Day 27 Progress Log:
Hit 9:00pm again, yay! Woke up at 6:30am; obviously the "late" nights are still catching up to me. I had my last meal at 7:30pm-ish, which I think made it harder for me to fall asleep. I think if I miss a meal after, say, 6:30pm, I'll just skip it. Also, my stomach has been making some weeeeeeeeeird noises since I woke up. It's not painful, but I'm 99.99999% sure it's that gel I had yesterday. It's been going on for like 15 minutes lol.
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A couple weeks ago I came across the
Ironman Triathlon and for some unknown reason got it in my head that I wanted to do it. This is why I picked up my road bike - to train for Ironman! I have a long way to go and probably won't seriously consider actually
doing it until 2011, a good 3 years from now. The Ironman is an awesome, grueling 3-part race:
2.4-mile Swim
112-mile Bike
26.2-mile Run
You have 17 hours to complete it; the fastest time it was ever completed in was 7 hours and 50 minutes. You have 17 hours to complete it. I can swim decently and biking is a lot of fun, but right now I can hardly jog 50 feet. In addition to my current lack of running skills, my mental and physical endurance are extremely low at the moment. So, my goal this summer is to shed the last 25 pounds or so and then take up running. I'm not going to start running until I lose the remaining weight because I don't want to damage my knees and ankles. My reward for losing 25 pounds will be to get my running shoes, so I have a goal to look forward to with that
I do have a few points of worry about doing the actual race. First, I had some serious kidney problems as a kid and had to have several major surgeries. The end result is (1) I can't play contact sports and (2) only one of my kidneys really works. I don't know how stressful an Ironman race would be on my body and whether or not it would affect my kidney functions. So the next time I'm for a physical I'll discuss my medical history with my doctor. The second issue I have is that I have some kind of trick knee. At the present time it just pops loudly when I do squats (just warm-up squats, without weights), which kind of worries me. Apparently it's pretty normal, but all the time I'd like to have that checked out the next time I'm in for a physical. The third issue is that my dad has some kind of cartilage/arthritis issues; his doctor told him he had to stop running in his 20's in order to preserve his knees for the remainder of his life. I'm hoping that I haven't inherited that issue.
So, worrisome points aside, I think the Ironman race is really awesome! It has really changed my motivation for exercising - I have this huge, almost impossible goal that I want to achieve, which has changed my perspective when going on walks, my new bike, doing PT, using the exercise bike, eating, and sleeping. Even if I never get there, I will be in and stay in the best shape of my life.
They have half-Ironman events, 70.3's, which would be fun to try out. Some of the 70.3 Ironmans also let you qualify for the Hawaii event, which is a great way to get into one. I live in Connecticut, so the Boston Marathon and New York City Marathon are pretty close by. I've also discovered a website that has local event listings, some of which are right around where I live outside of Hartford. I am interested in trying out some Duathlons next year - biking & running. There's one that does 2.5 miles of running followed by 10 or 15 miles of biking and then completed with another 2.5 miles of running that seems like it would be a good place to start. The Ironman Hawaii Ironman (Kona) is one of the hardest to get into because it is the mother of all of the other Ironman races. You can get in by the lottery (150 athletes in the U.S.) or by qualifiers at other races. I believe you can also get in if you're a volunteer at an Ironman race (not 100% sure yet), so I could probably check out the Lake Placid Ironman one state over in New York and maybe volunteer there at some point.
Another bonus is that there are Ironman competitions held all over the place, so it would be a good excuse to travel and go on vacations with my wife (especially Hawaii, haha). As of 2007, there were 22 Ironman events throughout the world. In the United States, there was Arizona, Idaho, Florida, New York, and Wisconsin. There are also events in Europe, Australia, Asia, and then events in New Zealand, Brazil, Canada, and South Africa. So, if I develop and stick with a training program and assuming I have the physical capacity to do it, I think it would be a lot of fun and a great excuse to see the world.
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I have also been studying a lot of athletes and exercise theories lately. The two largest keys, aside from the obvious training exercises, are rest and diet. Rest is not only applied to getting enough sleep, but also proper rest between training days. Diet seems to be the key difference in performance for many athletes, in addition to rest. I read a very interesting article on Brendan Brazier, a professional Ironman triathlon, over at BodyBuilding.com:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/kristi17.htm
He is a Vegan, which in his case means that he only eats plant-based whole foods and eats about 80% raw. He makes a good argument for a vegetarian diet and how it has improved his recovery times. He wrote a book which I just picked up and am reading now called "The Thrive Diet":
http://www.amazon.com/Thrive-D...&qid=1209320708&sr=8-1
One of the key features that I like about the book is that he gives you a 12-week meal plan and specific recipes, instead of just talking theory. He also has homemade recipes for gels and water-replacement drinks which I am going to try this summer. I am not a vegetarian at the moment nor does it interest me in regards to not eating animal meat, but from a performance standpoint it looks awesome. It's the same deal - 6 meals a day - but with a focus on whole, raw foods...lots of veggies and fruits. I am not ready to try it out at this point in time, but once I get into shape and get to the point where training is something I'm actually doing instead of just losing weight, I definitely want to try giving it a shot.
Another interesting book I'm reading is called "Ironstruck" by Ray Fauteux. He has run something like 14 triathlons and has an incredible wealth of knowledge on the subject on his website:
http://www.triathlon-ironman-m...nstruck.com/index.html
His book is basically a compilation of articles on his website, but since I prefer to read a book than a computer screen I picked it up from Lulu, a print-on-demand place that he uses:
http://www.lulu.com/content/543252
I also picked up his 70-week Ironman training log, which is spiral-bound for easy daily use:
http://www.lulu.com/content/1280763
I am going to start using it as soon as I get in enough shape to really start doing all three activities (swimming, biking, and running).
Does anyone have a place they would recommend to learn how to swim really well? I mean, I can swim, but I really don't know any strokes or anything - just how to swim and have fun in the pool. I have a YMCA, a high school, and a few gyms near my house if that helps any. I would be interested in taking some swimming lessons over the summer to learn how to do it right and to learn different swimming methods.
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As far as training goals go, I am setting the bar pretty high for my training sessions:
-5 miles of Swimming
-150 miles of Biking
-30 miles of Running
I figure if I can master them separately and then start combining them together, doing an Ironman will be a walk in the park. It shouldn't be a problem to do any of those distances given enough training time; people do two, three, four, or more times the distances of those all the time. For example:
-Tour de France - 1846-mile race over 23 days (about 80 miles a day on average)
-USA Swimming Open Water National Championships 25k race (about 15.5 miles)
-100k Runs - held all over the place (over 60 miles in one day)
It's simply a matter of training correctly, provided I still have the interest in doing it in time (I tend to go through phases quite rapidly) and the body to handle it. Winning, as I've discovered, is a matter of genetics. I've been learning about VO2 Max, Lactate Thresholds, and even heart sizes. For example, check out Lance Armstrong's Wikipedia entry:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L...ng#Physical_attributes
Some interesting physical stats for Lance:
-VO2 Max of 83.8 mL/kg/min (average person is 40-50)
-Lactate level below 6µL/kg (most races range from 12-20)
-30% larger heart than the average person
Unless you have the genetics, it pretty much seems like there's no way to compete with someone who has a genetic "superman" body. Which isn't a big deal to me personally, because to me Ironman is all about completing the race, and at the moment is actually just about the idea, which gives me motivation for physical exercise, to avoid being a couch potato
I've read that if you have an average VO2 Max, which most people do (hence "average"), after a year of training you can only raise it up maybe 10-25 mL/kg/min; if an athlete took a year off of training from their VO2 Max of 80 mL/kg/min then their "couch potato" body would be as low as the highest an average joe's VO2 Max would ever get. It's simply a matter of genetics. I just hope my genetics allow me to compete and finish the race
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I have narrowed down my training ideas to 5 areas:
1. PT (the program I am on now with push-ups, pull-ups, etc.)
2. Running
3. Biking
4. Swimming
5. Strength Training
I have learned that Strength Training is definitely required to help round out your muscles for triathlon training, so I'll probably start lifting weights at some point in the future. When I build up enough endurance, I also want to start HIT (High-Intensity Training) to get in better shape in the short-term. Going back to Strength stuff, I've been reading up on 5x5, Rippertoe, Starting Strength, etc. I ended up ordering the
Skinny Guy e-book and so far it has been pretty interesting. Again this is something I would start in the future, probably at the end of summer. I used to be pretty skinny, then I got married and gained 50 pounds, but it was all baby face and gut - my arms are still pretty skinny. That's why the Skinny Guy system looked pretty good. Guess we'll see how it works out by the end of the year, eh?
So lose weight, increase endurance, bulk up, and start my Ironman training. I have been studying a lot about resting between exercising as well; I have no desire to rush things and to get injuries, so I'm going to go slow and steady in my training. 3 years to Ironman is just an idea, not a goal. If I get there sooner, great, if it takes longer, no big deal. For me, the core goal is all-day-long energy. I want to feel good all the time, and looking good doesn't hurt either. My goal isn't to become the next Arnold or to show off my body online for everyone to see how cool and buff I am, it's simply to feel good and take care of my body. For me it's all about the energy. Energy is the bottom line.
I've been putting together an equipment plan as well as a basic training program:
Swimming:
-Goal: 5 miles of swimming (for my max session)
-Get swimming lessons
-Regular swimming workouts during the week at a local pool
-Eventually get a house with a swimming pool and install an
Endless Pool system in it for training
Biking:
-Goal: 150 miles of biking (for my max session)
-Bike 2-3 times a week (about 20-25 miles, early in the morning)
-Pick up an indoor trainer for bad-weather days and winter training (friction-based system that you put your actual road bike on)
-Continue to use my exercise bike
-Possibly pick up a stationary bike
-Get the rest of my biking equipment, get a fitting, and fix up my mountain bike for some variation
-Save up for a super-awesome triathlon bike like a Trek Equinox TTX
Running:
-Goal: 30 miles (for my max session)
-Experience a runner's high (right now, all I end up is a twisted stomach after 50 feet, lol)
-Get some running shoes fitting at the special running shoe store
-Master a 5-mile run (should be easy from there...my goal is just 6 sets of 5-mile runs!)
-Pick up a low-impact treadmill (the bouncy kind that aren't as bad on your knees...I have my eye on a Precor model)
Strength Training:
-Goal: Keep balanced for my Ironman training & get an awesome ripped body (what the heck? )
-Get a strength machine that doesn't require a spotter (so I can workout alone)
Miscellaneous:
-Goal: Stay on top of my plans, lose my weight, and get and stay in awesome shape
-Master my 9pm bedtime (comp/TV off at 8:00pm, in bed at 8:45pm, zonked out at 9:00pm)
-Continue my PT program (get up to 210 push-ups)
-Drop another 25 pounds or so (whatever is needed to get to my ideal weight)
-Start HIT to build endurance and generally get in shape
-Try out the Thrive Diet (the vegan one)
-Pick up a Concept2 rower (more variety for my indoor exercise routine)
This looks pretty complex now that it's written down in detail, but I'll continue to take it step-by-step as I've been doing. The HIT stuff will be nice this summer because I can combine the exercise bike, treadmill, and elliptical machine and have a good workout session. I found a neat product called Cardio Coach which has an HIT coach audibly guide you through your workouts, set to some up-tempo music:
http://www.cardiocoach.com/
It's a little on the cheesy side but I'm still trying to find some interesting ways of livening up my exercise sessions and this looks promising. Plus it's like $14.99 for an MP3 disc set, so it's not like it's going to cost an arm and a leg if I don't like it. I'll just pretend like I'm spending money on a fast-food burger and soda or something
Surprisingly I am doing very well at the diet, in fact the diet has become the easiest part of my new routine. I still have cravings for processed food, junk food, and sugar snacks, but they are EXTREMELY easy to manage, even moreso now that I am committed to the idea of doing an Ironman at some point in my life (or many, if I can handle them!). I simply feel too good to give it up, even for a day. At the end of my 6 weeks on Anthony's diet plan, I do plan on incorporating a larger variety of meal types, but I will be sticking with the same type of food, portions, and times that I eat them. For example, on steak day I am going to have a lean burger on a whole-wheat bun. Still a great burger, just a little on the healthier-choice side of things
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Amazing that I've gone from being a world-class Internet surfer who stays up until 2:00am in the morning, lives on fast food, and carries around a 50-pound gut to waking up at 4:00am without an alarm and training for Ironman in just 4 weeks, eh?
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So to give some shape to my short-term and long-term goals:
Primary Goal: To have TONS of energy, and to be in great shape and really healthy.
Sub-Goals:
-To have massive amounts of energy throughout the day
-To get a lean, ripped body
-To get in-shape and train for Ironman races
-To be really, super healthy
-To never, ever be tired again from lack of sleep
Short-Term Goals:
-Lose remaining 25-ish pounds
-Continue using the exercise bike and add in the elliptical
-Continue to walk 3.5 miles on a regular basis * Pick up treadmill (for bad weather and winter days)
-Build up to 210 push-ups for my PT program
Next-Stage Goals:
-Start HIT (fitness program + build endurance) * Pick up Cardio Coach discs
-Start Skinny Guy (gain mass) * Pick up weight set
Long-Term Goals:
-Get to an ideal low-fat, high-muscle body situation (correct weight, good amount of muscle)
-Start doing Ironman triathlons * Pick up an awesome triathlon bike
-Try out the Thrive Diet
-Keep up the training to stay healthy & energetic
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One under-rated part of physical and mental fitness is stress, and I don't just mean physical stress. Mental stress can literally make you sick, as I've found out numerous times in the past. Next Monday I am going to start learning David Allen's "Getting Things Done" action management system. I've listened to the audiobook several times but I've never implemented it simply because I've never had the energy to do it (well, really the willpower, but it was so difficult that I never finished it once I started trying). That system, along with the "do it now" and "work first, play later" habits will offload most of my stress - forgetting to do things, forgetting about appointments, being late to places, turning in my work late or not at all, etc.
The basic idea is to take everything off your mind and into a trusted system where you can deal with it more effectively, thus leaving your mind clear. Instead of stuff nagging at your brain all day (oh crap! I forgot to do X or Y), you take care of small things ASAP and schedule bigger things at different times. It sounds pretty obvious, but his system is the best application I've ever seen as far as personal organization goes. So, I'm pretty excited to start doing it. I've been improving on my "do it now" habit - do the dishes NOW, do the laundry NOW, etc., instead of lying to myself and telling myself I'll do it later (which just ends up as a mess that never gets done).
Brendan Brazier, the vegan athlete I mentioned above, talks about the different kinds of stress in his Thrive Diet book. It's very interesting that a professional athlete would talk about that. Personally I think that every edge you can gain will make you a better person, whether it's eating better, getting better rest, exercising (period, haha), or de-stressing your life. As the saying goes, success begets success. I've had such incredible success over the past month that I just can't help but keep doing more things to improve my life and do more things with the time I have, instead of just sitting around letting time slip by reading forums and gadget news or watching the latest TV show episodes. Granted I still like doing those things, but it's not an all-day or most-of-the-day event anymore.
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8:15pm, time to hop off the computer! Bedtime is 8:45pm, I'm determined to learn how to fall asleep quickly - I want to be in dreamland within 15 minutes.
Day 27 complete!