Moments of Clarity

HyVee Triathlon Status Roller Coaster - As of June 18, the SWIM is BACK ON!

Wow.  I didn't think it was possible.  Scouts are about town and reporting that Raccoon River Park now has a transition area set up.  Most of the bike/run route remains the same.  Wow.  My mental state is worked now!

Apparently an announcement is coming soon today.  I can't believe they made this happen.

What a back and forth. 

Good luck everyone.  I guess I'll have to get some swim practice in tomorrow.

Hy-Vee Triathlon New Route

A bunch of us did the new route this morning at 7am.  In fact, about 100 people seemed to have the same idea.  There are a few gradual climb hills...but all in the route is such that one can really make time.  Much of it is flat or very mild grade.

If we don't get too much rain between now and race day, there won't be any issues w/that either.  Currently the route has zero water impediments anywhere. 

You can find the new route maps for the age group (ie non elite athlete) bike and the run here.

HyVee Triathlon Status: It's Officially moved to West Des Moines

It's official.  The Hy-Vee Triathlon is moving to West Des Moines with a new format of 10k run / 40k bike / 5k run.  Or a "Dry - Tri".  I know some people probably had a sigh of relief considering the serious mental trauma that a long open water swim can put on the athlete.  I must admit there's a part of me that didn't want to confront the demon but I'm not a fast runner and I have a bum knee...so 15k doesn't sound appealing (repulsive?).

The official statement is below. 

The flooding around town is VERY bad and getting worse.  Creeks along the Clive Greenbelt trail are nearing the bridge tops.  The aquatic center parking lot is 1/2 flooded and obviously the trails are closed.  I know in downtown and other places across the state it's MUCH worse.  May God bless the families of those boy scouts killed in Northwest Iowa last night as a tornado ripped through their leadership camp.  Four were killed, 48 injured, etc. This all made national news.  What tragedy.

From www.hy-veetriathlon.com

HyVee Triathlon Moves to West Des Moines

With flood waters rising and predictions of more rain on the way, the June 21-22 Hy-Vee Triathlon will be moved to the campus of Valley Southwoods Freshmen High School in West Des Moines.

"Once again we realize how fortunate we are to live in a city with multiple sites capable of hosting an event of this magnitude," said Randy Edeker, Hy-Vee senior vice president of retail operations and co-chair of the event. "We are grateful to everyone who has stepped forward to ensure the success of our triathlon, from the elite races down to the kids events. It's going to be a great weekend for the thousands of people who have spent months training for the triathlon as well as spectators who come out to cheer them on."

The age-group race will be a dry tri--a 10k run, a 40k bike and a 5k run. Race officials have not yet eliminated the swim for the elite athletes.

"We know the athletes are looking forward to the Des Moines race," said Bill Burke, the race director. "The well-being of all competitors is paramount, but this is an important race for American elites. If we can find a safe and available body of water, we'd like to use it."

The six members of Team USA headed to the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing will be introduced to the world at the conclusion of the Hy-Vee World Cup Triathlon.

All activities will take place as scheduled; only the race location will change to the WDM city-school campus area. Course maps are expected to be approved and released by Friday.

The event was moved out of Des Moines so that city officials could devote their full attention and resources to flood-related issues. "We appreciate Des Moines' commitment to our event and all the support they have given us in regard to the triathlon," said Edeker. "We needed to get out of the way so they could address more critical issues."

Hy-Vee and race officials began looking for an alternate swim venue as soon as it looked like Gray's Lake might flood. But when unrelenting rains increased the bacteria levels of even those bodies of water not prone to flooding, discussions turned to a dry-tri event.

Set-up for the triathlon will begin next Monday. Information about parking and other details will be released as soon as it is finalized and will be communicated through a variety of media outlets and at www.hy-veetriathlon.com.

Hy-Vee Triathlon is about 2 weeks away now

Image via Wikipedia

About 6 weeks ago, I embarked on a 4 week workout plan, MWF at noon, over at Nutri-Sport / Full Potential Training with Ryan and Bill. My goal was to cut body fat in preparation for the HyVee Triathlon.   The workout plan was a cardio centric lifting circuit.  Week one consisted of various exercises that employ numerous muscle groups simultaneously and the plan was to do 12 reps at your max weight for each exercise.  Then, simply repeat the circuit for at least 30 minutes.  Results were high heart rate and about 5-6 times through. The following weeks dropped the reps down to 10, 8, then 6 in the final week. I'm proud to say that two things happened during this workout plan:

1. I dropped from 16% to 14% body fat in 30 days and dropped about 3lbs.  That translates into keeping all muscle mass and dropping fat only.  This also translated into having to drop another pant size and poke new holes in my belts (forgot to buy one with the new shorts/pants). 
2. What seems to happen with this kind of program is quick strength gains.  I was amazed to find that I was pushing around far more weight than I ever had before.  Moving back into a more traditional pyramid lifting program with rest between sets made my previous "max weight" on dumbbells seem like warm up weight.  Unreal.  I'm excited to get into a "single body part per day" scenario when I'm back from my post Triathlon vacation.

I'm not sure what will happen to the HyVee Tri if Gray's lake continues to be a flooded out mess.  My fear is that the entire race would be called off.  I'd find it difficult to be disappointed since I've been on a life changing quest for physical fitness vs. just training for one thing. 

When I moved to Iowa:

• Weight 250 lbs
• Waist 44
• Body fat 32%

Now after 14 months of lifestyle realignment

• Weight 223 lbs
• Waist 36
• Body fat 14%

Net results are a GAIN of 20lbs of muscle and a loss of 49lbs of fat.  I really hadn't done that math before today.  In my own world, I'm the biggest loser.  Anyone that knows me understands that this has not been through strict "dieting" or "will power".  This has been about making the right choices...most of the time while not forgetting why we do this in the first place.  It's also been about exercising hard in the winter when everyone else is eating Sees Candies and Rum Cake. 

My family is to be commended for sticking by me as I try to find the balance of exercise/family time/etc. The pendulum has swung wildly in both directions over the last year or so and my beautiful wife has accommodated me.  Thank you and I love you.

So what's the next challenge :)

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Now the Hy Vee Triathlon is about 6 weeks away

Wow.  The journey that began in October is almost upon us.  Today marks the beginning of my "final push" to be ready for the Olympic Distance "race".  This more a test of survival and proving to myself that I can do it. vs. trying to place.  Yeah...um...not happening. 

I've started a 4 week intensive 3x per week weight training regimen over at Nutri-Sport to really lean out the ol' bod before I have to wear the tightest clothes known to man.  (Variants of these clothes do make other appearances at the Iowa State Fair later this summer...some call them tube tops or "stretch pants that have no choice")

I'm currently sitting at 15.9% body fat and about 222lbs. Yes there's NO rounding up in the body fat game...and I'm shooting for 12% by June 22.  A tall order perhaps but I've shown good response when I match diet up while confusing my metabolism with varying workout styles/intensity.

The HyVee Tri's 1.5k swim will probably take me somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 minutes.  The 40k bike ride will probably be executed in about 1.5 hours.  The 10k run will take me at least 60 minutes but I'm hoping I'll have a little adrenaline left for a push to the finish. (I'm a pretty slow runner typically doing 10 minute miles).

I think what I've enjoyed most about this journey is coming up as the 4th entry on the Google Results when searching for "HyVee Triathlon" just under their own site (I have to have goals right?).  Wait a minute...

No no.  What I've enjoyed most is setting a long term physical goal and taking the necessary steps to achieve it.  There have been bumps here and there but I should probably take a week or two to eat a lot of cheese and think about how far I've come when this is over.  My family can probably rest easy that I'll not be choosing a sport that requires this much mojo again.

I'm starting to think that Kick-boxing might be the ticket.  I've probably been watching too much Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) on HDNET.  Watch out Brett...I'm comin' for ya.  Only question now is what weight class to fit into and how to explain these strange injuries to my insurance company.

Iowa Speedway Newton Club Seats Available for Saturday Night, May 17

Fellow Iowans:
Want to go racing Saturday night?  We can't make it to the races Saturday night for the ASA Late Model Challenge (NASCAR'esque) and the Super Truck challenge and my seats are available if someone wants to take the family or have a dudes night out.

I've listed them for sale on the ticket exchange for their face value of $32.50 each (I have FOUR) but the first blogger connection to claim them gets them all for $100 even and I'll pull them off the website.   

The seats are Newton Club seats so you'll have access to the clubhouse and be right on the start-finish line 7 rows up. 

See this post to get an idea of where you'll be sitting.

If you've not been out to the speedway, you'll be very impressed.  Of course these tickets include the Fan Walk / Cold-Pit passes, etc. so you'll be able to do most everything except drive the cars and change the oil. 

Shoot me an email doug (AT) mitchgroup.com, grab your ear plugs, and get ready to be thrilled.

First 10k run under my belt

OK...so training since October for an Olympic distance triathlon has showed me that I can do way more than I ever thought.  Yesterday, I ran my first 10k (6.2 miles) and did it in 01:04:17.  (The Friendly Sons of St. Patrick run)That's a 10:21/mile pace.  Very slow but steady.  I kept my heart rate at about 152 most the race and the steeper uphills raised my HR into the low 160's.

I'm certain I could have pushed harder especially the last couple of miles but I wanted to ensure that I felt pretty good at the finish and I did.  Legs were sort of like numb logs...but I could have continued.

My lower body certainly feels the abuse today since I'm REALLY not used to anything but about 4 miles indoors.

Now...I can only imagine how a 10k will feel after a 1.5k swim and a 40k bike ride :)

Triathlon Training

A few more training discoveries, lessons, etc.

1. Adaption truly caused my body to stall out.  I wasn't making any advances in a meaningful way in stamina, strength, or body composition.  It's hard to believe that with 6-8 hours of intense cardio per week and eating pretty darn good, things wouldn't be a bit more dramatic.
2. Adding some weight training back into the mix...AND being more disciplined about eating 5-6 meals per day with heavy emphasis on quality protein EVERY meal...and still eating 99% good carbs (beans, whole grain pasta, etc.) has re-fired the metabolic inferno. In 30 days...let's just say I stayed at exactly the same weight...and dropped approximately 2% body fat.  I'm certain my next 30 days won't be so dramatic...but this lesson has served me well.
3. I have began more supplementation.  I'm still using XTEND (BCA), multi-vitamin, extra C, omega 3, glucosamine...and have now adding L-Carnitine before workout and Alpha Lipoic acid (anti ox) immediately post. 
4. I'm trying to recover more quickly so each workout is maximum intensity.  It's less than 3 months until the Hy-Vee Triathlon.  There was a time when my 3 day a week tri workouts were wasting me beyond recognition.  I'm trying to get in more weight training to lean out and that was impossible with no fuel in the tank.  As the weather gets nicer and we all start sweating outside and dealing with the heat...it will be that much more important to put back what's been sapped out of the old bod.

If any of you are doing the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick run this Sunday...I'll see you there!  My first 10k in prep for June.  Running is my weakest area for sure but I'm going to set my baseline this time and go from there.

I just finished my first triathlon

Granted...it was an indoor "mini" triathlon...but the Ice Breaker Triathlon at the Walnut Creek YMCA was an eye opening experience! 

The triathlon consisted of the following (my times in [  ]  )

1. 300 yard swim [5:29]
2. 7 mile bike  [18:13]
3. 3 mile run   [28:36]

Swim:  Man it was hard to control the heart rate after about a lap.  I found myself gasping for a breath each stroke.  Adrenaline I guess.  I tried to relax but really just couldn't.  I knocked it out but was unusually winded for the short length of the swim.  I MUST work on swimming.

Bike:  My legs are still recovering from a lower body workout that I should not have done.  The swim didn't deplete them so much as they were sore to begin with.  I kept my RPM's at about 90 or slightly above and for the last 1/2 mile I pushed to over 100.

Run:  Typically my weakest area (so I thought) I started at 6.5 MPH and began the run.  Shortly into it, I got tired of the miles clicking by slowly but was starting to feel the cumulative effects of my activity.  I had to back down for a while to 5.5MPH.  At the two mile mark, I began to enter "the zone" and pushed up to 6.5 again...then 7.5...then 8.0...and the last half mile I was at full stride doing 8.5MPH.  I was approaching that point where you start talking to yourself, heart rate is near 100% of max, etc.

The net result is that I wasn't last in my age group (I was next to last).  Apparently 36-40 has some amazing athletes.  My teammate, who I beat was first in his age group 31-35.

All in all, I'm proud to have a competitive triathlon under my belt.  Now the serious work begins toward June 22.  Yikes.

HyVee Triathlon is less than 4 months away

It seems like yesterday that I found the flier that said, "Triathlon Training Class" and joined up.   That was 4 months ago.  There were people in my class that could barely swim that can now bang out 3k meters in an evening.  I was pretty tired after 100meters when I started.  Of course I had a serious deficiency of technique and my nice baggy swim trunks didn't help either.

For what it's worth here are some lessons I've learned:

1. While triathlon training is very cardio intensive...most of us haven't really lost "weight".  We've probably all lost some amount of body fat...but no "Biggest Loser" here.  Funny, you'd think that 6 hours of pretty intense cardio activity per week would do more.  This factoid sparked my deeper exploration of nutrition timing/ratios to support intense activity and fat loss.  I'm dialing in nutrition now.  Weight training seems to have a far greater effect on losing fat than does cardio for me.  Consistent weight training made consistent losses.  When I began triathlon and reduced weights to once per week...fat % stayed consistent.
2. Triathlon training (or substitute any other intensive activity) certainly allows one more flexibility in diet.  When you've just completed a 2600 meter swim, you are looking to eat anything not tied down.  Swimming seems to spark that response more than anything else.  I've added up my post swim meals recently and they've been clocking in at between 900-1200 calories. 
3. I'm now eating 6 times per day.  I'm hungry just about every 2 hours with each meal clocking in between 300-400 calories.  Dinner time seems to be the largest meal of the day every single day.  I've tried to adjust that but even with healthy foods I seem to be ready to ingest at least 800 cals at that point.
4. Now that I'm up to running 4 miles on the treadmill, my hips/quads and generally everything from the waist to the knee has tightened up and is sore.  I visited my personal trainer Steve, owner of Fitness Together, and he spent about 20 minutes performing his athletic performance/rehab on my legs and I must tell you....I went from feeling very bad to being more flexible and loose than I have in 15 years with his techniques. 
5. I've ratcheted up my training to 5-6 days per week now doing at least an hour of activity on the days when we're not having class.  My wife is starting to believe I'm crazy and I'm certain that after June 22, she'll ask me to stop creating so much laundry and dirtying so many dishes.  She's very supportive but this training pace is a bit too much to handle when you have a family and are launching a business.  Training daily from 5-7AM might work but 2 nights and 1 weekend morning per week does add up to a family time deficit.  This is something I just have to do...at least once and I'm doing the best I can to balance things.

If you're considering triathlons as a way to stay fit or get fit...please join us.  The next 12 week session is beginning sometime in March.  Questions? Please ask.