Should have taken my own advice

I should have taken my own advice today before my long swim. I ate lunch about 15 minutes before getting in the pool (as I was in a rush) and paid for it dearly. I really should have just had an apple about 30 min before workout and ate when I got home.

After about 800 meters, my stomach cramps became unbearable and I had to call it a day. Between sucking in so much water (because I'm not a great swimmer) and my lunch still sitting lazily in my belly I felt as if my stomach was about to explode.

John experienced the same thing after drinking an Ensure before his triathlon in Waco this last weekend. He pushed through his swim and bike and then puked during the first mile of the run. He certainly gets his man card punched for that one...I couldn't image running on a stomach as bloated and cramped as mine was today. Kudos sir.

I had to ad-lib a little bit this week with my training. Here's how it's shaking out...

Sunday-7.5 mile run with Ken at 8:25 average pace per mile.

Monday-OFF

Tuesday-Weights with John (upper body and core)

Tuesday Night-2 hours of pool volleyball. Our 30 yr and older team dominated...first ever perfect game defeating the young bucks 15-0. I really don't consider pool volleyball a workout...it was fun though.

Wednesday- 30 mile bike ride. Cadence monitoring to stay between 80-95 rpm. Time was around 1 hr 20 min.

Thursday-4 sets of barbell squats and ring dips with John @ 10 reps per set.

Thursday pt 2: 800 meters of swimming

Friday-Bike to Run transition (practice getting shoes, helmet off and on...2 mile bike to 1 mile run x 3)

Saturday-OFF

(Previous) Week in Review

With 2 weeks away from our first triathlon, Cowboy Jeff and I are starting to get our game faces on. My routine looked like this last week...

Monday: Off

Tuesday Morning: 30 min full body circuit workout in gym

Tuesday Afternoon: 300 meters x 3, 100 meters x 5, 25 meters x 5 all for time at pool

Wednesday: 2 mile sprints on spinner x 3

Thursday Morning: 30 min full body circuit in weight room

Thursday Evening: 300 meters x 4 plus 20-30 minutes of 25 meter technique laps at pool

Friday: Off

Sat: Off

Sun: 7.5 mile run with Ken. 8:25 average pace per mile.

This week, I have some very specific objective

• one long bike ride (25 miles plus) and one 16 mile bike ride (same as actual triathlon distance)
• one swim workout at roughly 1000 meters
• two short runs (less than 5 miles each)
• two days of weight room (compound and isolations)

I'm starting to get a little nervous about the race. Not really the race itself, but all of the little details that go into the race. First, the race starts at 6:45a and we need to arrive at least an hour prior to the race to get our transitions ready. Unlike other races that I have done, that were just running events, I have a trunk full of stuff I'll have to bring with me...

• swim goggles
• swim cap
• swim shorts
• watch
• cycling cleats
• helmet
• sunglasses
• GU (energy gel)
• 2 water bottles
• bike
• bike pump
• towel
• running shoes
• Garmin watch
• sweat band or hat
• racing belt/bib holder

All that and I probably forgot something. ; )

Case of the Mondays Vol.3

It's time to survey my week and reflect on where I've been and where I'm going...

Where I've Been

• I've been dedicating more time to swimming and seeing progress. I'm still trying to work through some problems with my breathing technique on the freestyle swim. I still feel like I'm about to drown after 100-150 meters...that's not a good thing.
• I didn't run at all last week in order to get in extra swims. Yikes!
• Food has been great, tried a few new dishes this weekend that I'll share more detail on later.
• Was able to back off my 5 Hour Energy habit a bit this weekend...I only had half a bottle on Sat and half a bottle on Sun. Normally I'd have a full bottle each day.
• Weights on Tuesday and Thursday's as usual...went heavy and felt good.

Where I'm Going

• I'm meeting Cowboy Jeff to swim both Tuesday and Thursday of this week and will continue to try to work through my breathing issues.
• My goal is to put in 40 miles on the bike this week in anyway I can get it. Even if I have to do 2-3 mile sprints a couple of times a day...I'm going to get 40 miles by Saturday.
• Weights as usual on Tuesday and Thursday with John.
• Running on Monday and Saturday between 5-8 miles.
• Off Friday and Wednesday with the exception of cycling.

Meal Rotations

-Turkey spaghetti with rice (gluten free) noodles with side salad, carrots, hint of italian dressing

-Chick peas, seasoned couscous and quinoa (pre-made HEB brand), red peppers, broccoli, and pinch of dried cranberries

-Taco salad (ground seasoned turkey, romaine lettuce, salsa, fage 0% as sour cream, tomatoes, avocado, no cheese this time.

-Egg sandwich on sandwich rounds (2 sandwich rounds, 4 eggs scrambled in microwave, 1/2 slice of cheese melted, frank's red hot sauce, with side of grape tomatoes.

-Grilled Buffalo Burger on 100 calorie sandwich round, avocado, mustard, romaine lettuce, 1/2 slice of colby jack cheese and sliced and baked sweet potatoes pieces.

Snack Rotation

-Raw cashews and Strawberry Kefir yogurt smoothie

-Premier Nutrition Protein bar and grapes

-Boar's head turkey, gluten free crunchmaster crackers, frank's red hot to dip, and apple

-cayenne almonds and 1% organic milk

-natural peanut butter, banana, and agave nectar sandwich on sandwich round

-HEB energy nuggets and grape tomatoes

-Fage 0% Greek yogurt, dried cranberries, pinch of wheaties fuel on top

-Fat free cottage cheese, dried cranberries, pinch of wheaties fuel on top

I'll be listening to...

Switchfoot "The Sound"-their live show is 100% times better than their studio albums. Jon Foreman is one of my all time favorite musicians.

My Chemical Romance "The Ghost of You" -dramatic temp changes...great for intervals! Are they considered Emo? I hope not...I never really got into that genre of music.

Clairmont "Dear to the One"-great local band, great guys...one of my favorite Pandora channels. Another great song with nice changes in tempo.

Motivation 101

Motivation

It is really easy to be motivated when you are working towards something. I've realized this more than ever over the last year as I've started participating in formal race events (5K, half marathon, triathlon.)

I've exercised for pure pleasure for years...just exercising because I enjoyed it...which is a pretty darn good reason to workout.

Between 17-24 yrs old I weighted between 210lbs-215lbs. I wasn't significantly overweight...but wanted to drop weight for the sake of vanity.I started eating well and working out more intensely and brought my weight down to a range of 180-190lbs and have maintained that ever since.

The point is this, I've exercised for years and only for a brief period have I explored some form of deeper goal oriented training. Training for the half marathon this last year and the triathlon currently has helped me recapture a since of purpose and motivation that i haven't experienced since my 25-30lbs weight loss years ago. All areas of my fitness routine now have purpose...

Weight Lifting: to prevent me from getting injured, build lower body power and explosiveness and yes...still a little for the sake of vanity...although I don't like to admit that.

Swim: the weak spot in my training...may be the shortest part of a triathlon...but given that it's first could really defeat me mentally. Great cross training that takes stress off my joints that the running and cycling puts on. I'd be really tempted to quit swimming all together if it wasn't part of triathlon...man swimming is hard for me. I'm learning perseverance.

Bike: This is where I get to put my experience in strength training to use. Longest part of the race and best opportunity to make up time. Going fast on a road bike is a lot of fun!

Run: Most enjoyable part of my training aside from the weights. It's the last phase of the tri...so there is a lot of motivation to push. Again, going fast is fun.

Mental/Spiritual/Head Games: These take place in all four of the disciplines I train in. I get the opportunity to examine my character, my temptations, and my tendencies in the stressful situations that I put myself in. I learn about where I need God and where I fall short within my own strengths. Not in a cheesy sort of "I need God to go faster or perform better" sort of way...rather an "I need God to work on what goes on in my mind and in my heart when life gets tough. These character lessons, I hope, have helped me become a better man.

Food: It's so much easier to maintain healthier eating habits when your body is being put to the test a couple of times a week. If I get crazy and eat poorly Saturday night, my Sunday morning bike or run will be miserable and I may get left behind by my bike/run buddies. Not only will I not perform well...but I will likely be miserable for that 1.5-2 hours.

The Wednesday-Friday Review

Here's the Wednesday-Friday update on food and workouts...

Meal rotation for second half of week

-taco salad (romaine lettuce, ground lean beef, avocado slices, salsa, tomatoes fage 0% as sour cream)

-Turkey Sandwich (whole wheat bread, romaine lettuce, frank's red hot wing sauce, double serving boar's head turkey, 1/2 slice of colby jack cheese, grapes.)

-Beef Fajitas (2 tortillas, beef skirt steak, onions, pico, avocado, pinch of shredded cheese)

Snack rotations for second half of week

-Raw cashews and handful of grape tomatoes

-Premier nutrition protein bar and grapes

-fat free cottage cheese, dried cranberries, and pinch of wheaties fuel for texture and V8 fusion

-Kefir yogurt smoothie and gala apple

-string cheese and curry cashews

Breakfast rotation for second half of week

-whole wheat bread, banana, agave nectar, natural peanut butter

-Wheaties Fuel, Syntha 6 protein powder, 1% milk, 8 oz glass of simply orange

Getting an average of 5-6 hours of sleep each night is making my workouts a real challenge. Knowing this, I've ditched the idea of any "lone ranger" workouts until I start sleeping better. Having someone there to push me and keep me accountable is even more valuable than before.

I went swimming with Cowboy Jeff, and John Wednesday. It was really difficult getting back into swimming after a week off. My confidence is lowest in the swim...so I'm going to need to get in a couple of swims each week until the race. It may not improve my overall time THAT much...but I think it will do wonders for my confidence and easing my nerves.

Thursday was a 30 min weight room quickie workout with pyramid sets of the following...

-Dumbbell shrug burn outs at 65lbs, 60lbs, 55lbs, 50lbs, 45lbs, 40lbs, 35lbs, 30lbs, 25lbs, 20lbs x 2

-Dumbbell curl pyramid at 50lbs, 45lbs, 40lbs, 35lbs, 30lbs, 25lbs, 20lbs, 15lbs, 10lbs, 5lbs x 2

-Cable Tri Ext pyramid at 22.5lbs, 25lbs, 27.5lbs, 30lbs, 32.5lbs, 35lbs, 37.5lbs x 2

Friday, I went out after the kids went to bed and did roughly 8 miles on the bike in the form of 1/2 mile sprints. This was a lot of fun...and I got to practice getting on and off the bike and getting more comfortable with the new clipless pedals.

I followed up the ride with T2 (2nd transition area from bike to run) practice and a 2 mile run. I worked on getting off the bike, getting cycling shoes and helmet off and running shoes and cap on. The 2 mile run was complete in 15:25.

I'm taking Saturday off and hitting the road with Ken and John Sunday morning for a 5-6 mile run followed by either a swim or a ride...depending on what everyone's up for.

Songs to Download

(Rock) Linkin Park-"Papercut" I loved this song in college...first song off their first album Hybrid Theory. Great temp and lot of lines in the song that spin well into a racing environment.

(Hip Hop) T.I -"Bring em Out" When you need to "bring em out"...go with this one.

(Classic Rock)-Kiss "Shrutter" -One of my favorite Kiss songs. Once you settle into a rhythm...this will help you maintain tempo.

Case of the Mondays Vol.2

I've really enjoyed my last couple of workouts. I took Friday and Saturday off as we had a busy weekend with friends over for 4th of July.

Sunday morning (7/4) I did a 15 mile bike ride followed by a 5K run for time. John and I did both in 1:20. We transitioned fairly leisurely...so that hurt our time a bit. John helped me out quite a bit on the bike (and the run) and pointed out a few technical errors that I can correct to improve my time.

Monday (7/5) I went into active recovery mode and just did upper body torso and core weight training between appointments.

-4 sets of cable oblique crunch @ 40lbs x 20 reps each side

-75 reverse crunches

-75 barbell good mornings @ 45lbs

-3 sets of high cable crossover @ 30lbs/35lbs

-3 sets of neutral cable crossover @ 35lbs

Tuesday (7/6) it was lower body...

-4 sets of crazy quads (14 positive followed by 7 partner assisted negative reps for 21 reps total @ 95lbs-135lbs

-4 sets of crazy hams (14 positive followed by 7 partner assisted negative reps for 21 reps total @ 50lbs-60lbs

Wednesday (7/7) is a swim workout at Bryan Aquatics. Workout will likely be around 1200-1500 meters of drill work and sprints. Will likely be about an 1:30 min workout.

I've started a creatine cycle this past week as I get ready for a heavy month of training prior to the race in August. I'm hoping some increases on the anaerobic side of things will help me on the bike.

I try to do a creatine cycle (that usually last about 6-8 weeks) every year to get a little performance boost. Through my own experience, I notice very little benefit to taking creatine on a regular basis, so I just to annual or bi-annual cycles. The first 5 days, I take the supplement 4 times a day and drink tons and tons of water. After the load phase, you cut back to just one serving per day. It's amazing how well creatine works, the biggest draw back is the constant bloated feeling that usually accompanies a creatine cycle.

Monday song download suggestions

I had these on my last workout playlist. I'll probably never do a bike ride with my iPod again due to the distractions with the cords...but nevertheless...

-Bassnectar "Cozza Frenzy (Mega Bass remix)"

-Public Enemy "Brother's Gonna Work It Out"...great lead out song...and yes it is spelled "brother" and not "brotha"

-Bloc Party "One Month Off"...very high tempo for high cadence work.

End of Week Summary Vol. 1

Three things made me feel a little on the old side this week. (1) My sons are into Transformers and were watching the 25 year Anniversary Edition of the Transformer cartoon. I remember those cartoons...has it really been 25 years? (2) Ralph Macchio turns 50 next year, he's the Karate Kid...how can the kid be 49? (3) I quoted a line from the movie Office Space to one of our college aged trainers and he had never seen the movie and wasn't sure he's every even heard of it.

Nevertheless, I embrace all that life is...past, present, and future. I hope to live more in the present and less in the past or the future. Whatever is now (W.I.N.)

Workouts

I tried to stay as close to my week's workout plan as possible. Cowboy Jeff and I ran and biked Monday night, I lifted on both Tuesday and Thursday with John and missed my swim on Tuesday due to a busy afternoon schedule.

I've got a sprint triathlon coming up and I'm really fighting the desire to put in a lot of miles running. The focus needs to be a little more on biking and swimming. I feel like my strength is my run, my weakness is the swim, and I have a lot of potential with the bike. So, my weekend plan is to bike Sunday and then swim Saturday.

Our greatest gains come by way of our deficiencies.

Weekly song download recommendation

Weezer-"Represent" think of it like a modern day "Eye of the Tiger"

Glee Cast-"Don't Stop Believin" ...may have just lost my "man card" with this pick...but it's a really good take on a great Journey song.

Metallica "Sad But True" ...may get my "man card" back with this one.