Phys Ed: Can Running Actually Help Your Knees?

An article in Skeletal Radiology, a well-respected journal, created something of a sensation in Europe last year. It reported that researchers from Danube Hospital in Austria examined the knees of marathon runners using M.R.I. imaging, before and after the 1997 Vienna marathon. Ten years later, they scanned the same runners’ knees again. The results were striking. “No major new internal damage in the knee joints of marathon runners was found after a 10-year interval,” the researchers reported. Only one of the participants had a knee that was truly a mess, and he’d quit running before the 1997 marathon (but had been included in that study anyway). His 1997 knee M.R.I. revealed cartilage lesions, swelling and other abnormalities. In the years that followed, the knee became worse, showing augmented tissue damage and more serious lesions. His exam prompted the researchers to wonder whether he would have been better off persisting as a runner, because, as they speculate, “continuous exercise is protective, rather than destructive,” to knees.You can’t be a runner past the age of 40, as I am, without hearing that running will ruin your knees, by which doomsayers usually mean that we’ll develop “degeneration of the cartilage in the kneecap, which ­reduces its shock-absorbing capacity,” says Ross Tucker, a physiologist in South Africa and co-author of the new book “The Runner’s Body: How the Latest Exercise Science Can Help You Run Stronger, Longer and Faster.” In other words, we’ll be afflicted with arthritis.

It’s not an unreasonable supposition; other sports have been linked with early-onset arthritis in knees. In a British study, almost half of the middle-aged, formerly elite soccer players were found to have crippling, bone-on-bone arthritis in at least one knee. Former weight lifters also have a high incidence of the condition, as do retired N.F.L. players.

But despite entrenched mythology to the contrary, runners don’t seem prone to degenerating knees. An important 2008 study, this one from Stanford University, followed middle-aged, longtime distance runners (not necessarily marathoners) for nearly 20 years, beginning in 1984, when most were in their 50s or 60s. At that time, 6.7 percent of the runners had creaky, mildly arthritic knees, while none of an age-matched control group did. After 20 years, however, the runners’ knees were healthier; only 20 percent showed arthritic changes, versus 32 percent of the control group’s knees. Barely 2 percent of the runners’ knees were severely arthritic, while almost 10 percent of the control group’s were. “We were quite surprised,” says Eliza Chakravarty, an assistant professor at the Stanford University School of Medicine and lead author of the study. “Our hypothesis going in had been that runners, because of the repetitive pounding, would develop more frequent and more severe arthritis.”

Instead, recent evidence suggests that running may actually shield somewhat against arthritis, in part because the knee develops a kind of motion groove. A group of engineers and doctors at Stanford published a study in the February issue of The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery that showed that by moving and loading your knee joint, as you do when walking or running, you “condition” your cartilage to the load. It grows accustomed to those particular movements. You can run for miles, decades, a lifetime, without harming it. But if this exquisite balance is disturbed, usually by an injury, the loading mechanisms shift, the moving parts of the knee are no longer in their accustomed alignment and a “degenerative pathway” seems to open. The cartilage, like an unbalanced tire, wears away. Pain, tissue disintegration and, eventually, arthritis can follow.

So, the best way to ensure that your knees aren’t hurt by running is not to hurt them in the first place. “The biggest predictor of injury is previous injury,” Tucker says, and one of the best deterrents against a first (or subsequent) knee injury is targeted strength training. “The hip stabilizers, quads, hamstrings and core must all be strong enough. As soon as there is weakness, some other muscle or joint must take over, and that’s when injuries happen.”

If you’ve injured your knee in the past, particularly if you’ve ever torn an A.C.L. (an injury that, in the Stanford gait study, was closely associated with misalignment and cartilage degeneration), talk to your physician before running. But for most runners, the scientific observations of Chakravarty will ring true. “What struck me,” she says, “is that the runners we studied were still running, well into their 70s and 80s.” They weren’t running far, she says. They weren’t running frequently. They averaged perhaps 90 minutes a week. “But they were still running.”

By GRETCHEN REYNOLDS

free USAT triathlon clinic

There will be a free USAT triathlon clinic held in Alb NM at the Del Norte Sports & Wellness on March 12th.

Time: March 12, 2011 from 2pm to 4pm
Location: Del Norte Sports and Wellness
Event Type: triathlon, clinic
Organized By: Eric Lujan and Jaime Dispenza

This will be a 6 session series of Triathlon seminars tailored to meet the needs of the participants. The first four sessions will focus on swimming skills and techniques to build a more efficient athlete.

This is a free event, sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Region of the USAT.

The aero position on rollers

In my race this weekend I realized I was slower in the aero position than up in the traditional riding position. The reason is because I've been predominantly riding my indoor trainer this winter. Since I only ride my road bike on my indoor trainer I suck on my triathlon aero bike. I need to start riding my tri bike, but since I take care of our 3 babies while my wife is in school 3 days a week I am stuck cycling on my indoor trainer all but one of my cycling training days. I refuse to put my tri bike up on my indoor trainer because it's carbon, & expensive, so that option is also out. That leaves only one more option.... Riding my triathlon bike in the aero position on my rollers. I tried it today, & it was wobbly & made me a little nervous at first. But after 20 minutes I seemed to get it down. Next week I'm going to get my wife to record me riding my rollers on my tri bike tucked into the aero position. I will probably end up falling the minute she turns on the cam corder, but hey, it's all in the name of training g for the time crunched triathlete!

mistakes and losses

I did my LT run test at the NM state corrections academy. While I was doing my test the corrections academy class from Honduras was on the track working out also. Part way through my workout I took off my jacket and threw it on the ground. At the end of my workout I realized my jacket was gone..... I'm angry. Grrr.

My new Loius Gareau aero helmet melted on the way home from my race. Considering the temperature to & from the race was never above 60 degrees, that angers me. I paid $160 for that helmet less than a year ago and used it less than half a dozen times. I should have been able to get more use from it.

I noticed during the Presadents Day duathlon that I was a much more powerfull cyclist when I was out of the aero position. Normally people are faster in the aero position. I'm fairly certain the reason for this is because during the winter I rode my indoor trainer exclusively. I wont put my triathlon bike on my trainer because it's a full carbon bike & I'm afraid of damaging it so all my cycling miles have been on a road bike & in the upright traditional riding style. I need to start training in the aero position to get more aclimated to riding fast, hard, & long in the aero position- train like you race, race like you train.

Run lactate threshold test

Yesterday I did a run lactate threshold test. Although I am still slow & out of shape I've made massive improvements. January 10th I did a run LT test that I ran in a horribly slow 9:14 per mile pace. Today I ran a 8:14 pace, which is still slow, but I got 1 minute faster per mile in only 6 weeks. My next race, the Spring Fling triathlon is 2 months away. Hopefully my run will be in the low 7 minute per mile range by then, I'll need to be that much faster to be able to take top 3 in the SW Challenge series for a 6th consecutive year.

I'm currently weighing in at 213. I have 28 pounds to go until I reach my ultimate race weight of 185. I'm hoping to get to 185 by the Storie lake triathlon Scheduled for June 19th.

Today I'll be completing a bike LT test. If my last race taught me anything it's that my bike is my weakness right now.

2011 Presidents Day duathlon race report

The Presidents Day duathlon this year was bitter sweet. I started out hitting my bike on the top of a Chik-Fil-A drive through. Then the ferocious winds of Las Cruces ripped my bike off the roof rack. Race morning my rear tire wouldn't inflate. Somehow it all panned out & I was able to race afterall.

I knew I was going to have a slow race. Turns out it was my slowest race performance in 5 years. I averaged 8:13 miles for the 5K run which was on a dirt road. I averaged 19.9 miles per hour on the bike which was just shy of 18 miles long.

I placed 3rd in my age group, finishing 3 minutes 13 seconds behind the 2nd place 35-39 AG finisher, & a full 3 minutes 23 seconds behind the winner of the 35-39.

This was my 1st race of the 2011 South West Challenge Series. A 3rd place finish at the Presidents day du gives me 8 points for the season so far. I need to pack on a lot more speed if I'm going to defend my 35-39 SW Challenge Series championship or if I'm going to go sub 13 hours at Ironman Arizona in November.

2010 USAT ranking

USAT has a ranking system. The higher the number the better a person finished compared to other multisport athletes. Aparently I had a great year last year.

Anyone know how to find my 2009 USAT rankings/ I couldn't find them at all:-(

2010
triathlon 77.96012
duathlon 77.86163

2009
?

2008
triathlon 75.525

2007
triathlon 65.23
duathlon 68.21

2006
triathlon 67.95
duathlon65.75

The nightmare trip

Friday my family & I traveled from Santa Fe to Las Cruces so I could compete in the Presidents day duathlon. The trip was horrible.

I forgot my bike was on the roof when I went through the drive through of Chick-Fil-A & I ran my bike into the drive through over hang. My aero bars were bent & crooked, but surprisingly my bike still shifted ok.

20 miles south of Elephant Butte on I-25 the wind blew the front of my bike off my bike roof rack. My bike was flopping around the back of my mini-van like a wet flag. The strap that wraps around the rear wheel was the only thing keeping my bike from flying off the back of my van & becoming road kill. Although the rear wheel stayed strapped onto the mini-van the bike was still getting whipped around pretty badly by the wind & the speed of my van driving down the road. I took my bike on a test ride after wards & surprisingly it had minimal damage. I'll need to replace 2 water bottle holders ($12) & the front fork ($450), all things considered the damage could have been much worse.

Race morning I was unable to pump up my rear wheel because of part of my tire being damaged on one or both of the incidents the day before. I was able to pump the rear wheel up enough to race, but not nearly to the pressure needed to prevent excess rolling resistance.

With all that happened to my bike it should have been much worse. Thankfully I was still able to race. I'll post my race report tomorrow.

My triathlon machine

Fitting 2 adults, 3 kids, 1 bike, 2 sets of wheels, luggage for 5 people, 1 play pen for our 16 month old to sleep in, 2 bags of race gear & emergency replacement gear would be a problem for most. But our family has a triathlon dream machine. A minivan equipped with a super sized roof rack luggage carrier, a roof bike carrier, 2 roof wheel carriers, 2 car seats, & 1 booster seat. Oh ya, we are set to travel to White Sands Missile Range New Mexico & race the Presidents day duathlon baby!

Cycling like a GIRL!

I had taught my daughter to ride her bicycle without training wheels last year before her 5th birthday. She forgot how to bike during the winter, so I've spent the last 2 days re-teaching her.

Today my daughter asked me to run next to her while she rode in case she got scared. Sounded like a great idea to me. She'd get practice riding without training wheels & I'd get in some base run miles. Turns out I didn't get in many base miles at all, it was mostly hill & speed work. She was amazing at hill climbing! A real natural! I told her she is the best hill climber I'd ever seen & that she made me tired when she rode uphill as fast as she did. From then on she got a kick out of riding as fast as she could uphill, & that little girl can haul butt uphill! I was having to push myself to keep up. She stopped peddling & rested on the downhill, but since she was on a bike she was still going dang fast downhill, so there I was struggling to keep up with her still! She rode for an hour fifty minutes with me running next to her at almost full speed. After the hour fifty minutes a few boys saved me by asking if they could ride with her. At that point I was able to sit down & watch them & rest. Their favorite game was racing eachother, & they did a ton of it! Race after race after race! If they happened to pass her on the flats or downhill, she ALWAYS pass them on the uphill. After about 45 minutes of riding fast & hard, beating them in race after race, she made 2 out of the 3 boys cry! Oh ya! That's my girl!

At my next triathlon I want to make anyone who tries to hang with me cry, I want to race like my 5 year old little girl.

Sprint plan lvl 5

Rion climbing

Today I was planning going in to work for a 12 hour overtime shift. Last minute I decided to stay home. I was trying to spend as much time with my daughter today as I could, so I drove her to pre-K. Turns out her school got canceled because of plumbing problems. So we had the whole day together!!! When we got home my 3 kids & I rode bicycles, put together puzzles, watched movies, & played on the swing set. A perfect day, except for my youngest deciding he's Super Dave!

Here's Rion, our youngest of 3. He is our toughest & most fearless child. To the point where he scares the heck out of my wife & I. Here he is climbing the 6 foot ladder of our family swing set. He's 16 months old. He's the one that's going to give me heart problems.

Elephantman half, Ironman tune up race

This season I'm using the Ironman training plan from the book Ironfit by Don Fink. The book has me doing a tune up Half Iron 8 weeks before my Ironman triathlon. Since the Ironman I'm competing in this year is Ironman Arizona on November 20th, my tune up half Iron race is supposed to be on the weekend of September 24th. There are 2 half Irons that weekend, the Redman in Oklahoma city Oklahoma, or the Elephantman in Elephant Butte New Mexico. I live only a few hours from Elephant Butte NM, my Dad lives there, & this year is the Elephantman half Iron's inaugural year. Actually the Elephantman half will be the 1st half Iron in New Mexico, so the decision was easy! I signed up for the Elephantman. I was surprised that the Elephantman registration was only $190! A 70.3 race of the same distance owned & put on by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC) is $250-$300. I had stopped supporting the WTC races when they stopped having a clydesdale division & continued to raise the prices of their races. Although it's been a couple years since I've raced an entire season as a clydesdale, I am still a supporter of the clyd & athena divisions. The Elephantman half has clydesdale & athena divisions & the registration is cheaper! The last couple years I've heard nothing but great things about the race directors who are putting on the Elephantman, so I'm convinced. I'm very excited about being able to be a part of this race. Not only am I a supporter of any race that is in competition with the WTC, but it's not very often I can have the opportunity to compete in the 1st half Iron distance triathlon in a state!

The 2011 Presadents day duathlon

I'll be competing in my 1st multisport race of the 2011 season next weekend, February 19th at White Sands Missile Range New Mexico. It's the Presidents day duathlon. The Presidents Day duathlon will be my first race since July of last year. It's been 7 months since the last time I've toed a start line. 6 of those 7 months I didn't train at all. The Presidents day duathlon will be a 5k run & 30k bike. Last year I took 5th place overall and 1st place in my age group 35-39 at the Presidents Day duathlon. I'm not expecting another break through race like I had last year. I'm physically unprepared for this race. I still haven't got my fitness & speed back from my very very long hiatus & I'm still carrying 23 pounds of the weight I had packed on. I thought about not showing up for this race, but since I have decided to race the entire season as an age grouper rather than a Clydesdale I will need every extra point I can scrape up for the South West Challenge Series 35-39 age group! I took 1st place in the South West Challenge Series 35-39 age group last year & am hoping to be able to take another top 3 position this year. To do that I'm going to have to race a lot more than I had originally planned. I'm expecting I'll need to race 8-11 of the races in the South West Challenge Series to guarantee a top 3 slot. So it looks like it's going to be another season of heavy racing!

Thanks for tuning in!

Age group(er) again

I was having a harder time getting back into the training & dieting groove this year. I was struggling to drop the off season weight I'd picked up & was getting to the point that I was expecting I was going to have to race the 2011 season as a Clydesdale again. In early January I got on a roll with my training & dropping the weight. I'm trying to lose the weight slower this time, I'm guessing I'll be down to 190 around mid April. Even though the 1st half of the triathlon season I'll be over 200 pounds, so I could race as a Clydesdale, I'm planning on registering in the 35-39 age group so that all my races for the year are in the same division.

190 is the weight I feel best at. I sport a 6 pack at 190. Anytime I drop below 190 I feel consistently hungry, get sick more easily, & am a grouch, but at 185 am I fast! I'm planning to maintain & race race at 190 until October, then in early October, God willing, I'll start dropping the extra 5-10 pounds to ensure I'm at my fastest at Ironman Arizona. I feel confident that I can go sub 13 hours as long as I get & stay below 200 pounds. I'm guessing I can be closer to 12 hours if I am able to show up on race day weighing 180-185.

My 1st race of the 2011 season will be the Presidents day duathlon, next Saturday at White Sands Missile Range New Mexico.

cold weather cycling (13 degrees below zero)

Yesterday I rode my bicycle home from work at 6 am, the wind-chill was negative 13 degrees. After just a couple minutes on my bike my eye lashes froze together. It looked like I was viewing the road from the inside of a venus fly trap. Even with cold weather gloves on my hands ached from the bone chilling cold. My face began to feel like it was going to crack open where my skin was exposed. My eyes were involuntarily tearing & the tears were freezing to my face, when I flexed my cheeks I could feel the frozen tears crack & fall off in flakes. I had a blast! It was thrilling knowing I was doing something most people would never even dream of attempting! That'll be a great story to be able to tell my children. Nothing like a great story to tell them about how easy they have it!

2011 South West Challenge Series schedule

PRESIDENT’S DAY DUATHLON
FEBRUARY 19, Saturday
5K Run/30K Bike
Brent Jones (575) 678-3374
brent.k.jones@us.army.mil
www.wsmrmwr.com/bell_gymnasium.php
Bell Gymnasium / PO Box 400
WSMR, NM 88002
Registration Deadlines: February 5 / Mail; February 12 / fax or e-mail
NOTE: RACE START AT 0800
MUST be at security gate BEFORE 0600!!


SULLY SUPER SPRINT TRIATHLON
MARCH 27, Sunday
3 Mile Run / 15 Mile Bike / 360 Yd Swim
Ryan Baade (432) 857-8792
jbaade@sulross.edu
www.sulross.edu/pages/5505.asp
P.O. Box C-23
Alpine, TX 79832
Race day Registration Allowed


MVT (Mesilla Valley Triathlon)
(Roadrunner Triathlon)
APRIL 3, Sunday
5K Run / 25K Bike / 400M Swim
Kyle Warner (505) 261-9184
kyle@trisportcoaching.com
www.TriSportCoaching.com
NMSU Natatorium (pool)
MSC 3M PO Box 30001 Las Cruces, NM 88003-0013
Registration Deadline: April 2
No Race Day Registration
USAT SANCTIONED


WIND TRIATHLON
APRIL 9, Saturday
7K Run / 35K Bike / 400M Swim
Brent Jones (575) 678-3374
brent.k.jones@us.army.mil
www.wsmrmwr.com/bell_gymnasium.php
Bell Gymnasium / PO Box 400
WSMR, NM 88002
Registration Deadlines: March 26 / Mail; April 2 / fax or e-mail
NOTE: RACE START AT 0730
MUST be at security gate BEFORE 0530!!


HOLLOMAN DUATHLON
April 17, Sunday
5K Run / 30K Bike
TSgt Michelle Villaflor (575) 572-252
michelle.villaflor@holloman.af.mil
www.hollomanfss.com l
Domenici Fitness & Sports Center
1051 Connecticut Ave
Holloman AFB, NM 88330
Registration Deadline: April 5 FIRM


SPRING FLING TRIATHLON
(Kids Triathlon Also)
APRIL 23, Saturday
5K Run / 30K Bike / 400Yd Swim
See website for Kid’s Info
Mark Mico (505) 907-7378
mark@trisportscoaching.com
www.TriSportCoaching.com
Rio Rancho Aquatic Center
745 Loma Colorado
Rio Rancho, NM 87124
Registration Deadline: April 22
No Race Day Registration
USAT SANCTIONED


ATOMIC MAN DUATHLON
May 1, Sunday
10K Run / 40K Bike / 5K Run (Fat Man)
4K Run / 15K Bike / 4K Run (Little Boy)
Jeff Johnson (505) 662-5834 / Frank Cherne (505) 412-5568
duathlon@ triatomics.org
www.triatomics.org/duathlon
P.O. Box 45
Los Alamos, NM 87544-0045
Registration Deadline: April 30
No Race Day Registration
USAT SANCTIONED


JAY BENSON TRIATHLON
MAY 8, Sunday
3 Mile Run / 12 Mile Bike / 400M Swim
Angie Kandalaft (505) 948-7971
angie@chasing3.com
www.chasing3.com
6915 Montgomery Blvd. N.E.
Albuquerque, NM 87110
Registration on www.nmsportsonline.com
Opens March 1; Closes At 550 Participants
USAT SANCTIONED


BUFFMAN & SQUEAKY TRIATHLON
MAY 15, Sunday
1500M Swim / 40K Bike / 10K Run
Marti Greer (877) 719-4957
marti@buffalospringslaketriathlon.com
www.buffalospringslaketriathlon.com
P.O. Box 93726
Lubbock, TX 79493
Registration Deadline: May 14
No Race Day Registration
USAT SANCTIONED


DOG HOUSE SPRINT TRIATHLON
MAY 15, Sunday
500M Swim / 17.6 Mile Bike / 3.1 Mile Run
Marti Greer (877) 719-4957
marti@buffalospringslaketriathlon.com
www.buffalospringslaketriathlon.com
P.O. Box 93726
Lubbock, TX 79493
Registration Deadline: May 14
No Race Day Registration
USAT SANCTIONED


MILKMAN TRIATHLON
JUNE 4, Saturday
500M Swim / 20K Bike / 5K Run
Larry Marshall (575) 734-5415
lmarshall@fbfs.com
www.milkmantriathlon.com
P.O. Box 399
Dexter, NM 88230
Registration Deadline: June 1
No Race Day Registration
USAT SANCTIONED


5TH ANNUAL RUIDOSO SPRINT TRIATHLON (Kids Triathlon Also)
JUNE 11, Saturday
3.5 Mi Run (paved/trail) / 10 mile bike (road) / 400Yd Swim (pool)
Frederic Moras (575) 937-7106
rac@valornet.com
www.ruidosoathleticclub.com
Ruidoso Athletic Club
415 Wingfield Street
Ruidoso, NM 88355
Registration Deadline: June 10
No Race Day Registration
USAT SANCTIONED


CHICK FIL-A TRIATHLON
JUNE 18, Saturday
400 Meter Swim / 12 Mile Bike / 5K Run
Mark Garonzik (806) 670-8028
grozzy@clearwire.net
www.chickfilasprinttriathlon.com
7214 Jameson
Amarillo, TX 79106
Registration Deadline: June 5 FIRM NO Race Day Registration
NOTE: RACE START AT 0700
Kids cup Triathlon at 1000
USAT SANCTIONED


STORRIE LAKE TRIATHLON
JUNE 19, Sunday
1500 Meter Swim / 25 Mile Bike / 10K Run
Angie Kandalaft (505) 948-7971
angie@chasing3.com
www.chasing3.com
Storrie Lake State Park
Las Vegas, NM
Registration on www.nmsportsonline.com
USAT SANCTIONED


TRI-RAIDER SPRINT TRIATHLON
JUNE 25, Saturday
500M Swim / 20K Bike / 5K Run
Marti Greer (877) 719-4957
marti@buffalospringslaketriathlon
www.buffalospringslaketriathlon.com
P.O. Box 93726
Lubbock, TX 79493
Registration Deadline: June 24
No Race Day Registration
USAT SANCTIONED


BUFFALO SPRINGS LAKE 70.3
JUNE 26, Sunday
1.2 Mile Swim / 56 Mile Bike / 13.1 Mile Run
Marti Greer (877) 719-4957
marti@buffalospringslaketriathlon
www.buffalospringslaketriathlon.com
P.O. Box 93726
Lubbock, TX 79493
Registration Deadline: June 25 / No Race Day Registration
USAT SANCTIONED


GRADY WILLIAMS MEMORIAL FREEDOM DAYS TRIATHLON
JULY 2, Saturday
1.5k Swim / 10K Run / 40K Bike
Debbie Dusenbery (800) 448-1240
fmncvb@earthlink.net
www.farmingtonnm.org
3041 East Main
Farmington, NM 87402
Registration Deadline: July 1
No Race Day Registration
USAT SANCTIONED


BOTTOMLESS TRIATHLON
JULY 9, Saturday
400M Swim / 12K Bike / 4K Run
Jan Olesinski (505) 624-2698
olesinski@nmmi.edu
myweb.cableone.net/janolesinski
900 Mason Dr
Roswell, NM 88201
Registration Deadline: July 5 FIRM


COCHITI TRI
July 10, Sunday
1500 Meter Swim / 25 Mile Bike / 10K Run (Olympic)
400M Swim / 12 Mile Bike / 3 Mile Run (Sprint)
Angie Kandalaft (505) 948-7971
angie@chasing3.com
www.chasing3.com
Cochiti Lake
Pena Blanca, NM
Registration on www.nmsportsonline.com
USAT SANCTIONED


CITY OF LAS CRUCES DUATHLON
JULY 16, Saturday
5K Run / 26 Mile Bike / 5K Run
Claudia Chavez (575) 541-2563
cchavez@las-cruces.org
www.las-cruces.org
P.O. Box 20000
Las Cruces, NM 88004
Race Day Registration Allowed


CITY OF SANTA FE TRIATHLON
JULY 16, Saturday
5K Run / 12 Mile Bike / 400 Meter Swim
Rachel Wexler
Santa Fe Recreation Division (505) 955-4010
rfwexler@santafenm.gov
www.chavezcenter.com
3221 Rodeo Road
Santa Fe, NM
Registration Deadline: July 10 FIRM
NOTE: 6:30 AM Start
USAT SANCTIONED


DAM IT MAN TRIATHLON
JULY 24, Sunday
440 Yard Swim / 12 Mile Bike / 3 Mile Run
Scott Kennicutt (575) 744-0055
rd@damitmantriathlon.com
www.damitmantriathlon.com
P.O. Box 492 Elephant Butte, NM 87935
Registration Deadline: July 9 FIRM No Race Day Registration
USAT SANCTIONED


TALL CITY TRIATHLON
July 30, Saturday
500M Swim / 20K Bike / 5K Run
Christine Thomas-Beardon (432) 682-2551
cthomas@midlandymca.org
www.midlandymca.org
P.O. Box 954
Midland, TX 79702
Race Day Registration Allowed


ODESSA TUMBLEWEED TRIATHLON
JULY 31, Sunday
5k Run / 20K Bike / 500 Meter Swim
Edward Moreno (432) 362-4301 / Joe Moya (432) 550-7654
emoreno@odessaymca.org
j.montoya@wfafinet.com
www.odessaymca.org
3001 East University
Odessa, TX 79762
Registration Deadline: July 24
Race Day Allowed w/ Increased Fee
USAT SANCTIONED


SOCORRO CHILE HARVEST TRIATHLON
AUGUST 6, Saturday
400M Swim / 20K Bike / 5K Run
Camille Scielzi (505) 350-4116
director@chileharvesttri.com
www.chileharvesttri.com
P.O. Box 1508
Socorro, NM 87801
Registration Deadline: July 30 FIRM
USAT SANCTIONED


F-1 TRIATHLON
AUGUST 13, Saturday
800M Swim / 14K Bike / 4K Run / 14K Bike / 4K Run
Jan Olesinski (505) 624-2698
olesinski@nmmi.edu
myweb.cableone.net/janolesinski
900 Mason Dr
Roswell, NM 88201
Registration Deadline: August 9 FIRM


EAGLE IN THE SUN TRIATHLON
SEPTEMBER 4, Sunday
400M Swim / 20K Bike / 5K Run
Gabriela Gallegos (915.433.3439)
Race location:
Tigua Recreation & Wellness Center
raceelpaso@gmail.com
www.RaceElPaso.com
P.O. Box 23208
El Paso, TX 79923
Registration Deadline: Sept. 1 / No Race Day Registration
USAT SANCTIONED


YUCCA TRIATHLON
SEPTEMBER 10, Saturday
8K Run / 45K Bike / 400M Swim
Brent Jones (575) 678-3374
brent.k.jones@us.army.mil
www.wsmrmwr.com/bell_gymnasium.php
WSMR, NM 88002
Registration Deadlines: August 27 / Mail; September 3 / fax or e-mail
NOTE: RACE START AT 0730
MUST be at security gate BEFORE 0530!!


PATRIOT TRIATHLON
SEPTEMBER 11, Sunday
400 Yd Swim / 25 K Bike / 5K Run
Andie Talmadge (505) 239-4246
mailto:andie@fitfundamentals.com
www.fitfundamentals.com
Rio Rancho Aquatic Center / 745 Loma Colorado
Rio Rancho, NM 87124
Registration Deadline: Early---August 1; Late---September 8;
No Race Day
USAT SANCTIONED


SPC COTTON COUNTRY SPRINT TRIATHLON
SEPTEMBER 17, Saturday
5K Run / 13 Mile Bike / 300Yd Swim
Dee Dee Odorizzi (806) 716-2236
dodorizzi@southplainscollege.edu
www3.southplainscollege.edu
South Plains College
1401 College Avenue / Box 201
Levelland, TX 79336
Race Day Registration Allowed
USAT SANCTIONED


ELEPHANT MAN OLYMPIC TRIATHLON
SEPTEMBER 25, Sunday
1 Mile Swim / 26.5 Mile Bike / 6 Mile Run
Kori Mannon (575) 744-0055
kori@alornet.com
www.elephantmantriathlon.com
P.O. Box 492 Elephant Butte, NM 87935
Registration Deadline: September 18 FIRM
USAT SANCTIONED


ELEPHANT MAN HALF TRIATHLON
SEPTEMBER 25, Sunday
1.2 Mile Swim / 56 Mile Bike / 13.1 Mile Run
Kori Mannon (575) 744-0055
kori@valornet
www.elephantmantriathlon.com
P.O. Box 492 Elephant Butte, NM 87935
Registration Deadline: September 18 FIRM
USAT SANCTIONED


WARRIOR TRIATHLON
(Kids Triathlon Also)
October 1, Saturday
5K Run / 20K Bike / 400 Yd Swim
Mark Mico (505)907-7378
mark@trisportcoaching.com
www.TriSportCoaching.com
Kirtland Air Force Base Pool
Registration Deadline: September 30 / No Race Day Registration
USAT SANCTIONED


HOLLOMAN TRIATHLON
October 9, Sunday
5K Run / 30K Bike /700M Swim
TSgt Michelle Villaflor (575) 572-252
michelle.villaflor@holloman.af.mil
www.hollomanfss.com
Domenici Fitness & Sports Center
1051 Connecticut Ave
Holloman AFB, NM 88330
Registration Deadline: October 4 FIRM


The following two races will kick off the 2011 season,
and will not count for points in 2010.


POLAR BEAR TRIATHLON
DECEMBER 3, Saturday
7k Run / 35K Bike / 400M Swim
Brent Jones (575) 678-3374
brent.k.jones@us.army.mil
www.wsmrmwr.com/bell_gymnasium.php
Bell Gymnasium / PO Box 400
WSMR, NM 88002
Registration Deadlines: November 19 / Mail; November 26 / fax or e-mail
NOTE: RACE START AT 0800


NUTCRACKER TRIATHLON
DECEMBER 4, Sunday
5K Run / 25K Bike / 400Yd Swim
Mark Mico (505) 907-7378
Mark@TriSportCoaching.com
www.TriSportCoaching.com
Rio Rancho Aquatic Center
745 Loma Colorado
Rio Rancho, NM 87124
Closes at 400 entries / No Race Day Registration
USAT SANCTIONED

one of the worlds unheathiest foods

Slim Jims, One of the worlds unhealthiest foods

Adolph "Al" Levis, a Philadelphia high-school dropout, had a tidy little business making pickled pig's feet in his garage and selling them to local taverns during the Depression. Then he got a brilliant idea: make a pencil-thin sausage that was easier to fish out of a jar and eat with your fingers. To give his new product a classy image, he logoed it with a tuxedoed man in a top hat and named it Slim Jim.


Slim Jim's recipe changed during the 1960s. The new owner (now ConAgra -- purveyors of Healthy Choice® and many other brands) added chicken scraps (separated from the bones by Mr. Mudry’s machine) and apparently altered the spices. The new recipe is locked in a vault in Ohio.

The manufacturing process used to be hush-hush, too -- but in 1996 a New York Times reporter got a peek inside the Slim Jim factory in Garner, N.C.

Cow Heads

"Slim Jims begin as 60-pound frozen blocks of sliced meat labeled 'beef head meat,' which originates in the foreheads and cheeks of cattle," the reporter wrote. Ground up with the chicken scraps and mixed with 30 spices, these ingredients make a pink mush that is squirted into 7600-foot-long coils of sausage casing (presumably artificial, not intestinal), then fermented and baked for a total of 20 hours. In one of the last steps, the coils are sprayed with liquid smoke.

Despite all the secrecy, federal regulations require the world's favorite beef snack to carry an ingredients label. Slim Jims are made of "beef; mechanically separated chicken; water; corn syrup; soy protein concentrate; salt; spices; dextrose; paprika and paprika extractives; flavoring; hydrolyzed soy, corn, and wheat proteins; lactic acid starter culture; sodium nitrite."

Now here's why I think Slim Jims are "America’s Worst Food": Besides being made of cow heads, they get 80 percent of their calories from fat -- nearly a tenth of which is trans fat, notorious for clogging arteries. (The official Recommended Dietary Allowance of trans fat is zero.) In addition, a one-ounce Slim Jim contains 35 milligrams of cholesterol (one-eighth of the daily recommended limit) and a whopping 420 milligrams of sodium -- the amount in 35 potato chips. Overuse of sodium is a major culprit in high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke.

The sodium nitrite in Slim Jims is not a problem. Most people get far more of that chemical from fruits and vegetables than from processed meats. It also inhibits growth of botulism and other harmful pathogens. And contrary to popular belief, it is not implicated in cancer. If you think so, you probably have it confused with nitrosamines, which are produced when processed meats are overcooked. Nitrosamines are the main reason you should never eat charred bacon.

In case you're wondering, Levis's original product is far more healthful than Slim Jims. Pickled pig's feet contain 17 percent less fat, only a trace of trans fat, 33 percent less cholesterol, and 62 percent less sodium.

pictures of the 2010 Atomic Man duathlon

Here are some of the pictures of last years Atomicman duathlon. I did this race with a stomach flue. Thankfully the worst of the stomach related issues didn't pop up until after the race.

the Turquoise trail duathlon & the Cupid's Chase 5K Run

A race I think is absolutely amazing & I'm very excited about is the Turquoise trail duathlon. I wont be doing it this year because it's to close to IMAZ and competing in this race would interfere with my Iron training. I've been talking about putting together a Heart break hill duathlon for a couple years now. I wonder if they got the idea from me? I posted the link to my old blog post at the bottom of this post to show I'm not full of it. Just click on RD'ing a duathlon below for proof. I don't care if they did get the idea from me though, because as intriguing as the idea was, I never would have followed through with it. I'm just glad someone is making a race using that amazing BEAST of a climb called heart break hill located North of Edgewood & Cedar Grove less than a mile south of where highway 344 & rout 66 meet. Cant wait to do this race in 2012!!!! Should be one heck of a challenge.

I'm also excited about the Cupid's Chase 5K Run. This race is less than 3 miles from my house. Although I'm not in decent shape right now, I'll still do it just because of the proximity to my house. And hey, I've never actually competed in a 5k run before. I've ran in triathlons that had a 5k run in it, but never a race that was just a 5k. Should be fun!!!

Teaching the manly fist pump

Today I was teaching my son how to be manly & do a fist pump with a grunt. He loved it & did it all day long. Very cute.

The first Half Iron triathlon in New Mexico!

The 2011 South West Challenge Series schedule is now out! They said there will probably be some small changes to the schedule, but it's finally out! It's at:

http://www.southwestchallengeseries.com/

I noticed one of the newest races in the South West Challenge series is the Elephant Man Half Iron in September at Elephant Butte New Mexico. I'm very excited about this! It's the first half Iron in New Mexico. The Ironman training program I'm doing has me scheduled to do a Half Iron the weekend of September 25th, & the Elephant Man half Iron is that weekend!!! I'm VERY excited, I'm going to do it! I'll be competing in the first half iron in New Mexico! The Elephant Man Half is a really hard course, it's imperative I get back down to 185 pounds by then. Did I say this already, I'm very excited!

Another race I think is absolutely amazing is the Turquoise trail duathlon. I wont be doing it this year because of IMAZ, but I've been talking about putting together a Heart break hill duathlon using the same course for a year and a half. I wonder if they got the idea from me? I posted the link to my old post at the bottom of this post to show I'm not full of it. Just click on RD'ing a duathlon for proof.

Seriously indecisive!

A month ago I'd decided to train for a 50 kilometer trail run in September. & a few weeks before that I'd decided to train for the Hermann Memorial 70.3. Finally, 3 weeks ago I had found a training program I was able to stick to. I've been training for the Albuquerque half marathon. I haven't missed a single workout in over 3 weeks & I've lost 17 pounds. Things are finally working out! & now that I've started training consistently for the first time in 6 months I'm getting the itch to swim & bike again. I'm contemplating starting a 3 month training program for the Spring Fling triathlon. My 3 year old son will be doing his 1st triathlon at the Spring Fling triathlon, so it would be a family affair. I 'm not sure exactly what I should do. If I choose to try training for a triathlon again I may not be fully over my burn out when I need to start my training program for Ironman Arizona. Bit if I start triathlon training now I'll have a much better multi sport fitness base. Should I risk ruining my recently found consistency by training for the Spring Fling or or stick with the Albuquerque half marathon?

Hmm. What to do? What to do?

2010 year end miles

I came very close to not posting year end miles for 2010 since I only trained Jan through July. After July all training essentially ended for me. Burn out:( But I always strive to give both the good and the bad on my blog, so here it goes.

Bike 4,505.6 miles
run 775.7 miles
swim 5,258.3 yards

It looks even worse than I had feared. But surprisingly I still had more miles than in 2009! I'll do better in 2011.

The Innkeeper (by John Piper)

Sick and blessed

Sunday morning I came down with a stomach bug. I couldn't keep anything I ate down & by that night I had the cold sweats & the shivers. I felt horrid. The next morning I was needing to take care of my 3 kids while my wife went to college. And after taking care of my babies all day I was needing to go into work for a 12 hour overtime shift, 6 p.m. to 6 am. There was no way I was going to be able to do all that being as sick as I was. So my wife & I turned to Jesus in prayer. We asked that He give me the strength to take care of my babies & that I get an easy overtime post at work. He granted our prayers. I was able to hang out with my kids, felt great the entire day & had a fantastic time with them. My work called & offered me a wonderful post for overtime that I would be able to stay off my feet at. My God is an awesome God! He's concerned with everything in my life & there's nothing too big or small for Him to help with.

Today when I laid my 2 boys down for a nap I felt so good I did a 45 minute easy indoor bike ride & when I was getting off the bike my wife walked in, so I was able to throw in an 4 mile easy run also. With how wonderful I felt it's amazing to me that I was down & out with a stomach bug the entire day before! God truly does answer us when we ask Him for help.

I've also started praying for God to help me get back down to my dream weight of 185 pounds. I was very fast in triathlon when I was at 185 & I desperately want to get back down to that weight again! I'm praying that God either grant me my prayers of getting down to 185 pounds or to help me accept His will over my wishes. Either would be wonderful.

Thanks for tuning in!

Traveling trooper

My 14 month son is an amazing trooper. He's constantly in his car seat while we drive all over the nation for triathlons or back & forth 2 hours a day for Isabella's pre-k. He rarely gets grouchy about it.

My years racing schedule

After much back & forth I've decided what my racing schedule will be from now until March 2012. I've decided to try & race less this year so that I can concentrate more on training in the hopes I can break 13 hours at Ironman Arizona.

This year for the 1st time I'm not going to attempt to take 1st place in my division in the South West Challenge series. I'm just going to do the minimum amount necessary to place in the top 3. If I can get away with only needing to race the minimum of 5 races to take top 3, I'll be happy.

That being said, I've heard a rumor that the new multisport series called Chasing3 will award a Clydesdale series champion. If that is the case I may end up racing in 4 or 5 of their races this year in addition to the 5 SW Series races to try & win that series also. What can I say, I'm a multisport addict.

February 19th 2011
Presidents day duathlon,
White Sands Missile Range New Mexico

March 27th 2011
Sully Super Sprint triathlon
Alpine Texas

April 16th 2011
Albuquerque half marathon
Albuquerque New Mexico

April 23rd 2011
Spring Fling triathlon
Rio Rancho New Mexico

May 1st 2011
AtomicMan duathlon
White Rock New Mexico

May 8th 2011
Jay Benson triathlon
Albuquerque New Mexico

June 4th 2011
Albuquerque Century
Albuquerque New Mexico

July (date unknown) 2011
Santa Fe triathlon
Santa Fe New Mexico

September 10th 2011
Enchanted Circle century
Red River New Mexico

November 20th 2011
Ironman Arizona
Tempe Arizona

December (date unknown) 2011
Polar Bear triathlon

December (date unknown) 2011
Jingle Bell triathlon

March 2012
Old Pueblo 50 mile trial run!

Races undecided on:

June 19th 2011
Storrie lake triathlon
Las Vegas New Mexico

July 10th 2011
Cochati triathlon
Cochati lake New Mexico

Sept 11th
Patriot triathlon
Rio Rancho New Mexico

Sept 24th
Redman half Iron
OKC OK

indecisive

A couple months ago I tried to get myself out of a serious state of cycling & swimming burnout by registering for The Memorial Hermann 70.3 & Ironman Arizona. Yet my burn burnout continued.

A few weeks ago I realized I was still enjoying running, it was just all the bike & swim miles I was dreading, so I decided to start training for my 1st 50 mile ultra endurance trail run. As a starting point & to start building up my mileage for my eventual 50 miler I signed up for the Albuquerque half marathon. So far training has been good. For the last 2 weeks I've done nothing but running & am enjoying myself thoroughly! Everyday I'm excited to put my run shoes on.

Now after only a couple weeks of pure running I'm starting to miss being on my bike. Just a little. By no means am I missing multiple hour bike rides! An hour a couple times a week would hit the spot. The fact that I'm already starting to get a small itch for my bike got me to thinking; perhaps I could continue running predominantly, cycling only a couple times a week on my recovery days. And if I continue to gain my motivation to bike, perhaps after I run in the Albuquerque half marathon in April I could be motivated to start Iron training for IMAZ. From April to November would give me 6.5 months to prepare, which is exactly how long most coaches suggest to train for an Iron. I think that would work well. After all, I did just drop $600 on an Ironman registration. To not race it would be absurd. To start training for IMAZ I'd have to give up my 50 mile trail run goal for awhile, which I'm fine with.... At least for now. Not sure if you've noticed, but when it comes to my athletic goals & aspirations I've been a bit indecisive.

hula hoop girl

My daughter trying to learn how to hula hoop. Very funny stuff.

Our youngest

While making lunch today I didn't hear Rion making any noises. That's usually a warning that he's doing something he shouldn't. Apparently he has learned the ability to climb. Since then I've caught him climbing onto kitchen chairs, then up onto the kitchen table. He's used the toilet to climb up onto the bathroom sink. Up onto the coffee table, & the worst was he climbed up onto the top step of his siblings bunk bed! Aaahhhh!

The story of the candy cane

A candy maker in Indiana wanted to make a candy that would be a witness, so he made the Christmas Candy Cane. He incorporated several symbols for the birth, ministry, and death of Jesus Christ.

He began with a stick of pure white, hard candy. White to symbolize the Virgin Birth and the sinless nature of Jesus, and hard to symbolize the Solid Rock, the foundation of the church, and firmness of the promises of God.

The candymaker made the candy in the form of a "J" to represent the precious name of Jesus, who came to earth as our savior. It also represents the staff of the "Good Shepherd" with which He reaches down into the ditches of the world to lift out the fallen lambs who, like all sheep, have gone astray.

Thinking that the candy was somewhat plain, the candymaker stained it with red stripes. He used the tree small stripes to show the stripes of the scourging Jesus received by which we are healed. The large red stripe was for the blood shed by Jesus on the Cross so that we could have the promise of eternal life, if only we put our faith and trust in Him.

Unfortunately, the candy became known as a Candy Cane - a meaningless decoration seen at Christmas time. But the meaning is still there for those who "have eyes to see and ears to hear".

I pray that this symbol will again be used to witness to the Wonder of Jesus and His Great Love that came down at Christmas and remains the ultimate and dominant force in the universe today.

coffee thermos & comuting by bike

I commute to work on a bicycle & I love coffee. Not an easy combination. I could never find a coffee mug that could carry enough coffee & that would fit into my bike bottle holder. I used a coffee Thermos for a few years called a Bike Hothead Thermal Bottle IB-WB2 by Iberra. The company claimed this mug could carry 17 ounces of coffee, but it only carried about 8 ounces. It was poorly made. The plastic part that was designed to hold the coffee mug & bolt into the bike bottle holes broke the 1st week I used it. I tried to return the coffee mug & the company refused saying the problem wasn't their product, but improper use by me. Grrr. Thankfully I figured out if I took all the plastic parts off the Thermos it fit nicely into a regular bike bottle cage. I used it this way for awhile but recently it stopped pouring properly. Now the coffee explodes out of the top when I pour it & I end up wearing as much as I get in the cup. The only good thing I found about Ibera's Hothead Thermal bike bottle was it kept coffee hot for hours, but I always drink my coffee as soon as I get to work so that doesn't help me any.

I recently found another option I'm going to try. It's the Trek Soho Commuter Mug. It carries 20 ounces of coffee. All the reviews claim it's well made & durable. It fits into a bike bottle cage as long as the bike frame isn't small. The only complaint seems to be the coffee Thermos is top heavy. I'm going to order one. Once I get it I'll try it out & post my review here on my blog.

Enjoyment of the experience

The last two times I was training for an Iron I had become so focused on the ultimate goal of becoming an Ironman, training & dieting perfectly so that I could finish it in a fast time, that I never was able to enjoy the experience. This time it's different. Of course I'm disappointed I'm not hitting my weight goals I had set for myself earlier in the year, but this time I'm enjoying the training for Ironman. I'm having fun, & this time I'm not allowing the training to get in the way of my time with my family or God. What's the point of person accomplishments if it's getting in the way of the most important things in life? As long I put God & family as my number 1 priority I believe God will bless in the other less important aspects in life. And if for whatever reason He chooses to not allow me to be successful in my Iron distance endeavors, I will have kept my priorities straight, so I'll have no regrets.

ballet practice

I work the nights my daughter has ballet practice. Tonight I didn't go to work so I could watch her. She's 5 & is my pride & joy. I recorded this using my phone which is only able to record 20 seconds per video, it can't zoom, & the quality is poor, but you can still see how cute she is! On the other videos I recorded she was dancing in & out of clusters of girls so I wasn't able to get a very good video of her. This one was the best. She's so adorable!
I got the family van stuck in a snow drift on the side of road the other day. My daughter started panicking & said, "we're never going to get out!" I reassured her that we were going to get out & we'd be home in no time.
A bit later when we were still stuck she started crying & announced to everyone in the car, "We're never going to get out! I'll never be able to go to Disney World! And I'm never going to be able to do ballet again!" She started crying thinking of the things in her life she wanted to do & now wouldn't.
I wasn't able to help her through the situation like I should have. I tried to reassure her & tell her everything was fine, but I couldn't stop laughing. When she thought we were all goners her 1st thought was she'd never be able to go to Disney World. How sweet.

Hot triathlon training in Santa Fe New Mexico!!

I'm scheduled for my first 3 hour brick in the morning. It's supposed to be a 2.5 hour bike followed by a 35 minute run with some pick ups inserted. We got a large snow storm today & currently have a foot of snow on the ground so I can pretty much guarantee that won't be happening.





The beautiful thing about New Mexico is that the snow melts so quickly here. It's quite possible that the roads will be clear enough to ride on later in the day on Saturday, even with a foot of snow on the ground right now, & more expected for the next 8 hours. So I plan on switching my 2 weekend workouts, the brick scheduled for the morning with the following days long run.

If there's one thing I'd to say about Santa Fe, it's an endurance athletes dream come true. In the winter very few days of training will ever be interrupted by snow. When it does snow it melts very quickly. It never gets very hot during the summer months. It's 7'000 feet elevation (highest capital city in the world, the Japanese Olympic swim team trains here at the Geneva Chaves Community center part of every year because of the altitude) so someone who trains here can KILL a race at sea level! It has miles & miles of gorgeous paved country roads to explore on a bicycle. There are a ton of hilly & mountainous courses to choose from. It has a great city triathlon every year called, ironically enough, the Santa Fe triathlon. & being able to ride to Albuquerque via highway 14 is one of the prettiest rides I've ever done, I then take the Rail Runner back to Santa Fe. The Rail Runner is one of my favorite benefits. I could go on, there's a lot more. But I think you get the point.

My speed & endurance is continuing to improve. Particularly my running, which surprises me because I'm so over weight right now. All endurance athletes know light is fast! But apparently heavy can be somewhat fast too- thank goodness for that! I'm fairly certain I won't be making my goal of 200 pounds by the Memorial Hermann 70.3 in April. But that's ok, I can't hit my goal weight & speed at every race right?

El Nino Iron training baby!

This winter has been very warm so far. I'm told from a buddy it has to do with the El Ninó weather system. Today it was in the high 50's & I did a brick in a short sleeve tee-shirt in the middle of December!!! Apparently I picked the perfect winter to get back into Ironman training!! Hopefully this warmer than normal weather conditions will continue through the entire winter.

I'm in the middle of my 4th week back to triathlon training after 3 months completely off. I'm amazed how quickly my speed & endurance is returning! The human body is truly an amazing thing! I just wish my weight was responding as well. I'm up to 226 pounds now. Not a good thing for a 5'11" triathlete. I've finished multiple 70.3's in 6 hours at this weight, but at 200 pounds I average a 5 hour 30 minute 70.3. Truth be know I've never competed in an Ironman weighing less that 237. I'm not sure what it is about the longer distance triathlons that makes me hold on to my excess weight, but it does seem to work that way. The lowest I've been able to get my weight when training for Ironman is 237, the lowest for 70.3 is 204. When I train for sprint distance triathlons I'm easily able to keep my weight at an average of 192! Makes no sense to me because I train so much more & burn so many more calories training for ultra endurance tri's.

Week 2 of mission one-nine-zero (goal of 200 pounds by April 2011 for the Memorial Hermann 70.3, 190 pounds by November 2011 for IMAZ) is not going well. I've gained 5 pounds this week.

I'm 2 days into a semi-Paleo diet in which I only eat veggies, fruit, lean meats, & small amounts of nuts. No grains (because it's mostly processed), sugar, dairy, or beans. This diet also wants me to cut out coffee, but that aint happening!!! I'll let you know how it goes.

Thanks for tuning in.

Rion drinking from water fountain

Today at my daughters ballet practice my son Rion drank from a water fountain. He's at the stage that it's hilarious watch.

Cody's dramatic results from a car crash

My son & I were playing cars today, & when the car hit my hand I held my hand up with my index finger pulled down to make it look like I had a finger missing. He tried to do the same thing as me. The results were hilarious!

Project one-nine-zero day 4

Now that I'm training for Iron distance triathlons again I am experiencing one of the benefits of ultra endurance training: the most amazing sleep anyone could imagine! I'd forgotten how easily I fell asleep while endurance training. I'd forgotten how deep I sleep, not waking at all during the night, & waking feeling absolutely rested & revitalized! I'm really enjoying myself. Iron distance triathlon training rocks! I'm glad I have a supportive wife who not only "allows" my long training days, but encourages it. I'm a lucky man.

Mission one-nine-zero day 4
weight: 221.4
goal weight: 190
weight loss needed: 31.4 in 17.5 weeks
Calories eaten today: 3,520
Calories burned today: 970
Net calories today: 2,550

I have to say I'm a bit upset with the Ironman corporation. They no longer have Clyd & Athena divisions at their 70.3 & Ironman races. The 2 70.3's & Ironmans I'm scheduled for next year may be my last WTC race for awhile. They're more expensive ($600 for an Ironman slot), they're harder to get into, & they have gotten way to uppity for my tastes.

The beginning of mission one-nine-zero: day 1-3

I'm really wanting to break my 70.3 PR or 5 hours 30 minutes in April at The Memorial Hermann 70.3. To break the 5.5 hour mark I need to train hard- never a problem with me- & get my weight down below 200- all too often this is a big problem for me! So I am now starting mission one-nine-zero! My goal is to be 190 pounds by April 10th 2011. 3.5 weeks ago I was 235 pounds, I am currently 222 pounds To get to 190 by April 10th I need to drop another 32 pounds in 18 weeks. That's an average of 1.77 pounds a week. Very attainable- in theory at least.....

I've realized through trial & error my body is NOT happy being at or below 190. Anytime I get at or below 190 I then end up packing on a whole bunch of weight. It's as if my body has a self defense mechanism that kicks in anytime I drop that low. So after the Memorial Hermann 70.3 I'll allow myself to get back up 200 pounds, & then I'll drop back down to 190 just before Ironman Arizona in Novermber.

From here on out I'll be posting my current weight, Pounds needed to lose & the # of weeks to do it in, calories burned, & calories eaten here on my blog:

Week 1 of 18
At the beggining of week 18 I need to lose 39.4 more pounds.

Day 1
Weight: 229.4
Weight lost: 0 pounds
weight loss to goal: 39.4
Calories eaten: 2,488
Calories burned: 1,148
Net calories: 1,340

Day 2
Weight: 224
Weight lost: 4.6 pounds
weight loss to goal: 34 pounds
Calories eaten: 2,869
Calories burned: 888
Net calories: 1981

Day 3: Dec 3rd
Weight 222
Weight lost 7.4 pounds
weight loss to goal: 32 pounds
Ate- 3,291
Burned- 1,711 (30.7 mile zone 2 bike followed by a 31 minute zone 2 run with six 20 minute sprints with 40 seconds rest intervals)
Net calories- 1,580

While reading the bible last week I found this:

"I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free."
Psalm 119:32 

I have found a lot of encouragement in it. My life is so much better & rewarding when I turn to Christ in all things. Anytime I start getting caught up in life & forget to turn to Him for strength & encouragement things get much more difficult. My finances tend to get out of control, I lose my patience much quicker, & I find myself struggling with my triathlon training & racing. I find peace & strength in Him, when I turn to Christ it makes my heart feel free & light.

Bunches of indoor miles!

Today I got 2 flats while riding my bike on rollers. It's hard to tell by the picture, but this is the hole I wore in my indoor bike tire. I wore out an indoor cycling tire! It takes A LOT of indoor miles to wear out an indoor bike tire!

The first year I bought my indoor trainer was 2007 & I was training for my first Ironman. Not only was I training an average of 19.5 hours a week, but I was also putting in 70-80 hours a week at work. I missed my wife so bad during my peak training that year. The first day I had my indoor trainer I rode on it for 3 hours while watching a movie, & my wife sat next to me & held my hand during the whole bike ride. She sat there next to me for 3 hours with sweat rolling down my arm onto hers. It was gross for her I'm sure, but all we cared about was we were there together. I have the perfect triathlon wife!!!

I'm back up to 229 pounds. Man am I upset. It took me forever to get down below 200, but less than a quarter of the time to get back up to almost 230. Uhg!

I'm back to logging all my food & exercise on www.dietpower.com I don't know what I'd do without that diet tool!

Be Iron Fit!

Like I said on my last post a triathlete buddy of mine who lives in Phoenix Arizona told me a book is sweeping through his tri club! Everyone is using the Iron training program from the book Be Iron fit by Don Fink. He said veterans who have qualified for Kona have been using it & breaking their PR's. He said the veterans are feeling that they are under training, but on race day they kill it!

I just looked through it. It has 3 levels of plans.

1) The just finish plan. This plan starts with 3 hours of training a week. 1 hour for each for each sport. This plan averages 7 hours per week & peaks at 10 hour in weeks 23-28!!!!
Week 28 looks like this
Mon- off
Tue- 45 min swim & 1 hr bike
Wed- 1 hr long brick
Thu- 1 hr bike
Fri- 45 min swim
Sat- 3 hr 30 min bike
Sun- 2 hr run
Very doable!!
2) the intermediate plan. An average of 10.5 hrs & maxes out at 15 hours in week 27.
3) the competitive plan which is the hardest plan for those who want to be competitive & not just complete an Iron averages 12 hours & maxes at 20 hours in week 27! I was training more hours on most weeks in sprint training than all but a half dozen of the weeks in this plan!
Mon- off
Tue- 1 hr swim
Wed- 1:30 brick
Thu- 1 hr swim & 1:30 bike
Fri- 1 hr swim & 1:30 run
Sat- 6 hour bike/ 1 hour run
Sun- 1:30 Zone 1 bike/ 3 hour run. Again, very doable!

Even for the competitive plan the longest workout during the week is 1.5 hrs. The weekend has one or 2 long bricks.

I can't wait to start!

My new Ironman book

A friend of mine told me about a book that is really popular with his triathlon club out of Phoenix AZ. It's called be Iron fit by Don Fink.

My buddy said a lot of Ironman veterans from his tri club have done the Ironman workout schedules from this book & they've PR'd while working out less than they normally do for a race of that distance. Sounds like the kind of plan I want to try for my 2011 Ironman!

The book arrived in the mail today! I think I'll try the competitive plan that has an average of 12 hours of training a week, & a maximum week of training of 20 hours.

The secret to Ironman training

Today I was struggling with the motivation to do my brick. A brick is a bike followed immediately with a run. Perhaps it's the freezing temperatures outside? Regardless, there's nothing this little beauty can't cure. An extra cup of coffee-or 4- can get my engine running!

This is my grandfathers coffee pot. He used it daily since the 50's. I've been using it heavily since I got it 5 years ago, especially now that I've fallen in love with endurance athletics.

Ironman just for the fun of it!

Just like most triathletes, the minute I finished my 1st triathlon in 2004 I began dreaming of completing an Iron. At the time a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike & 26.2 mile run seemed unattainable to me. In persuit of the big Iron dream I started biking & running longer & longer every weekend until I was riding my bike from Santa Fe to Albuquerque & then back on most weekends.

In 2005 I was scheduled to attempt my 1st Iron, but got in a bike wreck a few weeks before the race & was unable to race.

In 2006 I was training heavily for another Iron, but ended up qualifying for a slot to the 70.3 world championships & raced that instead.

In 2007 I was finally able to show up & attempt my 1st Iron distance triathlon. I didn't make the final bike cut off & got pulled from the course at mile 96 of the bike.

By 2008 I'd been training exclusively for Iron distance triathlons for 5 straight years! I was completely burned out with having to do 5-6 hour bike rides followed by a 45 minutes runs on my 1st day off of work, then upwards to 3 hour runs on the next. But because I still hadn't completed my dream of becoming an Ironman I signed up for Ironman Arizona 2008. To be honest the entire year of 2008 I was miserable having to do the training necessary to finish an Ironman, but my dream of crossing the finish line kept me focused & able to force myself to complete the long grueling training days. In 2008 I averaged 19.5 hours of training a week. As I look back it was amazing I was able to finish the 2008 Ironman Arizona at all. Since I was so burned out with training the long distances, I wanted to make ABSOLUTELY sure I finished the race by the cut off time, so I pushed myself WAY to hard, & didn't allow myself nearly enough rest & recovery. I ended up so overtrained & stressed out because of the miles & miles of training I was forcing myself to do without enjoyment I ended up looking to food for comfort. I ended up on race day weighing 237 pounds! Only through the grace of God was I able to finish in 14 hours.

Now after 2 years of not having trained for any races longer than a sprint I finally have gotten over my loathing of really long training days. Now, I actually miss the long days of cycling & running. There's nothing better for stress relief than a long peaceful bike or run! Just me & the road. It's an amazing feeling of freedom.

This time training for an Ironman in 2011 will be different than the last time. I'll actually be able to enjoy the training, I won't have the burn out I had before, & I also have learned from my mistakes of overtraining. This time I know I need to put more emphasis on sleep & recovery. Less is more. I'm really looking forward to this next year of training & am absolutely pumped about being able to race an Iron for no other reason than the enjoyment of it!

Putting up the Christmas tree

Today we put up the Christmas tree, the kids were to excited to wait until after Thanksgiving.

Cody is upset because Rion grabbed his shirt and almost pulled him over. I think Rion is going to be our tough brute who always gets into trouble. We were just recently able to get him to stop biting his big brother. He never tried to bite his sister, just his big brother.

IMAZ 2011!

My mother in law had to go to the emergency room today so I didn't think I'd be able to register for the 2011 Ironman Arizona. & from what I hear IMAZ sold out withing hours of opening for registration. Thankfully I had a buddy of mine register me. Thanks to my amazing friend Justin , I am now registered for the 2011 Ironman Arizona! I'm so excited!!!

Thanks Justin!!!

My tap dancing boy

My 3 year old son was watching my daughters tap dance practice. Apparently the music was making him feel jiggy because next thing I knew he was busting a move! Once I got the cam corder out & started recording him he saw & got embarrassed. It was darn cute though.
Sometimes the videos I post from my phone don't play on the Facebook feed, so you may need to go to my blog to see it.

weight, triathlon, and things

Up until July of this year I had kept below 200 pounds for a year & a half by using Dietpower.com In early July I got down to 184 & had a screaming 6 pack!

In July I got burned out with cycling, running, & logging all my food, so I took some time off of training & logging. Bam! Back up to 220 in 5 months! I'm now motivated to train again, like I said in my last post, I'll be registering for Ironman Arizona on Monday, if I'm unable to get into that race I'll be doing the Redman Iron distance tri. My goal is to break my Ironman PR of 14 hrs. I finished in 14 hrs while weighing 235, so I should be able to get below 13 hrs if I can get back to my best racing weight of 195. So after a 5 month lay off, I'm back into working out!

I'm still burned out with logging my food. I just can't seem to make myself do it. So I'm going to try & eat a palm sized portion of protein, & a palm sized portion of carbs every 3 hrs. If I get hungry I'll allow myself raw veggies between meals. & for breakfast & post workout I'll eat the palm sized protein & a double portion of carbs. I can't remember where I saw this diet, the Dr OZ show or something along those lines. I'm 2 days into the new diet and enjoying it so far. The great things about this diet is there's no logging. I always have the palm of my hand with me so I never have to worry about not having the proper measuring cups or food scales with me! Almost feels like effortless dieting compared to logging! Things are looking up again!

My 2 big races of 2011 is the Memorial Hermman 70.3 in April. I'm hoping to break my 70.3 PR of 5 hrs 30 minutes, dare I dream of 5:20? & a late season Iron. Hopefully IMAZ, but if not than it'll be Redman. I'm hoping to go 13 hrs or below for the Iron. My Iron PR is 14 hrs.

Beautiful triathlon

Triathlon is amazing. The people is what made me fall in love with the sport originally. When I 1st started racing I'd finish a race in the bottom 10 percent without fail, & I found the last person finishing in a triathlon gets a MUCH bigger applause than the person finishing in 1st place. The support in triathlon is unbelievable.

When I 1st got into triathlon I dreamed-no I obsessed about finishing an Ironman. In 2008 I finished Ironman Arizona in 14 hrs. After IMAZ I was burned out cycling & running such long distances, so I switched to sprint distance triathlons. For the sprint tri's I didn't have to train as much, & the races were fast & intense!!! Now, I'm getting the Ironman itch again, so I'm going to start pushing out some more 6 hr bike rides & 3 hr long runs. As I've continued to compete & train in triathlon I realized triathlon is the prefect sport to be in. There's every distance of triathlons, & difficulty of courses out there imaginable. & I've never found an unfriendly person in this sport. I love it!

On Monday at noon registration opens for IMAZ (Ironman Arizona). I'm going to attempt to register. IMAZ is an immensely popular race & it usually sells out within 30 minutes of the registration start time, which amazes me because a slot to IMAZ is $575. If I'm unable to get into IMAZ, I'm going to register for The Redman Iron distance triathlon. The Redman race isn't nearly as popular so it doesn't sell out as quickly. The Redman's race directors are just as great, the race has a great course, a great RD, lots of support, & only costs $400. Either way, Later this year I will once again be an Ironman! Oh ya, sounds awesome just saying it!

In 2008 I set a PR of 14 hrs, my goal this year is to break 13 hrs! Wish me luck, I'm going to need it!

OCD driven!

There's a big difference between training & working out. I'd struggled with my weight something horrible until I found triathlon in 2005. That's when I started training, & that has made a huge difference in the way I view my health & my body.

Since August I've been struggling to find a goal that made me excited to train. It's no coincidence that since August I've gained a TON of weight. A lot more weight than I'll admit on my blog! The problem was I couldn't think of any goals that excited me enough to get me to train in a rampant OCD driven kind of a way. The entire 2010 year I was obsessed with winning the 2010 South West Challenge Series & finishing multisport races in the top 10 overall, consequently I had a stellar year in 2010. My problem began after I'd won the 2010 SW Challenge Series & finished my 10th race in the top 10. I'd lost a goal that drove me. I tried looking for new goals to get my engine running, but nothing made me the least bit interested.

Yesterday I was scrolling through trifind.com & noticed the 2011 70.3 World Championships race was being held in Las Vegas Nevada. I'd heard that the 70.3 series has almost doubled & has increased in popularity ten fold, so I started scrolling through a list of 70.3 world championship qualifying races. One of the ones that peaked my interest was the Memorial Hermann Ironman 70.3 Texas triathlon. Everything about this race seemed to be in my favor & screaming for me to race it!
- Because of my build & genetics I am a poor hill climber but can CRUSH a flat race: the Memorial Hermann Ironman 70.3 Texas is one of the flattest half Irons in the world!
-It's an early season triathlon, & I seem to be a more competitive athlete in the early season than most of triathletes because of my willingness to train in any weather or temperatures. Last year I rode 3.5 hrs in 19 degree temperatures when a cold front blew through New Mexico.
- There are still slots available, so I can still buy an entry.
- It's a race held at sea level, & Santa Fe's elevation is 7000 feet. Very few athletes train at that elevation, so I'll have a huge advantage at sea level.
- I can dream of qualifying for the 70.3 World Championships for a 2nd time. There's something about a goal that appears way out of my reach that kicks in my absurd OCD goal driven engine, & I've found it: To race in The Memorial Hermann Ironman 70.3 Texas & try to win a slot to The 70.3 World Championships in September 2011 in Las Vegas Nevada!

To be competitive I need to lose approximately 30-35 pounds to get to my best race weight of 195 pounds.

Watch out Memorial Hermann Ironman 70.3 Texas, HERE I come!

My son getting down!

this is my favorite picture/video of all time. Cody & I were plying cars, his favorite game, and apparently he was having a great time because he suddenly started dancing uncontrollably! Hilarious!

Anotomical adaptation day 1

I had a couple tri buddies who I admire & trust contact me about my issues with triathlon burnout. They both gave the same advise, & they were correct! They told me to put away the stop watch, stop following a triathlon training plan & just go out and train for fun & by feel. I tried it for a couple weeks & they were dead on. I could go out and train daily without dread! But I have to say I still wasn't having a GREAT time like I had for previous 5.5 years. I was just doing it because I needed to do something to keep myself from getting fat. I realized I needed to do a different sport for awhile when a buddy offered me a free entry to a triathlon in December and I immediately felt dread!

Every time I think about getting into bodybuilding again I get motivated like I used to be about triathlon. So today I started body building again. I'm starting out with a short stint of anatomical adaptation, once I feel like my body is ready I'll start two 6 week phases of hypertrophy, which is the time when the serious muscle gain happens.

Today I also went to the UNM physiology lab & got my body fat tested. The results that I got were really bad! I am back up to 222.2 pounds at 19 percent body fat. Aahh! But I'm not that upset about the results because I know this is my starting point. I'll start dropping fat gradually from this point on. & I'll be packing on muscle quickly- I have a great metabolism for bulking up. My short term goal is 220 pounds at 10 percent body fat. I'll be continuing biking & running a few times a week for fun & to be able to finish any triathlons I may enter later on next year, but my main focus will be on muscle gain! I'll keep you informed on my progress. Thanks for tuning in!

2010 SWC Series results

The 2010 South West Challenge Seties results are now posted at http://www.southwestchallengeseries.com/

PLEASE check their points tabulations against your own records and notify them IMMEDIATELY of any discrepancies, questions, or errors. They are tracking thousands of athletes and mistakes are inevitable.
 
It is best to notify John LeRoy: jleroy@q.com
It would be advisable to also cc Mark Balsiger at: mbalsig1@elp.rr.com

They also have the 2011 South West Challenge Series schedule done & it will also be posted soon at http://www.southwestchallengeseries.com/
 

my posse

2010 sw grappling championships

Here's a couple pictures from the South West grappling championships where I took 4th in the masters no gi & 2nd place masters gi division.

burnout lingers

Last week I was doing well getting back into triathlon training after taking a little under 7 weeks completely off. I'm not saying my training was high quality mind you, just that I seemed to be back in the swing of training again.

Monday morning I was scheduled for a bike ride. Nothing really difficult, a 90 minute ride with ten 60 second sprints with two minutes of active recovery in between. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't force myself to get on my bike.... So apparently the burnout continues.

I have the desire to train hard, I just don't want to do any swimming or biking at all. Which brings up another issue that has been lingering in the back of my head for awhile. For the last 18 months I've been wanting to get back into weight lifting. I've done a little triathlon sports specific strength training to increase the speed & power of my legs this last season, but that's not the kind of lifting I have the itch to do.




Back in 2000 I got into weight lifting pretty seriously. I got really good results. Apparently I have the genetics to pack on a bunch of size & strength relatively easy. For some reason I miss the weight training.

I'm wanting to spend some time hitting the weights & bulking up. I'm not giving up triathlon completely. I'll still compete in at least four 2011 South West Challenge series races as a Clydesdale, 4 being the minimum # of races an athlete can compete in and still be eligible in the SW challenge series competition. I'll still be forcing myself to do enough biking & running to be able to get through a sprint triathlon- notice I said "get through", I did not say I plan on doing enough training to do well at it. I know I'll struggle finishing triathlons next year because I won't be doing enough triathlon specific training to excel, but the biggest reason I will probably struggle is because muscle burns A LOT of oxygen! & if I plan on bulking up for awhile, the extra muscle will make it REALLY DIFFICULT to race hard in all the 3 disciplines of a triathlon. Good thing for me there were only a few serious Clydesdales competing in the South West Challenge Series 39 & under division last year. Perhaps I can still hope for a top 3 next year in the Clydesdale 39 & under. We'll see.

Today I started the first day of a 6 week phase of Anatomical Adaptation. This phase is designed to prepare the ligaments & tendons for putting on a bunch of size & strength quickly. The anatomical adaptation phase is the equivalent of a base building phase in triathlon, & can be just as uneventful & boring. I'll finish that phase in late November & then I'll start the hypertrophy phase, which is where all the muscle gets packed on! Perfect timing to be bulked up by spring time!

Detrained through & through

I had a relatively easy week back to training after a little over 6 weeks off. By Thursday my legs were pretty tired even though the week's training wasn't very difficult. On Saturday I had an hour base run, & I was tired the tail end of it! After only an hour! An hour run was a short & easy day of training before I took my 6 weeks off. Looks like it's going to be awhile before I get my endurance & speed back.

The end of the 2010 triathlon season & a Clydesdale once again

I made it through my 1st bought of triathlon burn out. I became tired of triathlon training & racing in July. I ended up taking a full 6 weeks off to rest, recover, & get re-motivated.

This last Monday I started training again & did my 1st bike ride in 6 weeks. My speed was almost as good, & my endurance also felt great. Tuesday I ran & felt just as good as I had on Monday! I was amazed that I felt so strong after I had taken so much time off. On Wednesday I had a brick consisting of an hour long bike then a 40 min run. Half way through the bike I felt exhausted. So apparently I had lost fitness after all. It just took a couple days of consecutive training to feel it.

I have my motivation back & am training hard for the Polar Bear triathlon & the Jingle Bell triathlon which will be the first 2 races of the 2011 season. I plan on being 205 pounds by those two races which will be held on consecutive mornings of Dec 4th & Dec 5th, & 197 pounds by the WSMR duathlon which will be held on February 12th 2011.

Because of all the time off I took from both training & dieting I am technically a Clydesdale again, meaning I'm back above 200 pounds. I had stayed below 200 pounds for an entire year with my lowest weight being 184 pounds in early July. I'm working on getting below the 200 pound mark again. Although I love racing in the Clydesdale division, the 35-39 AG is filled with a bunch of super studs & having to compete against them kept me motivated all year long. I ended up winning the 2010 South West multisport Challenge Series 35-39 division! During the 2010 season I placed higher in multiple races than I ever dreamed I would. I placed top 10 overall 5 times, 4 of those were top 5, & one of those was 3rd overall! I also finished in 2nd place at the 2010 South West grappling championships masters Gi division & 4th place overall at the 2010 South West grappling Championships masters no-gi division in the month of October.

Although I'm to out of shape & weigh to much to do exceptionally well at the Silverman 70.3 I'm going to go & race it anyway. I wrote them & asked them to move my registration from 35-39 AG, to the Clydesdale 39 & under division. If I can take top 30% in the Clyde division I'll win a place at the 2011 ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships. If I win a spot to the long course championships, it will be held at the Pumpkinman triathlon in Henderson NV in October of 2011. If I place in the top 33% of the 2011 Pumpkinman triathlon I'll win a spot to the 2011 ITU Long course world championships held in November at Henderson NV at the Silverman 70.3 triathlon. That's would be my dream scenario. Out of almost 6 years of triathlon training & racing I've qualified 3 national championship triathlons & for 1 world championships race. Another of each would be oh so sweet!!

Peace!

Masters 185 & above division

They combined the begginner, intermediate, & advanced masters divisions & I podiumed, taking fourth place losing to a pro MMA fighter named John George.

Fight #1 finished

I took 2nd place in the masters gi division at the South West grappling championships! 3 more divisions to compete in!

Cutting weight for the graplling tournament

Since I'm going to compete in the grappling tournament tomorrow I decided I may as well partake in all of the festivities, leave nothing of this experience out. So I decided to cut weight to be able to register in the weight class below me. I'd never cut weight before, so this was a new experience. I started taking in less water & food last night at midnight. I put on a jacket and a couple layers of clothes a & ran stairs for around 20 minutes. This morning I was already really thirsty & hungry. By 11 am I had a headache & was beginning to feel a little foggy in the head. By 4 PM I had a stomach ache, headache, fatigue, my tongue swelled up a little, & I was confused. I got lost trying to find the Sprint store in Rio Rancho. I got lost again when I tried to drive to the Rio Rancho Defined fitness even though I've been there a thousand times. Surpassingly by then I was no longer hungry or thirsty. I sat in the sauna of the Defined Fitness for 10 minutes, then cooled off for 5 minutes or so. I did that for about 3 rotations. I ended up losing 12 pounds total.

After I was done with the sauna I tried to dive to the Rio Rancho high school to weigh in. The Rio Rancho high school is approximately a 2 mile drive from the gym and of course I got lost, twice.

So now I've weighed in, paid my fees & trying to rehydrate & refuel.

Anyone who knows me know I love punishment! I ended up registering for all of the 4 divisions I was eligible for.
- master gi
- masters no go
- adult gi
-adult no gi

I'll let my peeps know how I do tomorrow!!! Should be fun!!!

The South West grappling championships

In late August I became burned out with dieting & triathlon. I stopped training completely the 1st week of September, I also missed September's Patriot triathlon, which was going to be my last A race of the 2010 season.

I haven't worked out in almost 6 weeks. I've been concentrating on regaining my normal drive to train & my desire to compete. I feel better. I can't say I'm motivated to train again, but I know if I take any more time off then I'll have lost so much fitness & gained so much weight I'll spend the rest of this year & part of next trying to just get back to where I was.

I needed a motivator to get me back to training. I tried finding a big triathlon to attempt next year, that usually gets me excited. Didn't work. No race or training plan seemed to get me excited or motivated.

A couple weeks ago I found my motivation! I happened to find an advertisement in the paper for the SW grappling championships which will be held in Rio Ranch NM, just 45 minutes from my house! Before I fell in love with triathlon I trained in MMA for about a year & half. It's been almost 5 years since I've done any grappling, but regardless of how long it's been, I registered for all 4 of the events I'm eligible for:
-the masters no Gi
-Master Gi
-men's 195-215 pound Gi
-men's 195-215 pound no Gi.

It's a 2 loss elimination tournament, so even if I lose every match I'll be competing in 8 matches! If I get on a winning streak I'll be VERY VERY tired, but I'll be having fun & burning calories hand over fist!

In 2005 I went to the Arizona state grappling championships & took 2nd place in the absolute division. I'm not going into this tournament with any expectations of repeating that performance. Grappling is a skill just like any other, one that is lost when not used. So my only goal is to have fun.

Wish me luck, I'm going to need it!!! If I have cell phone reception where the tournaments are held I'll post on my blog how I did after every match.
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Primary race stopped by illness

Sunday was supposed to be my last A race of the season. I got sick with the stomach flue Friday night & still wasn't well enough to race by Sunday. The same thing happened in April for my last A race. Obviously the problem is my training &/or my taper. I need to figure out what I'm doing wrong.

Since I messed up this taper so badly I've decided I'm going to train for another A race Dec 7th.

My work started a weight loss competition. The people who has the best results in each of 3 divisions get 4 hrs leave on in on Nov 8th. & 8 hrs leave for each division on Nov 30th.
1) lose the most weight
2) lose the most body fat
3) people to gain the most lean mass

Unfortunately a few weeks ago I fell off the diet wagon. I gained much more weight than I'd like to admit. This work competition is perfect timing for me to got the motivation lose weight. I'd do anything to get time off from the prison!

My little monkey girl & my taper

When my daughter was 2 years old I told her the way she came into our life & how we became her parents. I told her that her Mom & I were walking out in the forest & found the prettiest baby monkey we'd ever seen. We picked that baby monkey up, took it home, shaved it, & named it Belle. I even have a picture of a new born orangutan & I tell her the picture was her before we shaved her. To my amusement she has always believed this story.

Tonight out of nowhere my daughter asked me if monkeys bite? I said yes. She asked me in horror if she did that to me when I tried to pick her up in the forest & take her home. Ha! Then she told me the reason she can swing across the monkey bars by herself & the other kids in her pre-k can't is because she was a monkey & they weren't. Like a good Dad..... I agreed.

My pulled quad is completely healed up, but unfortunately my training isn't going well at all. I've been feeling exhausted & slow in training & I can't seem to get my diet back under control. I've gained 7 pounds in a little over a month. My A race is this coming Sunday. I'm thinking I won't have a decent race. The problem is I'm struggling with self coaching. I seem to be getting fast during my training, but when it's time to taper everything ends up falling apart.

I've always been told tapering is more of an art than a science, & I'm a black & white kind of a person, which is why I can't seem to get this whole supercompensation thing down. I've been self coaching since last September & have ended up messing up everyone of my A races. I'm not sure if it's the taper or the peak phase of my routine I'm having difficulties with. But regardless of what the problem is there's definitely a problem. & this problem is messing with my most important races of the year, which is a really big problem.

I purchased a pair of ZOOT triathlon specific shoes to race in at the Patriot triathlon.