Off Season Goals

I've put a few weeks of thought into what my off season goals should be - I've been very inconsistent in my training and I know that setting some goals will get me back on track. These are all qualitative, for the most part, but will help me get back on track so I can set some quantitative goals in the near future.

- Eat better - pretty straight forward here - too many trips to Chipolte and tailgating weekends have warranted this goal. To train right you need to eat right.

- develop mental toughness - this is a goal that always needs improvement and what a great time to do so is in the off-season - I need to fight through adversity, cold mornings, and get it done

- develop physical toughness - I believe I can tolerate a higher intensity of training when training calls for it - suck it up and reap the rewards during the season

- physical strength - I am lacking in strength, specifically sport specific strength - time for lunges, squats, pull ups, shoulder press, etc and core strength

- lose 8-10 pounds - lighter is faster, improved strength to weight ratio. I'll need to quantify this a little.

- track training data - I've always considered myself a pretty analytical person, and as a certified coach this should be a 'duh'. Never tracked data due to laziness. I've got the tools to do so, so I will track, analyze, and re-adjust accordingly.

- early morning workouts - I'm not a big fan of early morning workouts before they start, but love it when I get started and finished. No more procrastination - with the family growing and time constraints on the horizon, this is a no-brainer.

I feel good about my off-season goals, and will stick to them. Doing so will help prepare me for my best season yet and I'll have a solid base built come Jan 1.

Interval Training Seminar

Here is the link to the Interval Training Seminar I gave tonight. Let me know if you have questions.

www.efitnessperformance.com/seminars/IntervalTrainingSeminar.mht

Keys to Weight Loss PowerPoint

Here's the link to a powerpoint on weight loss

http://www.efitnessperformance.com/seminars/KeystoEffectiveWeightLoss.mht

Types of Training

There are many types of training, and all have specific benefits depending on what you are trying to achieve. Below is a breakdown of training methods. There are basically 2 groups, aerobic, and anaerobic.

Aerobic Training - any activity in which you can maintain for more than 2 minutes. Activities would include walking, jogging, running, biking, dancing, etc

Anerobic Training - an activity that you can't maintain for more than 1-2 minutes - such as weight training or sprints

Interval Training - a type of training that involves both anerobic training and aerobic training. An example would be running uphill for 30 seconds and walking down the hill, repeat multiple times. Another example would be doing the elliptical machine at a 'hard' level for 2 minutes and going slow and easy for 3 minutes

Functional Training - functional training involves using multiple actions in one movement to work several muscles at once. An example would be 3X12 squats to arm curl to military press. This would be considered one movement

Resistance Training - resistance training refers to using one's body weight, resistance bands, BOSU, or exercise ball to work the muscles. An example here would be pushups, sit ups, and wall squats

Weight Training - weight training involves using free weights to overload muscles. Examples include barbell bench press, and dumbell military press

Circuit Training - involves doing 3 or more movements in a rotation, then repeating. For example, a circuit could involve doing 12 squats, then 12 lunges, then 12 step ups with no rest. Once the 'set' is done, rest for 1 minute, then repeat.

To find out which type of training is best for weight loss, join me tomorrow at 7 Flags Fitness Center at 6:00 PM for my seminar on Weight Loss or email me for the PowerPoint slide show

Nutrition Seminar PowerPoint

enclosed is the link to the PPT I used for my nutrition seminar tonight - I hope you find it useful

Free Fitness/Wellness Seminars

I wanted to let you know that I'm giving FREE seminars at 7 Flags Fitness Center in Clive. We are located at 2100 NW 100th Street. The seminars are free to both members and non-members of 7 Flags. Participants will receive handouts from the meeting as well as a free personal training session. The sessions begin on Oct 7 at 6:00PM in Joe's Cafe, which is directly above the front desk. Below is the schedule. Feel free to contact me at mgetting@7flags.com or 515-490-4670 for more information.
Oct 7 - Nutrition: Guidelines for a Healthy Lifestyle and Weight Loss
Oct 14 – How to Effectively Lose Fat
Oct 21 - Benefits of Interval Training
Oct 28 – Benefits of Functional Training
Nov 4 - Introduction to Alternative Tools for Functional Training
Nov 11 – Aerobic Training vs Resistance Training
Nov 18 – Benefits of Personal Training
Nov 25 – Core Training
Dec 2 – Sport Specific Training
Dec 9 – Keys to Injury Prevention
Dec 16 - Being Physically Fit will help you be Mentally Fit
Dec 23 - Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation for Exercise
Jan 6 – Resistance Training Basics
Jan 13 – Keys to Fitness Success
Jan 20 – Importance of Training and Aging

Off Season Goals

Since I've been in my off-season for a while, my training as been inconsistent and nutrition has been off track. In order for me to get back on track I need goals. For the next few months this is what I've got laid out:

Off-season goals
Weekly:
4 - 30 minute weight training sessions a week
2 swim workouts a week - one long, one technique focused
2 run workouts a week - one long run and one moderate long run with hills, progression, or intervals at no more than 10K pace
2 bike workouts a week - one long and one moderately long w/ intervals/progressions

Sept - December
Focus on building up base to half-ironman conditioning
lose another 5-7 pounds
improving strength, technique in all 3 disciplines (notice I didn't say speed, just strength, technique and endurance)

Pigman Half-Ironman Report

Pre-Race

It's taken me a while to post this race report because it required me to do some introspection and self-reflection to come to terms with this race, as well as the future of this season.

The weekend started off with a wedding up in Minneapolis on Friday night. Grace, our 17 month old came down w/ something so that made Friday night a restless night for us all. Saturday morning we woke up, I went for a quick 3 mile run to get the blood flowing, and then we met some family for lunch and then headed for Cedar Rapids. I was hoping to get their in plenty of time for registration and then to try out my race wheels for the first time.

We arrived in Cedar Rapids about 6 PM, 2 hours later than I expected and rushed to get to packet pick-up before it closed. Once I had everything picked up we went to Olive Garden for a pre-race meal and then checked into our hotel at about 8:00PM.

Throughout the night Grace was restless and didn't feel good so we got about 3-4 hours of sleep.

Race Morning

When we arrived at the race site it was cold, windy, and rainy - not ideal race conditions. I got my transition set up and headed down to the beach. it was a wave start so I had about a 45 minute wait before I went off.

Swim:

The swim was a wet suit legal triangle swim. I opted not to wear a wet suit and headed out. I generally felt pretty good on the swim, but it did feel longer than 1.2 miles. Not much to say about the swim, but it was the first time swimming in the rain - not a big deal though. I was extremely disappointed in my swim time - 44 minutes.

Bike:

I was expecting nothing but good things on the bike - boy, was I in for a surprise. Keep in mind that I didn't have a chance to try out the wheels (808 front, 1080 rear Zipps) before race day. As I headed out on the course the wind was whipping me all around the road and I was forced to slow down to 12 miles an hour in fear that I would end up in the ditch. For the first 20-25 miles I was struggling to get in control of the wheels and going into a straight head wind. I was extremely frustrated and about through in the towel more than once. I held on and reached the turnaround. At this point I had figure out how to handle the wheels and headed straight back with a solid tail wind or cross wind - I had about a 20 minute negative split on the way back, but the damage was already done.

Run:

I started off on the run a bit too hard (7:45 pace), but felt OK for the first 2 miles, I knew I had to back it down so I slowed the pace to 8:45 for the next 2 miles and then, WHAM! I felt like I hit a wall. I took two electrolytes and water, but it just wasn't enough. I attribute it to lack of sleep, and a lack of fitness. I ended up finishing the race using a walk/run at 6:41 - PR'd by 5 minutes, but extremely disappointed in the race.

Finish:

Important lessons learned:

- never try anything new in a race (I preach this to my athletes - I should take my own advice)

- follow your race plan (I deviated from my plan to focus more on Oly races and was not getting in the mileage and time for the half)

- Get sleep - I think my combined 8 hours of sleep over 2 days definitely attributed to my race performance.

Based on this performance, I decided I was not ready for IM WI, so I backed out of the race. I'm dissapointed I won't be doing the race, but I think it's the right decision.

Ironman Consumption

With about 1 month away from Ironman Wisconsin, it seems that my mind has been overtaken by thoughts of Ironman - nervousness, anxiety, excitement, and a little relief that I will get a break from training once the race is over. I even have dreams about oversized salt tablets the size of hockey pucks.

So, I've got two weeks of training left, and 2 weeks of taper. This week I have a small taper for my 1/2 Ironman on Sunday which I will essentially treat as a long training day. Next weekend I intend to head up to Wisconsin to do two loops around the bike course to get a "feel" of the course. The bike is going to be challenging and technical with consistent rolling hills throughout the course.

Hopefully after next weekend I will feel a little more relaxed and ready for the race - I just don't have that feeling right now.

Big Creek Tri Dilemma

This weekend marks the 29th year for the Big Creek Tri in Polk City. Initially I signed up for this race as part of Flatland Series' special price for all 5 of their events. Herein lies the dilemma - this race lands right smack dab in the middle of my big volume training for Ironman Wisconsin (my 'A' race) - we're talking about a 100 mile ride followed by a 5 mile run off on Saturday and then a 2 hour run followed by an hour bike ride on Sunday. So, my options are:

1) Skip the big volume training and do well at Big Creek
2) Skip Big Creek and focus on big volume
3) Do both

A sensible person would probably go with either 1 or 2 - but I've convinced myself to do #3. So, I'm going to do a 1 hour ride tomorrow, open water swim on Friday - 80 mile ride with 5 mile run off on Saturday, Big Creek on Sunday, 2 hour run, 1 hour ride on Monday.

I don't anticipate setting a PR at Big Creek - not even close for that matter, but it will be fun and I'll still get my volume in for the week - best of both worlds.

RAGBRAI

When most people here RAGBRAI they think of pie and a huge party. I'm using RAGBRAI this year as a training opportunity. My plan is to head down to Indianola tonight and ride Wednesday - Saturday. Wednesday is a pretty short day (44 miles) so I'll use Wednesday as a speed day starting with a 5 mile warmup, then 7X4 miles at 90%, 1 mile recovery, 4 mile cooldown. Thursday is going to be my long day with a 100 mile ride (original route is 76 miles, with the option of doing 100 miles). This will be my LSD ride and making sure I can cover the distance - I will then follow it up w/ a 3 mile run-off. This is going to be a tough day and I'm going to try and only make a few stops along the way. The century ride will also give me an opportunity to test out my nutrition plan. Friday is a longer day 76 miles) - today I'm going to focus my time on the hills - we've got over 3,088 feet of climb. I'm going to put my energy into energy utilization on the hills and technique. After this ride I will do an 6-8 mile run-off. Saturday is a short day of 44 miles and I'll use this as a recovery ride - nice and easy with a few pick-ups to get the blood flowing.

I'm looking forward to getting out of DM for a while and enjoy the training, and time with the family and friends. For updates on my riding, check out my Facebook page.

Looking Ahead

Now that Hy-Vee is in the books it's time to re-focus training on the longer distance 'A' race - Ironman Wisconsin. Essentially, this means I will spend a lot more time on the bike. My goal over the next 4 weeks is to get comfortable riding 80 miles, with hills, at a pace of 19-20 mph. This will be accomplished with some long rides of 4+ hours on the weekends, 3 straight days of RAGBRAI in 2 weeks, and speed work of 1.5 hour rides during the week.

My other focus is the run - I will continue to build on the base that I already have and include longer runs on the weekend, and include interval, track, and speed work during the week. The goal here is to be able to comfortably run 16 miles at an 8:45 pace in the next 4 weeks.

The swim will remain the same, but adding some yardage to accommodate the longer distances of upcoming races. In reality, you don't spend much time in the water compared to the other disciplines in the water, so training should reflect that. I will also focus on speed, drills, and technique within the overall yardage.Thanks for reading

Hy-Vee Triathlon Race Report

First all, a huge thanks to all the volunteers, race organizers, and the spectators for making this a fantastic event. Overall, the event ran smoothly and the weather couldn't of been more perfect.

(part of my cheering squad)

Swim: My plan for the swim was to take it easy and save my energy for the bike and run. There was a lot of congestion, also known as the "human washing machine" from the start til after the turnaround at the first buoy. After that, it was smooth sailing - I just found some feet and followed along. About halfway through the swim I felt my timing chip fall off my leg. There was nothing I could do about it so I just kept on going, focusing on my stroke and breathing, and thinking ahead to my transition. I mentioned to someone at transition that I lost my timing chip. Swim time: 35 minutes

T1: out of the swim I ran out of the swim exit and headed to my bike which was at the far west side of transition area. I threw on my helmet, sunglasses, sock, shoes and ran out to the bike start. Overall, uneventfulBike: The bike course was an out and back course with hills from mile 10-14. We had a slight headwind heading out, but I felt good as I kept my cadence around 85-90 and was able to pass quite a few people. About halfway through the first hill I got my butt handed to me by about 5 people (note to self: need some work on hills). I was able to keep my cadence high and heart rate in check through the hills so I had energy to hammer it back to T2. Took in a gel at mile 16 and hydrating was in check. I wish I would of had my aero water bottle - I seem to lose a lot of speed when I grab my water bottle from the cage. On the way back to transition we had a tailwind and I felt really strong and was able to pass quite a few people. Bike time: 1:10

T2: I picked up my running shoes and noticed a timing chip! That really tells you the race was organized when they are able to get you a new race chip when you lost your first one without incident. Anyway, other than getting my Garmin switched to 'run' mode, t2 was uneventfulRun: I started the run at about a 7:15 pace, so I knew I had to back down to save energy for the upcoming hills. So I backed down the pace and out of the park we went. Our first minor hill wasn't too bad, I definitely felt the brick legs, but I kept telling myself to push ahead and leave it all on the course. The first hill was a killer - quads were burning and I felt like I was crawling. I had decided before the race that I would walk through all the water stations, which worked out well for this race. I think this is something I will continue to do. My mentality for the run was to 'leave it all out on the course'. So I pushed through and made it back to the park. Coming through the finish line is always such a great feeling, and a truly indescribable high - all the training had paid off and I cut 15 minutes off my previous PR!

final time: 2:41

The Taper

This week athletes training for Hy-Vee should be going through a taper week where the volume is cut down to 50% of their normal volume, interspersed with a few short intense workouts. The taper is one of the hardest phases of any sport because typical thoughts are "if I could do one more long bike, swim, or run", or "if I had one more brick", I would be ready. I've had these thoughts in the past, but not near as much this year. Maybe because I know that "one more killer workout" isn't going to do any good, and could end up causing more damage on race day. Perhaps its because I know that I trained for this race, and I'm ready. One of the hardest thing about the taper is an athlete isn't used to such small volume, and may grow restless and want to put in a hard workout. The purpose of the taper is to repair those muscles to full potential this week, maintain fitness with a few short workouts, and consume fuel for your energy stores so on race day you are at your full potential and ready to race. Relax this week, feel good about yourself about the work you've put into this race, mentally prepare yourself for the race, and get ready for Sunday!

Copper Creek Tri Race Report

This past Sunday was the Copper Creek Tri in Pleasant Hill. First and foremost, a big thanks to the race organizers and volunteers - you did a great job and made this race a great experience. This was my first sprint tri and the main purpose for me was to work out any kinks in the swim and transition, and just enjoy the opportunity to race.

Swim:
The morning started off with a fog covered lake which caused a slight delay in the race getting started. The swim started off in the water, and when the cannon went off, out we went. I started about mid-pack and endured a quite a few start/stops/kicks for the first 200 meters or so before I found a decent groove and some feet to follow. The swim felt good and I was nice and relaxed and felt good coming out of the swim. I think I could of pushed a bit harder and ended up with a better time.

Time: 16:07

T1/Bike:

T1 was pretty eneventful, but I know I could improve on getting out of the wetsuit, putting on my bike gear, and a better bike mount. The bike course started off pretty weak - it took me about 3 miles before I could feel my legs regaining their strength. As I regained my speed, strength and found a good cadence I felt much better and started to pass some people. I hadn't been on the course before the day so I was surprised by the hills on the course. Nothing too crazy, but they were challenging and added some variety to the course. Ironically the name of the city the race was held was Pleasant Hill - only thing 'pleasant' about the hills was the descent :). Coming back into transition I felt great and was ready for the run.

T1: 2:10Bike: 37:15 - ~20 mph average

T2/Run:

As I came into transition I tried to dismount off my bike and almost bit it - luckily I regained my balance and got my bike mounted in transition and threw on the running shoes. Ouch! Mile 1-2 were pretty painful from the bike. Nothing I could really do except run through the pain. (Note to self: more brick workouts!). The run course was also a bit hilly and challenging. I also had some stomach cramping going on through the run, but it was manageable. With 1 mile left in the course I gave it all I had and pushed through the finish line.

T2: 1:00Run: 24:10
Total: 1:20:40

I was hoping for a better swim, bike, and run time but I was happy overall with the race and it's a good baseline to work from for the rest of the season.

Hy-Vee Bike Course

This morning a few people and I took the opportunity to ride the Hy-Vee bike course. From a logistics standpoint, it's pretty easy - take a left out of Raccoon River park onto Grand for 2 miles, then slight left again to continue on Grand which turns into Booneville Rd. Go another 10 miles then turn around and come back. For the most part, the course is flat, except for miles 9.9 - 15. There are some challenging, long hills that you'll encounter toward the turnaround point - but after those, you're in the clear. Here are a few more tips for the Hy-Vee course
- drink often - this is your chance to get hydrated for the remainder of the race
- eat - this is also a great opportunity to get some food in - gels, bars, etc (experiment on training rides)
- when going up hills, try and stay seated as much as possible - when you stand up your heart rate is going to skyrocket - stay seated and make up the time on the descent - you'll be glad you when you're on the run.

Below is the elevation map of Hy-Vee Bike course from my Garmin this morning:
688 feet Ascent
685 feet Descent
I intend on riding the course again and when I do I will take some pics - thanks for reading

Dam to Dam 20K Road Race Report

Initially, my plan for Dam to Dam was to set a PR and run around a 7:45 pace. This was just not the case on Saturday. First and foremost, I'm not one to make excuses - but sometimes things just don't go as planned. I arrived at the race site via bus a bit late than I had planned so I had to hurry to the starting line thus not allowing me to go to the bathroom before the race began. Oh well I figured, I should be fine. The first 3 miles for me were terrible - beause I started toward the back of the line it was hard to pass people and I average about a 9:30 pace. Coming upon mile 5, I started to have some major GI issues which caused me to stop and use the restroom - same story at mile 8- combined lost time about 15 minutes with waiting in lines. Turns out Filipino food, while awesome, isn't a pre-race recommended food. Around mile 7 I decided to turn the run into an LSD (long, slow distance) run and enjoyed the run.

Lessons Learned
1) Start farther up in line in accordance with pace
2) Filipino food as pre race meal = serious issues for race
3) Listen to my own advice for what NOT to eat pre race

Top 10 Reasons to Hire a Personal Trainer

1) Get healthy! - based on your medical history, and current health, a Personal Trainer can prescribe a workout program that meets your needs and do exercises that you enjoy
2) Exercise safety - a Personal Trainer will prescribe the right intensity, weight, and demonstrate the proper way to do an exercise to minimize risk of injury
3) Knowledge transfer - After a specified amount of training, you should walk away with the knowledge to continue to workout safely
4) Hold you accountable - Even when you don't feel like working out, you are obligated to show up with your appointment with your trainer
5) Push you - a trainer has the skill sets to appropriately push you to get maximum results
6) Motivate you - a Personal Trainer has the skill sets to motivate you to exercise and get in shape
7) Add creativity - a personal trainer has access to the knowledge and the latest and greatest exercises to add a little spice to your workout
8) Get you out of a rut - do you feel like your spinning your wheels and not meeting your goals? - a personal trainer will be able to assess your opportunities for improvement and help you get back on track
9) Injury rehabilitation and prevention - a personal trainer can help strengthen muscles after an injury to help rehabilitate an injury and incorporate flexibility training for future prevention
10) Nutrition - a Personal Trainer can provide nutrition guidelines to ensure you are eating right to meet your goals.

Exercise and eating right are the keys to living a healthy life and exponentially reduce the risk of heart disease and illnesses caused by obesity. Exercise has also been shown to improve and reduce the symptoms of stress, ADHD, depression, aging, addiction, anxiety, and greatly improve the ability to learn.

Thanks for reading

Running Race Prep

As Dam to Dam is quickly approaching, or any race for that matter, here are some pre-race and race advice I'd like to offer

1) If you haven't trained for Dam to Dam, DON'T start this week - it's too late - don't try and cram in a 8-10 mile run - there is no advantage to doing this and your chance for injury increases greatly.
2) If you've properly trained, get in one tempo run on Wednesday, and a very light jog on Thursday
2) If you want to carb load, do it 2 nights before the race (so, for Dam to Dam, Thursday night)
3) On the day before the race, avoid foods high in fat and high in fiber and eat a little less than normal
4) Carrry around water and sip on in throughout the day
5) Stay active and loose throughout the day - go for a walk
6) Lay out your race gear the night before
7) Don't stray from your normal gear/food the morning of the race (i.e. new goggles - oops, wrong sport :))
7) Morning of the race, get something in your stomach - whole wheat toast w/ peanut butter and honey
8) Sip on a sports drink leading up to the race
9) Use the bathroom before the race
10) Race within yourself and your limits
11) Better to start off the race going too easy than too hard
12) Enjoy yourself! You've trained hard for this race, now it's time to reap the rewards
13) Fill up on food to refill your energy stores after the race.

Jordan Creek Duathlon Race Report

First and foremost, I thought this race was organized very well. It was easy to park, get your packet, get bodymarked and pick up your chip, and get in and out of transition. The morning started off at a cool 47 degrees, but with little wind. Nontheless, it was a good day for the 2 mile run, 18 mile bike, 2.5 mile run. Here's a pic pre-race in the transition area.

Intentionally, I started off the run at a pretty easy pace, as I didn't want to blow up on the bike or the final run. It was a two loop run around the Jordan Creek mall. This was relatively flat and a fast course. I finished the first run around 16:23 - which average out to a little over 8:10 miles. I came into transition feeling nice and warmed up and ready to ride. As I got to my bike I realized that I didn't unvelcro my shoes, so I had a hard time getting them on which added uneeded time in transition.

The bike course was a flat, fast ride, with one 3/4 mile hill - it was fun going out, but pretty long coming back. I felt really good on the bike, and stayed areo the entire time, trying to keep a good pace and keep in mind that I had a 2.5 mile run ahead of me. As I came back into transition I hopped off the bike I ran into transition. I was trying to unbuckle my helmet, but my hands were frozen. I ended up just pulling the helmet off my head and slipped into my running shoes. Bike: 49:12 - 22 mph/avg

The last 2.5 mile run was just about pushing through the pain and getting to the finish line. The first mile my legs felt like anchors after the bike, but loosened up by mile two. I felt good going into the last 1/2 mile and enjoyed the rest of the race. It was a good start to the season!
Run: 18:56 - 7:35/pace

Here's an after race pic w/ the family:

Overall: Total time: 1:27:02
Run Pace: 7:35
Bike 49:12 - 22 mph

Week of 5/11-5/17

This week started off well with training, but the past few days have been lackluster to say the least. I hope I can get out of this funk before the Jordan Creek Duathlon on Sunday. I am considering this a 'C' race and am not doing any tapering for the event. In fact, I have a 10 mile run scheduled a day before the race. This is certainly NOT recommended if you are considering this an 'A' or even 'B' race. The distances are: 2 mile run, 18 mile bike, 2.5 mile run. My goal is to start off easy - around an 8:00 minute mile pace, then ~20 mph bike, then 7:45 minute miles for the final leg of the race. I am using this race to a)practice transitions, and b) get a high level evaluation of my bike/run fitness. Below is this week's workouts

Monday - weightsTuesday - 1 hour bike, 45 minute swim
Wednesday - tempo run, 30 minute swim
Thursday - 45 minute bike
Friday - 30 minute swim
Saturday - 10 mile run
Sunday - duathlon, tentative - 2 hour bike

Due to working 2 jobs right now, plus family my training volume is down a little bit. On June 1st that will all change! Happy Training!

Props to Athletes

I'd like to congratulate two athletes in my 7 Flags triathlon class, Angie Veenstra and Stephnee Leathers on recent PRs. Stephnee PR'd her Wildflower (70.3) Half-Ironman swim by 5 minutes earlier this month and Angie PR'd and came in 1st in her age group, and 5th overall in the Klompen Classic 5K Run/Walk in Pella, IA.As a coach, I am extremely proud of their efforts in class that has transferred onto the race scene. Nice job ladies!!

New Career!

My apologies for not posting sooner, things have been a little hectic. After careful thought, and consulting with my family and close friends, I've made the decision to quit my 8-5 job and become a full-time personal trainer/endurance coach. On the surface, this was a pretty easy decision to make - do what I love to do, what I have a passion for, and the positive effect I can have on other's lives. Digging deeper in the decision, there are a lot of unknowns, fears, and unforeseeable challenges that I will face. I am willing to, and excited to take on this new challenge to help people, share my knowledge, and be a leader in showing people how to live healthy, and reach their personal goals. I am also thrilled to have the opportunity to dedicate myself to helping athletes reach their endurance goals, whether it be run a 10K or complete an Ironman. This will also give me an opportunity to dedicate more time to my other passion, efitnessperformance.com, a web site dedicated to knowledge sharing and fitness tracking/logging. I will be starting my new adventure at 7 Flags Fitness Center on June 1st. For information on what I can do to help you, contact me at mgetting@7flags.com

Training Measures

In the next few posts I'm going to be covering the basics of different types of measures to use to optimize your training, including HR, RPE, and TT paces.
Training using your heart rate is the most commonly used method for training, and is the most accurate because "what you see is what you get". I like using heart rate because I can consistently monitor it, but it does take some discipline to stay within your zones depending on what your workout calls for. You can use a HR monitor, which you can pick up at your local sporting good store, or use your radial pulse(pulse on your wrist using your index finger and middle finger - although this is a kind of pain when you're running or doing any other aerobic activity.)
Now, how do we find this information?
Step 1) Max Heart Rate(MHR) - the easiest way to do this is take 220-your age.

Step 2) Resting Heart Rate (RHR) - when you wake up in the morning, before you get out of bed, take your pulse for 1 minute and write it down. Do this for 3 mornings in a row and take the average. Avoid caffeine, nicotine, or any non-prescription, heart rate altering medicine prior to taking your pulse.

Step 3) calculate your Target Heart Rate Zones using the following formula:
(MHR - RHR) * percentage effort + RHR
I'll use myself as an example to find my 80% effort at age 31 with a RHR of 50
220-31 = 189
(189 - 50) *.85 + 50 = 168.5 = 169

With the 220 method, your HR can be off as much as much as 10 bpm, so to find your true max heart rate use a VO2 Max test.

From a running perspective, if you're doing a long run your HR should be around 70-75%, for a tempo run it should be closer to 85%, and speed work ~90-95%.

Let me know if you have questions or thoughts.

New Direction, New Career?

So, I've been toying, well, truly considering a career change. I've been in corporate America for the past 6 years. This last January I started teaching a triathlon class, so I was busy from 5:45 AM - 5:00 PM, plus my own training. I was busy, but enjoying it. I have recently started personal training a few clients which makes for some long days, 5:45AM-8:00PM and trying to find time to fit in my training, and, more importantly, spending quality time with my wife and daughter. I haven't had any time to work on the web site, which is my ultimate career goal. (More on that on another post.). Plan A was to quit Corporate America, find a part time job, do personal training/triathlon training and work on the web site. I have been searching for an IT part time job for a few months and due to the economy I just haven't found much. (I don't think stirring sloppy joes at a local elementary school is in the cards for me :). So, how about quitting Corporate America, going to personal training full-time and work on the web site at night? This is the path I'm seriously exploring. The big caveat here is, as all personal trainers know, the job is 75% sales, 25% training. I would need at least 5-6 months, realistically, to build up a clientele that I could come remotely close to my current income. I have a few ideas of how I could cover income for a few months. Anyone have any input, similar experiences? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Your questions

As we get closer to the season, I want to help answer your questions about endurance sports. If you want to email me or reply to this post I'll be happy to answer any questions you have. To help trigger some thoughts, here are some topics:
Periodization
Dam to Dam training
race nutrition
transitions
open water swimming
recovery
weight training and endurance sports
I look forward to your questions.

Grace's First Run

I took my daughter, and the dogs for a run a few weekends ago when the temps were in the 70s. We only went about 4 miles because I wasn't sure how she would react. At first, she was entertained because she could reach out and grab the dogs, and liked the scenery. At about mile 2.5, she was getting a little bored and started to fuss a little bit, and at mile 3 she took a nap. My wife works nights and weekends so sometimes it's hard for me to get my workouts in - this is a great solution for now. The carrier has got a bunch of toys on it so it keeps her entertained for a while - now I just need to keep a constant supply of food for her and she could probably go for hours :)

Bike Safety

As the weather gets warmer and the days get longer it's the time of season to hop off the trainer and get onto the open road. With outdoor riding there are many safety concerns to consider to make sure you are safe.
- ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET
- don't listen to music while riding
- bring a spare tube and repair kit with you
- obey all traffic laws, we share the road w/ vehicles
- tell someone where you are going
- bring a cell phone in the event of an emergency
- make yourself aware of the weather forecast before heading out
- if possible, ride with a group or a friend
- bring the necessary hydration/food with you
- make sure your tires are properly inflated and bike is tuned up
- always be aware of your surroundings (cars, people, pets)

Anything I'm forgetting?

Spinning Music

The cold weather is still upon us, so we are continuing to have spin class in place of biking outside. Hopefully the warm weather will be here soon. In the meantime, I try and make new playlists every few weeks to keep it interesting. Below is my newest playlist - what do you think?
Recently - Dave Matthews Band
Rockstar - Nickelback
Country Grammar - Nelly
Jumpin Jack Flash - Rolling Stones
Wake up Call - Maroon 5
Goldigger - Kanye West
American Woman - Lenny Kravitz
Runnin' Down a Dream - Tom Petty
Ants Marching - Dave Matthews Band
Viva La Vida - Coldplay

I can always think of songs as I'm driving, but when I sit down to download songs in iTunes, I draw a blank. Any good songs you can think of?

Self Negotiation

I'm entering my 8th week of training and, even though spring is right around the corner, I find it tougher and tougher to finish my spinning workouts. Afterall, I can only listen to Coach Troy from Spinervals or stare at the wall for so long. After about 1/2 hour I begin to enter a phase of self-negotiation - "well Matt, you've had a real good half-hour, let's cut this one short" or "we'll really up our time when the weather gets nicer, let's call it a workout". As soon as I get into this phase I try and block it out and forge ahead - most of the time it works. I do use a few tactics to get me through these times of self-negotiation:
1) Think of how good I'll feel when it's done knowing that I worked through the mental and physical challenge2) Block it out - just forge ahead and get it done3) What is your competition doing - they're going to finish the workout, you better too4) Its a means to an end - whatever your goal may be - a race, overall fitness, vanity5) Join a class or get a training partner - hold each other accountableNext time you're thinking about cutting a workout short or not going to the gym today, use these methods and get it done.
What methods do you use to keep going?

Grace's 1st B-Day

This post is not triathlon related, but my daughter's 1st birthday is today. It's been an amazing year, watching her grow - from her first smile, her first laugh, her first crawl, and lately her first steps. Being a father has been wonderful. I can't begin to describe how much my wife and I have enjoyed Grace's first year. There have been many challenges, many sacrifices, and many long nights - but I'd do it again 10 times over. We are so fortunate to have her in our life, and it has made me want to be a better person, and make better choices. There is nothing more wonderful than walking in her room in the morning and see her look at you and smile, and rock her to sleep at night. Happy Birthday pumpkin.

Training Update

I'm in week 8 of my Ironman training and it's coming along pretty well - I've spent more time on the bike trainer than I ever have in the past thanks to Spinerval videos, and I can definetely tell the fitness, and overall strength and power is improving. I'm excited to get outside to really see if the training translates on the open road. My swimming has really improved this year as I've put a lot of focus on technique and drills, and am using the Swimming Immersion technique - my times have improved, and I'm not near as tired at the end of the sets as I would have been at the same time last year. I spent a lot of time on the off-season working on my running - doing hill work, 400 and 800 intervals, and general speed work. Running is the area I need the most work in improving, I feel the off-season training is starting to pay off. I'm up to about 10 hours a week, plus 1.5 hours of weight training/core work.

ACSM Certification class

This weekend I had the opportunity to go to an American College of Sports Medicine class to review information for the ACSM Certified Personal Trainer exam. It was a 3 day class that focused on physiology, fitness tests, and program prescriptions for resistance, flexibility, and cardiovascular training. I really enjoyed the class and got a lot out of it. Being in the fitness industry for the past few months I could easily relate to the majority of the information, and how it applied to training my triathlon athletes. The big difference is the ACSM training is pretty conservative and is geared toward people who are starting with a small level of fitness, whereas my triathlon training is geared toward people with a much higher level of fitness, and looking to improve in both speed and fitness so the training programs are much more aggressive and intense. I now have to schedule the test and start studying. Anyone ever taken the ACSM test? Any helpful hints would be appreciated.

Garmin 405

For Valentine's Day my wife got me a Garmin 405 - a GPS enabled tool for tracking distance, pace, speed, calories burned and heart rate. The Garmin also allows you to wirelessly upload your workouts to either an online or desktop based application to analyze your workouts - in other words, it enables me to 'nerd out' and evaluate my training zones and workouts and see my progress over a certain amount of time, as well as tweak my training plan accordingly. It also has a 'virtual training partner' that allows you to set a certain pace, and it will tell you how far you are ahead or behind that pace. Another feature is to create biking and running routes and upload them to your Garmin. I plan on getting an attachment for my bike that will track my cadence and speed. Oh, you can also use it as a watch :). Anyone have a Garmin? What are your thoughts about it? How do you like it?

IronBaby

When I did Ironman Florida in 2007 my parent's bought my daughter an Ironman shirt. Today was her first day wearing it, so I thought I'd post a picture. I don't think she was as thrilled as I was when she was wearing it, nevertheless, daddy is proud :)

Brr Ride

Saturday morning was almost perfect for the BRR (Bike Ride to Rippey). The ride started at 10:00 AM and temps were in the upper 40s (pretty decent for Iowa) and hardly any wind. The ride consisted of a highway trip to Rippey and back to Perry. It felt good to get out and ride within the elements, and off the trainer that sits in the basement. From a training perspective, I felt really good for the first ride of the year, especially being February. It was a nice aerobic, 24 mile ride. Here's a post-ride pic of my dad and I.

Week 4 IM Training Review

Week 4 of IM WI training went pretty well - 9:00 hours of sport specific training and 1.5 hours of weight/core training. Starting to get back into the swing of things and can tell my speed work in the off-season is starting to payoff (well, for my usual speed anyway), specifically on the Thursday speed run. In the swim portion I'm really focusing on my drill work and consistently working on lowering my stroke count on both easy and hard laps. It's coming along - starting to finally get a little muscle memory.

Monday: Swim - 500 yards of drills, 5X300
Tuesday - 40 minute run, 1 hour bike trainer ride (lots and lots of interval training)
Wednesday - weight training, 1 hour bike trainer ride (intervals again)
Thursday - Swim - 500 drills, 10X100, Run: 2X800 @85%, 4X400 @ 90%
Friday - recovery swim ~500 yards
Saturday - 1 3/4 hour trainer ride, 30 minute run-off
Sunday - 1 hour run, 30 minute trainer recovery ride

Value of Support

As endurance athletes, we put a lot of time in our training regime, which requires sacrificing time with family, friends, and sleep. In order for us to be successful, it is so important to have the support from our family. Personally, without the support and sacrifice of my family it would be extremely hard for me to be able to put in the hours and dedication to meet my endurance goals.
From a coaching perspective, an invaluable resource is when a 'team' or class supports one another. As both a coach and competitor, I find it extra motivating to be surrounded by people who give words of encouragement and push each other to push through a set, and push themselves beyond what they thought their limits were. it forces you not to "dog" through a set. It is both an uplifting and driven experience.
I told my athletes the other day that even though triathlon is an individual sport, the triathlon community and competitors are a very tight knit group and always support each other, whether it be on a training day, or in a race. I remember when I did IM FL and I was around mile 100 or so, people would pass me and say things like "You're doing great", 'You're almost there" - these simple words of encouragement helped so much to get me through the race. Even in these first 3 weeks of training, I know my athletes are becoming better because of of the training, as well as each other.
In conclusion, support those around you, and they will reciprocate so you can all meet your goals and push yourself beyond what you though was possible.

VO2 Max

A term frequently tossed around in endurance sports is VO2 Max. VO2 Max, in layman's terms, is the size of your engine to perform a specific sport or how much oxygen you can take in and process. In other words, how much oxygen (volume) your body uses per kilogram of body weight during 1 minute of exercise at your max level. An seasoned athlete would be in the range of 40-60. Claims have been made that Lance Armstrong has a VO2 Max in the mid 80s. For amateur athletes, getting your V02 max is a great way to find your baseline, as well as get your lactate threshold, heart rate zones, power zones, and your caloric burn rate of carbohydrates and fats. Typically, the test should be administered 1-2 times per season.
Your V02 max is mostly determined by your genetics, but is trainable up to 20-30%. Also consider this; an athlete that has more power, less body fat, better endurance, and can sustain anaerobic threshold can compete, or even beat someone with a better V02 max. From an ametuers perspective, if you stick with your training plan, V02 max becomes less of a factor when competing with other athletes.
So, what other factors effect your VO2 Max - age: over 40 and your V02 max will decrease if your a male, for females it may take a little longer. Altitude can also be a factor, the higher you go, the lower your V02 max. Body fat also has an impact on your V02 max - the less body fat, the higher your V02 max.
The test should be performed by a coach or professional and involves wearing a mask that will send your data to a computer. The test usually takes about 1 1/2 hours and the professional will sit down afterwards and explain the test results to you.

Visualization

One very important, and often overlooked aspect of training is mental preparation. The importance of mental visualization, or seeing yourself be successful, was popularized in the early '90s and has been an important part of sports, and everyday life since. Before you go to sleep, visualize yourself being successful, whether it be giving a presentation, confronting a co-worker, or participating in a race. Be sure to paint a mental picture of yourself, how you are feeling both mentally and physically, and most importantly, you being successful. Visualize your surroundings, and get a sense of what distractions/temporary roadblocks could come up and how you will handle them. Do this repetitively over the course of the weeks before your event, and you will be successful.
Often times when I'm running on a treadmill or spinning I use this technique to push through hard sets. I visualize the top of the hill, the finish line, or my competitor. This always helps me push myself to another level and successfully get through the set.

Let the Training Begin

Yesterday I began my 36 week Ironman Wisconsin training - right now I'm only doing about 8 hours a week, plus 1.5 hours of weight training a week. The longest workout this week will be a 2 hour bike ride on Saturday. I'm in a prepatory phase right now which means I'm getting my body prepared to endure 2 a day workouts and a lot of time in the pool, bike, or on a run. Let the fun begin!!

This week is also the beginning of my triathlon training class at 7 Flags. I've got a great group to work with and I'm extremely excited to be their coach. This week we're focusing on building an aerobic base, as well as focusing on technique drills.