Training for a 1/2 Ironman

Usually when my alarm goes off at 5:20 I fight it.  I hit snooze and then I fight with myself and my bed …

Although I usually win and get out of bed and hit the road, it’s always been hard.  I’m not a morning person but the only time I can make to train is early am.  I have to be BACK from training by 7am because that’s when we have family scripture time before the kids eat breakfast and head off to school.  Then, I have to get to work and by the time we have dinner and put the kids in bed, it seems like it’s about 9pm … too late to hit the road (and too dangerous to bike ride at night).

We have a tradition at work call BHAGs.  Big Hairy Audacious Goals.  Last year, I felt like I needed a personal BHAG to help me get up in the AM.  So, I decided to attempt a 1/2 ironman triathlon: 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run.  My race is in Hawaii on the big island in Kona on June 5th.  Jess and I are turning it into a vacation for the 2 of us and we’re stoked.

I’m scared.  I don’t say that to be cute or humble.  I’m scared.  That fear (particularly of the open water swim) and then possible bonking on the bike or run has been incredible motivation to get up every morning, make the time (sometimes twice a day) to get the swimming, riding, and running in.  I have less than 2 months and I feel like I could really use 3.  I love the gentle anxiety that pushes me out of bed in the am as the first thoughts that cross my mind are seeing myself at different stages in the race … running out of gas.

If you need any extra motivation to eat better, run more, whatever … consider setting a BHAG.  Fear is an effective motivator.  At least for me.

Here’s the race: http://www.ironman703hawaii.com/

Here’s some hype for the FULL ironman:

RadioLab

I’m curious.  I’ve always been curious.  But, it’s not just curiosity.  There’s a restlessness too.  There’s a need to be learning, doing, trying, adding new things to my life.  I always have talk radio or NPR on.  If not, then I have music playing.  If not, I’m asleep.  According to Myers Briggs, I’m an ENTP personality which explains a lot of it.  I’ve written before about how much I love to zone out during out my long rides/runs to podcasts of This American Life or The Story on NPR.  I prefer these to music on long distances b/c I can get lost in the stories and interviews and lives and I get distracted from the time or discomfort.  I also dig them b/c they scratch that endless curiosity itch.

I just found a new one that I’ve been listening to for about a week … It’s ALL TIME.  It’s called RadioLab out of NYC public radio.  It’s like The Story but has more of a scientific bent to it.  The hosts are very funny and they make topics like Sleep, Placebo Effect, Morality, etc fascinating and totally entertaining.

Some recent ideas/questions/topics they presented:

• How and why most animals sleep with one eye open (sleep 1/2 their brain at a time)
• Why Placebo’s work.  Where they came from.
• Science’s wrestle with identifying a ‘soul.’
• The scientist who measured people’s weight AS THEY DIED and recorded an immediate loss of weight at moment of death.  His conclusion?  One’s spirit has a weighty matter.

Check them out …

My 'new' thing :)

Our Secret Weapon: Vita-Mix

After posting about trying to eat as much REAL food as possible, I’ve gotten a bunch of questions about my smoothies lately.  I’ve been rockin’ the homemade smoothies and bringing them to work in my sweet thermos for lunch for about 3 years but have just recently started tapping into all 2 horsepower of the Vita-Mix (I’m a walking commercial for these guys).  You really do need a Vita-Mix to pull this off, but I guess you can try it in your blender.  If you break it though, don’t blame me.  It’s been easy for me to get my fruit everyday.  The old reliable is the ‘Camry’:

The Camry
(Same purple color as my old car. Lasted me a long time. Was always good to me. But, was always lacking something)

• Banana
• Plain (or vanilla) yogurt, about 1/2 cup
• Frozen Costco Berries
• Raw oatmeal, handful (sometimes almonds too)
• 100% Fruit Juice (usually a cranberry/pomegranate blend)
• Vanilla protein whey powder, 1 scoop
• Flaxseed powder, 1 scoop

That’s money.  Delicious.  Nutritious.  A variation on the camry is to use a different frozen fruit pack.  For the past few years that has been my go-to lunch (and afternoon snack).  Every once in a while, I needed a break from the Camry and I’d go with the ‘Gary.’

The Gary
Named for my Father-in-Law who always extols the superiority of the Dark chocolate over Milk.  I know.  A mine field for a new son-in-law to walk in.  I learned my lesson.

• Non-fat plain (or vanilla) yogurt, about 3/4 cup
• Raw almonds, handful
• Raw oatmeal, handful
• Banana
• Chocolate protein whey powder, 1.5 scoops
• Flaxseed powder, 1 scoop
• Fat free milk, enough for the consistency you like
• Honey, about 2 tablespoons
• The ‘Gary’ … 2 squares of a very DARK chocolate bar
• Ice

Those 2 smoothies were the first main nutritional change I made 25 lbs ago. But, there’s been something pretty important lacking – vegetables.  I’m not a huge vegetable guy.  We’ll often have a vegetable with dinner but that’s hardly enough of what a body needs.  So, I started experimenting with the GREEN smoothie which has a both fruit and vegetables.  Sounds gross.  BUT … the fruit totally overpowers the veggies and you end up with pretty close to the perfect meal.  Check it out:

Wicked
Named by Lucy. If you haven’t seen Wicked, do yourself a favor and see it.  You deserve it.

• Banana
• Pear (Whole)
• Mango (including peel)
• Green grapes, about a cup
• Kiwi (Whole)
• Spinach, handful
• Kale, 1 big leaf

Don't try 'whole' food unless you have 2hp to pulverize the peel, core, stem, etc.

The Wicked ... Taste: 7.0 Nutrition: 9.0

The real taste test.

She gave it a 10. I'm starting to think she exaggerates like her dad. It's not that good.

I’m still experimenting.  Other GREEN combinations I’ve tried recently:

• pear, peach, kiwi, mango, apple, broccoli, carrot, squash, nectarine, oatmeal, whey. ice. Taste: 4
• banana, whole: kiwi, pear, mango. raw: oatmeal, spinach, avocado. ice. Taste: 7.5
• pear. mango. kiwi. banana. carrots. spinach. green beans. ice. whey. flax.  Taste: 7.0

Even when new GREEN concoctions don’t taste great, it’s feels so great to know what I’m putting in my (and my family’s) body each day.  Give it a try.  Send me your winning recipes.  Repeat after me … You are what you eat … Your health is your wealth.

David & Goliath

I am a total sucker for a David & Goliath story (Hoosiers, Seabiscut, Rocky, Miracle, Remember The Titans, Etc).  They fire me up like no other.  They inspire me.  The motivate me.  You get the idea …

During this AM’s ride, I was listening to a podcast from This American Life titled Long Shot.  It briefly mentioned an amazing Kentucky Derby from a couple years back.  I found the race.  Check it out below.  I’m not a horse guy, but this fires me up (watch the interview and the replays):

Thank you sir, may I have another?

One of my favorite images of my dad is from my imagination.  He told me the story his fraternity days at college.  The guys in charge of the club had a paddle.  The paddle’s purpose was to spank new recruits to the fraternity when they needed to learn a lesson.  When the guys in charge said, “assume the position,” the newbie would have to bend over and grab his ankles.  Whack!  The new recruit would then have to jump up at attention and enthusiastically say, “Thank you sir, may I have another!?”

I always found it so amusing to think that my dad would allow others to spank him with a big wooden paddle.  Last night, at about 9:30, I realized that I had just done the same thing … so to speak …

It’s been very frigid in the early mornings lately and that’s really the only time I have to train.  Hitting the road on the bike at 5:30 am when it’s 45+ degrees is AWESOME once you get warmed up by mile 10.  But, the cold led me to discover an indoor cycling option that I tried last night in the garage on my trainer.  It was 60 minutes of me saying, “Thank you sir, may I have another.”  You can download the virtual trainer for about $10 and you play it from your iphone or computer in front of you on a chair like I did.

It’s aptly named, The Sufferfest:

My cold weather alternative.

I’ve probably cycled more in the last few months than I have my whole life before this.  What I’m loving about it is …

• the solitude
• the sunrises
• the podcasts, music, talks
• the calories burned
• the scenery
• the no injuries from pounding pavement running

After a few weeks of training I usually develop a nagging injury from running but the low impact of cycling has protected me from that so far (knock on wood).

Improv Everywhere

During this morning’s ridiculously cold bike ride (47 degrees), I listened to a great podcast of This American Life.

Check out these related video clips … classic!:
Favorite part: “Make your life a musical”

For more spontaneous improv, check them out here: http://improveverywhere.com/

Sometimes I cry …

… on my long runs or rides. I know. Don’t laugh. I’m usually alone on these sessions for anywhere from 1 to 2.5 hours and I easily get lost into my thoughts and whatever I’m listening to.

A couple of my favorite podcasts to listen to are from NPR: This American Life and The Story.

Thanksgiving morning I hit the road at 5:45 for a 45 mile ride To camp pendleton. As the sun rose, I heard a moving story that caused me to ‘lose it’ during my ride (luckily I had the road to myself). It beautifully captures the spirit of Christmas.  It’s about 19 minutes.  Listen but try not to cry and make a fool of yourself.

Click here and then skip ahead to the 31 minute mark.

Dick Gordon, Host of The Story

Garmin Forerunner 405CX Review

Forerunner 405CX

Jess has been using our old Forerunner  305 as she’s been training for the upcoming St. George marathon.  During one of her long runs, it died.  That’s the bad news.  The good news is that last night Christmas came early in the form of the 405CX.

I ran with it for the first time this morning and enjoyed it.  First Impression …

• The User Interface is pretty interesting.  They’re mimicking the iPod touch-wheel navigation as the you actually tap, tap & drag, double tap the silver beveled ring around the face.  I think it will take a few runs to get used to it but I think it’s an improvement.
• Noticeably lighter than the 305.  First thing Jess said when she held it was, ‘wow, it’s light.’
• Wireless sync with the computer and upload to Garmin’s website .. I needed to address the manual.  Wasn’t intuitive enough to just plug and play like really well designed technology is.
• I don’t like that the Garmin ANT Agent is a separate application from the Garmin Training Center.  The syncing should be built into the training center.
• I really like the look and feel of the Garmin Connect web site where runs/rides are tracked and shared.  My morning’s run is here: Garmin Connect - Activity Details for 3 mile run … Check out the PLAYER VIEW.  Very very Cool.

Overall … stoked.