A Fresh Start

There is an ancient Chinese proverb that says: the best time to plant a tree is 25 years ago, the second best time is now.  Basically, it's saying that it's never too late to start.   If you want something different in your life then get started.     You want to lose weight, you want to save for retirement, you want to start a business.  Sure things might be easier if you had started earlier in life.   Those kinds if thoughts are useless.  You cant travel back in time to change your history.  Who cares what you should have started years ago.  If you have a goal for your life then get started now! 

Five Tips for Making Your First Road Bike Purchase

Spring is in the air.  Warm weather is just around the corner.  This is when many people start getting the itch for a new bike.  Or perhaps your first bike.  But if you are new to the whole road bike thing, what do you do?  Shopping for a new bike can quickly become overwhelming - and expensive.  It is easy to get wrapped around the axle (Pardon the Pun) with all the different brands and components and styles.  There is so much information a available on bikes that make it nearly impossible to take it all in and make a definitive decision. Just like any other piece of equipment, buying a bike is a very personal decision that requires some serious thought. And unlike running shoes you are not likely going to have the opportunity to buy and ride a new bike every year so you have to get it right the first time.

Here are 5 basic tips to help you make the best decision you can.

1. Determine your price point
Just how much are you really willing to spend.  This will likely at least limit your options.  Bikes can range in price from a few hundred dollars to many thousands of dollars.  And there is a sea of options in between.   Major price points for bikes are determined by the model you buy, similar to cars.  Different models have each have their own pros and cons.  In general, with the base models you get a standard aluminum frame. Then you move up to light-weight aluminum.  Then aluminum carbon hybrids - usually the forks are carbon at this level. Then you move to the all carbon bikes. Each different construction has its own price level. So determining your price threshold will go a long way in refining your decision.

2. Determine what options are important to you
You may not even really know at this point.  But think about it anyways.  What do you think you want?  As you look around and try things out, you may find that your perceptions change.  That's OK. If you are a novice that's OK - own it!  Admit that you may not know what the heck you are looking for.  Ask questions.  Any good salesman or bike store owner will spend the time answering your questions.  In my experience, they like people asking them for advice.  They like sharing their knowledge with a fresh mind.  Chances are they have been riding longer than you and know more about bikes than you.

3. Get a fit
At least a basic measurement.  Take some time to get at least a rough measurement for the size of bike you need.  Most reputable bike shops will do this for you.  I'm not convinced that as a beginner you need to go through a full bike fitting.  Lots of people recommend getting a full fitting done.  and most bike stores charge for this service.  I think it is not necessary to get completely fit for a bike before you really know how you intend to ride.  The more ride the more you will start to understand what you really want as far as adjustments and body position.  Just get the general frame size (56, 58...). I say work out the finer details later.

4. Test ride
Ride more than one bike. Ride more than one brand. Try different component options. You may find that you don't notice a difference between a Shimano 105 or an SRAM gear set. Within particular bike models this is what drives the price. So at this point why pay for an upgrade you see little benefit from.  You may find that you don't notice a difference with shifting components, but you want upgraded breaks or different pedals.  It's your money, spend it where you see fit.  You can ask 10 different people what bike is the best and you will likely get 10 different answers. Picking a bike is really a personal preference. Try several different models out and see what you like.  Heck you may even discover that at this point you can't even tell the difference.  But at least you know and when you make the final decision you won't be wondering what "what if that Trek was better?"

5. Take your time.
Don't rush.  If this is your first bike, you are probably putting down what feels like a considerable amount of money for this purchase. You don't want to be on a bike that you end up not liking.  Remember that just because you walked into a store and talked to the salesman for an hour and rode a bike or two, doesn't mean that you have to buy something that day (or from that store for that matter). 

Good luck and happy shopping!

How long is this going to take anyways?

So as I'm getting back into the workout routine, I'm starting to wonder a a about a few things.  Lately I've been wondering how long is it going to take me to complete a sprint triathlon? Since my goal is to finish the triathlon without stopping during any of the legs, I'm trying to figure out how long I need to keep moving.  In training, I figure that I should be able to keep up some sort of activity for at least as long as I think it will take. Does that make sense to anyone except me?

So what do I need to prepare for? Am I going to be out there for an hour, two or maybe 4?   I mean, at this point, I'm out running for 50 minutes and I'm pretty much spent.  I don't have much left in me.  I know I'm training and all and I plan on working on my performance, but come on really, what's realistic?

I'm definitely going to have to do some trial and error work here.  I haven't had the chance to test the swim and bike yet. I know I can run a 5K in less than 30 minutes, so that's a start. Although, that is a fresh 5K - not after swimming and biking.  I'm guessing the bike will probably be close to double that. That assumes I can ride at 13 mph average. And what a out the swim. 15 minutes maybe?  So what's that get me to, an hour and 45 minutes?  Does it make sense to plan my training around these times?

Here is how I plan on estimating my split times. Its a pretty basic approach to the whole thing.  Nothing technical here.

1.  Complete each individual distance and see how long it takes me to do it fresh.  This should give me a pretty basic idea of the time required for each split.
2.  Practice completing the full individual distances as often as I can.  This shouldn't be too difficult considering I'm only training for a sprint at this point. Plus this is a confidence builder.  It will be a big boost to my confidence to know that none of the splits by themselves will be enough to bring me down.
3.  Once I'm proficient at each distance, I will start combining them. For example, swim then bike, or bike then run.  This will give me some idea as to how much the combined affects of the splits will impact my individual times. Again another confidence builder.
4.  Eventually, I should be able to complete all three back-to-back-to-back.  And this will be the ultimate test to verify that I'm ready.  I don't think that the triathlon should be the first time I complete the full distance.
That's it.  Like I said, no rocket science here. Take baby steps and build my confidence as I go.

As I currently have it planned in my insane schedule, I intend on doing the full distance several times in the weeks prior to the triathlon.

"I hated every minute of training, but I said, "Don't quit.  Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion." - Muhammad Ali

Scheduling Insanity

My schedule is kind of crazy...but who's isn't Right?  Between work, family and working out, I don't have a lot of free time.  I'm a pretty early riser during the week - mostly because I have to be.  My carpool for work leaves for work at 5:00AM.  And by the time I get home its almost 5:00 PM.  Once home, its the kids homework, sports, girl scouts and on and on.  Somewhere in there my wife squeezes in her workout.  (She is currently rocking P90X).  By the time 9:00 rolls around the kids are heading off to bed (hopefully) and I'm usually online again for another hour of catching up on work emails. 

But wait a minute, I didn't even talk about my workouts.  That's because I squeeze them in when I can.  I typically wake up at 3:50AM and am out the door by 4:00 for a morning run or ride.  Until recently, that has been it for working out, except on the weekends.  But with summer coming up, and the triathlon looming in the not to distant future, I really need to step it up.

Thankfully, my wife has been very supportive of my triathlon endeavors.  During the summer, I'm planning on riding two nights a week after work as well.  It will be nice because I have recruited one of my coworkers to ride with me as a training buddy.  He is not training for anything in particular, he just likes to ride.  On the other nights, (weather permitting), we will be at the pool.  We belong to a local community swim club.  Our club has a lap pool as well as a general pool.  So when the kids are playing, hopefully I can start cranking out some swim workouts. 

So, Over the last several days, I have been working on putting together a workout schedule.  It's easy to say, I'll run 30 minutes this day and I'll bike 60 that day and so on.  But until you really lay it out on a schedule, you have no idea how that will really impact your daily life.  With an increase in frequency of my workouts, and my wife has her workouts to get in and all the kids activities, finding time to make everything work can be a challenge.  Heck, its been hard enough to find time just to put together the workout schedule. 

I like to use Google Calendars for my planning.  I find that it is a great tool for this purpose.  We already have a family calendar where we keep track of all our goings on.  It's nice to have that synced up to our phones as well so we can each see the calendar wherever we are.  For the workouts I simply created a separate workout calendar that I can overlay on the family calendar to see how well things align.  And its all right there at one time.  When things come up that need us to change plans, we can see everything that is impacted at once and adjust accordingly.  It is very convenient. 

It does take bit of work to set up, but when its all done, I find it motivating to have the schedule in front of me.  I know exactly whats expected on any particular day.  I know what workouts I'm planning on doing and when.  I will post a copy of the schedule somewhere on this blog, if I can figure out how to do it.

We all have a lot of things going on in our lives.  So, how do you make your schedule work?

My First Triathlon

So, I'm registered for my first race.  In August I'm headed to Erie, Pennsylvania to compete in the Presque Isle Triathlon.  It looks to be be a relatively easy course as far as triathlons go.  It's a very flat.  In August, the water should be comfortably warm.  I'm pretty stoked about the whole event.  At this time, I have a little more than 90 days to get ready.  Check out the cool little countdown timer I've added to the sidebar showing days do go to the race (25 August 2012).  Seems so far away now, but I know that in no time it will be here.  Awesome!
 
My whole family will be in town which is also  incredibly awesome.  I'm pretty stoked that I could convince my brother and sister to participate.  And it's great to see everyone working out and getting healthy.  And it will be great to see everyone all together (we haven't been able to pull that off in a long time).

So have you registered for a race yet?  Share with us when and where. 

Getting Back At It

Back to work - Finally!!

Even though it has only been four weeks since the surgery, it feels like its been months.  I have been a good boy and listened to the Doctor's orders.  No running for at least four weeks.  It's weird, I never thought I'd be the one saying "man I miss running"..  But I really do.  I've been successful in not gaining any weight since the surgery.  Actually I've lost seven pounds!  All in all, things are going pretty well.  It looks like things are actually starting to come together.  I finally got my heart rate monitor, (more on that later).  Big Red is at the bike shop getting a new rear cassette, a chain and tires.  She should be ready to ride in a couple days.

And to top it off, I have a cool scar just under my belly button.

Is heart rate important for the triathlete?

 Heart Rate (What is it?)

Heart Rate is defined as the number of times your heart beats in one minute (BPM).  Generally, in healthy individuals the lower the BPM the more efficiently your heart is working.  Your heat rate can be measured to help determine your workout efficiency and tailor your workout to meet your particular goals.

Where do you start?

First you need to determine your Max Heart Rate (MHR).  Your MHR is maximum BPM your heart can output when your are working your absolute hardest (for example: sprinting top speed up a hill).  MHR can only be sustained for a very short period of time before your body is overcome with exhaustion and you are required to slow down or stop.  The American heart Association defines your maximum heart rate using a very simple calculation. 220 - Your Age.  This is a good approximation for most people.

Example: I am 35, so my recommended maximum heart rate is (220-35) = 185. 

If you are and experienced athlete or under the care of a doctor there are are several ways to determine a more precise MHR.  But for most people, the calculation is a good place to start. Later on I will discuss how to tweak the numbers if you feel the need.

What do you do with this information?

Once your know your MHR you can use this to determine target training zones depending on your fitness goals.  Target heart rate zones are determined as a percentage of MHR.  These zones let you focus your workout on a particular level to establish a particular goal (Aerobic fitness, Fat burning, etc.)  When working out you can adjust your level of intensity based on your measured BPM and the target heart rate.
Broadly, your exercising target hart rate zone is between 60%-85% of MHR.  So for me, that means that I should set my target to be somewhere between 111 and 157 BPM.

Low Intensity Workouts 50%-60% (Beginners or warm up)
If you are new to fitness, overweight/obese or have other limiting health problems this is probably the zone that you should consider as your target.  Remember activities that get  you moving and elevate your heart rate even slightly can still be beneficial to your health.  Do not be discourage if you are not able to go beyond this level at first.  For more active people this will be the warm up zone - a brisk walk and some light stretching to get things started.

Moderate Intensity 60%-75% (Fat loss, fitness or Endurance)
This is the standard workout range.  In the lower ends of this range you will be able to maintain the sustained effort for longer.  This will allow you to burn more calories and increase your bodies fat burning capability.  As your workout becomes more intense and your heart rate moves to the higher end of this zone your start endurance capability. 


High Intensity to Max (75%-85%) (anaerobic workout)

High intensity workouts include things like heavy strength training, sprint interval training, intense full body workouts.  If you are going to attempt to train withing this zone on any kind of regularity, you will need to already have the basic fitness level required.  Intermittent training at this level of can be helpful in increasing your V02max and bringing up the level of intensity your are able to sustain at the moderate level.  It is not a good idea to focus your workouts at this high of a level all of the time. 

Max intensity (85-%100%)

Don't go here.  At least do not try to go here for extended periods of time.  Your body wont allow you to anyways.  Unless you are an experienced athlete under the watchful eye of trainers and medical staff, save this area for your emergency situation adrenaline rush mode. 

So how do I measure it?

Take your pulse
There are several ways to take your pulse.  Two of the most common ways to measure your pulse manually are on the inside of the wrist and the side of the neck.  Once you feel your heart beat in either location, measure how many times you feel the beats over a period of time.  The longer you can measure the more accurate your measurement will be.  The problems with this method are:
1. It is difficult to do while you are still exercising, so getting real time data is nearly impossible.
2. Holding your hands on your wrist or neck while exercising is awkward.
3. Once you heart begins beating faster it can be harder to count the number of beats accurately
4. It is possible to feel the heartbeat in your fingertips, as well as in your neck or wrist, thus providing a double count and leading you to incorrect data.
 
Get a heart rate monitor
A heart rate monitor is an electronic device that can be used to measure your heart rate.  They come in a wide variety of styles and with a wide variety of options. Heart rate monitors can be used to provide real time information to make quick changes if necessary.  They range in price and functionality from the most basic fingertip sensor to chest straps to units that include GPS tracking and Bluetooth synchronization to your smart phone.

Tweaking the numbers

Every person is different so measurements that rely on the reactions of the "Average" person may not be applicable in every case.  Heart rate is affected by everything from height, weight, age, gender, medication, health, weather, - you name it, it probably has an impact on heart rate.  None-the-less, the calculated targets are a good place to start, especially if you have never measured before and have no reference point.  Once you become experienced with measuring heart rate and how much your workouts affect it, you can begin to tweak or customize your zones.  Perhaps you discover that no matter how hard you work you never reach your calculated MHR.  Or Perhaps you realize that you are can consistently work out in your 60-70 zone for hours - maybe you need to adjust your levels up a bit to get more out of your workout.

Why I Started Triathablog

To be truly honest one if the main reasons why I started this blog is to keep myself motivated. I'm currently in recovery mode and will be for the next several weeks. I need to keep myself motivated during this down time or I will never get back at it. Two days ago I underwent surgery to repair an umbilical hernia.
I have a what?
If you don't know what an umbilical hernia is, you are not alone. I had no clue until a couple of weeks ago. I started having pain in my abdomen. At first I just thought it was cramps or gas. Then I noticed that my belly button was turning from an outy to an inny. This kind of freaked me out. So what did I do, the same thing any person does.... I started playing Internet doctor and diagnosing myself. After a couple of hours of research I had it narrowed down to anything from appendicitis to colon cancer. Of course my wife was saying i think you have this umbilical hernia thing. Either way I was kind of freaked out and decided to call the doctor.
After maybe a two minute exam the doctor had it pinpointed - umbilical hernia - my wife was right, of course.
Next step surgery
Next thing I know I'm scheduled to talk to a surgeon about getting fixed. A little poking and prodding in my navel from this doctor and he says the same thing. Yup it's a hernia alright. A quick outpatient surgery and you'll be on your way. Sweet that doesn't sound too bad. So I ask "Hey Doc, what kind of recovery time are we talking about here? I'm training for a triathlon."
Six weeks
Six weeks - six weeks. I can't believe it. I'm sidelined for six weeks because of my stupid belly button. What the heck am I going to do now? I've been working so hard to get where I am today. I can't lose my motivation. I'm going to have to be ready to hit the training hard once I'm cleared.
Enter Triathablog
So part of what I'm doing is documenting it all here. I'm using this blog in a couple of ways. One is to keep talking about triathlons. I need to keep that conversation going so I don't lose track of my ultimate goal. Also, I plan on using this blog to record and organize my thoughts plans an ideas about triathlons. And if anyone actually reads this, maybe I'll meet some new people. Maybe I'll inspire someone to start training. Who knows?

The Basics of Triathlon

Why? - Why not
Why would anyone want to do a triathlon?  Well I cannot answer that question for anyone except myself.  And I shouldn't answer for anyone else.  Come up with your own reasons why you do it.    I can say this about why I'm doing it - Because it sounds Awesome!  I like the idea that I will be able to say that I was able to complete three separate events back-to-back-to-back.  I like that I will be able to call myself a triathlete.  I’m doing it as awesome motivation to lose weight.  I have set the goal to finish a race and I'm using that as motivation to work out more.  I’m using it as a motivation to eat better.   I’m using the fact that I am committed to this event, to gain the commitment of others to compete along with me.  In gaining the commitment of family and friends to run, I am helping improve the overall health of the people around me.  - Awesome!

The events
So.. What are the three events of a (tri)athlon?  Traditionally they are swimming, biking and running.  What else is there to say.  You swim for a distance, then bike for a distance and then run for a distance.   Distances vary from race to race, depending on the overall objective competition level and limitations of the course venue.

Typical distances

Sprint
This is the shortest of all the distances.  Contrary to its name, its not likely that you will sprint the whole way through.  Typical sprint distances would be in the range of
Swim    500-700 Yards
Bike    12-15 Miles
Run    3-5 Miles


Olympic (Standard)
Swim    1.5K
Bike    40K
Run    10K


Ironman (AKA Ultra Triathlon)
Swim    2.2 Miles
Bike    212 Miles
Run    26.2 Miles

Gear
On the most basic level, there isn't much you need to complete a triathlon.  Great gear can be an advantage but it is not a necessity for the enjoyment of the sport.  There is an amazing amount of information out there on all sorts of awesome gear.  But from the start all you really need is:
1. Something to swim in (Swimsuit, cap is usually provided)
2. Something to Ride (Bicycle and Helmet)
3. Something to run in (Shorts, T-Shirt, Shoes)

That’s pretty much it.

Why The Heck Would I do a Triathlon

I am starting this blog to document my progress towards my first triathlon. 

Why would I want to to a triathlon you may ask?  Well why wouldn't I?  How many reasons do you need.  It's a great way to get and stay healthy. I can check this off of my bucket list.  And besides I think it would be awesome to say "Hi, my name is Russ, and I am a triathlete".

So I have set a goal for myself to complete a sprint triathlon without taking any breaks in 2012.  This is something that I have wanted to accomplish for a long time.  I remember as a kid watching coverage of the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii and thinking to myself, "These people are amazing!"  The strength and endurance these people have is truly awesome!

While the Sprint distance is more my level versus an Ironman, it is still an awesome event.  I have to admit that there are some ulterior motives in play here.  The goal of completing a triathlon is not the only reason that I am competing.  I am also using this event as a motivator for weight loss.  Along with that, I'm trying to use the event to help inspire those close to me to get healthy as well.  How awesome would that be?