Monthly miles

Jan 2011
bike 160.2 miles
run 107.5 miles

Feb 2011
bike 210.6 miles
run 57.8 miles

March 2011
bike 262.8 miles
run 59.1 miles
swim 375 yards

April 2011
bike 415 miles
run 74.3 miles
swim 1968 yards

May 2011
bike 289.9
run 83.9
swim 6593.5 yards

I'm in the beginning stages of my base phase, so my milage is much lower than I'm used to. I must say I'm enjoying this a lot. From Nov- July last year I was averaging 550 bike miles and 90 run miles a month. Athough I was fast, I just dont think the extra speed was worth it. I have much more time with my babies now. I think we're all happier now.

A more comfortable weight loss plan

Last year I got down to 184 pounds, which was the lightest I'd been since high school. Once I started to drop below 192 pounds I was constantly hungry, I got sick a lot, & I got a couple injuries. I'm usually injury proof. I thought those were sure signs that my body was unhappy at that low of a weight. Back then on an average day I'd eat 3 ounces of meat & a carb every 3 hours. I'd eat approximately 30% protein, 30% fat, & 40% carbs on an average day. I was faster than I ever dreamed I'd be, but I was miserable all the time with hunger, I was sick & injured, & eventually my body stopped dropping more weight regardless of what I did with my calories. I ended up gaining back all the weight I had lost in my off season.

Earlier this year I got some great diet advise from a fellow triathlete & professional personal trainer Garret Rennon. He told me that if I increased my protein & fats I'd be more comfortable & I'd be able to get to a lower body weight. I've tried it & it's a miracle!

I raised my protein from 3 grams to 4 grams every 3 hours. I've also increased my daily fats by adding fish oil, almonds, walnuts, & avocados to my daily diet. For breakfast I'll eat a meal that's 50% carbs, then I'll workout. From then on I'll eat 4 ounces of protein & a cup of fruit or 4 ounces of protein & around 100 calories fresh raw vegetables every 3 hours. I stop eating carbs after midnight, which is 6.5 hours before I go to sleep (I work nights). At 3 AM I'll eat 4 ounces of protein & an avocado or 2 ounces of nuts- no peanuts though! Peanuts are actually a bean & don't have as many of the good stuff like healthy fats. At 6:30 AM, which is when I go to sleep I'll have a slow digesting protein powder such as Syntha 6 & some fish oil. The protein before bed is VERY important so that the body can recover & build muscle while sleeping. If a person doesn't have protein in their stomach while they're sleeping they won't recover properly from their training & their body will start to eat it's own muscle to feed it's organs, hair, & nails. That's the opposite of what an athlete wants. They want to be building lean muscle, not cannibalizing it!

I'm currently 189 pounds, & still losing approximately 2 pounds a week. I still feel great. I'm not hungry, & I'm not getting sick or injured, I'm not as cranky, I'm sleeping better, I'm carrying more muscle at 189 pounds than I was last year. I'm even a little faster than I was last year at the same weight.

Thanks Garret! I appreciate the great advise! It's made a huge difference!

The Gallup triathlon

I received an email from the RD of the Gallup triathlon. I copied & pasted it below

Triathletes!

After cancelling, and then reconsidering, and cancelling again, the Gallup Triathlon is officially on! We've selected a new date (July 30) and we will not be USAT sanctioned. We are also not part of the SW Challenge Series. We are going grassroots! (this means cheaper registration too:)

The event website is almost finished and registration through snail mail and walk-in is ready to go (no online reg). We're really pushing for young people this year so junior registration is discounted - bring out the teens!

The course is the same, the volunteers and organizers are the same, just more of a hometown feel. We hope you join us for the 5th annual Gallup Tri!

Just Tri It!
www.GallupTriathlon.com
GallupTriathlon@gmail.com
This event is part of the Gallup Family Fitness Series

The 33rd Santa Fe run around 2011 10k race report

I competed in the 2011 33rd Santa Fe run around 10k this morning. It was a very well organized event & a very pretty course. It had free coffee, donuts (which I had none of!), race T-shirts, & a big digital timer at the finish line with lots of great people there to cheer the athletes on. The results were posted on line within a couple hours of my finish!Great race!

Today my Ironman schedule had me do a 1 hour run at zone 2. I didn't feel like running the same old course near my house today so I registered for this race to add some change onto my routine. Now that I'm within 5 months of IMAZ I'm taking my training seriously, so I was determined not to allow my heart rate past high zone 2. I'm usually a very competitive person so running in a race heart rate controlled was difficult for me, but I succeeded. I ran the 6.27 miles in 58 minutes 43 seconds. Considering the entire run was zone 2 I was very happy with my time. Zone 2 is the pace I'll be attempting to maintain the first 20 miles of Ironman Arizona. If I could keep a sub 10 minute mile pace for the the 1st 20 miles, then run hard the last 6.2 I should PR both my Ironman time & also my marathon time at IMAZ.

I'm a little embarrassed to admit that today's 10K run time was a PR for me. I'd only ran in 1 other 10k, it was the Tammy Redman 10K on new years 2007. I was still weighing around 240 back then & there was 18 inches of fresh snow from a snow storm that had hit the night before. It was 18 degrees that day. Today the weather was perfect & it would of been a great course to push myself, but I didn't. I ran todays run it nice & easy, and now my 10k PR is really slow 58 minutes 43 seconds. I finished in 7th place out of 8 in my AG, & 36th out of 64 overall.

My next even is the Storrie Lake Olympic distance triathlon on Fathers day.

equipment failure

Last week I had to buy a new chain. Today I got mandatoried for a 16 hour shift at work. My wife had plans in Alb, so I had to wake up after only 2.5 hours of sleep. I cant find my wallet. And my Dura Ace Rear derailleur broke today at the end of my ride. At 1st I became upset because I don't have the money to replace a derailleur. But then I began to rejoice because I realized God has blessed me. I'm still able to train all I want on my road bike. I can easily get a new ID and debit card. Last month my heart rate monitor broke & a buddy of mine gave me one he no longer uses, so I have a new HR monitor that cost me nothing. My family is healthy. I am employed. My family is fed. We have a home & clothes. I have great friends, & we have an amazing God who loves us more than we could ever imagine. This isn't a time for me to feel sorry for myself, it's a time for me to count my blessings. I have far more blessings in my life than most. Thank you God, you're more faithful than I deserve.

Coping With Illness During Aerobic Training

I borrowed this from active.com
By Gale Bernhardt
For Active.com

It stinks to get sick when you feel you are on track with your training for upcoming events. As much as we all try to stay healthy, it happens.

It may start with a scratchy throat or just feeling tired. Those of you that are "Type A" personalities definitely don't need my "toughen up cupcake" blog. Instead you need to take a break.

If your symptoms are above the neck (sinus drainage, watery eyes, scratchy throat) you can go ahead and exercise—but only if you really feel like it and if you keep it completely aerobic. If you are on the edge of an illness, typically an anaerobic workout will push you over the edge into a real illness.

If your symptoms are below the neck (coughing, body aches) or involve a bacterial infection (sinus, bronchitis, walking pneumonia) then it is best to take a few days off and just rest. Generally, if you take a break and rest you'll get over the entire illness faster than if you try to suffer though it.

Additionally, I personally know people that have pushed themselves when they've been sick with a cold or flu and ended up with further complications. (Viral Myocarditis and Guillan-Barre Syndrome to name a few).

I'm not trying to scare you, but I do want you to have respect for your body when it is trying to wage war against illness. I do want you to think twice about exercising when you are sick.

How to Adjust Your Training Plan
So, you've decided it's best to take a few days off and rest. What to do about that training plan?

If you miss between one and three days of a training plan, just forget about the days you missed and pick up on the next workout, though with these modifications:

•Keep any intensity above Zone 2 out of all your workouts for about a week.
•You may need to cut down the time of your workouts by 20 to 50 percent. Do enough so that you feel good and leave the workout wanting more.
•If you start a workout and feel worse as you get going, just stop the workout and try another day.
If you miss three to seven days of a training plan due to illness, forget about the days you missed and pick up on the next workout with these modifications:

•Keep any intensity above Zone 2 out of all your workouts for one to two weeks, maybe more. Keep any intensity above Zone 3 out of your workouts for an additional two weeks.
•Definitely cut down the time of your workouts by 20 to 50 percent. Do enough so that you feel good and leave the workout wanting more.
•If you start a workout and feel worse as you get going, just stop the workout and try another day.
If you miss more than two weeks of a training plan due to illness, you'll need to go back and rebuild lost fitness. If you are in the preparation or base phase, there are some options:

•Go back and repeat the three or four weeks prior to the onset of the illness. This may mean you eliminate some intensity workouts later in the plan or closer to the race. This is a better choice than trying to skip foundation workouts and go right to intense exercises.
•Continue with the training plan, but keep any intensity above Zone 2 out of all your workouts for at least two weeks—maybe more. Keep any intensity above Zone 3 out of your workouts for two more weeks. (A minimum of four weeks total.)
•Definitely cut down the time of your workouts by 20 to 50 percent. Do enough so that you feel good and leave the workout wanting more.
•If you start a workout and feel worse as you get going, just stop the workout and try another day.
•Once you begin to do faster workouts, you may need to reduce the volume (accumulated time) of the intensity scheduled by 20 to 50 percent.
Most of the time, it's okay to do some strength training if you feel like doing something but you don't want to risk an aerobic workout. Don't get carried away and make yourself exhausted, just go push around some iron and get the blood moving.

If you are sneezing, coughing and carrying on with your illness, most people (including you, if the roles were reversed) would prefer you stay home until you're healthy.

As always, health first, performance second. Get well soon!

Swim memory

After yesterdays abysmal swim I decided to go again today. Apparently swimming has more to do with form than fitness.. I swam MUCH better today! I finished a quick 2000 yard swim at the same pace I was able to swim yesterday for 3X 300 time trial at 100 percent effort.

will work for swim time

Yesterday I practiced my swimming for the 1st time in 20 months. I did a warm up & a time trail to find my T- time. I didn't swim for very long. Not because I was time constrained, but because I fatigued so quickly. My time trial was crazy slow, & when I finished I was exhausted- glad to have been able to swim, but exhausted.

I was so grateful for the effort my wife had made for me to be able to spend some time at the pool while she watched our our 3 babies that when I got home from the pool I made dinner, did all the dishes, & did 2 loads of laundry, including folding & putting the clothes away. My wife is happy, and so am I. She & I have good thing going here. I couldn't be any more in love.

training for the swim again!

This is my wife's 1st week of summer break. To celebrate her recent successful semester she has suggested I do a brick this morning & swim this evening. I'm pretty sure that's not how most wife's go about celebrating.
I'm excited. I haven't been able to train in the pool since my 2nd son was born October 2009. I'm not sure how well I'll do having not swam outside of racing for 20 months, but I plan on swimming until my arms stop working!

My wife says she is going to make sure I can swim at least twice a week her entire summer break. What an amazing person I'm married to!

How to pick the right running shoe

I got this from Active.com
http://www.active.com/women/Articles/How-to-Pick-the-Right-Running-Shoes.htm?cmp=17-1-677

Finding your perfect running shoe can be more confusing than the search for Prince Charming. Luke Rowe, vice president of business development at Fleet Feet Sports, gives us the inside scoop on what you need to know before setting foot in a running store.

As told to Jessica Sebor


Women's Running: Why is finding the right running shoe important?

Luke Rowe: Your shoe will be the training partner that stays with you throughout all of your runs and races. It needs to fit well and be comfortable. Finding the "perfect" shoe can help you to prevent injury and improve performance.

Your shoe should not only shield your feet from glass and stones, but also enable shock absorption, so that one point of your foot isn't bearing the brunt of your bodyweight. A good shoe will also correct any imbalances in your form and keep you balanced.

WR: What are your thoughts on minimalist shoes or barefoot running for the everyday runner?

LR: Barefoot running can certainly be a component of your training. There can be a benefit to running short distances barefoot on soft surfaces in terms of strengthening muscles in the lower leg. I'm not convinced it's a good idea for running long distances on hard surfaces.

Minimalist shoes are a little different. For a few people, a minimalist shoe can be an everyday shoe. But for most runners who require more support, this should be a shoe to wear only occasionally during speed workouts or races. Moderation is a key to life in general and definitely in regard to footwear.

WR: A runner enters a sporting goods store ready to buy a new pair of shoes. Can you walk us through the proper buying process?

LR: First and foremost, you want to find a staff person who understands basic biomechanics. Look for a specialty store where the staff is knowledgeable and can spend time with you.

The person assisting you should first assess your needs. She will take into account your foot size, whether or not you have pronation, what your training and racing goals are and if you have a history with injury.

For example, at Fleet Feet we'll ask you a series of questions based on your training, background and current shoe. Then, we observe your bare foot to look for issues, such as bunions or black toes. Next, we measure your foot to compare how it responds to pressure. Finally, we have you run barefoot on a treadmill to see if your stride needs correcting.

The staff person will then recommend a few different shoes to fit your needs. Run around wearing each of these options to decide which shoe feels most comfortable. If it's a dead tie between a few shoes for comfort, then you can buy based on price and looks.

After you get home, wear your new shoes around the house to ensure that they remain comfortable over an extended period of time.

WR: What is the single best piece of advice you can give someone buying a pair of shoes?

LR: Shoes should be comfortable. The biggest thing I've learned in my 30-plus years of experience is that comfort is king.

Long runs & wild life in Santa Fe

This morning I did my weekly long run at the Rancho Viejo housing development. I absolutely love running there. It's beautiful. A few feet from the trail head I found a 5 foot long bull snake sunning itself.

I also saw a black crow land near the run trail, it dropped something, dug a hole with it's beak, pushed the thing it dropped into the hole, & buried it with his beak. Then it picked up a rock & a couple branches to hide the freshly dug hole. I was curious, so I went to see what it was the crow had buried. It was a baby rabbit about 3 inches long. I had always heard crows were intelligent, but I had no idea they were intelligent enough to bury carrion & camouflage the hole. Pretty impressive. I see the most amazing things being an endurance athlete in northern New Mexico!

Road Racing, time trialing, & criteriums

I saw that there will be some cycling road races later this year. I've always wanted to compete in a road race, but have avoided doing one... roadies don't like triathletes much. If my wife will let me I'll show up for the the NM criteriums state chamionships July 10th, the NM time trial state champioships Aug 21st, oak flats road race Aug 28th, & the Moriarty record break 40K TT Sept 2nd & 3rd. Anyone want to join me?

2011 Ironman Arizona goal times

In 2008 I finished IMAZ in PR time of 14 hours 37 minutes. I raced that day extremely over weight. I'm expecting to show up to IMAZ weighing somewhere between 180-190 pounds. That'll have me racing 47-57 pounds lighter than my Ironman PR that I set in 2008.

My IMAZ swim was slow. I finished it in 1 hour 27 minutes. I should be able to beat that easily. My goal for the swim this year is a very manageable 1:21, knocking 6 minutes off my PR on the swim.

My bike in 2008 was good. I finished 112 miles keeping a 16.1 MPH average. Even though I'm struggling finding time to get in enough bike miles this year I'll be 50 pounds lighter, so I should be able to match that time at least. If I match 2008 my bike time will 6 hours 56 minutes.

In 2008 I messed up my pre race nutrition about as badly as a person could. I fell apart on the run because of horrible stomach cramps. I finished the marathon in a pathetic time of 5 hours 52 minutes. I feel very confident that I'll be able to run a 10 minute 20 second pace fairly easily this year, even if I'm hurting pretty badly, which would have me complete the marathon in 4 hours 26 minutes.

If I finish the 3 events in the times I'm expecting that should give me a finishing time of 13 hours 4 minutes, which is VERY close to my goal of going sub 13 hrs. I'm getting pretty excited!

The biggest factor on if I can go sub 13 hours is if I can keep my weight down. If I can stay at or below 190 I'm sure I can go sub 13 hours!

I'll keep you updated on my training, diet, & weight right here. Thanks for tuning in!

Transition times & Carb building

I usually have fast transition times in triathlons. This weekend I had one of my best races in regards to transition times. I finished with the fastest T-1 & the 2nd fastest T-2 in the entire race. The guy who finished in 2nd place overall in the race had a bike that was 54 seconds faster than me & a run that was 72 seconds faster than mine, but I only finished 9 seconds behind him. He obviously was a faster athlete, but the transitions times came close to deciding the race.

The weekend of the Jay Benson I had a break through personal best race even though my training had been average at best & I was racing on fatigued legs. I believe the reason I raced so well was because I ate my metabolic rate for the 1st time since January. Since January I'd lost 44 pounds, & although being light is fast in triathlon that kind of weight loss hurts the body. I believe I raced so well because my body was fueled well for the 1st time in months. If racing on a full tank made for that kind of performance I decided I'd see if I could top the tank off even more by carb building at the Dog House sprint triathlon. The day before the Dog House I ate about 750 extra calories in carbs. This is the 1st time 2007 that I'd tried carb building. I've read so many conflicting articles over the years about carb building that I had stopped doing it. I'd decided to try it again & use myself as a guinea pig.

My cardio felt great & was able to push myself harder for longer, but I was having problems with a stitch in my side the entire run. I hadn't had a problem with stomach cramps since the last time I tried carb building which was Ironman Arizona 2007. I think it's a push for me. More cardio ability for the race, but problems with stomach cramps.

Sacrifice at the 2011 Dog House Sprint triathlon: a race report

Last night I arrived at Buffalo Springs Lake outside Lubbock TX at 12:52 AM. While driving to Lubbock I listened to an audio book called "Night" by Ellie Wiesel. It was an autobiography of the authors own gruesome experiences of the death camps in Germany. I got decent sleep in the back of my van at the race sight, but after listening to the book about the holocaust I woke up missing my wife & children so badly I ached inside. I'm grateful that I know God is in control, that He loves my family with all His heart & is there with them always. Regardless of whether I'm there with them or or not, they are never alone. I honestly have no clue how those who don't have a close personal relationship with Jesus can face daily life thinking they & their loved ones are facing the world alone.

The race started with a 500 meter open water swim. I decided to do this race last minute & I rushed packing for the race, so I forgot my wet suit. The water was 52 degrees! Somehow that didn't seem to slow me much. I had a great swim 7 minutes 42 seconds. I was shocked by my time! I swim at the GCCC pool in Santa Fe. They won't allow children into the gym's day care unless they are 2 years or older. My wife goes to school full time & I watch my babies all day so I haven't been able to practice swimming since my youngest was born 20 months ago. So completing a 7:42 500 meter was a feat of miracle proportions!

The bike was 17.6 miles on a course with some pretty brutal hills. My cycling has been my weakest of the 3 sports all year. Plus my front HED3 tubular wheel got a flat tire last weekend during the Jay Benson triathlon. Since I hadn't originally planned on racing this weekend I hadn't put on a new tubular tire yet. So I raced on my Shimano 105's. My 105's are the wheels I train on. I hate fixing flats so my 105's have heavy duty Armadillo tires with thick thorn proof tubes. They are very heavy & slow compared to my HED3 race wheels & are not a good set to be lugging up & down the hills of Buffalo Springs. To make things worse there was a strong head wind. I was surprised to find the non-aero wheels were hindering me more on the flats where I could ride faster than they were climbing the hills. I've always heard that aero dynamics were more important than weight, but I had no idea how true it was until today. Even though I was racing on heavy non aero wheels in strong winds I was still able to complete the 17.5 mile bike in a little over 51:30! I was having a great day regardless of having no wet suit or decent race wheels!!!

The run was a 5K run on a flat fast course! Recently my running has been great! I have no idea why. I haven't been doing any speed or hill work, but my running just keeps getting faster & faster each week! I've never made gains like this before. I'm a faster runner now than I ever have been & I'm still 7 pounds heavier than I was last year!

During the run I knew I was somewhere in the top 5 overall, but I wasn't sure where in the top 5 I was exactly. A guy passed me at the half way point & I started pushing myself to repass him. He & I had a massive battle. He'd pass then I would. With only a mile remaining of the run he stopped running & doubled over with cramps. I knew since he stopped I was going to have that much higher of a placing, but rather than take the higher placing I slowed down & started yelling at him, "keep going, don't stop! We're only a mile from the finish! You can rest in less than 7 minutes!" He listened & started running again. He & I started battling for position once again. He'd pass me, then I'd pass him. The last 125 meters he slammed on the gas & as hard as I tried I just couldn't keep up. I found out at the awards ceremony he finished 2nd place overall male & I placed 3rd overall male. He finished seconds ahead of me. I know on the run he had given into the pain & stopped running. But because of my encouragement he started running again & pitting himself against me. If I hadn't of yelled at him to keep going I would have had my first top 2 finish of my life. But what matters more to me than the highest finish of my life is to know that I helped someone accomplish something they wouldn't have without my help. That feels great. Instead of walking away feeling good because of a higher finish I'm walking away feeling great because I did something for someone most people would never have done. I did what I did because I dont race for glory. I race to glorify God.

I finished today's 5k run in a little less than 21:56 minutes. I completed the entire race in in 1 hour 23 minutes 13 seconds. I missed breaking my PR by less than a minute. Considering what strong winds there was & that I was using a slow pair of training wheels I think it was a great day.

This was my 8th race for the SW Chllenge series & my 73rd multisport race all time.

Last second Dog House tri registration

For those of you who don't know me I'm very OCD. All week long I've been thinking about me having completed 7 South West Challenge series races & the series takes an athletes the top 8 races. My next race isn't until the Storrie Lake triathlon the middle of June. I doubt I could keep my sanity having to wait a month to hit 8 races with me being so close! At 4 PM today my wife told me, "Why don't you go ahead and go race". What a great woman I'm married to! I packed as quickly as I could. I should reach Lubbock TX slightly after midnight. Thankfully the race has a late start so I can sleep in a little.

My legs are tired from Ironman training & not having enough recovery time recently so I decided to register for the Dog House sprint triathlon rather than the Buffman & Squeaky Olympic triathlon. The Squeaky Buttman-er, I mean the Buffman & Squeaky is my 2nd favorite race of all time, but my body just isn't feeling up to an Olympic distance right now, I'm in serious need of some rest & recovery time from training.

Last year I did this race & I felt it was one of my top 2 race performances ever. I finished 1st place 35-39 AG & 5th place overall male in a time of 1 hour 22 minutes. A couple of my buddies from El Paso & Las Cruces will be there, Jon & Brooks, I'm excited about seeing them. Unfortunately Rob won't be making it, he's recovering from pneumonia. I'll be praying for a quick recovery for you Rob!!!

In the aero position on rollers

Awhile back I had promised I'd post a video of me riding my rollers in the aero position. Here I am doing part of a 45 minute recovery workout where I keep my RPM's 100+. I usually watch Netflix when I'm on the rollers, & my wife dared me to record myself use a remote control like I normally would while in the aero's & to publish it on my blog if I fall- which I do occasionally! I was a little wobbly, but I didn't fall & make an idiot out of myself!

A new PR at the 2011 Jay Benson triathlon: a race report

On Mothers Day I raced in the 2011 Jay Benson triathlon. Last year the Jay Benson had 550 competitors. Last year I felt it was slightly unorganized for such a large event. This year there were 640 competitors. I was afraid it would be too packed & I felt that even if the race was extremely well organized there would just be too many people, spectators, etc for the race to be put on without a hitch. I was dead wrong. The RD's nailed it this year! It was perfect. No problems what so ever. I was amazed at what they accomplished!

This was the 5th time I've competed in the Jay Benson triathlon, & the 4th consecutive year I've tried to break my PR set in 2006 of 1 hour 4 minutes. Every race I've done this year I have been 2- 2.5 minutes slower than I was last year, so I wasn't expecting to get anywhere near my course PR.

I felt fast on the run. Much faster than I thought I'd be. When I ran into T-1 I knew I was on track for a PR, but that's a mighty big IF because my cycling has been a huge weak point for me this year. I finished the run in a time of 20 minutes 48 seconds which was a 6:43 pace.

T-1 was pretty long because of how many athletes there were competing, but I still had a pretty decent transition time of 59 seconds!

I had a 20k bike of 33 minutes, keeping a 22.5 mph average! My bike time sure took me by surprise! Where did that come from?!?

When I entered T-2 I looked at my watch & knew I was close to my PR, but it was going to be CLOSE either way! I had a good T-2 time of 68 seconds.

The Jay Benson is famous for having the pool PACKED. This year was even worse than any of the other years! With how crowded the pool was I was finding it extremely hard to swim fast. There was multiple times that I came up to lanes with 4 people packed shoulder to shoulder all in one lane & all fighting fighting for position. I've never swam aggressively at the Jay Benson because of how many newbies triathletes there are at this race. But this year I swam really aggressive! I cringe thinking of how many people I swam over & dunked, but I was swimming for a PR that had been mocking for 5 years! The swim became a full contact sport for anyone who was around me.... I sure hope no one recognized me when I was bumping, grinding, & pushing! I knew with the way I was swimming I could easily get penalized or disqualified. Gulp. But I was on a mission people!!! Because of how packed the pool was I ended up with a pathetic swim time of 7 minutes 48 seconds, but it turns out it was fast enough to have finally broken my longest standing PR with a time of 1 hour 3 minutes 33 seconds!!!!!!!! I finished in 44th place out of 640 & 6th place in the 35-39 AG. Oh how sweet it is baby!!!

stopping my weight loss, maintenance time

I've decided to maintain my current weight for at least a few weeks even though I'm only 2.5 pounds away from my goal weight of 190. I'm seeing signs that my body is no longer content being on a calorie restricted diet. I feel weak & am not training well. At last weekends race I felt slow & unable to push myself as hard I'm usually able to. The biggest sign I'm seeing is MY HUNGER!

I've been losing an average of 1.5 to 1.75 pounds a week since January. I wasn't restricting my calories enough to feel that hungry, but gradually the hunger has been building, & yesterday I was hungry enough that I was very unpleasant to be around. I've had this happen before: I'd get close to a goal weight and I'd ignore my bodies warning signs. Then I'd end up falling off the wagon & gaining most or all of my weight back. So this time I'm not going to ignore my body. Even though I'm only 2.5 to 3 pounds away from my goal weight, I'm going to do what my body's telling me it needs. This time I'm not so focused on the short term that I end up destroying my long term goal. I'm going to let my body recover & start to feel good again. Perhaps I'll try to drop the extra 3 pounds in late May or early June. If I decide to, it will be because my body feels great & I know it's ready & able to. If I feel that my body isn't ready, I won't. This more moderate approach to dieting is something I've never done before, which probably explains why I've always shown up to my Ironman triathlons over weight. The only thing that has held me back from finishing an Iron distance triathlon in under 13 hours has been my weight. Hopefully this November I'll show up to Ironman Arizona between 180-200 pounds & break that elusive 13 hour mark!

Right now my metabolic rate is 3100 calories. I'm excited at the prospect of eating 3100 calories a day plus the calories earned from exercise!

The upcoming 2011 Jay Benson triathlon

This will be my 4th time competing in the Jay Benson triathlon. My PR on this course was set back in 2006 in a time of 64 minutes, which was a miracle. In 2006 I was still somewhat new to triathlon, wasn't fast or well trained at all, and was still way over weight tipping the scales at 237 pounds!!! The 2006 Jay Benson triathlon was my single best performance of my triathlon career. I raced way above my ability level that year. I finished in a time of 1 hour 4 minutes. I've tried to beat that PR a couple times now and have come up short. Last yeat I was racing the Jay Benson weighing 4o pounds less than I weighed in 2006 but still I was unable to beat my best time. I'm not in as good of shape as I was last year for this race, so the odds aren't good that I'll beat that PR this weekend, but if you add into the equation that this will be my 5th race in 4 straight weekends, the cards are stacked against me for sure!

This will be my 7th race for the 2011 South West Challenge series. I've heard a lot of people call this race the New Mexico triathlon championships. Most of the fastest triathletes in the state show up to compete in this race, so I'm not expecting to get more than a point or two for the series. I'd bet my race wheels this race will end up just being bonus points for the South West Challenge Series, but I'll race hard regardless because I want to crush that PR of mine!!!

Almost to goal triathlon weight!

Today's workout was a 30 minute recovery bike keeping my peddle RPM's 100+. I forgot how much different Iron training is from sprints. Very unique and interesting training techniques for the longer distances. I know 1 thing for sure, I was in desperate need of the recovery time!!!

I weighed in this morning at 192.8!!!!!! If I keep losing at my current rate I'll be at my goal weight of 190 pounds in approximately 10 days!!! From there I'll try to maintain that weight until September. In September I'll start trying to get down to 180 pounds by Ironman Arizona. After Ironman Arizona I'll allow myself to get back to around 190, which is the weight I feel healthiest at.

The 2011 Atomic Man duathlon race report

Sunday was supposed to be my day off of training, but I raced in the Atomic Man duathlon instead. As a matter of a fact the last three Sunday were supposed to be recovery days, but I raced instead!

The 2011 Atomic Man duathlon was my 71st multisport race & my 17th duathlon..

Like I posted before, this is my favorite race of all time! The RD's go all out to make sure everyone has a fantastic time. They had a ton of stuff in the race packet bags from performance t-shirts, chap stick, gels, bars, water bottles, coupons, honey, wet suit bags, & those re-usable shopping bags! They have the most comfortable timing chip straps I've ever seen at a race! They also had more swag than I've ever seen in a non-Iron distance race! Ruby helmets, Ruby sunglasses, gift certificates to tri sports, gift certificates to a local bike shop. they had free coffee, organic meat, organic veggies, organic bread, fruit, many other things. The only thing they didn't have this year was photographers taking pictures that they had given out on the net for free on previous years.

I had a hard time racing today. I was low on motivation. I just wanted to sleep. Thank goodness this race decided to have a late 9:30 AM start time. I really needed the extra sleep on race morning! If it was a traditional 8 AM start time I doubt I'd of shown up. I've been trying my best to function on 4 hours sleep 5 days a week since my wife started up this semester in school. I'm SO TIRED! I feel like I could lay down & sleep for a year only waking to eat, which I haven't done much of for the last 4 months either! My legs felt dead on race morning. Part of the reason was lack of sleep, part is having been on a calories restricted diet since January 1st, I've lost 42 pounds since then, part was from not having a day off from training since April 24th, & partly because I'm putting my body through a new workout routine that it's ENTIRELY unaccustomed to. I have done nothing but high intensity short course training since late 2008, & I just started a training plan for Ironman Arizona that has a ton of long grueling workouts. My body is in complete shock from all this long distance training! My legs have been sore for 3 weeks straight. The thing I missed most about training for Irons is the amazing sleep! I fall asleep immediately & get the deepest sleep I've ever had when I train for Ironman- or perhaps it's because I'm not sleeping much & my body is overly tired.

Anyway, back to the race report. The Atomic Man duathlon is a seriously hilly course!!! I posted the terrain in with the pictures above.

I ran the 1st 4K in 19 minutes 15 seconds, which averaged out to a 7 minute 28 second pace. Not bad for someone who is chronically fatigued & racing on exhausted legs.

I felt great on the bike & I ended up much faster on the bike than I thought I'd be. I finished the 15K bike in 28 minutes 20 seconds keeping a 19.7 MPH average! For that course I felt I'd had a fantastic performance!

I thought for sure I'd fall apart on the 2nd run. I was hurting & my legs had began to feel flat. I couldn't hit that 5th gear to save my life! Turns out a kid all of 4' tall passed me about half way through the run, after the race I found out he was 13 years old! I wasn't going to let a young child spank me, so my competitive juices got all fired up & I dug deep & ran extremely hard the last half! I was shocked to find out I ran the 2nd 4K in 20 minutes 20 seconds keeping a 7 minutes 45 second pace!! BTW, the 13 year old kid still beat me by 20 seconds! That kid could race!!!!

My finishing time was 1 hour 8 minutes 48 seconds. Not to shabby on a sleep deprived, calories restricted, & overtrained body, but still 2 minutes 20 seconds behind my PR I set last year racing with the stomach flue.

I finished 2nd place in the 35-39 AG behind Marty Moriarty.

I race this Sunday May 8th at the Jay Benson triathlon. By the Jay Benson triathlon I will have trained hard everyday for 28 consecutive days, so I'm not expecting much out of my body. I'll be happy with just finishing!! Wish me luck, I'm going to need it!

My boy cycling indoors

Here's a video of my oldest son who's 3 & a half training on the indoor trainer. He's getting pretty good!

Race morning

It's race morning for the Atomic Man duathlon & this is what I see as soon as I get here, a 5 gallon container of steaming hot coffee with Splenda, sugar, sweet & low, half & half, milk, & cups. The RD's know how to wiggle their way into my heart: COFFEE!

It's cold here in White Rock! Around 30 degrees. It's starting to snow. It's looking good that the short course will still be held, but it's uncertain if the long course will. I'm hoping the snow doesn't fall until after the race so everything can be held as scheduled!