drive to the airport was quick, the lines in airport security weren't. Our flight was delayed by about an hour or so (due to the security line ups), but hey, I was able to plow through 'District 9' AND 'All About Steve' (well, everything but the last 15 minutes), so the day seemed to be going well.

We picked up our rental car, booted straight to the Expo, picked up our race packets and sampled a ton of products (this even included Power Balance wrist bands... which we all got conned into buying given the voodoo magic they seemed to exude). Given that I hadn't been to an expo that big in years (there were 32,000 people in the various races that weekend... and the expo reflected that) I even learned something new: Gu Chomps + Clif Shot Roks + Forze bars + various other whey protein powders, sports drinks and nutrition supplements = OMG IWTB! (Oh My God I Want To Barf!)

Go figure...

Friday came and went and Saturday was soon upon us. Everyone was relaxed and having fun, and it really didn't seem like it was a race weekend. The girls struck out on a shopping trip to which I tagged along in order to get a haircut. We ended up watching Avatar 3D in the early afternoon in order to keep off our feet (absolutely amazing movie by the way). The day was capped off with dinner at PF Chang's China Bistro (sponsor of the race that weekend... which of course meant discounts on dinner... whooop!).

When we got back to the hotel that night (yes, Saturday flew by... those Pearce girls can shop!) race nerves finally started kicking in. Lara was managing her nerves by rocking out to her iTunes... which was getting on the nerves of her sister because she was trying to get Lara organized (who needs TV when you have these two?). I started thinking... "holy s**t, I actually have to run 13.1 miles tomorrow... what am I doing here?!".

Needless to say, I didn't sleep all that great that night...

Race day morning was another early one. The girls were up at 4:00 am (again) in order to get ready, catch breakfast and hop on the shuttle bus for their 7:30 am start. I toyed with the idea of sleeping in another hour, but I knew I just might not wake up (conveniently). So after the girls were prepped and ready, I got changed and rambled downstairs to the lobby for some early breaky.

I ate with Sarah and Lara and saw them off to the shuttle. I then went back to the room and watched sports highlights for about an hour... the fun was about to begin.

The shuttle ride to the race start was "interesting" to say the least. I was on a bus full of half-marathoners who really didn't want to be there. I think the bus driver was ready to lose it because every second request was "do you want to drop me off here?". Each request in between that was "I'll drive, if you run"... because, of course, the poor bus driver was getting lost. It was a little surreal in a sense... watching all the people panic, and seeing exactly how far it was that we were about to run (as the race is point-to-point, the shuttle ride is pretty much the half-marathon distance). I thought to myself... "if all these people really hate running THAT much... how are they going to cope with this distance?". At that point I vowed to actually enjoy the run regardless of how it went... I wasn't going to be a "hater".

The race start was a gong-show. If you haven't been to a big race, just try to imagine 32,000 people (a sports stadium basically), plus any of their friends or family, all lined up at porta-potties (which there were literally hundreds and hundreds of). Quite a sight.

Luckily, my bus driver somehow managed to find his way to the site just before the marathon start. That was nice as it allowed me to see Sarah and Lara start their quest for a Boston qualifying time. Got (and gave) my pre-race kiss from Sarah and I was good to go.

Or was I?...

To this point I had given myself gut rot at the expo on Friday, ate food on Saturday night that I usually wouldn't (i.e. Chinese food... though it is quite healthy), and had a really big breakfast race day morning (which I usually find VERY hard to do). I had just vowed to take it "easy" on a run I hadn't really trained for... and guess what?... after checking in my dry clothes bag, visiting a Trainspotting-like porta-pottie (i.e. OMG IWTB!), wolfing down a half bagel and getting into my race corral (this race had wave starts)... I realized I didn't have ANY of my nutrition. Oooooops!

I looked up at the 1:45 pace bunny in my corral. Had I had the training in, my goal was to give that particular bunny the beating of his life. I then turned around to see where a more realistic pace bunny was given my current condition. The 1:50 pace bunny, which I thought was still too fast, was four or five corrals back (meaning there was probably a few hundred people between the two pacers). "Ugh...", I thought, "I don't want to hang back through THAT many people!".

So the decision was made... I would start off slow, keeping the 1:45 pacer within eyesight as long as I could.

At that point, something funny happened... the gun went off and I actually felt good! Mile 1... check. Mile 2... check. Mile 3... 1:45 pace bunny sill in sight... check. Each aid station I downed some Cytomax and water in order to get some calories and hydration in. "No nutrition?...", I told myself, "no worries, just do what you can".

Miles 6 and 7 came around and I was still feeling very good. I was keeping pace with the 1:45 bunny and I wasn't ready to hurl yet. I was feeling good enough that I wanted to push the pace harder. "No", I thought, "just keep doing what you're doing... run easy, light and smooth... easy, light and smooth. Hmmm... guess I just developed my first real mantra."

I held my pace to mile 10 and 11... things were starting to get hard, but I knew if I stopped I was going to stop for good. I kept trudging along repeating my new mantra... "easy, light and smooth... easy, light and smooth".

I kept it going until mile 12 where I wanted to try and push the pace... and push I did, only my speed wasn't changing. Guess that meant I paced the whole race well... as there was NOTHING left in the tank.

The legs were starting to burn and the finishing chute was coming up. The 1:45 bunny was still within eyesight, and I ended up crossing the line in 1:45:11, a new PR by 0:03:47. "Holy S**t!", I thought to myself.

Within minutes of getting my finisher's medal, being pushed through for pictures and grabbing my dry clothes bag (and nutrition) I had about four or five texts from friends and family wishing me congratulations. One of them was from Angie... "what the heck?"... it said. "No kidding", I thought, "what an amazing day".

After talking to my parents and responding to the texts, I grabbed my gear and headed off to the marathon finish line. About 40 minutes later Lara and Sarah completed their quests in similar fashion... and they did so with time to spare. Just like in November when I saw Sarah pound through negative thoughts on the run to post a spectacular overall race, I saw her finish strong again today, obtaining a goal she's sought after for a long time. I'd be lying if I said I didn't well up when I saw her cross the finish line... she did awesome... it really was an amazing day.

The whole weekend was funny when I look back on it now: three people with doubts going in, and all three accomplishing their goals in strong form. My own personal experience was even more funny. I hardly trained, I didn't sleep well, I tried new things before and during the race... I even bought a voodoo magic Power Balance wristband... but for whatever reason a PR I chased all last year was finally reached.

With a little thought though, this surprise ending actually made sense... the whole day was really just a reflection of the last year's events. Even though I hadn't pushed myself for months my base was still there (thanks Angie!)... when I wanted to quit I would think of Sarah and how motivating she can be (thanks hot wifie!)... and when I was feeling any negative vibes I would think of other TTL athletes' experiences and perseverance and remember that racing is fun.

All in all it was a great experience, and a great way to start out the new year. So to all of those people I drew advice, wisdom and training from to complete this feat... thanks!!!

Slowly But Surely

2010-01-06T17:23:00.001-07:00

Well... we are now 6 days in to the new year and I've managed to get work outs in on 5 of those days (including my run tonight). So far so good (maybe faking that run on the 17th won't be so bad after all... ya... right).

Went to my first spin class in a looooong time last night. As is always the case when it's been THAT long, I was feeling pretty damned apprehensive about going. How would I feel? Would I "keep up"? Would it really hurt as bad as I thought? Would I be puking on my lovely wife within minutes?

Low and behold I survived the ordeal with all body parts, innards and anything they carry in tact. It was hard... and it hurt (still does actually, and it's now officially 22 hours later), but I finished like I always do.

A few things I really took away from last night's class:

1. The camaraderie. It was really fun being back with the Tri-life group last night. Though they're all ugly as sin, it was fun interacting with Richelle, Chad, Ken and Scott from across the room. I guess there's just something inherently fun about acting like a five year old when you're pushing yourself hard (probably hits home the fact that sometimes training isn't always about faster times and PR's... most people don't start running or biking just to simply be faster... too bad there's such a focus on it as time goes on).

2. My pedal stroke S-U-C-K-S right now. Though I wasn't at a point of wanting to puke from exertion (though our power intervals got me close), I did think about it when we started to do one legged-drills. My how time can get rid of a sweet stroke. I believe I was the epitome of a "masher" (maybe that's why my quads hurt so much today???). Certainly an area I need to work on again... I'm thinking some time on the rollers (and soon) might not hurt.

3. I really need to get my HR monitor back. Through a kind gesture I gave my Garmin HR monitor to Ross during IMAZ (as his broke... I'm hoping that his 10 hour IM juice will somehow rub off on me too... hopefully he DIDN'T wash it!). Fortunately I haven't really needed it to date. But, I will need to start nailing down workouts again as time rolls on... and my trusty HR monitor will be key. Last night for instance... I know I was working hard, but certainly couldn't tell you exactly how hard and at what point. If I want to focus on running for the first part of training, I really need to maximize my bike and swim workouts... HR will be key to that.

Anyways... life is ducky right now. I've started the wheel rolling on getting my coach back on track (always sounds better when someone else has to get back on track doesn't it?). I've got 11 days until my first "big" run of the year. I'm slowly creeping up the barefoot mileage (and mileage in general... though that's not hard when you simply haven't been running!). Now I just need to start dialing in the food and recovery (i.e. my choice of a bacon and cheddar burger for a recovery meal was probably not the best last night... I think I was taking Joe Friel's comments to the extreme on increasing fat intake during any build phases in order to make your body more adept at burning fat).

Holy Cram-oli!

2010-01-04T14:17:00.000-07:00

Reading back on my posts these last couple months has been pretty fun... mostly because there wasn't any and it was quite easy to get through. Funny how life has a way of throwing monkey wrenches at you... things change, and so do your priorities depending on those "things".

In an nutshell, the last two months of the decade were hectic in the sense that my wife and I were trying to get into our new home. Being cheap and capable, we decided to tackle a few projects that required completion before the move in date could happen. Low and behold it got done, and we are now in a beautiful new place we can both call home (my wife has even now started a blog to keep with the "making it a home" theme [read... filling it with babies]... see here: http://ironmantoironmom.blogspot.com/).

Of course, building the house wasn't the only distraction in life. Sarah also competed (quite well I might add) in Ironman Arizona, pulling out what I thought was her best race to date. For the first time in her career she had to tackle with some pretty big mental demons, and she persevered beautifully. I really wish others could have been there to see it... because if she wasn't awe-inspiring before, she certainly was in Tempe that day.

Come December and all of its Christmas parties, celebrating and visiting... and there certainly wasn't a whole lot of time left in the wee hours to get (or want to get) training in. Amazing how long days outside in the cold and dark sap you of all motivation.

But alas, that gets us to where we are now... in the New Year and with the ability to get a new jump on training and getting back on track to where I would like to be (which is ultimately new PRs... especially on the running side of things).

First step... guess I need to rethink my strategy for this year. I was hoping to be in peak running shape at this point, but now need to really think about what triathlon races I want to do, when I want to do them and how that will affect my training now (i.e. is a running focus still feasible at this point?). I am thinking that an e-mail to my trusty coach might help... and I may just have to put her back on the payroll to get this ball rolling.

Second step... try not to kill myself. Seeing as though I have a "prep" race in about two weeks, and a half-marathon nonetheless, I really need to get in some mileage in this next little bit. I suppose I could "fake it" and just try to mash through the course... but let's face it, as much as I like being active, I'm not THAT much of a masochist. Faking 21 km... ha!

Third step... try not to kill myself (what... again?). I've just read another book on running: "Born to Run" by Chris McDougall. The story and its characters were simply amazing. The fact that it was real made it even more so (the only real detractor to the book was the constant tangents the author went on... there are many stories within stories in this book). What really intrigued me though was the discussions it presented on barefoot running, the modern shoe industry and running injuries as we know them. The simple premise: less is more.

I have always agreed with barefoot running. I have owned Vibram FiveFingers for two years and every time I use them (or nothing for that matter) I felt they made me stronger or more efficient. After reading this book, and about some of it's characters (particularly Barefoot Ted, who I've heard about before, but never knew who or what he was really all about), my thoughts have become more biased. One of the more intriguing facts the book brought forth was:

"Runners wearing top-of-the-line trainers are 123 per cent more likely to get injured than runners in cheap ones. This was discovered as far back as 1989, according to a study led by Dr Bernard Marti, the leading preventative-medicine specialist at Switzerland’s University of Bern."

Though I've only run twice (three including one I will be doing today) in the New Year, I have incorporated barefoot running into each of these runs. This is something I'd like to continue moving forward. I do have to keep in mind that I'm NOT Barefoot Ted though... and to those untrained (which is probably 99% of the running world)... running barefoot for large distances at the get go can be more calamitous as wearing "top-of-the-line trainers".

I'll let you all know how it goes...

Long Overdue...

2009-10-25T12:08:00.002-06:00

Wow... it's certainly been a while since my last post...

Wish I could say that it wasn't (as it always seems to be) , but life has been busy with my "two jobs" (normal work... and supervising the construction of our new house). But, with winter closing in, and with the end in sight for the new pad, Sarah and I are both wanting to get as much done as we possibly can. This has meant a lot of extra-curricular sauna and deck building the last couple of weeks (next week... the fence).

Admittedly, the first four weeks of the training program have suffered. I still manage to get in around four runs a week though, and I certainly can't complain about the quality of the runs... so all in all, it hasn't been THAT bad.

With more time in my horizon I'm hoping to be able to stick to the training program I have a little better. That means I should be able to at least get in another run each week (fartlek hopefully... I love fartlek runs... and I love saying... fartlek). I'm also looking forward to getting back to spin class and starting to fit in some swimming each week.

Today's run was a quick 5 miler. Next week the mileage ramps up again. Here are my splits:

Splits - Base Run (5 miles)

I was really happy with this run, and with my running in general this week, as I was able to pull off two training runs below a 5:00 min/km pace (within my zone 2 average heart rate). Combine that with putting on some post Ironman weight (back up to 198 lbs), and I think I have a good case for having made some running strength gains regardless of the hapless schedule I've had.

I'm really looking forward to seeing what can happen with some solid training time put in in the next few months (maybe I can even speed up on that stupid hill on the way home... kills me every time!)

Almost There

2009-09-19T11:07:00.002-06:00

Three weeks after IMC and my legs are finally starting to "come around". This morning's run was one of the first where I actually felt like I could push a faster pace without jacking my heart rate through the roof... well, at least for the first half of the run.

Base Run Details

The second half of the run I found I had to slow myself down every so often as my heart rate (and pace) was creeping up. Regardless, I was happy with the fact that I'm feeling less snail like in my running shoes. That's definitely one step in the right direction.

Backpacks Suck

2009-09-17T11:19:00.006-06:00

For whatever reason I decided to run after I dropped my car off at the dealership for servicing this morning. "What an easy way to combine a commute and a training run together" I thought...

Ugh, all I have to say is running with a backpack sucks! I've seen people running to and from work before and wondered how the heck they managed with those massive bags on their backs, but now I know... they're just THAT f***ed up!

I suppose it's a great training tool to put in your arsenal... a big counterweight that adds about 5 - 10% to your mass (depending on who you are of course). Combine that with the constant struggle of keeping your elbows further back than normal so your choice of luggage doesn't wrap around your torso at every stride (so as to keep your face free from damage... yes, backpacks don't ALWAYS act as a counterweight), and wow, you've got one great way to train for strength (mentally and physically) AND agility.

Really, I guess it wasn't all THAT bad... the worst part was probably when my work shoes flew out of my backpack onto MacLeod Trail (during morning rushhour). Who knew that you needed to tie your zippers together in order to keep them secure while running? Guess those f***ed up guys would. Fortunately for me, I had a trusty mini-lock on hand.

Run Details

Needless to say I won't be running back to get my car today... at least not with a backpack "in tow"!

Yowza!

2009-09-15T20:41:00.015-06:00

Just had to share this one with everyone out there. Check out how big the blister was on my left foot... yikes!

Oh well, at least it didn't impact the first "training run" since IMC. Though I haven't yet officially started my program, I did get out for a quick 5k run. Only reason really being to get in a little volume prior to the start of the training program for the Hypothermic Half, as well as to simply get the legs "back into the swing of things".

On that front, I still found my heart rate high relative to pace and perceived exertion. Though my average heart rate was 155, I had to consistently hold back on the pace later in the run in order to keep it below 161 "on the spot" (161 is my aerobic threshold if you really wanted to know).

Run Details

I'm still hoping that this is the difference between my body trying to recover versus how it reacts during taper as pre-IMC I could sustain much faster paces at a similar average heart rate. Guess we will see how the next week or so goes!

Bloggity, bloggity, take two...

2009-09-14T09:42:00.011-06:00

Well, after two weeks of well deserved time off (more so to let my feet heal from Ironman), I had my first run yesterday. Low and behold, it actually felt pretty good (this is surprising, considering that I've been off my feet for a while and because it wasn't just a "ease" back into it kind of run... it was actually a 10k road race in Canmore - the CAUSE 10k).

The race conditions were perfect. It was a little bit chilly in the morning, but the weather perked up quite a bit by the start. The course itself was quite nice. Though a good chunk of it was through the city streets, the rest of it was through the trail system in Canmore, following the river and giving good mountain views. It was a nice way to "break up" the whole ordeal.

Of course, the day itself was that much more special as it was an "anniversary race". You see, September 13th is the day that Sarah and I were married, and for whatever reason, we thought it would be fun (and somewhat fitting) to race together. I'll admit, it was pretty cool crossing the finish line hand in hand.

As for the race itself, it went quite well for an "easy" 10k (given that we are only two weeks out from finishing IMC, Sarah and I both wanted to take it a little slower... something about the need to recover properly?). In actual fact, I think it was a perfect example of pacing on our part... the first 5k being fairly slow, and the last 5k getting much faster. In the end, we had a pretty big negative split on this race.

Splits for Canmore CAUSE 10k

Oddly enough, I don't think my heart rate really matched perceived exertion. I actually was quite surprised at how high my heart rate was (usually it's the other way around... this was a first) as I felt I still had quite a bit left in the tank at the end of the day. Given that we ended up with a 0:47:01 (well, Sarah actually beat me by 1 second, but who's counting?!), I'm hoping that this is an indication of how much I've improved my running this last year (as this is only 46 seconds off my 10k PR... where I left is ALL on the table). Maybe a new 10k PR isn't that far off in my future?

Regardless, I think this race gives me a great reference point and baseline for my future half marathon training. And at the very least, it was a good, fun race to have completed with my better half. I'm definitely looking forward to many more years of the same! (maybe one year I won't have to hold her back while we run together... man those short legs move fast!)

Bloggity, bloggity, boo...

2009-09-08T23:50:00.006-06:00

Star date 2009.09.08... initial entry in ye ol' blog. News for the day comes in two parts... first it appears as though my training will be changing focus from a February half marathon focus to a January half marathon focus... this in light of my lovely wife signing up for Ironman Arizona this November (which means that our December run is likely not a good idea... thereby making a second trip to Arizona in January highly likely).

Looks like this is my last week to rest on the ol' laurels... next week it's back to the ol' grind (though I may still enjoy the odd cheeseburger or four). Though maybe the Phoenix Rock n' Roll Half may be a good training run?