Rich Miller's Group - FULL (Page 14)

That is TOOOOOO cool for ya'all to meet up if you can work out the logistics! Hope that works out for everyone...... AND if you are able to meet up, have a cup of coffee on me!

Rich

MAAAAAAMNNNNNNN it would be so phenomenal if you guys could meet up!!! makes me a bit jealous!! he he.
good luck this weekend with all the races guys. you will roooocckkkkkk.
What helps me a lot before a big event, like a test or race, is looking at my log/work I've done to prepare. If you see all the effort you have put in, all the "ah its 5:30 come on!! I don't want to go work out, the bed is soo much cozier" sacrifices, you know you are ready. most Tri people I've met have told me, its really all about the training you have endured. It's about the sacrifices and about the adrenaline!!! so YOU GUYS GOOO GOOO GOOOO!!!

LOVE YOU ALL! please keep us posted.

So one of the areas that some of you wanted to talk about was balancing everything with your workouts.......

OK! This is unusual, BUT ..... I missed a workout last night. Didn't get my 90 minute run and 30 minute cycling workout in! Am I upset, beating myself up, bummed ....... No to all 3! This is called balancing your training with your workouts!

Last night I had planned to and wanted to workout, however, we had a spur of the moment appointment that required signatures on documents. Sooooooooooo, after over an hour of signing documents, I looked at the clock..... too late to get the workout in and eat dinner. (Didn't want to eat at midnight...)

Soooo, the message is that life happens and you make adjustments without getting all bent out of shape. One of the best ways to ensure that your workouts don't get in the way of the rest of your life is to get your workouts in early in the day.


Rich

Rich and team, I think I'm slipping, and I need some accountability here.

In March, I started a similar diet to Atkins that eliminated starches, caffeine, alcohol and unnatural sugars. I did GREAT. Dropped 13 pounds QUICK. It was a great diet for me because I had no hunger pangs because of how slow the protein is processed. Then I signed up to do this triathlon. So I SLOWLY introduced carbs back in, and the hunger pangs came back.

I'm now back to regular carbs (and try to adhere to the starch in the morning, protien in the afternoon (biggest meal theory) and veggies at night (not so successful there).

This change in my diet has made my desire for bigger portions come back, and my will is diminished to where I find myself "cheating" almost every day. (I just had a scoop of ice cream an hour ago.)

It doesn't help that my husband is going to be out of town from tomorrow until next Wednesday, which severly hampers my ability to train. I'm going to try and work it in, but it's going to be tough. I WILL find a way to get as much in as possible though.

I'm mostly concerned, however, about the diet. I'm slipping because I'm not as conscious of what I'm putting in my mouth. I eat out a lot (work related lunches) which doesn't help. I still am off the caffeine and stick to my Splenda. I just wish I could work out without the carbs! (I know that is impossible...but it was just so easy to stay on that lifestyle.) Maybe I need to reward myself for every good week of eating well...

I'm reading your posts and I'm just so proud of all of you eating so well. You are inspiring me to do that, I just need a big push.

Thanks for "listening" to me vent.

Hi, Andi!

Good to hear from you!

The Atkins Diet seemed to work for you......right? (Now you may have hit a plateau..... are you seeing weight gain?)

Under the theory that everyone's body is different and reacts differently, let's talk about going back to the Atkins Diet. But, before you do.....

What is your goal? (You don't have to say what you want to weigh, but how many lbs. do you want to loose..)

Why do you want to loose weight? (What is your reason or motivation for loosing the weight?)

What motivated you initially to loose weight?

(Think this over......maybe you need to change up your diet periodically....i.e. Adkins for 4 weeks, regular diet for 1 week, Adkins diet for 3 to 4 weeks..... mix it up and shock the body..)

Let's talk about it more. (I know this won't help, but I had sugar free ice cream last night myself......it was tasty, too! )

Rich

weekend plans
Saturday BIRTHDAY LUNCH!!!! With my friends!
Sunday Swim meet!!

I had promised that I would talk more about Circles of Concern and Influence. This concept of how to approach concern comes from their workshop on "Habits of Highly Effective People".

Launch the link below for a brief description of the concept.

http://www.improvementnetwork.gov.uk/imp/aio/1033448

Now that you have read the concept in the above link, this is how I use it! It doesn't have to be a group activity or on a group situation. Individuals use the circle of concern and influence very affectively.

Let's tie it directly to triathlons! What are your fears about triathlons? These items go into the outer portion of the big circle. (Examples: Fear of completing the swim distance, flatting while on my bike, clipping into pedals, I run too slow, etc.) Go ahead and get a piece of paper and take a few minutes to do this...write down your concerns! ..... OK...Times Up!

Now look at those items that you listed as your concerns. You now can look at each item and develop essentially an action plan to address each concern. I add an additional step! I then prioritize the concerns I'm going to address..... it may be based upon a couple of factors....time, cost, benefit, etc.

You can apply this process to almost anything in life...... go ahead and give it a try!

Let me know if this helps!

Rich

haha, but see there is a difference. You had sugar free ice cream, I went for the full-fledged bad stuff! (Though I'm ticked because a scoop of Haggen-Daas ice cream was $5.50!!! Can you say RIP OFF??? Wish I would have known that before I ordered! Perhaps I'm just feeling immediate guilt after eating that ice cream.

My original reason was because I was disgusted with my body, and I was inspired by friends who had found success with it. I used to weigh 161 and now I'm hovering at 148. My concern is that I will start gaining again if I'm not careful (though I am careful much of the time). I'm sick of the plateau though, and would like to jump start this again to lose another 5 (for now). I accept that muscle weighs more than fat, and have chalked up part of my hover to that since I've been working out much more than I ever have.

My motivation for losing weight now is 1) for better performance and 2) just to look better (though I'm happy with how I look compared to 3 months ago). I just want to keep continually improving. Even if I'm more trim and stayed around the same weight (due to muscle gain) I'd be happy.

So Rich, is there actually a way to train while being on a low-carb diet? I'm wasn't as strict as the Atkins diet (20 carbs daily) but it was similar and certainly less carbs than I am eating now.

Steven Covey’s seven habits are awesome, I’m glad you brought this concept into the discussion. I just skipped straight to the proactive, influence approach.

My fears related to triathlons (in order of highest to lowest):
1 - I will be conscious of the food I put in my mouth.
2 - I will stay focused in my training.
3 - I will achieve my fundraising goal of $5,000, effortlessly and painlessly.
4 - I will not have a fear of the unknown in the Potomac River (or swallow the dirty water).
5 - I will work to have a good transition from bike to swim.
6 - I will strive to not walk during the run portion of my triathlon.
7 - I will stay positive.
8 - I will continue to improve in all emphases.

Sidenote question: So, Rich, do you work at all with Napoleon Hill methodologies? Have you ever read Laws of Success or any other of his works? How about James Allen’s As a Man Thinketh? I believe the law of attraction is very powerful, more than we know. I use that methodology a lot, and it is amazing how well it works when I set my mind on a goal. I’d be interested in your input if you are familiar with either. (I know this is more of an offline commentary, so my apologies to those who may have no interest in this subject.)

Hi Andi!

I've only seen training nutrition plans that stress the importance of having carbs. I think in the Atkins Diet if I can remember correctly, you have a lot of protein and as many vegetables as you want/like(?). Let me know if I'm correct or please correct me. Just be aware that vegetables count as a carbohydrate....albeit a complex carbohydrate.....this is OK.

Here are a couple of links.....eliminating all carbs is not a good thing.

http://www.fitcommerce.com/Blueprint/Page.aspx?pageId=616&portalId=...

http://sheknows.com/about/look/2649.htm

http://www.kuzora.com/article.lowcarb.htm

Andi, check the last paragraph in this link....advice if you do a low carb/high protein diet and also do endurance exercise.

http://www.bodyresults.com/E2LowCarbDiets.asp

Rich

Hi Rich,

Thank you so much for putting it all in perspective. Those articles, particularly the first and third, were excellent, thought provoking and informative. I never knew many facts that those articles covered, and it makes me thankful that I stuck to the low carb diet for just a couple months. The first article mentioned the immediate gratification when someone is on that diet, and it's true. I dropped a lot of weight effortlessly and quickly. When I decided to do the tri, I eased back into carbs. My fear was that because I'm not losing any more weight, I am screwing it all up. Silly, huh? Well, thanks to you and those articles I found, I'm feeling a lot better.

And I'm going to be a bit more conscious of what I put in my mouth, too. Maybe, in time, I may even start logging my food intake...

Thanks again, Rich!

Hey Andi!

I'm glad those articles helped put things into perspective.....now don't go getting crazy on me with logging calories...LOL!

Rich

Hopefully ya'all have been having a GREAT weekend!

Had a chance to take a photo (See Below) of my transition bike set up at this morning's race. Not sure you get the perspective, but I'll try to explain a couple of things.

First, I do try to take up as little space as possible. In this instance, I found a corner spot nearest the bike exit. I took advantage of the space off the rack and on the left side of the bike to set up a green towel for a place to throw my wetsuit..... this is a luxury and normally doesn't happen.

If you look at the photo, notice the red mat. I set it up so the top of the mat is about half of the back wheel. I then stand on the mat (furthest from the back of the bike) and set up my bike shoes closet to me and my running shoes/gear furthest from me. Can you guess why? What would I use first? My bike shoes, so thus they are closest to me when I come out of the swim and put on my bike shoes. I put my shoes on first (and in a sprint.....no socks) followed by my sunglasses that were preset inside the helmet in a manner that I don't have to open them up.

I'll break this down: Order of things I do for T1:

1) Wetsuit off (As I'm running from the water to my bike, I unzip my wetsuit and have it half way down. i.e. the top half is off, arms are out so that I just have to take off the wetsuit as if I was taking off a pair of pants.)
2) Swim cap off (I leave swim cap and goggles on until after the wetsuit is off to keep my hands free)
3) Goggles off
4) Cycling shoes on
5) Race belt on (Optional)
6) Sunglasses on
7) Helmet on

Remove bike from rack and run/walk to mount line!

Dismount at dismount line

T2 Steps:

1) Rack bike
2) Helmet off
3) Bike shoes off
4) Running shoes on
5) Race belt on (if not on already)
6) Hat on

Head towards Run Out gate.....don't race or speed your way out.... remember to let you find your running legs.

Let me know what questions you have!

Rich


Edited by Cyclingmaniac 2007-06-10 12:09 AM






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Bike Transition Cropped 2.JPG (34KB - 35 downloads)

Hey KAT!

THANKS! Your strategy regarding your upcoming race...... definitely spin in the early part of the race. You are still trying to find your legs ......... build some momentum on the rollers, you may be able to glide over the rollers depending upon how much speed you can gain. The variable will be the distance between the rollers and the height. Then use your gears for what sounds like a "false flat".....i.e. it looks flat, but it is uphill.

Race went VERY well.....I'm waiting for the posted results and then I'll do a RACE REPORT here for everyone. I want to see the split times on the T1 and T2. (I think I was slow in T1..... that wetsuit thingy!)

Rich

Great job on the race, Angela!!! You rock!

Rich, great job on your race too! Thanks for taking the picture of the transition area. That is really helpful!

I did a brick yesterday (if you can call it that after a 15 minute rest period between biking and running). That rest time did it though, I was able to run 2.5 miles without any stopping.

BIG breakthrough this weekend. I actually drank water WHILE peddling my bike. Yeah, I can hear you all laughing now!!! But that was a huge deal for me.

We biked on the same route as a time trial race was going on...very cool! Though I felt sooo slow when these guys looking cooler than ice would speed by on their bikes. It definitely was inspiring to watch!

Edited by aduncan42 2007-06-10 10:39 PM

Guys CONGRATS TO all of you, it's awesome you all felt good on you race!!!
Andi, great job with water bottle. trust me i cant do that yet!! he he

I want pictures!!! i want to see you guys and see time of transition and all that so we can all comment and try and learn for our next event!

Cris has a sprint in 2 weeks, so do I! Im exzcited and scared, but more mexcited. I had a core session on sat with the tri team and it was awesome. i AM actually sore from it!!1 he ehe
It was a good weekend, a little uneventful sports wise.

Anyways guys I gotta go, but im super proud of all of you!!!! yey!!! Ang I told ya you would do great!!!

mwak mwak

For those interested in technique, don't forget to read the article. For your convenience, I am including the link to the article!

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=...

Rich

Here is my Race Report for LA Tri Championship Express!

Like all triathlons, they started at a ghastly early morning hour....even the ducks were asleep when I arrived at the race site....hmmmmm......what does that tell you!

Wheather - Perfect racing weather......63 degrees in the morning, little overcast with some clearing, virtually no wind. My kind of race weather. Transition set-up .... found my "usual unreserved spot" in the corner of the transition area. Set up bike and gear along with bike.
Registration went off without a hitch.

Warmed up with a quick bike ride, a run and then proceeded to get in my wetsuit. Warmed up in the water with a couple of hundred yard swim. Ready to race!

SWIM: The swim was only a 400 meter swim. A true sprint! The start was an open-water start.... you get in the water first, form a line and the buzzer/gun goes off. This worked to my advantage because I seeded myself in a pretty good spot that gave me very few people to swim over. Found myself in open water a little further right than I wanted. Started spotting and was dead on for the first bouy. (I would say a majority of swimmers missed the bouy, but I was a little busy to worry about it!) Made the 2nd bouy...... dead-on course. Swim went very well! 6 minutes 24 seconds. Chip Time Ave. 1 minute 38 second 100s. Was happy with that!

T1: Had a little difficulty getting out of wetsuit. (Going to cut another inch off the bottom of the legs.) T1 included the run from the water edge to the bike and out. Everything went well. T1 Time was 2 minutes 05 seconds.

BIKE: Was in large chain ring as I left the T1 area (as planned). First part of the course was through a relatively flat parking lot area into a flat portion of the course along the airport. Once past the airport, the course turned into rollers and a little hill about 3/4s of a mile at a 4% to 5% grade. Course dropped down a significant hill into roller, up over a freeway and down another significant hill. Hit 41 mph in this section of the course and past 30 to 40 riders. Happy with the bike ride. 29 minutes 30 seconds on the bike.

T2: In and out of the T2 transition. 1 minute 45 seconds. Felt good ..... didn't push the run as I was leaving the transition.

RUN: (My worst part of the 3 disciplines)..... Took it easy for the first part until I found some legs. Took a while. Short easy strides... didn't dare look at my HR..... Legs finally kicked in about a mile into the course. Ran through the course with one minor exception. There is one short, steep hill which I walked. Ran the rest of the way in with a good kick at the end. Run time was 24:43 at a 8 minute 14 second miles.

Average HR was 162 during the race......recovery HR in 2 minutes after race 82 bpm. GREAT recovery.

No aches, pains, or injuries.....overall a GREAT day!

THE KICKER: My age group (50-54) was laced with ringers in Saturday's race. 2 of the racers were All American USAT recognized with 2 additional guys having Honorable Mention. It was a speed fest! The gentleman that took first in our age group also took first overall. All in all, it was still a GREAT day.


Rich

41 mph...Holy Moly!  You were flying down the hills!  Awesome race, Rich!

Thanks Andi, Caru, Angela and KAT.

It was a good executed race......Underline execution..... the key, I think, is pre-planning and being prepared. It helps eliminate the nervousness. I went over to the Team Pop-Up and was talking with the "Prez" while everyone else was freaking, running around, trying to get their wetsuits on! So a couple of other things to consider:

1) Pack your transition bag at least two days ahead of your race.... don't wait until the night before..... you will ultimately forget something.

2) Be very deliberate in everything you do..... write down a schedule or a list of things you want or need to do on race day morning:

a) Set up transition
b) Sign in and get race number (if you didn't pick up your race packet)...... be careful, some triathlons require you to pick up your race packet the day before.
c) Walk the transitions ...... Literally........ walk to where you will enter the water..... walk over to where you will exit the water.......walk through the Swim In area.... note where your bike is racked.......walk through the Bike Out Gate...... walk through the Bike In Gate....... note where to go to rack your bike.....walk through the Run Out gate.
d) Bathroom (Don't forget to go to the bathroom!)
e) I have a nutrition bar just before my warm-ups.
f) What warm ups will you do? Ex: 60 minutes before race.... short spin on the bike ..... make sure to set your chain / gear for the beginning of the race before you re-rack your bike.
45 minutes before....jog ..... perceived effort of 2 to 3. 30 minutes before....get into wetsuit ... head down to water. 15 minutes before race....... get wet....swim a little bit.....

Basically everything is well calculated.........

I hope this is helping! Let me know what questions you may have!

Rich