Striving to follow God's word & be debt free

1st off, thank you to Michelle & Chris. You're love & example has started this change in our life, & ultimately our relationship with God.

A little history before my story... My wife started going back to college last year. Our income was cut in half. We knew we were going to struggle financially, but knew once she graduated with a degree in nursing we would be better off in the long run. It's been a tremendous struggle.

Last week Michelle came to visit my wife. She gave us encouragement, some great advise, & some unexpected help. She told us it was God working through her. She moved us to make big changes in our life! Bigger ones than we could have imagined at the time. She mentioned a book called the Total Money Make Over by Dave Ramsey. My wife & I have both read it from cover to cover & have completely embraced all his principles to becoming debt free.

Most worldly people would consider Dave Ramsey's teachings radical & extreme, but his principles & ideas on how to become debt free radical are all biblically sound teachings.

Truth be told I had read this book a few years ago, but wasn't ready to give up or athletic competitions to become debt free. Since 2004 I've averaged no less than 15 multisport races, plus running, cycling, & ground fighting sporting events a year. I've spent a fortune on registration fees, fuel, hotel rooms, eating out, race gear, etc. A lot of my expenses are reimbursed from my amazing sponsor AFSCME, but it still took some family money to race as much as I did. It also took time away from work which decreased our take home pay. The last couple years God has been working on changing my heart so that I would willingly give up a lot of the extravagant things in my life to help my family become debt free. It took a long time, but He succeeded in convincing me that I had been living a worldly lifestyle that needed change. My family & I need to stop living in debt. No more credit cards! No more car loans! No more student loans! My wife & I feel the exact same, & since w are both willing & excited about this change, it is doable in our life. Anything is accomplishable in life when I have God & my wife by my side supporting me!

I'm not saying I'm giving up triathlons completely. God understands that I love the thrill of competition. I don't believe He is asking or expecting me to give triathlon up completely. I believe He just wants me to do it with God & my families well being 1st & foremost in my mind & heart. It took awhile, but I'm ready.

I'm willing to only race in as many competitions each year as we can afford, meaning I'll only race if we have extra money available to pay for the entire trip in cash. Before my wife stopped working & started going to college I could have raced A LOT under those circumstances, but now that we have 5 people living off my income we can't afford many races at all.

For the last year we have become a little more behind each & every pay period, we've become a little more in debt. God hates Christians to be in debt. There are a ton of scripture on God's feelings about debt & His people.

Rather than just give up on a few obvious things that will help us become less in debt we've decided to go to the extreme. We are tightening our belts in ways that would shock the average American. We're going to the extreme so that we can become %100 debt free. No loans in our name at all! The more extreme we are at not spending money, the more quickly we can pay off all our debt! I've decided as the head of our family I should lead by example, so I'm setting more restrictions on myself than is requested of the rest of the family, although they've agreed whole heartedly to embrace all these changes as well. Want to know how extreme we are going? Until all our credit cards & vehicles are paid off I/we are going to:

- (me) I've read on the net that each cup of coffee I make at home costs 25-30 cents. For decades I've drank at least 9 cups a day. I drink more coffee than 9 cups on a long work shift, trip, or late night date with the wife, or practically any excuse I can come up with to drink more. If I cut out all coffee from my life until we pay off all our Credit Cards & vehicles I'll save $81 a month (.30 cents per cup X 9 cups a day X 30 days a month= $81 a month).

- (me) limit my racing to 2 local sprint distance races a year until we have completely paid off all our credit cards & vehicles.

- (All of us) No more eating out, we're cooking at home & bringing food with us when we go out.

- (all) No more buying expensive food at the store. If it's not a relatively inexpensive food, has a coupon, or is on sale we aren't buying it.

- (me) No more destination races, trips or vacations.

- (me) no more money spent on vitamins, proteins, & supplements until all credit cards & vehicles are paid off in full.

- (all) if we don't have enough extra cash after bills to buy it, it's not being purchased.

- (all) if it's not a necessity we aren't buying it. We have more in our house than a lot of Americans, we don't need any more.

- (me) I'm going to continue to ride my bicycle to work no matter how hot, cold, icy, rainy, or snowy it is; ok, I already do that. But I plan on continuing it!

- (all) We're only buying food that's cheap, we have coupons for, is on sale. No more expensive breakfast cereals, Pop-Tarts, pricey cuts of meat, etc! Like Dave Ramsey says in his radio program, "beans & rice rice & beans!"

There's more that we are doing, but to keep today's blog post from becoming a novel I'll stop there. I'm sure you get the picture.

My family & I can't wait until we can call the Dave Ramsey show & yell, "We're debt free!" Contrary to how most people feel a life free of debt IS POSSIBLE! We plan on becoming debt free before my wife enters nursing school. Watch & we'll prove it!

Here are some of the scriptures found in the bible to show what we are doing is what God wants us to do:

Scriptures about debt:

Exodus 22:14

If a man borrows anything from his neighbor, and it is injured or dies while its owner is not with it, he shall make full restitution.

Deuteronomy 15:6

For the Lord your God will bless you as He has promised you, and you will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow; and you will rule over many nations, but they will not rule over you.

Deuteronomy 28:12

The Lord will open for you His good storehouse, the heavens, to give rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hand; and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.

2 Kings 4:7

Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, "Go, sell the oil and pay your debt, and you and your sons can live on the rest."

Psalm 37:21

The wicked borrows and does not pay back, but the righteous is gracious and gives.

Proverbs 22:7

The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower becomes the lender's slave.

Proverbs 22:26-27

Do not be a man who strikes hands in pledge or puts up security for debts; if you lack the means to pay, your very bed will be snatched from under you

Striving to follow God's word & be debt free

1st off, thank you to Michelle & Chris. You're love & example has started this change in our life, & ultimately strengthening our relationship with God.

A little history before my story... My wife started going back to college last year. Our income was cut in half. We knew we were going to struggle financially, but knew once she graduated with a degree in nursing we would be better off in the long run. It's been a tremendous struggle.

Last week Michelle came to visit my wife. She gave us encouragement, some great advise, & some unexpected help. She told us it was God working through her. She moved us to make big changes in our life! Bigger ones than we could have imagined at the time. She mentioned a book called the Total Money Make Over by Dave Ramsey. My wife & I have both read it from cover to cover & have completely embraced all his principles to becoming debt free.

Most worldly people would consider Dave Ramsey's teachings radical & extreme, but his principles & ideas on how to become debt free are all biblically sound teachings.

Truth be told I had read this book a few years ago, but wasn't ready to give up or athletic competitions to become debt free. Since 2004 I've averaged no less than 15 multisport races, plus running, cycling, & ground fighting sporting events a year. I've spent a fortune on registration fees, fuel, hotel rooms, eating out, race gear, etc. A lot of my expenses are reimbursed from my amazing sponsor AFSCME, but it still took some family money to race as much as I did. It also took time away from work which decreased our take home pay. The last couple years God has been working on changing my heart so that I would willingly give up a lot of the extravagant things in my life to help my family become debt free. It took a long time, but He succeeded in convincing me that I had been living a worldly lifestyle that needed change. My family & I need to stop living in debt. No more credit cards! No more car loans! No more student loans! My wife & I feel the exact same, & since w are both willing & excited about this change, it is doable in our life. Anything is accomplishable in life when I have God & my wife by my side supporting me!

I'm not saying I'm giving up triathlons completely. God understands that I love the thrill of competition. I don't believe He is asking or expecting me to give triathlon up completely. I believe He just wants me to do it with God & my families well being 1st & foremost in my mind & heart. It took awhile, but I'm ready.

I'm willing to only race in as many competitions each year as we can afford, meaning I'll only race if we have extra money available to pay for the entire trip in cash. Before my wife stopped working & started going to college I could have raced A LOT under those circumstances, but now that we have 5 people living off my income we can't afford many races at all.

For the last year we have become a little more behind each & every pay period, we've become a little more in debt. God hates Christians to be in debt. There are a ton of scripture on God's feelings about debt & His people.

Rather than just give up on a few obvious things that will help us become less in debt we've decided to go to the extreme. We are tightening our belts in ways that would shock the average American. We're going to the extreme so that we can become %100 debt free. No loans in our name at all! The more extreme we are at not spending money, the more quickly we can pay off all our debt! I've decided as the head of our family I should lead by example, so I'm setting more restrictions on myself than is requested of the rest of the family, although they've agreed whole heartedly to embrace all these changes as well. Want to know how extreme we are going? Until all our credit cards & vehicles are paid off I/we are going to:

- (me) I've read on the net that each cup of coffee I make at home costs 25-30 cents. For decades I've drank at least 9 cups a day. I drink more coffee than 9 cups on a long work shift, trip, or late night date with the wife, or practically any excuse I can come up with to drink more. If I cut out all coffee from my life until we pay off all our Credit Cards & vehicles I'll save $81 a month (.30 cents per cup X 9 cups a day X 30 days a month= $81 a month).

- (me) limit my racing to 2 local sprint distance races a year until we have completely paid off all our credit cards & vehicles.

- (All of us) No more eating out, we're cooking at home & bringing food with us when we go out.

- (all) No more buying expensive food at the store. If it's not a relatively inexpensive food, has a coupon, or is on sale we aren't buying it.

- (me) No more destination races, trips or vacations.

- (me) no more money spent on vitamins, proteins, & supplements until all credit cards & vehicles are paid off in full.

- (all) if we don't have enough extra cash after bills to buy it, it's not being purchased.

- (all) if it's not a necessity we aren't buying it. We have more in our house than a lot of Americans, we don't need any more.

- (me) I'm going to continue to ride my bicycle to work no matter how hot, cold, icy, rainy, or snowy it is; ok, I already do that. But I plan on continuing it!

- (all) We're only buying food that's cheap, we have coupons for, is on sale. No more expensive breakfast cereals, Pop-Tarts, pricey cuts of meat, etc! Like Dave Ramsey says in his radio program, "beans & rice rice & beans!"

There's more that we are doing, but to keep today's blog post from becoming a novel I'll stop there. I'm sure you get the picture.

My family & I can't wait until we can call the Dave Ramsey show & yell, "We're debt free!" Contrary to how most people feel a life free of debt IS POSSIBLE! We plan on becoming debt free before my wife enters nursing school. Watch & we'll prove it!

Here are some of the scriptures found in the bible to show what we are doing is what God wants us to do:

Scriptures about debt:

Exodus 22:14

If a man borrows anything from his neighbor, and it is injured or dies while its owner is not with it, he shall make full restitution.

Deuteronomy 15:6

For the Lord your God will bless you as He has promised you, and you will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow; and you will rule over many nations, but they will not rule over you.

Deuteronomy 28:12

The Lord will open for you His good storehouse, the heavens, to give rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hand; and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.

2 Kings 4:7

Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, "Go, sell the oil and pay your debt, and you and your sons can live on the rest."

Psalm 37:21

The wicked borrows and does not pay back, but the righteous is gracious and gives.

Proverbs 22:7

The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower becomes the lender's slave.

Proverbs 22:26-27

Do not be a man who strikes hands in pledge or puts up security for debts; if you lack the means to pay, your very bed will be snatched from under you

The 2011 Santa Fe triathlon

I was very excited about this years Santa Fe triathlon. The Santa Fe tri is a really well put on event. I was particularly motivated because last year I had a break through performance & I was excited to see if I could beat last years PR that I had set. I was so excited I registered for this event the day registration opened. As motivated as I was to race this weekend I've decided to sit this race out.

This whole week I've been exhausted. I've needed a couple more hours a day of sleep than I usually need to function I'm groggy & yawn all day no matter how much more sleep I get. I've wanted to eat more too, I'm not sure if that's because my body is needing more food because my metabolic rate has increased or if it's because I'm tired & I have a tendency to turn to food for emotional & physical support. I'm definitely a food addict, but I haven't yet figured out if I'm wanting the extra food this last week & a half for physical or emotional reasons. I believe the reason all this exhaustion & hunger has popped up is two-fold:
1) I started a new & intense swim program with a local masters swim club
2) I just entered the build phase of Ironman training & am starting to add some higher intensity training to my workout regimen while still training long Iron distances.

After much thought I've decided my body is too tired to race at the Santa Fe triathlon this weekend. I could have raced & then skipped a few Iron specific workouts to allow my body to recover & heal, but my main goal is Ironman Arizona. I don't want to take anything away from my Iron training, not even a couple days. I'm to OCD to feel comfortable with skipping workouts for a race that takes 7 months to train for.

There is another very big reason I'm not racing this weekend. As any triathletes know, triathlon is an incredibly expensive sport. The bikes, tires, tubes, chain, shoes, heart rate monitors, GPS units, power taps, internet training logs, Gatorade, Power Bars, Power Gels, swim club fees, gym fees, travel expenses, hotels, fuel for vehicles, eating out, & coaches (I'm actually self coached right now, but most triathletes are coached), etc. My family & I are making some really big life style changes this week. I'll address our new financial & lifestyle changes my family & I have just recently adopted in another blog post. Most who know me will be shocked about what's to come. I'm shocked. I'll give you a couple words as a hint: Dave Ramsey.

To be continued.........

Whey protien in my Gatorade

I personally believe that a little protein (the 4:1 ratio of carbs to protein is often mentioned) is good for me on a long, hard ride or run. And it is well-established that some protein immediately (or as soon as possible) after such a ride aides recovery in that it "jumpstarts" the process of repairing the "microtears" in the fibers of the muscles that did the work. Reduces soreness and stiffness and reduces the time for me to recover completely from four or five days to one or two.

Normally when the body burns up all the carbs it can, your body will start burning fat, but can also burn protein.

Protein also accelerates the rebuilding/healing of muscles, which means less or no muscle soreness.

I think there is some controversy if the protein added really helps DURING the effort--but I don't think there is doubt that it helps greatly in recovery AFTER the ride.

Accelerade is a little to expensive for my tastes. I've been adding whey protein to my Gatorade. For me it seems to work better than Gatorade alone & as well as Eccelerade. I stick to the 4:1 carb to protien mix.

Post swim fatigue

I've noticed after masters swim class I'm tired & can't push myself nearly as hard cycling or running as I can if I was working out fresh. I believe I've found yet another of my weak points in triathlon. I've been trying to work on this by doing my running & cycling immediately after my swims. I'm beginning to wonder if I'll ever feel better working out post swim!

Today I swam 2950 yards then ran for 45 minutes with 5 minutes in zone 4. I felt tired. Just maintaining a zone 2 pace was a struggle. Thankfully I realized I need to practice my post swim fitness now while I still have a little over 4 months until my Ironman.

Masters swimming torture session 2

On Wednesday I swam with the masters swim group for the 1st time. I swam farther than I ever have before in a training session. The only times I've swam farther was my 2 Iron distance triathlons.

Today I showed up after having rested-only running, no swimming- Thursday. My lats & arms were still sore & fatigued.

I tried my best to keep up but failed miserably. I was slow- even slower than usual- & I kept cramping. The others in my lane were very understanding & kind about my lack of speed & endurance. After an hour of swimming I only finished 2650 yards.

Even though I suffered I had a blast! I got beat up so badly in the water, I'm not sure if I can finish my brick today. It's been years since any workouts have hurt me like this. If I keep this up I suspect I'll be a beast in the water in no time at all!

masters swimming

Last month was the 1st time I started practicing my swimming since my youngest son was born in Oct 2009. I have my babies with me while my wife goes to school during the day & the day care at the pool won't watch my babies until they are 2 years old. For the last 21 months I never practiced swimming but was still able to maintain an average of a 6:15-6:40 swim in a sprint distance triathlon.

Although I've never been considered a particularly great swimmer, I think swimming is the event in triathlon I have the strongest natural ability for. I've never taken any swim lessons or swam with any groups or individuals. What I do in the water during races has been completely self taught.

For years I've wanted to get into a masters swim group. Since I work nights I couldn't find any where in Santa Fe that had a masters swim group that fit into my schedule.

I found out through a fellow triathlete that there is a masters swim group that meets Mon, Wed, & Fri's at the Salvador Perez pool here in Santa Fe! Yesterday was my 1st time swimming with them. I swam farther than I normally do on my own with faster splits. I got out of the water tired, but very motivated. I'm looking forward to seeing what will happen with my swimming now that I'll be practicing 3 times a week & have a masters swim coach to help me with my form.

While swimming with the masters I swam with a local Santa Fe'an named Lee who qualified for Kona while at IM St George. He finished St George in 9:56! I was thoroughly impressed! I'm glad I'll be able to be swimming with him. Hopefully some of his speed will rub off on me.

Northern New Mexico wild life

Today while on a bike ride I saw a badger outside of Galisteo New Mexico. There was a coyote trying to kill the badger. He'd stalk it for awhile then the coyote would attack. There was blood on both sides of the badgers neck. I tried to take a picture of it but my phone has a pathetic camera. pWhen I approached the badger the coyote ran away, & the badger was REALLY angry. He kept growling, hissing, & he tried to charge me, so I figured the picture I took was poor, but it was going to have to be good enough. I had no desire to fight a badger mid bike ride.

I get to see the coolest things while cycling in New Mexico.

qualified for the USA triathlon Age group national championships

I got great news from USAT! I qualified for the 2011 USA triathlon Age group national championships! I had qualified at the Dog House/Buffman & Squeaky triathlon where I finished 3rd place overall. I'm VERY excited & wish desperately I could race at the USA AG national championships, but there's absolutely no way I could come up with the money to go to Vermont where the race is being held this year.

The email was as follows:

Congratulations Cody Hanson, you have qualified for the 2011 USA Triathlon Age Group Nationals after your finish in the BUFFMAN & SQUEAKY AND THE DOG HOUSE SPRINT ranked among the top 10 percent.

USA Triathlon congratulates you on qualifying for the 2011 USA Triathlon Age Group National Championship on August 20 in Burlington, Vermont. The USA Triathlon Age Group National Championship is the nation's premier Olympic-distance event with the top age-group athletes from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, forming one of the most prestigious fields in the sport. Also, athletes from each age group will qualify to represent Team USA at the 2012 International Triathlon Union World Championships in Auckland, New Zealand next October.

Space is limited and we expect this event to sell out.

For more information on the 2011 USA Triathlon Age Group National Championship and to register, please visit www.USATNationalEvents.org

Questions? Email NationalEvents@usatriathlon.org

The Storrie Lake triathlon 2011 race report

Last weekend I competed in the 1st annual Storrie Lake triathlon. The longer it takes me to post a race report, the worst my performance was, & it took a long while to post this. My performance was horrible.

I was traveling a lot the 2 weeks before the race while still training hard. The 4 days before the race I worked 2 twelve hour & 2 16 hour shifts. The day before the race I got mandatoried for a totally unexpected 16 hour shift. I was having to hammer a bunch of coffee during that shift to stay awake, which made me really dehydrated. When I woke up at 2 PM I was horribly dehydrated but still had to do a 1 hour run. Running while dehydrated in the heat of the day was a really bad idea. By the time I got home from my run my stomach was upset & I was tired. I just wanted to go back to sleep, so I did. If I was thinking I would have stayed up awhile longer to drink a few glasses of water. I didn't. Not good the day before an Olympic distance triathlon.

The race started out with a 2 loop 1500 meter swim. The wind was blowing hard from the get go. The waves were huge for such a small lake, & the water was very choppy. Surprisingly I still PR'd the swim with a 33:33.

I'd asked a couple of the volunteers & one of the RD's if they were handing out bottles of fluid at the half way of the bike, they said yes. I started the bike already thirsty & dehydrated but still hoping to have a break through performance on the 26 mile bike ride. By the quarter mark of the bike I had finished off my 22 ounce bottle of Gatorade & was starting to cramp up from dehydration. At the turn around of the bike I had been out of Gatorade for quite awhile & was really looking forward to getting a new bottle (or 2) of ice cold Gatorade. Turns out there was no bottles of fluid handed out on the bike. They were only handing out 4 ounce cups. By that point 4 ounces wasn't enough to wet my teeth. I was not happy. Shortly after the half way point each time I tried to speed up my legs would cramp. By the the end of the bike I was so dehydrated my stomach & legs were a mess. I didn't want to stop my race, but knew I was risking injury or sickness if I continued. So like any hard core triathlete I racked my bike, threw on my Zoots shoes & continued with my race.

At the 1st aid station of the run I grabbed 2 small cups of fluid, 1 of Hammer, 1 of water. The minute I slammed the 1st cup I immediately vomited it back up. I thought it may have been a fluke, so I tried to drink the 2nd more slowly. But after I drank the 2nd one I threw up again. At that point I knew I should have stopped racing, but I continued because I'm race retarded.

At each & every aid station I tried to drink a little, but after each one I threw up anything I drank, no matter how little I drank.

The 1st 2 miles of the 6.2 mile run I walked. My body just couldn't handle anything faster than a walk. Miles 2 through 4 I was able to jog at a decent pace, but still couldn't run. I'm not sure why, but my I was able to push myself pretty hard on miles 4 through 6.2 even though I was so dehydrated I was beginning to see spots & feel light headed enough that I wasn't able to run in a straight line anymore. On miles 4 through 6.2 I kept a 7:30 per mile pace. I know those numbers sounds fast, but it was mostly down hill, so it's not nearly as fast as it sounded.

I was hoping to finish the 1st annual Storrie Lake triathlon in under 2 hours 40 minutes, but I only did it in 2 hours 58 minutes. I finished in a slow time, but I consider finishing a huge accomplishment.

Body weight fluctuations

A low body weight is imperative to being a fast Iron distance triathlete. The last two times I trained for an Ironman I kept dieting until I was miserable with hunger, then promptly fell off the diet wagon & gained all my weight back. I've decided to start a maintenance diet from here until Ironman Arizona.

I've started the build phase of my training plan, so I need my energy to recover, build fitness & speed. Being at a caloric deficit would hurt my Iron dreams. My current weight on my home scale is 186.8 pounds. Thanks to the great advise of a few of my Face Book buddies like my wife & James Webster I'm hoping my weight on race day will be 186 pounds.

I know I've posted things similar to this before. But it's different this time. Before my goal had always been to maintain for a short while so that I could start losing weight again as soon as I felt physically able. This time is different because my goal is to maintain. I'm staying at this weight for the next 5 months!

Thanks to the wise advise of my beautiful wife & James Webster, this is the one of the few intelligent decisions I've made in regards to my weight. Thanks guys.

monthly miles

Jan 2011
bike 160.2 miles
run 107.5 miles

Feb 2011
bike 210.6 miles
run 57.8 miles

March 2011
bike 262.8 miles
run 59.1 miles
swim 375 yards

April 2011
bike 415 miles
run 74.3 miles
swim 1968 yards

May 2011
bike 289.9
run 83.9
swim 6593.5 yards

June 2011
bike 346.5 miles
run 87.6 miles
swim 3827 meters

Hydrostatic Body Fat Testing

Today I got a Hydrostatic Body Fat Test done at the UNM exercise physiology department. I weighed 188.4 pounds, @ 10.1% body fat, I have 169.4 pounds of lean mass & 19 pounds of fat. The person who gave me the test has a Ph.D. in exercise physiology. I told her I'd like to get lower, she said for a triathlete anything under 10% is perfect. She said once a person hits 5% they are putting themselves & their season in danger. Last July I was fast & lean but wanted more. I continued dieting until I got down to 184, then promptly fell apart & gained 50 pounds by the end of the year.

So what do y'all think? Drop to 185 7.5% for IMAZ or stay at 188?

which Ironman for 2012?

My wife told me that ever since I started training from the book Ironfit my Ironman training has meshed well with our family life. She said if I could find an Iron that is during summer break she'd like it if whole family could go so that we could make it a family vacation. There were only 5 Iron distance triathlons that fit in that time frame. I showed her the list & told her she could pick where she wanted to go.

Ironman Texas, May
Lake Placid, July
IMCDA, July
Vineman, July
Mont-Tremblant, August

She chose the Vineman which is in California so that we could go to Disneyland after the race. So Vineman 2012 it is! Who else is in?

A well calloused gooch is essential!

For those who aren't up to date on cycling terminology, a gooch is the area of a cyclists/triathletes body that we sit on when we ride our bike. Most cyclists ride in cycling shorts or cycling bibs because they have padding to sit on & because they won't get creases or folds in cycling shorts like regular shorts or sweat pants will. A fold or a crease may not sound like a big deal, but if you ride on a piece of your shorts that has doubled over that fold WILL hurt after after awhile & can cause very painful saddle sores.

A couple days ago I lowered my aero bars on my TT bike to get into a more aerodynamic position, & then I went on a 36 mile ride to see how the new position would feel. Turns out the new position rides great. Did you notice I said it rides great, not feels great? By the time I got off the bike today it felt like my gooch had been RUBBED RAW & LIT ON FIRE!!!! I've been training for triathlons since 2004. In the 8 years of riding a bike I've developed somewhat of an immunity to anything even close to saddle sores or gooch pain. But riding in a new position changed what area I sat on! Oh goodness, breaking the new gooch spot in is not going to be pleasant! I'm glad I decided to change my bike position now rather than waiting late season when I'll be doing frequent 6+ hour rides!

I'm thrifty, not cheap

I wear cotton shorts or sweat pants & a t-shirt to ride & run in. Why don't I wear cycling & running shorts like all the other triathletes do? Money, that's why. Even a cheap pair of cycling shorts on clearance from an online store like Performance bikes cost at least $20 plus shipping & handling. In the late fall I can buy a pair shorts from Wal-Mart or K-mart on clearance for $2. I'll buy a dozen pair of cotton shorts for less than a pair of cycling shorts & I'll run & bike in nothing but those 12 shorts & my free race t-shirts all year. I get free T-shirts from every race I do. I compete in 14-18 races every year. So I have virtually an unlimited supply of shirts. I couldn't train enough to wear out all the shirts I get from races every year. A cycling shirt, or cycling jersey can cost from $25-$100.

I only spend $24 for a years worth of running & cycling clothes. Most cyclists and triathletes won't even blink at spending over a hundred dollars on a single cycling bib. I don't spend that much money in 4 years worth of training clothes. Some of my cycling buddies say I look like an idiot riding on a nice bike in cotton shorts & a T-shirt. I'm sure I do, but I like to say i look intelligent Lets compromise & say it's thrifty... Ok, maybe I'm a little cheap;-)

The upcoming Storrie Lake triathlon

I'm pretty excited about the Storrie Lake triathlon this weekend. It's an Olympic distance triathlon consisting of a 1500 meter swim, 40 K bike, & a 10k run. The race will be this Sunday, which is Fathers day.

I've competed in 6 Olympic distance triathlons, the Las Vegas triathlon 3 times, & the Buffman & Squeaky 3 times. The last Olympic distance triathlon I'd raced was the Buffman & Squeaky in May 2008. I weighed around 225 pounds then & I still PR'd with a time of 2 hours 40 minutes. I'm weighing around 191 right now & am much faster at swimming & cycling than I was back in 2008 so I'm hoping to PR.

I got my bike back from the bike shop. They got Shimano to replace my rear derailer free of charge. I love my bike shop. I have no idea what I'd do without them. While my bike was getting repaired I also had them replace all the cables, housing, it got a thorough cleaning, & I also had them drop my aero bars down a little. I'll find out how I feel riding my bike in a lower profile in the morning, I'm scheduled for a 2 hour bike ride.

The only bad news about the race is my front HED3 tubular race wheel had a flat & I still haven't received my tire from Tire alert. Tire Alert replaces the tubes on sow up tires. They've had my tire a month & a half now, & they are sending me spam emails. I'm not happy with them thus far. Hopefully the work they do on my tires will be better than the service so far.

The never ending trip!

My family & I left for vacation to Lubbock TX on Sunday June 5th. I got a call mid week from my best friend that he got a transfer to Dallas TX. He couldn't find anyone to help him pack or move, so Sunday morning June 12th, I drove from Lubbock TX to our home in Santa Fe, dropped off the wife & kids, drove to Albuquerque & helped my buddy pack up his house & load it into his U-haul. I got to his place a little after 7 PM. It felt like it took forever just him & I loading up his house! We left his house at 1 AM on Monday morning & drove straight through to Dallas.

We were both exhausted but continued driving. Just outside of Wichita Falls Texas our low gas warning light cane on. By the time we pulled into the nearest gas station our u-haul was sputtering! I blame not refueling on exhaustion.

We got to his new apartment at 1:15 PM. It took almost an hour for him to sign the paper work & get his keys.

From 3:30 until 6:04 PM we unloaded the van. It's hot & humid here! I'm tired. Haven't slept. I'm dehydrated. But I'm still going on my 1 hour long run. IMAZ is coming & sub 13 hours waits on no man.

A run through a herd with a knot and a drive-thru

This morning I had another wonderful run. Not only has this been a great family vacation, it has turned out to be an amazing destination training camp too!

Each day I've been on vacation here in West Texas I've done nothing less than 4 hour long bikes or 85 minute long runs. This morning I ran from 62nd street & Louisville to 4th street & Texas Tech Parkway, then back. I ran through a big field just North of Covenant hospital & I felt like something a person would experience in a movie about a persons dream vacation. The kind of scene where a person is swimming in the Pacific ocean with swarms of tropical fish, or running with herds of horses through the rolling plains of the mid west - only instead of the tropics of Hawaii, or the plains of the mid west, this scene is in West Texas, so there were no tropical fish or wild horses, instead I stirred up a huge group of fifteen frolicking jack rabbits! I know it doesn't sound all that impressive, but it was actually pretty cool. There were 15 jack rabbits & they ran around me & dashed madly in front of me for a while.

Before I started my run I hit my head on a cabinet door that I'd left open. The knot on the side of my head swelled up so much that my glasses weren't fitting on my head properly. As I was running and sweating my glasses kept sliding & falling off my face. Good times.

My only complaint I have of Lubbock is how many food temptations there are here. A couple days ago at the tail end of a ten mile run I ran down wind of a Krispy Kreme & a wienerschnitzel! Uhg. Pure torture! Today I had to run by a Cinnabun.....twice! OH FAST FOOD CHAINS HOW YOU TORMENT ME! U'm a full bodied athlete competing in a thin mans sport. Don't you know I want to be told, "Cody you look triathlon thin!", NOT, "how does a big guy run so fast?"!

calories of Dions pizza & replacing chains

From counting calories I've found that three largest pizza chains all have about the same calories in a large piece of pizza. Tonight we are eating out at Dions pizza. I wanted to figure out how many calories the gourmet pizzas have so I hopped online. I found the calorie count of the regular pizzas & I was shocked to see how many more calories Dions pizza has than the other chains. No wonder they taste so much better!

A slice of pepperoni & cheese from a large pizza is 520 calories.

A slice of cheese from a large pizza is 460 calories.

A 6" pastrami submarine sandwich from Dions is 600 calories, I think I'll eat that with a cup of fruit instead.

Today I broke my first chain on my road bike. At first I was convinced it broke because I've become such a powerful cyclist, but when I looked at it I saw the chain was in really bad shape. It broke not because of my cycling prowess, but because I should have replaced it a LONG time ago!

I recently had the chain on my triathlon bike replaced also. When I replaced the chain on my triathlon bike it I had over 3000 miles on it. I need to get better about replacing my chains. It's better to replace a chain for $45 than a cassette for $110.

To early to tell but not to early to dream

I know 7 weeks into a training program is to early to tell how I'll race at the end of a 7 month training program, but if my training now is any kind of indication I'm going to ROCK Ironman Arizona! I finished a 10 mile run tonight at a much faster pace while my average heart rate was 10 beats lower than I could normally keep.

Tonight there was enough ambient light to run here in Lubbock Texas until a little past 9 PM. I love west Texas.

bonked & dehydrated in West Texas

We are visiting family in Lubbock Texas. Since August of last year my longest bike ride has only been about 30 miles. Today my cousin Greg & I were able to slip away for a 62 mile bike ride. We rode the Buffalo Springs Lake Triathlon 70.3 course & through Ransom Canyon twice. It was a GREAT ride.

Since I'm not used to riding longer than 30 miles I made some stupid mistakes on today's ride.

1) I usually don't ride long enough to need to buy extra Gatorade and Power gels to finish my ride. So when we pulled into the convenience store we realized we had both left our wallets & money at home. The people who ran the local convenience store in Slaton Texas let us fill up our water bottles with tap water, but without any more calories to finish the ride I bonked hard on the way home. I'm sure I could of handled riding 62 miles with that few of calories if I was used to riding those distances, but since that was twice as long as I was used to riding I fell apart.

2) the other mistake I made was not planning for how much hotter it is here in west Texas & how much more fluid I needed to drink. By the time we got home I had bonked & was seriously dehydrated.

The good news is I got to ride through my favorite 2 areas: Buffalo Springs & Ransom Canyon. When I retire in 2015 I desperately want to move to one of those 2 areas. That area would be perfect to train in & it would be a beautiful place to raise my babies- yes, in that order too!

We rode by the metal house in Ransom Canyon. That thing is weird, but oddly fascinating (see picture above). It's designed & constructed completely from scrap metal by local Texas Tech professor Robert Bruno.

My cousin rode his recumbent bike today. I had no idea how fast those things were. I'm in better shape than him & weigh less than him but he still laid a smack down. He let me put in a few miles on it & I was amazed at how comfortable it was & how fast it rode without much effort. I have to say I have a new goal. Before I die I'd like to ride in a 12 or 24 hour bike race on a recumbent. They are fast & comfortable & I'd be able to finish an ultra endurance ride much more comfortably on a recumbent than I could on a traditional road bike.

I love it here in West Texas! I can't wait to move here when my wife graduates & I retire!

Today while on my ride I tried Cliff gels for the first time. They were the best tasting gels I've ever had! They were like liquid candy! I'll be switching brands of gels from now on.

Hard core calorie logging

I always weigh or measure my food so I can log my calories. Always, no matter what. Even when we go out to eat. I often have people staring at me when I weigh my food at a restaurant.

This morning when my family & I were eating our free continental breakfast someone came up to our table & asked why I was weighing everything I was eating. That happens a lot too. It's easily explained that I'm an Iron distance triathlete & that it's important to keep my weight down, but I truly feel bad for my poor wife & kids. They suffer because of my compulsion.

How Does Your Body Burn Fat?

This is one of the best articles I've ever read

By the Editors of Women's Health
Women's Health

How would you like to magically burn off about 40 calories in the next 15 minutes, without even breaking a sweat? Want to try? Okay, here's what you do:

Go into the bedroom. Open up the closet. Look inside. Anything need to go to the dry cleaner? What about that pashmina you spilled New Year's bubbly on? Toss it in the laundry bag. Straighten a few hanging items and refold your sweaters so the inside of your wardrobe doesn't look like you had to flee the paparazzi. Good job. Now have a seat.

Ta-da! You've just smoked 40 or more calories in less time than it takes to put on your makeup, and all you did was neaten up your clothes. Magic, right?

Well, not really. You see, your body is already primed to be a fat-burning machine. All you need to do to start changing your body's shape is tune up that fat furnace and get it revving at maximum efficiency so you're burning even more fat while going about the mundane rituals of life.

This fat-burning magic comes from your metabolism, a word you've probably heard tossed around a lot but maybe don't quite understand. What is metabolism? Simply put, it's all the various chemical reactions that happen inside your body, 24-7, that keep you alive. It's food being turned into energy and that energy being burned off to keep your hair growing, your heart beating, your liver pumping out bile, your lungs transferring oxygen into your bloodstream, and your intestines turning Amstel Light into urine (not that there's a huge leap there).

It's the engine room of your individual starship, your never-ending calorie burn. And while you may imagine that the majority of your calories get burned while you're engaged in some strenuous activity like riding a bike, diving into a pool, or getting jiggy with your honey, you're actually burning most of your calories, well, just keeping the lights on.

In fact, think of metabolism as your caloric 401(k) program. It's not going to give you instant gratification, like hitting a slot machine jackpot. It's a long-term strategy, but it's a sure thing: Invest in it and you'll get slow, steady, effective returns that will keep you happy and healthy for years to come.

Now, like any long-term investment, it needs a little maintenance from time to time. In this chapter, we'll show you the smart ways to tweak your metabolism, improving your burn just enough to gain even more over the long haul. (Or to borrow what they say in financial circles, it's time to work less for your calorie burn and have your calorie burn start working for you!) Prepare for a few surprises, starting with...

Why Burning Calories in the Gym Is a Waste of Time
Whoa—did we just say what you thought we said? That burning calories in the gym is "a waste of time"?
Well, stay with us here. Burning calories in the gym is great. But the energy you expend while you're in the gym isn't as simple as those tired old LED readouts on the treadmill might make it seem. See, we all have three "burns" that make up our metabolism.

Burn One

Basal (resting) metabolism: Your basal metabolic rate (BMR) accounts for 60 to 70 percent of your overall metabolism, and surprisingly, it's the number of calories you burn doing nothing at all: lying in bed staring at the ceiling or vegging on the couch watching TV. As we said earlier, it's fueled by your body's inner workings—your heart beating, your lungs breathing, even your cells dividing.

Burn Two

Digestive metabolism, or thermic effect of food (TEF): Simply digesting food—turning carbs into sugar and turning protein into amino acids—typically burns 10 to 15 percent of your daily calories. Digesting protein burns more calories than digesting carbohydrates or fat—about 25 calories for every 100 consumed. Digesting carbohydrates and fat burns about 10 to 15 calories for every 100 consumed.

So pause a moment to think about this: Between 70 and 85 percent of the calories you burn every day come from either eating or just hanging around doing nothing.

So, what about the other 15 to 30 percent?


Burn Three

Exercise and movement metabolism: This part of your metabolism includes both workouts at the gym and other more enjoyable physical activities (we call this exercise-activity thermogenesis, or EAT) along with countless incidental movements throughout the day, like turning the pages of this book and twiddling your thumbs (that's called non-exercise-activity thermogenesis, or NEAT).

So, here's an interesting question: Why is it so hard to lose weight just by exercising? Why are there so many fat people in the gym? The answer is simple. Exercise only targets 15 to 30 percent of your fat burn. Up to 85 percent of the calories you burn in a given day have nothing to do with moving your body!

So, skip the gym, right? Not quite.


Why the Fatter You Get, the Fatter You'll Get

Fat doesn't just show up at your door one day, rent a room, and live alone quietly. Fat loves company. Fat's organizing a cocktail party where nobody ever goes home and everyone hangs out around your midsection. The more fat you open the door to, the harder it will be to stop even more fat from inviting itself in. Here's why:

Your BMR, or resting metabolism—the body system that eats up the majority of your daily calorie burn—is determined by two things: your parents, and the amount of fat versus muscle in your body. And while you can't choose who your parents are (if you could, there would be no children on The Real Housewives of New Jersey), you can improve the other part of the equation and turn your resting metabolism up a few notches.

Problem is, fat plays its own role in the metabolic game, and it's literally working to slow down your calorie burn. See, the term "fat and lazy" is pretty accurate from a scientific standpoint. Fat is lazy, on a metabolic level. It barely burns any calories at all. For your body to support a pound of fat, it needs to burn a mere 2 calories a day. Muscle, on the other hand, is very metabolically active.

This is key (and why muscle is your BFF): At rest, 1 pound of muscle burns three times as many calories every day just to sustain itself—and a lot of those calories that muscle burns off come from fat's storage units. That's why fat hates muscle (and why you should love muscle), because muscle is constantly burning fat off.

So fat actually fights back, trying to erode muscle and fit more of its fat friends into your body. The real villain in this internal battle happening right now, in your body, is a nasty character called visceral fat. Visceral fat is the kind that resides behind the abdominal muscles, surrounding your internal organs (viscera).

And visceral fat works its mischief by releasing a number of substances, collectively called adipokines. Adipokines include compounds that raise your risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, inflammation, and heart disease. Visceral fat also messes with an important hormone called adiponectin, which regulates metabolism. The more visceral fat you have, the less adiponectin you have, and the lower your metabolism. So fat literally begets more fat.

A study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology showed that those biologically active molecules that are released from visceral fat can actually degrade muscle quality—which, again, leads to more fat. The solution?


More Muscle

After age 25 we all start to lose muscle mass—a fifth of a pound of muscle a year, from ages 25 to 50, and then up to a pound of muscle a year after that—if we don't do anything to stop the decline. And on top of a slumping metabolic rate, loss of muscle strength and mass are empirically linked to declines in the immune system, not to mention weaker bones, stiffer joints, and slumping postures. Muscle mass also plays a central role in the response to stress. And further research is expected to show measurable links between diminished muscle mass and cancer mortality.

1st time at Cici's pizza & the Albuquerque century

Here's a picture of my youngest eating a brownie at Cici's pizza. He was so exited when I put it on his plate he screamed "yeeaa!" so loud the whole restaurant looked over. Good times! This was my kids 1st time to eat at Cici's. They really enjoyed it. I had water, lots of smiles, & is leaving Cici's with lots of great memories!

My wife took a cycling class last semester. She told me she wanted to do the Albuquerque century this weekend since she finished the year in great shape. She also told me she was going to leave me in the dust on the ride. I have to admit, I was a little worried. When I went to register I found out it was $165 a person to register. Needless to say we didn't end up doing the Albuquerque century. $165 per person? Crazy!

Instead on Saturday my wife & I went on a 16 mile bike ride on the Rio Grande bike trail. I'm grateful she took it easy on me. I'd of been a little embarrassed if I got smoked by someone who only had 8 weeks experience in a cycling class under her belt.

Monthly miles

Jan 2011
bike 160.2 miles
run 107.5 miles

Feb 2011
bike 210.6 miles
run 57.8 miles

March 2011
bike 262.8 miles
run 59.1 miles
swim 375 yards

April 2011
bike 415 miles
run 74.3 miles
swim 1968 yards

May 2011
bike 289.9
run 83.9
swim 6593.5 yards

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

A more comfortable weight loss plan

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

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

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

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

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

The Gallup triathlon

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

Triathletes!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

equipment failure

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

Coping With Illness During Aerobic Training

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Swim memory

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

will work for swim time

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

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

training for the swim again!

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

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

How to pick the right running shoe

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

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

As told to Jessica Sebor


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Long runs & wild life in Santa Fe

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

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

Road Racing, time trialing, & criteriums

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

2011 Ironman Arizona goal times

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Transition times & Carb building

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Last second Dog House tri registration

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

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

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

In the aero position on rollers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

stopping my weight loss, maintenance time

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

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

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

The upcoming 2011 Jay Benson triathlon

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

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

Almost to goal triathlon weight!

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

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

The 2011 Atomic Man duathlon race report

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My boy cycling indoors

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

Race morning

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

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