Today I took my family to Cochiti lake. My wife & I had a picnic & played with our babies. After that I put on my wet suit & did some open water swimming. I felt fast & comfortable. Much more so than any other open water swim I've ever done. Part of that is I'm 27 pounds lighter than my normal race weight. I fit in my wet suit better so I don't feel like I'm being squeezed to death by a boa constrictor. The major reason I felt so comfortable in the water is I'm swimming consistently for the first time in my triathlon career. Imagine that!
I am dieing to find out how far it was from the shore line at the swim area, out to the buoy on the far left, following along the outside of the boat buoy's, until the far right shore line. If anyone knows please let me in on the secret.
I'm so very grateful for the support system I have in life & in triathlon. I've fallen off the diet wagon for the last 3 days. It started on my first full day of vacation. Celebration is a big food trigger for me. I'm sure excitement about my up coming race is also a huge contributing factor also.
On of the first motivators for me to stop overeating was today I drove to Alb & picked up my bike from JusMe. He cleaned & tuned up my bike. He even took off the race numbers I'd left on my bike from the last year of racing! As soon as I saw my tri-machine looking completely clean & ready to roll I got motivated to race! And who can race fat? Not me!
The other big help was a great guy & blogger was in town for work. I got to hang with him, talk triathlon, & even watch an episode of The biggest Loser. While here he talked to me about triathlon racing & our issues with weight. He helped me realize I'll never be cured. I can't be perfect ALL of the time. But I can be perfect %85 of the time. I was beginning to feel after 3 days all was lost & I was on the downward slide. But like JusMe says,"it's not a road without some bumps along the way".
I'm bound to get knocked on my butt on from time to time. That doesn't make my journey to becoming an ultra-thin, ultra endurance triathlete a failure. & failing at accomplishing that goal wouldn't even make me a failure. I'm a success at what's most important to me, being a follower of Christ, a father, & a husband. 10 years ago I wouldn't have thought I could be worth 2 shakes of a dogs tail at any of those things. But I am.
Giving up on my weight loss goal would mean I had stopped trying. & I don't believe I have any quit in me. I'm a stubborn, hard working, dedicated man in all things. Diet just seems to be the one area I'm going to have to get up & dust myself off from most often. & tomorrow I'm going to do just that. For tomorrow I WILL be a success. I will be back on the wagon. I will eventually fall off again. I know that, but I will continue to get up as many times as it takes to succeed at becoming the triathlete I so desperately desire to be.... a thin one.
Showing posts with label open water swim. Show all posts
Showing posts with label open water swim. Show all posts
September 15, 2009
March 05, 2008
improvements
When I fail at something I always try to come back stronger & smarter. I realized after my Silverman DNF I had ALLOT of improvements I needed to do to be able to accomplish an Iron distance event. Going into the silverman I was overweight, I rarely swam, I had poor strength to weight ratio on my bike, I was a horribly slow cyclist at long distances, & my speed at long distance runs was poor. So far since Nov I've lost 51 pounds, I've been swimming more now than I ever have, I'm already a much better runner at long distances, & I'm doing a great program built by Pete Alfino of Mile High Multisport to improve both my endurance & speed on the bike.
So far my best swim at a race was at the Jay Benson where I swam 400 meters in 8:30. That is an average of 1:56 per 100 meters. Today while swimming I did a 500 meter warm up, followed by 3X500 yards #1 free style, #2 paddles & PB, #3 free style. On my first 500 after the warm up I swam free style 500 yards in 7:45. My 2nd 500 yard free style I did in 7:31 for a 1:30 ave per 100 meters. That's an improvement on my average swim time of 26 seconds per 100 meters. If hypothetically I was able to keep up that average over an Iron distance I would complete the swim portion of an Iron in 1 hr 5 minutes compared to the 1 hr 50 min swim that I completed at the Silverman. That would of been a 45 minute faster swim. I would of been close to the bike cut off if I'd of had 45 minutes more time on the bike. If I consider that I'm allot lighter so I'd be faster & a better climber on the bike, I'm positive I'd of completed the Silverman's bike leg before the cut off. Even in Nov at 256 pounds the run was never a concern for me. I'd of been slow, but there was no doubt that I'd of completed the marathon by the cut off time. I'm signed up for Ironman Arizona in Nov of this year. I still have 8 months to improve all 3 disciplines. I'm motivated & approaching my training with more intelligence, with a better diet, & I'm making improvements on my swim hand over fist. I hope that will be enough to complete a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike, & a 26.2 mile run in 17 hrs. There's not many things I've wanted more than to become an Ironman, especially since I failed so miserably at my first attempt. You see, I believe it's not how hard you can punch, but how hard you can get punched and continue.
I decided to check my measurments today. Last time was 3 weeks ago
.........Nov 08/ Feb/ .Today/changes in last 3 weeks
Chest 43.5/ 41.5/ 41.5 / no change
arms 16.75/ 16 / 15.5/ -.5 inches
stomach 46.5/ 40.25/ 39/ -1.25inches
hips 49.5/ 44.5/ 43.5/ -1 inch
quads 31.5/ 27/ 26.75/ -.25 inches
Total loss in 3 weeks is 8 lbs & 3 inches.
So far my best swim at a race was at the Jay Benson where I swam 400 meters in 8:30. That is an average of 1:56 per 100 meters. Today while swimming I did a 500 meter warm up, followed by 3X500 yards #1 free style, #2 paddles & PB, #3 free style. On my first 500 after the warm up I swam free style 500 yards in 7:45. My 2nd 500 yard free style I did in 7:31 for a 1:30 ave per 100 meters. That's an improvement on my average swim time of 26 seconds per 100 meters. If hypothetically I was able to keep up that average over an Iron distance I would complete the swim portion of an Iron in 1 hr 5 minutes compared to the 1 hr 50 min swim that I completed at the Silverman. That would of been a 45 minute faster swim. I would of been close to the bike cut off if I'd of had 45 minutes more time on the bike. If I consider that I'm allot lighter so I'd be faster & a better climber on the bike, I'm positive I'd of completed the Silverman's bike leg before the cut off. Even in Nov at 256 pounds the run was never a concern for me. I'd of been slow, but there was no doubt that I'd of completed the marathon by the cut off time. I'm signed up for Ironman Arizona in Nov of this year. I still have 8 months to improve all 3 disciplines. I'm motivated & approaching my training with more intelligence, with a better diet, & I'm making improvements on my swim hand over fist. I hope that will be enough to complete a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike, & a 26.2 mile run in 17 hrs. There's not many things I've wanted more than to become an Ironman, especially since I failed so miserably at my first attempt. You see, I believe it's not how hard you can punch, but how hard you can get punched and continue.
I decided to check my measurments today. Last time was 3 weeks ago
.........Nov 08/ Feb/ .Today/changes in last 3 weeks
Chest 43.5/ 41.5/ 41.5 / no change
arms 16.75/ 16 / 15.5/ -.5 inches
stomach 46.5/ 40.25/ 39/ -1.25inches
hips 49.5/ 44.5/ 43.5/ -1 inch
quads 31.5/ 27/ 26.75/ -.25 inches
Total loss in 3 weeks is 8 lbs & 3 inches.
May 23, 2007
Buffman race report
About 20 minutes before the Buffman & Squeaky I walked up this gigantic hill to my van. Once I got there I dropped Off my bag and headed back down to the transition area. I decided to leave my new Blue Seventy wet suit in the van because a triathlete is never supposed to try a new piece of equipment the 1st time on a race. And as usual I hadn't been swimming in many months. No swim, no test swim equipment. That simple. By the time I got to the bottom of the hill there was 15 minutes until the race and the pre-race meeting is being held. As I got to my transition area I hear the RD say "The water temperature is 64 degrees." I'm glad everyone was paying attention to the pre-race announcements or their transition area when I heard this because I'm sure I looked like a deer caught in the head light! 64 degrees? Dang that's cold! My eyes got great big and round and I took off running the half a mile or more to my van-up that HUGE hill again! By the time I arrive at the swim start I have 4 minutes left. It'll be close but I can get my wet suit on in time. As I pulled it over my shoulders and turned to ask someone to put the pull string under the Velcro for easy reach I realize I put my wet suit on backwards! AAHH, I'm panicking! I ripped the suit off as quickly as possible turning it inside out in the process! AAHH, somebody help! I was 100 pounds of potatoes squeezing into a 50 pound sack turned inside out with a time limit!!! AAHH. I finally turned it right side out and got it over my feet, I quickly stood up and tried running to the mass lake race start while trying in vain to pull my wet suit up at the same time!!! AARRR. I looked like a panguin running with a black wet suit around my ankles! I heard people giggling at the boat ramp, but I cared not! I was determined to start this race with the rest of the other triathletes fully dressed! I finally got to the edge of the water, bent over for one more big pull of my wet suit to get it up and my head jams into some into some guys butt knocking him foreward into the water. By this time I'm getting an audience, there's no one laughing anymore. I think they were to the point of pitying me. Finally I get the wet suit over my shoulders, use the draw string to zipp up, and some guy behind me is kind enough to strap the string under my Velcro without me having to run around pleading SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME! I think the RD saw my my trial and tribulations and waited until I was calmed down sufficiently before he started the race. After about a minute of me standing there at the ready position my heart rate finally started to slow, and BANG, the race starts! My heart rate promptly shoots sky high again. This is one of the problems I found I have for races where I want to do well so badly, I can't calm down because I'm so exited. At the 20 minute mark I look up and realise I am only at the half way point! If I keep this up I'm going to have a 40 minute swim!! "Come on man! Calm down! Concentrate on you breathing, relax!" I told myself. It wasn't until then that I finally started to make some progress. I passed more people in the last half of this swim than any 2 of my races combined! Only the 2nd swim of my life where I felt fast-well on the 2nd half I felt fast. I finished in 33 minutes, which was an Oly swim PR. I don't have any idea how I pulled that off with such a bad swim start! Thankfully I had a relatively uneventful transition to the bike.
On the bike I was pushing my best but couldn't seem to get much speed out of these X-large thighs of mine. I think that was because of the slow base mileage I'm putting in for my Iron in Nov and because of me coming down off my pre-swim adrenaline rush. I kept praying to God to either let me have fast race, or for him to give me the strength to accept a slow one. By the time I got off the bike I was at 2 hrs flat. That was exactly the time I got out of T-2 last year, but last year I didn't push myself as hard on the bike or swim, and last year I ended up having the 2nd best run of my life(next only to Soma 2005)! So I wasn't optimistic about breaking any PR's. This is usually a sweltering hot race but almost as soon as I started the run a whole bunch of clouds covered the sun and a nice breeze started up from across the lake. Felt great and I think that God answered my prayers because that sure helped my performance allot. As I was finishing the run I saw my wife and baby girl standing about 50 yards in front of the finish line. I looked at my watch and realized I had enough time to run over and pick up my daughter so that I could run the last 50 yards with her in my arms while still beating my best Oly time.
Best part of the day was that I finished with my 19 month old daughter in my arms! As we crossed the finish line my daughter saw everyone clapping for her and she got this huge smile on her face and started clapping those little hands as fast as her little arms possibly could while screaming "Hurray!" at the top of her lungs! No one can tell me Jesus doesn't love me. Life is good. Every Outlaw who showed placed in thier division Stuart & Helen Crane, Carl, Onearm bandit and her husband, Misty(El Chivato's Mom), & El Chivato finished in 3:35, breaking his old PR by an HOUR!!! Another Outlaw and a fellow Clydesdale we call Miles(who is El Chivato's Dad) ended up breaking his PR also with a 2:37! Miles had the 3rd fastest Clyd finish in Buffman history! I ended up 1st place Clyd 39 and under with a 2hr 52 minute race. I PR'd by 2 minutes. I love you too Jesus, and thank you for a perfect ending to a wonderfull race.
On the bike I was pushing my best but couldn't seem to get much speed out of these X-large thighs of mine. I think that was because of the slow base mileage I'm putting in for my Iron in Nov and because of me coming down off my pre-swim adrenaline rush. I kept praying to God to either let me have fast race, or for him to give me the strength to accept a slow one. By the time I got off the bike I was at 2 hrs flat. That was exactly the time I got out of T-2 last year, but last year I didn't push myself as hard on the bike or swim, and last year I ended up having the 2nd best run of my life(next only to Soma 2005)! So I wasn't optimistic about breaking any PR's. This is usually a sweltering hot race but almost as soon as I started the run a whole bunch of clouds covered the sun and a nice breeze started up from across the lake. Felt great and I think that God answered my prayers because that sure helped my performance allot. As I was finishing the run I saw my wife and baby girl standing about 50 yards in front of the finish line. I looked at my watch and realized I had enough time to run over and pick up my daughter so that I could run the last 50 yards with her in my arms while still beating my best Oly time.
Best part of the day was that I finished with my 19 month old daughter in my arms! As we crossed the finish line my daughter saw everyone clapping for her and she got this huge smile on her face and started clapping those little hands as fast as her little arms possibly could while screaming "Hurray!" at the top of her lungs! No one can tell me Jesus doesn't love me. Life is good. Every Outlaw who showed placed in thier division Stuart & Helen Crane, Carl, Onearm bandit and her husband, Misty(El Chivato's Mom), & El Chivato finished in 3:35, breaking his old PR by an HOUR!!! Another Outlaw and a fellow Clydesdale we call Miles(who is El Chivato's Dad) ended up breaking his PR also with a 2:37! Miles had the 3rd fastest Clyd finish in Buffman history! I ended up 1st place Clyd 39 and under with a 2hr 52 minute race. I PR'd by 2 minutes. I love you too Jesus, and thank you for a perfect ending to a wonderfull race.
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