30 Seconds before an up hill ride or sprint; start breathing like you are sprinting.

I actually have to breathe to go faster on my bike.  Imagine that.  While reading “The Lance Armstrong Performance Program“  the book mentions that it takes about 30 seconds to get the oxygen from your lungs to your muscles.  So if you do a quick sprint on the bike, the heavy breathing starts about 30-45 seconds after your start.  But at this point you are trying to catch up.  Your body already needs the oxygen and your lungs are struggling to give it. There is lots of talk about Vo2 max etc related to oxygen intake, but that just makes my mind fuzz.

I noticed when normally riding a hill I would burn out once I got to the top and coast a little to catch my breath.  So today I started deep breathing about 30 seconds before I hit the hill.  Wow, what a difference it made.  Hill after hill I was able to maintain 18-19 mph and keep powering through once I got to the top.  Once I got the oxygen into by body I could keep going.  It took me a few hills to get used to and consciously start breathing at the right time.  I started doing the 30 second prep-breath on the last 25 miles of a 50 mile ride, so I wasn’t just powering through.

So here is the simple new rule:

30 Seconds before an up hill ride or sprint; start breathing like you are sprinting.

Simple enough?  Try it, it worked great for me.

I did it !!! My first 1/2 marathon. 13.1 miles in 2 hours 45 minutes.  Wasn’t first and wasn’t last, but I finished.  It eas the OUC 1/2 marathon and 5k.  Track Shack was putting it on and the event was great.  I love the vibe.  Regardless of how fast you are, everyone cheers for you.  Finishing 13.1 miles is no small task, and everyone there knows it.  At the start there were lots of worried yet confident faces (Mine included).

While waiting for the race to start, I met a deaf woman.  Although we couldn’t understand each others words sometimes, we both had nervous excitement about the next 2 hours.  The race started and we smiled and nodded in support.  Through out the race, everyone was excited and helping each other along.   The vibe was good.

Part 2 of 2:  The Race:

The race was long.  I am glad I wore my ipod.  It definitely helped me through the race.  I didn’t stop running but I averaged about 11-12 minute a miles.  I thought I could do 10 minute miles but no go.  The instep on my right foot started to get blisters around mile 6.  Running on the sloped road changed the angle of my foot, so it slid a little in the shoe on each step.  I started runing in the middle of the road which was a little more level and the burning seemed to subside.  I drank gatorade through the whole thing to keep the energy up.

The smoking may have something to do with my slow time (About 5-10 a day but close to quitting).  Also, I need to do more speed training.  I was relaxed through the race and just did my pace.  I shouldn’t beat my self up about being slow, but I want to do better.  Around mile 9 I slowed for about 20 seconds and my legs said “You have two speeds, running or stop; nothing in between”  I could feel my legs locking up.  The only thing I could do was keep on going.  So I finished the race.  And I got my medal.  It was a great feeling.  Very proud of my self.  After the race I was limping.  Once I got to my car and sat down, I had to lift my legs into the car; they were that dead.

I was proud to finish the race; now I am ready to go faster an do another one.  I am adjusting the training to get to a 10 minute mile.  Which means I need to average a 9 minute mile in short distances.  I love the challenge.

How to train for a Sprint Triathlon

Good ab work outs

Don’t run in a cotton shirt when you plan to sweat.  Wear an athletic shirt or something that does not absorb sweat and your nipples will be fine.  Cause it hurts when they get chaffed.  Happy Running.

Did a quick 5 miles on the bike followed by 2 miles run on hills.  I figured out that train in cool weather but my tri’s are in hot weather.  By the time I hit the running part of the tri it is 90 degrees and it saps energy out of me.  My guess is in cold weather I get lots of O2 in the lungs and I don’t get worn out.  When I am running in the hot weather my lungs don’t get as much O2 in them so I run out of steam.  I need to figure out how to get more O2 in the lungs during the hot weather and learn how to keep my self cooler.  In cooler weather my endurance is great.  Warm weather…. not so much.

1. Its Cool.  It impresses people.  Everyone knows what a tri is and it is a badge of honor and source of pride to be known as a triathlete around the office.
2. Health. I am in the best shape of my life.  It is sometimes hard to get motivated to train, but I know I get healthier each time I click into the pedals.  It keeps me from smoking cigarettes.  I had the habit for 20 years and it was difficult to quit.  All the training keeps my blood pressure low and my body not wanting to smoke.
3. I look good.  My body is in great shape.  Legs, abs, arms, shoulders, the whole package.  It’s vanity I know, but its nice to get a second glance from people driving by when I am running without my shirt on.  Plus I wear my triathlon shirts with pride.
4. It is a challenge.  To get out and do this is a big challenge.  Not just physically, but finding the time, money and motivation to do this is a challenge.  I have a wife, 2 kids, a job, house, mortgage, taxes, etc etc etc.  I have to keep motivated to run at 11:00 at night.
5. It is separate from work. No one knows what I do for a living when I dive into the lake to swim.  All they know is my age (35) and what my number is (56).  No talk of bosses or office politics.  Just conversation about transition times.
6. It gives me a reason to exercise. Running a couple miles can be like watching paint dry.  To keep me motivated I just imagine crossing the finish line and raising my arms in victory that I have done it.
7. Its not the average sport. Football, softball and other sports are good, just not my thing.  Tris are for individuals.  You are competing against your self.  There is no one that can carry you across the finish line.  You have to do it your self.  You have a lot a support from your friends and family, but you have to place one foot in front of the other to get across the finish line.
8. It makes me feel young(er). I’ll admit that I feel middle aged at 35.  All this training and being around other athletes makes me feel younger and healthier.
9. It gives me something to obsess about. I can put a lot of energy into it.  I can channel my energies into training and thinking about training, and eating right.
10. It gives me small successes to build on.  If the other parts of my life arent going so well, I can push my self a little more in training.  I may ride 24 miles one week, but then I try to ride 30 the next.  Or I run 5 miles one time and then I run 5.5 the next.

The biggest reason:

I feel good about myself.

It took about 15 minutes to change, but I was up and biking in no time.  I still don’t know if it is right to train when sick.  Some say no, some say yes at a slower pace.  Your body need time to repair.  I am going with the latter.  I would rather train slow and get something out of it than not train at all.

The path was great and a portion was lit.  Very nice.

I am not following the training guide 100% just because of time, but I am getting workouts in where I can.  Its been a busy couple weeks.

I have not seen any scientific evidense that shaving your legs will make you a faster athlete, but I did that last night.  I used an electric razor and I have to say, I have good looking calves.

My Flat Feet

1. New shoes. Every 300 miles in shoes they have to be replaced.  That includes general use as well as training.  I train 5-6 days a week and I used the same shoes for biking and running and around the town use.  So it is every 3 months I get a new pair.  About 100.00.  Worth every penny and I put the old shoes on the wall as a trophy.
2. Leg Strength.  From what I have read and tried, stronger calves and quads reduce pressure on the knees.  The key point is to not let the tendons flex.  When I first started to run,
3. Don’t land straight legged running.  This happens when you sprint, so slow down. It takes conscious effort to work the form right, but I land with the leg bent and hit the ground between the heel and middle of the foot.  If you land straight legged, the force goes from your foot all the way up.  This is why leg strength is sooooo important.  Land your knee bent and let the muscles do the work.  Flat feet cause pain because the impact hits the tendon.
4. Start SLOW !!!! It takes a while for your feet and tendons to get flexible and to grow muscles.  So run at a pace that is comfortable for you.  Its hard, because I am competitive and I want to run fast.  But if I push it, I will hurt myself.
5. Stretch Often.  Stretch before you run, after your run, before you go to sleep, when you wake up, at work, and when you have a few seconds.  People may look at you funny, but your knees will thank you.
6. Get Insoles for your running and everyday shoes.  The insoles that come with the running shoes are junk, so throw them out as soon as you open the box.  I get the ones from walgreens for both my running shoes and work shoes.  These work fine for me but you may go to a podiatrit for special ones.  I have heard from more than one person that the 20.00 insoles from walgreens are just as good as the 150.00 insoles from the dr.

Friend of mine told me this trick about running down hills.  Run like a duck with your feet pointed out.  It gives you a little more balance and prevents you from stumbling down the hill.

Found some great training videos that show you how to work your core and stretch: http://www.runnersworld.com/quickandstrong

These are the excercises that a marathon runner does (2:13)  Pretty good

I may try to do the whole thing from start to finish and back tomorrow.  Total of 35 miles.  I’ll need to leave at 5 in the morning to get it done.  I’ll start at the Apopka Vineland out post, go to mile 19 and then back to mile 1 then back to apopka.  The trail is really nice and there are full fledged stations with bathrooms along the way.

1. Leg raises: Stand and lift one leg so your thigh is parallel to the floor with your calf perpindicular to the floor.  Then rotate you leg out, keeping your thigh parallel to the floor. This works your lower abs out.
2. Ball back raises:  Get one of those large exercise balls. Lay with your stomach on it, brace yourself with your hands and lift your legs.  It works out the lower back.
3. Medicine ball twists: I learned this when I used to box.  Hold a medicine ball in front of you.  Keep your trunk and abs tight and twist using your legs.  This is a little bit of an advance move, because you need to keep you torso and abs locked and move with your legs.  Check out the video below to see how it works.  The keep point is to keep your torso firm using your abs and twist with the medicine balls.
4. Medicine ball back swings:  Hold the medicine ball above your head and then lower it down to your feet.  Be very careful doing this.  Start off without a medicine ball.  This works the back but lighter weight is better.  The back muscles are very small.

The ab workout is to help with the running cramps