Living Life

Base Training

I've always been interested in the mix between "base training," lower intensity, steady volume, presumed to build a base of fitness, and "speed training," which is more intense and designed to build raw power in muscles.  The theory of periodization says to spend months in the base training mode, then at an appropriate time, lower the volume in favor of some speed training.  Prior to a race, when you want to be at your best, you rest, do some light workouts, and hopefully your body grows and adapts to peak right at race time.

Unfortunately, about 90% of the writing I've read on this methodology only explains the concepts, but doesn't reference good studies nor creates a mathematical method to determine when to start shifting from one type of workout to another.  So I guess it'll be up to me to experiment :).

I started my base training in December with an intent to do 4 months of just pure volume.  In December I:

swam: 35,000 yards
biked: 220 miles

In January I:

swam: 36,700 yards
biked:  241 miles

During that two months I've lost approximately 6 pounds, but my body composition changes make me think there is likely an additional amount of fat that has been traded for muscle (probably not too much).  My swimming has measurably improved, but my biking times are actually a tiny bit slower than what I was riding in October of last year.

More to come on the experiment of the human body!

Where are We at Now?

Lots of changes since I last wrote.  Hip surgery has taken me out of doing full triathlons, but I can still do aquabikes or relays.  I'm still in the game, so to speak :).

I revisited the Patriot Triathlon this weekend and reconnected with lots of old friends.  The following day I connected with more friends that resulted in a ride in a hot air balloon.  This made me realize that our connections with our friends are significant boons to our quality of life.  Who didn't know that, eh?

As I've mentioned, there are times I like to just go places and hang out, for no specific purpose other than to be.  One of the places I go often, I decided to engage with people there.  I'm happy being cool by myself, but sometimes the experience can really be enhanced by making those connections.  It was definitely so this weekend.

So on a couple of social networking sites, I like to write some very obscure words to some very deep meanings.  Usually I'm so obscure that only a few people that think like me understand what I mean. My old writing teachers would tell me I'm failing to communicate, and they would be right.  However, sometimes that obscurity becomes an avenue for others to share what the words mean to them, and that can have some outstanding results.  Here's an example:

I wrote the words "Dogs dig, it's what they do.  Think big."
 

This actually came from a discussion with my daughter who asked how she can get her dog to stop digging.  I gave her alot of silly answers before revealing my opinion that digging is just what dogs do; accept it because you can't change it.

I thought on those words a bit, at first because they just sounded cool.  But, I had to add the "think big" part because there's more to us than just cliche sayings.  Accepting that a dog will dig no matter what you do can be applied to the much larger universe of all things that we should learn to accept.  Using the "dog" metaphor helps to communicate that all those things we need to learn to accept, are probably pretty ok (because dogs are, right?).  Finally, "think big" by spending your time on those things that really can be changed or deserve your attention.

So a friend of mine reacts to these words in a way that expresses his love for his family and his opportunity to influence the environment that impacts his family.  It was very comforting to see his application of my obscure words to his world, and get an insight into his perspective.

What does all this rambling mean?  It means you're cool, so am I, and we're going to be ok.

Base Training

I've always struggled with finding that elusive balance between rest and training.  At times I feel on top of the world and train like a madman, and at others I feel like I'm always tired and can't get moving.  I've worked different schedules, different endeavors, and have yet to find any method I can call stable.

Of late, I have started tracking my volume per week with an intent to increase volume by 10% per week.  I presume, when I've reached a point that I no longer have enough time in the day, I can start to trade off volume for intensity.

At one point, I did feel pretty tired throughout the entire week, so I took a break and restarted at a lower volume.  I presume, that could be a good way to cycle this over time. 

So far, I'm not noticing huge improvement, but I'm feeling stronger and fairly contented about this method.

Hawk's Tri-Cycle

 

I thought it was about time to dedicate some words to my favorite store in Albuquerque, Hawk's Tri-Cycle.  Hawk's is where I bought my first time trial bike from, and it's probably worth knowing a little bit about how I got to that point.

The sport of triathlon will allow you sink as much money into it as you want.  I daresay some competitors likely make payments on their bike while outright owning a beater car.  You can truly buy as much gear at exceedingly high levels of quality as your pocket book can afford. 

If you ask an experienced bike salesman the magical question of "What kind of bike should I get?" most likely the answer will be, "How much do you want to spend?"  That is a very disheartening truism.  There is always some higher level component, frame, gear, what have you, to spend your money on.  So after a time, you start to learn that bike purchasing is less about what you should have and more about how much value you can get.  How much can I get x, y, z qualities for?  How much will it cost me to drop .5 oz off my bike?  And then of course, whoever offers the best value is usually where you end up buying from.

Prior to purchasing a time trial bike, I raced on an aluminum frame road bike.  I didn't put tri bars on that frame due to being educated about the challenges of getting the right tri-bar fit on a road bike system.  That being the case, I wanted a bike built to get me a tri-style fit.  If I went with an aluminum bike, I knew I'd want a carbon frame later.  Rather than spend the money for an aluminum frame now and buy a carbon frame later, I decided to wait till I could afford the carbon frame.

While saving my pennies, I started shopping.  I looked at used bikes.  I looked at different stores.  I got on some auctions (and missed some good deals).  Belonging to a couple of different clubs, I get a few discounts at preferred stores.  I have some friends in the right places that can get me some great deals.  In the end, putting all that together, Hawk's offered the best deal on an all carbon frame, hands down.  There was no competition.

But value is only one criterion I judge a store on.  I highly value service, especially when it comes to bikes.  James Martin, the owner of Hawk's, has offered exemplary service ever since I've known him.  I've gone through a ton of fits from different people and stores and there are only two people I truly trust to do a detailed fit; James is one of those two.  James' mechanic, Randy Silva, commands a reputation of distinct respect.  That other fitter, the second one I trust, says Randy is the only person he would trust to work on his bikes.  Finally, James sales rep, Brandi, is always a pleasure to talk to and work with. 

The final criterion I look for from a store is attitude.  Obviously part of attitude is wrapped up in service, but to continue, the Hawk's team sports an attitude of friendly professionalism.  James is an unassuming, laid back, normal Joe.  These guys are always available to help or just chat with.  I admit there are times that I go to Hawk's when I don't have anything to buy, and I just want to hang out. 

So, for me and my experience, Hawk's is where it's at.  Since purchasing my bike, I've bought components, gear, and clothing from Hawk's.  My wife picked up her first pair of bike shoes there.  I really have no reason to shop anywhere else.  Hawk's website is:  http://www.hawkstricycle.com/

What is our future life like?

I like to study people, especially older people, because I don't want to be old, when I get older.  Obviously time will take its told on all of us, but here's what I've seen.

When I worked at the University of Portland, there used to be these two older guys that would come into the gym.  I'm guessing they were around 70, and while they weren't very spry, they had some killer arms.  When they did bench presses, they were doing sets of 255.  At 70!

When I lived in Los Angeles, early 90's, I met a guy who was a navigator on B-29's in WWII.  He was at least 70, but more likely late 70's.  He was taking pilot ground school, even though with physical handicaps he would never be allowed to pilot a plane. He told me he took the classes because he enjoyed the topic and he felt that use of his brain was necessary to stave off mental deterioration.

We've all seen plenty of examples like this.  It is clear that use of the body and the mind are our best defenses against becoming feeble. Now, as to what activities, I would recommend the first quality to chase would be fun.  If you like running, then run.  If you like lifting, then lift.  If you like golf, then golf.  Similarly, for the mind, if you like classes, take them.  If you like crossword puzzles, go for it.  If you choose fun endeavors, you'll have a greater chance of continuing them over time.

Have fun living.  See you on the water.

Where's the goals?

Back in December I posted these training goals, targetting June of this year as my testing month:

Run - 5k in 27 min
Bike - 25 mi @16 mph
Swim - 1500yds in 25 min
Bench press - 205
Shoulder press - 185
Dips - 25
Pullups - 21
Squat - 205
Clean - 215
Dead lift - 335

Since then, some folks realize I've had some setbacks that will make some of these near impossible.  I don't intend on changing the goals.  I don't always subscribe to the concept that a goal should be achievable.  If a goal is achievable, it might actually be too low.

I'm pretty sure I won't hit that running goal, but the bike and swim are within reach.  I think I can get close to most of those weightlifting goals by June.

It might be valuable for me to add some of the Crossfit "named" workouts.  Some of those are really good tests.

Till then, races are being targetted, training continues, and life is great.  See you on the water (dang it's cold).

Base Training has Finally Begun

What? you say?  You're beginning base training now?   You racing in 2014?

Ah yes, those who have been following me on Facebook have had the benefit of my bemoaning of injuries that have set my training back a bit.  At one point I thought I might be a candidate for a hip replacement and asked quite a few questions of those who have done this.  While I don't like my current condition and nearly constant pain (bearable most of the time), I fear what I'll be like after the surgery so I'll just hold off for now.  When my lifestyle prior to surgery becomes less active than what I think it would be after surgery, then I'll go under the knife.  Until then, it's off to training!

Last week I had 6 good days of tri-specific training.  That was actually pretty hard and I was wiped at the end.  This week, my plan is 4 days with some combat oriented events (heavy bag, burpees, get ups, etc) and I will see how that goes.  I am weaker than what I was, which is to be expected after taking the time off to heal. 

Temps are warming up; lake is almost ready!

One month down

One month down for this year's training; I can say that I'm learning alot about my body.  While I haven't made any significant strides in times, I am learning alot about overcoming injuries and nutrition.  Mentally, I'm learning I can get ahead of myself real easy, sometimes to good effect, but sometimes to detriment.  It's all a good road, but there are definitely no short cuts.

I'm also experimenting with some crosstraining methods in order to get around injuries and hopefully prevent future ones.  A latest routine is doing sets of burpees (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_Dq_NCzj8M) and Turkish get-ups (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vhJza-2xiI).  On the burpees, I sometimes do these under a pullup bar and on the jump, catch the bar and do a pullup.  Experimenting with routines, I'm liking rounds of 4 minutes of exercise followed by 1 minute of rest.  I can repeat these as many times as needed for desired effect.  I like these two exercises because they seem to work alot of little muscles that support body stability and twisting.   

If you get a chance, check out Chasing 3 at http://www.chasing3.com/.  Chasing 3 is a premier racing/event organizer; I've always enjoyed their races.

See you in the water; it's starting to warm up, right?

Recovery Road

Adjusted training still continues.  I shouldn't have done my hike last week, but that was something I needed.  My hip is nearly is nearly back to minimal pain from my hike last Saturday.  I did a very short bike ride yesterday and only feel it to a slight degree in my hip.

My swimming and upper body weight training continues to do well.  Last week I set a PR for a 50 yd swim, although I struggled to maintain pace at longer distances.

My bench press improved about every other training session this last month, buy my pullups have only improved on one effort of the month.  Shoulder pain still prevents overhead lifts.

Overall, I'm in a better place than I was 2 weeks ago.  While I wish I were completely pain free, I am motivated that I'm learning more about my aging body and still able to accomplish many things that I probably wouldn't have if I had not kept a good training focus.  Thanks goes out to all those who set the example for me to follow.

See you on the water.

Goal setting among challenging setbacks

So in my last article, I promised I'd post my training goals for 2013.  However, I've come up with some setbacks which have radically changed my training plan.  With that in mind, I'll still post goals, but would rather get people's opinion on overcoming setbacks.

I've been working with a nagging hip pain for a very long time now.  X-rays reveal the joint is healthy and I have had one cortisone injection which didn't seem to do much.  At a point of frustration, I decided to push like I wanted to in my training and hoped the hip would get better.  If it didn't, it wasn't unbearable and I decided I would keep on training.  Last week it hit that unbearable point where my sleep was significantly impacted.

When this occurred, I went through a bit of melancholy, but not for long.  Now I've had to adjust my training to be mostly swimming and upper body weight training.  As pain subsides, I intend to get back on other endeavors, hoping not to overdo it.  This will put a damper on my racing, but I enjoy  swimming the most I'm good with that.  I do have a nagging shoulder injury (from shoulder presses) that I hope I can recover from and doesn't hold me up in swimming.

Now, for my goals.  Before my hip issues, I set these for Jun of 2013.  I'm going to keep these, with the hopes that I will overcome my hip injury and still hit these.

Run - 5k in 27 min
Bike - 25 mi @16 mph
Swim - 1500yds in 25 min
Bench press - 205
Shoulder press - 185
Dips - 25
Pullups - 21
Squat - 205
Clean - 215
Dead lift - 335

Deena says I'm shooting too low on that bike time.  Hopefully she's right, but I haven't found a good place to test that distance that doesn't include stops, corners, etc. 

Cheers all, see you on the water.