I did it for a few days, then my will dropped off the planet. It wasn’t until Steve started his 30 day challenge that I picked it back up. Daphne was also starting a 30 day Paleo challenge with some of her work-mates as well, so I took both of them up at the same time to help keep me on top of it. Having the direct support with members of the swim team was also very helpful.

This ain't your lizard!

Let me start off by saying – it’s so easy that an evolved hominid could do it, but sans the easy. I tried starting the Paleo for Athletes diet back in January with mixed results. According to Sam Hutchinson, paleo is one of the easiest diets to cheat on:

Paleo diet offers many positive benefits, but this diet’s cheating rate is extremely high, especially in the first few weeks. And, cheating all too often will result in complete abandonment of this healthy diet.

Let’s face it …Paleo meals are boring! A quick glance at the Paleo diet food list is enough to let you know how bland this dietary regimen can be…

Foremost, there are grains and soy lecithins in everything – just like there’s corn syrup in everything. I started Steve’s challenge off on a rocky road, but I was resolved to keep with the diet. My only cheat the first week was an oatmeal raisin cookie. But they were absolutely right: the diet is boring.

The book gives you some bland recipes, but it’s a starting point. The first two weeks, I ate primarily chicken breast or steak for dinner- 1/3 meat and 2/3 veggie matter, which was a mix of broccoli and carrots. If it was after an intense workout, I’d have a sweet potato, you know, one of those monstrosities in a plastic wrapper that can be microwaved easily. (Hey, I can’t wait for an hour for a potato to cook in a half-non-functioning oven.)

The week that I started, Coach Aimee told me that Bob Seebohar (former nutritionist for the OTC, current nutritionist for the Olympic Triathlon Team) has a diet plan for his athletes that is similar, if not based on, the paleolithic eating style.

As much as I fought with it, I kept my resolve. I started experimenting more with herbs. I also figured out I could poach plums in the microwave. (Add a small bit of Agave nectar and spoon it over pork chops… YUM!) Then something started happening: my weight started melting away. I started Steve’s challenge at 217 pounds, and at the end of March, I was sitting at 198 pounds. Not only was I down 19 pounds, but people noticed. I was constantly being asked if I had lost weight, and people were saying how good I looked. Since I trimmed up, I decided that I would wear a regular speedo this year at COMSA rather than a jammer – perhaps that was just out of vanity…

I also went from 10.3% body fat to 9.1% in the first 26 days!

The comments helped me stay on track. Aimee seemed happy with the results, but said we will keep track of it so I didn’t get too thin. In that same vein, my brother in law talked to my mother after seeing me for the first time in a few months and told her I looked too thin. Aimee said that family members are used to seeing me with more weight, not the athletic version of myself. I’m sure mom is going to have a cow when she comes down next weekend. (Hi mom!)

The only thing that I had an issue with (other than the occasional cookie) was some minor GI distress. The first two weeks I felt like crap and I got frequent cramps. After that, my energy levels stayed more consistent throughout the whole day, and I find that my recovery times come down quite a bit. (I had a sandwich after the challenge was over, and the glutens in the normal bread caused me some sore muscles the next day.) I still have some GI issues with the diet, the worst of which is a sudden urge to go – but that equates to nothing more than a bit of gas.

Over COMSA weekend, I threw some high-chain carbs back in the mix: I would have brown rice at dinner and oatmeal for breakfast. I found that this solved some of my GI issues, and also gave me energy through the whole weekend. On the down side of it, I picked up a few pounds and retained some water weight. On Monday morning, I was feeling a little sluggish. Right now, it’s about finding the right balance of Paleo and Carbs.

So, here’s my 30 days as a neanderthal as posted on the Nerd Fitness forums.

March 2nd

Day 1… stranded on a beach… nothing around except… coconuts.

Erm… ANYway…

So, the goals are:

• Try the Paleo Diet for 30 Days
• Core and Ab Workouts 3 times a week
• Learn my Tai Chi Chuan forms
• Drink only Water

All other workouts I’m somewhat forced to keep on top of, since I am working under a triathlon coach toward Arizona IronMan in November. Also – all of my workouts can be seen at, well… here. I will post measurements and a picture later on tonight, but I did actually start yesterday.

DAY 1

4 Mile recovery run. Thrashed my legs on Saturday on the 10 Mile Distance run, and discovered that Vibrams might not be so good for long distance running. Started Paleo – didn’t even cheat. Convinced that peanut butter cups at the super market are mocking me. Watched both workouts on the beginning Tai Chi DVD. Want to start out on this DVD so I can decide if I want to start taking courses.

Huzzah!

March 4

I’ve been holding fast to the paleo diet. It hasn’t been a huge issue to do it, other than all of the cravings. I found out that Larabars are paleo, as they only have fruit, nuts and dates in them – but I have to really resist the urge to have too many of them or they give me a stomach ache.

For coffee, I have been doing very well in staying off of it. (I had to come in early this morning, day 4, and had to deal with our creative director from out of town. I had probably about 1/3 a cup of brew, black. It doesn’t say you technically CANT have coffee, but I’m the sort of person that loads it up with soy milk and sugar free flavorings. Other than that, it’s been all water this week an orange juice on morning 2.

Since I started Paleo, though, I’ve noticed I’ve been feeling weak. Yesterday I got some stomach cramps, so I left work two hours early and took a nap before swim practice. I considered, for a passing moment, giving it up and going back to the blood type diet. (Part of what kept me going was this article. Might as well try, right?) I felt fine after the nap, but I had almost zero energy for my swim. I came home, had a sweet potato (within my window – I’m doing Paleo for Athletes…) a sizable top serloin, and a mountain of Broccoli, carrots, and asparagus. What can I say? I’m sick of salad greens. I felt so much better after that.

I haven’t had a chance to do core specific workouts yet, but the last two swim workouts have been either butterfly or Individual Medley (IM) workouts (our coaches are sadists) – and fly is uber good for your core. So… it counts. I will get into the gym this weekend for something more concentrated.

I regret to say I still haven’t done my measurements, but I do have some weight statistics:
Saturday: 212.6 lbs. (Hey, I’m 6′9″…)
Yesterday: 209.4 lbs.

I will do my measurements and picture tonight before my run. I’ve been in my training session since January 1, so my weight and measurements have been all over the place to start with.

The m00se is l00se in the hizzy.

March 5

Here are my starting images. My normal camera ran out of battery, so I had to use a cheap HD Pocket camcorder. It gets the point across. And yeah – I’m wearing triathlon shorts. Sorry for showing off so much skin. The antlers: it’s a long-running gag. No, I’m not a fury.

The picture of the pirate and I is from a little over four years ago. I was 287 lbs. then. That is where I’ve come from to today, which I’m very pleased with. College, depression, and untold numbers of vanilla breves were unkind to me. (Breve is a latte, only with half and half.) I’m surprised I don’t have heart disease from that much dairy. But back then, I decided I had to do something before it was too late, before I started having chronic health issues.

Then: size 42 jeans (38 inseam)
Now: size 34 jeans

March 5

Day 4 and 5

Weight this morning was 206.6 – so I guess I am dropping some weight, for sure. I’ve noticed that I am starting to get leaner. Last night I did a five mile cadence-based training run with no real issues. I’m feeling my energy levels starting to come back up a bit, and I felt great for yesterday’s run, other than a few small things.

From yesterday’s training log:

OK, so bonehead here forgot his heartrate strap tonight. I did the whole five and felt the tempo for where I’m normally at as far as HR, but I was probably running a little on the high side. Feet were mostly okay, the top of the right foot was a little sore, I think it’s the metas this time.

The legs were okay, although the calves were tightening up a bit on the last mile. I was getting pretty beat by the last cadence set. I feel like I’ve got some more energy than I have in the last few days. Tonight, I took a liter of home made sports drink (Water, pinch of mineral sea salt, one packet of EmergenC) I’ve also been drinking water all day. Ate a sweet potato in my recovery window, had a well balanced dinner with salad greens, two hard boiled eggs, some mixed nuts and dried fruit, a chicken breast, and a little cauliflower with carrots. (Thank goodness for George Foreman and his grill.)

A pair of older ladies stopped me on the way out of the gym, and one of them asked if I was a dancer. (Is that a good thing?) They said it was a joy to watch me run, so I hope that means my form is getting better? It made my day.

Friday is my day off, so other than diet, nothing special to report.

March 6

Forgot to post my stats and measurements, so here they are.

Age: 28
Height: 6′9″
Weight: 207.4 lbs
Waist: 33 1/2″
Hips: 41 3/4″
Pant size: 34/38
Neck: 15 3/4″
Shoulders: 47″
Chest: 39 1/2″
Bicep: 12 1/2″
Forearm: 10 1/2″
Thighs: 24″
Calves: 16 1/2″
Body Fat (3 Point Measurement): 10.3% (LBM 84)

Today I had a 3200 Meter swim this morning, and I had an 8 and a half mile run this afternoon. Nothing like destroying your legs on a beautiful Colorado afternoon. Hurts so good. After the run, I realized I didn’t have any sweet potatoes cooked, and I needed a high glycemic carbohydrate – I couldn’t wait for an hour for one to cook, so I had a bowl of oatmeal. (There are worse things I could have cheated with.) I also had a small cup of coffee to help bring my body temperature up.

This morning I was up a pound or two from yesterday. I burned about 1800 calories on the run this afternoon, so I’m sure I lost it by now. I will have to weigh tomorrow to see if I’m back down. (I take my measurements in the AM)

Last night we went to the movies and went out for dinner. I had a turkey burger wrapped in lettuce (instead of buns) and I did indulge in a few french fries. (They were cooked in sunflower oil. It was an all natural all organic burger joint called Larkburger.) At the movie, I got a bag of paleo-safe trail mix, and I also had a few squares of 80% Cacao chocolate with dried cherries and almonds in it.

Moose has to munch, ya know?

March 8

Day whoosherwhatsits… (7, I guess…)

Boulder was calling my name. 45 mile bike ride around the Rez and through St. Vrain, and nice dry roads to do it on. It was supposed to be in the 50’s by 11, and when I got to the Rez to park, it was only 41. I threw on my leg warmers and hit the road. This was a “zone 2″ workout, so I couldn’t go very fast. Hills were especially sucky, because I had to go up them really, really slow to keep my HR down. (Then going downhill, my Garmin was squeaking at me that I wasn’t working hard enough. Alas, Garmin’s a harsh mistress…)

Started to bonk toward the end – legs were fried from the run. I only made it 41 and a half of the 45 assigned miles – and Boulder has some brutal false flats on the course. You can check out the workout here. If you check out the Map and Graphs sections, there is some really cool data there. During the workout, I had a watered down bottle of Hammer Heed – which restores glycogen levels, two bottles of water, a gel packet, and a Larabar. I know that most of this is not paleo safe, but I have to train with the items I’m going to use on the course.

I didn’t go into aero position down St. Vrain since it’s still pretty early in the season – I didn’t know how the roads would be, and there were about a quarter of the normal about of cyclists on the road that there are in the summer. It would have been a few moments, had something happened, that someone would stumble onto my body. I capped out at 34 here – at the Boulder Half last year, with a disc wheel and a Hed 3-spoked carbon wheel, I topped out at 45. (It’s scary, sometimes. I get full-bike wobble going this fast on normal spoked wheels. I can only do this on my carbons.) (A picture of my baby…)

So… Morning of Day 8, I’m sitting at 207-point-not on the scale. Not as big a loss as I would have thought, considering a loss of 1800 calories on Saturday’s run and 2800 on yesterday’s bike… but it’s working. I’m also eating a bit more than I was before I started this.

Run tonight. Tai Chi in the morning. Full-contact kitchen cleaning after the run — bring your football pads, it’s going to get ugly.

**

I’d like to note that this diet is messing with my gut a little bit. I’m trying to hold steady, as I’ve heard paleo has a tendency to do that. I’m also now on a regiment of pills for HCFC regulation to help protein digestion. After my last blood workup, my doctor said I have a minor HCFC deficiency, and that I should be taking these before I eat each meal. (I’m okay with supplements in the morning, but I am horrible at taking things before I eat, because I always forget.)

March 9

Weight on morning of day 9: 206.9 lbs. (WOW! Down a tenth! Book the cruise!) I haven’t been down this far, though, since my senior year of High School.

Back then, when I started swim team, I went from 235 to 190 in the space of a month. We were swimming 5 hours a day then. I went back up to 230 over the season in muscle gains. (Mom thought I had an eating disorder, although I was eating three helpings of everything at dinner. Hey, 5 hours in a pool will do that to a guy.)

I am noticeably leaning out, especially in the arms and legs. Still can’t see much of a change in the belly.

If this keeps up, I will probably be out of the Clydesdale category before you know it. (Triathletes over 200 lbs.) Not that it makes much of a difference, since I try to keep in Age Group categories instead.

Last night I did a five mile recovery run at the indoor track at the rec center. It’s a soft linoleum floor, which is nice to run on when you can’t run a trail. I actually counted my laps last night, and I found out that my Garmin Footpod is off by 1/10th of a mile per mile when used indoor without satellite tracking. I guess my stride has changed significantly since I started running. The footpod is great for tracking cadence on outdoor runs, so it does have a good purpose.

I went out to lunch with a coworker yesterday and had an Ahi Tuna salad and a bowl of Red Pepper and Tomato Soup. The soup, I now realize, probably had dairy in it, and I didn’t even think about it. The salad was totally safe, although the Ahi seemed a little fishy. (You know Colorado and its vast oceans full of marine life…) I don’t think this restaurant is serving sushi grade Ahi.

Last night I had left over steak, some garlic and dill mashed potatoes, and a medley of Broccoli, Carrots, and Asparagus. The potatoes were within my workout window. I didn’t get the kitchen cleaned, nor did I have the time to do Tai Chi. My body was telling me I needed the sleep, and I know better than to try to push through it when I’m working out this hard.

This morning, I am having a cup of coffee. The reason is because I have a pretty monstrous headache this morning. If I can bypass the Tylenol, then coffee is a necessary evil. Throw in a little almond milk, and voila! I know that almond milk is a little bit processed, but it’s helping with my sweet tooth a little, and I’m using it to cook with. It’s nice in scrambled eggs, and you can find the organic stuff at whole foods, which is minimally processed. Great source of protein. Lasts a month in the fridge. If you’re doing oats as an adjunct part of your diet, vanilla almond milk and raisins are awesome in oatmeal, as well.

I think I’ll shut up, now.

March 11

Day 9, 10 and part of 11

Nothing really exciting happened on Tuesday, diet-wise. I went and saw my kinesiologist for an adjustment, thereby missing a swim practice.

Yesterday, I was up to 208.2, but I think it’s just the average body weight fluctuation. This morning, I was at 208.8 lbs. o.o Well, I wasn’t expecting to lose much weight, anyway. I don’t really need to. Ran last night, but my joints were sore from the adjustment I had Tuesday night. I think the muscles were trying to readjust to everything being set right. I had the only paleo-safe chipotle option I could think of… steak salad less the beans and rice, fajita veggies and guac. (It may or may not be paleo, I have no clue, but avocado is full of good fats, and Chipotle has a good track record of healthy food.)

Tonight I have a team swim. Wednesdays are usually one of my masters swim nights, but the team is trying a recruitment drive for the ladies – which our team is sorely lacking. Last night was a gals-only swim, so I had to swap my nights out.

Missed breakfast this morning because of work. At lunch, I had a Caesar salad – I needed something quick and I forgot to bring my lunch. No croutons or cheese, but I did have chicken and a little dressing. So, apparently my local Noodles and Co. is adding Ladybug as a salad topping. The little guy hitched a ride on my salad, and I almost ate him. Don’t know if it’s considered luck to find a Ladybug in your lunch, but I let him outside. Considering I probably rattled his brains pretty good when I shook the salad in the serving bowl to disperse the dressing, I’m surprised he was alive at all.

March 15

Happy Monday, fellow Nerdlings!

It’s been a long weekend, from the feel of it, but it went by way too fast. And guess what? I didn’t get any housework done like I thought I would. (Suppose I should get on that before I’m taken hostage by cockroaches and smuggled into a foreign country. Well… it’s not THAT bad…)

Weight totals from this weekend are pretty interesting:

• Friday: 207.6
• Saturday Morning: 206.8
• Saturday, post run: 204-point-not
• Sunday: 206.6
• Monday: 206.3

Fridays are my day off, although I did opt to do some Tai Chi in the afternoon. My dog was very confused and thought we were playing, so it was very hard to concentrate. Next time, I think he’s going to hang out in the yard for an hour.

Saturday I had my masters swim in the morning and a 12 mile run in the afternoon. (Data, graphs, GPS and notes here…)It was a heartrate zone 2 run, which is pretty slow – it’s more like a jog – but it helps train endurance. Every 2 miles, I did a set of cadence drills: 3 x (1 min cadence @ 85 + rpm, 1 minute recovery). The first set of cadence I was averaging in the mid 6-minute mile, the second I got down to the low 6’s to 5:45 m/m, after that, each one went down the more tired I got. My coach wants me to race inside of a 90 rpm cadence. For IronMan? That’s gonna hurt!

The park is supposed to be 2.9 miles around on the running path, so since that would be four laps, on my last lap I back-tracked 4/10ths of a mile so that I would come out even. Makes sense, right? Well, Apparently I would have needed to backtrack a whole mile. The park data is off: it should have read 2.74 miles around. I was back at the car, and I didn’t want to run another 6/10ths, so I said screw it and stretched out.

The coach likes my post-run ritual of oatmeal for complex-chain carbohydrates, so I think oatmeal and brown rice are staying in for my longer workouts. Saturday night our swim team had a St. Patrick’s day party, so we had corned beef, cabbage, and potatoes. (It was still in my workout window…) Daphne, my totally awesome Australian training partner, was eyeballing the chocolate cake. There are four of us on the team, including her and myself, that are doing the 30 day paleo thing. She justified it by saying “if a caveman saw a piece of chocolate cake, he’d eat it!” (To which I replied “I’ll show you how a random piece of chocolate cake on St. Patrick’s Day paperware shows up in the paleolithic era if you show me the Burrito Bush that Chipotle picks their burritos off of.) The general consensus was, since it was a special occasion, that we would each cheat and have a piece.

Sunday, I was supposed to have a 50 mile ride, but I woke up and it was snowing. Rather than spin in the kitchen, I threw in a load of laundry and went to the coffee house to study a bit from my ACSM manuals.

Been keeping up on the water just fine. I will have a cup of coffee saturday morning between swimming and running to give me a little bit of a boost. (I also had one yesterday afternoon since I was sitting there, but on the other hand, I’ve cut my coffee consumption down by more than 85% or so)

You’ve just been moosed!

March 17

Yesterday, Woke up and weighed myself: came in at 206.2. This morning, I was down to 204.8. If things keep going the way they are, I’ll be down in the 190’s pretty quick. I don’t know if I should be that low, I’m getting pretty lean as it is. Perhaps more carbohydrates will help.

Determine your ratio by dividing your weight in pounds by your height in inches. Competitive male triathletes are generally about 2.1 to 2.3 pounds per inch. High-performance women triathletes are usually in the range of 1.8 to 2.0. Men who exceed 2.5 pounds per inch and women above 2.3 are best advised to find flat race courses if the goal is to be competitive. Hilly courses favor lower-body-mass athletes. But high-mass athletes actually have an advantage on a flat bike course; all the more so if the wind is blowing. For example, the 200-pound athlete mentioned above comes in at 2.5 pounds per inch and races most competitively on flat to rolling courses.

Doing some research on the matter – as to what my weight should be as a triathlete, I came across this training peaks article.

204 lbs / 81 in… carry the pi… I am at a ratio of 2.5 pounds per inch. It’s not like I’m carrying a ton of extra bulk, really. 171 to 186 pounds would put me in the 2.1 to 2.3 ratio. There are a lot of different charts out there that tell you ideal body weight. A few I found said I should be between 185 and 226, one said I should be between 209 and 255. Assuming it was 185 and 226, at a ratio of 2.3 p/i, I would be on the extreme low side of my ideal weight. 2.1 ratio and I would be considered underweight. 171 lbs. puts me at a BMI of 18.3, which is, in fact, underweight. I’ve seen myself at 190 (back in high school) – and I was scary thin.

So, I find myself wondering if I should strive for a 2.2 or 2.3 ratio for competition. I’m definitely not starving – I’m eating well (slash / a lot) and I’m shedding weight.

One thing about weight lifting is it’s hard for triathletes (especially those silly Mooseses who are training for IronMan) to keep muscle mass. That much cardio just kills any muscle gains you make. Seriously — my butt is almost gone. I guess this means that I will really have to concentrate on muscle gains in the core and the legs, while maintaining enough arm tone for the swim.

I really don’t want to start the Michael Phelps diet.

Seriously, how did his mom keep him fed before he got all the endorsement deals?

Should also add that I had a run before swim practice last night. There was nothing good feeling about this run – everything below the waist was aching and sore. I did a 5 mile recovery run on Monday that wasn’t horrid, but I started to hurt the last two miles. After last nights run, I went to swim practice. The pool was cloudy for some reason, and it was so murky it was like swimming in a lake. There was _that_ much chlorine in the pool. (My friend’s eyes were so shot, he looked like Fred from Scooby Doo.) My legs felt a lot better after the swim.

When I got home, my new running shoes were waiting for me. While the Vibrams 5 Finger shoes are really, really awesome – they hurt for running long distances.

March 19

Yesterday and this morning both I came in right at 205.4 pounds. How’s that for a little irony? I took a night on Wednesday off so I could clean. The chlorine at the temporary pool was really bad, and one of my swim coaches told me if you can’t see the bottom of the pool, then you shouldn’t be swimming in it.

The Tri coach didn’t have my run workout up and posted it later in the day, so I missed it; but I did get a good dry-land workout in with the team. There was a good bit of Pilates, Yoga, and plyometrics. Following the workout last Thursday, we workshopped technique last night at practice.

This weekend, the snow is going to be a major pain in my rump. We’ve got about 6 inches of wet snow that’s not sticking to the roads, but tomorrow it’s only supposed to be in the thirties. The roads won’t be dry enough for me to cycle on Sunday, so I might be cycling in the kitchen.

Diet is going fine. Might have some Pho for lunch, since it’s so cold out.

March 22

The whole weekend I have been hovering around 206 pounds. Swimming and Running on Saturday (of course it snowed on Friday night…) I ran 58 and 1/2 laps at the local indoor track. Talk about monotonous. Swimming was fairly simple, seeing as we were having a flip-turn clinic for the upcoming state championships. Sunday, I was supposed to ride, but I was feeling lazy and cleaned the kitchen I didn’t get to last weekend.

Recovery week this week, so mileage goes down. Next week, I’m out of base-build and we go into full training.

One thing I will give this paleo diet: the return of the 6 pack. This is the first time I’ve seen any portion of it since high school. Welcome back, old friend. :3

March 24

Yesterday I was at 204.5 when I weighed myself, and today I was at 205.2. Seems this is where my body likes to hover right now, but then again, it’s a rest week.

Monday nights run felt awesome – I got out to the park with the new shoes. No foot or leg pain, and I was wishing I could have gone another lap. The coach said just do an easy run (no HR zones) so I ran at a comfortable pace, which averaged to an eight and a half minute mile and a cadence between 75 and 80 RPM. These shoes are changing my stride length and technique from what it was when I was running in the vibrams, but I think for the better. As much as I want to love the vibrams, these $50 Nike track waffles are feeling much more natural to me.

Paleo is producing some noticeable results; people on my swim team have started asking me if I’m slimming down. Just that is an incentive to keep on with the diet, and now, looking back at older pictures, I’m noticing differences in the way my body looks, and the way I hold myself. I’m craving more workouts. My mom is going to freak out next time she sees me; she thinks that triathletes are too skinny, and now I’m looking more the part. (She saw me reading a Triathlon magazine with Mattie Reed on the cover and asked me about it. She thinks he needs to eat something, to which I replied “As much as he trains, he probably eats as much as you, me and [my stepdad] in one sitting.”)

Had a few small cheats on the diet: an oatmeal raisin cookie and a bowl of Chicken Pho – which has rice noodles in it. At least the cheats are healthier options than, say, a pack of Reese’s peanut butter cups, or a few slices of pumpkin pie. I guess we all need our pig-out food once in a while, as long as we’re not justifying eating them on a very consistent basis. Feeling great without coffee.

I’ve only done Tai Chi twice this month. It’s so hard to balance the time aspect of it all. If I had some time to clean the house, it might really help. Skipped over a few bike sessions this week, too – which I don’t feel good about, but the coach tells me as long as I’m hitting everything in July as far as workouts, we’ll be fine. If not, she’s coming over and kicking my butt. Weather’s partly to blame; these spring snow storms are a bummer, and there’s only so much spinning one can do in the kitchen before he goes nuts. (The sweeping vistas that are my kitchen sink…) I will be so happy when spring gets here, and the weather here in Colorado stops being so bi-polar. (We had all four seasons in the span of an hour yesterday. It was crazy!)

March 25

Alright! Ebbing down toward the 100’s slowly; this morning the scale told me I was at 203.7.

Tonight, I’m doing a brick, even though this is supposed to be a rest week. 3 Mile run, half an hour of strength, and an hour and a half of swimming – all followed by leftover pot-roast from last night. :3

Meant to wake up and do Tai Chi, but the body was tired.

March 26

Scale this morning was sitting at 203 point not. Getting closer and closer. I was a little bit curious this morning and did a quick 3 point calliper pinch-test, and I was sitting right at 9.1% body fat and LBM of 182, which is down from 10.3% and LBM 184 when I started at the beginning of this. 26 days, and I’m down 1.2% body fat? I’m down for that.

But I realized that I don’t have enough muscle built up underneath to make it look good – so for the time being I’m just skinny when I’m standing up. I’m at a “desired” LBM according to my ACSM manual for my weight, height and body fat, but I really want to get these abs to stick out while I’m working out so much. I still have some loose skin around my belly from losing weight, so when I sit it tends to make my belly look somewhat fat. I guess It’s inspired me to do some major work in the strength training arena, and I’m willing to bet my coach won’t object.

Dryland training last night was awesome. The swim coach killed my abs, so I was sore for the entire swim workout. But it burns so good.

Followup

I forgot to post my final results on the forum, as well as my measurements. (I will post them later as an edit.) My final weigh in was at 198 pounds for this challenge, which is the first time I’ve been under 200 since high school. I did fall flat on a few of my goals, but now I’m in a better place to start pursuing some of them.

I plan on keeping with this diet throughout the summer and over this training season. Aimee is going to have me do a month of strict paleo and a month of strict ERFYT to see which one bodes better with my body. It will be interesting to see how the diets work at my present athletic capacity.

Finally, here’s a picture from COMSA last weekend, just to show how much I’ve trimmed up. Don’t worry, though, the mustache is a joke.

Getting ready for my 1650

On the block and ready to go.

One novel later, you’ve finally been moosed!

I only got back into swimming three years ago, so this should be my third COMSA masters champs since I started back in 2008. I will dissect this all down the best I can.

1000 Free

I first swam the 1000 free for masters in 2008, and I came in at 13:01 from a seed time of 14 and some change. (Lesson here is never to come to a time trial hung over when you’re trying to figure out your entry times.) The Tenderfoot triathlon also did 1000 for the swim, in which I entered the time of 13:01 for seeding. I came out of the water here at 14 minutes for the sake of conserving energy for the rest of the race.

This year, I entered a seed time of 13:01, and I finished the race at 12:17.57, which is a personal best overall.

The swim felt pretty straining and exhausting overall. I notice that I predominately breathe on my right side, which causes my left arm to cut through the water a little odd. (This was noticed by several of my coaches…) I was achy for the rest of the day, and I still had the 1650 to go. Thankfully, my friend Bryce was on hand to count for me, so he went and got some lunch while we waited between events.

This weekend, I went off the Paleo diet as of Thursday night and started carbo loading with brown rice and oats. I also put on five pounds. (Back to the two hundreds… GAH!)

1650 Freestyle

This is the first year that I’ve done the 1650 in a competition. 1650 yards is roughly a mile, and this year – because of IMAZ – I was concentrating on my distance events over my sprints. I entered a seed time of  26:09.00 – which is based off of an open water swim I did last year.

I’m proud to say I got a time of 20:34.52! The reason for the wide difference in time is because in the 1650, I was doing flip-turns and pushing off the wall, which gives me a little rest and a boost through the race. During the pull-out, I was doing three dolphin kicks off the wall, which helped quite a lot. I have my eyes on a 22 or 23 minute open water mile, which would put me at 44 minutes for a 2 mile. If I can get down to 20, I’ll be set. Then again, there are a lot of little factors in open water swimming that slow you down – especially when you’re prone to getting kicked in the face by other swimmers.

During this swim, I just relaxed and had a good time with it. I stretched out the stroke and went from a 6 to a 2 beat kick. I talked to the guy who runs the channel swimming group, and he said that my turns looked great, and I was staying right at mid-lane. The referee also congratulated me on a great race, since I came in first in my heat.

Coach Roger kept my splits, which were averaging about 1:12 per 100 yards, aside the last 200 which picked up a bit, and a little dip in the middle.

50 Freestyle

The first event of Saturday was the 50 free, which is always a quick, down and dirty all out sprint. I wasn’t expecting to lose much time on these sprints, since my focus has changed. I entered a time of 25.51, and got a 25.97. Less than a half a second loss isn’t all that bad.

100 IM

Next up was the hundred individual medley. I’m not the greatest short-axis swimmer in the world, by any means, and I love doing the fly just about as much as I love to run. I seeded at 1:04 even, and came out at 1:04.47. Again, another half second loss that I wasn’t too disappointed in.

50 Backstroke

I messed up my start on this one, as well as the turn. I’ve never really been able to do backstroke starts, other than when we were able to do a standing deck start back in high school. When the start was called, I dove in way too deep. Although I can kick off the wall a fair ways, it wasn’t really good that I was looking up at the competitor in the other lane. I seeded at 29.54, and came in at 31.25.

500 Freestyle

Rounding out my distance events, and starting Sunday off with a smile, was the 500 freestyle. This is an event that I’ve done all throughout my swimming life, as I’d always been able to hold a steady cadence over longer swims. This year, something just felt different about it. It’s kind of the same thing as running – a mile is only another number. In this case, the 20 lengths seemed to come and go fairly quickly.

I think I went out a little too quick on the front half of the event, although I was able to keep fairly consistent on the last part of it. I seeded at 6:22 even – I’ve been hovering right around the mid-sixes the past few years in competitions. I seriously thought, over the race, that I was going to gain time – but I actually came out in the fives! My time was 5:51.37, and it’s the first time since high school that I’ve been able to get back into that bracket. Even though it doesn’t mean anything in the scheme of things, it’s always fun coming in first in a heat, especially when you get the starting pistol on the last lap.

My triathlon coach, Aimee, was there for the 500. It was cool that she was finally able to see me swim, since we’ve been over everything else. Again, the flaw in the left arm came out because of my unilateral breathing habits on longer swims, and I wasn’t kicking off the wall as much as well as I should have. Again, Roger stated I was very consistent, and negative split the end half.

50 Breast

The breast was another event that proved somewhat problematic in my open turns. Again, I’m not a great short-axis swimmer. I also learned that you need to pay attention to which heat you’re in while waiting on deck. I was distracted, talking to another Arizona IronMan racer for this year. When heat seven came up, I asked him if he was up, and he said he was in eight. I looked at the board, saw my name, said “oh $#@&” and hopped up just as they were saying ‘take your mark’. I almost scratched, but the dive in and the actual swimming part felt pretty good, if not a little goofy from my lucky blunder.

I seeded at 34 even, and came in at 33.47. Half a second drop ain’t bad!

100 Freestyle

This was, by far, my most impressive time drop of all time! In the history of the world! I dropped a whopping 1/100th of a second! Yeah, that’s right! I was, literally, a blink of an eye quicker than I was last year! Seeded at 57.01, and came in at 57 even. Next year, maybe I can break into the high 56’s! LET’S GO 56.99!

50 Fly

Ah, my favorite stroke: well, as much as one can compare the experience of a root canal to a delicious bowl of paleo-safe frozen custard made from Almond milk. All things considered, it was okay. I got tired the last quarter of the sprint, which is only half a length of the pool. I’m not the right shape for this stroke. I did manage to knock some time off of the top, though. Seeding at 28 even, I came in with 27.76.

Relays

I did do two relays this weekend, the first was swimming the backstroke leg of the 200 Medley Relay. Again, with the sucky starts. My back split here was 31.12, which was a little faster than my actual race time. With the 200 free relay, my split was also marginally lower than my 50 Free time. The swim felt really good, too. I got 25.93 for my split, which is 5/100ths faster than my race time. My relay teams both got fourth place for their assigned age group.

Here’s to small victories!

So, if you’re wondering what’s up with the title, there it is… When I sat down to start writing the details of my training minutiae, I noticed that I was being poked in the elbow by something sharp. Turns out it was a rather large crumb from a stale blueberry scone or something.

This week, despite being physically and mentally exhausted, I’m feeling great and making great strides in my training. The ankle is back to 100%, which is great because I’m running in my very first running race this weekend; the RunDenver Super Bowl 5K. This week, I noticed that I am increasing speed within my Z2 heart rate zone, and at a leisurely 139-148 beats per minute, I’m running an eight and a half minute mile. Very little fatigue, no joint pain. It doesn’t sound like much, but Zone 2 is low heart-rate, and considering my run at last years 5430 half IM was in the 10 minutes per mile range (due to that pain in the ass ACL issue), I think I’m off to a great start.

I asked my coach where I should be at, as far as zone or pace or whatever – and she told me to race wherever I was comfortable. It sounded like she wanted me to break out and really hoof it. She suggested that I might be good in the upper areas of Zone 4, just under anaerobic. For the first time in my life, I’m really starting to look forward to running and racing. Like, after work, I can’t wait to go and run. Also, this is the first time since I started training that I’m actually running more than I’m swimming – which is saying a lot.

Other than the gains in running, I’m also making small gains in my cycling. I’m finding that it’s easier to maintain higher speeds (+ 2-3 MPH), and also my pedal stroke is getting slightly more efficient. All of these little improvements on land are really exciting to me, as I’ve always been a water creature.

Last week, on my first run since my ankle thing, a seem on the big toe of my Vibrams came undone. Sufficed, I was tickled pink at how Vibram and REI both handled it, and the shoes were replaced with brand new ones. I didn’t think that REI would do anything, since I didn’t have the receipt or the box, so I emailed Vibram. They told me to take them to REI, because they have a 90 day warranty. Also, REI has a very liberal return policy. The guy at REI looked up the purchase on my REI card, and gave me store credit to get another pair. My only complaint:

From my journal

The replacement Vibrams that I got from REI were a little snug and tough in the sole, which caused a little calf pain, not to mention the outside front pad of my left foot was a little sore. (At least I wasn’t running on the inside pad, last time I did that, I got a blood blister on my big toe.) I guess this just means that my old KSO’s were broken in well.

Next weekend, I’m heading to Salt Lake City for a swim team gathering and snowshoe expedition. I didn’t want to ski this year for fear of injuring myself and the beginning of what I am, so far, considering a great training season. I will post an update on my results here, soon.

Sorry, I wish my life was more interesting right now.

Coming soon: A repository of barefoot and POSE running information, an article on Heart Rate training, and a review of the Tria Home Laser Hair removal system. Why hair removal? Because I’m too damn lazy to shave my legs every other day. Take that, society!

First of all, I’d like to throw a shout-out to my friend Daphne! She just posted her first blog entry on IronDaph.com. Daphne has done the 2007 IronMan Australia, and crossed the finish line with a fracture in her foot just under 14 hours. This time around, she’s determined to finish with a much better time. If you recall, Daphne and I went to Arizona back in November to volunteer for IMAZ so we could get our spots for next year.

So, last Saturday, I had a stellar run. Saturdays are my distance days for running, and I did a seven mile zone 2 run with absolutely no calve pain. I could feel that my stride is lengthening a bit, the balls of my feet are getting stronger, the run is getting more efficient, and my heels are finally coming up under my hips where they need to be. There was hardly any fatigue in the run at all. Other than the sloshing through mud-puddles and slush, it was great.

Saturday night, I decided to go out with some friends, so we went to a club. Somehow, I screwed up my ankle dancing. I thought it was an eversion sprain on my right inner ankle. I was able to do my run on Monday with relatively few issues. I saw Dr. Dan Tuesday night, and he said I had jammed up my Talus somehow, then adjusted my ankles, knees and hips. He told me to ice it regularly.

Coach Aimee got back to me a day or two later, and told me that I should probably keep off it while it hurts. I hit swimming on Wednesday, even though the swelling hadn’t gone down by that point, and ended up pulling the majority of the set.

I’ve been using this time to get some things around the house cleaned up. Today, I need to attack the living room and the bathroom. Perhaps get the car cleaned out, and even pick up some Argos landmines in the back yard. The time off is driving me nuts, because I know I need to be out training, but even while off my feet, I’m still exhausted from all the training I’ve been doing.

I have a good feeling about it all, and I think I might pick up a 5K race at Washington Park on Super Bowl Sunday. Thankfully, next week is recovery week, then we get into base week 2:1. The distance will be amped up a bit.

The other issue on my mind is that I really need to find a new home for my dog. I’m training now about as much as I was training in the height of my last season, and as it is, I have very little time. It’s not fair for my roommate to have to look after him all the time, and it’s not fair that Argos has to be in his kennel so much because nobody’s there. He really deserves better. I love the dog to death, but I’ve come to an impasse with this one. The lady who we did obedience training with is looking into a lady who has agility dogs, to see if she would be interested. I hope it works out, or else I’m going to have to call the rescue operation I got him from.

Other than that, things have been uneventful and full of cleaning goodness. I have to keep things cleaned up so I can just freshen things up when I have some spare time. I asked the coach about it, and she said when she started, her and her husband got a maid to help clean the house. I really wish it was an option, but in my current financial state, it’s a no-go.

I have my final list of races for this season.

• Super Bowl 5K (February 7)
• COMSA SCY Swimming Championships (April 9-11)
• (A) Denver Colfax Marathon (May 16)
• Boulder Boulder (May 31)
• Tri the Creek (June 5)
• Triple Bypass (July 10)
• BAM Barebones Swim (July 18?)
• (A) Boulder IronMan 70.3 (August
• Horsetooth 10K Swim (August 15)
• Tour de Cure (August 21)
• Tenderfoot Triathlon (September 5)
• Gorilla Run (October 30)
• (A) Arizona IronMan (November 21)

Yeah, I’ve got a 6 mile swim in there. Where indicated by (A), those are my focus races for the season. I know there will be a few other races peppered in there for good measure.

Diet-wise, I’ve been having some issues jumping onto the Paleo bandwagon. Red meat still bothers my stomach, and it’s hard to completely kick cereal grains. I’ve sort of made a diet that combines features from the Blood Type diet and the Paleo diet both. I am trimming down quite a bit, but there are times when I need a bowl of oatmeal, damn it!

Well, I have to get home and clean. I will try to be better about updating my status and whatnot. That was my update, and I kinda moosed myself.

Steve over at Nerd Fitness posted this article on resolutions which seemed to hit the nail on the head. Basically, he says that one shouldn’t set open-ended goals, but instead, should quantify the steps within the goals for each and every resolution. Admittedly, I do have a list of resolutions, but they are more of a  road map of goals that I need to finish this year, rather than a promisary note to myself.

Successful resolutions take planning and also involve taking that first step. As Lao-tzu once said:

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

So often, when I talk of Triathlon with friends who aren’t into the sport, many of them call me crazy and say they couldn’t do it. Many say they are too set in their ways, or when it comes to diet, they like [insert random junk food item here] too much to give it up.

Bullshit.

One of the best things I ever did was get into Triathlon. I have to thank my good friend Kel for this one, as he convinced me I should do a tri after I bought a pair of running shoes to supplement my dry-land training, and to lose more weight. Best of all, I feel great, I look great, and I’m in the best shape of my life. The catalyst for it was easy: it’s easier to get into shape when you’re younger and maintain that physical fitness rather than wait until you’re metabolism has slowed down, you’re overweight with numerous health issues, and it’s hard to even move.

Something that I’ve heard a lot, while watching a triathlon or an IronMan on TV – people have a tendency to say, “I bet I could do that.” (Some say “I wish…” instead.) Triathlon is one of the fastest growing sports in the US right now. Some people sign up for it just to try it – to say that they did a triathlon. Some people use it as a springboard for better health. Others are just plain masochistic. (Why else would the IronMan exist?)

The call to arms!

Here is my challenge to you – yes, YOU!

I don’t care how out of shape you are. I don’t care if you just got over smoking, an ex-girl/boyfriend, the swine flu. I don’t care what your excuse is!! I want to challenge you to enter into a running race, a cycling race / tour, OR a triathlon. I can hear the collective moan right now, and I don’t want to hear your excuses.

Think you can do it? As they say in the biz… it’s time to put up or shut up.

Now, here’s how to do it.

First, let’s set some groundwork:

• Your first-race goal should be to finish. Chances are, you won’t place. If you do, congratulations! Just don’t go into a race expecting that you’re going to win your age group, or that you’re going to hand a pro/elite their ass.
• Don’t go out and buy expensive equipment… yet. Triathlon is an expensive sport, but you should do a few races before you go out and start buying things. The exception to this: you will want a good pair of running shoes. (Not from Wal*Mart – you will hurt yourself. Go to a running store and have someone watch your stride, and fit you for a shoe that works for you and your style.) As far as a bike, use what you’ve got. A mountain bike, an old road bike – hell, you can borrow a friend’s bike or rent one from a shop. Just remember that you will need something to train on, even if it is that bitchin’ beach cruiser.
• Don’t go into battle under or over-prepared. Yes, you can over-train. Set up a training schedule and stick to it the best you can. If you miss a workout, it’s gone. Don’t try to make it up. Just hit the next one, and keep going. Get a triathlon training book with your distance listed, or a running / cycling book with workouts in it. There are also tons of websites out there.
• Bring along a friend! Friends are great for moral support. If you enter the same race, and keep on each other about workouts, you will probably be more successful than if you go it alone. Not to mention, it’s always good to have someone there to push you. Also, joining a swim team, cycling club, running group, or Triathlon club is a good idea. There are people there who can help you develop your technique.
• Don’t… DON’T get in over your head. Your first race shouldn’t be a long-distance triathlon, an IronMan, a marathon, or even a century ride. You will want a few races or events under your belt before you do these, and you will really want to build yourself up to it. Start with a sprint triathlon, or a 5K running race, or a bike race that’s between 10 and 40 miles. Without having that experience, you could hurt yourself if you don’t know what you’re doing.
• Are you healthy enough to race? Please check in with your doctor to make sure you’re not going to put your life in danger if you race.

One of the best ways that I’ve found to do a triathlon and stick with it:

1. Find an event that you can finish. Research it, talk to people who’ve done it, and decide on one that you would enjoy doing.
2. Register for the event. Do it right then. Don’t wait, unless the registration isn’t open or you need that next paycheck to roll around.
3. Once registered: you have this event hanging over your head. You’ve paid good money for it. Now, set a schedule. Pick up a copy of the Triathlete’s Training Bible, or use an online workout plan.
4. Set up an account with OnTri, TrainingPeaks, Beginner Triathlete, or any of the other numerous workout tracking websites. A lot of them will also give you access to free workouts and scheduling features. USE THEM to your advantage.
5. Tell everyone you’re doing a triathlon. Build a support base. Now that you’re telling people you’re determined to do this triathlon, you’re not only holding yourself accountable, everyone you tell about it is holding you accountable.
6. Ask Questions. There’s a big sports community out there. Pick their brains!!
7. Do your event.
8. Bask in the glory and the sun-shiny feeling that you’ve accomplished your goal. If you bonked your race, at least you tried and you’ve learned what you’ll need to do differently next time. If you cross that finish line, which is one of those happy moments in life that you really need to experience at least once, you have earned the official title of triathlete / runner / cyclist.
9. Use your bragging rights accordingly. If you’ve been bitten by the triathlon bug, (or whatever sport you’re doing) plan for your next race, and how you can improve the next time around.
10. There is no ten. Just go out and do it.

It’s time to find your inner animal. Can you do it? Are YOU up to the challenge to better yourself?

Training is a way of life for some of us – especially those hard-core triathletes that have to train because of a race early in the season, or for those of us who are a little apprehensive about packing on the holiday pounds.

A Dancer in the Dark

One of the first things I was told when I started getting into Triathlon was that as a pedestrian, weather cycling, running, or doing anything outdoors, you need to make yourself visible to traffic. Usually, my runs in the winter take place in the dark, since being I have to hit the trail before or after work. (If it’s too cold, I’ll hit the track at the rec center.)

There are a myriad of lights and accessories you can get for your bike, and there are oodles of reflective fashions that are totally in style this year. (Think: Paris and Milan, Dahlink!) These are the basic foundations of making yourself visible to other trafic.

I recently discovered two products from RoadID. The first one was the RoadID Firefly SuperNova. This little bugger packs quite a punch, and the light that it emits can be seen up to a mile away. (That’s 1.6 Kilometers, for all you metric types out there.) So what’s the first thing I did when I got them?

I'll be Bach! (Or Beethoven...)

You got it. I pulled a terminator and wore it like a monacle. This isn’t the way RoadID prescribes that one wears their product, but it was fun nonetheless. Usually, I wear mine on my Zoot Race Number Belt while I’m running – one on the front and the back – or I’ll clip it onto the pocket of my bike jersey. They come with cool clips so you can attach them to just about anything.

They also come in an assortment of colors; red, green, clear, and blue are available. My suggestion is this: avoid the red or green ones if the blue lights are legal in your area. (I know some police officers get a little iffy about flashing blue lights attached to anything but their cop cars, but I haven’t had an issue with this yet.)

The reason you’d want to stay away from red is fairly simple, and there are multiple reasons. First off, red is the lowest color on the color spectrum, and is therefore the hardest for the human eye to see. Mix that with the fact that there are red lights everywhere, and when a driver is on auto-pilot, a red light is a red light. When the battery dies, they are a little harder to spot because of this.

Green has the same sort of auto-pilot issues: it’s common enough on the street that it’s often overlooked, but it’s better than the red option for sure.

Blue is the brightest color on the color/light spectrum, and is easier seen than red. Also, since it’s used on emergency vehicles, it seems to me that it would be more easily noticed by drivers since it’s not a normal part of the traffic lighting system in the US.

I’m not saying any one particular color is wrong: they all help increase your visibility while on the road. I just wanted to put this out there for your consideration. As much as I hate to say it, triathletes and those of us who train on or near public roads are always at a higher risk for accidents. It’s just the nature of what we do. One of my biggest pet peeves is (almost not) seeing a cyclist on the road with no reflectors who’s wearing all black – especially those with no helmets!

Who are you, really?

RoadID

Here’s another sound investment to put your mom’s mind at ease: the RoadID flagship product – the RoadID. These little bracelets (or anklets) are good incase you’re prone to careening of the side of a mountain or crashing into random stationary objects. Been to the hospital after a wreck? You really need one of these!

Lance Armstrong is proof that crashing is inevitable for all cyclists. It’s not if, it’s when. Trust me, you will eventually eat asphalt if you’re on a bike. If you never have in your life, and you never do in the future, go buy yourself a lotto ticket, because you’re one of the luckiest people on the planet. Even for runners, you can have a heat stroke or, heaven forbid, you can get hit by a car.

There are too many applications for this product to be listed, but for this training year, while I’m outside, this is one thing that you won’t ever not see on my wrist.

What’s so special about it? Well, you get several lines to put whatever information you wish. It’s laser engraved and permanent. I put my name, my birth year, two emergency contact numbers, “NKA, NO MHX” (No known allergies, no medical history), and a quip that reads “The m00se is l00se!” There is also an interactive version that has an 800 number and a website listed after a personalized serial number – that way you can update your information if you move. (Personally, I like my information to be right there. I don’t want to add another step for a first responder.)

You may be saying to yourself, “But I always carry my wallet with me,” or “I keep my ID in my seat bag or back pocket.” Thing is, a lot of times, a paramedic won’t have access to your seat bag, and if you’re laying on your bike jersey, chances are you won’t be able to get at your ID. All sorts of things can happen to your wallet and cards. With RoadID, it’s strapped to your wrist, and unless you lose a limb, it’s very visible to first responders.

There are tons of testimonials on their website that you can read. There are also tons of nightmare stories out there as well. Seems like there isn’t a month that goes by that you don’t hear about something bad happening to a runner, cyclist, triathlete, or pedestrian.

Just remember to be safe out there, and STAY VISIBLE!

Don’t biff it – you’ve just been m00sed!

TZZZZZZZZZZZTTT!!

]]> http://blog.getmoosed.com/2010/01/safety-after-dark/feed/ 0 http://blog.getmoosed.com/2009/12/its-a-mental-game/ http://blog.getmoosed.com/2009/12/its-a-mental-game/#comments Tue, 29 Dec 2009 01:15:38 +0000 m00se http://blog.getmoosed.com/?p=643 It’s hard to quantify my feelings right now. Everything seems so out of joint and scattered that it’s been hard to find any semblance of center. I only have a few days until the new year, and when this rolls around, I have to do more than hit the ground running. It’s time to fly.

There’s been something at the back of my head that’s scaring me. It’s a little bit like being overwhelmed, and I know it’s only going to be a matter of time before I have to overcome it. I can’t live with this for the better part of a year without it affecting my performance over time.

Then, something magical happened when I talked to Mom on the phone. Seems we both had a hard day focusing, but she told me that she was tickled pink that I’ve grown to be so athletic, and how much I’ve grown up over the last few years. I think that’s just what I needed to hear, because it settled my mind a lot.

There it was: the excitement of a new adventure. That little monster known as “mental game”, which must be closely related to the Motivation Monster.

A few times today I’ve thought, “God, what the hell am I doing to myself?”

I think it’s that I’m coming to a realization of the scope of 2010, and what it’s going to do to me physically, mentally, and emotionally. Part of it is that I don’t think in terms of taking one step at a time, I think about the bigger picture, and the bigger picture is, indeed, intimidating.

So, now it’s time to come back down to earth and settle in for a while. Refocus and do what I need to do. I just hope that I’m able to chronicle this journey well enough so that others can get some use out of it… or some sort of entertainment.

Here it comes: year of the Moose.

My scalp feels funny...

Yeah, I’m almost thirty, and I still act a goofball from time to time. Last night, packed in with my copy of Zinn and the Art of Triathlon Bikes, I got my set of Moose Antlers.

Come to think of it, I will probably need to get the Zinn road bike repair book as well, since it seems that it’s more in-depth. The triathlon book seems to be more about aero fitting and how to pack, reassemble, and fix triathlon bikes and their specific components.

ANYway, I wanted to touch base on my least favorite part of a triathlon – the running portion. Well, I wanted to touch on POSE, Garmin, and the Vibrams more specifically.

The past few weeks, I’ve been working a bit on some pre-base training. Quite a bit of cavorting through the underbrush, so to speak. My first priority has been to get the hang of this technique for the POSE method. While my first instincts are to run on the front part of my foot while wearing the Vibrams, I’m still a ways away from getting to the actual core portion of the technique.

My head still bobs a bit – I can feel it and see it in my shadow when I run past a light source. I also know that I’m not getting my ankles up under my hips where they need to be. This is where one of the training belts might come in a little handy.

I’ve been reading over the POSE for Triathletes book, and I’ve got to say that it reads like a dry psychology textbook. There’s a lot of information on running physio, gravity, and science in there before you even get into the drills or technique sections. Then again, who picks up books like this and actually reads the first few chapters, anyway?

The reason I am doing it is fairly simple: I’ve never really been a good runner at all, so this is the first time I’ll actually be learning a full running form technique from the ground up. I also want to completely understand the principles behind it because I really want to become a level 1 POSE coach after I get my ACSM Personal Training certs. A clear understanding of the method is paramount.

But I will credit the technique for one thing right away – those annoying ACL issues I was having over the summer (aching knees, tight hammys, etc…) haven’t come back at all. I’m WAY less fatigued that I would be running normally, and since I’m so tall, using gravity to my advantage isn’t all that hard.

The first few runs killed my calves, though. I still feel them get a little tight after a mile or so, but the recovery time has diminished greatly. (Last Monday, I ran and I was only sore for two or three days. I went last night, and today, I’m not even sore at all.) I guess it goes to show you that the more you condition your calves, the more it works in your favor. I have also been stretching a lot more before and after runs, as well as doing calf-presses and leg lifts at the gym. I’m hoping that this running style will really help my cycling, as well.

The Vibrams… oh, the Vibrams. My goofy little shoes…

They feel like you’re running in socks or slippers, like they aren’t even there at all. They are really comfortable to run in (if fitted to your foot right), and path-based trail running is pretty nice. Once in a while, I will step a small, sharp rock – you feel it, but it doesn’t hurt like it would if you stepped on it barefoot. It just feels like you’re stepping on a small rock. I have yet to bruise my foot in them, but as summer gets closer, and I start taking to the trail runs, I’m probably going to switch over to the KSO Treks, which have a thicker sole. The group I run with often goes over some pretty rough trails.

I would recommend them to anyone, really. Well, as long as you’re willing to adapt your running technique. I can’t imagine it would feel good to heel-strike in them. Actually, after talking to me and asking scads of questions, a lot of my friends are getting or have gotten Vibrams, and the results seem very positive.

One friend had to get a different style of POSE shoe due to a hammer-toe issue. He really likes the POSE method, but the Vibrams just don’t work right for him. This is why the fit is so important. Each toe needs to fit in each little sleeve for them to work right, and unfortunately hammer toes and webbed toes won’t fit right into the shoe.

One concession here, however. Having big hooves, I have long toes. My second and third toe from the hallux (big toe) are a bit syndactyl-ish – but only webbed to the first bend or set of metatarsal phalangeal joints (toe knuckles). The divides in the vibrams shoes doesn’t go all the way to the crooks of my toes, so they sit comfortably against the crook in toe three and four. If you have syndactyly in your toes, the best way to know if the Vibrams will fit is to find a retailer and try them on. If your feet are webbed like mine, then they might work fine for you.

REI is one of the major outlets that carry them in stock, if you’d like to try them on. They are gaining major popularity, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see them start showing up in other places, or to even see a few knock-offs on the market. (I’ve spotted people at the gym and in the park wearing them.)

Training with the Garmin is a lot of fun. It gives me an excuse to go out and run, and when you use the built in training mode, it’s almost like playing a game. I can’t wait to increase my anaerobic threshold, though – when I’m doing a Zone 1-2-1 workout, even while at a brisk walk, the Garmin beeps at me, and the screen reads “SLOW DOWN!” like it’s the end of the world, and I’m careening at high speeds toward a brick wall to my own doom.

Hey, walking is dangerous.

Just go home, strap on my RoadID and Firefly lights, and hit the trail. (I look like an airplane taxiing on the tarmac!) But I always look forward to going home and uploading my data to TrainingPeaks. It’s fun to see altitude charts, heart rate and speed data as well as the maps. Sometimes, I’ll randomly cross the park, zig-zag, and turn around. (My goal is to write out “moose” in cursive in the middle of Washington Park using the GPS map. Heh.)

Now, if I could just stick to this damned diet!

PS – If you look to your address bar, you may have noticed that Mooselegs.net has changed to blog.getmoosed.com. In the coming weeks, a new layout and some fun video blogs will be appearing here.

For some reason, the first thing I did with it was tested it with a homemade SnorriCam mount that I have kicking around. (Hey, I work in the film industry… What did you expect?) I wanted to see how it handled the movement. Here’s what I posted to my FaceBook profile. I’m sure I’ll have all sorts of other footage to show, but for now, I decided to show how this footage looks for those of you looking for a neat little HD pocket camcorder for under $200.

Video Blogs will be hence coming!