Sylvania Triathlon

I was 100 out of 300, give or take a few. It wasn't as good as my goal, top 20%, but it wasn't bad. I clearly need to work on my biking next year. My bike split was 200 out of 300. It was pretty nice weather for a tri, minus the drizzle on the bike. I'll take that over hot and humid any day. The thing I noticed the most, pertaining to primal living, is that I was able to train less but harder and get the same results. I also did not feel bad at the last mile, while others were dying out there! It also helps that I am down to 178, which is 10 less than previous events. Of course, my age group was pretty tough and I guess it's because the older guys don't just show up on a whim like a younger guy might. Not to mention they can afford the nice bikes and gym memberships.

Update

I have been busy working on my Barefoot Run, living Primal and Intermittent Fasting. First, the run is now set for July 17th at Gallup Park. We are working on shirts, sponsors, advertising and volunteers.  I am concentrating on eating more meat and vegetables, less rice and fruit and no carbs. My work outs are Mon-Arms, Tues-Chest, Wed-Legs and Thursday-back. I take Friday off. I try to swim bike and run on the weekends with a couple of runs during the week. The week runs are usually two miles for distance and the weekend runs are one mile warm ups and hard sprints. The philosophy is lift heavy things and sprint. In the past I usually worked on mileage, but now it's just speed. My eating routine is now Mon/Wed/Fri-Lunch and snacks at night, Tue/Thur-Breakfast, shake for lunch and Dinner. The weekends are not structured, but I try to eat brunch and Dinner. I weighed in at 186 today after being at 190 at the beginning of the month! I should be at 175 by August. I actually think 170 is ideal, but figure I will plateau once first.

My Barefoot Run

The plans are coming along nicely. I wasn't sure this would happen, but just recently I had two breakthroughs. I got in to see Steve at Running Fit. He has agreed to sponsor the event. This will open up the mailing list to a whole lot of runners in Michigan. He mentioned that they couldn't keep the Vibram Five Fingers in stock and that the Vibram rep might be interested in getting involved. The very next day my neighbor informed me that the U of M Police Benevolent Association is looking for a race to sponsor! It looks like things are moving forward now. The Race date is not set, but it will most likely be July 17th or 24th. Feel free to go to the facebook page.

Barefootin'

Took my daughter to the track yesterday for some barefoot running. She and I both ran a mile. She is just seven. I told her to just do two laps, but she didn't heed my advice because she felt it was important to push herself. Mind you, she is pushing herself. I stubbed my toe on the second lap. I ran through it and also did my 100 yard sprints-4 of them. Then we did the bleachers together. Two sets! Back to the stubbed toe. It started hurting yesterday. I figure it will take a little time to heal but I am not too worried. I think stuff like this is natural and strengthens you in the long run. I seem to remember getting a few of these in my youth when I ran the neighborhood barefoot. It also reminded me of something I learned while doing my research. You must pay attention when barefootin. Of course, I have been running barefoot for six months now and got a little too comfortable, especially on the "safe" track. I guess a little throbbing in the big toe for a week should leave a lasting impression.

Training Philosophy

I just read a great blog on Primal Muse called Training Philosophy. It has motivated me to change my whole work out program. While this information is nothing new in the Primal world, it has a direct correlation to my triathlon training and bike riding specifically. Please go to his link for the scientific verbiage, but for the laymen I will spell out what I have done and will change. The CV has always been to put in the base miles during the winter and to train with light to medium weights with higher reps for us endurance athletes. I always considered myself an endurance athlete, but Olympic distance triathlons aren't really that long. Now that I have been reading Mark's blog and following Primal I have begun sprint workouts, lifting heavy things etc., but still worried about the distance. Jamie recommends getting the speed and the power base and throw in the endurance at the end. Naturally, the opposite of CV. But why should I be surprised? If I have learned one thing in the last 6 months, it's that everything I thought I knew, and was so smug about, was wrong. So, it's time to up the weights, shorten the distances, increase the sprints and plan on kicking some butt next year. I move into a new age group next year, 45-49, so I'm pretty excited about that. On the other hand, I have found that the guys my age doing triathlons tend to be pretty serious, so it's no easy task kicking their butts. I am going to set my goal of top 20% in my age group. That would differ from the usual middle of the pack.

Barefoot Running

In honor of the first annual barefoot in NY City I went for a barefoot run yesterday. I love the freedom of just showing up to the park, taking off my shoes and going. I have started wearing regular shorts and t-shirts, just to be more anti-running gear. I especially enjoy passing someone in all their fancy running gear because it really reinforces the fact that the big money advertisers lead us to believe we need all this special gear to get in shape. Yes, I was one of those NIKE from head to toe guys. While I was running a girl, rather attractive I might add, caught up to me and asked if I ever step on pebbles etc. So, let me discuss what I have learned from barefootin. I started at the track. While the track feels like sandpaper, it is forgiving and it is usually around a football field. I started by running one mile, then sprinting 100 yd dashes on grass. I felt that my form came very naturally, meaning I landed on my front pads without thinking about it. I did already have my Vibram five fingers, but did not use then. I also never went back to running shoes, as I did not want to confuse my body or mind. After a month of exclusively running at the track I moved to the park paved trails. What I found was that I was so aware of the ground that even if I did step on something I was able to pull up and therefore did not hurt my feet at all. The only thing that has ever hurt, and in a good way, is my calves. I have always wanted those well formed calves and now I can feel them getting a better workout. The biggest irony, thanks to CW, is that I used to tell my brother-in-law he was landing wrong when all along he was the one running "naturally". I look forward to next spring and getting more mile in. However, now I have to start thinking about where to run in the winter. I think I will go to the indoor track at Whitmore Lake High School, but have to play around with barefoot vs Vibram's.

Almost Barefoot Running

I have been trying to run exclusively barefoot, but woke up to 42° this morning. Looks like Fall has arrived in Michigan. So I put on my Vibram Five Fingers and headed out the door. One of my concerns, from what I read elsewhere, is that the Vibrams may not allow you to feel the forward landing that barefoot running forces you into. I think I have been barefooting long enough because I definitely had the proper technique. Instead of running two miles, today I did one mile as a warm up and then switched to 4 x 100m sprints. It felt great. It was cool to run in the dark and then have the sunrise start just as I was finishing! I also no longer run with my I-pod so that I can enjoy the sounds of nature. What a great way to start my Friday.

My Bike and the Ride

I used to have two bikes, a handbuilt roadbike from Davidson Bicycles in Seattle. I loved that thing, but it was getting over 20 years old. Then I bought a very high end mtn Bike, which used to be the spare bike for Ruthie Matthes when she competed in the 2000 Olympics,  but decided I didn't like the off road trails and triathlons as much. So I just recently sold the Davidson and upgraded the mtn bike with road tires. Got my first ride in this weekend and it was very nice. I took the Border to Border trail starting at Barton Park and I ended up in Ypsi at the Sidetrack Restaurant. The trail is a great way to stay off the roads, for the most part, and still get a good workout. Since it was a Holiday I decided to have a non-primal Oberon, along with a bunless burger topped with goat cheese. I don't think I will be drinking beer during bike rides again. I felt really sluggish on the way home.

Barefoot Running

Put in my two miles of barefoot running at the track this morning. Following the Primal Blueprint logic I now only run 2-3 miles. I used to think that I had to put in the miles. It was an obsession. I often did not go for a run because I didn't have the 45 minutes to run 5 miles. Now I can go to the track run 2 miles or do some sprints and get back to the house in time to make breakfast and get ready for work. For those that think following this lifestyle is difficult have no idea how simple things can become. Of course, barefoot running alone is not nearly as much fun as going to a busy paved trail. Last time I was at Kensington Park I was acknowledged at least 10 times including two girls on a bike that had to slow down to get the lowdown. If that isn't motivation I don't know what is. I even put in an extra mile just to keep the fun alive. FUN, when was the last time you went for a run and said "that was fun". I know the chronic cardio drones are not.