2010 Race Schedule has been set....almost!

Well here we go again....after taking a week and a bit off from the boot camps (due to utter exhaustion!) I weighed in yesterday and I was even....no gain no loss! (phew!)

In my break from the boot camps I have upped my run volume and have been bike commuting to work almost daily. It's time to buckle down over the next 5 weeks and focus on healthy eating, exercise and weight loss. Here is what I have in store for this spring, summer and fall:


April 11, 18, 25 - PUMA Series (5k, 10k, 15k)
This is a road race series held at Assiniboine Park. There are some fairly serious runners in this series. I want to try and personal best in each distance category. I have never run this series, I'm looking forward to the races.

May 2 - Winnipeg Police 1/2 Mary
I have done this race the past 3 years.  It's a great run, usually pretty fast. The course is flat....go figure and the weather is usually cool in the morning when you start allowing you to start at a very high pace. Last year I ran it in 2:01:17....my hope this year is sub 2 hours. The previous year I ran this one a week after gall bladder surgery!

May 2,11,18,25 - Birds Hill Duathlon Series (4)
For those of you who do not know what a DUATHLON is here you go: It is an event where you RUN/BIKE/RUN....essentially it's a TRIATHLON minus the swim at the start. THis is how I started my triathlon obsession. I participated in the duathlon series a few years back (before I would swim!) and I really like the atmosphere. It was mucho intimidating my first time out with all the extremely fit people walking around....I finished DFL (Dead F***ing Last) in my first few races! Eventually I started to not finish last....close but not last! I would start beating quite a few people! Last year I was unable to participate in any of these races due to scheduling conflicts. This year will be no problem!
 
May 22 - Theif River Falls Triathlon
This was my first ever official triathlon! I ran it 2 years ago and did very well. It starts with a pool swim (500 yards) then a 20 km bike ride followed by a 5 km run. It is a great event. It's very well organized and the after race food is very nice! This is a perfect event for someone new to the sport, mainly because of the pool swim. Having to do an open water swim (OWS) in your first event can be nerve racking. We have a similar event here in Winnipeg with a pool swim, it's at the UofM...but it's for women only...so fellas you're S.O.L. unless you make the trip south on Hwy 59!

June 13 - Triple Threat Sprint Tri
My first OWS triathlon....although you can stop swimming and touch the bottom almost anywhere on the course....you still have to sight while swimming. This means that instead of watching that nice big thick black line on the bottom of the pool to tell you where to go...you need to lift you head and look around for markers! This is very challenging until you get the hang of it. This is a perfect event to have your first open water swim, again it's easy to touch the bottom almost anywhere and the shore is always close! 
 
June 20 - Manitoba Marathon (Full) 
I was thinking about this while I was running today....do I really want to do another full??? I have already done 2. I think that given my future goals in triathlon...I should do another full. I will be targeting the 2011 Wisconsin full Ironman...so another full under my belt will only raise the confidence level a few notches. I find this run long, boring and very uninspiring! There is not much out there to take your mind off how sore you are. Sure there are small areas that have a lot of people cheering but the tail end of the race once you get past all the people along St.Vital Road and St. Vital Park is REALLY lonely! Those last 4-5 km are absolute torture. Just reading this over....I think it's clear somebody needs to work on their mental stamina....more so than their physical stamina!
 
June 27 - St. Malo Tri (Olympic Dist.)
Never done the triathlon here....just the duathlon. (they have a duathlon for those who don't swim!) The past few years this race has fallen on our son's birthday. I have opted to miss the race....a smart decision I think!
I will be doing the Olympic Distance (Swim 1500 meters, Cycle 40km, Run 10km) This should be a good race for me. Easy open water, flat bike course and very flat run course with a small portion being on gravel paths. (gravel = less impact!)

July 18 - Lac du Bonnet Tri (Olympic Dist.)
Never done this one....my parents live out there so I think I'll show then what this triathlon thing is all about! Triathlon is by far the worst spectator sport ever. Watch people swim see them run into the transition area, watch them strip out of a wet suit and put on a bike helmet then run out of the transition area and jump on their bikes (this all takes about 1 - 2 minutes!) Now wait for 30 - 60 minutes depending upon what distance your favorite athlete is in....watch them come back into the transition area....rack their bike, put on running shoes and take off like a bat out of hell. (again 1-2 minutes!) Then wait for 30 - 60 minutes to see them cross the finish line. I always love the little kids standing at the transition area with the signs "Love you dad!" or "You rock Mom!" Kind of makes everyone's day!
 
August 14 - Riding Mountain Tri (Olympic Dist.)
A definite maybe this year...lot and lots of logistical issues involved with doing this one. If I don't do it it will mean a long rest between Lac Du Bonnet and Square Lake....we'll see!

Sept 12 - Square Lake, MN 1/2 IM

OK this is my "A" race of the year. This is what all my training will lead up to....so anything other than first place will not do! YEAH RIGHT! I have done one other 1/2 Ironman before (Morden '08) and did very well considering the brutal conditions....very, very windy. We had to swim in a lake with white caps (I'd never done that before) on the bike course the wind was gusting to 70km and was a head wind for the first 20km. (my average speed was about 11km/h....usually I'm around 25km/h for this distance!) The Square Lake bike course is very hilly from what I hear so I will need to work on my riding a lot over the summer. I'm not worried about the swim or run. Distances: Swim - 1900 meters, Bike - 90km, Run - 21km. Like I say I have done one 1/2 IM and carry a lot of confidence in my ability to finish the race. My goal is to finish in under 7 hours.

A large part of me going to do the Square Lake Triathlon is so that I can drive the 4 hours east to Wisconsin and sign up for the 2011 Wisconsin Ironman. That's the crazy thing with Ironman races....you have to sign up on-site the day after the big race if you expect to get a spot.

Sept 27 - Niverville Rock & Roll 1/2 Mary
We'll see if I have any gas in the tank for this one! Elaine P....if you read this I want you to know that if I run the half mary out there this year you're doing it with me! (at the very least the 10k!!)


And so ends another few fun filled weeks in Chudville, See ya!

 

Well....here we go!

3.5lbs down this week!

It was a very funny week.Had a couple days off, one sick the other due to a PD day at work. Had my CPR training updated as well. I think it was a nice break that came just in time to maintain my sanity! I took the entire week off from the ass kickings at the Brick House gym. I really needed that. As it is I still slept 13 hours last night! 

I meet with a good friend this week who gave me a book called "The Passion Test". She knows that I have been struggling trying to figure myself and I guess more specifically my path out these days and she felt it would help. I had some time to kill this past Friday and was sitting in what has become my favorite Starbucks as of late reading. I had the good fortune of snagging one of the "comfy" chairs. It was late in the afternoon and the place was packed. Oddly enough the 2 comfy chairs were empty! I sat in one and was reading for probably 20 minutes or so when an older very well dressed gentleman approached me and asked if the other chair was occupied or if I was saving it for someone. I of course said it's all yours. After about 5 minutes he interrupted me and asked what book I was reading. I of course told him! He smiled and said he had read a book just like the one in my hands about 30 years ago. He said a friend had given him the book and had informed him that it had changed his life. She told him that he should give it a read. He did....the book was about finding out what is important in your life, listing them in priority and then working towards them. Oddly enough it was the same premise of the book I was holding. He told me that he went on to form his own COO for hire business and worked as a consultant for companies like IBM & Xerox. He had listed his priorities and worked toward them 30 years ago and it worked for him. With that advice he was gone. 

His name was James and we shook hands as he left. He wished me luck in my journey. I think that things happen at certain times in your life to test you, to guide you both to and from things. There certainly seems to be a higher power out there looking out for me. This little 30 minute chat with a complete stranger was just what I needed to  get my head back into the game. After our chat all I could do was sit there and say "WOW" (to myself of course!) I haven't had too many "spooky" things happen to me, but this one's right up there!

 

 

This is your body on Bootcamps!

 

Well another week has ended and I'm down.....

2.5lbs!

The boot camps are sure taking their toll on my body. I feel very run down and I have been short on patience. Not good! I am going to drop down to just 4 boot camps per week.

I had a buddy the other day ask me if I'm going to golf at all this year....all I could muster was a shoulder shrug. Not sure why....it's funny when you lose passion for something. I have been working hard at trying to find my passion again. I need to figure out what direction I need to take this life of mine.

I attended a play the other day that really affected me. It was the story of a young man who after becoming a paraplegic went on to become a national Canadian hero (Rick Hansen). When I was 20yrs old I had a very serious accident, I broke my back jumping off a cliff into very shallow water. The details are not important other than it was a very, very stupid decision I made. It was a split moment in time that could have put me in a wheel chair for life....I was extremely lucky. It has really hit me lately that I have been given a few "second chances" in life and what have I done with them?

We had an Olympic torch bearer in our school the other day. He passed the torch around to all the kids and asked them what their dream goal was. After all the kids passed the torch they wanted the teachers to have a turn. When it arrived in my hand I was stunned....I didn't have a dream goal anymore. I wanted to be a golf pro....done. I wanted to run a marathon....done. I wanted to become a triathlete.....done. I want to complete an Ironman....in the process of doing that. But what is next? I really need to figure that out, soon. I wish there was a book showing you how to "re-brand" yourself!

I suppose we all aspire to greatness. That's a concept that torments me. Is it enough to be a great husband and father? Is it enough to help motivate people to greater heights? Does the size of your pay stub determine how important a person you are? All these questions....where's YODA when you need him!

Well that was my week....very introspective.

Oye, I need some protein!

Weigh in day today!

Down .5 lbs!!!

Well, OK not my best week....but I have seen a huge change in my body composition and my muscle development. I am chalking this week up to a plateau. I have done everything right from a nutritional standpoint. Given that I'm very happy with myself. On the whole everyone on our "Biggest loser" team had a marginal week. Each member was either even or down a small amount.

We had one of our harder workouts today. Many people have asked what do you do...well here's what we did today!

Warm up:
on the airdyne bikes doing 20/40 sprints (sprint hard for 20 seconds, easy for 40 seconds) for 10 minutes.

Circuit #1: (Each activity is done for 90 seconds) Run through it 4 times.
1. elbow plank
2. sprints on an elliptical
3. punching bag squats (constantly punching a heavy bag while doing squats, very hard after a while!)
4. beat up a Basa system (it's a mixed martial arts training bag that has a head, chest and hands...nice to just wail on!)

Break - 1 minute

Circuit #2: (each activity is done for 90 seconds) Run through it 4 times.
1. Mountain climbers
2. skipping rope
3. seated rows on weight machine
4. seated pushing on weight machine

Break - 1 minute

Circuit #3: Same as circuit #1 - each activity for 60 seconds

Break - 1 minute

Circuit #4: Same as circuit #2 - each activity for 60 seconds

Break 1 minute

Team "game" #1 - Laying on your back on a mat with a 35 lb plate on your chest:
"bench press" 40 times - get up,
bent row same plate 40 times - lay down on back,
"bench press" plate 40 times again - get up,
bent row same plate 40 times....DONE!

1 minute break

Team "game" #2 - Circle push up/planks....this is a killer!
1. lay in a circle so that your heads are in the middle of circle - up into a plank.
2. while everyone's in the plank position first person does one push up.
3. first person tags person to the right....he does a push up and tags the person to the right.
4. continue around the circle until the tag gets back to the first person who started...they do 2 push ups.
5. continue until you hit 10 push ups.
6. once everyone has done 10 pushups...you count back down to 0
7. when you are not doing push ups you are trying to hold your plank. (FYI - it's impossible...to hold a plank that long...for us anyways!!!!)
(you've just done - 100 push ups!)

1 minute break


THEN....

We did circuits #1 & 2 once more for 30 seconds each activity with no breaks...just 4 minutes of hard core work.


All this while wearing a hoodie!!!
Total workout time 1hour 45 minutes.

It's all about the caloric deficit!

Down 3.5lbs! (total: 10lbs over the last 2 weeks) Hard work and effort really pays off. I have been very conscience of proper nutrition and water intake. I have also made it my mission to drink at least 3 cups of green tea a day and one grapefruit. (more on that later!)

I have learned a TON of things that you should do and many things you should not do when it comes to feeding the animal! There are many people who will start up an exercise program and give up after a few weeks....because it's not "working"! What many people forget to address is the nutritional component of exercise.

I feel that it is imperative to create a caloric deficit in order to lose weight. It's not enough to just go to the gym, go for a run or push some weights....you must be mindful of what you put in your mouth. I remember many years ago I was on a weight loss program and found it to be very good...but it allowed you "bonus" food if you worked out. To me (knowing what I now know) this is absolutely counter productive if your goal is to become more fit. Everyone needs to know what their basil metabolic rate is and eat accordingly based upon their activity levels and their fitness goals. This is the key to fueling your body properly!

SPEAKING of properly fueling your body....this is an interesting read about grapefruit and green tea!

One last note....there is no easy way to lose weight. It takes planning, hard work and commitment.

I wonder if the guy doing the kicking feels like puking after?

Week one in the Biggest Loser - Winnipeg has come to an end! I have felt pain, sickness, joy, euphoria, hunger, humility and a size 11 Under Armour shoe square up my ass!

I was very active this week: Swam 3x's, Ran 3x's, Boot Camp 2x's....it all adds up to a total weight lose for the week of:

6.5lbs!

I am very pleased to say the least.

I have been very strict with my nutrition - I had let it slack off a little before and over Christmas. I can truly say that the eating part of my weight loss journey is the least of my worries. I am able to control what and when I eat. I have very good habits in this area. I just need to work harder at pushing myself past my mental comfort level. My first boot camp was a killer and if it were me on my own I would have given up after about 10 minutes (essentially the "warm up"!) I think that the boys over at the Brick House Gym can see that I can dig deeper and are up to the challenge of pushing me beyond my perceived limits.

I will be trying hard this week to ignore the pain and push as hard as I can when at the gym. I will strive to feed the animal with the best possible food. I will keep my mantra in mind: "I don't give up, ever!"

One last thought: "Grapefruit, Juicy Fruit!" - Jimmy Buffet (I'll explain next blog!)

Well it is coming to the end of another week. I managed to swim a little, run a little and start a biggest loser contest at my place of employment! I am a little surprised at the reaction from my co-workers though. Some, who I thought would sign up wanted no part of it...others who I assumed would not be interested signed up right away! Funny.

As for my training...I managed to avoid a table full of donuts and muffins today! That in itself was a pure miracle. I had a couple of good runs. But I am concerned that I had a particularly difficult run yesterday afternoon. It was not a long run just about 4.5 km....but my legs felt sluggish and heavy. I think it was due to the fact that I had missed my afternoon snack. The importance of nutrition cannot be discounted.

I think my experience with the "crappy" run this week scares me a little. I am involved with the "biggest loser - Winnipeg" this will require me to cut back a little on my daily caloric intake....but what will my balance be? What if I cut back too much and it affects my marathon training? It could make me sick....I don't want that! I have been considering upping my activity level and keeping my eating static...the down side I don't lose weight fast enough. (of course the goal of the contest is to lose as much weight in 3 months as possible) I would also risk overall fatigue and possible injury if I try to up my activity to rapidly. My body needs time to adjust. They say you should only increase your workout time by 10% each week....if you wish to stay injury free!

So, I think after much consideration I have decided to keep my daily intake at 2100 kcal and I will up my activity to create at least a 500 kcal deficit. This should be a nice manageable balance. Once I lose more weight I will up my activity to create a greater daily deficit.

As of Christmas I am down 8 pounds! That's 6 weeks = 1.3 pounds a week. Nice and healthy , but more important - it's maintainable!