Badger state bound.

I am preparing to leave for Wisconsin to be with my family for the holidays.  The last two weeks have been "challenging" to say the least.  The "Gout" reared its ugly head again first on one foot then the other and I think I am finally close to getting rid of all of the effects.  However, I was pretty much crippled for two and a half weeks.  And I was hit with the flu/head cold from hell that put me in bed for the better of four days..I think I am finally getting over that sickness also.  Just in time to get on a plane with no ventilation and I am guessing 100 other unhealthy people.

The good news is I have lost 8 pounds.  Some of this I will attribute to the sickness but most to the change in diet I have done the last week.  No soda (diet or regular), no red meat, no candy or sweets and nothing with high fructose corn syrup.  I have been basically eating chicken, vegetables, some fish and a whole lot of smoothies.  Especially smoothies laden with cherries and berries as well as yogurt, whey protein, milk or orange juice.  Why the dramatic shift in nutrition? Because the last bit of gout scared the heck out of me.  I do not want be crippled by these attacks every few months.  Further I definitely do not want any permanent damage or have to be on a pill for the rest of my life.

And the natural "cures" are pretty bad.  The first is drinking a ton of cherry juice.  Not bad..until you find out how much cherry juice cost..$9.00 for 32 ounces!! WTH!!  Well what are the cheaper alternatives..my favorite so far is drinking a 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda four times a day..yeah..the base properties of the baking soda actually reduce the acidity of the blood.  However..it is also like eating pure salt as far as sodium content.  And then there is....drinking apple cider vinegar. Yes it is as yummy as it sounds. 

Thus with the options open to me I have chosen the  "eat clean method".  Amazingly I am feeling good and do not feel hungry at all. Unfortunately it is no just diet but hydration, genetics and other factors that affect outbreaks..so I will just do my best and hope for the best.

Now the test is..Wisconsin..and all its fabulous cheese, fried fish, casseroles, sausages, gnocchi, potato pancakes, kringles, Christmas goodies, cheap food and drinks..etc..etc...etc..   The deal I made with the coach is I get two free days in Wisconsin as far as eating...Since I will be gone for over a week that seemed like a fair deal.  The object is to come back to Colorado in no worse shape then when I left it.  Impossible you say?  Based on past performance I would agree..but I am actually going to pack my blender..yep smoothies for everyone.

And obviously everyone was extremely concerned as was I..when Brett Beielma left Wisconsin for Arkansas.  A move I am sure he will regret within the next two years.  Luckily the Emperor himself put everyone's fear and trepidation aside and  declared that he would come down from the Ivory towers and lead the Badgers to Rose Bowl Glory yet again..   Against the hated Stanford Cardinal..  I hate Stanford..their mascot is a freaking tree.

This is going to be my new motto for 2013

Not only has the Emperor promised a resounding win in the Rose Bowl but has hired the Coach to take the Badgers into the next decade of greatness...Gary Andersen

Yeah..I'm a little concerned too after watching that video. At least he spells his last name correctly with an "e".  Who is the Clay Matthews wannabe at :24?  his son?..if it is he needs to know that the flat bill clap may fly in Utah..(and at Kompetitieve Edge with Ryan)..but not with Badgers.  Do you think they had to borrow a suit for him? How about the tie?  There are 50 shops within two blocks of Camp Randall selling the correct Badger Red..where did he find that tie? Are there badgers on it? Did he get it on a street corner? It almost looked like the freakin red from the Stanford Cardinal..I HATE Stanford..their mascot is a freakin tree!

Have a Merry Christmas Everyone!!  I'll check in from the 262..

Important Things

In writing this blog I was torn about whether to include anything in regard to the horrendous shooting that occurred in Connecticut.  It is extremely emotional and I did not want to offend those who were trying to avoid seeing another reference to it.  However, it is too important not to mention. 

When I found out about the shootings on Friday I was at my desk and saw the report on the internet.  I actually teared up and started crying.  I had just dropped my 5 year old at school a couple hours earlier and had such empathy for the parents in Connecticut that my emotions took over.  I then called our good friends in Connecticut.  I knew her kids were in another district miles from Newtown but I just had to make sure everything was fine with them. My friend was at her kid's school when she answered and you could hear the emotion in her voice.  But at least we knew her family was ok.    After making the call I had to fight every urge to run out of my office and go pick up my daughter. The rest of Friday and today have been very emotional.  My wife was also deeply affected..even more so than me.  Not only do we have a five year old but we have gone through the shock and horror of having a loved one taken by the act of another.  We relived the emotions that we went through when we found out my brother had been killed by a drunk driver and the sheer helplessness and despair.  I know I will be shedding more tears over the victims, probably a lot more but hopefully I can do something to either honor them or make this world a better place for the survivors.  Our thoughts and prayers are with all of those affected by the shooting..the families, students, siblings, first responders and all of those who were deeply affected, even if they were thousands of miles away.

What does the event have to do with a blog that is purportedly about triathlon? Nothing..and everything.  The event once again put into perspective what is important in life and how precious our time with our loved ones is.  Triathlon training, especially for longer distances, is a very time intensive endeavor and often times a solo endeavor.   Decisions have to be made as to how to spend one's limited time.  Having a full time job and family further cuts into that training time or family time. 

The last two weeks I have felt a bit guilty about not doing my long training on Saturday.  The first week I went to a Christmas play with my wife, daughter and her friends for her birthday..the second week I attended Disney on Ice with my daughter and wife.  The events of Friday just reinforced that I made the right decisions.  My time and memories with my family and friends far outweigh  my training.  I am never going to be a top age grouper or heck..maybe not even a consistent middle of the pack guy. In the overall scheme of things..triathlon and training aren't that important.

However, I do enjoy triathlon training, especially when I can do it with friends.  I much rather go against the wisdom of coaches and sages who say not to do group workouts if they are fundamentally different then your workout and instead train on your own..but the camaraderie is what I enjoy.  The fun and memories are more important to me than my individual success.  Don't get me wrong..I have goals this year that I will share with everyone come January..but those goals are personal and tailored to what is importnat to me.

On Wednesday Kompetitive Edge released their list of sponsored athletes for the 2013 season.  The team is limited and they sponsor some of the best athletes in the country.  I am lucky enough to know some of these people personally.  I started scrolling down the list looking for people I knew...Oh..he's good..she is fantastic..and she is relentless..and this one was an olympic medalist and this guy is a slow fat ass..wait..by some screw up KE put my name on the list.  I have waited three days and the list has not been revised or rescinded so now legally they have to sponsor me. (At least that is what I am going to tell them).

Honestly I was very excited on Wednesday when I saw my name.  I did actually check the list multiple time to make sure I had not misread it.  Needless to say I was pretty happy.

However the events of Friday hit me so hard that I thought about calling Ryan at Kompetitive Edge to tell him that I did not want the spot.  I thought about my big race plans and the fact that it would take away from family time and my loved ones and thus I would not be able to put the effort in that is necessary to meet my goals  and make my family and sponsors proud.

I mentioned this to my wife waiting for the nod of approval and instead she quickly smacked me outside the head.  She reminded me how much happier I am when I am fit as well as how much happier she is.  She also reminded me that we have a daughter that  when asked what she wants to do mostly says..swimming..or a bike ride ..or run because of the example we are setting.  She mentioned the great places we have gone as a family to do triathlons and the people we have met.  All valid points. Thus I am proud to say I will be on the Kompetitive Edge team this year.  I will find that balance between family and training..but honestly I will tend to lean toward the family side. I do see some early morning training in the future..which I dread.  My family and friends are what are important to me..but it turns out that for the most part triathlon is part of that family experience and not a detractor.

I want to thank Jared and Ryan at Kompetitive Edge for giving me a chance to be on an elite team.  Jared and Ryan are the heart and soul of Kompetitie Edge and it shows that they not only care about elite athletes but the everyday athletes that most of us are.  If you ever need anything swim, bike or run related be sure to contact them.  Further, the advice they can supply you with is priceless.

So take care everyone.  Hug your loved ones a little tighter this holiday season and decide what is really important in your life and make it a priority everyday.  Lastly please keep the victims and their families in your prayers and thoughts..and honor them by being the best human being you can be towards others.  Try to bring a smile to someone everyday. 

Whatever happened to that 30 day thing?

Oh...that 30 day thing where I was going to track everything..umm yeah.  I think those 30 days have passed.  Let's see. The first couple of weeks were no where near perfect..but pretty good. I tracked my eating for the most part and stayed on schedule training wise. I would probably even give myself a B grade.  And this is where we should end the discussion of the 30 days...however..I won't.

So..the second half of November kicks in and my in-laws arrive from out of town...Although they tell me to keep training I do like to spend time with them and thus miss some of my training to hang with them. Even though I missed training, we were able to use some of that time to get my daughter's room turned into a pretty purple princess pad complete with painted clouds that look like horses..castles and Bucky Badger. (When I say we..I mean that I helped put together the IKEA furniture while they worked on everything else).

I love my in-laws but there are two things I hate about their visits (actually three if you count their addiction to t.v. shows I absolutely hate..really we need to watch NCIS a sixth time today..OH Christ..I was kidding..please don't turn on the Mentalist!!!)  I am gong to great rid of freaking CBS the next time they visit.   

Anyway, my father-in-law must have baked goods around the house at all times.  He needs to drink coffee and have a baked good after every stinking meal.  Fortunately for him he has self control and can have one cookie..Unfortunately for me when there are packages of 30 chocolate chip cookies just sitting on the counter bad things happen.  Second, my father-in-law will only eat hamburgers when he goes out to eat.  He will from time to time eat a cheeseburger..but only American cheese..thus trying to find a healthy restaurant that serves good burgers is kind of hard to do..especially in Golden Colorado..where the choices are Mexican, Chinese, Thai and Mexican.  We don't even ask anymore..just head for the nearest bar with a good burger. Although I was quite proud of him when he did try some Chinese food a couple of years ago at the Panda Express in the mall.  (Small steps people).  This excursion of his into the tasty world of food court Southeast Asian cuisine did not make up for the embarrassment of when we visited Brazil as a family and he requested ketchup and American cheese for the steak we were eating at lunch...  Anyway..the diet took a bit of a hit since I also do love a good burger.

The next week was Thanksgiving..another hit to the nutrition..next weekend after..my daughter's birthday party complete with sleepover..and firm Christmas party..training and nutrition out the window again.  The weekend following..wife had knee surgery.. and Disney on ice the following day.  There are also all the holiday goodies that have shown up at the office and home.  Oh yeah..those last 2.5 weeks were awesome.  The topper was the gout attack I got last Tuesday which has hobbled me for more than a week.  The gout attack was a huge surprise..until I calculated in my head that I had eaten basically a full cow and a half in the previous couple of weeks..

And of course there was the trip to Golden Corral about two weeks ago. Ironically the Golden Corral is right near Kompetitive Edge..the triathlon store I get everything from to become a leaner, faster, stronger athlete.  I had to pick up something form KE and my coworkers rode along with me..then one of them said..let's go to Golden Corral..Yeah..bad idea from the get go.  My relatives in Wisconsin love the Golden Corral..All you can eat for 8 bucks and leave your dignity at the door. 

Much like a Walmart..any normal person walking into a Golden Corral feels damn good about themselves and their station in life. Heck I felt undernourished compared to the other patrons and felt like I needed to eat.  And somehow when you are out at an all-you-can eat place your common sense seems to shut off.  In most instances when I have eaten enough food to actually cause me to have breathing problems I will stop..Oh..but not at Golden Corral..maybe it was the fact that 25% of the people there had oxygen bottles with them and I felt if I did stop breathing help was very close by....but the shortness of breath just meant that I should change to the dessert table.  And one would think that people with the dress and personal hygiene of the homeless waving pork chops under the chocolate fountain would be a deterrent to eating..but somehow all I could think of was..meat plus chocolate equals a celebration for the taste buds.  However...I did not try it..I wish I could say I had self control but it was mostly because my right arm had actually gone numb and was hanging useless by my side.

So..we are going to forget the last few weeks..except for the good memories....mostly of princesses. As far as training the good news is that I have added a considerable amount of weight to my lifts.  Kind of an ego thing but it is nice to be able to hang with some of the big dogs again..(ok..medium dogs).  And don't even ask how many salads, vegetables and smoothies I have had in the last week..my body has no idea what is hitting it. I went shopping and was putting weird colored weeds in my cart..and chicken.

There is something about excruciating pain that can make one change their eating habits.  And no..there are no trips to Golden Corral scheduled withn the next 10 months.

I hope everyone is having a terrific holiday season.  

Lessons Learned Over Thanksgiving

A number of lessons were learned..some good some bad.

1.  My newly turned 5 year old is smarter than her parents.  Bought her the Elf on the Shelf and she explained to us it was fake and the we would need to get up at night to move it...But that since we got up so early for work she could move it for us.

2.  Whenever your wife goes into the dressing room to try things on and two hot/sleazy 20 somethings also start trying things on at the same time..nothing good can happen.  No matter how good your wife looks in whatever she is trying on she is going to say it looks hideous.  Best to just run and hide instead of hanging around holding the purse.

3.  I am old...I played Halo on our newly bought Xbox and became nauseous within 20 minutes..and ended up quitting after 25 minutes...

4. I am old...I played doubles volleyball for the first time in three years and was horrendous..out of breath and hurt my knee.   I hate the Xbox.  And our living room is too small for a volleyball court.

5. I should not have bought an Xbox for my 5 year old.  My ego is going to take a beating.

6. I am having real issues again with food.  I need to just shut it off.  I like fast food and eating out..yes I am probably addicted to the salt.  I know that most nutritionists etc..say don't count your calories but I need to..at least to get me jump started again.  Jen has me logging on Spark People to keep track of everything I eat.  So far I do not like what I am seeing.

7. Food that you eat while preparing your meals counts towards your calorie intake..who knew? I figured that when I was shredding cheese for tacos that the block of cheese I ate while shredding did not count.

8. This time of year I enjoy shopping and buying triathlon gear more than I enjoy using it. Of course my wife did buy quite a bit of triathlon stuff for herself this year which is a change... But yet she does not understand the concept of your helmet having to match your jersey having to match your bike...

9.  It is best not to take your new camera out and go through all of the functions and play with it in your car in front of your kids school after you have dropped them off. 

10.  That anyone can get snippy during the xmas season...had a Costco sample person actually say.."free samples...for those who have not had 3 pieces already".  I took another two pieces of sausage anyway..

11.  There were some serious historical inaccuracies in Abraham Lincoln Vampire Slayer. 

12.  Red Box movies cost about the same as regular movies when you forget to return them for a couple of weeks.

13.  I hate Troy Aikman and Kirk Herbstreit equally.  Every time either one opens his mouth I just want to bash the t.v. in....which i should do in the near future since the price on new big screens is so low.

14. Every time a restaurant closes in Golden Colorado two Mexican restaurants open up. (Which ironically will help me stick to my eating plan since I will not eat out as much...if Dorito Taco is not on the menu I am not interested in Mexciacn food)

 15.  Apparently my foot injury is directly connected to the proximity of any upcoming race on my schedule thus explaining the issues I had before Barking Dog..Lookout Mountain and now Chilly Cheeks Duathlon on December 1.  Thus I will not let my foot know when I have scheduled a race from now on.  I am up and running again but the CC Duathlon is out..at least the December one. 

The secret to living healthy and being fit is.....

I have discovered the secret to fitness and living healthy.  What is it you ask?  Is it a gym membership? A new bike? A personal trainer? Jen as a coach?..sadly it is none of the above. If it was I would be in Ironman shape already.  Unfortunately the answer is something I do not have but have tried to encompass my entire adult life.  The answer is...Organization.  Yes..the "O" word. 

Since the beginning of my 30 day experiment I have struggled on some days and on other days I have hit every goal both nutritionally and training wise.  After looking at my logs I can see one common denominator in both my failures and successes..the degree of organization.

I have hit my nutrition goals on the days I packed a lunch the night before as well as planning out dinner and having my blender set up for the morning smoothies.  On days I have not done this I have either skipped breakfast or had something which was not as nutritious.  If I didn't pack a lunch I tended to stray from the healthy foods to the convenient ones.

On days I have hit my training goals I have packed my gym bag the night before after checking that everything I need has been packed and stowed.  Obviously losing my shoe and underwear was one of the days that I did not have everything stowed away.  I also made it to the pool one day and realized that I had my suit and towel..but no goggles.

Since the secret to fitness is organization..I might as well quit now.  It is a battle I will never win.  I have bought book upon book telling me how to get organized..but I have not been able to find them in a while.  I have bought journals to keep track of things..but one is too big and another is too small..so I had two journals..then three and then four..each with a day here or there in them.  just tracking my workouts has been a nightmare..should I use the log on beginner triathlete? Sure..but training peaks has better heart rate information..I'll use that instead..wait garmin connect is an easy download and no ads..but the log on attackpoint has pretty graphs....just ask my coach..she has no idea where the hell my logs are.  Ok..they are actually on attackpoint because of the pretty graphs..although I do link to garmin connect. 

I spent 3 hours the other night just putting all of my finances in Quicken..promising myself I would keep every receipt...so far I have a couple of receipts crumpled up in my wallet and  nothing entered. The only reason I can function at work is I have one paralegal whose entire existence revolves around me staying organized. 

Don't even ask me about race days...When I raced Ironman Wisconsin I almost had a panic attack..I had to have my run bag..bike bag..run special needs bag..bike special needs bag..I was a freaking wreck.  I checked..then double checked then triple checked each bag.  In the end I just bought four of everything I could possibly need and put one in each bag.

You can ask my training partner Doreen about our rides and runs..I spend 15 minutes going through the mess in the back of my truck looking for shoes...helmets..gloves..whatever I actually need I cannot find. However I am able to find everything else.  For some reason I always find underwear.  I think I have a phobia about underwear..True story..when I was 20 I had been working out at the gym and went to get dressed and had forgotten clean underwear. Thus, I put on my pants without underwear.  I then was driving on the county highway and got into a head on crash at 55 mph.  Although I hit my knee and head I refused to go to the hospital because I wasn't wearing underwear..My mother always warned me to have on clean underwear in case I got in an accident..and the day I do...no freaking underwear..Ever since then there is underwear in every car I drive in case of emergency.   I just hope I never crash my bike.

Thus I will keep on moving forward..although I now know that the odds are stacked against me.  One side note..I ended up going to the doctor because the foot was giving me issues again.  Did xrays and an MRI. Found that I have some ligament issues but nothing that requires more than a little rest and alleve. I was very happy knowing there were no gout related issues or a stress fracture.  Unfortunately my wife had an MRI done the same day and has to have surgery for a meniscus tear. She will not be able to run for 6 weeks after surgery..the bright side is I may be able to catch up with her running wise by the end of January..woo hoo!!

Also please remember small business Saturday when buying presents this year.  If you need help getting me a gift may I suggest the Scott 29er

It even has my name on it

And to make it easy just talk to Ryan at Kompetitive Edge.  They are now carrying Scott bikes and he will make sure to hook you up with the size I need.

Take care everyone.

Found my shoe!

Days 10 and 11.

Monday - Day 10 of this 30 day excersize in futility. 

Nutrition: Smoothie in the morning, greek yogurt for snack, roast beef and cheese sandwich for lunch (with veggies), sub sandwich for dinner with veggies and no mayo. baked chips and hummus for snack during game.  I am eating better overall but definitely too much. I think I am also eating calories that just don't register. A handful of cereal when I make it for my daughter in the morning. or a bite of her sandwich.. I have also been drinking a ton of milk lately..walking by the fridge grabbing the gallon jug and drinking..Probably should be counting those calories since we are going through a gallon every two days.  The milk must be taking the place of the soda I am not drinking.  I am drinking more water though.   I think I may have to actually count calories just to get a handle on how much I am eating.

Training: Ran today without any problems..except that pesky feeling of being obese and out of shape.  Other than that..zero problems. Foot actually felt great.

The Good..I found my other shoe that has been missing!!

The Bad:  I made one last call to Ballys and yep..they had one red reebok in their lost and fond. So I go to pick it up at lunch.  I walk in and there is an attractive trainer behind the desk who is actually in her late 30s..early 40s.  I'm wearing a dress shirt and tie..have my head shaved and my contacts in..so I am feeling pretty fly for a pasty white guy.. I go up and tell her I called earlier and wanted to pick up my shoe.  She looks at me and smiles."yeah..I'm sexy and I know it"..she goes and gets the shoe and gives it to me.  She then says.."I was the one who found it..there was a pair of underwear with it but I didn't pick that up"  I probably turned beet red and all I could do was try to think which underwear I had in my gym bag and just hoped to God it was a clean pair.  I no longer felt fly..and wondered why she had to tell me this...She then said that they were laying in the parking lot.  What the heck..I walked to and from the parking lot at least two if not three times looking for the darn things the night I lost them.  My wife made the comment that I can't see any of the clothes on the floor at home..how the heck did I expect to see any laying on ground.

Tuesday - Day 11.

Nutrition Yogurt for breakfast, roast beef sandwich for lunch, 2 PBJ sandwiches for dinner with milk.  Obviously missing some veggies today.  I really need to get the veggies.  Actually felt more full today then I did on days I ate like a pig.

Training - Swam today at lunch.  I finally used the new Special Ops goggles at the pool.  The verdict?  These things rock.  They are polarized and made for outdoors but were fine vision wise inside.  They also fit perfect. I was concerned when I tried them on at the store since they fit kind of inside my eye sockets. I also have freakishly long eyelashes for a guy (girls used to want to put mascara on me in high school) and was afraid they would be bothered by the lenses..but no problem at all.  Definitely keepers.  And for those of you that are fashion conscious they come in a ton of colors. If you are interested you can order a pair from Kompetitive Edge online.  The one weird thing though.  Without my contacts I am blind. However with goggles on underwater my vision is almost perfect...With the Special Ops my vision was better than without contacts..but definitely not perfect..I wonder if it had anything to do with the polarization.  This does not affect me since when I swim outdoors I always have contacts in anyway.

One serious note.  Please be a defensive driver whether it be in your automobile or on your bike.  My brother and sister in law were driving back home after watching the Badgers kick the crap out of the Hoosiers at a local establishment in their town when they were hit by a car driven by a teenage girl.  The witnesses said that the girl had the music cranked up and was "rocking out" at the light right before she ran the next light.  Everyone was fine after the accident..but it does show how quickly something can happen..even when you are in the right.

Take care everyone and remember to keep track of your shoes..and underwear.

Days 6-9..you win some..you lose some(but not enough).

Days 6-9

Day 6
Hmm. Thursday..Stayed the course nutrition wise and had 45 minutes on the elliptical. Went to the rec center at lunch.  Felt like an adult when I brought my own  bar soap in a plastic container from home instead using the gym "foam". Didn't feel so adult like when I dropped the container and the top piece slid 3 stalls over to where the only other guy in the locker room was taking a shower.  Now this a a predicament...To avoid a Larry Craig incident I decided to forgo the cover.  Now I have to buy a new  bar of soap and container.  The guy actually came out of the stall later with the cover and asked me if it was mine..um no.  WTH I was the only other guy in there..freaking poltergeists.

And one note on the elliptical..it was less than spectacular.  Instead of saving my knees I almost blew one out by thinking I could reverse direction on it after I had gotten some good forward momentum going.  I guess I should get on one of these more than once a year.  I also found out later in the afternoon that my calves did not like the machine at all.

One good note. Had my daughter's first parent/teacher conference. Started by the teacher saying..Yeah there is really nothing to discuss...no behavior issues..no learning issues..no social issues.  Obviously my daughter has really learned how to manipulate people..good for her!  Just the night before she was singing in the shower..."I'm running through the sand..I know I'm in Iran..we're going to kill whose in command..we will.. we will.. rock you.."

Day 7
Friday- Nutrition was good.  Smoothie for breakfast, salad with grilled chicken for lunch and tilapia for dinner.  Also put together a dresser from IKEA..Thus I worked on my mental toughness.

Workout at lunch..lifting and some cardio on the stationary bike.  Was supposed to run but the calves said..no.

Day 8

Saturday - We will call this our FREE day.  Ugh.  Company meeting in the morning..snowing...stress...Breakfast was donuts and juice....mcdonald's for lunch..yeah mcdonald's..2 plain cheese burgers and a filet o' fish..and fries. You want to see what kind of damage one hideous mistake can do to your diet check out the nutrition content of what I ate. My mcdonald's meal   What is truly amazing is the calories and fat content yet almost no Vitamin A or C. The only saving grace is that I did not order the large coke like I would normally do and I took the tartar sauce off.  That was pretty much my nutrition for the day..except for the Godzilla and Purple Haze I had that evening at the bar. To say Saturday was a disaster was an understatement.  However it just reinforced that I am a stress and boredom eater.

Pretty much the only good thing on Saturday was I fought every urge in my body to stop at Taco Bell and get a couple of Doritos Tacos and a XXL Nacho at 10:00 p.m.  Instead I went home and had some water and went to bed.  There is just something about alcohol that gets you craving for taco bell "food"

Day 9
Sunday - Veteran's day and Football day.

PBJ for lunch and eggs with veggies for dinner.  I did have a couple of slices of bacon and an english muffin but I think I was ok calorie wise.  I also did munch on pretzels during the game and some peanut butter.  Luckily the pretzel bag was almost empty. when I began.  I did miss breakfast which is not good.

Workout - Bike heart rate test on the trainer. I hate the trainer.  Things go numb. Important things.  OK they used to be important back in the day.  I was supposed to go all out for 8 miles.  Warmed up for 2 miles and then did the test.  I was probably too conservative on the test since my legs were hurting and I did not want to fall apart completely before the end.  For some reason I also find it very hard to get my heart rate up on a bike unless I am climbing or on the mountain bike. Thus I started at a very high cadence of 95 to 105 rpm..but couldn't get the hr up. When I mashed the gears towards the end the HR sky rocketed.

The wind tunnel

Here are my bike test results..Waiting for coach to tell me what it means.

I did step on the Scale today and it did register 222 which is 3 pounds down in 9 days.  If I would just stick to the nutrition plan I think it would be down a few more pounds. 

Still have not found the shoe.

Days 4 and 5

Day 4 - Did not go as planned. Missed my spinning workout and had to go out to lunch with business colleagues.

The good.  Breakfast - had my smoothie and it kept me filled. Lunch - even though I ate out I ordered water and a cobb salad. I even went so far to get a light vinaigrette dressing as opposed to the Ranch or French I usually get. Ok - I usually do not get French dressing. They apparently do not carry it at restaurants in Colorado because I like it.  You can get a freaking marijuana brownie in this state but you can't get French dressing.. Dinner was cereal and toast..not the best choice since there was no protein to speak of.  Also did not need all of those carbs before bed.

Another good. Jared at  Kompetitive Edge hooked me up with some new goggles to replace the ones that gave me such a problem.  I got the Tyr Special Ops.  They are polarized so I can use them for outdoor swimming..in about 6 months.  I have not tried them in the pool yet but they did awesome driving around town today..may just use them instead of my regular sun glasses.  I kind of looked like Vin Diesel in Pitch Black..if Vin had been sick for six months..lost all his muscle mass and then tried to recoup it with frequent trips to taco bell for the Doritos Tacos.

And yes..I did buy them because they were Badger colors.  That is just the way I roll.

Being it was election day Jared and I discussed our opinions and agreed that this country was lucky no matter who was elected since both candidates were immensely qualified for the job.  We also both wanted to tell all our facebook friends thank you for the enlightened and informative political posts they have been putting up the last 6 weeks.  Neither of us knew that Romney was going to actually require all women to register their uterus with the federal government...nor that Obama will require all working Americans to physically sign over their checks to welfare recipients at the end of each week.  I could have been so uninformed if it weren't for facebook.

I got home to watch the election and was reminded by my 4 year old daughter..Ink Masters is on tonight.  Which is weird since she is not allowed to watch the show.  What is even weirder is my addiction to it since I do not have any tattoos nor would ever get one and have no idea why anyone would want one.  I think I like the watching it because every one of the "artists" is a train wreck in some way or another.  And who doesn't like a show where a guy has to tattoo a girl with a bird shooting flames out of her....  Yeah there was a lot of blurring going on during that episode.

(This is a long way of saying..I missed my spinning workout)

The bad..missed my spinning workout and didn't tell Jen. 

Day 5 (Wednesday)

Missed breakfast..however when I got to work I stole someones yogurt out of the fridge and ate it.  I then went and taped the cover back on the yogurt container and put it back in the fridge.  Also went out to lunch to discuss business..Had another salad (grilled chicken and veggies) and water.  Yeah..apparently I am turning into "that" guy.  Pretty soon I'll be driving a Prius. Dinner was after I worked out and consisted of cottage cheese..with fruity cheerios in it.  (I did not have any real fruit readily available so used the next best thing)

I went to Ballys after work to run on the treadmill.  I love Ballys..the personal trainers are usually either looking at themselves in the mirror or helping the "hot" chick in the class with her lunges as the fat guy hyper-extends something resulting in a bone that begins protruding in an area it shouldn't.  There is no shortage of entertainment at that place.  And while I was on the treadmill I watched one particular guy doing the weight machines.  He did exactly 2 sets of exercises on 2 different machines during the 45 minutes I ran.  However he did manage to scare off 3 different women working out in the same area.  I don't know why..I thought the wife beater t-shirt and orange and blue zubaz were rockin.

My nutrition was not horrible today but could have been better.  The running and lifting went well.

The Bad today.. I lost one of my new shoes.  I packed it this morning but when I got to the gym there was only one shoe in the gym bag.  Luckily my truck is a pig sty and I had two other pairs of shoes in it..so I walked out of the gym in my socks..grabbed another pair of shoes and did my workout.  I was tempted to walk around the gym in my one red crosstrainer but figured the reference to the 80s Tom Hanks movie would be too obscure for most.  Thus instead of laughing at the obvious joke people would have just pointed at the pathetic old guy with one red shoe. 

I still have no idea where my shoe is.

Day 3..whoops.

Ok Day 3 started out well. Actually had a good breakfast. Made a smoothie with spinach, protein powder, cherries, raspberries, blueberries and skim milk that actually tasted pretty good and kept me pretty satisfied for the morning.

Pre-blended. Actually tasted pretty darn good.

Morning snack was a greek yogurt and fruit. Lunch was a roast beef and cheese sandwich on whole wheat..(I did miss an opportunity here to add veggies to the sandwich)  Dinner was chicken breast and salad with peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers.

If that was all I ate it would have been a good day.  Unfortunately a woman walks into our office this afternoon from the Texas Roadhouse carrying warm dinner rolls and cinnamon butter.  You have to be kidding me..I did not go out to eat for lunch so people are now bringing the food to me.  Not only that but she hands me coupons for free lunch and free appetizers.  Is this some kind of sick cosmic joke?  Did Jen hire this woman to tempt me? The Texas roadhouse is near our office and we have always wanted to try it..but it was never open for lunch.  Guess what..next Monday they are open for lunch.  Ok..I had one dinner roll with the cinnamon butter..and it was divine...the only thing that kept me from having 3 or 4 more is knowing I would need to write it on this blog... I also gave my free coupons away.

I did get home and had a fun size kit kat..(That darn candy is still in the house) and had half a pita and hummus in front of the football game.  Thus there were a few setbacks today.  However I was able to limit the "bad" which I usually do not do.  So I would give myself a "C" for today as far as nutrition.

However..I have now gone 3 days without soda and without eating out.  Those are huge for me.

I also got my short workout in today. 30 minute swim at the pool. I tried my new TYR Nest Pro goggles and they worked like crap. Unless they are supposed to let water in..then they worked awesome. I knew I was in trouble when the straps barely fit around my head.  I got back to the office to check on the model..and after I found them I read the description..."Inspired by that unique bird nest architectural design of Beijing's main stadium for 2008."  I ain't no engineer.. so I have to ask.... why are my swim goggles designed after Red China's greatest propaganda spectacle of the last 50 years?  Is that why they were poorly constructed?  Needless to say I will be heading to the store to buy another pair of goggles.. It was nice to get back to the swim locker room again though...there is just something about the smell of ben gay and talking to the nude 90 year old guy with one leg up on the bench  that really makes you feel alive. 

Day 2 in the books

Second day and although not easy it was not that difficult to make the right decisions.  Weekends are where I can get the workouts in but usually go way off nutrition..while weekdays I have problems getting the workouts in but in theory nutrition should be good.

Nutrition today. Bfst: eggs, peppers, ham, cheese.  Now I usually like cheese in my scrambled eggs..however to get any taste I drop in about a half cup of cheddar.  Thus a ton of calories.  Just started using Laughing Cow low fat creamy swiss. Only 35 calories per wedge.  Also, I can use one small prepackaged wedge and it adds enough taste for 3 eggs.  woo hoo.  Win.
Dinner was a salad and lightly breaded tilapia.  Usually Sunday nights are cream cheese pepperoni pizza with cheese bread and possibly wings....so again..win.  Actually had a greek yogurt as a snack.  And still was able to stay away from the Halloween candy..which is leaving the house tomorrow.

Workout..A little over 90 minutes on the bike. Rode with my wife down clear creek trail.  Two things I learned on this ride. One,  I have lost my bike fitness (which shouldn't be a surprise since I have hardly been on it since the end of August.) and two, my wife is going to kick my butt in the duathlon we have coming up in December.

Beautiful weather for a November ride

And Angela...Great question..what does eating clean mean? I think it depends on who you ask and what they are following.  Obviously a vegan and someone following the Paleo diet are going to have different definitions.  The way I define eating clean is following whatever diet/nutrition plan that you have embarked on.  Thus, eating clean for me would mean making choices where Jen does not smack me upside the head.  Eating clean for the people I work with would mean trying not to get their food down the front of their shirts...which we all know isn't ever going to happen.

I think I have a lot of leeway on my nutrition plan. Just make better choices at this point.  The two corn dogs I had for breakfast a couple of weekends ago was labeled a bad choice by Jen. Thus that will not happen again.  I am also trying to stay clear of white flours and carbs as well as anything deep fried.  And no diet soda...which I can say I have been free from for 2 days.

OH and congratulations Angela on your  triathlon finish!! Can't wait to race with you next year.

Hope everyone has a wonderful week.

Day 1

Ok..made it through the first day.

Completed workouts as scheduled.  30 minute slow run on the treadmill to test the foot out. Went well and I think I can actually start running again.  Actually did some walk/run to make sure nothing was tweaked. 30 minutes of strength training also done and in the books.

mud room which will be the treadmill/spinning center for the next few months.

Nutrition wise..did well for the most part.  Eggs, spinach and Canadian bacon.  Lunch was roast beef/ham/cheese with spinach on whole wheat and cottage cheese. Dinner was grilled chicken on a pita with a piece of cheese and spinach.  I did fall off the wagon by sneaking some of the kid's mac'n'cheese at dinner. Also had about 10 baked chips with salsa.  Obviously the last two were not clean eating.  But I will take this for a first day.  It actually helped knowing I was going to publicly log all of this.  I was amazed that I was able to keep away from all of the kit kats and peanut butter cups that are floating around the house.

Wt. this morning 225.  I also put a link to my new log on the left side of this blog..just in case you want all of the actual numbers etc.  Just click on the graph and it will take you to the log.

Tomorrow - Easy Bike Ride  1.5 to 3 hours
Monday - weights and cardio
Tuesday - swimming and spinning.

30ish Day Challenge

So November is here.  The time of year I usually hibernate on the couch watching football and stocking up on my Doritos and pizza for the year.  So far I have been somewhat successful at not allowing this to happen..I said somewhat. I have actually been eating fairly clean this week (actually had a spinach smoothie which tasted pretty darn good) but had some setbacks. (mostly the funsize variety)

Therefore I am embarking on the 30ish day challenge to get me through November. Everything I do is ish..I'll be there at 8ish...I weigh 200ish..my run time?  an hour or two ish...swam 2000 yards ish (or maybe 500).   And that is part of my problem..I need to just do..and not doish?  How many tacos did you eat? ..umm 5ish...  

It will start Saturday November 3 and go through December 8.  November is a bad month for a number of reasons..the weather is colder, thus I can start wearing sweaters and sweatshirts to hide my girth..it starts off with 8 lbs of candy in the home from Halloween... Football is on five days a week..its dark out...Thanksgiving..holiday parties..and the list goes on.  November and December also tend to be extremely stressful work months.. All of this adds up to weight gains of 15 to 20 pounds during the holidays the last two years which starts Jan. 1 off on a bad note.

The challenge for me is simple..I will blog my workouts and nutrition everyday.  I know from past experience that I am more apt to perform if there is a negative or public humiliation involved rather than a perk or positive.   I am also aware that I can't "make small sustainable" changes like everyone preaches.  You can have one can of soda a week...yeah..that ain't happening. I either kick the habit completely or the one soda will very quickly turn into ..one container of soda..maybe a two liter..maybe a half barrel. I also need to get back in the habit of logging my workouts and nutrition..I have been terrible the last two months. Jen is about ready to kill me over this... Another thing I know about me is that I am a creature of habit..both good and bad and 30ish days is enough to establish new habits.

Once I get the ok from coach I plan on putting a race on the schedule for this time period. Just something simple. Maybe a 5k.  Need to see how much fitness I have lost since I have had yet another foot injury.  If it keeps up I see a trip to the ortho in my near future. I am also going to talk with coach about throwing in some fitness tests in the next week or two ..just to see how low my starting point is..run..bike..swim...bench press etc.. 

I have also been told by my wife if the 30ish day challenge is not completed successfully (according to the standards set forth by coach) I will lose a space in the garage for one of my bikes and possibly a bike.  Now that hurts.

UPDATE - Coach just told me I am doing the Chilly Cheeks Duathlon on December 1.  Better register.  I think my wife will also register ..just to beat me.

I used to like shoe shopping

I decided to go shoe shopping on Tuesday for a new pair of cross trainers since my schedule states that I should be in the gym lifting weights.  All I really have is running shoes. Based upon some recommendations from Jen I started my quest. We think that some of the foot issues I have are from trying to weight lift and do lateral movements in my running shoes.  Thus we wanted something with more stability.  She was awesome, giving me a list of 5 shoes..all of them in Badger Red (or close to it).  How hard is is to find cross trainers?  Well apparently very hard.  I called a number of running shoe places and they did not carry cross trainers at all. Then I went to Kohl's, DSW, Sports Authority, Famous Footwear, Off Broadway.....and they either did not have any at all or one's that did not fit correctly.

I finally stopped at Dick's and found a pair of Reebok Real Flex transitions.

They only had a size 14..and the damn things fit.  How did my feet get so huge?  They must be spreading from the weight they have had to support over the years.  Anyway, the whole purchasing experience made me feel less than stellar and a little long in the tooth.  First of all a little 20 year old sales girl bounds over to help.  She saw me staring at the wall of shoes and asked if I was looking for walking shoes?  What the heck!!  Where did that assumption come from?  It may have been the fact that I have not shaved my head again thus the grey was showing..or the fact that I had to put reading glasses on to try and find the sku numbers on the price tags..but do I really look that old/out of shape?

I explained to her I was looking for specific styles of cross trainers.  She then picked out a pair of all white tennis shoes. (Yeah..I just wrote "tennis" shoes).  I then tried to explain to her that I was going to actually "cross train"..you know..run..weight lift..etc.  So she finally picked up a pair of crossfit shoes and proceeded to tell me about crossfit.  I told her that I knew what crossfit was and had actually done it for a few months.  Apparently this did not register..or more likely she didn't believe me and continued her explanation. 

So I tried the the crossfit shoes on as well as the Real Flex.. I was torn because they were so different but both fit very well..so I decided to call Jen to see what she recommended.  I took out my phone to call and ended up going through 5 screens on my smart phone just to find the phone app.  The salesgirl than said..."My dad had to dumb down his phone so he could figure out how to operate it."  At that point I did not know whether to laugh or beat her with a shoe box.  Fortunately for her this was the only place in town that had the shoes I needed..so I refrained from the beating. 

I paid for my purchase and saw a good looking woman my age coming to the door as I was exiting.  She stopped and held the door open for me..I thanked her..wondering why she held the door open..and she said.."no problem sir."    I would have stopped to ask her why she said that..but was late for my optometrist appointment.  The good news is that my bifocals are too strong and thus the new prescription was actually weakened.  The bad news is that I wear bifocals.

After the eye doctor appointment I headed home sat on  the davenport, grabbed the clicker...and turned on the t.v..  Of course Kristine had it tuned to the Hallmark channel and the first thing I see is Murder She Wrote.  Obviously the Universe is trying to tell me something.  Maybe its..use your shoes boy and get off the davenport!!  

New Coach for Team Abekat Anarchy

OK..So I won't do the Rev 3 adventure race in Wyoming.  I would have to make it my "A" race and also try to get another 24 hour race in before July.  However it is obviously something that I need to put on my bucket list and I have no excuses for not training for it.  Being in Golden I have places to rock climb, mountain bike, and paddle within 30 minutes of the house, 

So I am still trying to figure out what to do as far as races.  There are a number of variables I am still waiting on to determine what I am going to do.  Depending on those variables I may target St. George Utah 70.3 in early May 2013 or Rev 3 Knoxville at the same time as my big early season race.  Both would be destination races but something that could be done in a long weekend.  The nice thing about the Rev 3 race is that I would have a choice between the Olympic and Half distances depending on training.

Speaking of training, I jacked up my foot again about a week ago.  Same tendon issues I had when I started weight training about a month ago.  Thus I have not been running but lifting instead.  I am actually liking the lifting and am hoping to see some strength gains soon. I know.. I will probably be burned at the stake for heresy...but I think my Newtons may be part of the issue.  Going to run in something other than the Newtons and see how that works out.

My diet has been "OK". Lots of room for improvement..but better than it used to be. The goal for this week is very simple.  Clean breakfast..either eggs with veggies or a smoothie with spinach and protein.  Clean lunch..sandwich with veggies or salad with protein.  Simple.  Let's see if I can do it for five days.  (OH Crap..I forgot abut Halloween..)

Speaking of training, my wife has been doing awesome.  I don't think she has missed a day of scheduled training in 5 weeks.  Saturday she got up early and braved the cold to get an outdoor ride in on her bike.  Sunday she got out of a warm bed to go to her running club.

K in the morning before her run..too happy.

I wish I had her dedication to getting up in the morning on her day off and getting her exercise in.  I am beginning to think she may just want to get up and out of the house while I am still sleeping and thus not have to deal with me in the morning...but that can't possibly be true.

And another big announcement. I am no longer being coached by Sonja Weick. She did an awesome job for me last year..especially with all of the injuries I had.  However, she has decided to cut the number of athletes she has down.  Thus I have entered into an unholy alliance with Maine Jen...Yes...That girl...

Jen and I click on a number of levels and she is not afraid to call me up and kick my ass in regard to training, nutrition or letting my hair get too long.  She is also one of the few people in this world tat appreciates my sense of humor.  And although I kid around a lot about her she is an amazing athlete and has made HUGE strides in the last few years getting to where she is at.  We also have decided to do Cedar Point together...ok.... We will start the race together and she will finish 3 hours before me...but at least we will be at the same venue.  And heck..I may be able to convince her to be my adventure race buddy in the future.  So Jen is now an official member and coach of team Abekat Anarchy!  I'll still b seeking advice from the people in the know about nutrition and swimming and a hundred other things..and I see 2013 as my breakout year.  (And maybe the year I am actually in the 100s again.)

Now if she would just stop calling my beloved University of Wisconsin peeps "Beavers".

Hope everyone has a great week!! And to all my friends on the east coast..including Connecticut, Maine and Jersey Jens and their families...please stay safe and dry!!

REV 3 Adventure Race - Wyoming

I was just looking at races to fill next years schedule and came upon this on the Rev 3 website.The Cowboy Tough Adventure Race.  Check this out..3.5 days of adventure racing through beautiful Wyoming.  It includes paddling, mountain biking, trekking and other various skills. It starts on July 18 and goes through the July 21st.

I know..I already have Rev 3 Cedar Point as my "A" race next year..but an adventure race!! It is also a team event (2 or 4 person) which would be awesome.  However, I would have to find somebody dumb enough to do it with me.  That person would also need to be able to stand the sight and sound of me for 3.5  days..so that leaves my wife out.  I'm wondering what Jen Small is doing that weekend?  And I would have to get a ton of mountain bike riding in..something I have forgotten how to do since I started this triathlon stuff.

Doesn't this look much more fun then being in aero position?

Of course, if I did find someone to sign up with me the pressure on me to train would be that much greater since I would not want to let them down...and I would have a reason to buy the new 29er I have been looking at.

Gary Fisher Superfly..woo hoo!!

I already know that Rev 3 puts on a great race, Wyoming is a very drivable distance for us, and the date is perfect..being about 7 weeks before the Full Rev in September.  I'm going to have to think about this. 

An adventure race is definitely on my bucket list of things to do.  And I only have a limited amount of time to do one.  Yep..I am already wearing bifocals as of last year and my depth perception is totally gone.  Mountain biking takes on a whole new feel when you have no clue how far the drop off in front of you actually is. 

If any of my friends out there wants to do this race..even if it is without me..let me know and maybe I could help set you up with transportation, lodging, support etc..

Hope everyone is having a safe halloween weekend..  And stay away from that candy!!! I don't know which I love more..kit kats, almond joy or peanut butter cups.

From Fat To Finish Line

 Hello Everyone! I hope you are all enjoying this fall weather, the beautiful colors (In Colorado it is "color" yellow) and college football.  This is a great time to run and bike..except for the fact it is too dark out once I get home from work to do either.

As most of you know I met some people while I was in Maine doing my race that are producing a documentary film based on twelve people who have lost a bunch of weight and are now poised to do a Ragnar Relay from Miami to Key West together in January of this year.  The running relay is over 200 miles in two days.  The film introduces you to the people running, discusses their stories dealing with weight loss and will follow their race.

The main people behind the film..Angela and Jen (New Jersey Jen)..are wonderful people.  Further, My friend Jen(Maine Jen) from milesmusclesmommyhood.com is one of the featured people.  New Jersey Jen is also in the film and you can find out more about her and her weight loss journey HERE.

Below are pictures of some of the runners from competitions that they just did today.  By the way..A HUGE shout out to Maine Jen who competed her first marathon today in 4:15..awesome job Jen..Especially considering that a few short years ago she was not at what we would call a healthy weight.

The long and the short of it is that I can relate to the people in the film and the struggles that they went through and continue to go through to live healthy lives.  The team captain is even a Badger from the great state of Wisconsin.

The film is looking for contributions to make it a reality. Most of the preliminary work and interviews have been completed but there is a long way to go to complete the project.  The film originally looked for funding on kickstarter but the goal was not met and so the film did not get any of the contributions and none of the contributors were charged.They have now changed their funding to the link I have below..and they will get the contributions whether or not their goal is met.  So I am asking that if any of you have a few dollars to spare to think about contributing to the film. Of course if you contribute you will get perks and rewards depending on the size of the contribution. Everything from t-shirts to a DVD of the movie with special extras to an Executive Producer Credit if you come up with the big bucks.

Click on this link for more information..From Fat To Finish Line.    

 Click Here to Contribute!

Of course..everyone is waiting until the last minute to contribute so please make your contributions within the next 48 hours if you are going to do so.

Although the film will be incredibly inspirational..the real reason to support it is that my daughter may have a cameo appearance.  I think they will be pretty good at cutting my ugly mug out so you do not have to worry about that.  Also, just think about what it is going to be like for these people to be stuck in a van with Jen from milesmusclesmommyhood for two straight days during the race in order to complete the film.  Now that is devotion to a cause.

Thanks..and email me directly or post a comment if you have any questions regarding the film.

The best FREE apps.

A few posts ago I promised helpful hints for getting healthy.  Here is more of a review rather than a hint.  When people begin to get serious about getting healthy, training or losing weight they tend to want to log where they have been and plan on where they are going.  Thus I have a list of my favorite FREE websites and applications for doing just that.  I have tried all of these apps, even though I didn't remember doing so on some of them. I was surprised when I went to check out dailymile to find I already had my profile setup and my last logged workout on it was a 13.1 mile run on the treadmill..(What the heck was I thinking)  So one lesson to take away from my experience is once you find an application you like stick with it so you have everything in one place.

BEST CALORIE COUNTING WEBSTIE AND APP

The first is MY FITNESS PAL.com  This is a free site and application which you can use to track your food and calorie intake as well as fitness activities.  The search feature and food database is one of the best I have seen. Further, you can download the app on your Iphone or android and it loads a bar code reader which you can use on food packaging to get all of the data you need.

The site allows you to set a calorie goal and lets you know if you are over or under it for the day.  Further, you can track your weight, follow friends and become active in the community on the site.  Again this is a wonderful site and application if you are into calorie counting.

BEST BEGINNER TRIATHLETE SITE AND BEST FREE TRAINING LOG

If you are more concerned with actual triathlon training then tracking calories the web site www.beginnertriathlete.com is for you.  Like all of these sites, it is free and geared towards those who want to train and compete in triathlons.  It has a very active forum and community.  The forums range from triing for weight loss to a forum especially for Clydes and Athenas. There are also forums for Iron distance races.  No question is too dumb and the people who are active on it make newcomers feel welcome..(unlike the douche bags who populate www.slowtwitch.com).  I found this site about 7 years ago and my data from then is still online..amazingly I am about the same weight as I was 7 years ago.  One of the nice features of the site is the free training log.  It tracks all of your triathlon related data as well as strength training and other activities. You can also track your nutrition and leave comments or notes.  The settings also allow others in the community to look at your blog and leave comments and inspirations.  As far as free training logs are concerned I find this to be the best. You are even able to download data from your garmin or other devices.  If you want to pay for a membership you will have access to a number of training plans from sprint to Iron distance.  The free site has a few training plans available also.  I am starting to log onto this site more often again.  The site does have a free app for your phone.

BEST MAPPING/TRACKING MAP

I downloaded www.mapmyride.com one day when I was out for a ride and forgot my garmin.  The application downloaded to my android and off I went.  I was pleasantly surprised to find a very accurate reading for my speed, distance and elevation as well as the route I rode.  Like all of these applications the one drawback is the battery drain on your phone if you go for a longer ride or run.  However, for a free application it rocks.  I also just checked out their website and they have added a number or items such as nutrion logging, weight tracking, workout records, etc...  One of the features I use a lot on the website is to find new routes near my house. I can see the route on the map as well as elevation gains and the speeds of those who have done the route before.  There is also a brand new feature which allows you to immediately download your workout to Facebook and annoy all of your friends with your bragging about doing a 10 mile bike ride..

Although my favorite application is Mapmyride..a lot of my friends are using www.strava.com.  I am guessing because Strava ran a ton of commercials during the Tour de France and my friends in Colorado are a bunch of lemmings.  Strava does basically the same things as mapmyride.  However, one cool thing it does do is allow you to download your garmin or other gps to their site.  You can still use their app on your phone but this other option works great for those of us who are attached to our garmins..literally.  One crappy thing it does..at least for me..is tell you how you rank on a particular route.  You are 2,556 out of 2,557 people who have done this route.  Like I need confirmation that I am slow. I guess if you are faster then this might be a cool thing to boost your ego.


BEST SIMPLE RUN/BIKE LOG

The www.dailymile.com is a very simple way to log your miles whether they be running, biking or misc. It is very simple to use and very simple to share your workout on facebook.  I think the biggest attraction of Daily Mile is how easy it is to keep track and comment on friend's activities.  Another plus is seeing how many of your friends are actually on Daily Mile.


COOLEST NEW APP I WON'T EVER USE BECAUSE I HATE  IPHONES.

RUN METER  First of all this app costs 4.99 and has additional small costs to add voices to it. It is also only for Iphones.  Basically it is a Strava or Mapmyride type application that you do not need a web site for.  Everything is self contained on the iphone.  What makes it cool..you can program the phone to talk to you on your runs giving you distance, pace, etc.  Further, you can program it to give friends updates of where you are on a course during a race so they have real time access to how you are doing.  Also, if a friend posts a message on facebook the phone will actually tell you what the message is.  This could be either good or bad depending on what kind of friends you have. Right Angela? ANARCHY, ANARCHY, ANARCHY!

 TRAINING UPDATE..As most of yo know I was in Wisconsin over the weekend. I somehow put on 8 pounds in 4 days.  It may have been the fried cheese curds or kringle or fish fry or may just be water weight from the humidity.  Anyway - here are some pics...(Also my daughter got to go to her first Badger game..and actually booed our QB for throwing an interception..even though no one else was.)

Farmer's Market outside Capitol

Ron Dayne!!

Little Chlly

45 .... and a poll question!!

So I turned 45 very recently and it made me feel a little old and out of shape..Fortunately I found a lot of old pictures and realized that I just get better looking with age. However, I am concerned that 45 may be the tipping point when things start to go downhill fast.  I notice that within the last year my head may actually be getting rounder..(as if a sphere could get rounder) or possibly flattening like the the picture on the lemonheads box (mmm. lemonheads).  And when the heck did the lemonheads get friends?  They don't need friends and they don't want friends..and I sure as heck don't want to be picking out the lemonheads from the "friends" in the bag.  Anyway I digress.

I am also concerned that every picture of me lately has a pair of sunglasses attached to my head.  I think i am subconsciously concerned with the lines that have appeared around my eyes in the last year.. I definitely look younger and more hip with them on and they are definitely cheaper than surgery.  Unless I give in to Jared and Ryan at Kompetitive Edge who are still trying to talk me into a pair of Oakley Jaw Bones.  Ryan almost had me sold when he told me he could get them custom designed  Wisconsin colors and possibly even get them as bifocals.  I just can't spend that much on sunglasses when I lose a pair ever 2-3 days.  

So here is my progression from fat kid to skinny guy to hunk in the last 45 years  (I have left out the photos that actually show my girth as a child and in the brief period between 25 and 43 years of age. No one really needs to see that)

I almost fainted trying to hold my stomach in while K took the picture,,Notice the color coordination though.

OK..the last photo from Saturday shows I may have slid to "chunk" instead of "hunk"  but for the most part I am getting better looking.  Thus I  really should not be feeling bad about turning 45.  I'll just focus on getting healthier, leaner and stronger and let the rest take care of itself.  I'm sure I'll continue to be vain but at least I am not doing anything as pathetic as hanging out with old people to make me feel young.  By the way here are some photos of our ride on Saturday from Idaho Springs to Georgetown. Kristine and I went with our friends Doreen and Ted...It was a great ride..easy climb up to Georgetown where we ate breakfast and a fast descent back down to Idaho Springs..Doreen even saved us money at breakfast with her senior discount.

The crew..FYI I just had a short sleeve jersey on and was hot..I have no idea why these people are dressed for winter

Kristine and Doreen..I have no idea what they are doing..Some kind of whack gang sign..

On the way back to Idaho Springs.

As for actual triathlon news.  I hit the gym a few times last week and hoisted some iron.  Luckily I lift weights at the rec center at lunch time.  Thus there are only three or four old guys there and I don't have to lighten the weights much after they are done using them. I am definitely a lot less sore after using the weights than I was after my initial session of a couple of weeks ago.  I even got a run in and made it 4 miles without puking..I so hate running.. and I really hate not running..... But I really really hate trying to get into running shape again...ugh.

After checking with my significant other the "A" race next year is going to be REV 3 Cedar Point. I am planning on the 140.6.    I picked the race partly because of the course and average temperature..in a large part because I enjoyed the Rev 3 race in Maine so much and the last factor was Jen Small told me to.

Oh..and please feel free to put in the comments section..hair..or no hair..and to take the poll at the very top of the page.    There seems to be a running debate about which way I look better.  Obviously I am concerned about this and making the public happy.

Later Gators..