Always Move Forward

Obviously this is a phrase you hear from anyone who is going somewhere in life. Always look forward, never go back, etc. Well, today I mean it in a literal sense.

I've been unable to train for the last week due to a ton of work at my two jobs. This is good for the wallet, but bad for the legs. I got a chance to go for an hour long run today which felt great, but something was missing. I felt like I was working harder than I should and wasn't going as fast and I wanted. I attributed this to a lack of training over recent weeks, but then I stopped (mentally) and analysed my running style.

One thing I've been discovering in recent weeks is the importance of feeling the work I do propelling me in a forward motion. When I make myself do this, instantly everything I do feels much smoother and fluid; deadzones disappear, speed is increase, and effort feels less.

Today I tried to visualize a smooth forward motion while running and suddenly everything clicked into place. My form stabilized, power output went up, and effort went down. It was the perfect end to the workout.

Remember: visualize forward momentum. It may not drastically change your technique, but it will make you feel faster and more fluid. If nothing else it's good for the mind.

Hydration Matters (YNR Post)

Today I learned the importance of good hydration on the bike.

I set out to do a multi-hour ride this morning and had a blast. I got to explore more of my city, enjoyed the cool weather, and made a second trek up the hill to Simon Fraser University, this time up the back side of the hill which was much nicer than the hell that was the other road I took up last week.

Three hours into my ride, I was having trouble keeping my heart rate down. Riding that felt easy was still putting my HR in the high 140s and low 150s, which made absolutely no sense to me.

…until I realized that I had only had about half a bottle of Gatorade and almost no water since I left my house. Generally, my main concern on longer rides is having to pee; actually, more it’s finding a place to pee when I have to go. Public restrooms seem few and far between in my town.

In any case, I said screw it and downed a full bottle of Gatorade while waiting for a light to change. The scientist in me wanted to know if it would get my HR back down to normal levels, and how fast it would take to do so.

Somewhat surprising to me, it did! After a few minutes of riding my body felt a lot fresher and my HR went back into the 130s where I wanted it. I don’t know if I was expecting it to drop back to normal so fast, but I was sure glad it did. I was thinking of taking a Skytrain and Bus home before that.

I recall reading somewhere that a lack of water in your body is just as sure a way to blow a race (or training) as having no calories/glycogen/food in your body. The body is a complex system and all parts of the engine need to be firing in order for you to reach your maximum potential.

I think from now on I’ll risk taking more pee breaks and focus on getting more hydrated as I ride. Maybe I should just learn to pee on the bike, then I’ll be all set!

Many Miles (YNR Post)

By Lincoln Penner

Actually, it’s kilometres since I’m in Canada, but for the sake of alliteration…

In the last 7 days I’ve ridden 242km. Actually, it was over only 4 days with a bunch of work days in the middle, but it’s by far the longest I’ve ridden in any one week period ever. By more accomplished Ironman triathlete standards, that would probably be the distance you ride in one day, but I’m still happy with my success.

I really feel like I’ve gotten a good feel for how my body feels at certain RPE intensities and heartrates. I’m not sure how things will change once I get to 100 miles on an Ironman course, but it’s looking like I can maintain a good speed and cadence on flat-ish terrain at 125-135 bpm. Obviously hills and wind have differing effects on this, but during an IM race, keeping my HR in this range (so I’m told) is very important for success on the run.

Total training time this week was about 10 hours, almost all of it cycling. I’m really happy with this overall because I think cycling is the sport I’m most worried about vis a vis my overall triathlon fitness. I haven’t been in a pool in months and I still feel that my cycling needs to take priority. I’m not sure what that says about me…

…probably that I just don’t like swimming that much.

It's so good to be alive!

Triathlon is a very "pure" sport. By that I mean it uses the most basic of skills and little or no equipment. Aside from the bike, you could be a naked caveman with nothing but your spear and hairy body and do a triathlon. Maybe you could ride a dinosaur for the bike portion...?

I sit here after finishing a good, fairly hard 60k bike ride and I can't help but feel some measure of pity for the multitude of people in our society who have completely lost touch with their physical selves. Sure, maybe they hit the gym once in a while and lift some weights, but they rarely get to know their bodies intimately. They eat crappy processed foods for every meal, sit at a desk all day staring at a computer, and get out for maybe 30 minutes of light exercise a week, if that.

I recently had hours cut at my job due to major budget issues and have been forced to look for a more regular job to pay the bills. A friend of mine got me a job at a bank and for the last three weeks I have been working two jobs during the day, leaving little, if any time for training.

It's driving me nuts.

I can't really imagine myself succumbing to that 9-5 lifestyle. I'm not saying it's a bad way to live life if it is giving you the satisfaction you crave, but for me I have become so used to being an athlete that I'm fairly certain any future career moves I make will need to head in that direction.

That was a bit of a tangent, but what I'm getting at is that through triathlon, I have really discovered my inner physical self. I feel very in tune with my body and it's a truly wonderful thing. I believe that if I was to lose everything I own, I would still be happy so long as I had a pair of running shoes and a heartbeat.

Life is too short for me to spend my life behind a desk, and being outside interacting with nature just feels so right. It really is good to be alive.