Experior and Slornow's Winter Mentor Group-CLOSED (Page 23)

Got what felt like a lazy hour on the trainer this morning, and my heart rate proved it, but I'm supposed to be working in Z1-2, so that's OK.  Trying to be mindful of pedaling form and cadence.

I'm the accounting manager for Boys & Girls Clubs of Maui, responsible for the day-to-day financial management of the organization and our $2M budget.  We currently have 24 funding sources, which I have to report on individually, and thankfully recently hired an accounting clerk to help with data entry.  As with most non-profits, everyone on the administrative team wears many hats.  I work with great people and for a great organization...been there for almost 7 years now.  I work M-F generally 830-500, but 10 hour days are not unusual during quarterly and annual reporting times.  I usually work through lunch so I can get my workouts in the early mornings - up at 430 ready to go!

Funny, I look at 18% bodyfat, and think wow that's a big number - but when you take a look at what is considered healthy it falls in line.  I just find it odd looking at a number that with all the training people do, 1/5 of their body make up is fat.

I know when I had mine done (at the gym, so no idea how precise) a few years ago I was around 16-17%.  Ideally I would add on some muscle, but this is tough to do with all the endurance training + being an ectomorph.

Jason: Wow, that's awesome. You've motivated me to get my reality check tonight at the gym. I'm going to see if I can get my body fat measured when I go to swim. EEK! It's sad how clueless I am.

That picture up there from last Sunday shocked me. I didn't realize just how far I've let myself go. It's been hard being responsible for my own fitness. I used to just show up to practice and do what I was told. I need take responsibility. So dang hard, but that picture has motivated me. It's on like Donkey Kong.

A few years ago when I got back on the fitness bandwagon, I was feeling pretty good about myself and my progress.  I joined 24-hr fitness for a 30-day trial and part of the membership was body fat testing.  She took my measurements and came back with 22-23%.  I was PO'd because  that was borderline obese and I felt better than I had in a long time.  And although I didn't carry on about it, she could tell I felt insulted.  At that time I was about 160 (I'm 5'8") and a size 6-8.  I was certain the person who took my measurements was wrong.

Fast forward to today.  I don't know what my BF% is, but despite my fitness level at the time that first measurement was taken, I know it's WAY lower now.  I can see it.  And I weigh 135 and wear a size 2. 

Turns out that woman was probably closer to reality than I thought.

Well this week not going well for training.  I purposely took Wednesday as rest day because I felt that my legs were not recovering fast enough.  Had a run planned for last night but by the time things settled at home, well there was no time for the run.   

Work:  I'm an IP voice specialist with RBC bank.  I manage voice architecture for Canadian and US business and branch offices. It's a fun career working with new technology, but also very time consuming as projects never seem to end.  We finnish one and two new ones are added.  I commute so I'm on the train at 6am and picking up kids by 4:30pm.  Wife does not get home until 6:30-7ish.  So I can't get out for a workout until after 8pm most nights.  Some weeks I'm lucky enough to not have meetings in the afternoon so I'll sneak out early so I can get a workout in before getting kids.  

No meetings this afternoon so hoping to sneak out for a swim and a bike before getting kids.

Eventful trip to Chattanooga yesterday.  Waited until 1pm to leave Mobile due to the nasty front (tornado warnings etc.) that was moving through.  Stopped to get gas 25 miles from Chattanooga and car would not start.  Relatively new battery so suspected the starter.  Called AAA and got towed to Chattanooga.  Finally get to the condo and go to unpack and something in my shaving kit has leaked all over everything.......Life keeps things interesting.

Things are better this morning.  Did a nice hour run along the Riverwalk in Chattanooga and now my car is ready.....starter as I suspected.  Headed to Johnson City, TN this afternoon to take son to indoor track meet.  Hope all the bad luck is behind me!

Randy

Giving my legs a rest today.  My run and bike volume has really picked up the last 2.5 weeks...and I've also increased some of the intensity.  I guess I got a little over zealous as my legs feel like trash.

Still going to swim after work.  Hope everyone has a good weekend.

Interesting day...  I remember that riverwalk.  I recall it was beautiful, but for some reason whenever I think of it, the most vivid memory is how hard 10K feels at the end of an Oly!

Great swim for me today.  Short, but it gave me a lot of confidence going forward.  Short-course meters:  10x100 leaving on 1:50, coming in 1:35; then 2x400 descending, 1 minute rest, coming in 6:42, 6:38.  My dream IM swim pace is 1:30/100m (puts you in right around an hour).  I almost held that pace for 1/10th the length of the race.  In a pool.  Doing flip turns.  So I've still got some work to do...

Have a great weekend everyone.  It's going to be a work weekend for me, but I'll get my riding in,and hoping for at least one swim.

Michael-nice swim!  Solid work.  I always feel sooooo good when a swim workout turns out better than expected.  So far its only happened once but it was great   Yeah, I always think about the race when running on the Riverwalk.....fortunately today it was about 50 degrees cooler than the last 2 races.

Made it to Johnson City...So far so good.

Randy

Hi Everyone,

Sorry I've been AWOL recently.  Been a busy and rough couple of weeks.  Got our daughter all moved in again at college over last weekend which took 3 days of kind of intense driving (bad weather in the Northeast).  Been working to catch up this week and finally kind of feel like I'm getting my feet back under me today. I've got 10 days before the travel starts up.

I'm trying to start a new "routine" called "Friday is Tri-Day".  Meaning that I'll do a workout on Fridays that has all 3 disciplines.  So, today I had 1 hr bike, 3 mi run, and 1500 swim.  Nothing spectacular, but first workout I felt reasonably good about in 2 weeks.  I also totally fell off the wagon in the food department in the last two weeks.  I am weak when under stress and/or traveling and I had a good measure of both recently.  So, I was 203 on the scale this morning.  A total fail for January.  I am planning to get back on more of a Stu diet going forward which will be easier now as well.  Took me a long time to get under 200 and I don't want to throw all that away.  We'll see how the next two weeks go.

Work.  Hmmm.  Complicated.  I started and managed a small business education company (simulations) for 25 years and semi-retired from that 2 years ago, though I'm still involved as owner / author / CFO.  On average that is about 20 hours / week.  I also am an visiting lecturer at a couple of business schools, but only for courses that can be scheduled in a condensed format.  About 2 1/2 years ago I decided to get involved in another business education start-up, which was really to help out a couple of friends who thought they wanted to be entrepreneurial... but after a year or so, they decided it wasn't for them (they really wanted jobs), so it fell back on me.  So, I've been working on that project doing pretty much everything, including several things that don't particularly match my skills.  Finally broke even in November, but that is without paying myself, so not very impressive track record there!  That's pretty much a full time gig now.  I'm also involved with our local Irish music scene in Charlottesville - teach a bit at the local Irish Music School and also play in a band.  That provides some free food and beer - and a bunch of fun!  And, for about one week / year (St. Paddy's Day), I can usually earn enough for a few race entry fees :-)  So, the good thing about my life is that I have a fair amount of freedom and flexibility.  The bad thing is that there are days like yesterday where I start to work at 4:30 and finish up at 11pm because the planets aligned wrong.  Anyway, my personality likes lots of diversions, and I've created a life that feeds it.

Enjoyed reading all the transition tips.  Definitely one of my weak points, so no good tips from me... well maybe one small one.  A few races ago, I started counting the bike racks to help me find my bike quickly.  So, 14 in on the right after the swim, 4 in on the left after the bike (and so forth).  It seems to help focus me as I approach my transition and I don't hesitate at all when I enter the transition area (which I had tended to do in the past). 

Have a great weekend everyone.  Looks like maybe some good weather here... perhaps an outdoor bike ride???

Stu

I'm always looking for something good to watch on the trainer.  I must admit that I like some "stupid" movies.  What are some of your "guilty" favorites?  You know the ones that anytime you happen to run across them on TV you can't help but watch?  Second part....what are your favorite movies?

Movies that I love that show my lack of maturity: Dodgeball, Animal House, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Stripes, Robin Hood Men in Tights, Soul Plane, Risky Business.......others??

All time favorites...no particular order:  Shawshank Redemption, Band of Brothers, 3:10 to Yuma; Raiders of The Lost Ark, Saving Private Ryan, Bourne Trilogy.  I'm sure there are others.

Anyone else willing to give it a shot?

Randy 

Almost any mindless action thriller is good enough for me.  I also like Monty Python, and other British comedies (Fry and Laurie, others).

I also like the Bourne trilogy and have watched it all too many times.  I grew up reading Tolkien, and I like watching that trilogy as well.  I'm not enough of a movie buff to have a ready-made list of favorites, just what comes to mind.  I like slightly off-beat movies like the Big Lebowski and Fargo and Best in Show, though mostly those aren't trainer movies for me unless I happen to be doing a 'long ride' on the trainer.  For the usual one-hour hard trainer 'rides', I tend to go for loud movies that I could easily ignore for 10 minutes and not lose the thread...

Stu, welcome back! We've all had our moments of having to be away (apart from the ever-consistent Randy---honestly, Randy's consistency should be a huge motivation to us all).

I was vaguely entrepreneurial for about 5 years (started a software company with a former grad student) and I don't see how you can keep it up.  It was exciting and rewarding, but physically and emotionally exhausting.  About 8 years ago our company was bought out and frankly, I was relieved.  I don't think I could have kept it up for much longer.

Silly movies: Anything with Jack Black. Other than that, can't think of any more. I'm not a big movie or TV watcher. I can watch any and all of the Lord Of The Rings any time. When I'm sick I'll lay in bed and watch as much as I can before I have to pick up the kids from school.

Had a very painful 3 mile run this afternoon. Left knee and both achilles tendons were on fire. The AT's seized up and didn't loosen till 2.5 miles in run. Had to be careful not to tweak the knee. It was threatening to make the rest of the weekend painful.

Got my long run in, good run made sure to keep it easy.  I think I've been going to fast for all my runs which made recovery difficult.  Had to remind myself that it's been a while and need to take my time.  Not having any luck on my long days, every long run has been in crapy weather, whether it's extremely cold or warm with lots of slush.  It was a very slushy day, feet were soak by first 5 minutes.  Long bike tomorrow then it's recovery week. 

Cheers!

My wife had to work all day (unexpectedly), so I've been home with the kids, also working (though occasionally also being naughty on the forum here).  So, no bike, no swim.  Boo.

But....she got home a little while ago, and guess what I did?  RUN!!!  My foot is probably not 100%, but the run was pain-free, and it still feels fine.  Tomorrow will be the real test.  And wow, running felt ridiculously hard.  I know it will come back fast, though, and I didn't care about how hard it felt, because running.  is.  great!

OK, back to work, now.  I'll check in later.  Have a great rest of the weekend everyone!

Yay for runs, Sylvain and Michael!!

I played the football today. My knee and achilles tendons weren't problems, but they weren't tested as I play central defense. Mostly easy jogging and sprints, and it's soft surface. I NEED to get up in the mornings and run. NEED to. No time in the afternoons without sacrificing family time. I won't do that. Just won't.

Hi Everyone!

Sorry, I kind of fell off the bandwagon - hurt my back, then went to New Orleans - had a great time!  Pool at the hotel turned out to be a glorified hot tub so no swimming over vacation.   Lots of good food!  On the last day we took a bike tour which was cool - old granny bikes with springs in the seats over bad pavement - hurt my back again!  Got home 10 pounds heavier (is that even possible?!)  Back to the diet and lost the 10 pounds but decided to take some time off, but one day off turned into a week off.  Kids were sick with whatever was going around at school and between that and work....I have been keeping up with your posts.

Great tips about transition!  My last race, people brought helium balloons and brightly colored ribbons that they stuck to their bike racks to help them find their place quickly (it was a big race - I think 1300 people?)

Di - I've never tried a gel for specifically that reason - not sure that I can deal with the consistency!  They use hammer products at the race that I'm planning on doing in July but I've been told that Heed (their electrolyte drink) doesn't taste all that great.   Curious what products everyone here uses. 

In the real world, I work as a pharmacist.  I have worked all over, CVS for 6 years, consulting for a couple years, local hospital for 6 years, home infusion for a few years and now I have a cushy job working from home - reviewing prescriptions for Medco (mail order)

Body fat% ?  Well, I'm a really fresh off the couch newbie, with a very solid 15 years on the couch!  Actually coming up on my 1 year off the couch anniversary!  Signed up again for the "biggest winner" competition at the gym this year which starts next week.  When I started last year I went in for my nurse eval and the result came back as a whopping 43% body fat!!!  Holy cow! No wonder I was sooo tired - my muscle mass was so little working to carry around all that extra flab!  I worked pretty hard and am still working just to get to a basic level of fitness.  Last year, my main goal was fitness and I didn't diet, I just added exercise and at my last eval maybe 6 months ago, I didn't lose ANY weight but my body fat was down to 32% - I think that I gained 20 pounds of muscle mass.  So my goal this year is to add a good diet into the mix and drop another 8-10%.  Planning on going for my next nurse eval in 6 weeks, so we'll see how it goes.

Had my annual physical last week and my bloodwork came back that I'm anemic - so I've started to take iron, looking forward to that kicking in as I was getting some greater than normal muscle fatigue.  I've had anemia before and should have noticed the warning signs (weirdly, I start chewing ice when my iron is low)  I also had them take an EKG - my father had his first heart attack at 52 - so my biggest fear is having a heart attack.  Some people don't push it too hard for fear of puking, I'm afraid of being THAT statistic.  I really should just bite the bullet and go to a cardiologist and have a full workup done just to allay my fears, but my EKG was fine and my labs were fine on that front.

Sorry for the long post!  I have been reading all the posts and they've kept me from falling off the wagon completely.  Planning on a trainer ride today.

Sorry for being MIA - The road trip last weekend, coupled with facilitating a conference this week really did not set me up for a good week of training, and my logs show it.  Can't look backward though.  Only forward!  Got in a good 60 mile ride yesterday, and am heading out for a 12 mile run in an hour or so.  The next 8 weeks are key, and I don't want to miss any workouts.  If you see me slacking, please don't be afraid to call me out.  I have a thick skin!

Glad everyone is staying active!  Have a great Sunday.

Work - I am a pilot in the Navy.  Someday soon I need to figure out what I want to be when I grow up....

Same thing happened to me.  I ran on the trainer for 4 miles.  Ended up with a very sore left calf muscle.  Ran another 4 on Friday and thought it might lossen up a bit. No such luck.  I will be skipping my 9 miles Long run this afternoon and give it some time.  Light week this next week so I'll see if I can get back it to it.  It is raining again here in Oregon after a very nice day yesterday.  I may try to get my Core workouts going and set-up for that.