May 30, 2013

2013 national duathlon championships

A few weeks ago I had decided to retire from multisport..... Today I received an email from USA triathlon stating that I had earned a spot to the 2013 National Duathlon Championships while racing at the Atomic Man duathlon earlier this year. This is the 7th time I've earned a spot to a national championships race, the first time I'd earned a spot in duathlon. Now I'm not sure if I should hang up the cycling shoes now or wait until after the 2013 National Duathlon Championships....... Not an easy decision.....

If I decide to race the duathlon national championships I need to get busy training and losing some serious weight. I'm currently weighing 240 pounds and haven't biked consistantly for over a year and a half.....


May 06, 2013

The 2013 Jay Benson triathlon canceled

I received an email from New Mexico online that the Jay Benson triathlon has been canceled. Las Alamos and the Jay Benson triathlon were tied as the oldest continually held triathlons in New Mexico. This year would have been the 41st year for each. That title will be held exclusively by the Las Alamos triathlon.

IMPORTANT!!!! The race director of the Jay Benson will not automatically refund your race entry. They will ONLY be issuing refunds if you show up IN PERSON to Sport Sytems on Montgomery in Albuquerque NM before May 31st!

This was the info I pulled off of the NM online website.

Jay Benson Triathlon Cancelled
Regrettably, due to the Boston Marathon incident and the resulting heightened security at Kirtland AFB, last minute security requirements for civilian entry to the Base have left us no alternative but to cancel the Jay Benson Triathlon.

First and foremost, we would like to thank Kirkland Air Force Base for its longstanding support of the Jay Benson Triathlon. This triathlon would never have been as successful as it has become without the support and help of the Base. We’d like to especially thank the team at the pool. They’ve been great to work with through the years.
We began the permitting process in early November 2012 and, initially, the requirements for participant’s and their friend’s and family’s access to the base remained the same as in years past. We collected names and the last four of the social security numbers and submitted the list in a timely manner as instructed. However, the requirements of the Base over the last two weeks changed several times. We were also told to collect dates of birth from everyone. Many people worked diligently through email and phone calls to obtain the additional information and we resubmitted the list by the required deadline.
The latest requirements were numerous. Unfortunately, there were two requirements that we couldn’t comply with. One was that we now needed full name with middle initial, date of birth, full social security number, drivers license number and state of issue. The Base was going to do full background checks on everyone. We simply could not obtain this information by the deadline imposed. Also, many people were uncomfortable giving us all their personal information. We are a retail store and we are not set up to securely obtain and protect everyone’s personal information.
The other requirement that we didn’t think we could comply with was that we needed to change entry gates and get everyone through the gate between 6 and 7:30AM. Based on previous years experience, we believe we could only get a little over half the cars into the event during the allotted time.
We understand that the Base just wants to secure the Base and keep everyone safe. We worked diligently and complied with all the new requirements over the last six months. Unfortunately, the recent requirements were impossible to achieve.
We are greatly saddened and disappointed in canceling this event. We did everything in our power to save this event and express our deepest apologies to the triathlon community and guests for this unfortunate outcome. Sport Systems wants to extend a special thank you to Angie and the Chasing 3 team for everything they’ve done to save this event. It was an unbelievable effort they’ve put in the last two weeks to save the event. Every effort will be made to continue the Jay Benson tradition at a different venue next year.
Many of you received a $10 gift card from us at the Kickoff Party at Sport Systems. Please keep that as a gift from us.
REFUND OPTIONS:
Beginning Monday, May 6, Sport Systems will be offering refunds in the following manners:
1. You can roll your entry fee into next year’s event (location yet to be determined).*
2. You can have your refund in the form of a store credit. Please consider this option to help offset the significant losses that have occurred.*
3. We can issue you a full refund in the method in which you paid.*
4. You can donate your registration fee to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. You can write it off as a donation on your taxes. Our hope is that the charity doesn’t suffer due to the Base security changes and your donation would be greatly appreciated. This option requires no action. We will assume by a non-response that your registration fees will be automatically considered a donation.
*FOR THE FIRST THREE REFUND OPTIONS, YOU MUST COME INTO SPORT SYSTEMS BEFORE MAY 31st, 2013. Full refund includes one-day USAT licenses, if applicable. Sorry, we are not able to refund annual USAT membership fees. If you paid through nmsportsonline.com, you will still need to come into Sport Systems for the first three refund options. Refunds will not be offered through nmsportsonline.com or your credit card company.
Please help spread the word by telling your fellow triathlete friends and family to confirm all have seen and opened this email.
Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience canceling the Jay Benson Triathlon has caused. We realize many of our triathletes have been training for this race for months and some are traveling from long distances.
Sincerely,
Duane Kinsley
Sport Systems
Owner

May 02, 2013

midlife crisis, depression, and brain injuries

The last year and a half I've been burnt with triathlons. I'm no longer obsessed. No longer driven beyond all reason. Now that I look back at all the time spent cycling, running, swimming, racing, and the tens of thousands of dollars I spent on traveling, hotels, equipment, and race entries I realize triathlon was my midlife crisis. In some ways my family and I got off easy compared to other men. My family is still together, thriving actually. There's been no infidelities. Even at the peak of my obsession my wife and kids were still my #1 priority. But in other ways I feel like I'm in a worse place than the other men who had the same life altering temporary retardation. It appears to me like the men who go through a mid life crisis come out of it having learned a lot about themselves. I didn't seem to have gained the same emotional maturity. I feel lost. Depressed. When I look in the mirror I don't recognize myself. When I look in the mirror this is who I expect to see:

The muscular weight lifter,

or the skinny endurance athlete,

Below is who I actually see. This is what I look like now. Fat, bald, unhappy with myself. I mean seriously, how can my lovely wife enjoy being with someone who looks like this? I'm disgusting!

In the last couple weeks I've come to realize that my depressed state has nothing to do with me losing interest in triathlon. This depression has been here since I got ran over by a vehicle while cycling back in Sept 2011. I suffered a traumatic brain injury. Once or twice a month I still get depressed for a week or two. During that time the only thing I find that can make me feel half way normal is eating. I cant find the energy to workout or to be sociable. After a week or two I feel normal again but the depression always comes back. I still lose things and get lost. Conversation and connecting with people is hard for me now. It's like there's a flow that everyone can see and follows while communicating, I cant find it, much less follow it. I'm awkward to be around. I say things that don't fit what everyone else is talking about. Consequently I don't associate with others as much as I used to. When I do I've learned to try and keep my mouth shut to avoid the all too common awkward moments that seem to happen every time I open my mouth. Consequently I'm lonely. I'm still frequently depressed. I often times cant remember how to do things I used to be able to, such as my job; which is scary because I work in a prison and peoples lives are in my hands.

Things have improved since the accident. The first 9 months after the accident I didn't want to be around anyone EVER! Not even my wife and kids. Now I want to be around them, I'm just a social buffoon. I was easily angered, constantly depressed, all I could think about was suicide.Although I'm not that bad now I still don't feel like myself. Will I ever go back to the person I was before? I miss that person. So does my friends and family. I have an appointment with my primary doctor on May 8th. I've brought these problems up to him before and he's dismissed them saying, "it takes time for the brain to recover", or, "you might not ever get those things back." I've done some research and have found that there is help for people who suffer from brain injuries. I'm not leaving my doctors office until he refers me to a specialist who can help me, because I'm finally willing to admit that I need help.

April 28, 2013

The 2013 Atomic Man duathlon race report

I competed in the Atomic Man Duathlon this morning to make up for being a no show last week at the Spring Fling triathlon. This was my 84th multisport race, and my 20th duathlon.

The Atomic Man duathlon is my favorite race of all time! This was the 8th time I competed in this race, and this year it was a qualifier for the duathlon national championships. Last year there was a couple pro's and an Olympic duathlete who showed for this race. 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, and pro photographers throughout the course! 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 (5 gallons worth), gluten free sandwiches, organic meat, organic veggies, organic bread, fruit, many other things.

The race is a run/ bike/ run format. The first run I completed having kept an 8:58 minutes per mile average. The bike is a very difficult and MOUNTAINOUS course, but I still kept a 15.5 mph average, which suprised me since I'm weighing in over 230 right now. The 2nd run I kept a 9:15 minute per mile average. I finished the race 1st place Clydesdale, 18th place overall.


April 26, 2013

RX all week, and updating my goals

This week was the 1st week in 14 weeks of training at a CrossFit gym that I've been able to do the RX on every workout. Yesterday I was even able to do all the toes to bars, I never had to scale down to knees to elbows, which up until yesterday I had to do after 5 reps of toes to bars. Next step is being able to do a hand stand push up......

Just to keep my goal list updated, I'll post my 3 biggest goals here.
1) I want to get to 198 pounds at %10 body fat.

2) When I was a kid my natural father's max bench press PR was 265. I remember being so impressed. I thought he was amazing! My new and exciting goal is to beat his bench press PR. When I'm ready to beat it I'm going to take my babies to the gym to watch me just like my Dad did with me.

3) be able to do a handstand push up.

P.S. Mona, thank you for the encouragement. I'm very grateful.

April 24, 2013

Jeremy, benchmark at RX

A few days ago I stopped dieting and started eating enough to maintain my weight. Apparently more calories was EXACTLY what my body was needing. Today before CrossFit started I did some push ups and pull ups. I do this daily since those are 2 of the  things I'm weakest at. I was able to crank out a lot more pull ups and push ups than I've ever been able to do, a lot more! Once class started we did the workout called "Jeremy" which is reps of 21-15- then 9 of overhead squats and burpees. Jeremy is a  a CrossFit benchmark workout, and up until today I had never been able to do the RX (recommended weight)of a benchmark workout. Today I did the RX for the 1st time! I was very stoked! I was really close to busting out in a happy white boy dance!

April 23, 2013

The extremist

I am by nature an extremist. OCD to the max. In many ways that benefits me, in many it doesn't. When it comes to dieting it doesn't. I end up pushing myself to hard to lose weight. From years of triathlon training and dieting I've figured out that my body responds best to losing no more than one and a half pounds a week. If I try to lose more than that I end up overly hungry and I fall off the wagon. I've also learned that Every 4-6 weeks I need to increase my calories to a maintenance level for a week or two. If I diet for longer than 4-6 weeks I end up getting overly hungry and/or burned out with dieting and I fall off the wagon. I've been dieting constantly since January, which was too long. Last week I fell off the wagon, and I've gained a few pounds back, I'm currently 235. Thankfully I realized what I was doing wrong. For the next 2 weeks I'll be eating more calories to let my body realize it's not starving, that there isn't a world wide food shortage, and that in a couple weeks it'll be OK to drop some more weight.

April 22, 2013

Most boring blog in the world?

Back when I started this blog I was new to multisport. Back then my blog was exciting for me to write about because I'd always had pathetic endurance and speed. When I played football in high school I finished the runs in practice in last place. Guys who outweighed me by 50+ pounds could outrun me. In the army I had to run in the slowest group. If I was going to build enough speed and endurance to finish a triathlon or duathlon iť was going to be a HUGE transformation. I became obsessed. I trained an average of twenty-two hours a week. And iť showed. Back then I had so much I could blog about everyday. New places I trained. New workouts. What types of training seemed to work, what diets helped, equipment, which races I wanted to try, etc.

The last couple years triathlons and duathlons has started to bore me. I still enjoy to cycling and running occasionally but not nearly as much as I used to. Most shocking to me is that I'm tired of racing. On Sunday my stomach was upset, so I didn't race a triathlon I had signed up and paid for. Back in my hard core multisport days nothing would have stopped me from racing. Back then I'd have showed up and raced even if I was projectile vomiting blood!

For the last 14 weeks I've been attending CrossFit 5 days a week. I'm average at it. I've made average improvements, average strength gains, and average weight loss doing CrossFit. There just doesn't seem to be anything all that exciting to blog about now. Being average is boring, most people are average. Now that my fitness focus has changed my blog may be the most boring blog in the world.

April 18, 2013

Celebrate at the Spring Fling triathlon

It took me a few days to recover from the shock of realizing I had only lost 11 pounds during my 9 week weight loss competition rather than the 29 pounds I thought I had lost. Eventually I realized 11 pounds is still something to be happy about. Unfortunately it's all to easy for me to lose track of the little things when I'm working 70-90 hours a week and seriously sleep deprived. Add into the equation the memory problems I've been having from the traumatic brain injury I sustained in September 2011 when I got ran over by a vehicle while cycling, these brain farts seem to happen a lot.

Once I got over the disappointment I realized 11 pounds is still something to be happy about. I've decided to celebrate by registering for the Spring Fling triathlon held in Rio Rancho New Mexico this Sunday. This will be my first triathlon in 6 months. This has been the longest I've gone without competing in a triathlon since I first started competing in multisport in 2004. The Spring Fling triathlon is a sprint triathlon, the distances are 400yd swim, 18k bike, and 5k. This will be my 4th consecutive year competing in the Spring Fling triathlon, it will be my 65th triathlon and 84th multisport race all time.

The link for this race is: http://www.trisportcoaching.com/races/springfling2013.html

April 16, 2013

hydrostatic body fat test April 2013

I got my body fat tested at the University of New Mexico exercise physiology center today. I've been eating Paleo, running 2x a week, cycling 2x a week, and CrossFit 4x a week. I assumed I'd end up having made HUGE gains, but I didn't. I'm disappointed. 11.7 pounds in 9 weeks is not all that great.

I lost 11.7 pounds total, lost 14.7 pounds of fat, and gained 3.3 pounds muscle.

April 2013: 229.7 pounds @ 23.1% body fat. I have 176.6 pounds lean mass, and 53.1 pounds fat.

Feb 2013: 241.1 pounds @ 28.1 % body fat. 173.3 pounds lean mass. 67.8 pounds fat.

Oct 2011: 181 pounds @ 6.86% body fat. 169.3 pounds lean mass. 12.5 pounds fat.

June 2011: 188.4 pounds @ 10.9%. 169.4 pounds lean mass. 19 pounds fat.

Nov 2010: 222.2 pounds at 19.01% body fat. 180 pounds lean mass. 42.2 pounds fat.

July 2010: 189 pounds at 9.81% body fat. 170.6 pounds lean mass. 18.5 pounds fat.

Jan 2010: 207 at 18.4% body fat. 169.2 pounds lean mass. 38.5 pounds fat.

July 1999: 204 at 13.1% body fat. 188.43 pounds lean mass. 15.57 pounds fat.

April 14, 2013

CrossFit games 2013 rankings

Well I finished the 2013 CrossFit games. It wasn't pretty.
Workout/ world ranking/ South West ranking
13.1/  35,822/ 2,391
13.2/ 44,856/ 3,443     
13.3/ 44,271/ 3,629
13.4/ 45,763/ 2,990
13.5/ 44,464/ 2.844
overall I placed 40,230th in the world. And 2,639th in the South West.

I've been in a Paleo and fitness competition for the last 9 weeks. As of yesterday I'd lost 29 pounds and was within 9 pounds of my short term goal of 220. My diet hasn't been a problem all year. It's as if I've been a normal person in regards to my eating, which I know I'm not. But yesterday I fell off the diet wagon. One of the things I've learned is never allow myself to get hungry, angry, lonely, or tired. If I do any of these I end up turning to food. I've been working a lot of hours recently. By recently I mean like just shy of 8 years. Anyways, I got off of a 16 hour shift and was so tired couldn't even get off the couch to go to bed. But I sure as hell could get off the couch to eat. So yesterday I fell off the diet wagon. I was hoping to regain control of my eating today, but no such luck. Hopefully tomorrow.........

Speaking of being tired, I've worked 12-16 hours a day 24 out of the last 28 days. The last 2 days in a row I only got 3 hours of sleep. I've been tryingto sleep all day. I don't even remember what a good night of sleep feels like. Crap I'm tired. I'm too tired. I'm so tired my body can't sleep. Man, I wish my body would just go to sleep.
I

March 17, 2013

2013 CrossFit games: workout 13.2

After doing CrossFit for only 9 weeks I decided to compete in the 2013 CrossFit games. Last week I expected to do horrible at the 1st workout called 13.1, but I ended up doing really well.  I finished the 13.1 in the South West region ranked 2,386 out of 4,554 athletes. And ranked 35,771 out 73,032 athletes worldwide.

This week I expected to do great at the 13.2. The workout was:

Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 10 minutes of:
115 pound Shoulder to overhead, 5 reps
115 pound Deadlift, 10 reps
15 Box jumps, 24" box

I'm usually very good at box jumps and deadlifts. Somehow I ended up doing horrible at the 13.2 finishing only 179 reps. For the 13.2 workout I ranked 3,455 out of 4,197 athletes in the south West and 54,642 out of 66,990 world wide. Not good, but keep in mind I've only done CrossFit for 9 weeks and this is the 1st time I've done strength training for almost a decade.

Overall between both weeks I'm ranked 2,914 out of 4,208 athletes in the South West, and 45,053 out of 67,240 world wide.

I registered for the Eagle in the sun triathlon in El Paso Texas. This is the 3rd time I've registered for that race but something always seems to pop up and I have yet to race it. I'm determined to race it this year.

March 14, 2013

the 2013 CrossFit games: 13.1 and an injury

I'd been training at a CrossFit gym for 9 weeks when the 2013 CrossFit games started. I'm one of the slowest, least fit athletes at Zia CrossFit, but I decided to attempt the games anyways. The CrossFit games will be 5 workouts/fitness tests, one a week for 5 weeks. The 1st test is called 13.1, meaning it's the 1st test of the 2013 games. The 13.1 workout is:

17 minute AMRAP (as many reps as possible in 17 minutes) of:
40 Burpees
75 pound Snatch, 30 reps
30 Burpees
135 pound Snatch, 30 reps
20 Burpees
165 pound Snatch, 30 reps
10 burpees
210 pound Snatch, as many reps as possible



1.5 weeks before the CrossFit games I maxed out (most weight I can lift one rep) on snatches at 125 pounds, so I was disappointed to see the 101st rep would be snatches of 135 pounds. I assumed I'd get to 100 reps and not be able to get a single rep of 135 pounds. Somehow I was able to accomplish 18 reps at 135 pounds, with a total score (reps) of 118!!!! That was much better than I dreamed. So far I'm ranked 2,384th out of  4,549 athletes in the South West.

One of the gym members posted a video of Matt S., Sarah B., and myself doing the 13.1. at one point I got so excited I yelled. I was embarrassed later, but the excitement got the best of me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbG6IwP1vzA&feature=youtube_gdata_player

On Monday I fell and injured my foot while practicing walking on my hands. My foot has been swollen and I can't walk on it. I'm hoping and praying I heal up in time to be able to attempt 13.2, the 2nd workout of the 2013 CrossFit games. The 2nd workout I should be able to kick butt at, because I'm really good at box jumps. The 13.2 is:

10 minute AMRAP (as many reps as possible in 10 minutes) of:
5 Shoulder to overhead, 115 / 75 lbs
10 Deadlift, 115 / 75 lbs
15 Box jump, 24 / 20 inch


I'm currently weighing 234 pounds. Since starting CrossFit I've lost 22 pounds and have gained over 3 inches around my chest and back. Since starting a Paleo diet competition with I Suck at CrossFit 4.5 weeks ago I've lost 12 pounds.

March 13, 2013

the 2013 South West Challenge Series Schedule

The 2013 South West Challenge Series schedule is now out. I was heart broken to see that there are no more SWCS races in Central and Northern New Mexico.


POLAR BEAR TRIATHLON
DECEMBER 1, 2012, Saturday
7K Run / 35K Bike / 400M Swim
Brent Jones (575) 678-3374
Bell Gymnasium / PO Box 400
WSMR, NM 88002


MISSILE MAN DUATHLON
FEBRUARY 2, @ 0800, Saturday
7K Run/40K Bike
Brent Jones (575) 678-3374
Bell Gymnasium / PO Box 400
WSMR, NM 88002
Register www.active.com


SUL ROSS SPRINT TRIATHLON
MARCH 24 @ 8 a.m., Sunday
5K run, 15 mile bike, 360 yard pool swim
Sul Ross State University, Alpine, Texas
Jim Hector or Helen Crane at (432) 837-8038
P.O. Box C-23
Alpine, TX 79832
Map Race Information
Registration & information



MIGHTY MUJER TRIATHLON ALL FEMALE RACE APRIL 20 @ 7:30, Saturday
 
300Y Swim / 15K Bike / 2MI Run
Gabriela Gallegos (915) 433-3439
Memorial Park Pool - 3251 Copper
P.O. Box 23208
El Paso, TX 79923
Note: This will be an SWCS Points race for the Ladies
 

JOKER’S DUATHLON
APRIL 27 @ 0800, Saturday
5K Run / 30K Bike
Entry Fee $30.00 Individual/ $55 Team
POC is SSgt Erica Reyes
Phone number for Info is 575-572-2529 Front Desk
FAX Number is 575-572-3799
Domenici Fitness & Sports Center
ATTN: Joker Duathlon
1051 Connecticut Ave
Holloman AFB NM 88317

BUFFMAN & SQUEAKY TRIATHLON
MAY 5 @ 9:00 am, Sunday
1500m Swim, 40K bike, 10K Run
Marti Greer (877) 719-4957
P.O. Box 93726
Lubbock, TX 79493
Registration Deadline: May 14 / No Race Day Registration


DOG HOUSE SPRINT TRIATHLON
DOG HOUSE SPRINT TRIATHLON
MAY 5 @ 9:30am, Sunday
500m Swim, 17.6 mile Bike, 3.1 mile Run
Marti Greer (877) 719-4957
P.O. Box 93726
Lubbock, TX 79493
Registration Deadline: m
may 14 / No Race Day RegistratioN
 
 
ARMED FORCES DAY TRIATHLON

MAY 18 @ 0700, Saturday
400 m Swim, 15 mile Bike, 5k Run
Replica Aquatic Center
Enter Robert E. Lee Gate
Ft Bliss, TX
Holly Imbriaco 744-744-5794
East Bliss Aquatic Center
20751 Constitution Road
Fort Bliss TX 79908
Register Online at active.com or eventbrite.com


HOWLING COYOTE TRIATHLON

MAY 25 @ 0730, Saturday
5K Run/30K Bike/400M Swim
Brent Jones (575) 678-3374
Bell Gymnasium / PO Box 400
WSMR, NM 88002
MILITARY SECURITY: ADVISE EARLY ARRIVAL
Register online Active.com


MILKMAN TRIATHLON

June 1 @ 0800, Saturday
500M Swim / 20K Bike / 5K Run
Larry Marshall (575) 734-5415
P.O. Box 399
Dexter, NM 88230
Registration Deadline: May 29 / No Race Day Registration 

 
RUIDOSO SPRINT TRIATHLON

JUNE 8, Saturday
Run(3.8M), Bike(16.8M), Swim(400Y)
Ruidoso, New Mexico
Triathlon Website
Ruidoso Athletic Club
415 Wingfield Street
Ruidoso, NM 88355
Register online Active.com


MISSION VALLEY DUATHLON

JUNE 23 @ 7:30am, Sunday
5k run - 20k Bike - 5k Run
Tigua Recreation & Wellness Center
Gabriela Gallegos (915) 433-3439
Registration: www.RaceElPaso.com
 
 
TRI RAIDER TRIATHLON

JUNE 29 @ 8:30am, Saturday
500m swim, 17.6 mile Bike, 3.1 mile Run
Marti Greer (877) 719-4957
P.O. Box 93726
Lubbock, TX 79493

 
 
EASY RIDER TRIATHLON

JUNE 29 @ 8:00am, Saturday
1500m Swim, 40K bike, 10K Run
Marti Greer (877) 719-4957
P.O. Box 93726
Lubbock, TX 79493
Registration Deadline: June 24 / No Race Day Registration 

 
BUFFALO SPRINGS LAKE TRIATHLON Ironman 70.3

June 30 @ 6:30am, Sunday
1.2 mile Swim, 56 mile Bike, 13.1 mile Run
Marti Greer (877) 719-4957
P.O. Box 93726
Lubbock, TX 79493
Registration Deadline: June 24 / No Race Day Registration 

 
MIDLAND YMCA TALL CITY TRI

JULY 27, Saturday
500M Swim / 20K Bike / 5K Run
David Ham (432) 699-1718
800 N. Big Spring St
Midland, TX 79701
Race Day Registration Allowed



ODESSA TUMBLEWEED TRIATHLON

JULY 28, Sunday
500M Swim / 20K Bike / 5K Run
Edward Moreno (432) 362-4301 / Joe Moya (432) 550-7654
3001 East University
Odessa, TX 79762
Registration Deadline: July 28 6PM (Active.com)/ (Increased Fee After July 22 unless sign up is for BOTH Midland & Odessa) No Race Day Registration without Prior Approval


 
BOTTOMLESS TRIATHLON

JULY 13 @0830, Saturday
400M Swim / 14K Bike / 4K Run
Jan Olesinski (575) 937-6196
myweb.cableone.net/janolesinski
900 Mason Dr
Roswell, NM 88201
Registration Deadline: July 9 FIRM


SOCORRO CHILE HARVEST YOUTH TRIATHLON

AUGUST 2 - FRIDAY NM Tech Campus
Distances Vary by Youth Age
Lynette Napier (505) 363-3361
P.O. Box 1508
Socorro, NM 87801
Registration Deadline: July 31 FIRM 

 
SOCORRO CHILE HARVEST TRIATHLON

AUGUST 3, Saturday
Socorro City Pool
400M Swim / 20K Bike / 5K Run
Robert Gonzales (575) 418-1449
P.O. Box 1508
Socorro, NM 87801
Registration Deadline: July 31 FIRM
 
 
EAGLE IN THE SUN TRIATHLON

SEPTEMBER 1 @ 7:30am , Sunday
400y swim - 20k bike - 5k run
Socorro ISD Student Activities Complex
Gabriela Gallegos (915) 433-3439
Tigua Recreation & Wellness Center
P.O. Box 23208
El Paso, TX 79923
Registration www.raceelpaso.com 
 
IRON SOLDIER SPRINT TRIATHLON


SEPTEMBER 28 @0730, Saturday
400 m Swim, appox 15 mile Bike, 5K Run
Holly Imbriaco 744-744-5794
East Bliss Aquatic Center
20751 Constitution Road
Fort Bliss TX 79908
Register Online at active.com or eventbrite.com

TRINADA DEL MUERTO TRIATHLON – ½ Ironman


SEPTEMBER 29, Sunday
1.2 m Swim/56 m Bike/13.1 m Run
Contact: Scott Kennicutt
imathlete.com
Event Registration Website
Truth or Consequences, New Mexico

MONSTER TRIATHLON


OCTOBER 5 @ 0800, Saturday
5K Run / 30K Bike /700M Swim
Entry Fees $50 individual $80 Team (3 Person)
Email mhollomanfitnesscenter@holloman.af.mil
POC is SSgt Erica Reyes
Phone 575-572-2529 Front Desk
FAX Number is 575-572-3799
Domenici Fitness & Sports Center
ATTN: Monster Triathlon
1051 Connecticut Ave
Holloman AFB NM 88317
 
 
YUCCA TRIATHLON

SEPTEMBER 7 @ 0730, Saturday
7K Run/48K Bike/400m Swim
Brent Jones (575) 678-3374
Bell Gymnasium / PO Box 400
WSMR, NM 88002
MILITARY SECURITY: ADVISE EARLY ARRIVAL
Register online Active.com


SPC COTTON COUNTY SPRINT TRI

SEPTEMBER 21 @ 0900, Saturday
5K Run/13 m Bike/ 300 yd pool Swim
Mail Entry to: SPC c/o Dee Dee Odorizzi
1401 College Ave
Levelland, TX 79336
(806) 716-2236 Phone
(806) 897-3090 FAX
Race Website



The following race will kick off the 2014 season

POLAR BEAR TRIATHLON

DECEMBER 7 @0800, Saturday
5K Run / 30K Bike / 400m Swim
Brent Jones (575) 678-3374
brent.k.jones.naf@mail.mil
www.wsmrmwr.com/bell_gymnasium.php Bell Gymnasium / PO Box 400
WSMR, NM 88002
Register online Active.com

March 10, 2013

updated 2013 triathlon and duathlon series

Every year since I started training and racing in multisport I'd been competing in the South West Challenge series. Last year the SWCS had 36 races, This year it has less than 10 races and the majority of them are in the Las Cruces/ El Paso area. Sadly, since there are not any races in my area I wont be competing the the SWCS anymore. I'll mostly be competing in the Chasing 3 series open water series. And I'll be racing as a clydesdale (220 pound and above) all year.

So far it looks like this will be my race schedule for 2013:

Feb
1- The Missile Man duathlon (duathlon)

May
2- The Jay Benson triathlon, Albuquerque NM (sprint)

June
3- The 4 corners X-terra triathlon, Farmington NM (X-terra)
4- The Billy The Kid triathlon, Fort Sumner NM (OLY)
5- Storrie Lake triathlon, Las Vegas NM (oly)

July
6- City of Lakes triathlon, Santa Rosa NM (sprint)
7- Cochiti Lakes triathlon, Cochiti NM (oly or sprint)

Aug
8- The 505 triathlon, Cochiti NM (LC or Sprint)

Sept
9- The Santa Fe triathlon, Santa Fe NM (sprint)
10- X-terra Dread Mon, Truth or Consequences NM (X-terra)
11- Trinidad Del Muerto, Truth or Consequences NM (Half Iron distance)

Dec
12- The Nutcracker triathlon, Rio Rancho NM (sprint)

March 08, 2013

CrossFit games 2013

Even though I've only been doing CrossFit for 9 weeks and am still pretty bad at it I decided to enter the 2013 CrossFit games. The CrossFit games are 5 weeks long. Each week the CrossFit athletes do a workout and record/submit our score. So far, more than 110,000 athletes, 2,400 teams, and 20,000 Masters have registered for this year's Open competition. More than 3,600 affiliates are represented from 115 countries around the globe. This is one of the world's largest participatory events.

My first test of the 1st week, called 13.1, is Saturday morning at 10:45 AM. Wish me luck! I'm going to need it!

If you'd like to watch a video of 13.1, or get more info, click here.

 


 


Paleo diet gains and mistakes

In early January I started working out at Zia CrossFit. Immediately I fell in love with the workouts and environment. After almost a month of working out there I was getting stronger, faster, more endurance, and more flexible. But every time I tried to lose weight by counting calories like I did when I was training for triathlons I became overly hungry very quickly which would lead to me falling off the diet wagon, overeating and gaining even more weight. My buddies BJ and Will who are competitive Olympic weight lifters, strong man competitors, and owners of zia CrossFit took some time to teach me how they ate, which is Paleo. They eat meat, vegetables, fruit, and small amount of nuts. They eat until they are satisfied, and never count or restrict calories. They eat 1.5 ounces of protein for every pound of lean body mass.

GAINS:
So far since I started eating Paleo on Feb 3, 2013 I've ate an average of 3,051 calories and 235 grams of protein each day. I've burned an average of 539 calories a day from working out, which is about half as much as I did when I was only swimming, biking, and running. Since Feb 3rd 'veI dropped from 252 pounds to 237 pounds. 15 pounds in 5 weeks while eating as much as I want. What's even more exciting is the strength and muscle gains I've made. While dropping pant sizes and losing fat I've gained 3 inches around my chest and back, and have set new PR's on my power clean, snatch, front squat, and clean and jerk lifts.

MISTAKES:
I was warned by BJ and Will not to cut fat while eating Paleo. Recently I decided to try and speed up my weight loss so I cut 500 calories a day out of my diet. I didn't cut fat, I just lowered how much I was eating each day a little. Withing 2 days I was grumpy and struggling to finish workouts.

WHAT I LEARNED:
Don't cut calories when eating Paleo. When I cut calories I feel like crap and perform like crap. I'm making great gains in strength, endurance, and weight loss by eating Paleo. I need to be patient and let my weight loss and performance gains continue. If it aint broke, dont fix it.

P.S.
Don't think I've given up on multisport. I'm still running and cycling. Not as much as I used to. Just enough to finish them comfortably- not necessarily quickly though. Triathlons and duathlons are still my passion. My races will be the Atomic Man duathlon in White Rock NM (April), The Spring Fling Triathlon in Rio Rancho NM (April).

February 26, 2013

Zia CrossFit group ride and weight gain- muscle or fat?

My favorite bike ride is riding from the 599 rail runner stop south of Santa Fe New Mexico to the Sandia Rail runner in Albuquerque. I take highway 14 to route 66, then Route 66 to Tramway all the way down to the Rail runner station. That route is called Turquoise Trail, it's a famous stretch of road because of it's history and beauty. I haven't ridden that route in almost 2 years. I'm motivated to give it a shot now. I'm motivated because I'm finally losing weight, because of the fitness competition I'm in with fellow blogger "I suck at CrossFit", and also because I'd really like some of the people at my new gym Zia CrossFit to go with me. I really love the people Zia CrossFit. They're wonderful. They're supportive and a blast to be around. It's more like a big family than members of a gym. I'm trying to get as many of them to go with me as I can, I want to share the pain!

I weighed in this morning at almost 242 pounds. I was heartbroken. I've gradually been creeping back up from 239 a week ago. I've been working out a lot, eating 100% Paleo, I feel like I should be losing weight not gaining! In mid December I had measured 6 areas of my body in case something like this happened. I wanted to make sure if started gaining weight I had some way of being able to tell if it was fat or muscle. Here's the results:

+1/4 inch circumference arms
+ 3/8 inch circumference forearms
- 1/2 inch circumstance waist
- 1/4 inch circumference neck
-1/2 inch circumference thigh
+ 3 inches circumference of my chest and back!

Well, thankfully it looks like I'm losing in all the right areas and gaining in areas that is good to gain! A gain of 3 inches in my chest and back! That's pretty awesome!

February 23, 2013

strong enemies suck

I'm in a competition with another blogger. It's a diet, health, workout, etc, competition. Until I beat him he's my enemy. The enemy is strong, knowledgeable, and tough as nails. But that's alright 'cause I'm going to smoke him anyways. There's no way I could lose to this guy:
Yup, those are his shoes. Purple shoes. I cant lose to a dude who wears purple shoes. If I lose to him it makes me less than the man who wears purple shoes.

I lost 7 pounds in the 1st 11 days of this competition. But for some reason my weight loss has come to a screeching halt. I'm stuck, platoed. I've still been eating 100% Paleo and doing CrossFit, but no more weight loss, which is disturbing because I still have a lot to lose. Unlike my competition I'm chubby, which is a nice word for fat. I think the reason I've stalled is because I haven't done any base building cardio since last Saturday. Long slow days are the best way to burn fat and train the body to use stored body fat. So tonight after CrossFit, after I took the kids to the park, after I cleaned out the hamster cage, after I fed and watered the rabbits and Guinea pigs, after I did the dishes, after I finished the laundry and folded it, I rode my indoor trainer and watched a the biggest Loser on TiVo. I didn't feel like it but I did it anyways. I gotta do something! I can't lose to the dude in those shoes! Besides, I really want to NOT be the fattest guy competing in the triathlons I race in.

BTW, I never thought it was possible, but I found something I hate more than burpees. Wall climbers. They suck. Rather, I suck at them. I did ok for the 1st 7, but after that I was HORRIBLE.  I couldn't do them to save my life. I know they dont look hard, but try a set of ten and you'll see. Better yet try 4 sets of 10 like we did today and you'll develop loathing! From now on before the daily WOD I'm going to do a few sets of the 2 things I'm worst at in CrossFit. Pull ups and wall climbers. If I do them every day before my WOD I should get better at them soon. At least that's my hope.

February 21, 2013

Paleo competition days 5-11

I'm really enjoying eating Paleo and being in this Paleo competition. I'm getting great results with weight loss and I'm still making gains with strength and endurance. I weighed in this morning at 239, so far in 11 days I've lost just shy of 7 pounds. Normally I'd say that's to much weight to lose to quickly, but I'm eating a ton of calories each day. Usually over 3000.

In the last 2 weeks our Suburban broke down and it cost us $2,500 to fix. And we just got a bill from the IRS claiming we owe them $3,600 for the 2011 (so much for hiring a CPA to do our taxes). Consequently I'm going to have to start working 6 days a week, 12-16 hours a day until I can get us recovered financially again. That means I'm not going to be able to work out as much as I have been, but I'm going to do my best to continue eating 100% Paleo.

Here's a log of how I've been doing daily with the Paleo competition:

Day/  
calories ate/  calories burned
points earned for the day
Workout.
Lifestyle point earned

Day 5
Feb 14/
 3532/  1090
I maxed out my points today.
For training I did: CrossFit, biked 1 hr 20 min. Didn't feel that was enough for a bonus point so I rode my bike on my indoor trainer for 30 min, then rode my mountain bike to work.
For lifestyle point: I read the bible and did a CR bible study.

Day 6
Feb 15/
 3336/ 917
I maxed out todays points.
Training :CrossFit + 1 hr bike.
Lifestyle read the bible and read Arnold Schwarzenegger's Total Recall

Day 7
Feb 16/  1917/  1686
I maxed today's points.
Biked 1 hr 30 min + 39 min run with sprint until muscle failure.
Watched a kids christian movie about death and heaven with the kids and had a discussion after.

Day 8
Feb 17/
2493/  0
5 points earned today, no working out today, I needed a day off.
I cleaned the yard, fixed up one of my daughter old bikes and gave it to a neighbors kid.

Day 9
Feb 18/ 
2488/  0
5 points earned today.
No workout.
Took the kids to the zoo and played kids board games that night.


Day 10
Feb 19/ 
4153/ 268
5 points earned.
CrossFit.
Cleaned and rearranged the bedroom for my wife, hung a piece of art for her. Cleaned out and rearranged the shed. Got rid of a bunch of stuff for a garage sale.

Day 11
Feb 20
3978/ 213
5 points earned.
CrossFit.
Instructed my sons BJJ class.